デカセクト

Chapter 3

Shouko quickly typed in her ID and waited. Not a minute later, she jumped out of her seat with a hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide open as they stared into Haru's curious gaze.

"What?" He asked with a light chuckle. "What is it?"

"He's typing!" Shouko exclaimed.

"Holy shit, you're kidding?" Haru grinned as Shouko showed him her screen. "Holy shit, you weren't."

Shouko felt a mix of emotions as she tried to calm herself. After taking a seat again, she let out a breath and looked at the screen.

Let's play? - Nijiro

Right now? - Shouko

Yes. - Nijiro

The professor came in at that moment, making her groan. A rather great timing. Shouko sighed and was about to close her phone but she didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

"What? Are you seriously going to play on your phone in the middle of class?" Haru asked in disbelief. Though he was somewhat proud of how much of a rebel she has become.

"Why not?" Shouko shrugged with a grin. "You would totally do it too if it was your celebrity crush!"

"Yeah, true." Haru nodded in agreement. "But you better not let yourself get caught."

Shouko just nodded and opened the mobile app. She didn't even have time to claim her rewards when Nijiro sent her an invite. The feeling she had in the pit of her stomach got worse as each second passed. She was nervous as hell for two things; getting caught and most importantly, not being able to impress him during the game.

As the lecture went on, Shouko would often glance at the front to check if the professor had any suspicion. Even though her attention was divided, she still played really well.

But when she was called to answer a question, it was at that moment that they encountered two other players.

"Reading between the lines is to conclude or deduce a meaning that is not stated explicitly." Shouko answered in an instant, her fingers still moving behind her.

Haru watched in awe as she successfully shot the two players with her phone behind her back. She wasn't even looking at the screen. Some might say it was luck but before Shouko stood to answer, she had already calculated the movements the opponents could make and from that alone, she organized the actions she could take. Knowing the buttons and such like the back of her hand was also an advantage.

When Shouko was told to sit down again, she swiftly brought her phone under the table again. Haru wanted to congratulate her but he thought he should just do it after class. They still had another hour left until the class ended, right on time for lunch.

During the rest of the class, Shouko managed to successfully hide her phone under the table. She wasn't called again after answering once. Maybe the professor thought she wasn't listening.

"Wow, you're really something." Haru praised as he slung an arm over her shoulders. "I would have never pulled off something like that."

You're really good - Nijiro

Thanks, you're pretty good as well - Shouko

Shouko didn't know why she had managed to stay calm as she continued talking with one of the biggest actors in Japan. Like yesterday, she pinched herself just to be sure. Yep, all of this was really happening.

Wait, you're a student - Nijiro

Are you at school? - Nijiro

Why are you on your phone? - Nijiro

All of his questions made Shouko smile to herself. She was feeling like a giddy school girl-which she is.

Just finished class! - Shouko

We're on a lunch break - Shouko

Wait, did you play while you were in class? - Nijiro

Noooo - Shouko

"Can you stop staring at your phone like a lunatic and eat your damn lunch?" Haru said in irritation and threw a piece of food at her.

"Fine." Shouko begrudgingly put down her phone on the table and rolled her eyes before she actually started eating.

Shouko kept glancing at her phone but the screen had already turned off. Haru was still watching her so she finished her lunch quicker than she usually does.

"You're obsessed." Haru commented.

"It's not obsession, it's love." She corrected him, earning a fake gag that made her chuckle.

Liar - Nijiro

Take your time eating. Thanks for playing with me btw - Nijiro

Shouko stared at his messages, still in disbelief. She was thinking that she might be getting pranked or something but she really hoped that wasn't the case.

Days have passed yet she hasn't replied to him- she just didn't know what to reply!

A part of her wanted to keep the conversation going but she didn't want to annoy him so she just left it at that. The Alice In Borderland series was still ongoing, like only 3 or 4 episodes are available on Netflix.

The weekend came and as she sat on the couch, she scrolled through her feed. Her favorite, Dori, made another post and she was quick to like it. Of course, she didn't forget to comment on it.

As she stared at the post again, she realized she was the first one to comment. It made her feel a bit uneasy but she knew other people would comment soon as well so she felt a little better with that thought in mind.

Even though her heart fluttered for Nijiro, she still felt as invested as she was before to Dori. Throughout the day, she had done nothing but watch his former projects.

Then a thought came into her mind. She searched for Nijiro's movies and chose one that looked like a thriller. Shouko was a big fan of dark films and from the description alone, she already knew she was going to enjoy this one.

It was eight in the evening when she finally decided to start the movie. She had prepared snacks and drinks that would last her through the the entire film.

A few minutes into the movie, her phone buzzed. She reluctantly turned away from the television screen and picked up her phone only to see another notification from Instagram.

Hey, can we video chat? - Nijiro

Shouko almost dropped her phone in surprise. But she quickly recovered and used the camera to check if she looked okay. Of course, she wouldn't want to scare him off.

The movie was still playing and she didn't want to miss anything so she decided to pause it. After prepping herself up, she finally replied to him saying that they can.

Oh wait, nvm - Nijiro

Shouko felt her heart drop at that. She was so close to throwing her phone away when she received another message from him. But she didn't open it yet. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch as she thought of whether she should open it or not.

In the end, Shouko opened it.

Can we meet up? Or should I come over to your place? - Nijiro