Romantic Killer But I Made It Gay

Part 66

It's a close match, but the game ends with my team's victory. Ryuya slumps against the table sadly and Miyuki pulls him to his feet, laughing.

"C'mon. We gotta go buy ice cream for these heroes."

"I...don't really need ice cream," I object awkwardly. "I mean, I barely did anything. I let most of your goals in."

Due to my weak limbs and clouded mind I really was more of a hindrance than anything to my team, and I feel bad about that. But during the game I felt my vision clearing slowly, letting more and more light in.

"Haru! Stop being so down on yourself!" Riporin orders. "You're getting ice cream and you're enjoying it!"

An almost genuine laugh escapes me. "Okay, okay. I get it."

They leave and Riporin turns to me, suddenly serious.

"What's going on?"

"W-What? Nothing's going on. I'm fine."

She raises an eyebrow and I realize my mistake with a sigh.

"Nothing's going on, huh?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." I avoid her trying to catch my eyes. "I've left it behind me."

"So it's something from elementary school?" When I don't respond she gets her answer. "Was it Ryuya? What did he do to you?"

"It wasn't Ryuya." For a second I almost consider telling her, but I decide against it. "It's nothing, really. Talking about it only makes it worse."

"Okay..." She leans against the air hockey table with a doubtful expression. "You can talk to me, okay? I know we haven't seen each other for a few years, but we're still friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is everything okay?" Yuri walks up with Amin behind her, both frowning. "You look sad."

"We—"

"We're talking about how much Ryuya's changed," I interrupt Riporin before she can make them worry about me too. "He seems angrier now, doesn't he? It kinda worries me."

Yuri nods sadly. "I worry about him too. I wish I'd been in contact with him like Emi has."

"She's amazing," Amin agrees. "She's always there for all of us, and she always knows what to say. Even after all these years, she still texts me at least once a week."

"I like what I'm hearing," Emi comments as the other team returns with the ice cream. She hands one to me first, nudging my shoulder gently. Without any words, she's somehow reassured me more than any of the others can. I smile gently and she grins back before handing out the rest of the ice cream. 

We chat while eating and it feels like barely any time passes before we're done. I can almost forget the strange mood that's been hanging over me the whole day, and I joke and laugh with the others like my normal self.

"I can't believe we lost again," Ryuya huffs.

"I'm not even at 100% of my strength," I inform him haughtily. "My team's counting on me, and I don't plan to let them down."

"Fine then." He points out of the building challengingly. "The next fight is Karaoke. I'll get a higher singing score, and we'll finally win!"

I gulp. My singing voice is...well...nonexistent. I can't believe Ryuya can sing either, but if his score is anything over zero he's sure to beat me. "S-Singing is about bringing people together," I try desperately. Why'd I have to run my mouth like that when I can't follow through? "We shouldn't fight over–"

"Scared, Haru?" Miyuki mocks. "Well, I don't have much confidence in Ryu either, to be fair."

"Hey!" Ryuya gives her a disappointed look and she snickers.

"Don't worry, Haru," Amin places a hand on my shoulder, pointing to Yuri. "In case you forgot, we're on your team too. And she can sing, believe me. We've got this in the bag!"

Right. I'm not alone in this. I have my friends to back me up. And we're gonna win this.