Story of a Rhythm Game Couple

Prologue

"...Of course. I love you too, umm... Asahi-kun, so let's go out together, I'd love to..."

A voice he was so used to listening to, yet it felt so sweet and dazzling. Despite the serenity the voice carried, it brought a sense of happiness to the surface. He felt such relief when those words came out from the girl for whom he had been reserving his feelings, so he couldn't help but embrace this girl, now that they had officially become a couple.

How did things happen this way? Let's rewind four months to the beginning of the new school year season.

It was in September. It was the time that every student went back to school after indulging themselves with whatever their summer holiday had to offer. Looking at the faces of those back-to-schoolers, it was pretty clear that most of them did not seem to be satisfied, whether it was that they hadn't accomplished enough over their holiday, or it was the fact that they were going to school after such a lengthy break.

However, things did look a bit different in the eyes of Asahi Noguchi. Because starting this September, he no longer had to return to the same school that he had attended for the past 3 years. Asahi was now a university student, and started his studies in a different city from his hometown. Taking a closer look at his expression that morning, he seemed motivated, and somewhat enthusiastic, because from that day on, he was going to live on his own, independent from his parents.

Noguchi is quite a well-off family, and Asahi, despite having set foot into a university, didn't intend to do a part-time job yet, or at least, that was what his parents told him to. His parents wanted him to get used to the university environment and establish friends during his studies, so they assured him they would financially support him until he was ready. His parents feared that a part-time job might disrupt their son's study process, so - it wasn't that they discouraged him from getting a job so early in a foreign place - they outright prohibited him from even considering it. Asahi had no intention to protest against his parents, not solely due to his lack of a proper financial position but also in order to maintain a cordial relationship with them.

While his parents went to this city with him to settle the rental procedures a few days before the opening ceremony, they soon returned home, leaving Asahi to his own devices to explore the city.

After attending the opening ceremony, all students had a week off before the new school year started. The students were free to come, however. It was so that the students could involve themselves to get a better grasp of the curriculum, the extra activities like clubs or sports, the discipline measures, and so on. But it seemed like the vast majority of students didn't care about all that. For the most part, Asahi only came to school to get himself familiarized with the credit registration procedures and the course outline, as he never enjoyed extracurricular activities. The students all around the campus were planning all types of parties and sleepovers. Apparently, much like Asahi, most students enrolling in this university are all from different cities across the country, so they can avoid restrictions like curfew, which only existed within local students' households. Asahi was invited to all kinds of parties on his way back, but he politely declined every single offer and headed home.

Or at least, that was what everyone thought.

His rented house is quite far from the university, far enough so that a student couldn't just "randomly show up" on their way to run some sort of errand. In short, the neighborhood that Asahi lived in was not a place that could be considered a "student town" by any standards. While it was possible that the rent in such a place was lower compared to a student town, it was not Asahi's wish to live close to school, so he was content with his place.

Asahi did not turn to the road that led him to the entrance of his apartment, but instead went straight on for another minute or two when he was greeted with the big sign "FunZone Arcade".

FunZone is a small arcade in the neighborhood. Asahi instantly knew the place since it was a short stroll from his apartment, and he was immediately hooked. Apart from the familiar crane game, the arcade featured a wide selection of entertainment, most notably a lot of different gachapons and rhythm game cabinets. Because the number of machines in this arcade is much lower than that in other arcades, especially ones in student towns or more populated areas, there were usually not many people around. Asahi never really cared about the gachapons or the crane games, so rhythm game area was his usual fare.

Since the arcade is far away from the school, he never saw a peer coming to unwind, so he often spent time in the arcade alone. He liked it. He even registered for the membership subscription, which gave him a lot of perks around the arcade, one of which was a number of daily free game credits and discounted prices on certain rhythm games.

However, as enthusiastic as he seemed towards arcade games, he seldom remained for more than an hour per session. Part of it was because he still wanted to check around his residential area, and the other part was that he was reluctant to spend too much money on these games - they could get costly.

In fact, he didn't really have much of the stereotypical lifestyle that a schoolboy led when he stayed alone away from his parents. He kept his apartment neat and tidy - not to the point that it was spotless, but clean enough to move around, do chores, and entertain visitors. He also knew how to do a fair bit of cooking; he actually enjoyed the whole process of cooking all three meals every day, from shopping for ingredients to putting them into a pot and cooking them over the fire. He also exercised regularly by going for a short jog in the morning and sometimes in the evening after dinner if time allowed. If he didn't go jogging in the evening, it meant he was spending that time reading or doing homework.

It was hardly an exaggeration to say he led a healthier lifestyle than anyone could have imagined. He was the ideal role model that any parent could use to scold their children for not tidying up their messy room.

Thanks to the healthy lifestyle and uptight schedules he made for himself, he appeared to be quite fit. His short black hair looked silky smooth, as he had been taking good care of it because of his big bang, though he didn't go to the extremes to nurture it like typical long-haired girls did. His frequent exercises, physical rhythm games, and balanced diet kept his physique neither too slender nor too obese. If he wore a thin shirt, some of his thick and strong masculine lines could be seen. Coupled with his impeccable academic results, he looked like the kind of person who could captivate anyone at any time, effortlessly.

Despite that, he never intended to go out of his way to become a popular figure in his school. He didn't want to receive attention from the entire school for simply showing up. By pulling his bang down, he intentionally put up a dull and unfriendly facade, enough to keep other people at arm's length. Because of that, nobody ever tried to approach him.

"Just as I thought..."

A whisper, hardly audible to even Asahi himself.

He intended to spend his university life as peacefully as ever. In order to graduate from university with peace of mind, he planned to have minimal contact with anyone.

"Hmm..."

His tranquil school life was about to be ravaged by a storm, and he never expected it to arrive so quickly.