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Another visit to the CR hospital.
Hiiro and Taiga were talking over cake and tea, waiting for Emu to get off his shift. It would have been a peaceful and slightly quiet room if it weren't for...
"ARGH, NO! I REFUSE TO BE DEFEATED!"
In the corner of the CR break room was Nico yelling and her opponent, Parado, both playing DoReMiFa Beat. Poppy was in the machine, a bit exhausted from the countless rounds that Nico was persistent on playing. Parado was simply grinning, giving a little giggle here and there.
"Must you always bring her here?", Hiiro says, sipping his tea.
"She's always trying to see me when she can. But I frequently go to CR a lot to see you and Emu. But with Emu, Parado always follows him sometimes but he can't do that when he has work so of course Nico wants to play with Parado. She still holds that grudge against "Genius Gamer M" or something.", Taiga said, giving air quotes.
"Oh yeah. She always was angry at specifically Houjou before she found out it wasn't him talking."
As Hiiro and Taiga were talking, Parado partly heard their conversation, frowning. He aggressively kept playing the game, but it threw off his focus at the words, causing him to lose.
"AH HA! I win!!!", Nico said, jumping up from her seat. She puts her arm around Parado. "How does it feel to LOSE?"
Parado scoffs, turning his head. "You just got lucky. Don't forget the other times I beat you in this game."
"HUH? Are you being a sore loser? Are you willing to give in that you're not the greatest gamer around here?" Nico sticks out her tongue, mocking Parado. Parado sticks his tongue out back.
"I'm not being a sore loser, I'm just stating the facts.", Parado says, giving a smirk. He turns his head, hearing footsteps from the stairs.
"Parado, I hope you're being nice with Nico." Emu peeks his head, reaching the CR meeting room. Taiga motions Emu to him, tugging him down slightly to give Emu a kiss on the cheek. Both Nico and Parado made a grossed out face, jokingly giving a disgusted look that Taiga and Emu were being mushy.
"Get a room, you three.", Nico said. Emu smiled at Nico.
"We might as well leave now. We made plans for tonight at Hiiro's place, so I'll be home late, Parado. That also means Taiga won't be going back with you to the clinic, Nico."
"Whaaaaaat? Man. Fine! I'll just go with Parado! Come on, Parado!" Nico yanks Parado from where he was, dragging him along with her.
"W-woah! Slow down! See ya, Emu!" Parado reluctantly being dragged.
Nico dragged Parado all the way to Taiga's clinic, Parado pleading Nico to slow down the entire way. She plops down in the seat that Taiga insistently tells her to stop roughly sitting in, as it causes extremely loud creaking when he leans back (ultimately scaring him.)
There was a tense silence as Parado stood in the door way looking at Nico who was staring at the ceiling.
"So...um... Why did you want me to come with you?"
Nico perked her head up, inevitably blushing and covering her cheeks. "I-I was just bored and... lonely. Need someone to bother..." Parado grinned at Nico, putting his hands on his cheeks, teasing Nico by mocking her.
"You sure I'm the best choice to bother? I'd annoy you right back. Especially when you hated Genius Gamer M."
Nico looked away from Parado, thinking about her rivalry that was supposed to be with Emu. She always hated the persona that was Genius Gamer M, thinking that the man who patronized her wasn't the person she always thought it was.
"Hey. Serious question. Why did you stop being upset with Emu?", Parado asked.
"Huh?"
"Back then with the rise of the Bugster disease, you stopped actively trying to cause a ruse when it came to Emu. Thought you hated him." Nico lowered her gaze to the floor, thinking.
"Well... when I found out that it was you, I stopped. Didn't seem fair to get angry at someone who wasn't my actual rival."
"Well", Parado said getting closer, pulling a small swivel stool and sitting on it next to Nico, "why don't you do the same with me?"
"I... I guess after the whole thing with Cronus and what not... you didn't seem that bad. And I guess, I'd be judged for hanging out with guys since majority of my friends are girls."
"Don't girls and boys play games together though? What's so bad about it?" Parado raised an eyebrow.
"It's complicated.", Nico said, sighing.
Parado spins in the stool he sits in, grinning after a full rotation. "Well, if we're not going to act like rivals anymore, do you want to officially be friends?" Parado extends his hand out to Nico. "I like playing games with Poppy and Emu, but you're extra fun to play with since you're serious on your competitive side. It gives me a change to level up myself."
Nico looks at Parado grinning and then at his extended hand. She tentatively reaches out and clasps her hand with his. There was a warm feeling in her heart, the unknown cold disappearing. "Sure. We can be friends."
Parado laughs, taking Nico's hand and wrapping it in both of his own pink-sleeved ones. "My heart's dancing. You're truly a funny person, Nico but you're also cool."
Nico blushes, unfamiliar with this sort of kindness from anyone. She wiggles her hand out of Parado's grasp, lightly touching it behind her back. "Yeah... you're cool, too..." Parado gives Nico a big smile before pulling out his game console.
"Now, do you wanna play this new fighting game that came out? I have a spare controller if you need it." Parado sets the game console on the desk, leaning against Taiga's computer.
Nico gives a soft smile, reaching for the controller. "Game on."
END