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The dorm kitchen was dim, lit only by the refrigerator’s glow. Shinjiro was hunched over, rummaging for something edible.
Hamuko shuffled in, yawning rubbing her eyes, and pointed to the stove. A pot of...curry? It looked menacing, simmered on it.
“You made this?” Shinjiro asked, skeptical.
She nodded, holding up a ladle.
He took a cautious bite, then froze.
“...This is actually good.”
"What’s going on?” Akihiko walked in
“Your girlfriend can actually cook,” Shinjiro mumbled, handing over a bowl.
Hamuko beamed. Akihiko, mid-bite, nearly choked.
“W-Wait, girlfriend?!”
“Just eat,” Shinjiro grumbled, trying -and failing - to hide a smirk.
Shinjiro sat with his arms crossed, watching Hamuko, Akihiko, and Junpei battle in a video game.
“C’mon, Sanada, you can’t let her win!” Junpei groaned as Hamuko delivered the final blow.
“She’s too good at this.” Akihiko sighed
Hamuko grinned, holding up a victory sign
“You’re all hopeless,” Shinjiro said, picking up a controller.
"As another challenger enters the arena would it be enough to defeat our cute leader?"Junpei cheered
Shinjiro dominated the match, taking out everyone with ruthless precision. Hamuko stared at him, wide-eyed.
“How did you-?"
"Arcade" Shinjiro sighed. "Now, get back to homework before Mitsuru sees this-"
“Why did I agree to this?” Mitsuru sighed, dodging a ball as Junpei threw it at her.
“Team bonding!” Hamuko laughed, grinning as she ducked another throw.
“No fair, Aragaki’s on their team!” Junpei whined as Shinjiro effortlessly caught his throw and sent it hurtling back. Yukari narrowly avoided it, while Akihiko aimed straight at Junpei, knocking him out. Fuuka cheered timidly from the sidelines and Koromaru barked enthusiastically, Ken rolling his eyes at the game
The game ended with the third year's team victorious. Hamuko patted Junpei on the back and he groaned.
“Rematch! And no Shinjiro next time!”
Akihiko sat on the rooftop, Shinjiro’s beanie clutched in his hands.
“I promised him we’d get through this together,” he whispered. “I promised... and I let him down.”
Hamuko approached quietly, sitting beside him. She didn’t try to speak - words felt hollow in moments like this.
Instead, she placed her hand over his, steadying the trembling in his fingers.
Akihiko turned to her, his voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know how to keep going without him.”
Hamuko’s grip tightened, her eyes meeting his for a second. She didn’t have an answer either, but she wasn’t going to let him face it alone.
Yukari couldn’t stop shaking.
She sat against a wall in the dungeon, blood staining her uniform. “I... I froze. I couldn’t move.”
“Hey, you did your best. We’re all still here because of you.” Junpei crouched beside her, serious for once. Yukari shook her head, tears spilling over.
“What if.. next time, someone dies because of me?"
Hamuko, knelt down, offering her a handkerchief. Yukari stared at her for a moment before taking it.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. Hamuko gave her a small nod, though her own hands trembled behind her back.
"They won't." Hamuko promised. She would make sure of that.