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In her third year of Hope’s Peak Academy, it felt like Peko was finally getting used to being on her own. At the beginning of the first year, Fuyuhiko had told Peko to pretend that they had no connection, and for Peko to try and make her own bonds.
Peko didn’t think that she ever needed anyone besides her Young Master. Paradoxically, however, she never refused a request from Fuyuhiko. So she spent time around her classmates, out of obligation.
At some point, however, it stopped being an obligation. Peko… began to enjoy her time around her classmates, as confusing as they could be. At the end of the third year, all three classes went into a virtual island getaway, as a final vacation before graduation.
On that virtual island, Peko spent time with all the friends she made in her years at Hope’s Peak, learning more new things all the time. Though the day that Peko learned the most was also the time that she’d been given the most casual invitation yet.
Chiaki Nanami, the school rep of their class, invited her and Akane to her cottage. Peko had no reason to refuse, so she made her way to the gamer’s cottage in the evening.
Unsurprisingly, Chiaki already had her game console set up, with three controllers hooked to the system. Akane was also there already, looking rather impatient.
“There you are, Peko! It took forever for you to get here,” Akane cried out. “I’ve been itching to start this competition already!”
“Sorry for being late,” Peko said, even as she didn’t understand what the big deal was. “What competition are you talking about?”
“I thought it would be good if we all played a game together,” Chiaki said, gesturing to the game console. “Play a few rounds of a fighting game.”
“When it comes to fighting, I play to win! Doesn’t matter what kind!” Akane exclaimed. “You better bring your A game, Chiaki!”
“I’m insulted that you’d think that I’d do otherwise,” Chiaki said, already grabbing a controller.
Peko still didn’t know what the point of this was, but grabbed a controller as well, kicking off their impromptu gaming session.
It didn’t take long for Peko to realize the true nature of Chiaki’s talent as Ultimate Gamer- the normally sleepy girl became focused in a way she had never been before. Suddenly, Peko found herself unable to predict Chiaki’s moves, entirely on the defensive as Chiaki attacked her.
Akane did not help, attacking Peko and Chiaki entirely on random. It took everything that Peko had just to stay in the game. However, before long, Peko’s character was eliminated from the game, followed by Akane’s character.
Chiaki complimented both Peko and Akane for a good game, regardless. Akane decided to opt out of the game, to study Peko’s fighting style. Peko felt that there was no harm in playing some more, and so she decided to play another round. And another round. And another round…
It felt like Peko was being shaken from a trance, ironically enough, when she heard Akane yawn behind her. They had begun this gaming session late into the night, and now it was morning. For a moment, Peko felt guilty- what if the Young Master had needed her?
But the conflicting feelings were shaken away by a single question from Chiaki: “Were you bored, Peko?”
No, she hadn’t been bored. Just the opposite, Peko had a lot of fun playing with Chiaki. So perhaps that was why Peko found herself accepting Chiaki’s invitation to continue hanging out in the room. Akane had gone right back to sleep, to Peko’s amusement. Since it was so early in the morning, Peko opted to order some breakfast to be brought to Chiaki’s cottage.
“As soon as breakfast arrives Akane is going to wake up,” Chiaki said. “And once food's in her stomach, she’s probably going to be full of energy.”
“All the better. Playing a fighting game is all well and good, but I prefer a physical sparring match,” Peko said. “Of course, I will take it out of your cottage to not make a mess.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m interested in seeing how you and Akane would fight indoors,” Chiaki said. A small smile spread on her face. “Besides, even if there's a mess, it could probably be cleaned up easy enough.”
Peko caught onto what Chiaki was saying. “There are definite advantages to this being a virtual island.”
Soon enough there was a knock on the door, and Peko opened it to see Kirumi with a service cart covered in plates of food. “Your breakfast, Chia…” Kirumi paused for a second when she saw Peko, and her eyes glanced inside the cottage. It spoke to Kirumi’s professionalism that she didn’t miss a beat. “This is why you ordered so much food. I hope it satisfies all of you.”
Kirumi took the plates of food inside the cottage, bowed to the inhabitants, and wheeled the service cart out.
As Chiaki predicted, soon after the food entered the room, Akane bolted awake. “Is that Kirumi’s cooking? She makes some amazing breakfast food!”
The three of them enjoyed the food at the table in Chiaki’s cottage, even if it was a bit cramped. Peko agreed with Akane’s assessment, Kirumi’s cooking was exceptional. Teruteru made excellent food as well, but… Peko didn’t trust anything he made if she couldn’t see him cooking it.
Once the food was finished, the three of them stood up from the table. “That was a good meal, but now I have to burn it off! Let’s go outside, Peko, so we can-!”
“Hold on a moment, Akane,” Chiaki said. “We’re having a sleepover, right? One of the traditional activities for it is a pillow fight.”
Peko looked over at Chiaki in surprise. “I suppose so, but is there a reason besides being ‘tradition’?”
“The pillows in everyone’s cabins are programmed to be soft and harmless no matter what you do to them. And, well…” Chiaki tugged her hoodie over her head. “It feels like the best way I could participate with you and Akane in an activity like this.”
Peko found she was very touched. Earlier, Chiaki had shared her talent with them. Now she wanted to be part of Peko and Akane’s talents.
“You really want to go, short stuff? Okay, but even if these pillows are harmless, I’m going to give it all I’ve got!” Akane said, grinning. “I’m going to win the shit out of this pillow fight!”
“I’m not sure how one wins a pillow fight, but I do have faith in my skills with a weapon,” Peko said, going over and grabbing a pillow from Chiaki’s bed. “Don’t let down your guards, either of you.”
Akane grabbed a pillow next, followed by Chiaki. “Let’s start this pillow fight.”
Of course, Akane was the first one to strike, aiming at Peko to get a good fight out of this. Peko used her own pillow to block the blow from Akane. Chiaki decided to make use of this, and hit Akane on the back of the head.
Akane turned around, surprised. Chiaki grinned and said, “That’s what you get for not looking at all your opponents.”
Peko found that she was actually giggling at this. “If you want to participate, then expect me to strike you as well.”
Peko swiped at Chiaki, but had to pivot at the last second to block a blow from Akane. So Peko landed a hit on Akane, only to feel a pillow on the arm from Chiaki.
“These pillows really don’t feel like anything. Then I have no issues doing this!” Peko smacked Chiaki upside the head with her pillow. The gamer responded by hitting her pillow against Peko’s gut.
The pillow fight spiraled out of control from there, with the three girls smacking each other with complete abandon. Since the pillows left no impact, they had no issues hitting each other anywhere that they could reach, either.
That didn’t mean they didn’t leave any trace at all. In the course of the pillow fight, Peko found herself knocking over a table. Akane got tangled in Chiaki’s bedsheets. At one point Chiaki landed on the floor from a blow, but got back up without any issues.
How long they spent on the pillow fight, none of them knew. They only stopped when they got tired. Thankfully, the cleanup of the room was as simple as pressing a button on a panel provided in every cabin.
The three girls sat down on a couch, drinking some water from the mini-fridge in the cabin.
“Even in the virtual world, I don’t have a lot of stamina,” Chiaki said between sips of water. “It’s… a bit of a problem.”
“Then you gotta move, shorty! The only way to increase your stamina is to move!” Akane exclaimed. “You spend too much time sitting around.”
“I wouldn’t put it quite so bluntly, but proper exercise is important,” Peko said. She considered if she wanted to make the offer to Chiaki, then went right ahead. “I run a self-defense class with Tenko. If you’d like, you can join in.”
“I need to figure out how I would fit it into my schedule of gaming, but I’ll definitely consider it,” Chiaki answered.
“What’s next in a sleepover?” Peko asked curiously.
“Well, most of the time, they all sit around and talk about stuff,” Chiaki said. “It’s supposed to be a bonding experience.”
“But I don’t want to sit around and talk! That’s so boring!” Akane groaned.
“Maybe it depends on what we talk about. You always want to know more about my swordsmanship,” Peko said. “I could share some basics.”
Just as Peko predicted, Akane immediately perked up. “About time! I’ve been wanting to learn your secrets since we started Hope’s Peak!”
“I am not going to share any ‘secrets’ on using a sword,” Peko said, raising an eyebrow at Akane. “Besides, I usually don’t see you with a weapon at all.”
“Yeah, I prefer to fight with my own fists! But I want to be able to beat anyone, no matter what they face me with!” Akane declared.
“I suppose I can impart some of the self-defense lessons right now. After all, facing someone with a weapon is covered there,” Peko said. “A person with only their fists could be considered at a disadvantage. They could still win against an opponent with a weapon.”
Chiaki sat up, a spark of interest in her eyes. “Bare-fisted opponents can certainly beat opponents with a weapon in video games. How does that work in real life, Peko?”
“Even if you face a wooden sword like mine, what’s most important is to avoid a hit. A blow from this to the wrong place could still break a limb,” Peko said, feeling herself slip into instructor mode. “As for how to consider what your opponent does, I have my own question. How do you use your extremities in a fight, Akane?”
“Huh? I don’t know about fancy words like that. I fight however I damn well please,” Akane said. “Although Coach Nekomaru has been nagging at me about ‘proper form’ or crap like that.”
“Let’s set aside what Nekomaru said for now. In a fight, why do you move how you do?” Peko asked.
“I can’t explain it. I move how I gotta move,” Akane said, getting irritated at the question. “Like, I know what I’m doing with my own body.”
Peko had her opening to get into her point about weapons. “Believe it or not, truly skilled swordmasters wield their swords like this. The sword is not a separate tool, but a part of your body. Use the sword as if you were using your own arms and fists. And if you want to beat a skilled sword wielder, you consider that they are using their sword as an extension of themselves.”
“Interesting. So with enough training, a person that wields weapons does so by instinct, much like how Akane fights with her body,” Chiaki said, paying full attention. “I wonder if even I could do it, with enough time.”
Before Peko could answer, Akane butted in: “You don’t gotta do all that thinking in a fight! Just gotta hit the opponent before they hit you! You train by getting into brawls, not standing around.”
“I won’t change your mind. You have your own way of doing things, Akane,” Peko said. “But all I’m saying is that weapons are more than a way to hit your opponents.”
“Even in video games, a weapon can be pretty different depending on the genre,” Chiaki said, her eyes lighting up. “You see, if a weapon can slash or do blunt damage…”
It was certainly not the traditional topic of conversation for sleepovers, but all three girls enjoyed themselves regardless.
Night fell on this strange, but enjoyable day. There was really only one thing to do left.
Even still, Peko felt her face heat up a bit as she looked over at the bed. “It seems a bit too small for three people.”
“That’s not a problem.” Chiaki pressed a few buttons on the panel in her room, and the bed grew to accommodate three people.
“Don’t know why there has to be such a big fuss about it. A bed is for sleeping, and I’m bushed.” Without bothering to move the sheets, Akane flopped onto the bed and went to sleep.
“I’m still amazed at how fast she can do that,” Peko said, looking at Akane in amazement.
Chiaki was the next to climb into the bed, pulling some sheets over her. “Tomorrow, we can hang out with everyone else. But today, I don’t feel like moving from here. This was a fun day, Peko. Good night.”
Almost as fast as Akane, Chiaki closed her eyes and drifted off.
Seeing her two friends, Peko smiled to herself. They were both such odd people, but also wonderful, in their own way. She was glad to have spent this day with them.
So letting go of the last of her reservations, Peko climbed into the bed to join the other two girls, pulling some sheets over herself. Taking off her glasses to set them on the bedside table, Peko then closed her eyes and let herself drift off in the company of these two cherished classmates.