☁︎ ┆ ❝ The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ❞
As of August 2022, this book is currently undergoing major editing and revisions. It will be updated periodically when I finish editing chapters.
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———— V A L E N T I N E ' S D A Y tadashi yamaguchi
i n s p o : "Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai" manga author: doumoto, yuuki
w a r n i n g s : none c a t e g o r y : fluff ————
"I love you," Yamaguchi chirps happily from the windowsill of the classroom which looks into the hallway.
From your seat nearest to it, you glance over and roll your eyes, "Nope. Still not embarrassed," you grin smugly as you fold your arms across your chest.
"I figured, but here's that drink you wanted," he smiles, handing you the beverage through the window. He would've stayed to chat a bit longer, but he heard his name being called down the hall and bid you a rushed goodbye.
"You guys are so weird."
From the seat beside you, your friend remarks about your strange, passing interaction with Yamaguchi— a boy you've made very clear to your friend over and over again, are not currently dating, just friends.
You shrug, returning to your workbook, "It's just a game."
"A weird one. No one just goes around saying 'I love you' casually like the two of you do. It's so weird."
"Not weird," you insist, "just a game we've been playing since we were kids and I'm determined to win."
"Remind me again what the purpose of this stupid game is?"
You put your pencil down and turn towards her, "We would always try to one-up each other as kids and Tadashi proposed the idea of trying to make the other embarrassed. So now we're taking turns saying 'I love you'. The first person to feel even remotely embarrassed loses. It's been four years. I'm not losing now."
She cocks an eyebrow at you with a sly grin, "But you actually do like him, right?"
"No I don't!"
"Your blushing cheeks suggest otherwise."
"I am not!"
"If Yamaguchi was still here, you'd lose in a heartbeat... which I assume, right now, is beating really fast."
"Shut up!" you exclaim, slamming a hand on your desktop rattling everything on its surface.
"What happens if he actually catches feelings for another girl?" she asks. "The game would end, right, with no winner so you would've wasted how many years trying to claim a pointless victory?"
You turn to look out the window where Yamaguchi once was, "If he likes another girl, so be it. I would still claim victory in the end because I'll be the last person to say 'I love you'."
"Because it'll be when you're confessing to him."
"Exactly— NO!" quickly, your head whips back with a fearful look in your eyes from your casual admittance to feelings you've tried to deny for a while for the sake of an arbitrary game that means more to you than the possibility of a relationship.
