Spring
Some people are, as they say, "above the clouds."
G'morning!
DVD On Sale
They might be your favorite idol, or an athlete on the world stage.
Huge Bargain!
And for some people, they're 2D characters.
Golden Memories
Most people can only watch them from afar.
That's why they're "above the clouds."
Excuse me.
So when the cutest girl in school spoke to me out of the blue...
I, Amano Keita, lost communication with my brain.
This is our first time speaking, isn't it?
I'm Tendou Karen, of Class 2-A at Otobuki High School.
Tendou Karen.
Tendou Karen
Even as a second-year, she stands at the top of the school hierarchy.
Good morning!
Morning!
* She eventually loses it
Morning!
Blonde hair, green eyes
165 cm, 81/57/82
Great weather, huh?
100m in 12.30 seconds
Standard deviation of 73 on the national exams
With brains, beauty, and unrivaled athleticism,
she almost seems too perfect to be real.
* She eventually loses it
* And he's the main reason
So even though she's not a celebrity or anything, at Otobuki,
she's basically treated like a deity.
She's a so-called school idol.
"Idol"
Meanwhile...
Height: 159cm
Grades: Average of average
Friends: 0 (Games are his friends)
Um...
Huh?! Um, er... I-I'm Amano.
Class F...
Wait, no, I'm in Otobuki with you!
I'm way too creepy!
I'm totally acting like a creep otaku!
Nice to meet you, Amano-kun.
R-Right.
Why don't we pick those up?
H-Huh?
What the heck is going on?
Is this some new extortion tactic?
Or, wait... Is she...
Do you like this stuff?
Games, I mean.
O-Of course, right?
I knew that!
I knew, but I was getting flustered on purpose!
Er, uh... never mind.
Sorry.
This is the one you picked up earlier, right?
Wait, that's—
Golden Memories
Golden Memories.
"Ba-bump!"
Ba-bump!
A Dating Simulation
"A dating simulation adventure full of blonde girls."
Full of Blonde Girls
Sexiness-Packed Adventure
"Wardrobe malfunctions included."
Wardrobe malfunctions included <3
I love it!
I mean... games in general!
O-Of course, right?
I knew that.
I knew, but I was getting flustered on purpose.
Sell Us Your Games
We Buy High
I want to disappear without a trace.
I, uh, like games.
That game had some unique content, so I was a bit interested.
So I couldn't help but want to read the back cover.
Oh, I get it.
Package back covers are pretty interesting, right?
You get it?
It's great, isn't it?
The way they jam-pack all of the game's selling points into that small space.
It's irresistible!
Oh, yeah, speaking of back covers...
Crap.
She's totally creeped out.
Tendou-san...
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
You were just so passionate, Amano-kun.
Also... How do I put it?
You're just so perfect.
Hey, if it's all right with you... If it's all right with you...
Would you join me...
in the game club?
Would you join me in the game club?
Huh?
Tsumo!
TSUMO
Woohoo!
Sanbaiman!
Not bad.
You little...
Hey, Tasuku...
Isn't this amazing?
What, so you want me to get it?
Yup!
You're mega-good at gaming.
Uh, mega-good?
Get it for me, please, Tasuku?
I mean, I guess I could.
Come on, money.
T-Tasuku...
This girl...
Grab
Plays Remaining
Go, go, Tasuku! Yay! Yay!
A little more to the right.
That's it.
There, there!
Shut up.
Quit talking and watch.
What are you doing, Tasuku?
You suck!
Ta-da!
Oh my God, it's so fluffy!
You sure are good at games!
Don't get too excited.
I'm so badass, as always.
Fail
Plus, I have a girlfriend who might not have much going on in her head,
but who you could say is cute as hell.
Dude, I'm such a winner. Right?
* He'll soon fail even harder.
Why are you so happy?
Because you got this for me.
I'm going to cherish it for life.
Isn't he in my class?
Amano, was it?
The guy who's gaming all the time.
What the hell is he even doing over there, anyway?
What's up, Tasuku?
Nothing.
Guys like him will never have a hot girlfriend like mine.
Hot girlfriend
Loser.
Said loser
and the hot girlfriend
will later meet in secret many times.
So I ended up creating it by myself,
but I haven't really recruited members or anything yet.
I-Is that so?
So polite.
I don't get it.
Even my classmates talk to me politely.
I-Is that so?
Yup.
Even my teacher talked to me in polite language the other day.
Heck, even King Koopa talks to me in polite language.
Wow...
Wait, no, that one's a lie!
No, it's true.
I thank you for visiting me in this treacherous weather.
Maybe it was a bug.
That's obviously a bug!
How do you even get that to happen?
Like when I pulled three all-nighters in a row trying to beat
the speedrun world record?
You were dreaming, then!
That's clearly a dream!
You're the one that was glitched, Tendou-san!
Sorry, I went off-topic.
It's okay.
Uh, I'm actually surprised that you like gaming.
I haven't really told my friends about it.
Actually, I came to Otobuki because I'd heard it had a famous game club.
It fell apart before we entered, though.
I-Is that so?
Yeah.
So...
Last year,
I worked behind the scenes to revive it, and this year, I managed to succeed.
C-Congratulations.
Thank you.
So, uh, what exactly is the game club?
Yeah, that's an obvious question to ask.
But we don't just play games.
We play seriously, as club work.
I see.
So I've been looking for new members who are undeniably true gamers.
That's when I found you.
So would you be willing to come visit the game club sometime? Please?
Amano-kun?
M-Mom!
Sorry, I have a curfew.
Anyway, think about it.
See you!
Wait for me in class after school tomorrow.
Okay.
Goodbye.
Game club!
Who would have thought there'd be such a huge event in my life?
This isn't a dream, is it?
No way... But...
Oh.
96 seconds remaining
Mono-san is requesting assistance.
Accept
Decline
95 seconds remaining
It's Mono-san.
94 seconds remaining
Let's go.
What do you want to do today?
Want to go for karaoke again?
I-I need to calm down.
Mono-san is requesting assistance.
Accept
Decline
Sorry I'm late.
It's fine! I was killing time.
Wow, you play social network games too, huh?
T-Too close!
God in Heaven!
T-Tendou-san, never mind that. Let's just go to the club room already.
Huh?
Oh, yeah.
You're right. Let's go.
Request declined.
Sorry, Mono-san.
The dating sim gods have chosen me.
Hello! My name is Misumi Eiichi.
U-Um... Tendou-san?
Oh, didn't I tell you?
I had actually invited another member already.
Misumi-kun, this is Amano Keita-kun from Class F.
N-Nice to meet you.
He was glued to a block puzzle game at the arcade.
Don't tell people that! Jeez!
It's embarrassing!
Why?
You were unbelievably good at it.
No, that's not true.
I want to smack myself for thinking I was the chosen one!
Amano-kun...
You know, I don't really have many friends.
So...
I'd be happy if we could be friends.
Th-Thank you!
Th-Thank you, too.
I'm surprised the school approved of a game club, though.
I know.
But we work more properly than you guys might think.
Properly?
Well, seeing is believing.
Welcome to the game club.
Game Club
Pardon me.
Wow, there really are games everywhere.
Sorry. Senpai isn't very approachable.
You're so rude.
How exactly am I not approachable?
Come on! You're super unapproachable.
I'll make introductions.
This wannabe-cool guy with glasses is Kase Gakuto-Senpai.
You...
N-Nice to meet you.
The lady over there playing a fighting game is Oohiso Niina-senpai.
Uh, as you can see, she's a bit distant when she's playing fighting games. Yes.
That's amazing.
You may not believe it from how he looks,
but Kase-senpai is one of the top FPS players in the world.
Huh...
What do you mean, "from how I look"?
Whoa, COS!
Wow.
I've never seen a game like this one.
Is this your first time seeing an FPS, Misumi-kun?
Beyond block puzzles, I'm clueless.
O-Oh, really?
Another headshot.
Also, we bought everything here using prize money from competitions.
Prize money?
So that's what you meant when you said you work properly.
Now, it's no fun just watching.
You guys should play, too.
Let's see what you've got.
Game 1
That was so fun.
One more.
Game 5
I'm getting a bit tired.
We're going again.
Get ready.
Game 30
Good work, everyone.
How about a brea—
We're all waiting on you. Hurry up.
Two hours later...
Kase-senpai, you should go easy on him.
In my mind, there's no such thing as "going easy" when it comes to FPS games.
You're such a crank.
You're going to scare away our new members.
Y-You're awesome, though, Kase-senpai.
The bots were so strong, too.
They were all scrubs.
Although, is this really your first time playing this game?
I've never had a newbie kill me three times before.
POINTS KILLS ASSISTS DEATHS
KILLS ASSISTS DEATHS
I-I just got lucky.
I was imitating your motions, that's all.
That's amazing, Misumi-kun!
Are you sure you haven't played before?
Yeah, this really is my first time.
It turns out it's surprisingly fun, huh?
This is huge, Misumi-kun!
You're embarrassing me.
You actually have promise.
The observational skills to steal techniques from other players
are an absolute requirement for becoming better at FPS games.
Thank you.
On the other hand...
You.
Y-Yes?
What the hell were you doing, jumping up and down on the car?
Oh, I thought I might get to see some really pretty scenery.
Can't you tell you're making things harder for your team?
I-It's okay. Senpai is just really passionate when it comes to FPS games.
Sorry, Amano-kun.
I-It's fine.
Wh-Why don't we all take a break, okay?
It feels so nice.
I'm impressed.
After all the playing we just did...
They both really love gaming.
More than they love eating every day, even.
Uh-huh.
By the way, why did you guys become gamers?
Why?
Yeah.
Did you have a specific reason?
A reason?
Kase-senpai was trained really hard by his mercenary dad as a kid,
so he became crazy good at FPS games.
Niina-senpai is apparently bettering herself to try to bring her best friend
back from the dark side.
Game Club
What's the deal with this club?
Uh, I...
Yeah?
I just kind of like gaming.
What's with this vibe?
Oh, of course.
That's a good reason, too.
What about you, Misumi-kun?
I, uh... What can I say?
I don't have a very good reason, either.
Thank goodness.
I lost all of my memories, and the only thing I was good at was that block puzzle.
Sorry, that kind of killed the conversation.
Traitor!
Everyone's got their own reasons, huh?
Ahem.
S-So, guys, do you have a better idea of what the game club is about now?
Yes.
Y-Yes.
Yup.
I'm sure our senpai were a bit scary,
but they're basically just game addicts, so don't let them get to you.
You don't have to be really good at gaming or anything, either.
The game club's mission is just to make ourselves better gamers.
So I just want us to really work hard at it.
Yes.
I had a lot of fun today.
Please let me join.
Thanks!
What about you, Amano-kun?
Would you be in the game club with me?
Tendou-san... Misumi-kun...
You're going to need help.
I'll teach you the basics of FPS games.
Senpai...
My first friends since I started high school.
They're a bit hard to talk to, but they're kind.
And Tendou-san's smile...
An ideal school life, surrounded by my beloved games.
Could things get any better?
No, thank you. I'll pass.
It doesn't look like this club plays any of the games I want to.
Huh?
You idiot!
Why?
Why did you turn it down?
Wasn't it the invitation of my dreams?
What am I, stupid? Am I dead?
20 seconds remaining
Mono-san is requesting assistance.
Accept
Decline
19 seconds remaining
18 seconds remaining
T-Tendou-san?!
You're still playing that, huh?
N-Never mind that.
I still want you in our club, Amano-kun.
Please?
I'm kind of interested in you.
That was close.
We're safe for now.
A-Amano-kun...
N-No... I'm sorry! You were talking!
Ugh, how could I be so rude?
Th-Then...
I'm sorry, though.
I can't join the game club.
A-Are you worried that you might not be good enough?
In that case, don't worry. Kase-senpai takes good care of people, believe it or not.
No, that's not it.
It's not about that.
Then what is it?
I want to play games for the enjoyment.
I guess I found out that I don't like playing for the competition.
So, um... I'm sorry, Tendou-san.
I think the game club is fantastic, but I want to keep gaming the way I like to play.
Why do I feel like I was just rejected?
Oh, but I'm really happy you invited me.
Thank you.
You're nothing to me.
You suck at games.
It's not like I enjoyed spending time with you...
Keep up the good work at the game club.
I'm rooting for you.
Sure, you're right.
Did I make her angry?
Message from Mono-san
Thanks again