(Y/N)'s POV

"(Y/N), I don't think we got the chance to properly introduce ourselves."

"O-Oh, I guess we didn't huh." I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my neck, silently cursing at the blush I could feel forming on my cheeks. She wants to introduce herself to me? Is she just trying to meet everyone, or does she really want to talk to me? Then, I realized something she said. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"O-Oh," She stuttered quietly, obviously not prepared for that question. "I just happen to overhear." Again, I swore I could see a little pink form on her cheeks. Quickly shifting the conversation, she introduces herself formally.

"I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimater Gamer." She spoke softly. Yeah, I found that out from all the stalking I did.

"I figured that, given the handheld you were playing in class earlier." I responded.

"I'm (Y/N) (L/N), Ultimate (Y/T)." I smiled. As if it were contagious, she started smiling too. "Anyway, we should get going, the bell just r-"

"What class do you have next?" She interrupted, failing to hide the fact she was eager for an answer.

"Huh?" I said, taken aback by her sudden interruption. She seems so quiet and polite, why would she be so forceful?

"Oh, uhh," She looked to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I was just wondering what class you have, so if we have the same one, we could maybe walk together..." He sentence gradually quieted as it neared it's end, almost as if she was embarrassed. "If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't want you to be la-"

"Math." I said suddenly. "Math with Suzuki-sensei." She looked a bit surprised at my sudden answer, but soon smiled.

"Good, I have that too. Let's get going."

(A/N: I don't like when people just put (Teacher's name), so I give even minor characters names, just to make it a little more "real" feeling. If the name doesn't sound familiar, like "Suzuki-sensei", I probably just made it up for an insignificant background character.)

We walked down the hall, happily chatting about our favorite games, ignoring the first late bell echoing loudly throughout the halls.

~~~~~~~

I waved and parted ways with Chiaki, who shared all but two of her classes with me, luckily for me.

I arrived at my new dorm room, courtesy of Hope's Peak Academy. I was initially very upset about leaving my family behind, but they only live about a half hour away.

The dorm they provided wasn't exceptionally large, but not cramped either. It had come with minimal furniture, but enough to live with until my all my stuff had been moved. The front area had been carpeted, with a large TV and a comfy looking couch. Near the back, a kitchen area, ready to use (minus literally any food). To my left, a small bathroom, and further back, the door to the bedroom. The bedroom was fairly spacious, and had a queen sized bed, nightstands on both sides, and another TV mounted on the wall. It also had a small walk-in closet.

The only things I had unpacked so far were a few weeks worth of clothes, basic living materials, and a few personal items. I decided to unwind by turning on the TV and booting up (F/G), which I had bought with me. As I played, I thought about Chiaki.

I wonder what it would be like if we got to play games together.

~~~~~~~
A week later
~~~~~~~

*BRINNNNGGGGGGGG*

The school bell rung obnoxiously in my ear as a packed up my stuff for that class preparing to head out. Before I got to the door, I heard someone call out to me.

"(Y/N)," I recognized that voice instantly. "Wait for me." Chiaki quickly caught up to me. Chiaki and I enjoyed talking, and had made a habit of walking to and from classes together when we had the chance.

"Hey Chiaki." I smiled sweetly at her.

In response to my smile, Chiaki blushed ever so slightly. "Hey, so, I know you really like (F/G), so I wanted to know if you wanted to come over to my dorm later to play it." She says, her blush deepening.

...

...She...

...She wants me to come over...

...To her dorm...

...

WHAT?!

"Uh, (Y/N)? Are you okay?" Chiaki asks, concern etched into her features. "You're looking kinda red."
She's not wrong, my face was feeling hotter than the Sahara desert. Suddenly, she puts her hand on my forehead, presumably to check for fever, which did not help my blush one bit.

"N-No! No, it's fine, I just-" Not bothering to explain, I cleared my throat and fought against my rapidly growing blush. "Yeah, I can come over later. Which room is yours?"

Chiaki looked at me with confusion, perhaps not connecting the dots between my red face, stuttering, and overall nervousness. "211."

"Wait, really?" I asked, already quickly forgetting the whole "extremely flustered" thing. Chiaki gave me a sleepy nod in response to my question. "Oh, wow! What a coincidence, I'm room 212!"

For some reason, just the small coincidence of us being in neighboring dorms made her smile.

"Does 6 work for you later today?" She questioned.

"Yeah."

"Alright." She looked down at her feet, seemingly getting more tired by the second. "Don't worry about bringing anything. I have the controllers, some snacks, all that stuff."

"Sounds good to me!" I grinned, Chiaki smiling at my giddiness.

We continued in some peaceful banter, before arriving at our dorms and saying quick goodbyes.

As soon as I closed my door, I let out a large exhale I didn't know I was holding, before busting out into a huge grin.

Chiaki wants me to come over later...

I smiled eagerly like a child on Christmas Eve.

Is this a... date?

...

No... no it's not. She's just happy to play (F/G) with someone, she just means it as a friend.

...

But still...

~~~~~~~

6PM rolls around, and I am both very excited and very nervous as I give a few timid knocks. She soon opens the door with a smile on her face.

"(Y/N), come in." She says, moving out of the doorway to give me space to walk in.

I peek inside at her dorm room, and am met with posters lining the walls, several different consoles hooked up to the TV, and a small snack area near the couch, among other things. Wow, this really is the Ultimate Gamer's room.

"Wow, how did you set this all up so soon?" I asked. It was a good question, since it appeared to be fully furnished, as opposed to mine, which was still in the process.

"I had a friend help me." She stated flatly, turning on the console, which made a small beep and lit up. She sat on the couch and patted the space next to her. "Here." She said, enticing me to sit.

I sat down, still nervous about hanging out with my crush like this. "Which friend?" I asked. It's a stupid question, it doesn't matter nor does it concern me, but I asked anyway.

"Mikan." She responded, now putting the disk it and booting up the game.

Mikan, huh? I've seen them hanging out before, they seem to really enjoy each others company.

...

...Am I jealous?

"You gonna start the game?" Chiaki said, snapping me out of my daze. "I think you're Player 1." She looked at me curiously.

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah." I stuttered out, caught completely off guard. I hit start on the controller, and we started playing.

~~~

Chiaki and I were having loads of fun playing (F/G), until a sound caught both of our attentions. My stomach growling. Loudly.

My cheeks flushed a little bit. I had been so focused on meeting up with Chiaki I completely forgot to eat anything.

"Are you hungry?" Chiaki questioned, pausing the game to hear me better.

"A little bit, yeah." I laughed nervously. "I forgot to eat something before coming here."

She giggled a little, before offering something. "I could order a pizza." She states, pulling out her phone.

"Oh, you don't have to." I replied. I didn't want to bother Chiaki with being a little hungry, let alone make her pay for it.

"No, it's alright." Chiaki stated, already on the app.
...I don't think I have a choice here. "What toppings do you want?"

"Uhh, if you insist, I guess pepperoni is fine."

~~~

"That'll be $5.99." The pizza delivery boy said. Chiaki handed him a $10 bill. "And here is your change." He said, dropping her change in her outstretched palm.

"Thank you." She said, waving him off. She turned and sat down next to me on the couch.

"You really didn't have to buy me anything." I muttered, still feeling slightly guilty.

She giggled. "It's only $6."

"Yeah, I guess..." I said, taking a small bite out of my pizza.

"Hey." She suddenly said, almost a little forceful. Capturing my attention with her unusually forward nature. "I really don't mind. You're my friend, (Y/N)."

Friend? She considers me... her friend?

"Anyway," Chiaki said, forcibly shifting the conversation. "You wanna get back to playing soon?"

Overtaken with newfound happiness, I nodded quickly, smiling.

And so, I stayed with Chiaki, playing video games into the late hours of the night.

(1,576 words)

Chapter art by BadKuroNeko on Newgrounds