Life As Hikigaya Hachiman

Chapter 547: How About I Give You A Little Buff?

K.O.!

As the two large red letters "K.O." flashed on the screen, the character from UMR fell to the ground, unable to move.

Watching the match come to a conclusion, the host excitedly shouted:

"Oh! The match is over! The winner is player Hachi-Gatsu, who has defeated our legendary player UMR and claimed the championship title of this arcade fighting tournament!"

"Let's give him a round of applause!"

Encouraged by the host, all the audience and fellow competitors burst into enthusiastic applause for Hachiman.

After the celebration, it was time for the award ceremony.

The host handed the collector's edition figurine to Hachiman, along with a microphone.

"Player Hachi-Gatsu, congratulations on winning this arcade fighting tournament! Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

Caught off guard by the need to give a winner's speech, Hachiman paused for a moment, but he soon smiled and replied.

"Well, there's not much to say. My girlfriend wanted it, so I just won it to give it to her."

Upon hearing Hachiman's words, the female audience members below couldn't help but express their envy.

The host also smirked, not expecting to suddenly be fed such romantic tidbits.

In the lounge, Mafuyu also heard this and felt her heart swell with emotion once more.

Hachiman-kun...

Turning her gaze to the figurine displayed in the prize case, Mafuyu made up her mind.

I've heard that boys really like figurines, so I've decided that no matter what it takes, I'll win that figurine to give to you.

To be honest, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to call it a figurine; it's more like a model.

It seems to be a robot model, though Mafuyu wasn't very knowledgeable about it.

The prize case's sign read: "Strike Freedom Gundam – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY."

Though she didn't quite understand, she was determined; she had to win it!

...

Soon, with the conclusion of the fighting tournament, it was time for the shooting competition.

However, due to timing, the shooting contest would take place after lunch.

Although there was just one midday break, the atmosphere at the shooting game venue was equally intense, especially since the prizes were collector's editions—an enormous temptation for Gundam enthusiasts.

The rules for the shooting competition were similar to those of the fighting tournament: it was a one-on-one format, and the loser would be eliminated.

The competition quickly kicked off, and as a shooting game prodigy, Mafuyu made rapid progress, smoothly advancing to the finals.

To her surprise, her final opponent was none other than the girl named UMR.

As expected, she was indeed the legendary figure of the gaming center, making it to the finals in both fighting and shooting categories.

Given that it was a single-elimination match, Mafuyu felt a bit nervous at this point.

Seeing her like this, Hachiman chuckled.

"Stay calm, Mafuyu. I know you can win."

Though he said so, the feeling of nervousness couldn't simply be brushed away with a few words.

After a moment's thought, Hachiman spoke again, "How about I give you a little buff?"

"Huh? A buff…"

Mafuyu paused, then remembered what Hachiman had done before the match.

W-Would that involve a kiss on the cheek?

Maybe it really would help?

Feeling a mix of doubt and hope, Mafuyu eventually nodded, her face slightly flushed.

"Okay… fine."

Seeing her agreement, Hachiman didn't hesitate and immediately went for it.

However, instead of a kiss on the cheek, it turned out differently. Hachiman kissed Mafuyu firmly on the lips.

"Mm…"

Mafuyu's eyes widened in surprise.

But Hachiman wasn't trying to take advantage; he was genuinely providing a buff. While kissing Mafuyu, he transferred a bit of holy light through the kiss.

As is well known, holy light can eliminate all negative effects, and nervousness was certainly one of them.

Whether it was real or not, just take it as if it were true.

Under the influence of the holy light, the tension in Mafuyu's heart gradually began to dissipate.

Once he felt it was enough, Hachiman didn't linger on Mafuyu's rosy lips and stood back up.

"All done, buff applied!"

Mafuyu shot him a shy glare, her face red.

"What do you mean by 'applying a buff'? You were clearly being a pervert."

"You're mistaken," Hachiman shrugged with an innocent look.

"Just take a moment to see if you feel less nervous now."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Mafuyu paused for a moment, then slightly widened her eyes as the nervousness began to fade.

"I... I really can't feel any nervousness at all."

Indeed, the tension in Mafuyu's heart had been eliminated by the holy light. Moreover, the holy light not only eased her nerves but also enhanced her mental clarity and reflexes.

True buff applied.

Mafuyu was still a bit incredulous—could a single kiss truly erase her anxiety? It seemed too good to be true.

However, before she could ask more, the host was already calling her name, indicating that the finals were about to begin.

The outcome was clear: Mafuyu easily defeated UMR and won the championship.

In fact, the skill levels of the two were quite similar, and if it came down to it, the winner could have gone either way.

Unfortunately for UMR, Mafuyu had received a buff from Hachiman, making the difference apparent.

After receiving her well-deserved prize, Mafuyu also gave a winner's speech.

"Um... I won because I wanted to give it to my boyfriend, so I worked hard to win."

Upon hearing this, the male audience members below couldn't help but express their envy, while the host was left speechless, realizing he had just consumed two servings of dog food in one day.

With both matches concluded, the audience began to disperse, each returning to their respective games. Hachiman and Mafuyu also left the event venue.

"Hachiman-kun, this is for you."

Mafuyu handed over the Gundam model she had won.

Hachiman accepted it with a smile. Although he wasn't particularly into models, this was the first gift Mafuyu had given him, and he planned to cherish it.

Then, he handed her the complete set of collector's edition figurines he had won.

"These figurines are for you."

"Ah, thank you, Hachiman-kun."

Mafuyu received them with a delighted expression. Unlike Hachiman, these figurines represented her favorite cartoon characters from childhood, and knowing they were a gift from Hachiman made her cherish them even more.

After exchanging prizes, it felt as if they had completed some kind of ritual.

With the gifts in hand, Hachiman smiled and asked, "Is there any other game you'd like to play?"

"No, I'm quite satisfied today," Mafuyu replied with a smile.

"It's already getting late; we should head back."

Hachiman checked the time and realized it was already 3 PM—it was indeed time to go.

Then he seemed to have a thought and suggested with a grin, "How about we take some purikura (photo booth pictures) before we head back?"

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