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It’s been bothering him for a while. Hinata got gifts from Nanami on special occasions, during Free Time hours, and especially on his birthday. But of all the years Hinata had known her, he’s never gotten gifts from her this frequently.
Every now and then, Nanami would spend a significant amount of time with him, before handing him either a video game she recommended or a brand new console. Sometimes, she even gives him the same gift twice… It was normal at first, until how frequently she brought him gifts was almost strange, or weird. Now, it became every week where she would buy him new gaming-related merch.
“Hinata, I have something I wanna recommend you this week.” She reached into her cat backpack and pulled out a game cartridge. “I thought we’d start off our RPG Marathon with Partners in Time. I thought it’d be nice, challenging, and fun for you.”
He looked at the brand-new video game in his hand. “..Um. Thanks.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Do.. you not like it?” Her face quickly frowned with twinkles of disappointment. “I thought it’d be fun for the both of us.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” He fell silent, looking down at his hand with a slightly saddened expression. “..Nanami, can I ask you a question?”
She blinked. “I’m listening? What’s up?”
“..Why are you giving me so many gifts?”
He asked this question several days ago, and more times before that. Hinata asked her the same question, except several words were rearranged or added. But no matter what he asked her, Nanami would immediately shut it down with another question, in the form of an answer.
It was almost impossible to refute what she told him. Proven by Hinata—he’s tried so many times to at least get at least something out of her—but it always never works. Because of this, he ends up letting the black hole in his gut swallow him with guilt, due to the generosity kept within one golden heart. Nanami was a very strange girl for not knowing lots of things or having weird habits but…
This just bothered him the most, out of everything about her.
She kept staring at his averting gaze. “Is it wrong to be generous though? I just want you to have a fun time with me... Video games are more enjoyable with two people, y’know?”
“But, Nanami... This is too generous. I don’t think…” He paused his words, accepting inevitable defeat. “No, never mind. I should be thanking you for the gifts. I’m sorry for asking a stupid question.”
“No question is stupid,” She refuted, before giving him a gentle pat on the back along with a warm smile. “It’s okay, I don’t mind at all. Here, let’s go to your dorm, we can play together with the new sensory feature on the console!”
He nodded. The idea of it sounded very pleasant.
But the generosity and the guilt still kept nibbling at his soul.
——————
The sunrise came forth the next day, and Nanami showed up at Hinata’s dorm for another gaming session around the morning time. The boy awakened to abrupt knocking and the sound of a gentle voice lulling him to open his door. Tiredly, he left the tingling warmth of his sheets and opened up the door to the gamer, who oddly was in more energy this morning than Hinata himself.
She giggled upon laying her eyes on his slightly dazed expression. “Hey sleepy. I bought new games for us to play. Do you want to play now or… do you want to go back to sleep? Either way, I’m okay with whatever you’re fine with. I’m sorry if I woke you up rudely…”
As much as he wanted to go back and rest, he still wanted Nanami to stay over for company—he didn’t want to leave her by herself. Not after the fact that not many people join her for a game unless it’s her inviting them.
“No, it's okay. You didn’t bother me,” Hinata shook his head and rubbed his eyes sleepily. “I have a better idea though.”
Nanami blinked at him. “What kind of idea?”
“How about we go to your dorm this time? I like it better there, plus, the candles you have is a really nice scent. It’s… better than my candles, let’s just put it like that.”
“Huh? If you really wanted to sniff my candles to death, I could’ve just brought them here with me.”
He sputtered. “I never said I wanted to sniff them to death!”
Then… her gaze shifted around the room a little frantically, even though she kept her usual sleepy expression. “..I suppose we can hang in my dorm.”
Hinata raised a brow. “Is there something wrong?”
“Nope. Let’s just go, bring your Game Girl Advance as well as your game cartridge, we’re going to be going for Battle Mode today. ...And put on some pants.”
He shuffled over to his drawer, pulling out a pair of jeans, folded neatly from the small stack. “Why are you of all people ordering me to put on pants?
“Well we’re going to my dorm and you need pants. Those tropical boxer shorts aren’t going to cover the fact that it's still just underwear... You’re going to be in public, Hinata.”
“Stop looking at my briefs!”
——————
Hinata put on his usual style of average clothes, instead of donning his usual uniform outfit given to him from the Reserve Course building. He picked up the Game Girl Advance console, as well as the cartridge Nanami requested him to take along with him to her dorm, before leaving the door and locking it behind himself.
On the way to her dorms, Nanami grew slightly fidgety. Her face kept frowning in discomfort against the rough breeze as she stood close to Hinata, toying with her jacket sleeves and shivered like a leaf in the cold winds.
He grew concerned for the small gamer and her well being against the chilly weather during Fall. “Are you okay?” Hinata gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
She hissed through her teeth, rubbing her arms to help herself warm up just a little more. Unfortunately, she still felt cold—causing her teeth to chatter lightly. “Y-Yeah, just really cold.”
He lightly scratched the back of his head, as an ember—warmer than the sun— grew in his chest, “..You want my coat?”
Nanami quickly shot a glance at him, a slightly warm blush grew on both of her cheeks. She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. “..No, no you don’t have to. I promise I’ll be okay.”
Too late, Hinata already took off his leathery sweater. “You’ve been giving me gifts for the past couple of days. It’s something I can at least offer back to you as thanks.”
“Hinata, no, we’re almost there... You don’t have to.” Nanami kept shivering intensely, but her chills calmed down after he draped her coat around her. In response to his kind gesture, she pouted her cheeks, blush persisting after that whole time.
He smiled gently, “I at least want to make it up to you.”
After a couple more minutes of walking through the courtyard and exploring the dorm areas for a while, the two reached Nanami’s room, chilled up from the weather and desperate for the warmth of indoor heaters.
Nanami reluctantly opened the door.
Even in her dorm, something was off in the air.
Her home felt… emptier. Almost like as if all the personality and color of her world just suddenly vanished within days or nights. Most of the consoles resting on her shelves idly were gone and replaced with the cold, grimy feel of dust and loneliness. Most the games she had stacked neatly on the shelves were missing—everything had felt smaller and quieter because Nanami’s belongings were nothing short of missing.
“..Nanami, why does your dorm feel… grayer?” Hinata grew mild concern. The only console she had left was the pink Game Girl Advance, which was sitting on the kitchen counter charging next to an outlet. It was only a few short minutes until he suddenly realized what had happened to Nanami’s video games.
The gamer had given all of her prized possessions, to the only person she hangs out with the most. Hinata realized that the vast collection of games weren’t his, but Nanami’s permanent donations. He looked down at the Partners in Time cartridge, remembering the week she spent ‘hundred-percenting’ the entire story, and side-objectives.
He gently placed the cartridge back into her hands and guided her fingers to wrap around it. In response, she quickly shot a glance at him.
“..Why did you give it all to me?” He began, “I didn’t deserve any of those gifts. Those were your things. Why did you give everything away?”
Despite Hinata’s downcasted face, she kept smiling. “...It’s only because I’ve been wanting to see you smile for a very long time. You’ve always looked sad, angry, or upset… but when i get the chance to see your smile. I never want to forget it.”
She looked down at her shoes with small twinges of guilt. “..I wanted to see you smile again, but you stopped after several gifts and you just grew more sadder every time I gave you something new. I didn’t know why, not could I understand, so… I kept wanting to give you something special, every now and then.”
“Nanami...”
“I also did it, because I don’t need them anymore, Hinata.”
This took him by surprise. “What do you mean? Why don’t you want your video games? And… why are you giving it to me, of all people?” His expression quickly became pained and deeply upset. “I’m not special at all to anyone. Even to the world… I don’t understand why you would give me the things that molded who you’ve become. What about your status as Ultimate Gamer? What about wanting to play with your other friends? What about—”
He was silenced with the sudden contact of Nanami’s index finger to his lips. “What will it take for you to stop breaking into rants like that..?” She looked at him sorrowfully. “It hurts my heart to see you say that about yourself.”
The boy didn't speak any more lowly about himself after that comment. “Even so, why have you given everything you own, away to me?”
Nanami brokefree from her heartache, and smiled at Hinata, warmly before approaching him.
“..Because all I need is right here.”
The sleepy gamer held both of his hands, in the dimmed lights of her home, gazing into his eyes.
“It’s you, Hinata. You’re everything I need, to be myself.”