Meanwhile, elsewhere—

“This game’s called Dungeon Clash. My friend Tadano and I play it together,” Gojou Wakana explains.

“Hold on, Gojou, I have *no* idea how to play this!” Kitagawa Marin fumbles with the controller, then selects herself. “Wait, I’m in the game?!”

“All set, I picked my character too.”

Marin’s eyes widen at Gojou’s choice—a stunning girl with an incredible figure, but totally different from her vibe. *This is like… a classic Japanese beauty!* “Komi Shouko,” Marin murmurs, her curiosity piqued. *Why’d Gojou pick her? Does he like that type more? No way!*

The game’s chime snaps her out of her thoughts. “Huh? I lost already?!” Onscreen, Komi’s character offers a gift, and the match ends abruptly.

“That’s Komi-san’s special move,” Gojou explains. “Only two characters can dodge it in the first round.”

“That’s so cool! And oh my gosh, she’s *gorgeous*!” Marin stares at the screen, captivated by Komi’s shy demeanor. Her long black hair flows like a waterfall, her eyes naturally upturned, exuding a distant, almost ethereal charm despite their seductive tilt. *She’s so different from me… like a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko!* But there’s a transparent wall around her, a quiet reserve. *Why doesn’t she smile? She’d be even prettier! Imagine her in cosplay…* Marin squirms, her curvaceous figure shifting, her signature grin spreading as her imagination runs wild.

“And she has the most costume options in the game!” Gojou adds.

*Whoa!* Marin’s mind races. *She’d be perfect for a cosplay team-up!* “Wait, really? Show me!”

Gojou deftly navigates to Komi’s costume menu: Warrior, Spartan, Ninja, Mage, Apocalypse… Marin’s jaw drops. *One, two, three, four, five… Hold on! That’s more costumes than Gojou made for me!* Her cheeks puff out in a pout, then her eyes catch Komi’s bunny girl outfit. *So sexy!* The costume hugs Komi’s curves, her ample chest stealing the spotlight, her hips impossibly alluring. *Those curves! That waist! She’s stunning!*

“Gojou, can you… turn the model?” Marin’s voice trembles with curiosity. The view shifts, revealing Komi’s perfectly rounded backside. *No way… her hips are unreal!* Marin’s mind spirals. *Gojou designed these?! He’s seen her body like this?!*

Her gaze locks onto Komi’s figure. *Whose is better? Mine or hers? Bigger? Perkier?* She can’t ask aloud, but in her mind, she’s comparing endlessly, unable to decide. *My body’s just as good! Gojou, make me more costumes!*

“Kitagawa-san? Kitagawa-san!” Gojou’s voice pulls her back. She flushes, scrambling to change the subject. “Uh, who’s Tadano?”

“My friend. He’ll be at the cultural festival.”

“Wait, he’s from the rival school?!”

“Yup. And so is Komi-san.”

*Komi Shouko’s coming to the festival?* Marin’s brow furrows, her eyes fixed on the shy beauty onscreen. *I want to beat her.* She tells herself, *I want Gojou to make more costumes for me.* If she meets Komi at the festival…

Marin knows she envies Komi Shouko—or rather, she’s jealous. She stares at Komi’s character, her black hair flowing, her deep eyes both cool and captivating. Biting her lip, her fingers tighten on the controller, her mind conjuring an image: Gojou at his sewing machine, crafting a bunny girl outfit, while Komi stands beside him, her curves perfectly framed in black leather, her chest high, her waist impossibly slim, her long legs shimmering in stockings. The bunny ears sway, elegant yet dangerously seductive.

Marin’s brain short-circuits. *Wait a second!* That bunny girl outfit is almost identical to the one she cosplayed! No, it’s even more refined—lower neckline, tighter waist, shorter skirt revealing more thigh! *Gojou made that for her?!*

“Gojou!” Marin spins around, her voice trembling with barely contained frustration. “Why’d you make so many costumes for Komi?! A bunny girl outfit?!” Her blonde hair swishes, her eyes blazing like a cat ready to pounce, her tone a mix of accusation and a hint of hurt.

Gojou blinks, his calm smile unfazed. “Oh, that? When I was a kid, I saw my grandpa’s hina dolls—those long black hair, that graceful vibe in kimonos. They were unforgettable. When I met Komi-san, she was so quiet, like a painting, with that long, dark hair. She’s like… a hina doll come to life. I wanted to capture that beauty in her costumes.”

“Hina dolls and bunny girls are *not* the same thing!” Marin snaps.

“Well, no, it’s just the game—it only allows sexier designs. If I could, I’d make her something more traditional, like a hina doll’s kimono.”

Marin’s mind explodes. *Traditional? Beautiful?* Gojou, who rarely calls anything “beautiful,” used that word for Komi?! He reserves it for things that truly move him! *Hina doll? Graceful? Komi Shouko?!* Her heart feels stabbed, as if Komi’s cool elegance has crushed her underfoot. Her blonde hair practically bristles, her cheeks flaming, her lips nearly bleeding from biting them.

“Gojou! Do you think she’s prettier than me?!” Her voice rises, a mix of indignation and desperation. She remembers cosplaying her bunny girl outfit—Gojou praised her, sure, but it was “cute” or “suits you,” never “beautiful.” And now he’s using that word for Komi?!

Gojou waves his hands, flustered. “No, no! I meant the hina doll vibe! Komi-san just has that… uh, aesthetic. I didn’t mean—” But Marin’s already turned away, glaring at Komi’s bunny girl skin onscreen, her eyes practically shooting sparks.

Komi’s Yamato Nadeshiko aura—quiet, elegant, untouchable—feels like the opposite of Marin’s sunny, fiery energy. She’s the center of attention, a blazing star, but now her light feels… less refined? *Does Gojou prefer that kind of girl?* The thought of facing Komi at the festival, maybe in that bunny girl outfit beside Gojou, sets her chest ablaze, burning with a mix of fury and longing.

“Kitagawa-san? You okay?” Gojou’s voice snaps her back. She realizes she’s gripping the controller so hard it creaks. Forcing a grin, her voice comes out strained. “I’m fine! Just… hot! Haha!” She grabs her bag, bolting up. “Gotta go, Gojou! See ya tomorrow!” She flees his house before he can respond.

That night, Marin tosses and turns in bed, unable to sleep. Komi Shouko’s image haunts her—that black hair, those cool eyes, that *damn* bunny girl outfit. Her chest feels stuffed with cotton, suffocating. Finally, she drifts into a feverish dream.

In her dream, she bursts into Gojou’s room, eager to show off her new cosplay. But she freezes—Komi Shouko stands in the center, clad in that bunny girl outfit, the black leather hugging her perfect curves, her chest high, her waist delicate, her legs shimmering in stockings. Her black hair falls over her shoulder, her cool gaze tinged with allure, like a siren from a classic painting.

Gojou sits at his sewing machine, holding fabric, looking up at Komi with a gentle smile Marin’s never seen. “Shouko, this really suits you. It’s beautiful,” he says, his voice soft with admiration.

Marin’s heart shatters. She rushes forward, wanting to scream, *Gojou, look at me!* But her voice catches, silenced. Komi turns, offering a serene yet provocative smile, as if saying, “You’ve lost.” Marin’s anger erupts—she wants to tackle Komi, pin her down, prove she’s better with her own body! But as she lunges, the dream collapses—

“Aaagh!” Marin bolts upright, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding. She clutches her blanket, face red as a lobster. “What kind of dream was that?! Komi Shouko! Bunny girl outfit! Gojou!” She flops back, muttering, “Ugh… I’m not losing to her! At the festival, I’ll make her eat my dust!”

---

In the hearts of Komi Shouko and Kitagawa Marin, the dungeon standoff burns like a wildfire, igniting an unspoken urge—to clash head-on, yet to draw closer to that unreachable light.

Marin, a blazing sun, her bold laughter and boundless energy sweeping everyone in her orbit, is the embodiment of Komi’s deepest desire: a self who shines effortlessly, setting the world alight with a smile. Komi, serene as moonlight, her long black hair and graceful aura like a living hina doll, is Marin’s unattainable ideal of classical beauty, a painting too sacred to touch.

Their envy coils like vines around their hearts, sharpened by their beloveds’ praises—Tadano’s admiration of Marin’s “lively charm,” Gojou’s awe at Komi’s “hina doll beauty.” Each word, though innocent, cuts like a blade, stirring ripples in their hearts.

Komi’s silence hides her discontent; Marin’s boldness masks her unease. In the dungeon, their gazes collide, sparks flying, a declaration of rivalry laced with a pulse of longing.

小说相关章节：古见硝子 vs 喜多川海梦