It was just past six in the evening.

In the basement of a mixed-use building on the edge of Roppongi's bustling entertainment district sat a cramped bar. At the counter, a man and a woman sat side by side, engaged in a tense exchange.

The two were Gabriella and Nishino.

"......"

"......"

"...Why isn't Onee-sama with you? I heard you left school together."

"We parted ways, as I told you earlier. She said she was going to stop by the supermarket."

Gabriella's expression soured upon hearing that.

It seemed she had come here looking for Rose. However, the person she sought wasn't there—and instead, she had run into her nemesis, the futsumen, which clearly irritated her.

She had even chosen a seat two spots away from Nishino at the counter.

"Why don't you just go home quietly?"

"I'm staying here because Onee-sama might come looking for you."

"Is that so? Suit yourself."

Gabriella made a visibly frustrated face, but Nishino simply tilted his glass in response. The clink of the ice inside echoed sharply, grating further on her nerves. To any onlooker, the atmosphere between them seemed ready to explode at any moment.

Because of this, Marquis—who was present—looked visibly uneasy.

"Hey, you two... you're not seriously going to start a fight in my bar, are you?"

"I have no such intention. Of course, if someone were to pick a fight, that's another matter entirely."

"I'm not planning to pick a fight either, but I just thought of something fun."

Gabriella spoke as she glanced toward the corner of the bar. It looked like she had just come up with an idea.

"What is it?"

"Let's settle this with a game of darts. If I win, please never come near Onee-sama again. And of course, we're not allowed to use our abilities during the match."

"And if I win, then what?"

"...I will cover your tab."

"Fine by me."

Nishino nodded slightly and rose from his chair. He walked over to the dartboard placed in the corner of the counter, pulled out the darts still stuck in it, and made his way toward Gabriella. Then, he placed half of them in front of her.

"We'll each throw three darts, and the one with the highest score wins."

"I understand."

The distance from where they stood to the dartboard was about two or three meters—roughly the same as a standard competition setup. Watching this, Gabriella suddenly stood up.

"This distance is boring. Let's make it a little farther."

"I don't mind, but are you that confident in your dart skills?"

"Are you afraid of losing?"

"Fine, let's do it."

Responding to her taunt, Nishino agreed with a nod. Confirming this, Gabriella hung the dartboard on the bar's entrance door. Watching this unfold, the bartender behind the counter raised his voice.

"Oi oi, what do you plan to do if a customer comes in?"

"It's barely past sunset. A few minutes won't hurt, will it?"

"........."

Marquis, who was hopelessly weak against Gabriella, couldn't say another word and simply fell silent.

Seizing the opportunity, Gab-chan turned back to Nishino and picked up a dart from the counter.

"Well then, let's begin, shall we?"

"You're the one who challenged me, so I'll let you go first."

"I wonder how long that confidence of yours will last."

Gabriella muttered briefly and threw her dart.

Just after her fingers released the barrel, the very thing Marquis had feared happened. The bar's entrance door—where the dartboard was hung—suddenly opened.

Stepping into the bar from outside was Rose, carrying supermarket shopping bags.

"Hello, I came to see if Nishino-kun wa—"

—Gabriella's dart landed squarely in the center of Rose's forehead.

Caught off guard by the sudden impact, Rose's eyes widened in surprise.

In her gaze were Gabriella, who had just thrown the dart, and Nishino, standing beside her with a dart in hand, waiting for his turn. Both of them were staring at Rose with indescribable expressions.

Marquis decided to abandon everything and quietly retreated to the back of the bar.