I probably needed to think of another game… Something he wouldn’t dislike or find dangerous.

I looked around the room with a sense of frustration.

Then, something hanging on the wall caught my eye.

…A grin spread across my face.

This was something Kyron wouldn’t refuse as dangerous.

And most importantly, I was confident I could lose.

The game I had discovered was dart throwing.

“What about that?”

I pointed to the dartboard hanging on the wall of his bedroom.

Darts weren’t dangerous, and it didn’t seem as physically demanding as other games. Besides, with my creaky body, there was no way I’d have any talent for darts.

It was the perfect game.

“Dart throwing?”

“Yes. It looks fun. I’ve always wanted to try it but never had the chance. I really want to!”

Fake enthusiasm for this game flowed effortlessly from my lips.

“Well, this seems worth trying.”

To my delight, Kyron accepted my suggestion this time.

He got up, walked across the room, and took some darts out of a drawer.

“You play this sometimes?”

“I only do it occasionally when I have absolutely nothing else to do, not often.”

I had hoped he was a dart master, but that was a bit disappointing.

“Anyway, it’ll be fun! I’m excited!”

Clapping my hands, I pretended to be thrilled and stood near the dartboard. Kyron handed me a few darts.

“Shall we start? Do you want to throw first?”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to practice first?”

“No need. I don’t need practice. I’m confident.”

Confident I’d lose.

Kyron looked at me, puzzled.

“Didn’t you just say it’s your first time playing?”

That was an astute point that made me pause.

“Haha, even if it’s my first time, I can still be confident, right?”

“I don’t think you’re particularly talented when it comes to physical activities.”

His remark wasn’t just reasonable—it was a brutal truth that hit hard. It was very unpleasant, but I couldn’t argue back. I knew he was right.

“Just give it a try. I’ll see if you need practice.”

“…Alright.”

I stood a reasonable distance from the dartboard, grabbed a dart, and threw it with all my might.

Thud.

The dart didn’t even come close to the dartboard. It fell pathetically to the ground in front of it.

“……”

What was that?

I didn’t have high expectations for my physical abilities, but this was too much.

“Maybe it’s too far. Let’s move you a little closer.”

Before I knew it, I was following Kyron’s suggestion and taking a few steps closer.

Even though I had started this game knowing I’d lose, my earlier attempt was honestly embarrassing. I couldn’t even look at Kyron’s face. I wanted to hide.

I needed to redeem myself from this humiliation.

I grabbed another dart.

“Don’t hold it there. Hold it a bit farther back.”

Kyron wrapped his hand around mine, adjusting my grip on the dart.

“You’re holding it too tightly. Relax your grip a bit.”

Although he claimed he only played occasionally when he had nothing else to do, he seemed to know exactly how to throw darts well. Just by looking at my posture, he pointed out what needed improvement.

While I was musing that some people were simply naturally skilled, Kyron had already moved behind me, adjusting my posture in a way that felt like an embrace. Together, we held the dart in my right hand.

“Move your arm like this.”

He guided my hand, showing me how to use my arm correctly.

He slightly leaned forward so that his eye level matched mine. Every time he spoke, I could feel his breath near my ear.

“Let’s try it a few more times.”

He slowly mimicked the throwing motion with my hand, showing me the trajectory of the arm.

“Do you get it now?”

“I think I’m getting the hang of it…”

As I answered, I turned to look at him without thinking—and trailed off mid-sentence.

Kyron’s face was too close. His deep, shadowed eyes were gazing intently at me.

For a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Had I ever been this close to Kyron before?

But I didn’t have the luxury to think about such things. I was too shocked by the fact that we were close enough for me to see my reflection in his eyes.

After what felt like a few seconds of frozen time, I quickly turned my head forward.

“I-I think I can do it on my own now.”

I slowly pulled my right hand out of his grasp.

“Let’s stop practicing and start the real game.”

Kyron didn’t respond, but after a moment, he stepped back from me.

“Do you want to throw first? I’ll go second.”

Without looking at his face, I stared at the dartboard and spoke. My behavior couldn’t have been more unnatural.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

I felt a sense of relief at his reply.

I awkwardly shuffled to the side to make room for him.

As I moved out of the way, something whizzed past in front of me.

What was that?

I turned my head left and right to figure out what had happened. Kyron’s dart was stuck in the dartboard. Right in the center.

“…Wow.”

A quiet exclamation escaped my lips. It wasn’t intentional.

He hadn’t even taken much time to prepare. He just grabbed the dart, threw it, and hit the bullseye.

While I was amazed at his skill, I also thought I had chosen the perfect game. There was no way I could win this.

“It’s my turn now.”

I moved to the spot where he had been standing.

Knowing I’d lose no matter how hard I tried, I decided to at least give it my best effort using what I had just learned.

I held the dart as Kyron had shown me and threw it along the trajectory he had guided me through.

Thud.

“……”

“……”

We both fell silent.

Even though I followed his instructions, the result was the same as before.

“You don’t have enough arm strength.”

Kyron muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but smile. Everything was going according to plan.

“Are you sure you’ve been exercising properly?”

Kyron, realizing the severity of my physical condition, was now doubting my dedication.

“How hard do you think I’ve been working?”

“Then it must be your instructor’s fault.”

“Huh?”

“When I first hired your instructor, it was because I thought I might be away from home for a long time.”

“And…?”

“But now that it seems I won’t be leaving anytime soon, maybe I should personally oversee your training.”

This was truly a case of trying to get rid of a problem and ending up with an even bigger one.

This was the exact opposite of what I had planned.

“It was already bothering me that you were spending time with someone else, so this works out well.”

Exercising with Kyron? Of course, thinking back to how he taught me darts earlier, he did seem to have some talent as an instructor. If he were a hired instructor I was paying, he would’ve been excellent. But we weren’t in that kind of relationship, were we?

“Couples don’t do things like that together.”

“Why not?”