Chapter 14 - Ice Cream Cones and Booth Games

Once Gabriel bought two ice cream cones, he strolled back to the bench where Misha obediently waited for him to come back with the food. As the teenager approached, his gaze was locked on the small-framed boy, a hint of worry glinting in his eyes.

The child's slouching posture made him look like an old, wilted tree, giving the impression that his shoulders carried the weight of age. Gabriel felt like he wasn't looking at a kid, but rather at a young man who had seen the ups and downs of life. This strange feeling made him slightly uncomfortable, his stomach twisting in knots, and unconsciously, the teenage boy slowed down.

Since the moment Gabriel met him, something seemed off about the child, but no matter what, he couldn't grasp what was bothering him. Even now, he still couldn't say with confidence what put him on edge when he looked into those crystal clear blue eyes. They had the same color as his sister's, but they were so much more deep, like an abyss.

The moment the kid lifted his head and saw the teenager, his little face suddenly beamed with joy. He said with a childish yet somewhat hopeful tone, looking straight at the ice cream cones in Gabriel's hands as if it was a life-saving item, "I want the chocolate flavored one!"

Immediately, the heavy atmosphere surrounding Misha broke, making Gabriel's previous uneasiness look like a fleeting illusion.

Caught off guard, the teenager raised his eyebrows, staring at the child with uncertainty, but he soon shook his head, determining that something was wrong with his eyes, or maybe his brain. How could a boy of his age suddenly look so m.a.t.u.r.e and melancholic? It must have been his imagination. In the end, he tossed the thought aside and walked up to the child.

Without much thinking, Gabriel handed over the ice cream cone the boy wanted before sitting beside him. For a moment, neither of them talked, and only the sound of their tongues l.i.c.k.i.n.g the ice cream could be heard.

They ate in silence as one was lost in thought and the other pondered on what to do next - the 'run-away' plan miserably failed, after all, and he didn't have any back-up plans.

When Gabriel finished eating, he glanced at the child who was almost done with his ice cream cone. Then the teenager couldn't help but chuckle, his fist in front of his lips to muffle it as much as he could.

Misha's lips and hands had turned brown, and chocolate stained his chin as well as the tip of his nose. He was frowning at his food as if he was genuinely wondering how to eat the last bite of his ice cream cone without spilling it all over himself, even though it was already too late.

Strangely enough, it added a cute touch to his overall appearance, which softened the teenager's heart. Masha often bragged about her little brother, telling the world that he was the cutest boy on earth. At that moment, Gabriel almost thought that she was right, completely forgetting the ominous feeling the boy gave off a few minutes ago.

Misha was indeed battling with his ice cream cone. This child mouth and tongue of his were too small, and he couldn't eat well, which frustrated him to no end. How come it was so hard to eat an ice cream cone!?

When the boy heard Gabriel's light chuckle, his heart sank, and he wolfed the last bite of his cone before glaring at the teenager sitting beside him, puffing out his cheeks as he resentfully said, "Don't laugh! You really are a bad a.d.u.l.t! Bully! Rascal! Hooligan!"

The kid held his sticky hands in front of him so he wouldn't stain his white clothes while his big, blues eyes stared fixedly at the teenage boy. Misha thought he looked ferocious, but this pose, as well as the sulking expression, only made him cuter in Gabriel's opinion. He looked like an upset kitten, making the teenager feel like teasing him. However, he held back, and instead, he said, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Let's go to the bathroom to clean you up a little, okay?"

For a moment, Misha almost blurted out that he knew how to eat cleanly and that he usually didn't make such a mess, but it all seemed like excuses. So he decided to shut up and bottle up his frustration before following the teenage boy to the washroom. As he washed his hands and his face clean, a gloomy expression lingered on his doll face.

In the back of his mind, Misha thought that it was essential to adjust his habits and his mind to this young body, or he would keep on making a fool of himself. He just wanted to eat an ice cream cone, and the result was quite shameful. He tried to run away, and he was caught in no time.

Sighing, the child turned off the water and left the bathroom, meeting Gabriel outside.

"What do you want to do?" asked the teenager with a warm smile, his gentle eyes falling upon the child.

"I want to do all the booth games!" answered Misha after pondering for a short while.

Gabriel choked slightly and repeated, "All of them!?"

"Yes! All of them!" Misha confirmed, emphasizing the word 'all,' as he stared at the teenage boy with sparkling eyes, making it very hard for him to refuse his request. Although Misha looked cheerful and candid, he was thinking of depleting the teenager's bank account. He didn't forget nor did he abandon this idea, and visiting each booth games seemed to be the easiest way to do so.

The child looked around the alley, which was packed with booth games and food stalls, before rushing at a colorful balloon and dart booth game as he answered, "Let's start with this one!"

Thus, they went to the booth, and Gabriel paid the first round. Surprisingly, after throwing the first dart, Misha swiftly and dexterously popped the ballon one after another under Gabriel's amazed gaze.

However, Misha didn't notice it, too concentrated on his task. If he didn't lose all of his skills while transmigrating into his younger self, he still needed to focus on his every move. This game was harder to play in his present state, and he had to adjust the angle as well as the strength at which he threw the dart every time. However, his success rate was satisfying, almost perfect.

When Misha started going out to bars, he often patronized the smaller, quiet ones that offered many kinds of games - he had never been a clubs lover since he didn't like jammed places and loud music. Thus, at that time, he also started to play dart games with other customers, as well as billiard games, betting a beer or two in the process. Over the years, he honed his skills, and no one could beat him in a dart game.

Misha was used to targeting a dartboard, so the balloons were quite easy to aim at since they were bigger and closer. He only had to be careful of the angle since this body was a lot smaller, and his arms didn't have the same reach.

All in all, the boy won a big prize, and when the staff asked him what he wanted, Misha didn't hesitate before pointing at the big, pink teddy bear. Of course, he wasn't planning on keeping it. No, the child thought of giving it to his sister as a birthday present.

Because Misha was now only a kid, he didn't have any pocket money, and he couldn't buy anything. Although he didn't pay for this gift, he won it by himself, and he was sure his sister would like it very much. She had always loved cute stuff, after all.

With a big, foolish smile, Misha took the teddy bear, which was almost as tall as him, from the staff's hand and shoved it in Gabriel's before running to another booth game.

For the next two hours, they ran from a booth game to another as Misha kept on winning prizes. When the child wasn't able to win the game, he sulked, glancing at Gabriel from the corner of his eyes until the teenager paid another round, or put the plushies down on the ground and won the game himself.

Thus, when lunch arrived, and they met up with the rest of the group, what the girls first saw was a tall mountain of colorful plushies and a smiling boy holding a big, pink teddy bear walking toward them.

Author's note

MC: Let's play Russian roulette! Gaby, you're the assistant.

ML: You know, I don't really like the idea of you throwing darts at me while my arms and legs are tied to a spinning roulette.

MC: Who talked about darts? Of course, Russian roulette is played with daggers!

ML:...

MC: What? Don't you trust me?

ML: Ergh...