CH 74

Act 3 - The School Festival

19-3 

"I've been amazed so many times at how superhuman you girls are...... what's wrong?" (Rintaro)

"――――Eh? Ah, yes! I see!" (Mia)

"......What's wrong with you all of a sudden" (Rintaro

Seeing me choking up at the "couple" part, Mia giggles again in amusement.

Phew, I guess I'm finally getting back on the right track now.

I follow Mia's lead.

Eventually, we arrive at a large game center in front of the train station, where there is a lot of noise.

"A game center, huh?" (Rintaro)

"Yes. To be honest, I've never been to one by myself, nor have I been with Rei or Kanon, so I was a bit curious about it. Are you familiar with this place?" (Mia)

"No, I've only been here a few times." (Rintaro)

"Is that so?" (Mia)

"I'm not good with big noises...... see, there are all kinds of sound effects and music mixed in, right? That's why I never came here voluntarily." (Rintaro)

I've never been in those places because I'm underage, but I am not comfortable with places like pachinko parlors and such, more so than at a game center.

Maybe that's why I'm less interested in such places.

"Ah ....., then maybe you're not very interested in...... it?" (Mia)

"I'm not. It's not like I'm allergic to it, nor hate it. As long as it's with you, I'll go anywhere today." (Rintaro)

"......If so, then I'll take your word for it." (Mia)

Mia looks a little apologetic as she makes her way into the game center.

That was a mistake, I reflect to myself.

I feel bad for both Mia and the game center for showing a lack of enthusiasm in front of the store when we got there.

If I was going to tell her that I wasn't good at it, I should have said so more clearly.

On top of that, if I could have said I didn't want to go there, I would have been able to go to another place without getting into a strange situation――――.

I look at Mia with quizzical eyes as she quivers and her face turns beet red.

Then she immediately turns her face away to avoid my gaze.

"Hey, don't tell me you're embarrassed?" (Rintaro)

"E-err? I-I wonder...... I can't get to your question." (Mia)

As if to cool down her flushed face, Mia gulps down water from a nearby glass.

But one problem is――――.

"That's the one I'd sipped on." (Rintaro)

"Buuugh." (Mia) (PTW/N: Maan, I suck at onomatope.)

Because of losing her composure, Mia drinks up all the water in my glass.

I stroke her back as she coughs from choking on water that got into her windpipe and I wait for her to calm down.

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"Ugh......, I'm fine now." (Mia)

"You sure?" (Rintaro)

"Yes. Sorry I got so discomposed all of a sudden." (Mia)

For now, she seems to have calmed down.

Mia rubs her chest to calm herself down and begins to eat the ramen again.

"I'm really okay now, so let's just finish this before this becomes soggy." (Mia)

"Yeah...... You're right." (Rintaro)

Mia, when embarrassed by something, would be distraught like that.

Knowing this, it might have been worth it to come here.

◇◆◇

"Upph...... I can't eat more than this." (Rintaro)

"Oh, you're a surprisingly small eater, aren't you?" (Mia)

"Shut up...... don't expect all high school boys can eat three servings  in one sitting, okay?" (Rintaro)

Although I exercise daily to the extent that my body does not become dull, it is far from the amount of exercise that a high school boy engaged in club activities would do.

In addition, it is summer, and I can't deny that I am suffering from summer heat fatigue.

It's not that I'm a small eater, by any means. I'm not making excuses.

"Do you not suffer from the summer heat? I can get the answer by seeing you though, you even ordered some extra large servings." (Rintaro)

"We~ll, it's not that I don't suffer from it, but it's more like my body craves more calories than usual, I guess? Lately, we've been practicing a lot of intense summer dance songs. My digestive system is not as strong as Rei's or Kanon's, so I need to lose some weight after taking in too much." (Mia)

"Heeh...... I mean, how can it fit in there in the first place?" (Rintaro)

I look at Mia's belly, which is not even protruding.

Like Rei, her belly doesn't appear pouchy at all, even when I think she's eaten a lot.

I don't have a clue, but she's not suppressing it with her stomach muscles, is she?

"Where have you been looking since a while ago?" (Mia)

"Your belly." (Rintaro)

"You're being too honest, dude." (Mia)

Mia laughs, clamping her mouth shut.

The conversation made my painful belly feel a little better.

I'll have to keep rubbing it for a while, but it's fine for walking.

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"Alright, I think we've accomplished all the goals for now, but what are you going to do now? I don't mind going out with you for the rest of the day." (Mia)

"Mmm, I'll take your word for it, then. I still have some places I want to go." (Mia)

"Hmm?" (Rintaro)

"It's the kind of place couples go." (Mia)

Seeing me choking up at the "couple" part, Mia giggles again in amusement.

Phew, I guess I'm finally getting back on the right track now.

I follow Mia's lead.

Eventually, we arrive at a large game center in front of the train station, where there is a lot of noise.

"A game center, huh?" (Rintaro)

"Yes. To be honest, I've never been to one by myself, nor have I been with Rei or Kanon, so I was a bit curious about it. Are you familiar with this place?" (Mia)

"No, I've only been here a few times." (Rintaro)

"Is that so?" (Mia)

"I'm not good with big noises...... see, there are all kinds of sound effects and music mixed in, right? That's why I never came here voluntarily." (Rintaro)

I've never been in those places because I'm underage, but I am not comfortable with places like pachinko parlors and such, more so than at a game center.

Maybe that's why I'm less interested in such places.

"Ah ....., then maybe you're not very interested in...... it?" (Mia)

"I'm not. It's not like I'm allergic to it, nor hate it. As long as it's with you, I'll go anywhere today." (Rintaro)

"......If so, then I'll take your word for it." (Mia)

Mia looks a little apologetic as she makes her way into the game center.

That was a mistake, I reflect to myself.

I feel bad for both Mia and the game center for showing a lack of enthusiasm in front of the store when we got there.

If I was going to tell her that I wasn't good at it, I should have said so more clearly.

On top of that, if I could have said I didn't want to go there, I would have been able to go to another place without getting into a strange situation――――.

Whatever the case, I don't want to respond half-heartedly.

"Rintaro-kun! There's a UFO catcher!" (Mia)

As soon as we enter, Mia pulls my hand in excitement.

She looks at the UFO catcher machine with stuffed bears of various colors inside.

"Why don't we try it anyway?" (Mia)

"...... Okay, let's give it a try." (Rintaro)

"Yes!" (Mia)

Saying so, Mia walks toward there.

The sudden increase in tension is probably to warm up the atmosphere between us once it had dropped.

I honestly appreciate her consideration at times like this.

I decided to ride along without hesitation.

Thus, we decided to play UFO Catcher first――――.

""............""

The atmosphere between us, which should have been back to square one, gradually cooled down again.

"...... Hey, isn't this UFO catcher way too hard?" (Mia)

"Well, it would be bad for business if it were taken away easily." (Rintaro)

"That's true, yet......" (Mia)

One thousand yen had already gone into the machine, but not a single stuffed animal could be taken.

I heard that the strength of the arm is related to the degree of difficulty, but from what I saw, the grip seemed to be very weak.

"Rintaro-kun, will you give it a try?" (Mia)

"What......? But, I doubt I can get it anyway, is it okay?" (Rintaro)

"It's okay, but still. It's unfair that I'm the only one playing." (Mia)

I think it's different from unfair.

From my standpoint, Mia carries all the burden by putting a hundred-yen coin from her own wallet, but she doesn't seem to be concerned about that at all.

Anyway, she doesn't seem to have any intention to play by herself, and if I don't do it, it will be a waste of money.

"Don't complain afterward, okay?" (Rintaro)

"I won't. Don't worry, I have trust in you." (Mia)

"That's putting pressure on me, you know?" (Rintaro)

When I rebuke her, Mia giggles happily.

Well, if she's enjoying herself, that's fine.

".......Phew." (Rintaro)

I exhale and observe what I should do first.

I had been thinking about what I would do while watching Mia play, but standing in front of the button like this, the sensation feels different.

Let's first adjust the UFO mechanism's horizontal position.

After all, even Mia could easily adjust its position.

Since I can't count on the arm's strength at all, I can only hope that it will luckily get caught under the armpit or something.

"Here, right......?" (Rintaro)

With a feeling of uneasiness, I let go of the button that moves the UFO vertically.

Watching with somewhat resigned eyes as the arm slowly lowered, I wait patiently.

Then, the arm catches the stuffed bear's body.

And as it's lifted up, the tip of the arm slides across the surface of the stuffed bear.

"Haa~...... Told ya, I couldn't do it――――." (Rintaro)

"Wait! Rintaro-kun!" (Mia)

"Aah?" (Rintaro)

Mia taps me on the shoulder as I turn away from the machine, forcing me to look back.

Then, an unbelievable scene comes into my view.

"Are you kidding me......?" (Rintaro)

The arm that should have been unable to grip the stuffed bear's body is now hooked under the bear's armpits.

With that, the stuffed bear is lifted up and falls into the prize door.

Stunned, I open the door made of clear plastic and take out the prize that had dropped.

"You did it........" (Mia)

"Yeah, I did it......." (Rintaro)

An indescribable silence spreads between Mia and me.