Volume 5 - CH 15

Mid-July.

The summer was deepening… and the summer vacation was about to start again.

That day was an important day for Arisa.

“Ooh… this is my salary, isn’t it? It is money I can spend freely.”

After withdrawing the deposited money at the convenience store, Arisa said with deep emotion.

The amount was not a lot, but it was a good amount for a high school student’s pocket money.

“That’s great, Arisa. What are you going to use it for?”

When Yuzuru asked, Arisa happily replied…

“That’s for Yuzuru-san’s bi…”

“Bi..?”

“I-it’s a secret.”

She hurriedly shut her mouth.

Yuzuru thought it was cute, but he thought it would be tactless to try to expose the secret, so he decided to divert the conversation.

“Well, whatever you’re going to use it for… it’s your first paycheck. Why don’t you use it for something commemorative?”

“Commemorative… commemorative, huh?”

Arisa muttered to herself…

Then she tilted her head.

“Like, exactly what kind of things?”

“Eh…? What kind of thing… what kind of thing indeed?”

However, what kind of thing would be commemorative?

If it’s something commemorative, it should be something that stays with you, but if it’s something you don’t need, it’s just a nuisance.

“By the way, Yuzuru-san, what did you use it for?”

“I think I bought a game console..?”

“Have you been using it?”

“No, I haven’t been.”

It had become what is known as a “pile of games”.

Of course, maybe someday he will get around to playing it… someday.

“I thought so… Ah, but speaking of games.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve never been to an arcade with you, have I?”

“Arcade huh… Ah, you’re right, we haven’t.” 

They’ve been on many dates, but they’ve never been to an arcade yet.

Arcade games, due to their specifications, use a lot of coins, and thus a lot of money.

Both Yuzuru and Arisa were limited in terms of the money they could handle, so they naturally avoided the arcade.

“I’d like to play with you, Yuzuru-san… Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

Like Arisa, Yuzuru also had a payday.

Since he had no plans to spend a lot of money in the near future, he didn’t mind wasting a little money at the arcade.

“Then… how about tomorrow after school?”

“Tomorrow after school?　Well, I don’t mind.. but isn’t Sunday better?”

In some game centers, there were restrictions on entry time depending on age.

Naturally, the earlier you go on Sunday, the longer you can play.

“It’s not like I want to play that much. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“…I’d like to do the after-school date in uniform thing.”

She blushed lightly as she spoke.

Then she tilted her head slightly.

“Is it not possible?”

“No problem.”

There was no way he could refuse.

The next day.

Yuzuru and Arisa visited a large shopping mall that had an arcade attached to it.

If they got bored with the games, they could go window shopping or eat at the food court.

“By the way, have you ever been to an arcade before?”

Yuzuru thought that she probably hadn’t, considering her past activities.

Although he was not an expert in arcade games, he was a little nervous to take the lead with Arisa, who was new to the scene.

“Yes, I have.”

“Heh, I see… Eh, you have?”

“I’ve been there before when I was little.”

When she was little.

Yuzuru thought that it was probably before her parents died.

…thinking about it, since Yuzuru had been there before, Arisa must have been there once or twice as well.

“Have you been there recently?”

“I was there, like, two weeks ago.”

“…Eh?”

It was surprisingly recent.

In Yuzuru’s mind, he saw a picture of Arisa playing a gaming game by herself, shouting “Ei~, Ei!“.

“By yourself?”

“…Of course not.”

“I-I see… Then with who?”

Not with a man, surely.

Her sister… cousin, perhaps?　Yuzuru’s imagination was on full throttle.

“It was Ayaka and the others. But we didn’t play games or anything like that. We took what they call ‘Purikura‘ “ (TN: It means pictures taken from the photo booth with quite a lot of customization)

“Ah… I can imagine that.”

The four high school girls must have taken the picture while cackling.

Arisa also had relationships.

It’s only natural that she would have those experiences without Yuzuru seeing her.

…that being said, it was frustrating for him to have Arisa’s “first purikura experience” stolen.

Yuzuru decided to demand Ayaka and the others to show him the pictures later.

“Well, that’s beside the point. Would you like to play that?”

“Crane games huh…”

It was a game where you operated the crane with the buttons on your hand and then dropped the prizes.

This is the kind of game that can be found in any arcade. In fact, it would be rare to find one without it.

“Have you ever played it, Yuzuru-san?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever won?”

“No.”

Yuzuru had never been able to get a prize in this kind of game.

He doubted if it was possible to get it in the first place… and if it was an urban legend.

“I thought so. Yuzuru, you’re not very good at games, are you?”

“No, it’s just that you’re strong… And I’m good at simulation games, you know?”

“Yes, of course. You’re very good at being sneaky, aren’t you?”

“…Are you still hung up on that?”

In the past, Yuzuru once played a certain strategy game with his friends, including Arisa, through the night.

On that occasion, Yuzuru tricked and mercilessly invaded Arisa many times…

Arisa, who was beaten to a pulp, didn’t speak to Yuzuru for a day after that.

And she still held on to the grudge to this day.

“I’ll forgive you …if you get me something from that, okay?”

“Oh, it came to that huh?”

Yuzuru rolled up his arms lightly and stared at the crane game.

He had no experience in getting prizes… but the situation of ‘getting a prize at the request of your girlfriend’ was a classic route.　

By being watched over by Arisa, a mysterious power might work and could help… he had such a feeling.

He put in a coin and moved the crane.

“…Okay, oh, oh!”

“Whoa!”

The crane grabbed the stuffed animal.

Slowly, it moved toward the exit…

“No way!”

“Ah…”

It fell on the way.

Yuzuru’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Arisa’s eyes were a little cold.

Yuzuru felt very frustrated.

“…Wait a bit, Arisa. I’ll look up the tips.”

He took out his cell phone and typed in ‘crane game strategy’.

In the beginning, Arisa waited for Yuzuru to look into it… But, halfway through, she stood in front of the crane game by herself.

“I’ll try it out while you’re at it.”

Yuzuru read an article about crane game strategy while listening to Arisa’s cute voice of “Ei~, Ei!“.

He skimmed through it, and after gaining confidence…

“Okay, Arisa. Next time, I’ll be sure to…”

“Yay!”

“Eh?”

There was a clattering sound and a doll came out of the exit.

Arisa happily took it out and cradled it in her arms.

“I did it.”

“So you did… Good for you.”

Yuzuru had some mixed feelings.

“…Do you want me to teach you the trick?”

“N-no… It’s fine.”

Crane game skills were useless in life.

If there was a situation where it would be useful, it would be to ‘take the place of your girlfriend while playing it‘…

If Arisa was better than him, that won’t work either.

Maybe in the future, there will be an opportunity to ‘Doing it for the kids’, but if Mama Arisa was better at it than Papa Yuzuru, there was no need for Yuzuru to train.

“Lovers are supposed to make up for what the partner lacks. If you’re good at it, there’s no need for me to be good at it. Yeah, thank God Arisa is good at it.”

“Ahaha…”

She gave him an amiable laugh.

Yuzuru felt very uncomfortable.