Amikura Mako surveyed the empty arcade, feeling quite fortunate. Not only had she successfully invited Shikime Natsu out, but she'd also spotted him the moment she arrived at Keyaki Mall.
'Her only regret was that Shikime Natsu hadn't commented on her outfit. Did he find her clothes cute?' she wondered.
'As a girl, she naturally wanted to hear his opinion, but... wouldn't asking be too forward? Would he think she was being coy?'
'After all, they had only met three times. Anything affectionate or playful would be going too far.'
"Oh, right, Amikura-san." His voice suddenly rang out, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"What is it?" Mako looked at him, a curious glint in her eyes.
"Today's outfit suits you very well." Natsu gave her an appreciative smile.
"Thank you." At his compliment, Mako felt getting up early to dress up had been entirely worth it.
"Shikime-san, do you have any games in mind?" Though she struggled to hide her joy, she knew if Natsu noticed her happiness, she'd feel embarrassed. So, she swiftly changed the subject, even if the light in her eyes betrayed her delight.
"Hmm... how about trying this one?" Natsu's gaze swept across the arcade before finally settling on a Whac-A-Mole game. 'This game could be played by two people, and since they were out to have fun, a single-player game wouldn't do.'
'Hmm... fighting or competitive games probably wouldn't be suitable with a girl, unless Mako was an esports pro. Otherwise, she wouldn't stand a chance against him, the mini-game master.'
"Sure!" At Natsu's suggestion of Whac-A-Mole, Mako's eyes lit up with interest. 'It was a game two people could play together.'
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" 'Even without any buffs, Natsu felt he could easily clear the game and nab the highest score. This thing was clearly not meant for someone like him, a gaming expert. Hmm, it was more suitable for Mako.'
The two divided their areas. On Natsu's side, not a single mole was missed, while on Mako's side, she panicked as the moles popped up, hitting randomly and missing quite a few.
"Sorry, Shikime-san, I can't keep up." The girl apologized for holding him back.
"No need to apologize, it's just a game." At Natsu's gentle words, Mako's heart raced again.
"Mm." The two then tried a shooting game, a simple zombie-shooting game, not one of the real-person shooters.
When they reached the claw machine, Mako's gaze was immediately drawn to it. The plush toys inside always held an inexplicable appeal for girls.
'Moreover, on a boy-girl date, claw machines had a surprisingly high appearance rate.'
'Of course, whether one ended up looking embarrassing or earning the girl's cheers depended entirely on the operator's skill.'
"Amikura-san, which plushie do you want?" Natsu walked up to the claw machine, exuding an air of confidence that made him seem like a claw machine expert.
'In fact, he was. Natsu felt he could clear out a claw machine with a single coin, just like UMR.'
"Then... I want this one." Mako scanned the plushies inside the claw machine before pointing to a cute little penguin.
"Okay, no problem, leave it to me." Natsu nodded. 'To ensure he could come to the arcade with other girls next time, Natsu decided not to show off too much.'
'Otherwise, if he got blacklisted, it wouldn't be any fun.'
"Here you go." Natsu's movements were smooth, and in the blink of an eye, he'd snatched the penguin plushie from the claw machine.
"Thank you, Shikime-san, you're amazing!" Mako was overjoyed as she hugged the little penguin plushie. 'She had tried claw machines before but had never succeeded. Moreover, the money she'd spent on claw machines was almost enough to buy a plushie outright.'
'But Natsu had succeeded on his first try. She was truly impressed by him.'
"You're welcome. Do you want anything else?" Natsu basked in Mako's praise, a smile playing on his lips. 'This was exactly the reaction he wanted.'
"No, this one is enough." Mako gently placed her hand on the little penguin. 'One was enough. This should be considered the first gift Natsu had given her.'
"Okay." Natsu didn't insist. 'One plushie was fine to carry, but more would indeed be inconvenient.'
Racing games... online rhythm games... 'Basically, they were all cooperative games.' Though Mako wasn't very good at them, Natsu didn't mind at all. Instead, he cooperated with her, ensuring she still had a fun gaming experience.
As for fighting games like King of Fighters, they didn't play those. 'If they had, it would basically be Natsu dominating.'
"There's also a fortune-telling machine here." When Mako spotted a fortune-telling machine, her eyes lit up with interest. 'Indeed, girls were always quite enthusiastic about fortune-telling.'
'Natsu didn't believe in fortune-telling, but he didn't mind playing along.'
"Then let's go in and play." Natsu walked ahead, smiling at Mako, who was standing there in a daze.
"Mm!" The fortune-telling machine's interior was a bit cramped. 'If it were full, it could hold at most four people. For two people, it was just right, and the distance between them became very small.'
Even without using 'Presence Erasure,' Natsu could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Mako. It wasn't overpowering; instead, it was quite pleasant, making him want to hug her and take a deep breath.
'Of course, Natsu restrained himself. He was a gentleman, just breathing normally.'
The fortune-telling machine had three options: 'Love,' 'Career,' and 'Health.'
The girl secretly glanced at Natsu, 'wondering which one would be best to choose. In truth, she was quite eager for Natsu to choose 'Love.''
'But... would it be inappropriate to choose 'Love' at this time?'
'Ugh~ so conflicted!'
"Then let's choose 'Love.' Most fortune-telling games are played this way." Natsu noticed the girl's hesitation and directly selected 'Love.'
Great! The girl barely contained the joy threatening to spill from her heart.
Next came the step of entering names and birthdates. 'It was quite formal.' Natsu quickly filled in his information.
Mako watched intently. 'April 1st, Natsu's birthday.' She then took out her phone. 'As the saying goes, the palest ink is better than the best memory.' Mako noted down his birthday.
'Her behavior shouldn't be considered perverted, right? Absolutely not! She had just accidentally seen it!'
"Amikura-san's birthday is October 2nd. I'll prepare a birthday gift for you then." Natsu smiled and nodded.
"Mm! I'll also celebrate Shikime-san's birthday!" The girl's face could no longer conceal her joy. 'Great, everything was going as she had hoped!'
Soon, the screen displayed the final question:
Their relationship is——'Lovers,' 'Friends,' 'Family.'
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan