Chapter 24 | Story

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“Your chuunibyou dark history… were you thinking up special moves?”

“Yeah, well…”

“What were the names of your special moves?”

“Dark Kaiser Bullet…”

“That’s rough.”

“Uwaaaah!!”

I clutched my head.

If I could meet the me from middle school, I’d shake him awake.

“I’ll take a look at your dark history notebook sometime.”

The dark history notebook was filled with the special moves, weapons, and enemy organization settings I’d come up with back then.

It was supposed to be a secret I’d take to my grave.

Miori had already found it, but now, another person in the world would know of that notebook’s existence.

It was a nightmare.

“It’s nice that I get to learn about you from before we met, Shinse.”

“It’s not exactly a side of me I want people to know…”

“I want to know even your dark history, Shinse. I still don’t know enough about you.”

“…I see.”

It sounded like a nice way to put it, but did she really need to know my dark history?

“Well, next, let’s play the crane game.”

“Okay.”

Reina took my hand and led me towards the crane game corner.

“Wow… There are all sorts of prizes.”

From plush toys and figures to snacks.

I once saw a crane game with household goods as prizes. It was something like fabric softener, a game that probably only housewives would play.

Reina chose a crane game with a bear-like animal plushie as the prize.

“Don’t you think this one’s cute?”

“…Do you really?”

“Oh, you’re not supposed to break the mood at times like these.”

“But, I mean, a bear plushie with exposed gums is more scary than cute, right?”

The plushie had the face of a demon, as if it were about to devour another animal. It had white eyes, drool at its mouth, and a long tongue sticking out.

“Isn’t it cute because it looks like it’s desperately trying to live?”

“O-Oh, I see…”

I don’t get that way of thinking. I think the small animal that is probably about to be eaten by this bear-like creature is cuter.

“Anyway, I want that one. Can you get it for me? My cool boyfriend?”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

I’m good at crane games.

Ever since I tried a crane game because Miori wanted a rabbit plushie when I was in elementary school, I’ve gotten better at it each time.

When I went on dates with Ria, I’d get her lots of prizes.

I even gave Hiyori-chan a mountain of plush toys I got from crane games for her birthday.

With practiced movements, I operated the buttons and got the bear-like animal plushie in one try.

I proudly handed the palm-sized bear doll to Reina.

However, she had a complex expression.

“…That was boring.”

“Huh?”

“You could have struggled a bit more. It’s cool, but I wanted to see you trying and failing.”

“That’s so unreasonable!”

But I get it, getting a prize too easily can take the fun out of it.

The whole point of a crane game is having those moments of “so close!” or “just a bit more!” with your friends.

I had become a sad crane game monster, mechanically collecting prizes.

“Now it’s my turn. Is there anything you want, Shinse?”

Reina said, while putting the plushie inside the shoulder bag she was wearing.

“If I had to say… I want Reina.”

“I’m already yours. Stop being silly, and answer seriously.”

“Hmm… Something I want… Oh, I want that dolphin plushie.”

“Okay, leave it to me.”

The light blue dolphin plushie was cute.

I like dolphins the most out of all the animals. It’s because I was moved when I watched a dolphin show as a child.

They’re clever, cute, fairies of the sea.

“You know, dolphins constantly undergo cell turnover, their skin changes every two hours.”

“What!? Really!? Their skin must be so smooth!”

“As a woman, I’m really jealous.”

“Reina’s skin is smooth and beautiful too.”

“Fufu, thanks.”

While showing off her trivia knowledge of dolphins, Reina took on the crane game.

I wondered if Reina’s dolphin trivia would run out first, her money for the crane game would run out first, or if she would get the prize first…

It wasn’t the kind of crane game I imagined couples would play, but this was fun in its own way.

After several attempts, Reina seemed to have gotten the hang of the crane game.

She was about to get it next.

“…And you know, baby dolphins are born from their tail fin.”

“From their tail fin… Wow…”

“We should have a baby too.”

“Huh!?”

“Just kidding. We can’t get pregnant at this age.”

Reina laughed wryly and shook her head.

“There, I got it. How about this for the future father?”

Reina said, handing me the dolphin plushie.

“Ah, thank you…”

My face was hot. Seeing Reina made my heart race.

Reina chuckled as she saw my red face.

She had an air of maturity around her.

“What should we do next?”

“L-Let’s play a racing game. You know, that ‘Mariko Kart’ game.”

“Okay.”

Mariko Kart, a globally popular racing game.

You controlled a car in the game using a cockpit that looked like a racing car and competed for the top spot.

I’d competed against my friends from the soccer club countless times and had never lost.

It was probably Reina’s first time playing Mariko Kart, so this match was as good as mine.

“Should we make the loser get a penalty again?”

“No, I’m experienced, so I have an advantage. It’s fine.”

“…Don’t underestimate me. This is just driving a car, right? It’s easy.”

“Easy? Reina, you’re only 17, you’ve never driven a car before.”

“My future self will surely have a driver’s license and will be taking you all sorts of places, Shinse. And there’s no reason why I can’t do what my future self can do.”

“You’re so confident…”

“That’s why, if you lose, you’re getting a penalty.”

“Okay, fine. But don’t regret it?”

And so, the Mariko Kart race began.

I had explained it to her beforehand, but this game has various gimmicks.

Floors that accelerate you when you pass through them, and items that interfere with other racers.

Even if you’re skilled at driving, there is a certain amount of luck involved.

We took our seats, put in the coins, and the game started.

The race began with a fanfare.

Reina’s steering was masterful.

It was almost like she’d played Mariko Kart before.

However, Reina struggled with the interference elements that were unique to this game, and I won by a landslide.

“Yes! I won!”

“Ugh… What an insult.”

“Come to think of it, we didn’t decide on the penalty… What should we do?”

“Don’t ask me when I’m the one who has to endure it.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right… Hmm… How about telling me about Reina’s dark history?”

Reina knew my pitch-black dark history.

Now I wanted to know Reina’s dark history.

Maybe it was similar to mine.

“Dark history? I don’t have any. I always make choices I don’t regret.”

“Huh, then… What about if Reina had lost the air hockey game earlier…”

“I decided to play because I was sure I was going to win.”

Reina said calmly.

Her confident attitude was refreshing and cool.

“But, if I had to name a dark history… it would be that I didn’t have a single friend in elementary and middle school.”

“I-Is that so?”

“I was always reading a book alone during breaks. I wasn’t interested in other people, so I couldn’t make friends. It was the same even after starting high school, until the summer break of the first year ended… But thanks to some certain someone, I became interested in other people.”

Reina smiled shyly.

“So, following the flow of the conversation, did Reina make friends? Like Tanaka-san, who went to the mixer with you?”

“Tanaka-san isn’t my friend. She begged me to join the mixer, even kneeling on the ground, so I reluctantly agreed…”

Tanaka-san even went as far as to kneel for Shō.

“I haven’t made any friends.”

“So you didn’t make any!”

“Because the only person I became interested in was you, and you’re not a friend, you’re my boyfriend.”

“I see…”

I hoped that Reina would make a lot of friends.

After that, we played various games and talked about many things.

I felt like I got even closer to Reina.

“Lastly, let’s take a purikura, shall we?”

Reina and I went inside the purikura booth.

“Strike a pose!”

“Pose… What kind of pose should I do?”

“Like a peace sign? Just do a pose you think is good.”

“…I see. Let’s take it right away.”

I gave a standard peace sign.

Reina and I huddled together, waiting for the shutter to go off.

“Say cheese!”

Chuu A kiss landed on my cheek as the shutter went off.

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