Chapter 1 A Trip to the Arcade with a Mysterious Girl???
Yep. The world is as ruthless as ever, and before I knew it, hellish Monday had arrived.
Right now, my condition is at an all-time low—worse than ever before. After what happened on Friday, I can’t help but feel completely miserable.
"……………………………I don’t wanna go…"
"Quit whining and get ready already."
Letting out a heavy sigh, I slumped over, only for my older brother Daiki—who’s a reasonably good-looking college student—to casually comment while watching TV from the couch.
Normally, I wouldn’t dare talk back to my tyrant of a brother, but today, I’m feeling a little different.
"Like a normie like you would understand! Right now, I’m in full-on sulk mode, so if you think I’m just gonna do what you say, you’re dead wrong!"
"Alright then, I’ll just let Mom know. ‘Eita’s refusing to go to school, so go ahead and toss out all his games.’"
"You demon! Monster! Heartless bastard! Damn normie, go explode! J-Just you wait!"
"You let your personal grudge slip in there at the end."
With my precious game consoles—worth a total of hundreds of thousands of yen—held hostage, I had no choice but to drag myself to the dining table, where breakfast was waiting. I couldn’t be bothered to toast the bread, so I just took a bite straight out of it.
Huh. Even without toasting, it’s still pretty good… As I sat there, lost in thought, I felt a sharp gaze fixed on me from across the table.
"What is it, Mizuki? Look, I know I’m insanely handsome, but don’t go falling for your own brother now, alright?"
"…Oh wow, Onii-chan, you must still be half-asleep! Normally, you wouldn’t say something that disgusting! Also, calling yourself handsome is seriously pushing it."
"Oh, listen to you, running your mouth. You do realize I could rat you out for breaking Mom’s earrings the other day, right?"
"My Onii-chan is so handsome! Just the other day, my friends were saying the same thing!"
Instantly caving to my threat, Mizuki forced a grin and started sucking up to me like a total lackey.
This girl—my little sister Mizuki—has a decent enough face, not quite a full-blown beauty but still above average. But since she’s a huge flirt and obsessed with cute girls, she’s still single.
She’s a bit of a lost cause, but hey, she’s still my sister, so she’s kind of cute in her own way.
But more importantly—I just heard something interesting.
"Mizuki. Tell me more about these friends of yours."
"Onii-chan, you do realize they’re all third-year middle schoolers like me, right? Wait… don’t tell me—"
"Stop right there. I was just surprised, that’s all. No one’s ever called me handsome before, so I got a little excited. That’s it. Don’t get the wrong idea. Besides, it’s not like you’re a total beauty or—"
"That’s enough."
As I rested my chin on my hand, Mizuki shot me a cold glare.
Seriously, she’s usually just as dumb as me, so why is it only at times like this that she acts all high and mighty?
We were locked in a stare-off when my brother suddenly dropped a bomb.
"…You guys realize you’re already late? Mom’s gonna flip if you’re tardy."
""WE’RE HEADING OUT!!!""
Mizuki and I bolted to brush our teeth and then flew out the door.
—Or at least, she did.
I watched my sister’s back as she dashed ahead, but my own feet refused to move. I glanced down at them and muttered under my breath.
"…My body’s rejecting this."
The reason was obvious.
I had no idea what kind of rumors would be flying around at school. And that thought alone filled me with dread.
"Ugh… this sucks. It sucks so bad. I got all worked up and confessed, but if I knew it would turn out like this… maybe I never should’ve said anything at all."
But since I was already out of the house… yeah, no, I don’t actually have to go to school.
I haven’t missed a single day so far, so skipping just once should be fine. Mom will probably let it slide.
…Well, if she doesn’t, my entire game collection is as good as dead, but honestly? If it’s between that and getting laughed at all day, I’d rather throw away every game I own.
—And so, I made my decision. Today, I’d ditch school and hit up the arcade.
No time like the present, so I turned on my heel and headed toward the train station—conveniently located in the exact opposite direction of my school. Man, playing around while everyone else is stuck in class? Kinda thrilling.
"Hmm… if I’m gonna go, then the best place is definitely the arcade at Io—"
"I think so too."
"Yeah, right? If you’re ever unsure, that’s always the go-to—wha…? Wait, what? Why the hell is Aira-san here?"
Someone had chimed in out of nowhere, and I instinctively responded before realizing that the voice sounded oddly familiar.
I turned toward it—only to freeze in shock.
Standing right behind me, dressed in her school uniform with her usual blank expression, was none other than Aira Yuzu.
My brain stalled for a second at the sheer unexpectedness of this encounter, but Aira, unfazed as ever, spoke again.
"Mm. Keep walking."
"Oh, uh—wait, no! Why are you following me?"
"Mm."
"Oh. Okay…?"
Since when was this a done deal…?
I had half a mind to protest, but arguing with Aira felt pointless, so I gave up and continued on toward the station with her in tow. We bought our tickets, caught a train that just so happened to arrive at the perfect moment, and got on.
Of course, we didn’t talk.
There was no way we would talk.
I mean, come on—I just confessed to her last Friday and got rejected. Why the hell would she choose me of all people to go to the arcade with? There’s no way this was a good idea.
Alright, I’ve decided—I need to send her back to school.
If she’s not here, at least I won’t stick out as much for being in an arcade on a weekday morning.
Yeah. That’s definitely the better option.
The moment the thought struck me, I turned to Aira, ready to convince her—
"A-uh, hey, Aira-san—wait, you’re asleep?! That’s way too careless, what the hell!"
She was leaning against the window, peacefully dozing off.
I was in the middle of mentally berating her for being so defenseless when the conductor’s announcement rang through the train.
Aira stirred awake.
She blinked a few times, looking groggy as she glanced around. Then, as soon as she spotted me, she let out a small yawn and—
"Mm. Morning."
Just casually greeted me like that.
…No, hold on. I have to say something.
"‘Morning’ my ass. What kind of ridiculously pretty girl falls asleep in front of a guy she barely knows?!"
"…? I’m right here."
"…………………………Alright, we’re getting off."
Deciding to abandon all attempts at reasoning with her, I stepped off the train.
If I wasted any more time trying to get through to her, we’d just miss our stop, and that would definitely be a pain.
—Seriously. I’ll never understand what goes on in a girl’s head.
That was today’s lesson learned.
"…What are you doing?"
"I was just… processing the fact that you’re actually tagging along."
Aira had marched straight out of the station and was already heading toward the Io—mall without hesitation.
Now, she turned back to give me a puzzled look.
"Mm. I was bored."
"…I see."
"Mm."
With a small nod, she resumed walking.
And after a brief moment of resignation—so did I.
*
"....."
"What?" she said. "Hurry up and go in."
So, as planned, I had arrived at the arcade with Aira.
But for some reason, I was frozen at the entrance.
The reason? Well, it was a weekday morning, we were in our school uniforms, we were a boy-girl pair, and the girl just so happened to be a stunning beauty with a model-like figure (with a decent bust, too).
Basically, we stood out. A lot.
Aira tilted her head in confusion as I hesitated, but honestly? This was entirely her fault. I wasn’t about to let that slide—I was going to say it.
"…Aira-san, we’re getting way too much attention because of you."
"Mm. Why?"
I treaded carefully, making sure not to step on any verbal landmines, but she seemed genuinely clueless.
Is she serious? This girl’s mental fortitude is on another level.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I decided to clarify.
"Just to check… you do realize that you’re popular with guys, right?"
"Mm. Eita confessed to me."
"S-Stop saying my first name so naturally—wait, that’s not the point!"
Damn it… For a split second, I got way too happy about that. I wanna punch myself.
"Forget that ever happened! Anyway! Aira-san, you’re a beautiful girl who’s popular with tons of guys. That’s why you stand out so much."
"…Eita’s exhausting."
"Guh—?!"
A girl just called me exhausting… I might actually die.
No, this is fatal. The shock alone is enough to end me.
Maybe I should go jump off the roof or something—nah, not happening.
"Mm. Let’s go."
"Wait, hold on—this is brutal!"
Still clutching my chest in agony, I was suddenly yanked forward. Apparently, Aira had lost patience with me, because she grabbed my hand and marched into the arcade.
And the moment we stepped inside—
I felt it.
The piercing stares of envy from nearly every guy in the vicinity.
S-Stop it… don’t look at me like that… That’s actually terrifying.
I swear, we’re not dating! She literally rejected me just the other day! This girl’s sense of personal space is just completely broken!
But, of course, my desperate internal monologue reached no one. Not the surrounding onlookers, not even Aira herself.
And so, with all the dignity of a criminal being dragged to their sentence, I was pulled into the arcade.
—For the first time in a week or two, I found myself inside a game center.
Even though it was a weekday, there were still a decent number of people around—mostly college students and middle-aged folks. The place was as lively and noisy as ever.
But Aira didn’t spare a glance at anything else.
She made a beeline straight for a claw machine, her target locked: a stuffed cat plushie.
Naturally, since she was still holding my hand, I was dragged along as well.
"…I’m playing this."
"This one…? It looks kinda tough."
"Mm. No problem."
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the cat plushie, exuding an aura of absolute confidence.
…Maybe I was underestimating her.
Maybe she was actually a claw machine prodigy.
—Or at least, that’s what I thought.
"—Nn!"
"H-Hey, maybe you should stop while you’re ahead…"
"No. I will get it."
Aira had already burned through a thousand yen on the same machine, with not even a close call to show for it. Her approach was pure chaos—no strategy, no finesse, just blind determination.
I tried to stop her, but she was dead set on winning. Without hesitation, she fed another hundred yen into the machine.
"This time, I’ll get it!"
"No, you won’t. You already messed up."
"—!"
With the look of someone who had just witnessed the end of the world, Aira watched as the claw completely missed the plushie. Then, without a word, she slammed her hands onto the machine in frustration.
…Not gonna lie, it was kind of adorable.
But seeing her fail so miserably after sinking so much money into this, I started feeling bad for her.
"…Guess I have no choice."
With a sigh, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a hundred-yen coin, and inserted it.
"?? …Why?"
Aira blinked at me in surprise.
"Just leave it to me." I smirked. "They used to call me ‘The Arcade’s Worst Nightmare’ when it came to claw machines."
That was a lie. I just wanted to sound cool.
In reality, I was firmly in the camp of "It’s cheaper to just buy the damn thing."
But now that I’d said it, I had to deliver.
Failure wasn’t an option. Not only would it be embarrassing, but in the worst-case scenario… she might actually kill me.
Swallowing my nerves, I carefully lined up the claw, glancing at it from the side. Then, I pressed the button to move it forward.
Thanks to Aira’s relentless attempts, the plushie was already close to the prize chute.
There was a chance—a real chance—I could actually win this.
Recalling some half-forgotten trick, I aimed one of the two-pronged claw arms directly at the tag on the plushie’s neck.
And then—
By some divine intervention (or maybe just dumb luck), one of the prongs slipped perfectly through the tag.
"Oh—!"
"Nn!"
We both let out a mix of shock and excitement.
Then, as if the goddess of fortune herself had decided to bless me, the tag caught on the claw.
And when the arm lifted—
Clunk!
—The plushie tumbled straight into the prize chute.
"Ohhhhhh!!!"
"A-Amazing…!"
Still riding the high of victory, I reached into the retrieval slot and pulled out the cat plushie.
Then, I handed it over to Aira, who was still buzzing with excitement.
She blinked at me, looking surprised. Then, without hesitation, she tried to hand it back.
"…You won it, Eita."
"Nah, I don’t need it." I shook my head. "Besides, I am ‘The Arcade’s Worst Nightmare.’ I could totally win, like, three more of these."
That was another lie.
But I really didn’t need the plushie.
Hearing my words, Aira’s eyes widened slightly—
"...Mm. Thanks."
Aira hugged the plushie close, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.
The sight was… unexpectedly captivating.
I caught myself staring and hurriedly looked away, forcing a casual tone.
"S-So! Uh—Is there anything else you wanna do?"
My voice cracked.
Horribly.
God, that was embarrassing. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
But Aira, completely unfazed by my internal crisis, glanced around before pointing at something.
"...That one next."
I followed her gaze—
"Oh, classic choice."
It was Taiko no Tatsujin, one of the most popular rhythm games out there.
Honestly, is there anyone who hasn’t played or at least heard of it? No, there isn’t. (Damn, did I just think in rhetorical questions? That’s how iconic this game is.)
It’s got difficulty levels for everyone—from total beginners to literal gods. The hardest songs? Straight-up inhuman. No way I could pull that off. I’d probably just get frustrated and quit.
But watching skilled players go at it? Now that was entertaining.
"Alright! I haven’t played much, but let’s do this! I’m so gonna win!"
"...Mm. I won’t lose."
With the enthusiasm of elementary school kids, we claimed our spots in front of the drum set.
Coins in, song selected—game start.
And then—
It was a massacre.
I was flailing around like an idiot, desperately trying to keep up.
Meanwhile, Aira?
Aira was a machine.
Her movements were precise, effortless—like she was born for this.
At one point, I completely forgot about my own game and just stared at her arms, wondering, Wait, are her muscles secretly jacked or something?
"…There’s no way I could’ve won." I muttered, completely defeated. "Who the hell casually picks ‘Oni’ difficulty as a beginner and full combos it? With default sticks, no less?"
"...Sorry."
I’d been utterly destroyed. Three losses in a row.
Not that I ever had a chance.
While Aira’s side of the screen sparkled with rainbow colors, my progress bar hadn’t even budged.
I slowly turned away from the machine, refusing to acknowledge my humiliation.
"…Alright. New game. I refuse to go home until I win at something."
"……"
"…Don’t give me that ‘Haah… What a stubborn child. Guess I’ll just humor him’ look."
My dramatic declaration was met with the exasperated stare of someone watching a kid throw a tantrum.
"...Mm. Fine. I’ll humor you."
"You didn’t have to say it out loud."
And so began my Win-At-Least-Once Challenge—
--It was two hours later that I finally won.