A Token for Your Time Pt. 3

Before I knew it, I was being whisked through the crowd, hand in hand with a girl whose energy could probably power half the city. Lana wasn't sprinting, but her excitement practically radiated from her—every bounce in her step, every glint in her eyes, every playful tug on my arm said hurry up, even if her pace wasn't overwhelming. Meanwhile, I was just trying not to trip again or pass out from sheer exhaustion.

"Just a little further!" she chimed, glancing over her shoulder with a grin that made it impossible to regret tagging along.

"Feels like I'm being abducted," I muttered under my breath.

“Hey! You're the one who agreed to come, remember? Don't tell me you're backing out now when we haven't even started!"

"We'll see, I guess."

"Hehe, worry not, Aikami! Just think of this as a friendly kidnapping," she said with a singsong lilt, "with games. Lots of them."

Games?

It didn't take long before we turned a corner and stepped into a plaza glowing with neon signs and pulsing with the sound of pixelated explosions and retro chiptune melodies leaking out from behind glass doors.

Overhead, lights flickered in every color imaginable, and through the transparent façade, I caught a glimpse of a chaotic wonderland. Rows of claw machines, rhythm games lighting up in sync with flashing arrows, and prize counters piled high with plush toys.

An arcade.

Of course. I don't know what I was expecting—but somehow, this felt exactly like something Lana would choose.

"This is what you had in mind?" I asked, raising a brow.

“Mm-hmm~!" she nodded, practically glowing. "We're on a time crunch, so no shopping or fancy dinner dates today. So I thought—what's something fast, fun, and low-maintenance? Duh~! An arcade! We can burn the rest of the day with flashing lights and mindless chaos! Besides, arcades are timeless. It's basically illegal to not have fun in one."

"I don't remember signing anything legally binding."

"Doesn't matter! You stepped inside—contract sealed. You're officially a participant now."

Before I could protest further, she tugged me toward the entrance, and just like that, we were swallowed by a whirlwind of sound and color—booming game music, coin jingles, mechanical whirrs, and the shouts of kids riding emotional rollercoasters with every win and loss.

It was noisy. It was overwhelming. It was chaos—pure, unapologetic chaos.

And somehow… it felt oddly comforting.

Lana immediately darted over to a token machine, slipping in a few coins with a practiced flourish. The metallic clinks echoed as colorful tokens spilled into the tray below with a satisfying rattle.

"Here!" she said, handing me a handful, her eyes gleaming with mischievous delight. "Your first taste of battle currency. Use it wisely."

"I feel like I just got conscripted into a war I never signed up for."

"Exactly! That's the spirit!" she beamed. "Now you're living like the gods do. I mean, look at the Trojan War. You think we just sat back while humans fought over a beauty contest? Nah~! That's boring. So we picked sides. One god joined, then another, then everyone wanted in. It was like placing bets. Greece or Troy? Who's taking the crown? I picked Greece, by the way. Cleaned house. Won a good chunk of drachmas from my colleagues."

"The hell?" I chuckled. "Didn't take you for a gambler."

She leaned in with her fists planted on her hips, practically glowing with pride. "A girl's gotta earn some side cash somehow. How else do you think I afford my shopping sprees?"

I paused, half-joking, half-concerned as a thought crept into my mind.

"…Lana," I said slowly. "You didn't mess with fate just to win a few blackjack games, did you?"

"A few?" she scoffed with a playful toss of her hair. "Aw, you wound me, Aikami. You really underestimate me."

Then, without missing a beat, she grabbed my wrist again and took off, dragging me deeper into the neon wilderness of the arcade.

I couldn't help it—I laughed. Soft at first, then a little louder. Maybe I was delirious from sleep deprivation. Maybe I was still running on fumes. But at that moment, surrounded by flickering lights and the chaos of digital noise, watching Lana bounce on her heels like an overexcited kid in a candy store… I felt the heaviness in my chest lift, if only a little.

Her first target: the rhythm game tucked away in the corner—the kind with a towering screen, blinding neon, and arrows that pulsed in time with the beat. The speakers were loud enough to make my eardrums threaten a mutiny.

She skipped over, selected a track with an absurdly fast BPM, and then turned back to me with flames in her eyes.

"Watch and learn, Aikami. This is what true skill looks like."

"First a gambler, now a dancer?" I raised a brow. "Is there anything you don't claim to be good at?"

"Why all the subtle jabs? You're going to hurt my feelings, you know."

"My bad, my bad."

The song began, and what unfolded was somewhere between an elegant performance and a controlled natural disaster. Most people just stomp on the arrows when they hit their mark. Simple enough.

But Lana? She danced.

Not just moved, not just stepped. She was actually dancing. Fluid, precise, almost theatrical. Her movements flowed with the beat, each motion filled with energy and flair. And all the while, she was smiling, laughing—completely in her element. There was a joy in her expression that was almost contagious.

And I… I couldn't look away.

Somewhere between the chaos of flashing lights and her graceful rhythm, I caught myself watching her a little too closely. The way her hair swayed, the way her tongue peeked out in concentration, the flicker of playful smugness in her gaze—it was… mesmerizing.

At one point, I could've sworn—just for a split second—she tilted her head and winked at me. Or maybe the lights were playing tricks on me.

Yeah. Probably that.

…Probably.

By the time the song ended, Lana struck a pose with a dramatic flourish—arms raised high, hair slightly tousled from all the movement, and a triumphant grin stretching across her face.

"Ta-da~!" she sang out proudly. "S-ranked it. First try."

I let out a groan, trying not to sound too bitter. "Remind me to never challenge you to a rhythm game ever again."

But she was already bouncing on her heels, eyes shining with anticipation. "No no, now it's your turn!"

"Wait, huh? W-what?!"

"Yep! I mean, don't get me wrong, I had a ton of fun just now. But what I was really looking forward to… was seeing you try."

"...No. Uh-uh. Nope. Not happening."

"Eh?! Come on, Aikami! How can you come to a rhythm arcade and not try at least one dancing game? Sure, I dragged you here, but you're already on borrowed dignity. Might as well go all in!" She leaned in with an impish glint in her eye. "You trust me, right?"

"Oh, I did. Until about thirty seconds ago."

"Pleeaase~?"

"W-wha…"

No… not that. She was hitting me with the ultimate weapon: the pout. Hands clasped together, eyes big and pleading, her entire expression radiating the kind of cuteness that should be classified as psychological warfare. If she keeps that up, it's pretty much game over for me.

I looked away, trying to resist. "Come on, Lana… There's no way watching me flail around like a scarecrow is going to be that fun."

"What~? It's exactly because you're going to flail around like a scarecrow that it'll be that fun! Just this once, Aikami! I promise it'll be fun!"

"I…"

"Wait!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I've got it! I'll dance with you!"

Before I could even react, she grabbed both my hands and started dragging me toward the machine with zero hesitation.

"No. No, no, no, Lana!"

"It'll be fine! I'll guide you through it!"

"That's not the issue!"

"Ahh, quit being such a killjoy!"

Of course, trying to resist a goddess was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a paper umbrella. In the end, she managed to pull me onto the dance platform without breaking a sweat. Beaming like a kid in a candy store, she began scrolling through the song list with gleeful energy.

"Hmm… hmm~ What do you prefer?" she asked, spinning through the options with a finger to her chin.

"Right now? A bed. Preferably one I can crawl into and pretend none of this is happening."

"Hey! I meant a song, not nap time!" She turned toward me with a huff. "Don't go talking about beds, else you'll just make yourself feel more tired. And we just got started!"

I sighed in defeat. "You pick something."

"Me? Oho~ Aikami, are you sure about that? Because if I get free rein, you might seriously regret it."

"I'm already swimming in regret."

"Aww~ You don't mean that!"

Without waiting any longer, she tapped a three-star song—mercifully easier compared to the six-star monstrosity she had just demolished like it was nothing. The screen lit up, and music began to play as the intro pulsed through the speakers.

"Alright, alright!" she cheered. "Get ready, Aikami!"

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?" I muttered.

"Hehe~ Easy. Just follow my lead." She stepped closer and took both my hands in hers.

"W-whoa! Hey! Isn't this a little—"

"No time to think, Aikami! It's starting!"