A Little Too Comfortable, Pt. 3

The mall always had this weird, nostalgic kind of energy to it. Even if you didn't plan on buying anything, there was something comforting about the steady hum of conversation, the polished floors catching the ceiling lights, and the storefront windows dressed up like they were trying to outdo each other.

We were walking side by side, drinks in hand. Megumi practically skipped a step with every sip of her bubble tea, her eyes darting from one shop to another like a kid seeing the world for the first time.

"Let's see... Where to first? Oh! How about that one?"

She pointed at a storefront lined with glowing trinkets and weirdly shaped pillows.

"I'm... not sure. A stationery store, maybe?"

"Stationery stores don't sell pillows."

"And how would you know that? Don't you get simple things like that bought and delivered to you with a snap of your fingers?"

She was just about to reply, but stopped when she realized...

"Huh. You're right."

And I couldn't help but chuckle.

"We can go in there later if you wanna."

"Yeah? Just like the last five places we passed up, and I mentioned wanting to go back later?"

"Hey. This mall trip is for you. If it were up to me, I would've stayed at home."

"Tch. I sometimes forget that you're an extreme homebody."

"Welcome to the life of Shohei Taka."

Suddenly, Megumi pressed her head on my shoulder, peering up at me with a sideways glance.

"Make sure your weak knees don't give out. There's still a lot more I wanna see."

"W-wha..."

Before I could even react properly, she twirled on ahead, turning around just to wink at me.

"Keep up, Mister Shohei Taka."

As she pranced off, I just stood there, body frozen and chest pounding way harder than I thought was possible.

If Koga and Yue were here to see this, they'd say how obvious it was that she totally likes me. And honestly? Even if I were to stand my ground and vehemently disagree — which I probably would've — Megumi would still be stuck in the back of my head, her words echoing like a spell she'd put me under.

The way she leaned on my shoulder to the way she looked at me...

It's hard for me not to assume. Sure, girls can be flirty and playful whenever they wanna be, but this... is different. It didn't feel the same whenever Chiaki would lean on my shoulder, look at me in some kind of way, or call me cute.

Megumi... makes my heart beat just a bit faster.

With a sigh, I planted a hand over my mouth.

"Shit... I've fallen, haven't I?"

I then glanced ahead to where Megumi had run up to another display, hands practically glued to the glass. I didn't know what it was about seeing her like this, but it made me feel just a little bit lighter.

"Hey, Shohei! Over here."

Megumi stood before a brightly lit arcade tucked into the corner of an intersection, waving both arms like a traffic conductor. Behind her was the glow of a dozen neon signs, alongside the mechanical sounds of games in motion.

"...Ah, damn..."

Of course, it had to be an arcade filled to the brim with claw machines, the single most expensive impromptu activity that haunts every friend group. And unfortunately, one of us hasn't had a taste of absolute defeat just yet.

"Whoa~ Hey, Shohei. Check this one out," Megumi said, pressing her face against the glass of one claw machine. "Capybaras."

"Didn't know you were into fuzzy things."

"Not all fuzzy things, but capybaras are just too damn cute."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Patience, patience. I've got this."

Before anything else, we went over to a kiosk, where we picked up a reloadable card meant to deposit funds for points. But when Megumi swiped her card to fill it up...

"Card declined," said the machine.

"H-huh...?"

She swiped again.

"Card declined."

"Huh?!"

Then once more.

"Card declined."

"W-why...? I swear I have more than enough to buy out this entire arcade, yet I can't even buy two thousand yen worth of points?"

"Let me see that."

Megumi handed me her card, and I assessed it. The moment my fingers touched it, I felt a kind of privilege that I'd probably never achieve, no matter how hard I tried in life.

"Is this... a black card?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Just asking. In any case, an ultra-exclusive card like this probably isn't recognized by this simple machine meant for plebeians like me."

"Huh? What does that even mean?"

"It means that you're suffering from success."

"Ah..."

Even though I intended that to be a joke, her expression fell more than I anticipated. It actually made me feel bad.

"Hah... I'm just kidding," I said, pulling out my own card. "Not sure why yours isn't working, so we'll use mine instead?"

"What? But... Didn't you say you were a broke college student?"

"It's fine. It's only two thousand yen. I can manage that much."

When I swiped the card, the machine lit up with the sound of a slot machine jackpot — a stark contrast to the instant buzzer when Megumi tried it just then.

"Thank you very much."

"Alright," I said, grabbing the card and handing it to her. "Have at it."

Her eyes immediately lit up like stars that could only ever be seen on the city outskirts.

"Thanks, Shohei," she whispered, hiding her smile behind the card.

"Ah... I... Y-you're welcome..."

"Hehe~ Now, come on!"

She dragged me by the wrist till we made it back to the claw machine with the capybaras.

When she swiped the card, the machine came to life with a childish jingle as the side lights flickered on. A small screen overhead started counting down from thirty.

"Alright, Megumi. You're on the clock. Make it count."

"Don't rush me," she said, snatching the joystick. "Victory takes patience."

"You do realize these things are rigged, right?"

"Don't care. I've got the magic touch. Trust me."

Megumi carefully scanned the glass from both the front and side, making tiny adjustments to the claw's position. Then, with all the confidence in the world, she smacked the button. The claw dropped, barely grazing the ear of a capybara before it flopped back up like a dead fish.

The machine's lights dimmed as the timer hit zero.

We both stood there in complete silence. I was the first to crack, covering my mouth and turning away.

"S-Shohei..." Megumi mumbled, eyes shimmering like she was about to cry. "I lost..."

That was it for me. I let out a strangled laugh, trying and failing to hold it in.

"Why are you laughing?!" she shouted, smacking my arm.

I backed off, snickering.

"Sorry, sorry! Try it again. I'm sure your magic touch will work this time."

Another round. Another dramatic, tension-filled drop. The claw hovered over a tiny cat plush this time... then missed completely, snatching sweet air.

Silence.

"...Okay, I'm done," Megumi sighed, defeated.

"Oh, come on. You can't give up now. There are still some points left on the card."

"No, it's fine. You were right. It's rigged."

"Relax, it's not that serious. Here, let me give it a shot."

"Huh?"

I took the card for one last try.

"Watch closely."

"Wait..." she muttered. "Is there a trick to this? You know a trick, don't you? And you decided not to tell me just because you wanted me to suffer. Is that right?"

"I think you've been watching too many dramas. It's not rocket science. Pay attention."

I zeroed in on a capybara holding a fried egg. That one was the one Megumi was trying to go for, so that's my target. Lining up the claw, I hit the button. To Megumi's shock, the claw actually grabbed the thing clean.

It rose, dangled for a second like it might drop... then plopped right into the prize chute, almost as far as Megumi's jaw when it hit the floor.

"W-what?! Wait! How did you do that?! There was a trick! You totally let me fail on purpose!"

“What are you going on about? There's no trick. But... if there was, then yeah — I'd have gatekept it to watch you suffer.”

"You... You're the worst."

I pulled the capybara from the chute and tossed it to her.

"There. Happy now?"

She caught it, staring down at it for a second. I guess she didn't have it in her to stay mad, because the next thing I knew, she was hugging it to her chest and rubbing her cheek against its head.

Then, she looked up at me, and I... I froze on the spot.

The way her eyes curled, soft and a little shy, with just enough of her hair falling over her face to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

For a split second, the noise of the arcade faded into the background.

"...Mhm," she mumbled, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. "I guess I'm happy. Thanks, Shohei."

"Y-yeah. Well, anyway, I guess that means I'm at two points now, so we're tied."

"Tch... Fine. I'll give it to you this time."

I quickly sucked in a breath and glanced away, trying to get a grip on whatever weird feeling was crawling around in my chest.