Payback at the arcade

Dad and I ate lunch without mom, knowing she wouldn't be for at least another hour, and already cleaned everything up. I didn't feel like committing to any one task, deciding instead to waste some time sitting at the kitchen counter until it was time to go and meet Sakurai. s time passed, I started to wonder if I should have considered doing something more productive. It seemed like a lesson learned for my future self.

Mom glanced at me a few times before finally speaking up.

"So can I ask you what's the occasion?"

I guess since she just got home, dad never had the chance to tell her.

"I'm waiting for a friend, we're going out..." I looked at the clock hanging on the wall, realizing that we hadn't actually set a specific time, so I could be waiting here indefinitely. "Soon..."

She started humming, giving it some thought, before getting up and heading to the kitchen sink.

"Going with your friends from the other day?"

I shook my head, even though she couldn't see it.

"Aoki's cousin. We mentioned her-"

"I remember!" She exclaimed, and as she turned to face me, a few drops of water from her hands flew about a meter away. "Now I want to meet her."

"Mom, what's with that face?" Her lips concealed some amusement but didn't hide it from me.

She ignored my question, and I watched in silence as she leaned against the wet sink, not at all what I would consider a good idea.

"Are you two meeting here?"

"Most likely not, unless someone gives her a ride. She'll let me know though..." I anxiously looked at the clock again, but of course, no time at all had passed.

"Aw. If I can't meet her in person then at least show me her picture. You have her number, right?"

"Mom..." My first reaction was to protest against her mischievous curiosity, but coming to think of it, what's the harm? So I handed her my phone with the selfie that Aoki took of them the other day when they went out to eat.

"Aww, she looks adorable. I wish I could pinch those rosy cheeks of hers." Mom paused for a moment and jumped in excitement. "Oh! This is for you." I took the phone back from her hands, only to see the incoming call with Sakurai's name right in the middle of the screen.

"H-hello." That sounded almost like a question.

"Hi! So, um, I think I might be lost..." I heard her awkward laugh mixed with the sound of passing cars.

How did she end up in this situation? Let's play detective.

"Where are you right now?"

Mom stopped washing the dishes, and if I squinted hard enough, I could almost see her ears perking up, like a very curious dog.

"I'm in front of a bus stop and..." Her voice got lower as she – probably – looked around. "I see a gift shop, a ramen restaurant... I think that's a big parking lot, but I'm not sure."

I was convinced that I knew where she was – one block down from the old basketball court. I could easily walk there, but then she'd have to wait.

"Find the entrance to the parking lot and turn left. Wait for me at the big intersection."

I was almost ready to dash off when I saw my mom looking at me. First the ears, now the pleading puppy eyes. Alright...

"She's lost. Somehow. Don't ask me." She found that amusing, and I didn't blame her – I was trying hard not to laugh, too.

With no more time to spare at home, I set out to find Sakurai. At the faster pace I walked at, I didn't have much time to think. All my attention went to navigating the streets without getting run over. Maybe I didn't need to go hurry, and perhaps I could've chosen a better meeting spot. It was as if my head refused to think things through, unable to see beyond the ultimate goal of meeting her.

As the traffic got more intense, I knew I was close to my destination, so I started looking around for Sakurai. She was standing exactly where I suggested, on the sidewalk just before the intersection, alongside other people waiting to cross. Even from a distance, I could tell she was wearing the same jeans from earlier, but a different black shirt that blended with her hair, and gave her a more mature look. As she noticed me approaching, she walked out of the shade of a tree. It suddenly dawned on me why she got lost in the first place. She'd come all the way on a bicycle, so naturally none of the landmarks I gave her were very helpful.

We waved and locked eyes while I waited for the pedestrian light to turn green. Finally, we stood face to face.

"Thanks for coming to get me."

"Of course. I was so confused as to how you got lost out here, but if you came by bicycle that makes more sense."

She pulled her bicycle closer, away from the railing it leaned against.

"Might as well explore, right?" She smiled playfully, and I agreed. "And if we're going to walk around..." There was a brief silence, during which I noticed her hands fidgeting around the handlebars. "I thought that I could give us a ride."

I must have looked surprised because when I glanced at her to confirm what I had heard, she looked away.

"You mean, like..."

"Yeah!" She didn't let me finish the sentence. "If that's fine..."

"That's fine!" My voice came out just like hers – shaky and rushed.

"Yeah..." She looked at the bicycle and then back at me.

"Yeah." I repeated after her, empty-minded.

An awkward silence settled in and lingered until a truck from a moving company turned the corner, its noise and gust of wind snapping me out of it.

The awkwardness of the exchange and Sakurai's silence made it clear that she intended for us to ride together on the bicycle, starting right then and there. I had absolutely no idea how to react or what to say, but we couldn't just stand there, rooted to the spot, staring at each other. So, with shyness coursing through me, I took a shy step forward, and she climbed onto the bicycle.

"E-excuse me."

"Sure." Her voice was barely audible, but saw her nod.

I positioned myself behind her bicycle, taking note of the space I had for myself, and where she was seated. I might've taken some time because she looked back over her shoulder. So I rushed myself and searched for my footing. I climbed on, delicately placing my hands on her shoulders. I briefly considered not putting all my weight on her, but I nearly fell backward. It was a terrible idea.

"All set?"

"Probably." I hoped so.

"The good news is that I can't get lost now! So, just point the way."

Where should we go first? I hadn't thought about it at all. Since we were already here, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to show her around.

"Let's go back to where you came from, I can start by showing you around there."

As I wondered whether physically pointing in the right direction would help her see it, the bicycle began to move slowly. I almost lost my balance, and my instinct was to grip her shoulders tighter.

"Is everything fine back there?" Even though I couldn't hear it, I could feel her chuckling.

The nervousness was soon left behind, swept away by the pleasant wind that hit us both as the bicycle gained speed. Before I knew it, my heart was fluttering with joy. Funny how something so simple could make for such precious moments, so long as we allow ourselves. I wouldn't be able to answer whether it was the speed or my thoughts – perhaps both? – but in no time, we arrived at the nearly empty parking lot in front of the large retail store building.

"Let's cross. Do you see those trees? Let's go over there, our first stop."

When the familiar old trees loomed above us, she slowed down and I hoped off, probably a bit prematurely.

"What is this place?" Sakurai pushed her bicycle slowly and looked around, probably as confused as everyone else who didn't know the place. The fountain seemed to catch her attention.

"This is my little hideout. That fountain over there hasn't seen water in a decade."

She parked her bicycle right next to one of the trees and walked toward the fountain, peering inside.

"That's sad..." She sat down on the stone wall that one day was used to contain water and now served as a bench for passersby. Sakurai looked around, entranced by the canopy of trees that surrounded us. I observed as she supported her weight on her hands and leaned back as if she was alone in the world. I welcomed seeing her lost in her own thoughts, as a break from the real world. Another side of the person I came to know and like.

When I entered her field of view, she looked at me without changing poses and asked in a playful tone.

"So, what do you come here for? Is it just the trees?"

"I like the trees, too, but no. It's over there, behind that hedge wall."

"Oh." She quickly sprung to her feet and walked past me toward the basketball court.

I lagged behind, strolling leisurely with my hands in my pockets. It was always a funny contrast to how much energy she always had no matter what, which happened to be very well hidden behind her soft-spoken and shy demeanor. Maybe she was finally warming up to me. As these thoughts ran through my head, I had my eyes fixed on her hair, her shirt... That was when she turned to me in one movement, with her flowing hair giving space to her sparkling eyes and bright smile. Whatever she was going to say hung in the air for a moment, as I flustered.

"This is exciting." She giggled. "This feels so secretive, so hidden. It's like I'm Alice about to go down the rabbit hole."

"But are you running late?" I teased.

She had already turned her back to me as we reached the entrance to the court, shaking her head.

"I'm in no hurry at all." She walked inside and looked around. "Do you play?"

Oh, right. I never actually told her which club I belonged to.

"Yeah, since I was little. I actually started right here. Now I play it at school, too. Too bad we didn't bring a ball."

"That's great, for me. I'm a complete failure at anything sports."

She mimicked throwing an imaginary ball, and her form and movement were hilariously off. I couldn't help but smile and raise my hands behind my head.

"I never said anything about competition, who do you take me for?"

Her expression didn't seem entirely convinced, and out of nowhere, she threw another imaginary ball in my direction.

"Quick, catch!"

If that was a real ball, it would've hit me right in the face. But I played along and pretend to catch it, then aimed at the rim, making a tongue-click sound to simulate the sound of the ball hitting the metal.

Sakurai chuckled, and I smiled at her, our eyes meeting. Looking around, I realized that if we weren't going to play, there was nothing else to do here. She agreed, and we were back on top of the bicycle, with me helping her navigate to our next destination – the actual game center. What she didn't realize at first was that I sent us on a detour.

"You see that street going uphill, where that group of people is walking?"

She nodded, covering her eyes from the bright sun.

"If you turn left there, it's pretty much where I live."

"Cool." I wasn't quite sure what response I had anticipated.

"Alright, let's go?"

We resumed our journey, heading straight toward the game center. When we arrived, she first took notice of the building beside it that had received a fresh paint job. In the first floor, an old man repaired analog clocks from decades past, in the second bright LEDs made it impossible to miss the fact that it was a karaoke. Even after she parked her bike, her attention still hadn't moved to the place I was supposed to take her, causing me to doubt my choice-making abilities. Did she want to sing instead? I was terrible at it...

Thankfully, she skipped her way over to me, and we entered the old building. Maybe another time, Sakurai, maybe...

Standing right outside the door, I could already hear the games, and then feel the smell of all the old stuff packed inside. I was ready to step inside when I noticed her hesitation.

"I've been out in the sun this whole time, I need something to drink first."

I hadn't even considered that! I could have brought her a drink from home. I looked around and spotted the trusty old vending machine nearby, so we headed toward it together. I watched as she paused, contemplating her choice of drink, seeming to put extra thought into the decision. A very important decision, it seemed. I started to wonder if maybe I was dealing with a juice connoisseur.

"Recommend me a drink." Feeling bold, I looked at her with my arms crossed.

I watched as she carefully examined each label, squatting down to see the bottom shelves. When I heard me say that, she looked up at me and quickly stood up.

"I want something refreshing like a lemonade, but this mango juice is really good." She pointed to a specific branded can. "

"Got you." I put in my money before she had a chance to, and reached to pull out her can of lemonade. "This is me paying you what I owed after losing our last and first-ever match."

She laughed and reluctantly accepted the drink from my hands.

"We could go even today if it ends with you winning." She faced away from the sun and took a big sip of her juice.

"Then..." I glanced at the panel full of buttons. "You'll owe me." I popped open my can with a satisfying sound and raised it next to hers. "That makes it more exciting. Cheers."

She repeated after me almost reflexively before letting out a smirk. We finished our drinks right there outside and finally found ourselves roaming around all the arcade machines and analog games.

"How about an air hockey rematch?" We were all the way in the back, right next to it.

She agreed to the idea, and we started playing immediately instead of completing our lap around the arcade. As I glanced up and saw that I was losing 4 to 2, it only confirmed what I had already sensed – I was really out of it. I couldn't get into my usual gaming groove and focus, and instead, my mind was stuck on the "hanging out" part, the social event with Sakurai. This was weird considering that going out to play games with people was not that rare, and I was even in a competitive club.

5 - 2.

I took a step back from the air hockey table, stretching my arms and jumping in place a few times to get myself re-energized. Sakurai waited patiently, her face filled with amusement.

"History repeats itself." She remarked.

"Not this time, girl." I leaned forward onto the table, adopting a comically serious expression as if it were the finals of the air hockey world championship, with thousands of spectators watching my every move.

We resumed the match, and this time I was able to play a bit better. After a couple of minutes, the timer ran out and I checked the scores. Of course, I still lost. But it was a lot less embarrassing now, losing 9 to 7.

"So much talking about a rematch just to lose again? Shame on you, Sasaki."

She was way too smug, someone needed to bring her down a notch.

"I'm not supposed to let you in on this secret, but it's a war strategy, you know. Let your opponent think they're at an advantage, and their overconfidence will be their downfall in the decisive moments."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized just how ridiculous I sounded. Her bursting out laughing helped me with the realization, as well.

"Sure..." She looked around. "So, since we couldn't do it earlier, show me your basketball prowess. I mean, you still have to impress me with something, right?"

"I got this in the bag, just you watch." I was obviously joking, but it still somehow felt absolutely ridiculous to stand there and wait until a boy half of my height finished his game. That's the competition I'm showing off to. "I don't know if I can hit this..." I made a concerned face.

"Even if you miss, it's ok. We all have our bad days. Even if some of us lose more often than not." Sakurai said, winking at me as she stepped back to give me room for the throw.

Needless to say, I scored over 50 points with only a few misses before the timer ran out. Sakurai clapped for me, and I bowed before stepping out of the spotlight.

"You know..." I scanned around, giving myself some time to take in the environment. "I even forgot when was the last time I came here and just messed around. It's a lot of fun."

"It is. A good break from the digital games. Even better when I have someone to win against."

"Speaking of which... Let's not forget we came here to play Circles!."

"I totally forgot! I had my head all busy with streaming stuff. Where is it?"

I led us to the bright (and loud) rhythm game arcade and played a song to warm up so she could see how it was different from the computer game.

"Ok this is different, I hope I don't fail completely." Sakurai was trying to figure out the controls, her attention scattered.

"Where did your competitive spirit go?" She pouted in response.

She chose an old-school pop song. Of course she did, all of them were. Emphasis on the "old" part. I don't think there was a single song younger than me in there. This place wasn't known for being up-to-date with the latest hits.

We took turns playing for a while until she grew tired after about half an hour. She had sweat on her face and complained about the heat. While I still felt fine, I knew she wasn't as athletic as me, so we went outside for some fresh air – which I also appreciated.

The street outside wasn't anywhere near deserted, but it felt peaceful as a break from the overwhelming soup of beeps and boops.

"Today's been really fun." I said while gazing up at the clouds.

"Yeah. I'm happy that you invited me." She replied, her voice trailing off into a whisper towards the end. When I turned to look at her, trying to catch her last words, I noticed she was looking down at the ground.

"How could I not." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could think, and the sound of my own voice made me blush. "Going out with you has been great every time."

I think I reached a point where my cheeks were visibly red, impossible to miss. When I found the courage to look at her again, she gave me a shy but warm smile, followed by a few seconds of silence, allowing memories of the time we had spent together to flash through my mind.

"So we can keep doing this, right?" She probably didn't intend for me to catch it, but her voice sounded a bit shaky near the end.

I matched her soft and slowed-down tone with my own without realizing it.

"I hope so..." I smiled at her, my cheeks still flushed, and she responded with a small chuckle. It was time to say goodbye, and we both knew it.

"So I'm..." I'm going home – I was reluctant to say those words.

"Let's go." Sakurai took the initiative, eager to give me a ride back home, wrapping up our date – at least that's what I called this in my head.