Chapter 66. Executing Operation, Codename: Date, Afternoon. (2/4)

The two of them each put a coin in then picked a song and difficulty.

“Have you played this before Rosa?”

“No, not at all, this is my first time actually.”

“Oh, I see. Do you know how to play?”

“To be honest... it’s also my first time being in an arcade, I’ve never had the time to go to one before. I don’t know much about these sorts of things.”

“Well, it’s not too hard. You just need to press the pad on the ground with your feet which corresponds to the directional arrow that scrolls to the top of the screen with the right timing. That’s really all there is to it. Once the arrows from the bottom line up perfectly with the ones at the top, you press the corresponding pad. It’s that simple.”

“That sounds easy enough.”

“Uh… okay, let’s go with this song and difficulty then.”

Using her knowledge she carefully selected a song that would be fun for someone new, wasn’t too slow, but simultaneously not too hard because of overly complicated patterns.

I could tell by how she was navigating through the songs. She was a thoughtful and considerate person. She wasn’t interested in showing off how good she was at it.

This was exactly the type of person an arcade needed as their customers. She wasn’t just an honor student, but an honor customer as well. Damn it, why is she such a good girl? It makes me want to cry a bit. What’s with those dog shit friends of hers making her feel like a third wheel?

I had the urge to go over and bash them in the face for troubling this sweet girl, to kind for her own good.

Woah! Hold up, me. Enemies. That’s right, we’re enemies. I shouldn’t be helping an enemy any more than I need to. My existence was the antithesis to hers.

I took a seat and watched the two of them play. It wasn’t hard to tell Alicia was meticulously controlling her score so she didn’t create too wide a gap. She was missing a note here and there and not hitting back-to-back perfect notes the way she had on the first song she danced to. She was holding back until Rosa got the hang of it similar to how I had with the previous fighting game.

Rosa was a quick learner though and she caught on quickly. She was hitting more and more notes perfectly as time went on. Unlike with that fighting game we played, it seemed she excelled at these more physically demanding games that relied more heavily on one’s body.

Once the song was over and Alicia realized how quickly Rosa had picked it up she increased the difficulty a notch further.

They went at it again. Rosa struggled a bit in the beginning when more complicated patterns showed up but she got into a groove soon enough.

She looked like she was genuinely having fun.

A few songs later and the two of them were up to the max difficulty on the songs. Alicia didn’t need to hold back and got into her own groove. They were both wearing wide smiles and having a blast together. Moving both their arms around in the air, their feet slid and moved naturally across the dance pad while laughing as they chatted together about girl stuff. Unbeknownst to them, they started to attract the gazes of those in the surroundings.

Two top-tier beauties dancing together was bound to attract such attention. People started to gather around and watch the dancing duo, but the two of them were too caught up doing their own thing to notice such a development.

I decided to slip away and go to the washroom to avoid the crowd. On the way, I discovered that kid from before staring at the two girls dancing together having fun. It was none of my business so I ignored him.

Alicia’s score had been extremely impressive and she was on track for an AAA clear. Although Rosa had only just played today for the first time, she’d done quite well for herself. She had a seemingly endless supply of stamina. Though she couldn’t beat Alicia’s score, she still appeared to be on track for a solid A or possibly even near AA rating. If I did something as tiresome as playing this awful game, I’d have undoubtedly dropped dead. I thanked the heavens Alicia was here. She’d inadvertently saved me from hell. If it had been anyone else but her who’d used that machine, I’d have been screwed beyond belief. It being her turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Thank you, Goddess Alicia, you have saved my oh-so-limited amount of energy. I offered a prayer to her in my heart as I entered the washroom to relieve myself.

A few minutes later I exited the washroom. It didn’t seem like the two of them were finished playing yet though. That being the case I took a short stroll around the arcade and I came across a bunch of crane games I hadn’t touched yet.

Since those two were still at it I figured I’d waste some time on the crane game. It was something I considered a waste of money, but I figured I could get a momento for Rosa as she’d just confirmed it was her first time at an arcade. I felt a souvenir from the crane game was perfect.

I found one with some cute stuffed animals.

It took a few tries but I eventually got one out. Sadly it wasn’t the one I was aiming for. I pulled a cute yellow bunny directly beside the one I wanted. It was a furball in a seated position, bottom flat, arms between its open legs with its ears down beside its head. It had a mischievous but simultaneously innocent sort of look to its face, at least, that was how it appeared to me.

A bit dissatisfied, I made a few more attempts. Finally, I got a hold of it. An adorable-looking fluffy fox with a red coat, white underbelly, and black fur surrounding its white inner ears.

Satisfied with my return on investment, I took a look over where the duo appeared to still be dancing. Just how long did these two intend to go? It was already almost 5 PM by now.

Oh well, a bit longer doesn’t hurt anyone. I also had one last coin of my own to play a game. I’d used up the budget I’d allocated for the arcade. Might as well use the last coin. Maybe I can get a souvenir for myself.

I searched around for another crane game. One that looked like it could potentially cough something up with just one try. I stumbled across one that had a bunch of circular capsules with something inside them.

I figured I’d give it a shot.

I put the coin in then carefully lined up the crane hook. Once I felt confident, I pressed the button and the hood descended. When it rose back up I was caught off guard. Lucky! It was two for one. My favorite kind of special, buy one get one free.

When they popped out and I saw what they were I felt a bit dejected. It wasn’t something I’d be able to use. Looking at what was inside them, I could tell they were two necklaces. Both intended for girls from the look of it.

What the heck? I don’t want to keep any of the things I got for myself.

What do I do with the extras I got? Should I just give them to Alicia or something? The yellow bunny I got doesn’t suit Rosa at all, but it does suit Alicia. She’s innocent like one after all. I originally wanted the red fox because Rosa was sly and crafty as a fox.

Just when I was thinking of heading back to their location, I discovered the two of them approaching me. They appeared to have worked up quite a sweat. Though Alicia was still catching her breath, Rosa was only breathing a bit faster than usual.