The four buttons that appeared at the same time were also the final buttons of the game.
When the music ended, both Tanaka Masao and Eriri let out a sigh of relief.
Tanaka dropped to his knees, hands on the floor, breathing heavily.
"It's just a game… why is it so exhausting?"
Eriri wasn't doing much better. The moment she relaxed, she lay flat on the ground.
She subconsciously turned her head toward Tanaka.
Coincidentally, he was looking at her at the same time.
Their eyes met, and both of them saw the other looking slightly embarrassed.
"You're not bad," Eriri said.
"You too," Tanaka replied.
The two laughed together.
Sports and games had a way of unconsciously pulling people closer.
······
Since dancing had drained so much of their energy, neither of them wanted to move much anymore.
They found a coin pusher machine and sat down, dropping coins into it casually.
While tossing in coins, they chatted.
"Hey, Tanaka, isn't this coin pusher just about putting coins in? What's even the point?"
"Think about it. You put in one coin, and it could pay out a hundred. Isn't that exciting?"
"It's just a hundred coins. What's so exciting about that? And normally, even if you put in a hundred, you might not get even one back."
"But the thrill of winning big with a tiny investment feels great, doesn't it?"
Before Tanaka Masao finished speaking, a reward sound came from Eriri's machine.
Startled, she exclaimed, "Ah! Jackpot! Over twenty coins—lucky!"
Seeing her surprised expression, Tanaka Masao couldn't help complaining.
"Didn't you just say a hundred coins weren't worth getting excited over?"
Eriri answered quickly as she scooped up her winnings.
"I said a hundred isn't exciting, but I never said twenty isn't. Hehe, I'm going to win everything today!"
With that, she began feeding coins furiously into the machine.
One after another, the coins clattered into the pusher.
······
Over half an hour later, the game finally ended when Eriri had used up all her coins.
She stood up, let out a snort of dissatisfaction, and muttered, "Let's go. This isn't fun at all."
Watching her sulky face, Tanaka Masao couldn't help thinking,
[That's not what you looked like when you hit the jackpot earlier.]
Unhappy, Eriri needed somewhere to vent her frustration.
She pulled Tanaka Masao over to the shooting game section.
Picking up a gun, she immediately began firing at enemies on the screen.
Shooting games always stir excitement, even if they're just virtual.
Eriri quickly got lost in the thrill of pulling the trigger.
"(Go to hell~ Go to hell~)!"
Watching the enemies fall one by one, she burst into hearty laughter.
Next to her, Masao Tanaka instinctively moved a little further away, unsettled by how wild she looked.
Good thing it was only a game. If this were real life, he honestly worried she might shoot him in her excitement.
······
That intense round of shooting left Eriri both physically and mentally refreshed.
All her earlier frustration had been vented with every shot.
This time, the two headed to the claw machine area.
But unlike most girls who loved fluffy plush toys, Eriri's eyes were on something else entirely.
"Oh, this figure is so revealing—it's such a great model!"
She grabbed the controls, laughing to herself with a mischievous "hehehe~" as she tried to claw the figurine she wanted.
"Damn, almost had it."
"Why is it so slippery?"
"There must be something wrong with this machine!"
After several failed attempts, Eriri grew more and more frustrated.
She turned toward Tanaka Masao, who was watching with amusement.
"Hey, Tanaka, you should be good at this. Come help me."
Tanaka Masao pointed at himself. "Why would you think I'm good at it?"
In his past life, he had played often, but even then his success rate was maybe one in ten.
Crossing her arms, she spoke with complete confidence.
"There are so many beautiful figurines here, you must be often catch them while making obscene laughter, and put them in your room to play with them at will."
Hearing this, Tanaka Masao rolled his eyes.
"Come on, I've never done that. And it sounds like you're the one making the creepy 'hehehe' laugh."
Ignoring his protest, Eriri shoved him toward the machine.
"Stop talking nonsense and catch it. You have to win it for me today."
Sighing, Tanaka Masao gave in and began operating the claw.
It was just a claw machine—surely persistence would pay off.
First try—fail.
Second try—fail.
Third try—fail.
······
After seven or eight failed attempts in a row, Tanaka Masao still hadn't succeeded.
Eriri huffed impatiently.
"Seriously? Can you even do this?"
"You're the one who asked me to do it. Just wait a little longer. I feel like I've almost got it."
"It's close! Come on, come on!"
"Yes—success!"
Finally, after so many tries, Tanaka Masao managed to claw the figurine out.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, he muttered, "It's because the box is too smooth and hard to grip. Otherwise, I would've had it long ago."
Still making excuses for himself, he reached to grab his prize—
But Eriri's hand was faster.
She snatched the figurine the moment it dropped, her eyes sparkling with joy.
It was obvious how much she liked it.
Looking at the figure he had worked so hard to win, Tanaka Masao protested,
"Eriri, at least let me see it too."
But the moment his pudgy hand reached forward, Eriri grew wary.
"What do you want with my figurine?"
Guarding it like a hen protecting her chicks, she glared at him.
"Come on, I'm the one who caught it. Let me take a look," Tanaka reasoned.
He wasn't wrong. Eriri hesitated, then reluctantly agreed.
"Fine… but only for a moment."
"Hehe, then I won't hold back."
"Oh, it really is beautiful."
"Are you done yet?"
"Wait, let me take a closer look."
"Hey, stop it. That's my figurine now."
"What's the harm in just looking?"
"No! Only I can look at it like this!"
Just as Tanaka Masao leaned in to carefully check the details and craftsmanship,
Eriri suddenly snatched it back.
"Give it back to me!"
Hiding the figurine behind her, she snapped, "If you want to see one, then win one yourself."
"But I'm the one who won that one…"