Undoubtedly, Mochizuki failed on his first try.
Following that, the second, third, and fourth times, he still couldn't grab mr. pan.
Yukino Yukinoshita, watching from the side, felt both relieved and a little troubled.
The reason for her relief was seeing that Mochizuki also hadn't been able to pick up mr. pan yet, proving that claw machines are indeed very difficult, which greatly comforted her self-esteem.
Her trouble was that she didn't expect mr. pan to be so hard to get.
Mochizuki kept going; although he failed a few times, he didn't get discouraged.
He also didn't expect to grab it in just a few tries, unless he was really having incredibly good luck.
What was important was that these few failures had accumulated some proficiency for him.
The sound of "Claw Machine Operation, Proficiency +1, +1..." kept ringing in his mind.
Now, Mochizuki could feel his technique improving; he could lift mr. pan to a certain height almost every time before it dropped.
Yukinoshita, watching from the side, was already starting to wonder if there was something wrong with the machine!
This was way too difficult.
Soon, Mochizuki only had two game tokens left in his hand. Mochizuki thought, Is this not enough? Looks like I'll have to spend more!
The ninth time, he still failed.
When Mochizuki inserted the last game token, he clearly heard the sound of "Claw Machine Operation, Ding, Level Up." in his mind.
This time, Mochizuki felt full of confidence.
Sure enough, this time Mochizuki skillfully manipulated the claw, successfully grabbed mr. pan, and it rose to the highest point without falling down yet.
Yukino Yukinoshita saw it too; this was the closest they had come to success so far.
The two of them held their breath, staring intently at the slowly moving mr. pan.
Finally, the machine's claw carried mr. pan and moved it above the exit.
It succeeded this time! This thought appeared in the minds of Mochizuki and Yukinoshita.
Soon, under the effect of gravity, mr. pan successfully dropped into the exit.
Both of them were surprised and delighted, especially Yukinoshita; she didn't expect Mochizuki to actually succeed!
Mochizuki bent down and, under Yukino Yukinoshita's expectant gaze, took mr. pan out from the exit.
Mochizuki felt that this mr. pan was quite soft; it seemed to be made of good material. It was about the size of a backpack and was quite comfortable to hug.
Then, Mochizuki placed the panda plush, mr. pan, in front of Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Here."
"For me?" Yukinoshita was a little surprised. He was actually going to give her the precious mr. pan? How could that be!
"Yeah, don't you want it? If you don't, your mr. pan will have to go home and sleep on the floor with me."
Mochizuki said jokingly. He wasn't interested in mr. pan anyway; the reason he tried to grab it was for Yukinoshita.
"No way! How could mr. pan sleep on the floor... Why are you giving it to me?"
Yukino Yukinoshita hugged mr. pan, resting her head on mr. pan's head, and asked in a low voice.
"Just think of it as a gift for you. Thanks for coming along with me today."
So that was it, hearing Mochizuki say that.
Logically, if Yukino Yukinoshita heard it was Mochizuki's request, she would only wholeheartedly help complete it and would absolutely not accept a gift.
But this was mr. pan; Yukinoshita simply couldn't resist mr. pan's temptation.
"Th-thank you."
Hugging mr. pan tightly, Yukinoshita, with her head lowered, thanked him shyly, her face flushed.
Luckily, Mochizuki heard her. Seeing her embarrassed look, he didn't tease her anymore, or the little cat might have gotten angry.
After the words fell, the two picked up their items and left.
Yukinoshita's pace was much slower this time, perhaps because she was holding mr. pan.
However, because her head was slightly lowered, Mochizuki couldn't see the uncontrollable smile on her lips.
"Hey, President Yukinoshita, watch where you're going!"
...
After arriving at the station, the two parted ways.
Their directions home were different.
Yukino Yukinoshita had to continue taking the train, while Mochizuki took the opposite direction back towards the school.
Looking at Yukino Yukinoshita's dazed expression, Mochizuki wondered if she would be able to get home safely.
Never mind, he wouldn't worry about it. He couldn't possibly take her all the way home, could he?
After getting off the crowded train, Mochizuki returned home safely.
The time was about the same as usual.
Shiina Mahiru thought Mochizuki was at the Service Club as usual.
It seemed the rumor about Mochizuki and Yukinoshita going home together hadn't reached her ears yet.
The gift was also hidden in his backpack, so it was naturally impossible for her to find it.
During dinner, the two talked about their test results.
"Congratulations, Shiina, you got first place this time."
"It was just a tie for first place!"
Shiina Mahiru said modestly.
"That's still first place! You know there were over 300 students!"
Mochizuki genuinely admired the grades of Shiina Mahiru and Yukino Yukinoshita, even though he himself didn't plan to study hard.
"Mm..."
Then, Shiina Mahiru spoke softly, "But Mochizuki-kun, your grades are so good, you made me worry for nothing!"
"Ah! Where are my grades good? I'm just aiming to pass."
"Isn't that good? You're in 30th place, and you yourself said there are over 300 people in the grade."
Indeed, proportionally within the grade, Mochizuki's ranking was quite high. Although he himself said he only aimed to pass, who could help it when his foundation was good?
Shiina Mahiru now thought back to when she had said that if Mochizuki didn't pass, he would have to go for tutoring, and she had wondered if she should help him review.
Her cheeks felt a little red and hot, and she felt like she had been tricked!
"Cough, cough, cough, maybe my foundation is okay. Let's eat, let's eat!"
Mochizuki also felt he was in the wrong and quickly changed the subject.
Shiina Mahiru huffed with a dissatisfied look on her small face, then spoke with a hint of regret:
"But, if Mochizuki-kun had studied properly, he definitely wouldn't have been just 30th."
"It seems like I haven't seen you study at all this past month?"
"Indeed, I haven't."
Mochizuki said flatly.
"Sigh!"
"Why do you seem so proud of it?"
Shiina Mahiru let out a helpless long sigh, seemingly regretting that Mochizuki wasn't studying hard and was wasting such good talent.
But she wasn't Mochizuki's mother, so she couldn't sternly criticize and educate Mochizuki!
Shiina Mahiru could only pick up mouthfuls of food and rice, and bite down fiercely, as if she were taking her frustration out on Mochizuki.
Mochizuki, however, didn't notice anything, just thought Shiina Mahiru was eating a bit much today.
It seemed she got first place, was in a good mood, and her appetite had improved.
Mochizuki also sped up his eating. Mm! Shiina Mahiru's dinner was really good!
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