Barbatos led Seiun Sky out of the bubble tea shop.
She glanced at the large cup of bubble tea in her hand, then at the small hand she was holding in her other.
Though she knew bubble tea was best consumed within two hours, her earlier experience with QR code payments made her think it might be better to wait a little while before drinking it.
After all, you needed both hands to pierce the sealing film with a straw.
So… she'd just hold hands a little longer.
If she let go now, she wouldn't have another excuse to hold Seiun Sky's hand like this.
Better to keep holding it—at least until Seiun Sky was the one to pull away first.
With that thought in mind, Barbatos looked over at the claw machine arcade next to the tea shop. Even from outside, she could see a wide variety of plush toys inside.
Aside from the usual cute dolls, there were also figures based on characters from that famous Japanese series, One Piece.
Plenty of young couples, after buying their drinks, would head into the arcade to try and win a prize or two.
If a boy could skillfully snag a plush his girlfriend liked right in front of her, it was a surefire way to earn some bonus points.
Thinking of that…
Barbatos tugged Seiun Sky's hand and started leading her in that direction.
"Let's go check that place out."
Seiun Sky only let out a soft "Mm," sounding like a shy, newlywed wife—a far cry from the bold, forward girl who had initiated the handholding earlier.
Was this what people meant by "all attack, no defense"?
Stepping into the arcade, which was filled with rows of claw machines, Barbatos took in the pink-dominated decor, clearly designed to appeal to the romantic side of teenagers.
Cute plushies and famous characters from various anime series lay inside the machines.
It was almost as if they were calling out, begging customers to come and rescue them from their glass prisons.
Different types of plushies were sorted into separate machines, with the arcade divided into clearly marked sections.
That's when Barbatos spotted a section she was all too familiar with.
It wasn't from an anime she'd watched, nor was it related to League of Legends—it was a section dedicated entirely to Uma Musume.
Inside these machines were plushies of famous—some even legendary—Uma Musume. Among them, Barbatos even spotted one of herself.
It was a doll wearing the standard Tracen Academy tracksuit, clearly distinguishable from the Genshin Impact character she shared a name with.
She was sure that once she started competing in G1 races and got her own victory uniform, the dolls here would be updated too. And she had a feeling that day wasn't too far off.
The hand she was holding twitched, and Seiun Sky started pulling her toward the Uma Musume section.
Barbatos quickly followed.
They stopped in front of one particular machine, which was filled with Uma Musume from their own generation.
There was Barbatos, Seiun Sky, El Condor Pasa, Silence Suzuka, Grass Wonder, the ever-popular King Halo… but curiously, no Special Week.
Next to it were other machines—one dedicated to legendary Uma Musume, another to those from the Heisei era, and even one featuring older legends like Tamamo Cross.
The legendary Uma Musume section was the most crowded, with plenty of people trying their luck at winning those dolls.
Clearly, they were the most popular type in this part of the arcade.
Feeling Seiun Sky's hand slip away, Barbatos reluctantly let go as well, a hint of regret in her heart.
"I don't see a Special Week doll."
Trying to hide her disappointment, she deliberately brought up the subject—even though she knew exactly why Special Week wasn't in any of the machines.
If she didn't change the topic, she was worried Seiun Sky—now that she'd reclaimed the upper hand—might notice something was off.
"Well, even though she won her first race, it was a close call. She didn't dominate the way you and El Condor Pasa did, so she didn't get the same popularity boost."
As for King Halo…
She'd been in the spotlight since her debut, even if she'd been somewhat overshadowed by Barbatos and El Condor Pasa.
It was like a streetlamp—bright on its own, but once the sun rose, who'd even notice it was still on?
It wasn't a matter of ability.
It was about popularity and public interest. So even if King Halo didn't make as many headlines, she still had plenty of fans. It wasn't surprising to find her doll in one of these machines.
As she spoke, Seiun Sky pulled out her phone, scanned the QR code on the machine, and paid for a few attempts.
Barbatos glanced at the price listed on the machine.
"¥200 per try."
Having some prior experience with claw machines, she was a little stunned. Was this really the going rate for a single try in Tokyo?
Pretty outrageous.
Then again, now that they'd debuted as proper Uma Musume, money wasn't really an issue.
"Alright, wanna go first?" Seiun Sky tilted her head and smiled. "I heard these are pretty hard to win."
"What, you've never heard of the 'Claw Machine Queen of Kochi'?" Barbatos joked. In her past life, she'd never had a girlfriend, but she'd been decent enough at claw games. She just never got the chance to show off her skills before she ended up in this world.
She handed the large cup of "couple's bubble tea" to Seiun Sky, rubbed her hands together, and stepped up to the machine.
Their targets, of course, were the dolls of their fellow trainees.
As for the legendary Uma Musume—they saw them around campus all the time. Sure, she admired them, but the idea of putting one of their dolls in her dorm room…
She only had to imagine Fuji Kiseki, their dorm leader, coming in for an inspection and spotting a legendary Uma Musume plushie to know that was a bad idea.
On the other hand, winning a doll of one of their peers and gifting it to them as a "souvenir" from their Tokyo race—that was a much better plan.
Even though Special Week's doll wasn't here, Silence Suzuka's was.
If she could win Silence Suzuka's doll and give it to Special Week, she'd probably be even happier than if she received her own.
Pop!
The sound of a straw piercing the sealing film.
Seiun Sky was already sipping her tea, ready to watch the show.
Barbatos flexed her fingers and eyed the position of the "Seiun Sky" doll. If possible, she wanted to win that one first and give it to her.
She moved the joystick, guiding the claw toward "Seiun Sky."
Pressing the button, she watched the claw descend and latch onto the top of the "El Condor Pasa" doll's head—which was right above "Seiun Sky." The claw lifted "El Condor Pasa" up.
But for some reason, as "El Condor Pasa" rose, the "Seiun Sky" doll underneath also shifted upward for a moment before dropping back down. The movement made "El Condor Pasa" wobble precariously in the claw's grip.
Still, the claw here seemed sturdier than the ones she remembered from her past life.
It successfully carried "El Condor Pasa" all the way to the drop slot.
Barbatos picked up the "El Condor Pasa" doll and glanced beside her. They'd said it was hard, but she'd won one on her first try—wasn't that impressive?
Seiun Sky gave a slightly exaggerated round of applause. "So amazing~"
Then she held out the large cup of bubble tea, straw pointed toward Barbatos, just like when she'd fed her takoyaki before. Out of instinct, Barbatos leaned forward and took two quick sips.
It tasted pretty good—sweet and a little creamy.
Just as she was sipping the tea and reaching for the joystick again…
"Wouldn't you call this an indirect kiss?"
"??"
Cough, cough, hack!!
The moment Barbatos heard that question, the claw—which she'd barely moved—snapped open and dropped prematurely.
This time, she didn't catch anything at all.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.