Around mid-July.
Summer was in full swing, and the long holiday was just around the corner.
That day was an important one for Arisa.
“Wow… so this is my pay. Money I can use however I like.”
Having withdrawn her wages from a convenience store ATM, Arisa spoke with a sense of awe.
It wasn’t a large amount, but for a high schooler’s spending money, it was quite decent.
“Good for you, Arisa. So what are you going to spend it on?”
When Yuzuru asked, Arisa smiled happily—
“Well, it’s for Yuzuru-san’s bi—”
“Bi—?”
“I-It’s a secret.”
She hurriedly clamped her mouth shut.
Yuzuru thought it was rather cute, but decided it would be tactless to pry, so he steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Well, whatever it is… it’s your first pay. Why not spend it on something memorable?”
“Memorable… something memorable…”
Arisa murmured, then tilted her head.
“For example?”
“Hmm… what would count as memorable…”
Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure.
Something that lasted might be good—but if it ended up being useless, that’d just be clutter.
“What did you spend your first pay on, Yuzuru-san?”
“A game console, I think…”
“Do you use it?”
“Not really.”
It had become what people called a “backlog”.
Of course, he intended to play it someday… someday.
“I thought so. …Ah, but speaking of games—”
“Speaking of?”
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone to an arcade together, have we?”
“An arcade… yeah, you’re right.”
They’d been on various dates, but never to an arcade.
Arcades, by nature, burned through coins—money.
Since both of them had limits on what they could freely spend, they’d naturally avoided them.
“I want to go play with you… is that alright?”
“Of course.”
Yuzuru had just been paid as well.
With no major expenses coming up, spending a bit at an arcade was no issue.
“Then… how about tomorrow after school?”
“After school? Sure, but… wouldn’t Sunday be better?”
Arcades sometimes had age-based entry restrictions.
Going earlier on a Sunday would mean more time to play.
“I don’t want to play that long. And…”
“And?”
“…I want to try going on a date in our uniforms after school.”
She said it with a faint blush, tilting her head slightly.
“Is that… not alright?”
“As if I’d refuse.”
There was no way he could say no.
The next day—
They visited a large shopping mall with an attached arcade.
If they got bored of games, they could go window shopping or eat at the food court.
“By the way, have you been to an arcade before, Arisa?”
Judging from past patterns, Yuzuru assumed she hadn’t.
He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable himself, but he felt a bit eager to properly lead her if it was her first time.
“I have.”
“Oh? Really… wait, you have?”
“I went when I was little.”
“Ah…”
That must have been before her parents passed away, Yuzuru thought.
…Then again, if he’d been, it wasn’t strange for her to have gone once or twice.
“What about recently?”
“I went about two weeks ago.”
“…What?”
That was surprisingly recent.
An image popped into Yuzuru’s mind—Arisa alone at a fighting game machine, going “Ei! Ei!” as she mashed buttons.
“…By yourself?”
“…Of course not.”
“R-Right… with who?”
Surely not a boy.
Maybe her younger sister or cousin?
“With Ayaka-san and the others. We didn’t really play games, though. We took purikura.” A photo booth that prints out sticker photos.
“Ah… I can picture that.”
Four high school girls giggling while taking photos.
Arisa had her own social life.
Naturally, she’d have experiences he wasn’t part of.
…That said, he was still a bit annoyed her “first purikura” hadn’t been with him.
He made a mental note to demand to see the photos from Ayaka later.
“Anyway—how about that?”
“The claw machine, huh…”
A game where you control a claw to grab prizes.
A staple of any arcade—one might even say an arcade without it would be the rarity.
“Have you played before, Yuzuru-san?”
“Of course.”
“Ever won anything?”
“Not once.”
He’d never managed to get a prize from one.
He sometimes wondered if it was even possible—or just an urban myth.
“I thought so. You’re not very good at games, are you?”
“No, you’re just unusually good. Besides, I’m good at simulation games.”
“That’s true. You’re very skilled at underhanded tactics.”
“…Are you still holding onto that?”
Once, Yuzuru had played a strategy game all night with friends, including Arisa.
He’d repeatedly deceived her and invaded her territory without mercy.
Arisa had been thoroughly crushed—and refused to speak to him for an entire day afterwards.
And apparently, she still hadn’t let it go.
“If you win me a prize… I’ll forgive you.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Yuzuru rolled his shoulders lightly and stared down the claw machine.
He’d never won before—but the scenario of “winning a prize for your girlfriend” was a classic.
With Arisa watching him, maybe some mysterious power would kick in…
He inserted coins and moved the claw.
“…Alright—oh! Ooh!!”
“Wow!”
The claw grabbed the plush toy.
It slowly moved towards the drop—
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
“Ah…”
It fell midway.
Yuzuru slumped.
Arisa’s gaze turned slightly cold.
He felt deeply frustrated.
“…Wait here, Arisa. I’ll look up some tips.”
He pulled out his phone and typed “claw machine strategy”.
Arisa watched him at first—but eventually stepped up to the machine herself.
“Then I’ll give it a try while you’re doing that.”
As he skimmed through articles, he heard her cheerful—
“Ei! Ei!”
Feeling newly confident after a quick read—
“Alright, Arisa. This time I’ll definitely—”
“I got it!”
“Huh?”
Clunk.
A prize dropped out.
Arisa happily picked it up and hugged it.
“I did it.”
“I… see. That’s great.”
Yuzuru felt oddly conflicted.
“…Want me to teach you the trick?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
Claw machine skills weren’t exactly useful in life.
At best, they came in handy for situations like winning something for your girlfriend—
But if Arisa was better, even that didn’t apply.
Perhaps someday, there’d be a chance to win something for their child.
But if “Mum” was better at it than “Dad”, there was no need for him to improve.
“In a relationship, you cover each other’s weaknesses. So… if you’re good at it, there’s no need for me to be. Yes, I’m glad you’re good at it, Arisa.”
“Ahaha…”
He got a polite laugh in return.
Yuzuru felt deeply awkward.
