“Apparently, Yuria’s been heading to the arcade in the neighboring town by herself every Wednesday lately. She’s always such a buzzkill on those days!”
After getting the intel from Miyama about when Ichinose would be on her own, I hopped on a train to the neighboring town’s station once school let out.
It wasn’t that I was dying to know what she meant by those cryptic words she’d said to me, but Miyama clearly hated the idea of the two of us being at odds. Besides, if things stayed like this and Ichinose kept icing me out, sitting near her in class would be unbearable. I figured I might as well clear the air.
“Yuria usually hates being alone, so it’s super weird for her to go off on her own like that, you know? I wonder what she’s even doing there. I'm actually a little worried.”
(Not that I really give a damn...)
Wait, did Miyama just play me? Did she talk me into this just so I could spy on Ichinose for her?
(No, I’m definitely overthinking it.)
Still feeling skeptical, I made my way toward the massive game center located inside the shopping complex at the neighboring town's station.
(This place brings back memories.)
I had memories of coming here quite a bit back in elementary school. My mother used to head to this town every week for her sepak takraw matches, and I’d tag along just to spend my time at this arcade, obsessively playing that one Mushigaking game.
This arcade held quite a few memories for me, but if Ichinose was really here, I needed to find her quickly and get this over with.
(I mean, the only reason a gyal would ever set foot in an arcade is for the photo sticker booths, right?)
With that prejudice leading the way, I headed first toward the area where the photo sticker machines were clustered.
“So this is... the Photo Sticker Machine Corner?”
Apparently, "Cos-photos"—taking pictures while in costume—had become all the rage among high school girls lately. The Photo Sticker Machine Corner didn't just have the machines themselves; they even had a rental counter for the outfits.
I hit up the local arcade back home all the time, but maybe because the neighboring town was more of a hub, they had amenities I’d never even heard of.
“Omigod! My face in this one is a total riot!”
“Let's do cosplay for the next one.”
“K, got it!”
The Photo Sticker Machine Corner was filled with nothing but bright-haired gyal high schoolers.
(The feeling that I didn't belong here was overwhelming. A loner like me was practically radioactive in a place like this.)
But Ichinose was supposed to be here...
I spent the next several minutes wandering through the rows of booths, eyes scanning the crowd like some sort of creep.
...But.
“She’s not... here.”
I searched every inch of the Photo Sticker Machine Corner, but Ichinose was nowhere to be found. It made sense once I actually thought about it—nobody comes to use a photo sticker machine by themselves. If she just wanted pictures, she would've just dragged Miyama or Kuroki along.
If she really was the "lonely type" Miyama claimed she was, she’d have even more reason to stick to those two like glue. That meant she was coming here specifically because she was doing something she couldn't share with them.
“Ugh... I have no idea.”
Why was I putting this much mental effort into this? Screw it. I was over this. I’d just tell Miyama I couldn't find her tomorrow.
(Still, I’ve already dropped 160 yen on train fare to get out here. I might as well get some gaming in before I head home.)
I ditched the sticker booths and made a beeline for the UFO Catcher Corner.
“Come to think of it, I’d seen a post on social media saying the new Uma JK figures were finally in stock...”
Alright, since I was here, I’d snag that figure before heading ho—hm?
The very moment I was about to turn a corner in the UFO Catcher Corner, I caught sight of a familiar back.
Bright brown hair and a well-proportioned figure. The moment I saw breasts that were every bit as ample as Miyama’s and those thighs peeking out from beneath her skirt, I knew exactly who it was.
(Bingo! Those curves and those thighs... there's no mistaking her. It’s Yuria Ichinose.)
It looked like Ichinose was currently wrestling with a crane game. Coming to the arcade alone just to play UFO catchers... she was basically a closet loner.
I ducked behind a different machine and watched her from the shadows.
“...Tch. Why won't it just drop?”
She seemed to be struggling quite a bit. After a moment, Ichinose pulled a thousand-yen bill from her wallet and stormed off toward the change machine.
(She’s played nearly ten times since I started watching. What kind of prize is worth that much of an investment?)
Now that Ichinose had stepped away to get change, I could finally see what was inside the UFO catcher she’d been playing... ???
“...Wait, what? You've gotta be kidding me...”