The arcade door chimed softly as Rika and Ren began to leave.
"Sorry, guys, my manager just texted me," Rika said, waving her phone. "I've gotta get back to the café."
Ren glanced at his screen and blinked. "Same here. Just remembered... very important work."
Before either Yuuto or Hikari could react, the two were already halfway out the door.
"Have fun, lovebirds!" Rika called with a wink.
And just like that… they were alone.
An awkward silence settled between them. The arcade buzzed with flashing lights and game sounds, but for a moment, everything else faded. They were suddenly aware of each other.
"Guess it's just us now," Hikari said, trying to break the silence.
"Yeah," Yuuto replied softly.
"Wanna play something?"
Yuuto nodded. "Sure."
They headed to the whack-a-mole machine. Hikari swung with wild determination—fast, reckless, but missing more moles than she hit.
Yuuto, calm and quiet, quickly reached the high score. But when he stepped back to give her another turn, she swung the mallet with so much force it slipped from her hands and nearly broke a nearby plushie crane.
"Ack—!" she yelped.
They locked eyes—and then burst out laughing.
"You're dangerous with that thing," Yuuto said, still chuckling.
"Don't underestimate me," Hikari grinned. "Next round, I'm totally winning."
Hikari pointed to the basketball hoop game. "Let's see who can score more shots."
Yuuto raised an eyebrow. "I'm not great at this."
"You'll be fine," she teased, handing him a ball.
Hikari shot first, and the ball swished through the hoop effortlessly. "One point for me!"
Yuuto took a deep breath, aimed, and missed. "Not my best shot," he muttered.
Hikari grinned. "No worries, try again."
Yuuto lined up again, this time sinking the ball with ease. "Got it."
They kept taking turns, each making and missing shots. The playful competition was fun, and with each shot, they laughed more.
Then they moved on to a racing game. Sitting side by side, hands gripping the wheels, the countdown blinked on the screen.
"Loser buys drinks," Hikari said with a smirk.
Yuuto raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You're going to lose."
Her eyes sparkled. "We'll see."
Hikari sped ahead, shouting, "Come on, come on!" swerving like her life depended on it. Yuuto stayed focused, calm—and just before the finish line, he passed her.
"Wait—no way!" she yelled, staring in disbelief at the screen.
Then, without warning, she reached over and tickled his side.
"Hey—that's cheating!" Yuuto laughed.
"Everything's fair in love and games," she grinned.
Hikari blinked at him. "Wait… was that a smile?"
Yuuto looked at her, caught off guard. "What? Never seen one before?"
Her breath hitched. Her heart raced—but not because of the game.
She quickly looked away. (Crap. He's… too cute.)
Next stop: the claw machine. Hikari pointed. "That one. The fat cat keychain."
Yuuto didn't say anything—just slipped in the coins and focused. After a couple of tries, the claw grabbed the plush with robotic precision.
He pulled it out and handed it to her.
"Here."
Hikari blinked. Then her whole face lit up. "Thanks, Yuuto. I'll treasure it forever."
Yuuto looked away, ears flushed red. "It's just a keychain. Don't make it weird."
"But it's my first gift from my boyfriend," she teased, holding it up like a prize.
His heart skipped. (She's teasing… but she really said boyfriend.)
He mumbled, "I wasn't planning on giving it to you, y'know…"
She laughed—and something warm bloomed in his chest.
Later, they wandered into a cozy café, settling into a window booth. The soft clink of mugs and gentle chatter filled the air.
Yuuto took a slow sip of his iced coffee, the cold grounding him as the day replayed in his mind.
"You know," he said quietly, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you'd be all serious and broody."
He shrugged, tracing the rim of his cup. "Yeah, well… I thought so too. But today felt different."
Her expression softened. "I'm glad. I wasn't sure how this would go."
Yuuto hesitated, but nodded. "Thanks. For this. I haven't laughed like that in… forever."
Her eyes met his. "I'm happy I could make you laugh."
Silence again—but it wasn't awkward this time. It was comfortable. Familiar.
After leaving the café, the cool night air wrapped around them. The quiet streets were peaceful, and the faint hum of distant cars filled the silence.
Hikari hesitated, glancing at Yuuto. "You know... I never thought a day like today would be this fun."
Yuuto chuckled softly. "Neither did I."
They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sounds their footsteps and the rustling of the leaves overhead.
"Hey, do you come to the arcade often?" Hikari asked, breaking the quiet.
Yuuto thought for a second. "No, I usually just stay in my room... or at school."
Hikari smiled, nudging him with her elbow. "Well, I'm glad you came today. It wouldn't be fun as I have with you."
Yuuto's heart skipped a beat at her words, but he quickly brushed it off. "Yeah, same."
They walked side by side.
(Is this a date?)
Yuuto shook his head. (No, no. It's not. Just… they left. That's all. It's not a date. It's just hanging out.)
But the thought clung to him like static.
Something felt different.
Real.
His heart wouldn't calm down.
Hikari stopped. "My house is that way."
He nodded. "My apartment's the other way."
She smiled. "See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah. See you."
They started to part ways—but then she turned around, grinning.
"I had fun on our date today," she said with a playful wink.
Yuuto froze mid-step.
Heat rushed to his face. When he opened his mouth, no words came out.
Hikari giggled, spun on her heel, and walked off—one hand over her face.
(What is this feeling?) She thought, heart pounding.
Yuuto stood there, still frozen.
(Did she just—? Was that really—?)
His chest tightened. (No way… This is crazy.)
But his lips curled into a soft, uncontrollable smile.
To be continued…