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When school let out in the afternoon, Kato Megumi didn't wake him up this time, which was rare. Kisaragi looked at Kato Megumi, who was packing her things, and asked, "What does Megumi usually do after school?"
Because school ended so early, students at Soubu High either attended extra classes, joined clubs, hung out with friends, or went home. Given Kato Megumi's low presence, it was likely difficult for her to do the first three.
As expected, Kato Megumi replied, "I mostly go home and read. Sometimes I'll go out shopping or watch movies."
No need to ask further; it was clear she was always alone.
"Then, shall we go out together today?"
"Huh?"
Kisaragi Rin's suggestion caused Kato Megumi's usually calm eyes to widen slightly.
Kato Megumi looked at Kisaragi Rin, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and calmly said, "Okay."
Without much change in emotion, Kato Megumi, still in her Soubu High uniform, set off with Kisaragi Rin.
Shiina Mahiru, surrounded by a crowd, looked in Kisaragi Rin's direction, wishing she could go home with him.
Thinking of the Nakano Quintuplets who had approached Kisaragi Rin that morning, she felt a bit regretful about what she had said then.
"Should I just say 'I like you' again, just like that, and then naturally get together with Kisaragi?"
Shiina Mahiru, watching Kisaragi Rin's battles, didn't want to do that. She had to become the rightful main partner.
Based on Shiina Mahiru's judgment, Black Sun was Kisaragi's spirit pet, and Busujima Saeko was Kisaragi Rin's companion. Black Sun's rank was clearly lower than Busujima Saeko's.
To get together with Kisaragi Rin after being saved by Black Sun—Shiina Mahiru felt that doing so would leave her with no confidence to speak loudly in front of Busujima Saeko, let alone contend for the position of main partner.
By today, she found that Kisaragi Rin had another Nakano Quintuplets by his side. She felt as if her chances were slipping further away. Shiina Mahiru slapped her cheeks, suppressing her urgent emotions, and told herself, "I need to find the perfect opportunity."
...
"Do it like this?"
"Exactly, just like that."
They were playing a newly released fighting game at the arcade. Both its attack methods and mechanics could be described as unoriginal, with the sole addition of a rule where the less health you had, the fewer clothes your character wore.
Kato Megumi controlled her in-game character to unleash a combo on Kisaragi Rin. The damage, as expected, all hit thin air, and then Kisaragi Rin's character hit her until she let go of the controller.
Kato Megumi watched helplessly as her character's clothes were torn off. Although her slumped-on-the-ground pose covered most of it, it was still a bit unbearable to watch during the defeat broadcast.
Kato Megumi turned her head to look at Kisaragi Rin's side. As the victor, the screen on Kisaragi's game machine displayed a much more exciting image, effectively reducing the number of players who intentionally lost just to see their controlled character's clothes torn off.
"I say... Kisaragi, is it really okay to play this kind of game with a girl?"
"I thought Megumi would say something like, 'Unexpectedly, it's quite fun.'"
Seeing that Kato Megumi didn't choose to accept the invitation, Kisaragi quickly started a match and began selecting characters with attractive illustrations.
Kato Megumi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I was indeed thinking of saying that."
The game began. Kisaragi Rin launched his opponent into the air, then followed up with a combo that left no chance for recovery. By the time the opponent landed, they were only in their swimsuit.
"The main thing is that it's too early right now, and there's nowhere else to go, right? After I finish this round, is there anywhere you want to go, Megumi?" Kisaragi Rin asked Kato Megumi as he removed his opponent's last piece of clothing.
This was indeed the case; there were few people on the streets in the afternoon, and the presence of crowds, whether many or few, would affect the gaming experience.
"Then let's keep playing games, but I want to play that claw machine over there."
"No problem."
After defeating his opponent and declining a rematch, Kisaragi Rin got up and searched for a machine Kato Megumi liked.
Numerous claw machines were lined up in a row, filled with various grab-able items, from small drink vouchers to the latest smartphones.
Kato Megumi's gaze swept over each machine. After careful consideration, her steps stopped in front of one of the claw machines.
This claw machine was filled with a dazzling array of cute animal plushies. The most eye-catching was a chimera plushie, wrapped by other plushies, with only its head visible.
The problem was, this machine not only had the chimera plushie, but also a chimera evil spirit inside. Its body, stitched together from different evil spirits, was blocking the machine's exit. Looking at the number of plushies in this machine, it had probably been a long time since anyone had successfully grabbed one.
Kisaragi Rin concentrated golden light into a game coin and inserted it. The monster instantly melted away.
"Megumi, you can try to grab that chimera plushie directly." Kisaragi Rin moved a step aside, giving the position to Kato Megumi.
"I probably won't be able to get it. That one clearly looks like the machine's grand prize."
Despite saying so, she still reached out and gripped the joystick, steadily moving the machine's claw, slowly approaching the chimera plushie.
As a result, the machine's claw didn't loosen; instead, it firmly gripped the chimera plushie and lifted it out. The mechanical claw swayed back to the exit, and there was no instance of it falling precisely on the edge and bouncing back. The chimera plushie landed steadily into the exit.
Kato Megumi crouched down and took it out, saying strangely, "I actually succeeded on the first try."
Kisaragi Rin explained, "Because it seems no one has successfully grabbed anything from this claw machine for a long time, it triggered the guaranteed prize mechanism."
"Is that so?"
Kato Megumi inserted another coin into the claw machine. This time, it dropped in mid-air without being firmly gripped.
After playing all the games in the arcade, Kisaragi Rin and Kato Megumi said goodbye before the peak crowd arrived.
Walking down the street, the lingering glow of the setting sun cast a faint golden hue over everything. Stores along the street began to light up with colorful Japan signs, their billboards flickering, preparing for the bustling night ahead.
Kisaragi Rin and Kato Megumi walked side-by-side, their figures appearing particularly elongated in the sunset's glow.
They chatted casually, and Kato Megumi even bought some roadside tricolored dango, sharing them with Kisaragi Rin.
It wasn't until a peculiar shop appeared on the roadside that Kato Megumi stopped again, pausing to look.
Kisaragi Rin looked over. It was a place similar to a Fortune Teller's booth, where a hooded Fortune Teller was attending to customers. Her clients were Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana, whom he had met before.
"This Fortune Teller seems to have some power, doesn't she?" Kisaragi looked at her, recalling. However, it wasn't explicitly stated in the original series, and her expressive power was a bit weak, so he didn't know the exact situation.
"Kisaragi-san, let's go get our fortunes told together."
Kato Megumi pulled Kisaragi Rin and walked towards the shop.
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