Chapter 18 - I Don't Understand

The movie ended up being more enjoyable than I had thought beforehand.

There was an outstandingly smart main character that was able to easily manipulate the course of the story, which was a very fun thing to watch.

"Do you think I should pick up the manga?" I asked Shizu for her input.

Shizu vehemently nodded in response as she grabbed my collar with a crazed stare. "You. Have. To. At. All. Costs."

"A-Ah, yeah sure..."

I forgot how crazy she can get when it comes to anime and manga... Let's just call that an oversight on my part for asking that question.

"So, what's up next?" I asked.

Shizu pointed towards a small building in the distance. "I've always wanted to go to an arcade again with you."

"Can't say no when you put it like that," I shrugged. "Let's go win as many prizes as possible!"

The both of us headed towards the direction of the arcade with an indomitable area surrounding us. Neither Shizu nor I liked to lose, so we were quite determined to win as much as we could at the arcade.

Call it a rivalry between us if it makes it easier to understand. The person who wins the most prizes at the arcade was the indisputable winner, so we were both serious about winning.

As we entered through the front doors of the arcade, I calmly took a deep breath and made sure to keep my eyes on the prize.

"Meet back here in 30 minutes?" I asked Shizu.

Shizu nodded with a determined expression. "Winner gets anything they want~"

"Deal!"

With that being said, Shizu and I went in different directions and started our crusade.

I go to this arcade sometimes to kill time, so I should have the home advantage. However, I don't want to underestimate Shizu's skill in operating claw machines.

She quite literally is a miracle maker, so I should try my hardest without worrying about her for now.

***

Thirty minutes later, both of us returned to the starting location and stated the number of prizes we got.

"I got 28 prizes."

"I got 26..."

Damn, I had a feeling something like this would happen. Shizu really is just unbeatable when it comes to arcade games. I'm not even surprised, rather I'm happy she was able to have some fun as seen by her joyful expression.

"So, what is your one wish?" I asked. "I'm here to do anything you want, m'lady."

"Hmm..." Shizu put a hand to her lip to show that she was thinking hard about her wish. "Is that teddy bear something you won from here?"

"Yeah, I got it from that claw machine over there," I pointed at the machine. "What is it?"

Shizu stared at the bear as if it was some valuable treasure and looked me right in the eye with an expression that seemed to suggest that she wouldn't back down. "Can I please have that teddy bear that you won then?"

I was expecting something ridiculous as Shizu's request, but the stuffed bear that I was holding wasn't one of the things I expected her to choose. It's just a cheap stuffed bear from the arcade center, so I wonder why she wants it so much? I just don't understand.

"There's a lot more higher-quality stuffed bears at the specialized shops, so why don't we go there and buy one for you?" I suggested.

"No!" Shizu vehemently refused. "I want that teddy bear that you won!"

"Why? It's just something cheap, so what possible reason could you have for wanting this specific teddy bear?"

"It's because you won it!" Shizu interrupted me.

Wait, what? Did I hear that correctly? She just wanted the stuffed bear because I won it? So, it has nothing to do with the place, rather she just wanted it because I was the one who got it from the claw machine.

Shizu pointed towards the bear with the eyes of a predator. "I only want the teddy bear because you won it, so please... Can I have it?"

She was using her classic trademark puppy eyes to try and weaken my defenses, which was actually working. I was never good with Shizu begging and pleading with me, so I typically caved pretty fast.

Although, this time I was too confused to worry about it.

"A-Ah, yeah... Here's the bear."

I mindlessly handed the stuffed bear over to Shizu because I didn't really have a use for it. As a bonafide male teenager, I wasn't really too interested in stuffed animals in the first place, so Shizu was going to get much more use out of it than me.

The thing I was worried about was the nuance behind that exchange. Shizu was only crazy about that teddy bear because I won it, so what did that mean for me? Did she want to own something that I won? Is there a secret meaning behind her actions?

Really, I'm going to get a headache if I keep thinking about this, so I'll forget about it for now.

"Thank you so much," Shizu smiled as she hugged the teddy bear. "I'll cherish Roland with all of my heart."

"Wow, you named him already?" I asked, shocked.

Shizu sheepishly nodded as she hid her face behind the teddy bear. "I really like him..."

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of Shizu adorably hugging the bear, but that was a secret I was going to keep until the grave. Who knows how much teasing I would get from Shizu if I told her that...

I looked at the time on my phone and realized that it was almost nighttime. "Ready to go now? It's getting a bit late."

"Mhm, I'm ready whenever."

Shizu and I left the arcade once we collected all of our belongings. There was an odd couple entering the arcade as we left, but I didn't pay them much heed. They just looked like a really good couple together.

Although the guy's appearance was on the more mediocre side, he seemed to be a kind person by the way he was treating his girlfriend. On the other hand, his girlfriend looked like a princess out of a fairytale.

She had the beauty of a literal goddess, and long wavy hair that swayed back and forth as she happily hopped into the arcade. Judging by the way she was looking at her boyfriend, I could tell that she loved him a lot, so I was happy for them.

I hope they get married and live a long life in the future.