Chapter 5: Never fear, for I am here!!

Inside a small room, you can hear big yawn and the sound of a happy sounding guy having good morning stretch.

"Hmmmph!! Ah..."

I woke up earlier today. Usually, I would just be in power saving mode in weekends and not do anything. But not today! I'm going to hang out with a friend! The thought brought a big grin to my face.

"Heh."

Excitedly, I walked down the stairs at a quick pace, almost tripping but catching myself on the stair's handrail. A small yell can be heard from below.

"Hey, be careful now! You wanna give this old man a heart attack early in the morning?!"

"Haha, sorry gramps!"

Grandpa looked at me with a very surprised face. Probably because I'm so cheerful today.

"Did something good happen?"

"I guess you can say that."

"Ah well, that's good to hear. Come, let's eat breakfast."

"Alright!"

I quickly sat down and began to chow down on the food. It was just a bowl of rice and fried fish seasoned with some salt and pepper, but despite how simple the dish was, my good mood made it taste heavenly. So much so, I almost choked on a fish bone.

"ACH! GAK GUC!"

My grandpa quickly grabbed a glass of water and gave it to me. I drank it and he let out a sigh of relief after seeing I was fine.

"What's with you today? Better not go dying before this old man kicks the bucket!"

"Hehe! Sorry grandpa... Also, I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon. You're pretty active for an old geezer!"

"Hah! You bet!"

The both of us finished eating. It's grandpa's day off, so he just turned the TV on and sat down to watch. I immediately go to the Bathroom to have a shower, then brush my teeth.

After taking a short while to pick out clothes...

Well, not really "picking out", it's more just getting the clothes I felt the most comfortable in.

I ended up having an outfit consisting of a White t-shirt and black shorts that reach down to my knees. For footwear, I'll just go with my usual black sneaks. I guess I'll need to have a place to put my stuff, so I just asked to borrow my Grandpa's sling bag.

After going to the living room to as him that, he looked at me with with a puzzled expression and cheekily asked why I was dressed up right now.

"Hoho!~ look at this brat all dressed up! You hanging out with a girl or something? Hehe!"

"Yeah, actually."

The moment those two words left my mouth, my grandpa had a shocked expression. Eyes wide open, and mouth gaping to 100%.

"Wait, you're kidding right?!"

I nervously tried to clear the situation up.

"Ah, but there's nothing going on between us! We're just friends!"

"I see..."

"Eh? Grandpa?..."

Grandpa looked down at the floor. His expression difficult to tell.

"I see... A friend huh?..."

I couldn't really tell why he was like that, all I knew is that he was smiling. It was the type of smile you'd see a parent make when their kid makes them proud.

"..."

I stared at him silently for a moment at a lost for words, until grandpa finally broke the silence.

"Well, don't let this old man hold you up! I'll hold the fort till you get back!"

Hearing that made my chest feel lighter and only made my mood better. I happily walked to the door and opened it.

"Thanks grandpa! I'll come back home before it gets dark!"

"Yeah yeah... Have fun you little brat!"

"Hehe!"

I close the door behind me and check my phone to see my messages.

[I'm at the corner around your house! :)]

"Was the smiley face needed? Meh, It's cute so who cares... I'll give her a reply."

[I'll be right there!]

"Aaaand, send!"

This is the first time in forever that I've ever hung out with a friend, let alone a girl.

Grandpa seemed to think I was going on a date with my girlfriend, which was pretty funny. But, I don't really have any expectations. She's not really obligated to date me just cause I saved her. It's a just a simple"buddy buddy" relationship.

"Alright, let's go."

Can't keep a young girl waiting right?

Took me less than a minute to reach the corner and what awaited me was the definition of "A sight for sore eyes"!

There stood Emma happily waving at me.

She was wearing a light pink hoodie that on first glance looked white, paired with black ripped jeans, a small black purse and a white cap. And to top it off, she wasn't rocking her usually ponytail today and instead has her hair down.

It was her in casual clothing!!!

(THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS AMAZING SIGHT... I'M GOING TO DIE WITHOUT REGRETS NOW...)

While I stood there enjoying the sight, Emma's face started getting slightly red.

"H-hey, stop staring! It's embarrassing!"

"Oh! Uhh.. Sorry..."

She let out a small sigh.

"Well anyways, let's get going! I got alot of things planned today!"

"Alright! Let's go, I'm really excited!"

"Hehe! Glad to hear you're in high spirits."

"Well it's cuz I'm hanging out with you obviously!"

"Huh?!"

I look at her confused.

"Eh?"

"No, it's nothing."

She quickly turned around, with me not being able to see her face's expression.

(You say the most embarrassing things so casually jeez...)

.....

Our conversation kept going even after getting in and off the train. Our destination was a mall about 12 minutes away from our houses. It's a pretty big one. It had an arcade, a movie theater, multiple restaurants including fast food ones, a kid's play area, a cafeteria with tons of stalls, etc. I remember that this mall used to be a relatively small one with barely any places to go to except for clothes shopping and a few toy shops and a small arcade. It was a little overwhelming. So much so, that I could only utter a single "Whoa."

Emma looks at me with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me this is your first time going to this mall, it's just a 12 minute ride from your house!"

"Wha- N-no! It's just been a while since I've been here..."

"Ah, I see. Well alright, let's get to it!"

*Pat*

She gave my back a light smack and we both walked inside, but not before getting our stuff checked by the guards. After that, we started to check out the things out on Emma's list of things to do.

(First thing on the list, is to watch a movie huh? Seems like a good sta- Huh?!)

When I looked to my right, Emma was gone and was a few meters away now.

"HEY! LET'S WATCH THIS!"

She pointed at a poster showing a movie. A horro movie. It looked scary. It showed a nurse covered with blood, with pale skin, visible blue vains, and red eyes. The sight sent chills down my spine. I hold my hands up trying to reject it.

"Sorry, I'm not really good with horro-"

She looked at my eyes intensely. Her eyes were sparkling, determined to watch the movie.

(DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!)

"But I-"

"Mmmm!!!"

(Dude, she's doing the legendary puppy dog eyes now!)

After this kept happening back and forth, I finally gave up 2 minutes later and agreed.

*Sigh* "Okay..."

"Yeah! Woohoo!"

We get inside the theater and sat down.

...

1 hour and 30 minutes later:

A blonde man got inside a car and breath a huge sigh of relief.

[We finally escaped... Thank god...Right babe?]

He looked at the woman besides him in the passenger seat. She was a very sexy looking brunette with an hourglass figure. She started to giggle menacingly.

[Hehehe...]

[Babe?...]

The man looked confused. And the giggles started getting more intense. After a slight pause, a maniacal laugh sounded across the theater.

[HeheheheHAHAHAHAHA!!]

The woman turned around, revealing her face. It wasn't the woman from earlier in the film. It was the possessed nurse!!!

[AAAHHH!!!]

*Shank* *Splat*

The scene cuts to outside the car. Where the closed tinted windows got covered in blood as we hear the man's blood curdling screams and cries for help, slowly fading out as the camera zooms out.

The theater was filled with a few screams, some crying, and couples hugging each other for comfort. Meanwhile, I also sat on my seat very much afraid.

(H-holy mother of- I'm gonna piss myself..."

I looked beside me and see Emma wearing a casual neutral face. Wait, was she smiling?!

(You're seriously not scared?!? You're built different!!)

There was still 30 minutes left in the movie, so I just sat on my seat trying not to scream like a little girl.

Eventually, the movie did end and I leaned against the wall of the theater's hallway with shaking legs, looking like a new born calf.

"Haha! That movie was fun! Even more, your reactions were really good!"

"Was it that obvious?!"

"Yeah! Like I could literally hear your teeth chattering hahaha!!"

"Why you little-"

"Sorry sorry, haha! As an apology, I'll let you pick out the next item on the list!"

"Hmph! Alright then!"

(I'll pick out the place where I can show off and regain my honor as a man! Let's see... Oh!!)

I confidently pointed at one of the items in the list. It was an arcade! I looked at her with a huge smug face looking all high and mighty.

(Hehe! You might not know this, but I used to be this Mall's arcade's king of games! Well, until some little brat calling himself "Ems" dethroned me... Nevertheless, I'm still the former king of games!)

She gasped and started getting excited.

"Oh! The arcade huh? Very nice choice my good sir! Let's go! I'm actually pretty good at games you know!"

I gave her a s*** eating grin, looking all high and mighty and confidently replied.

"Hmph. Very well. Just don't let your hubris get the better of you my dear Icarus! For aiming too high, might melt your wings!"

"Oh yeah?! Bring it on!"

We started walking quickly to the arcade and started playing several games trying to one up the other! She beat me in each one we played.

Whack a mole, Racing games, Fighting games, anything you can think of!

I faught valiantly, but for some reason, she's a video game god! She held out a piece sign, and looked at me with a smug face.

"Keke! Seems like this Icarus' wings are melt proof!!"

"H-how could you beat me?!?"

"Haha! Seems like you're still too naive, my friend!"

"Oh c'mon..."

I hung my head, and turned my gaze towards the floor with a defeated face. She without a doubt utterly crushed me...

"Oh c'mon Andrei, no need to feel so down!"

I let out a sigh and picked myself back up.

"Yeah, it was actually really fun. Kinda reminded me of a kid I used to play with back then that alway beat me in any game I played."

"Oh really? Same! Although it was me who was winning of course!! For some reason, that kid never gave up and kept challenging me to any games I played. He called himself the king of games, but I still won everytime! Hehe!"

She giggled for a moment before continuing.

"Even if it was obvious I would win, he would keep saying he's not done yet and put in another token to play again. We played together for hours!"

Hearing that silly little story made me laugh a bit.

*Pfft*

"That kid seemed like a tough cookie! Haha!"

"Haha yeah! But I really admired his determination, and the way he never gave up... He was maybe the first stranger I got along with. Sadly, I never met him again. I wonder where he is now."

"Hope he's doing alright. Sounds like a pretty interesting guy."

"I know right?"

After she said that, her eyes looked at something behind me and started to get that same sparkle from earlier.

(Oh no, please don't tell me this is another horror movie!!)

I turned around and saw a claw machine.

It looked old. After staring at it for a moment, I remembered it. It was the old claw machine I used to play with 7 years ago!

"Woah, How nostalgic..."

Without skipping a beat, Emma immediately walked to the claw machine.

"Waaahh!! This plushie looks so cute! I want it!"

It was a plushie that looked like an Axolotl.

Without hesitation, she pulled out a token and inserted it in the slot. Then another token, and another! But despite all her attempts, she failed to get even one plushie...

"Oh c'mon!!!"

(Oof, looks like she's not having any luck with that... Kinda reminds me of Ems... Wonder where he is now...)

I remembered a memory from 7 years ago.

Ems was at the same Claw machine and was looking at a turtle plush. He looked like he wanted that plushie badly, but he eventually gave up after failing multiple times.

At the time, I was so happy to know that there was a game that Ems was bad at!

I instantly went to the claw machine to fish out the turtle plush. The claw machine was my specialty and it only took me a single try to get the plushie.

I felt such a huge sense of accomplishment and walked around the arcade, looking for Ems. The reason for it was to brag and show off the turtle plushie I won, but he was nowhere to be found. And that was the last time I saw him.

(This arcade is just brimming with nostalgia, isn't it?)

I walked towards Emma and the claw machine to show her how it's done. She got slightly upset because I basically stole the controls from her.

"Hey! No fair!"

"There's a trick to this. Sit down kid! The big boys are playing now!"

"The big... What?.."

In an instant, I got the axolotl pushie without any effort.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?"

"Keke! I'm just a guy who's a claw hero for fun..."

"You stole that line from a show... Agh! I'm so jealous! Make sure you take good care of that plushie okay!?"

She said, while pouting.

"Eh? I'm actually gonna giving it to you though."

She looked at me, surprised.

"Eh? Can I really?!"

"Yeah! Of course!"

"Yay!!"

She started jumping around all giddy...

Well, until she noticed the people in the arcade giving her weird looks... her face went red from embarrassment. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Ah..."

*Pfft*

"H-hey!"

I lightly shoved the plushie on her face.

"Hmph!"

"Sorry sorry. Anyways, here you go."

She held the plushie and blushed. She had an embarrassed looking face. She looked at me for a moment before burying her face into the plushie out of embarrassment.

I then had to do all the talking because she got quiet. I checked time in my phone and see it's already 3:40 PM.

(Jeez, how long were we playing in this arcade? Well anyways...)

"It's getting late. We should probably be getting back."

"Eh?!"

She sounded surprised. As if she doesn't want to go home yet.

"Why? Is there some else you wanna do before going back?"

"Ah- nevermind, it's nothing..."

(I guess she wanted to stay longer. Can't have her going home unsatisfied, but we should be heading back. What to do...)

"I promise we'll come back here again! okay?"

"Huh?! Really?!"

"Yep, really."

She smiled cutely.

"Yay! It's a promise okay?!"

"Yeah yeah..."

The two of us walked out the arcade in high spirits, but then stopping after I feel Emma tugging on my shirt's sleeve.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Oh uh, well. Sorry I didn't thank you."

(Huh? Oh! Is it about the plushie?) "Ah, it's okay, no need to tha-"

"No, it's only right. Um... when you gave me this plushie, I felt really warm and happy..."

(GUH!!!)

[Player: Andrei Mendoza] has taken damage from cuteness].....

[What?]....

(Even the system was surprised! Okay Andrei, let's keep our cool here.)

"No pro-"

*WHOOSH*

"Whoa!"

Three guys, one with red hair, suddenly sprinted past us, leaving a slight gust of wind.

"Huh? What's all that about?"

Said Emma, sounding confused.

A short while after, we heard a kid sobbing. The sound came from near the ticket counter.

"WAAAAHH!!"

(Oh c'mon! We were having a moment there!!!)

Emma immediately ran to the crying kid and asked if he was okay. I followed behind her, and listened to what the kid had to say.

"Hey, what happened?"

"T-those *sniff* g-guys stole m-my *hic* *hic* p-prize! WAAAAHH!!!"

Emma tried to console the kid to the best of her ability, but the kid looked like he wasn't stopping anytime soon.

"Ssshhhhhh It's okay! Me and big bro over here, will help you! Right Andr- Huh?!?"

She looked behind her and Andrei was already gone. And out of the shadows, a man with a paper bag on his head appeared...

It's Paper Bag Head Man!! And he was doing some sort of weird pose!

"I am the Parchment Protector, the Paper crusader! I am Paper Bag Head Man! No need to worry kid!! NEVER FEAR.... FOR I AM HERE!!"

*Imaginary explosions in the background!*

Chapter 5 end...