Chapter 23 - Surprise

After the movie, the two arrived in an arcade section of the mall where numerous games were displayed. He took out a few of his money to exchange it for a game and chose their first game.

"Wanna bet to make things interesting?"

Justine smirks looking at Ryuu who did the same, getting underestimated by her. He sat down next to her as the game was a fighting game that they used to play in their younger years.

"Sure but what's at stake?"

Ryuu crossed his arms trying to see what she would offer to him. She places her finds on her lips before giving a wide grin.

"I'll do one thing and whatever it is I'll do it!"

"Oh then I'll do the same. How about the best out of five?"

"Oh you're on!"

They selected their character before starting the game. The two gave their all trying to defeat each other with Justine winning the first round.

"Boom! That's how it's done!"

"Yeah yeah but don't get too cocky!"

The second round Ryuu overwhelmed her character using his quick reflexes to do numerous combos that shocked Justine and quickly tried to counter but wasn't fast enough. It was his turn to laugh at her defeat.

"I seem to speak too soon. Well then."

Her expression soon turned serious before skillfully defeating Ryuu who was Overpowered by the sheer skill in how she uses combo. In their younger years, Justine mostly won their game and was extremely skilled in playing fighting games.

She was somehow able to adapt in certain scenarios that in turn gave her the chance to defeat Ryuu.

The fourth round, it was Ryuu who barely won the game if for his dumb luck where his health was one hit from being killed. He sighs in relief in winning and look at her with a burning desire to defeat Justin.

"Last round, may the best player win."

"Of course that would be me."

"We'll see about that."

The last round gave their all where they parried and blocked their attacks that ended in time almost caught them but at that last second, Ryuu's was able to land a fatal blow to her characters and win the match.

"Ooooooh!! Look who just won!"

"Yeah suck it up! You've won so what do you want?"

Justine was pouting that she lost the match against Ryuu who was smirking non-stop and her expression made him unconsciously place his hand into her head patting her.

This made her flinch, turning his gaze to Ryuu with a flustered face but oddly felt warm inside then realized what he was doing and quickly gave him a jab in the abdomen that still didn't faze Ryuu.

"The hell are you doing? Stop patting my head."

"Okay okay chill. No need to be violents. Anyway, let's play more games."

Ryuu spotted a nearby claw machine that was giving out stuffed animals that were Pokemon. He quickly tried the game to see how many coins he'd spent till he could finally have the stuffed toy.

Crane games are normally a scam that is deliberately made by the store owner to weaken the power of the claw's grip. It ended up spending more than expected, making Ryuu extremely frustrated.

"Oh fuck shake come!!"

"Hahahahahaha thank goodness I'm recording this."

"Hey don't you dare! I'll get it this time!"

He was increasingly frustrated until the claw caught the stuffed animal then grip it tightly as they watched in anticipation. Ryuu was ready to break it the moment it didn't fall but then his eyes widened as the stuffed animal fell precisely where he wanted it to be.

"Yes! Fuck yes!"

Ryuu screamed in excitement that made Justine laugh as he was getting people's attention.

"Here you go."

Justine was shocked to see him hand the stuffed toy to her when it was him who tried so hard to get it.

"What? It's yours isn't it?"

"Of course not, it was all for you."

Ryuu said without any hidden intention eyt Justine's heart skipped a bit blushing at the thought of how hard he tried getting the toy and wanted to refuse but it wasn't rude to decline especially when he worked hard to get it for her.

"Uhmmm t-thanks?"

"Come on, let's try other games."

Ryuu nodded before pointing to the next game they played which was a montage of racing games, shooting games, ball games, etc. They overwhelmingly won the game with enormous rewards and gained a large amount of tickets.

It was exchanged for some snacks and a small keychain that Ryuu took as a souvenir. They had been playing for a few hours and the sun started to set.

"Hey wanna grab some drinks? I know a place that my brother recommended."

"Which brother?"

Justine had five brothers and she was the youngest among them. It was no surprise that she acted more like a man than a woman.

"Well sure, it's been a while since I've drank some alcohol."

Ryuu has never been a fan of alcohol besides wine. He loved the taste from its smooth and delightful flavor that was similar to an elegant dance. Unfortunately, they are expensive and most cheap brands don't hold a candle to a real wine.

Moments later, Justine dragged her friend to a new street that he hadn't seen before and found what seemed to be a nightclub with the unusual name as Diabolical.

"Weird name."

They were inside and were greeted by the warm cozy feeling from the atmosphere of the place. Ryuu frowned when he felt his intuition kicking in for the last moment and looked at the bartender before his eyes flinched for a moment.

"Hey what's standing there? Come, let's take a seat!"

"Ah sorry."

Ryuu quickly took a seat trying to remain calm taking a glimpse of the woman beside him before turning his attention to the bartender who gave a welcoming smile.

"What could I get you?"

"Just give something heavy."

Ryuu's eyes twitch knowing how she's an extremely heavy drinker who could finish a case of beer. He sighed, preparing himself to bring her if she happens to get too heavily drunk.

"How about you, buddy?"

"Wine. Red wine."

The bartender nodded before doing his work while Ryuu was taking subtle glances at the woman beside him. He was surprised that his chances of meeting her and finding her place without trying is surprising.

"Hey, Ryuu have you seen the news?"

"You clearly need to be more specific."

Ryuu was playing with a coin twirling it between his fingers that he usually does when he's bored. Justine's words caught the attention of the woman beside him.

"The one about the flying creature! I saw it yesterday when I'm going home with my brother."

He inwardly facepalm himself that one of the witnesses would be his friends but tried to relax doing his best to hide his identity.

"Oh that one? Yeah, of course, I've seen it like come on, I'm someone always fascinated by the supernatural."

Ryuu exclaimed, the bartender and woman frowning at his words. He couldn't shake it off as Justine knows that he is someone who gets excited about the supernatural.

"I knew you would be thrilled. Anyway, the creature seems to be composed of blood from afar. What do you think it was?"

He knew that the woman was starting to grow suspicious that he was someone around their area. Ryuu was never the sharpest tool in the shed and slipped up from getting caught in the euphoria of having magic.

[ Special Event Mission

Task: Join the Diabolical Group and aid Trese in the supernatural.

Reward: Bone Magic, Precise Mana Control, 1,000 points.

Time: 5 days.

Penalty: Unable to access the group for a month. ]

Ryuu raises a brow seeing the system panel pop up and is surprised that he'll have to join this supernatural group. Though he is not a fan, joining an organization would actually be beneficial to him, namely uncovering more information regarding the supernatural, perhaps acquiring knowledge regarding magic.

Fortunately, it never said that he had to show his face and could use something to mask his face. He doesn't want his family to get involved in the supernatural this early.

It would be foolish if he thought that he could always shelter them from the truth considering they are already involved from the start before he even had the system.

"Here's your drinks, enjoy."