[544] Dance Machine

Chapter 544: Dance Machine

Thud, thud, thud...

The rhythmic sound of pounding echoed as Mafuyu Kirisu raised her inflatable hammer, swinging it down at each mole head that popped up.

Though she had tried to act confident, it was clear that little Mafuyu had almost no experience with games. Soon enough, she became completely flustered.

"Ahhh! Wait, slow down a bit!"

"They're too fast! Please, slow down, slow down!"

"There are too many… I can't keep up!"

"Ouch… my hand's so sore…"

"..."

Watching Mafuyu's chaotic attempts, Hachiman couldn't help but smirk a bit.

She clearly wanted to score high and hit every single mole, but her hand just couldn't keep up with her determination, leaving her trying to juggle both and missing most of the hits.

In the end, Hachiman stood there helplessly watching Mafuyu miss at least two-thirds of her swings. Soon, the round was over, and the scoreboard displayed a pitiful score of just over a hundred points.

(Just a friendly reminder, each mole is worth 10 points.)

Seeing her score, Mafuyu pouted in disappointment.

"Ugh… why is it so low?"

Hachiman quickly jumped in to reassure her. "Don't worry, Mafuyu! It's your first time playing, so it's normal to feel overwhelmed. Want to give it another go? You'll definitely improve this time."

Hearing his encouragement, Mafuyu thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, let's do it one more time."

"Okay! Let me put in another coin."

Just as Hachiman was about to insert the coin, Mafuyu spoke up again.

"But this time, Hachiman, you play."

She held out the inflatable hammer to him.

Hachiman blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Yeah." Mafuyu nodded.

"It's not fair if only I play, right? This time, you take a turn."

"Alright then, I'll show you how it's done."

Hachiman raised an eyebrow but eventually nodded in agreement.

He inserted a token, and the game began once more.

Unlike Mafuyu, Hachiman was far more skilled. Whack-a-mole was all about reaction speed and reflexes, and Hachiman was definitely up to the task.

With swift movements, his inflatable hammer seemed to blur, striking every mole almost as soon as it appeared.

Meanwhile, the score on the board climbed rapidly.

Watching this, Mafuyu's eyes sparkled, and she couldn't stop herself from gasping in admiration.

"Wow… that's amazing."

It wasn't just Mafuyu; Hachiman's impressive performance soon drew the attention of others around them.

While Whack-a-Mole wasn't particularly difficult—any three-year-old could get the basics—achieving a perfect score took serious skill.

People around couldn't help but marvel at his streak.

"Amazing! He's hitting every single one."

"So fast! How many years of single life did it take to reach that hand speed?"

"My twenty years of singlehood don't come close. He must have trained."

"Absolutely, it's traditional craft at its finest."

"By the way, any recommendations for good spellcasting materials lately?"

"Ahem, well, I'd suggest..."

"..."

Hearing the increasingly odd discussions around him, Hachiman twitched the corners of his mouth, though he kept his perfect streak going.

As for Mafuyu, she was left looking confused.

Traditional craft? Spellcasting materials?

What were they talking about?

Was it some kind of magic circle or maybe onmyoji techniques?

But weren't those just superstitions?

For the relatively innocent Mafuyu, she naturally couldn't understand these insider jokes and terms.

Soon, the round of Whack-a-Mole came to an end.

Setting down the inflatable hammer, Hachiman let out a sigh of relief.

At that moment, colorful lights flashed on the scoreboard, and the screen suddenly displayed the words "New Record". Right after that, the number 2980 appeared.

Seeing the score, the crowd around them burst out in awe.

"No way, 2980? Isn't that the maximum score?!"

"Yeah, it is. I remember reading that this Whack-a-Mole machine only has 298 moles at most. I didn't think anyone could actually hit them all."

"I think the previous record was set by a player named UMR, with a monster-level score of over 2800. But this guy managed to go even beyond that!"

"..."

Listening to the murmurs around him, Hachiman entered the name "Juu-hachi" in the player section.

After saving it, his name shot up to the top of the leaderboard, right above the name UMR.

Unfazed by the attention, Hachiman went over to Mafuyu and grinned. "So, what do you think? Impressive, right?"

Mafuyu nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Hachiman, you're amazing!"

Seeing Mafuyu's delighted expression, Hachiman couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling her hair.

Mafuyu blushed slightly, though she didn't pull away. If it weren't for the crowd around them, she might have hugged him right there. Hearing all the compliments directed at Hachiman made her feel a little proud, as if she herself were being praised.

However, seeing the closeness between the two, the crowd's comments soon took a different tone.

"Ugh, so they're a couple?"

"I'm so jealous. It's not enough that he's a gaming pro, but he also has such a cute girlfriend!"

"I'm not crying; it's just that there's dust in my eyes..."

"..."

Feeling slightly embarrassed by the chatter around her, Mafuyu whispered to Hachiman, "Shall we find somewhere else to play?"

Hachiman agreed without hesitation, as he didn't enjoy the attention either. Taking Mafuyu's hand, he led her away from the crowd.

With the main attraction gone, the crowd dispersed as well, each person returning to their own games.

Of course, Hachiman and Mafuyu weren't about to leave just yet. The game center was huge, so they simply moved to a new area to continue playing.

With the main attraction gone, the crowd dispersed, each person returning to their own games.

Hachiman and Mafuyu, of course, weren't planning on leaving just yet. The game center was huge, so they simply moved to another area to continue having fun.

Stopping in a new section, something caught their eye—a girl was joyfully hopping up and down on a machine, clearly having a great time.

This machine had a screen and a dance pad with arrows pointing up, down, left, and right. The screen played music, and a row of arrows scrolled continuously across the bottom, matching the directions on the dance pad.

Yes, it was a dance machine.

Dance machines are especially popular with girls, and the gameplay is simple: step on the corresponding arrows on the pad as they appear on the screen to score points.

Seeing the machine, Hachiman's eyes lit up, and he turned to Mafuyu.

"Mafuyu, why don't you give this one a try?"

"Huh? The dance machine…?"

Being a game popular among girls, Mafuyu was certainly aware of it, but she had never actually tried it herself.

"I don't know if I can do it."

"Don't worry. The dance machine is all about coordination and rhythm, and you're definitely good at both," Hachiman reassured her.

It was true—though Mafuyu hadn't been ice skating for a while, her coordination and sense of rhythm were still intact, as they'd both seen at the ice rink earlier.

Hearing Hachiman's encouragement, Mafuyu nodded.

"Alright, I'll give it a try. But if I mess up, you're not allowed to laugh at me."

"I believe in you; you'll do great," Hachiman smiled.

A moment later, the girl on the dance machine finished her turn, and Mafuyu stepped up.

After inserting a token and choosing a song, the music began.

As the beat started, Mafuyu moved in time with the rhythm.

It was clear that this game suited her much better than Whack-a-Mole. Even though it was her first time playing, Mafuyu was doing impressively well.

As the first part of the song ended, she hadn't made a single mistake, achieving a full combo.

Seeing this, a smile spread across Mafuyu's face, and her steps became even more confident.

The second segment of the song began, and this time, the tempo was noticeably faster than the first.

Hachiman hit every target perfectly; I can do it too.

With that thought, Mafuyu focused all her attention and prepared to tackle the challenge head-on.

When someone is deeply absorbed in what they're doing, they often forget everything else. As the song's pace quickened, Mafuyu's movements became faster as well, leading her to make larger motions. With her well-proportioned figure, some more prominent areas naturally bounced along with her steps.

Indeed, the "gravity" of certain areas was hard to ignore.

This scene naturally drew Hachiman's gaze. Thankfully, the dance machine area was surrounded mostly by girls, so he didn't have to worry about others noticing his distracted stare. But the rhythmic movements left him feeling a bit parched.

Finally, the song came to an end.

As the saying goes, heaven rewards those who work hard. Thanks to her focused effort, Mafuyu managed a full combo for the entire song.

However, she didn't achieve the highest score. Anyone who has played rhythm games knows that while hitting notes is important, the timing of each step is scored differently: Perfect, Great, and Good. Perfect scores earn the most points, while Good scores earn the least.

Though Mafuyu achieved a full combo, her timing wasn't perfect on every step, leaving her with a score in the mid-to-lower range of the leaderboard.

Still, Mafuyu was pleased. Considering it was her first time playing, managing a full combo and making it onto the leaderboard was quite an achievement.

"Phew~~"

She exhaled, satisfied with her score, when she heard a series of claps beside her.

"Getting a full combo on your first try—that's impressive! You really have a talent for this, Mafuyu."

Hearing praise from the person she cared about, a small glow of happiness rose in Mafuyu's heart.

As Mafuyu stepped down from the dance machine and was about to say something, she saw Hachiman approaching.

Without a word, he took out a tissue and gently began wiping the sweat from her forehead.

In that instant, the excitement in Mafuyu's heart faded away.

In its place—

Was a sense of pure happiness and sweetness.

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