Arcade Again
'If I run away now… will I ever get a chance like this?' Wasn't this chance something that came to her when she needed it?
Saki was 'just' thinking about changing, so if she ran away again would it be any good? After all of the suffering wouldn't she end up alone again?
This is why her choice was obvious.
"I…don't...." Saki would've just gone back home and played video games on her own to distract herself anyway, but she knew that if she did that today.
'Then that would be the end for me…' She wouldn't be able to get out of it again, so she bit her lips and decided to move forward.
"I don't have any plans either, isn't that perfect?" Adam smiled letting go of her hand, it really was perfect.
"It is?" Saki looked confused; she had no idea where he was going with this but at least she wasn't against it.
"Yeah, since we both have free time, want to hang out together?" Adam knew that Saki became confident after her makeover, but truthfully that shackled her even more to not let go of that image.
To Saki, it appeared that the attention only came because of her beauty. So, it was better for her to understand, that just her changing herself from outside, will not matter.
He planned on making Saki change from the inside first.
"Ummm…. Yes," And for that it was necessary to make sure that she knew that she could still make friends, and have fun without changing how she looked.
"Alright, is there a place you want to go?" Adam asked and Saki didn't expect him to ask her that question.
But it was expected. "I am new to the area, so I don't know much around here." He wanted to let her decide so that she wouldn't become passive and follow him along.
She needed to take the lead, that is how Adam planned to do this, and it seemed to be headed in a good direction.
'A place I want to go?' Saki had an answer in mind, it was a place she went to alone as a kid but the thing was, 'Should I say it?' she was getting cold feet, it was something that people nowadays didn't like anymore.
She couldn't ignore her fear completely, he was the first friend she had made in years.
As absurd as their meeting was, and even if he called her his friend in name only, 'I don't want to lose it,' it was something that she held dearly at that moment.
"Is something wrong Saki-chan?" Adam called out to her and she looked up at him.
"There is an arcade nearby…" Her voice became smaller the more she spoke, and she kept glancing at him slightly to see his reaction.
She still believed that this might break it, but she was wrong in a good way.
"An arcade, that's great!" Adam smiled brightly, because he liked that idea. "Let's go, it has been a while since I've been to one." He liked it a little too much.
'Saki was shocked and she continued to look at Adam in surprise, he didn't look like someone who enjoyed being in arcades—not the working ones at least, but that didn't matter anymore.
"What happened, Saki-chan?" Adam questioned as she was getting too lost in her thoughts.
But it wasn't without reason, there was something she wanted to say to him, for a while now.
"Um… would it be possible to not call me… Saki-chan?" It was seriously embarrassing for her, to the point that her face was getting redder by the second.
"I like calling you that though," Adam smiled noticing the blush on her face getting deeper, it was just that he knew that it was better to not push her too far, "well, if you don't like it I-"
But before he could complete his words. "It is … alright," Saki made up her mind to not bother with this.
'He is my friend now… so it should be normal….' She just thought about not making a big deal out of this, and she had seen people use such language with their friends so she didn't want to be a downer.
"Haha, I am glad, lead the way Saki-chan," Adam smiled as Saki nodded.
"It is this way," And the two started to walk towards their destination.
Saki was happy on the inside, and it even showed on her face—even her steps had a new sort of spring to them all of a sudden.
'That's a good start,' Adam smiled slightly, her smile really failed her attempt to hide the joy she was experiencing.
While having their thoughts, they walked on the somewhat busy street, that had school students rushing into the shops nearby, creating a cheerful atmosphere while they mingled with their friends.
"This looks like an old area," Adam raised an eyebrow while observing the arcade building.
"Yes, I heard it has been here for ages, and is one of the oldest arcades in the city," Saki also looked much talkative than before, with a small smile formed on her lips.
"OK, I am pumped, let's go in and wreak havoc," Adam's eyes shined, and he got ready to play in the arcade again.
"I don't think… we should do that?" Saki on the other hand took his words a little too seriously.
"Yes we'll be careful not to break anything aside from high scores," But he already wasn't listening to her.
Walking inside they saw rows of new and retro Arcade machines lined up, and there was a snack area in the far corner along with a photo booth, but Adam only had eyes for one thing.
"UFO catcher? Aren't we supposed to play those at the end?" Saki tilted her head, as she saw him put the money into the machine.
"No, No, Saki-chan…" Adam shook his head at her words, It was true that most people would do this at the end of their arcade trips but, "Your luck meter is full when you walk into the arcade, so it is best time to try, since the chances of winning are higher."
"O-Oh, Ok," Saki was confused, but she chose to believe in his confident face and passionate speech—even if she knew that claw machines were more about skills than luck.
And it truly showed in the next 5 minutes, when Adam used the machine 6 times.
"Argh… so close!!" Adam grabbed his head as the plushie slipped out of the claw arm—for the sixth time.
"It's fine right, it is hard to win on claw machines, even I have never won," Saki tried to comfort him, because she understood it as well.
It wasn't easy to win in front of the 'Almighty Claw Machines'.
"Yeah… it looks like I didn't save up enough luck, I'll be better prepared next time!" Saki wasn't sure if that was how it worked, but seeing that he had calmed down seemed enough. And now they can enjoy the rest of the games.
"Hmm, which game do you want to play Saki-chan?" Adam turned to Saki, as she had just been standing beside him till now.
Since he had his selfish choice, he decided to leave the next choice in her hands.
"Well, how about the DrumMania?" Saki spoke after thinking for a bit, that game has been her favorite since she first came into the arcade.
"Excellent choice let me show you why they call me the King of DrumMania!" Adam grinned walking towards the first row, as Saki followed him with curiosity.
She wondered how good he was as they arrived in front of the Gitadora DrumMania—It was a Drum rhythm game with the whole drum set, where you had to match the notes of the song, by pressing the pads and stepping on the pedal.
"Which song do you like Saki-chan?" Adam asked and she didn't need to think too much about it.
"MELISSA-FMA,"
"You have really good taste," Adam's eyes lit up, and Saki looked a bit embarrassed by the sudden praise—it was just that she was more pleased that he had the same opinion as her.
"Then how about we make this a little more fun?" That is when he spoke with a mischievous expression.
"What do you mean?" Saki asked tilting her head, how would he make it more fun?
"The one who loses treats the other to lunch," Adam proposed as he sat down on the chair, "what do you say?"
"Hmm, sure,"