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Utaha Kasumigaoka was, at her core, a literary girl.
Her hobbies naturally reflected that. She could sit with a book in hand for an entire afternoon, completely immersed in the world of words. And among all genres, romance was her favorite—those delicate, heart-tugging, poetic love stories that made one's heart flutter.
It was only natural, then, that she yearned for the kind of emotions those novels depicted.
That being said, despite her refined tastes, Utaha wasn't completely detached from the trends of modern youth. As a light novel author, it was essential for her to understand the culture of her target audience. Unlike traditional literature, light novels catered to young people, often incorporating elements of daily life, pop culture, and—most importantly—romantic escapades.
Which was precisely why she found herself standing in front of a claw machine.
…It was research.
Yes, just a casual attempt at expanding her experiences as a writer. Nothing more, nothing less.
Unfortunately, research wasn't always smooth sailing.
Insert coin—manipulate the joystick—press grab—all in one go!
Miss.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Utaha's expression darkened.
"Didn't they say these claw machines were relatively easy to win? Why can't I grab anything? Is this just a scam to steal money?"
She hadn't been that angry at first. But considering the series of unfortunate events that had plagued her recently, this was simply the final straw. And to make matters worse, she had the nagging feeling that she had been tricked by someone just moments ago.
Sure, maybe she was overthinking things… but so what?
She needed to vent.
Her gaze immediately shifted to the unfortunate soul standing next to her.
"Scumbag-kun, your turn," she announced, stepping aside. "But if you can't win anything either… we're leaving. There's no point staying at a store run by such a blatant profiteer."
Kanade Natsukawa sighed, rubbing his temple.
"Do you have to say it so harshly?"
He had known this would happen. That was exactly why he had warned her in the first place. Senpai wasn't the type to enjoy this kind of thing. And yet, she had insisted on trying it anyway, only to now be fuming after a couple of failures.
Still, it wasn't as if he could just abandon her here.
"And just so you know," he added, "the tokens aren't refundable."
"It's fine," Utaha replied without hesitation, crossing her arms. "Not my money, anyway."
"Isn't that even worse?"
Kanade sighed again, but ultimately stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves like a man resigned to his fate.
He wasn't overly optimistic. While he had heard rumors that certain machines were easier to win from, he was fully prepared for those rumors to be nothing more than clever marketing tactics. If he failed, he would simply save the tokens for another time—though who knew when he'd even be back here?
Still, before making his move, he turned to Utaha.
"Which one do you want?" he asked.
Since Senpai had gone through the trouble of trying, there was obviously something she had been aiming for. If he was going to do this, he might as well try to get the one she wanted.
"As if it'll make a difference," she scoffed.
Yet despite her words, she pointed toward a doll in the machine.
"That panda. The one in the middle with the funny expression."
Kanade followed her gaze and quickly spotted the plushie she was referring to.
There it was—hiding deep within a pile of similar-looking pandas, practically shielded by its brethren.
He clicked his tongue.
"Figures. Girls really do love pandas…" he muttered.
After all, pandas were practically a national treasure. They were rare, adorable, and absurdly popular. The few that resided in Tokyo were essentially celebrities in their own right, and actually getting to see them required either an insane stroke of luck or the patience to win a ticket through a lottery system.
Because of that, panda-themed merchandise had flooded the market. Plushies, keychains, hoodies—anything you could think of. It was no exaggeration to say that pandas were the most beloved animals in the country.
Still, his offhand remark didn't go unnoticed.
"You girls?" Utaha repeated, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Her gaze sharpened.
Who else liked pandas?
More importantly… who else had related panda-related moments with this little kouhai of hers?
She was curious.
But before she could pry further, Kanade had already shifted his focus back to the game.
He wasn't the type to overthink things.
Instead, he silently analyzed the situation, calculating his chances. His fingers flexed over the joystick as he measured the distances, taking in the angles and positioning of the plushies.
After a long pause, he finally nodded to himself.
Alright.
Time to begin.
With practiced precision, he pushed the lever, carefully maneuvering the claw into place. He adjusted it ever so slightly—ensuring that his timing and positioning were perfect—before finally pressing the button.
The mechanical arm descended.
For Kanade, it was just a casual attempt. He wasn't particularly invested in the outcome.
But standing behind him, Utaha found herself unexpectedly interested.
She kept her eyes locked on the machine, watching intently as the claw navigated its treacherous path. It crossed over countless stuffed pandas, bypassing them with ease, before finally making its descent—straight to the bottom.
Clench!
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"..."
Utaha blinked.
For all his confidence, for all his pick whatever you want bravado, this was his result?
He hadn't even touched the panda!
Her lips curled in undisguised disappointment. She had been fully prepared to mock him, to relish in his failure, to remind him that he was even worse than her—but just as she was about to let out a scathing remark…
The claw retracted.
And when it did—
A tag had somehow gotten caught on the metal prongs.
The plushie, dangling from its own label, lifted into the air.
And then—
Plop!
With mechanical efficiency, the claw carried the panda to the drop chute and released it. The stuffed toy tumbled down, bouncing lightly before settling at the bottom.
Utaha: "…"
Was this even allowed?
She stared at the machine, utterly speechless. It felt like she had just witnessed some bizarre exploit—a hack in real life.
But she refused to be impressed.
"This… this has to be a fluke!" she declared, crossing her arms. "There's no way you actually meant to do that!"
Kanade simply shrugged.
"The world is full of wonders, Senpai."
That was all he said.
He wasn't about to explain that he had practiced this hundreds of times before. That in his quest to become a so-called love expert, he had made sure to master even the most trivial of skills.
Catching stuffed animals? Please. He had spent more time on this than he had on reading her novels.
Utaha, however, wasn't ready to let it go.
"I still don't believe you! Do it again—same method! If you can pull it off twice, then I'll be convinced!"
Kanade hesitated.
"Uh… that might be a problem," he admitted. "The other pandas don't have tags in the right position."
This trick wasn't foolproof. It required very specific conditions—conditions that the other panda plushies didn't meet.
"Then pick a different doll," Utaha said decisively.
She was about to casually tell him to grab whatever when—
Pause.
Her eyes landed on something.
A golden-haired plushie with a very interesting expression.
"That one!" she pointed. "I want that golden-haired one!"
Kanade turned to look.
And in that moment, an extremely complicated emotion stirred within him.
This golden-haired plushie…
It looked a little too familiar.
Really, it was hard to say what exactly it resembled, but something about it gave him the unsettling feeling that if he pointed it out, he'd be dead where he stood.
So, for the sake of his own survival, he decided to pretend he didn't notice anything and just went ahead with the attempt.
Fortunately, the positioning of this one was decent, and with minimal effort, he was able to hook it cleanly and drop it into the prize slot.
Another effortless win.
With a neutral expression, he handed both plushies to Utaha.
"You believe me now, right?"
He didn't expect her praise—this was Utaha Kasumigaoka he was dealing with, after all—but at the very least, he hoped this was enough to shut her up.
Utaha, on the other hand, was momentarily distracted by the sheer joy of receiving her prizes. But then, as she processed what had just happened, her mood took a sharp nosedive.
Tsk.
"As expected of a Scumbag-kun," she muttered darkly. "You've got a real talent for flirting with girls."
Because let's be real—no one becomes this good at something they've just picked up.
Which could only mean one thing.
This damn Kouhai must've practiced a lot.
That is to say—he must've gone on a ridiculous number of dates with other girls.
The thought sent a wave of irritation through her.
Even if that wasn't the truth, at the very least, it was obvious that he had practiced this skill for someone.
And the real question was—
Who was that 'someone'?
Her eyes narrowed as she immediately eliminated a certain golden-haired enemy from her suspect list.
No, Eriri wasn't the type to enjoy this kind of thing.
That meant…
Somewhere out there…
There was a sneaky little cat who had gone on dates with her Junior-kun, and she had no idea who it was!
Damn it!
She had been so focused on keeping Eriri in check that she had completely overlooked the other potential threats.
Like that black-haired background character she had met the other day.
That girl had a forgettable presence, sure, but her face? Absolutely a threat.
Utaha clenched her plushies tighter.
Why?
Why was her Junior-kun so damn good at attracting girls?!
Wasn't it enough that she liked him?!