Swearing to help Shu save money, the first game Kiana chose was a classic joystick arcade fighting game.
That deliberately retro, bulky cabinet style was enough to make many people reminisce about the glorious bygone days of several people fighting over a single machine by the street.
But neither Kiana nor Shu possessed such memories.
Kiana truly had never played this kind of ancient antique, because the first video game she encountered as a child was called Utopia.
Also known as Arcadia.
And as for Shu...
Of course, Shu had definitely played it, and Kiana had also heard about this kind of ancient game console from Himeko and Theresa.
"Back in my day, we didn't have conditions as good as you guys..."
Yes, because Himeko always started with that sentence, and because she was usually drunk at the time, Kiana never actually listened to a word she said.
But she didn't expect to actually see this kind of machine here!
Staring at the rough game interface, which probably wasn't even 480p, Kiana couldn't suppress her excitement.
"How do you play this?"
Having played this before, Shu explained the controls to her, even reciting the combo command list for her once.
Kiana nodded, confidently inserted the tokens, and then the two of them squeezed in front of the single machine, practically pressed together.
"Bring it on! I'll show you my true strength!" Having understood the rules and the command list, Kiana confidently licked her lips and smiled.
She had figured it out. This was just the super-super-super-super... super old version of the fighting game they played on the train!
Even the buttons and stuff were the same, just the size was a bit weird, changing from a controller to a joystick.
As long as she got used to the feel, she'd definitely win!
Squeezed by Kiana, Shu readjusted his sitting posture and then solemnly grasped the joystick.
One minute later.
Kiana's character let out a miserable scream and then, in slow motion amidst the flashing screen, fell to the ground.
That slow-motion settlement screen allowed Kiana to clearly see every pixel change as her character fell; it was simply full of humiliation.
The two giant letters "K.O." popped up on the screen, stinging Kiana's eyes.
Kiana stared blankly at the screen, unable to believe she had lost so quickly.
Shu also stared blankly at the screen, unable to believe he had won so smoothly.
He had literally just ruthlessly pinned Kiana's character to death with a single combo. There was no technical skill involved; he was entirely just executing the formulaic commands.
Both sides had misjudged the other's strength.
"N... no way!" Shu felt Kiana's body tremble slightly. Turning his head, the face right next to him was red, and her breathing was a bit rapid.
"It's because I'm not used to this control method!" As if venting her frustration, Kiana spun the joystick in her hand several times, as if this would make her excuse more credible.
"Again!" She stole a glance at Shu to see his reaction.
Shu believed her.
So he braced himself once again.
Another simple and brutal K.O. After struggling with a few flailing "turtle punches," Kiana's character was once again brutally comboed to sleep.
Kiana: "..."
Shu: "..."
The two squeezed together, staring at the screen together, falling into deep thought together.
Hiss... Kiana was pondering her excuse for this defeat.
It must have been lag, my hands were cold, my hands were sore, my hands shook, I misclicked, I didn't wear finger sleeves, it's charging, power saving mode is on, the feel is off, just playing for fun, no headphones, frame rate too low, resolution too high, thirsty from the first two rounds, hungry, too full, upset stomach, haven't played in a long time, sweaty hands, joystick too slippery, buttons too big, didn't anticipate, forgot to adjust settings, train of thought was interrupted...
Anyway, it's impossible that I just suck!
So she really just sucks!
Shu felt like he had been enlightened; sudden realization washed over him.
Kiana had been so confident, he actually thought she was some kind of genius master.
He had even been afraid that Kiana would brutally beat him to death with formulaic plays, and had even prepared to calm down and carefully execute every move.
How is she this bad?!
Wait, no.
Shu performed a tactical hand-raise, lightly rubbing his nose and covering his mouth.
He shouldn't bully people like this...
Just as Shu was considering whether to go easy on her, Kiana finally found a good excuse. She turned her head and stared at him with those pure blue eyes.
"Shu, have you been playing this for many years?"
"...Yeah." Shu braced himself and answered.
Kiana's face instantly puffed up.
Her brilliant intellect saw right through him; Shu was coaxing her again.
Shu definitely hadn't played this many times either!
Carrying this grievance, Kiana decided to trust in her own talent.
If Shu could become a master so quickly, why couldn't she, Kiana Kaslana?!
A new round began, and within a few seconds, Kiana clearly felt Shu's movements slow down.
Could it be that she had gotten stronger?!
Could it be that she really was a genius?!
No!
This guy Shu was actually going easy on her!!
After a series of eye-searingly terrible maneuvers, Kiana's character was slowly beaten to the ground by Shu's character.
The third K.O.
Kiana's face flushed red, clearly very receptive to Shu's caring behavior...
This is naked humiliation to a warrior going all out!
Running hot, Kiana turned her head and glared death at Shu.
Shu was still looking at the screen with a calm expression, still analyzing why he had won even when he had clearly gone easy on her.
"You went easy on me." Kiana pressed her forehead against Shu's temple, leaving him nowhere to hide.
The hat on her head slid off from the pressure, hanging behind her back.
"I didn't." Shu denied it categorically.
"You clearly went easy on me!" Kiana's breathing was so heavy it was blowing right onto Shu's face.
Shu was silent for a second.
"...It was my first time going easy on someone, I'm not very practiced at it," he apologized sincerely.
"What do you mean 'first time going easy, not very practiced'? Are you showing off to me?!"
"Not really."
"Then why did you go easy on me!"
"I was afraid you'd be unhappy if you lost too much."
Kiana's bun-like face was squeezed so tight her eyes were practically slits.
She was very unhappy right now!
When they were outside, they were clearly evenly matched opponents, trading wins and losses.
So why had Shu's combat power suddenly skyrocketed here?!
Damn it! Didn't we agree to resist the Great Demon King Bronya's game monopoly together?!
Why did you suddenly defect?!
Kiana refused to accept this. She glared at Shu indignantly, but as she looked, her anger gradually faded on its own.
Because she remembered the scenes she had seen in the Book of Time.
Every time Shu died and regressed, his physical condition would drastically decline...
And even without the Book of Time, Shu's declining state couldn't be hidden at all.
When he played games with them, Shu was already in that "poor health" state.
So being "evenly matched" back then was actually...
Shu using his worst state to match her level.
But this Shu right now was healthy... although not completely healthy, he was far better than that fragile Shu.
So Kiana wasn't angry anymore.
She was just relieved... and heartbroken.
She reached out and lightly knocked Shu's arm.
"No going easy next time."
Shu looked at her.
"Winning or losing doesn't matter," Kiana said, "but your way of going easy is too fake. It hurts to watch."
"...Okay."
"Also," Kiana stood up and pulled him by the hand, "even if you don't go easy, you won't beat me! Just let me practice for a few days, and I'll definitely beat you!"
"...I believe in you!"
"I told you not to say it in such a formal tone!"