Kasumigaoka Utaha considered herself a literary maiden, naturally gravitating towards pursuits aligned with her passion for literature. She loved reading, often immersing herself in a book for an entire afternoon. Romantic literature, in particular, held a special place in her heart, and it was no surprise that she longed to embody the idealized characters within those stories.
Generally, she preferred to stay out of the public eye. However, to enrich the experiences she could pour into her works, she occasionally ventured out to try new things—like experimenting with a claw machine.
After all, as a light novel author, her craft demanded some connection to youth culture and activities popular among couples.
In truth, though, she wasn't skilled at claw machines. Her previous experience was limited to one fleeting attempt. Still, she understood the basics: insert coin, maneuver joystick, press the button. Easy enough.
But as expected, she failed.
Not once or twice, but repeatedly.
"I thought these were supposed to be easy claw machines! Why can't I grab anything? These are scams, right?" Utaha grumbled, her frustration mounting.
Initially, she hadn't been too upset. But with everything going wrong lately—and a lingering sense of having been teased earlier—her annoyance snowballed. Even though she rationally knew she was overthinking, emotions had their own logic. Anger was anger, and it needed an outlet.
"Scumbag-kun, you do it. But if you fail, this shady business doesn't deserve our patronage."
"Isn't that going a bit too far?" Natsukawa Kanade sighed in resignation. He'd anticipated her distaste for this kind of place, but he hadn't expected her patience to wear thin so quickly. "And just so you know, these tokens aren't refundable."
"I don't care." Utaha crossed her arms with a dismissive shrug. "It's not my money."
"That's even worse!" Kanade protested, feeling thoroughly wronged.
Still, he stepped forward, reluctantly inserting a token into the machine.
He wasn't particularly confident in his chances. Those rumors about "easy claw machines" might well have been marketing gimmicks. But since he had already committed, he figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. At worst, he could save any unused tokens for another visit—though who knew when he'd get the chance to return?
"Which plushie do you want, Senpai?" Kanade asked, turning to her.
Since she'd been the one to choose this particular machine, it must have held something that caught her eye. He might as well lend her a hand.
"Like it matters. As if telling you would magically make you successful," Utaha huffed but begrudgingly pointed it out. "That panda in the back—the one with the goofy expression."
Kanade followed her gaze and spotted the plushie in question. The panda stood out with its exaggerated face, nestled securely among its companions.
"Figures. Girls really do like pandas…" Kanade muttered.
It was no surprise. Pandas were iconic creatures—adorable and unique. However, most pandas originated from a certain Eastern country, and those abroad were typically on loan or gifted. Being a rare and difficult species to breed, even a few in Tokyo attracted immense popularity. Visiting them required either incredible luck or winning a lottery draw. To meet the public's demand, panda-themed merchandise proliferated and sold like hotcakes. It wasn't a stretch to call them the nation's favorite animal.
But as much as Utaha adored the panda plushie, her attention was focused more sharply on Kanade himself.
"You girls?" she repeated, frowning.
What other girl had he been around who liked pandas? Or more precisely… who was the girl connected to Kanade in this context?
Her curiosity burned.
Kanade, oblivious to her spiraling thoughts, got to work.
He surveyed the machine from different angles, double-checked his positioning, then deftly maneuvered the joystick. Satisfied, he pressed the button.
While Kanade appeared indifferent, Utaha watched with rising interest.
She tracked the claw's descent as it navigated through the crowd of plushies. It bypassed all the pandas and crashed directly into the base.
"…"
It caught nothing.
Utaha had initially been impressed by Kanade's confident demeanor. His "just pick one" attitude suggested some expertise. But now? He hadn't even brushed the panda's fur! Her face twisted into a look of pure disdain, ready to mock him mercilessly.
Before she could open her mouth, the claw, on its way back up, snagged a tag dangling from the panda's neck. With the tag firmly hooked, the entire plushie rose into the air and dropped smoothly into the prize chute.
Utaha: "…"
Was this… even possible? It felt like he was playing by some entirely different set of rules.
Not that she'd admit it. Refusing to yield, she scoffed. "That was just a fluke! No way you could do that twice."
"Life's full of surprises." Kanade shrugged casually.
To him, it wasn't a big deal. He'd practiced claw machines hundreds of times back when he'd been honing his "boyfriend skills." If he couldn't ace something as trivial as this, how could he hope to master the subtler nuances of romance? Compared to reading an entire book to understand someone, claw machines were a cinch.
"I don't believe it! Do it again. Same method, another plushie!" Utaha challenged.
"Uh… But pandas with tags like that aren't exactly common," Kanade hesitated.
The method wasn't foolproof. It relied on the tag being positioned just right, and most of the remaining pandas were inaccessible.
"Then pick a different plushie!" Utaha's eyes darted toward a peculiar golden-haired doll, and an idea struck her. "That one! The goofy-looking golden retriever. I want it!"
Kanade followed her gaze and felt a strange unease.
This golden retriever… something about it…
Suppressing his thoughts, he got to work. As expected, the dog's position made it an easy target. Within moments, Kanade successfully retrieved it and handed both plushies to Utaha.
"Convinced now?" he asked. While he didn't expect any overt praise from her, he took some satisfaction in showing off his skills.
Utaha, clutching the prizes, was secretly pleased. But as she realized he'd never displayed this talent around her before, her mood soured. "Tch. As expected of Scumbag-kun. You're awfully skilled at charming girls."
No one became a master at claw machines overnight. For Kanade to have such refined technique, he must've practiced extensively—likely while dating countless other girls. Even if the truth wasn't so incriminating, it was clear he'd honed this skill for someone.
And now Utaha couldn't stop obsessing over who that "someone" was.
She could rule out that golden-haired loser, Eriri. The girl didn't care for such frivolities and certainly wouldn't hang out at arcades. Which meant…
It had to be some other sneaky girl.
In her constant rivalry with Eriri, Utaha had nearly forgotten about the numerous other potential threats. Like that "black-haired girl" she'd glimpsed the other day—flat-chested but undeniably pretty.
Damn it. Why did her junior attract so many girls?
Wasn't just her love enough for him?
Notes-Read all chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, a total of 274 chapters you can find it in the collection