Chapter 308
The question came lightly, without burden, merely a confirmation of what was already clearly reflected in his friend's eyes.
Erietta, jolted from her deep reverie, slowly turned her face.
There was a different light in her eyes, no longer one of irritation or challenge, but a pure and honest glimmer, almost like that of a small child.
Her head then nodded, not an ordinary nod, but a firm motion that seemed to affirm an important truth in her life.
That movement spoke louder than words, revealing a longing that was simple yet profound.
Theo Vkytor, watching from a distance, observed this silent exchange.
He saw how all the tension and chaotic dynamics between the two teenagers suddenly melted and reformed around an unexpected object: a toy doll inside a glass machine.
He noticed how Erietta's posture changed, from defensive to hopeful, and how Ilux, the troublemaker, suddenly took on the role of a discoverer of desire.
Theo drew a slow breath, feeling a bittersweet irony.
Amid the complexity of interdimensional relationships, guardian duties, and the existential longing of a former angel, life still left room for such a small, deeply human drama.
The desire to own something cute and useless, simply because she had never owned it before.
A pure request, delivered not through demands, but through an honest admission of a small emptiness.
"A doll as a gift? Erietta, you're the pride of the Star Academy. Something like that is not—"
"That's enough, don't talk so much! We don't have much time. Instead of just wandering around, it's better if we try that machine. Come on!"
Ilux's laughter burst out, brief and clear, cutting through the air that had been momentarily filled with hope.
His refusal was spontaneous and blunt, like a dull blade shattering a sweet imagination.
His words were strung together like a doctrine, declaring that cute and soft dolls were not suitable possessions for a chosen candidate, a high-achieving star of a prestigious academy.
The sentence hung between them, attempting to rebuild the wall of difference that had briefly collapsed under Erietta's longing gaze.
However, that verbal rejection backfired.
Without allowing the demeaning tone to settle or wound her, Erietta responded with action.
Her face, which had softened with hope, now hardened again with a different resolve.
Not anger, but a determination to prove something, both to Ilux and to herself.
Her hand moved swiftly, gripping Ilux's wrist tightly.
The grasp was firm and purposeful, a touch that was more of a command than an invitation.
Without uttering a single word, without debate or lengthy explanation, she pulled Ilux along, forcing her friend to follow her steady steps.
They moved away from the shadowed spot where they had been standing, toward the calling glow of neon light.
"Step back for a moment, Ilux. I'll take over."
Fssssh!
"Listen—I've studied the movement. Shift a little to the left, press the button, and repeat until the claw stops right in the middle of the doll you're aiming for."
Cold metal coins changed hands with the stall attendant, clinking with a rustling sound that promised opportunity.
In return, they held a handful of silver tokens that felt heavier than their worth, a currency to purchase small hopes.
Once again, they stood before the glowing glass box, with the treasure of dolls inside appearing closer yet still untouchable.
The air around the stall felt different, more isolated from the carnival's noise, broken only by the machine's soft electronic hum.
Before Ilux could even reach out or offer a sarcastic comment about impossible odds, Erietta had already moved.
With a firm and confident motion, her palm pressed against Ilux's chest, pushing him back one step, then two, giving herself space.
Ilux's face froze, more from the speed and decisiveness of the action than from its force.
Erietta then scooped coins from their shared handful, several tokens hopping into her other palm with a light, determined clink.
There was a new light in her eyes now, no longer innocent longing, but a sudden flare of pride and defiance.
With a posture that could almost be called arrogant, she stepped up to the machine's control panel.
Her body leaned slightly forward, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she fixed her gaze on the bear with the red ribbon behind the glass.
Her slender yet strong fingers wrapped around the cold metal lever.
She held her breath.
Then, with a movement she believed to be swift and measured, she moved the lever.
To the right.
The machine hummed, the steel claw darting along its rails, shaking the small world inside the glass.
To the left.
The motion was slightly rushed, driven by a desire to prove herself as quickly as possible.
'Hah, just let her play. I won't be able to resist commenting anyway.'
A faint crease appeared on Ilux's brow.
A short, almost inaudible sigh slipped from his lips, marking the irritation creeping into his thoughts.
Yet his annoyance was not aimed at the devious machine, but at Erietta's arrogance and haste, which had become the greatest obstacles.
An instinct to snatch the lever and demonstrate the 'right' way pounded in Ilux's mind.
But he suppressed it, buried it deep.
A more wicked strategy, more characteristic of him, began to take shape in his ever-restless head.
Instead of pushing in or seizing control, he stepped back once more, leaned against a supporting pillar of the nearby stall, and crossed his arms over his chest.
He decided to become a spectator, a very active and vocal one.
"Careful, don't pull the lever too far to the left! It'll drop!"
"Be quiet, I know what I'm doing."
"Hey, that's still not close enough. Just a bit more—ah, too late, it's already dropping."
The atmosphere around the claw machine shifted into a tense little stage.
Erietta, her brows furrowing deeper and her jaw tightening, focused her entire being on the metal lever in her grasp.
Every movement was a blind calculation, driven by determination now mixed with desperation.
Her hand nudged the lever to the right, slowly, trying to align the claw's shadow with the silhouette of the teddy bear.
At that moment, Ilux's voice came from beside her, light yet razor-sharp, commenting that her movement was excessive and that the claw would now drift far past the target.
The words sliced through her concentration, forcing a sudden correction that only made her movements stiff.
She pulled the lever to the left, trying to fix the position.
But before her finger touched the red button, the same voice interrupted again, this time with a more instructive tone, stating that at this angle, only the bear's ear would be caught, and that it would be impossible to lift it.
"Pfft—! Hahaha… sorry, but that's honestly entertaining. Just look—the doll lifts for a moment, then drops again."
"Ilux! That's enough! Be quiet, and don't comment on anything else!"
The pile of coins in Erietta's hand shrank rapidly, like sand blown away by the wind, each piece representing a hope crushed by the indifferent iron mechanism.
One by one, the silver tokens vanished into the machine's slot, greeted by the same brief hum, followed by the now-predictable ritual.
Increasingly impatient lever movements, the futile descent of the claw, and the hollow "clack" marking the end of an attempt.
Not a single one of those attempts succeeded.
The claw merely touched, nudged, or failed to reach at all the teddy bear with the red ribbon, which continued to smile unshaken behind the glass, a perfect insult.
To be continued…