Chapter 214: Kisses, Hugs, and Lift-Ups
"Kouya-kun, does it look good?" Raphiel held up Fuchiko beside her face, looking at him with a trace of expectation.
'What's so good about that?'
'It was just a three- or four-centimeter-tall model, and what was with that seductive gymnastics pose?'
'Weren't you supposed to be a beautiful, intellectual office lady? She looked more like a hyperactive kid with ADHD. Even most yoga practitioners couldn't pull off that pose.'
'Other people dance on poles, and she's out here pole-dancing with a cup.'
"It's alright," Kouya replied casually.
"Hehe, thanks for the compliment." Raphiel's face lit up with a ( *^▽^* ) happy expression.
'Hey, what's with that ridiculously happy look?'
'You think I was praising you? I was talking about Fuchiko, not you!'
...
Turns out, some things really are addictive.
Like how Gabriel is with pay-to-win games.
Like how Vigne is with cats…
Like how Satania is with pineapple bread… Okay, maybe not that—pineapple bread is her life source. She'll die if she doesn't eat one in three days.
And Raphiel? She's addicted to gacha machines.
Ever since her luck exploded on her first pull and she got the gymnastics version of Fuchiko that she always wanted, she just couldn't stop. The gacha spree began.
In just a few moments, she had drawn over ten capsules—student uniform Fuchiko, pink nurse Fuchiko, bunny girl Fuchiko, cherry-hugging Fuchiko, and so on.
But soon, she ran out of coins.
"Kouya-kun..." Raphiel clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling as she looked up at him pleadingly. "Can you give me one coin? I'll trade you my most precious thing."
Huh?
'Her most precious thing?'
Kouya squinted, only to see her hold up one of her Fuchiko figures like a hamster guarding its sunflower seeds. "You can choose one, Kouya-kun."
'What the hell!'
'So your 'most precious thing' was just these Fuchiko figures?!' (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!
"Here." Kouya sighed and tossed her a few coins. He had exchanged a bunch earlier and hadn't used them anyway.
Then he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
The blue-eyed little dragon looked up at him. "Play this."
Kouya followed her finger and saw a row of purikura photo booths along the wall.
These arcades had all kinds of machines now—not just games, but dancing, basketball, mahjong tables, and of course, purikura machines.
Technically, it wasn't a game but a photo booth. You'd fix your hair in front of a mirror, strike a pose, take a picture, then decorate it with filters, stickers, and text before printing it out.
Since Kanna wanted to play, Kouya didn't refuse.
They went to an empty booth. Kanna looked at herself in the mirror first, then tiptoed in front of the screen.
"Waa!"
Her soft little exclamation filled the air.
The blue-eyed dragon cupped her cheeks as she saw bunny ears pop up on the screen, her sky-blue eyes sparkling.
"Majimabakunai!"
Click!
The image froze, and a photo slid out.
Kanna took the photo of herself with bunny ears, thought for a moment, then handed Kouya her backpack.
She tied her bangs into a little braid, ready to take another shot.
But as soon as she let go, the braid came undone.
Her cheeks puffed up slightly as she looked up at Kouya, clearly unhappy.
"Stare—"
"What?" Kouya raised an eyebrow.
'That look definitely wasn't her usual 'feed me' face. Was she planning something again?'
"Hold me!"
Kanna spread her arms toward him.
"Huh?" Kouya tilted his head.
'Why did she suddenly want me to hold her?'
'Did she want a kiss-hug-lift combo or something?'
"To take the picture," Kanna explained.
"...Fine."
After a brief pause, Kouya lifted her up.
In her human form, the blue-eyed dragon barely stood at 1.2 meters, only reaching his stomach. She was light, soft, and warm, her hair carrying the scent of shampoo and a faint, soothing sweetness.
Once he held her up, Kanna used both hands to rebraid her bangs, then tugged on his shirt. "Closer."
Kouya leaned in.
"Closer."
Until both their faces appeared on the screen. Only then did Kanna press the button.
Click!
The image froze.
In the photo, Kanna had little angel wings floating above her head, her big eyes shining like a summer sky, her fingers holding her braided bangs—adorably cute beyond words.
As for Kouya… best not to mention it.
Still, seeing the photo of himself with the blue-eyed dragon somehow lifted his mood.
"Kouya-kun, what are you two doing?" Vigne's voice came from behind.
Kouya turned around. "You're done playing?"
"Yeah." Vigne shook her head, cheeks puffed slightly. "I keep finishing last."
"I'll play with you next time?"
"No way." She shot him a glare, then muttered, "But... it's not bad to play once in a while."
"Eh? What's that?"
Her eyes caught sight of the photo in Kouya's hand, and curiosity sparked. She leaned closer—and her eyes lit up instantly.
"Kanna-chan's so cute!"
"I want to hold her too!"
'Hey, I'm in that picture too! How about you don't ignore me?'
"Kanna-chan, let's take one together!" Vigne's eyes practically turned into hearts.
Kouya was about to step aside, but Kanna grabbed his sleeve, looked up, and said softly:
"Together."
"What do you think?" Kouya looked at Vigne.
A blush spread across her face. After a short pause, she nodded. "O-okay… let's take one together."
Then she mumbled to herself, "We're just classmates, so it's fine to take one picture together…"
As they posed, a mother and her little daughter happened to walk by.
The toddler, no more than three years old, tugged her mother's hand and asked in a sweet, innocent voice, "Mama, why doesn't Daddy play with us?"
The woman gently patted her daughter's head. "Because Daddy's working hard to support the family, sweetie. He doesn't have much time."
"But that girl's mommy and daddy have time." The little girl pointed curiously at Kouya and Vigne.
Vigne froze, quickly realizing who the little one meant. Her face instantly turned crimson, redder than the sunset sky, and it was as if steam was puffing from her head.
Click!
Kanna pressed the button, and the scene froze.
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