Since it was the weekend, the arcade was packed.
Tanaka Masao and Sawamura Eriri each carried a box overflowing with game tokens and scanned the floor for something to play.
Eriri looked left and right, unable to decide for a moment. Masao, however, had already chosen his target.
"How about we try the fighting games?"
Eriri glanced at the boisterous fighting zone and gave a confident smile.
"Then let me show you what I can do."
If she had tokens in her hand, Eriri would have struck the classic two-hands-on-hips triumphant pose. The fighting area was surrounded by people, but most of them were just watching matches, so Masao and Eriri easily found an empty cabinet in a corner.
There are two kinds of versus setups: two machines networked together, or a single shared screen with two control panels—like the one they were using. The cabinet space was roomy enough at first, but once Masao sat down—he was a bit on the large side—the two of them felt a little cramped.
Eriri scooted over and grumbled, a little put-out. "It's your fault for taking up so much space. I can't move my hands properly."
"Can't help it," Masao said, helpless. He changed the subject. "Alright, let's pick characters."
He mashed the joystick and quickly locked onto a pudgy sumo wrestler-type character.
Eriri, seeing his pick, couldn't resist teasing. "You pick someone to match your real-life image? Fine—then I'll pick someone who matches me."
She selected a character, a blonde British-looking fighter whose appearance did somewhat resemble Eriri. Looking at the game's female character with an exaggerated, curvy figure, Masao wisely kept his mouth shut.
Countdown finished. The match began.
"Take this!" Eriri shouted and opened with a stabbing punch.
Masao responded with a straight left and, using distance advantage, knocked Eriri's character down first. While she was stiff from getting hit, he followed with a whipping right-leg kick. A few quick strikes later, Eriri's avatar was launched across the screen.
Eriri's character got up and she kept a cautious distance. "Didn't expect you to be this good," she admitted.
Masao swelled with pride. "See? Knew I had it in me. Watch this."
Bolstered by confidence, he went for a flashy jumping flying kick. Eriri didn't press the punch button—she hit light kick instead, and that one kick sent the airborne Masao crashing down.
Eriri's eyes lit up. "Now it's my turn."
Her fingers hammered the attack buttons, following up relentlessly. A flurry of sloppy inputs sent Masao flying. Seeing a big chunk of his health bar vanish, Eriri beamed.
"How do you like that? See how great I am?"
Masao was too proud to give in. "I just messed up earlier. I didn't dodge. Next time I'll give you a real shot."
From that moment they both became cautious and tentative, constantly testing each other; half their attacks connected with nothing but air. But whenever an opening came, they mashed the buttons like maniacs—any hit would do.
…
The truth was, both of them were very green at fighting games. Eriri hardly played at all, and Masao wasn't much better. His smug plan to "pwn" Eriri came from an entirely unearned confidence. Yet because they were equally inexperienced, they made a surprisingly fun match of it and quickly got absorbed.
Their match drew attention from nearby onlookers.
"Man, they're terrible at the controls."
"Yeah, reminds me of when I first played—just smashing buttons."
"But you know what? Even if their match isn't technically impressive, it's kind of nice to watch."
"They look genuinely happy. That's the charm of gaming, I guess."
Someone in the crowd suddenly blurted out, "Are those two a couple?"
At once the warm, easy vibe flipped. The arcade fell into an awkward silence, and the air chilled a little.
"Ugh—another PDA couple showing off."
"This lovey-dovey match is gross. Not entertaining at all."
"Bomb them—they're so smug."
That word—"couple"—made the single guys watching feel a sting of envy. They shouted at the screen in their heads: why don't I have a girlfriend to play with?
Meanwhile, Masao and Eriri were so engrossed they didn't notice the whispers. The score was tied 1–1 and they'd reached the final deciding round. Both characters were down to about a third of their health.
Eriri saw Masao's avatar close in and instinctively pressed a leg attack.
Masao grinned. "Eriri, you just fell for it!"
He ducked at the right moment, avoiding the kick, and countered with a low kick that connected.
"Aah!"
Eriri, irritated and impressed, shouted, "Tanaka, you scoundrel!"
Her left hand wildly shook the arcade controller; her right hand jammed the buttons as she cried out, "Stand up! Get up, damn it!"
"No use. Watch this: Muda Muda Muda!" Masao yelled—his voice full of giddy excitement at the approach of victory.
He knew—he felt—that Eriri's lucky timing had worked in his favor. But just as Masao's character was about to be reduced to a sliver of health, Eriri's avatar flashed its portrait on the screen—time seemed to freeze—and both triggered their finishers in the same instant.
"Finishing move!" ×2
Both players cried out. One in surprised delight; the other in stunned disbelief.
With Eriri's finishing move executing, the match result resolved quickly.
"Yatta—! I won!"
Eriri leapt from her seat and raised her arms in celebration. Her face lit up, her little fang visible—she was ecstatic.
Masao, by contrast, looked drained, staring at the screen with a slack expression.
"W-what… how did that happen?"