"Mio, how about that little black cat plush?" Shichen pointed at the cute black kitten inside the claw machine. It looked strangely familiar—kind of like Megumin's familiar, Chomusuke.
"It's really cute." Mio Takamiya looked at it and fell in love at first sight.
"Then that's the one!"
Shichen got serious, fed in the coins, and fixed his eyes on the claw. Mio tensed up too—holding her breath, fists clenched, silently cheering him on.
He wanted to win it in one try, so he focused hard, inching the claw along and carefully judging the distance. If he wanted, he could've just snatched it with a power from afar—but that would kill the meaning, and there'd be nothing memorable about it. For something like this, it was better to win it properly.
Soon the claw slid right above the little black cat. Its position was perfect—easy to grab. Shichen adjusted one last time, then hit the button.
The claw dropped.
Shichen and Mio leaned their heads together, staring through the glass like their lives depended on it.
The claw caught the plush—and lifted it up.
Shichen held his breath.
At the top, it wobbled twice… but the plush didn't fall.
It's in the bag.
The claw glided back to its home position and released. The black cat dropped neatly into the prize chute—safe and sound.
"We did it!" Mio cried, delighted.
Grinning, Shichen crouched down, retrieved the plush, and handed it to her.
"Here. Our first trophy."
"I'll treasure it." Mio hugged the little black cat to her chest, genuinely overjoyed.
Seeing her smile made Shichen just as happy. Nothing beat a smile you earned by trying for real.
But when his gaze dipped, his brows rose slightly.
Mio held the plush tight against her, and the pressure made her dress draw in, outlining her curves more clearly.
Not small at all.
Shichen had… technically seen her unclothed before. It was the kind of beauty you didn't just "forget." Not that he was trying to remember—he just couldn't.
"W-what—" Mio noticed his gaze, followed it down, and immediately realized what he'd been looking at.
She turned shy in an instant—yet couldn't help feeling a little happy too. She knew men tended to notice things like that. So… she could attract him.
Still, even if it made her secretly pleased, it was embarrassing. She loosened her grip on the plush so her dress could fall naturally again, lowered her head, and didn't know what to say.
"Ahem." Shichen coughed awkwardly. Getting caught staring like that—even he felt his face heat up.
"Mio, see any other plushies you like? Want to keep going?" Shichen quickly changed the subject.
"Mhm." Mio nodded.
"Then you try this time—pick one you like and go for it." Shichen stepped aside.
"I already got my favorite." Mio held the black cat close. "So… how about I win one for you instead?"
"Sure."
"Which one do you want?" Mio asked seriously. Winning a plush for Shichen wasn't something she wanted to mess up.
"For me… same as you. You choose." Shichen smiled. "If you pick it, I'll like it."
"Okay!" Mio lit up with determination.
She didn't just look at the machine in front of them—she scanned the whole area, intent on choosing something a boy would like.
…
By noon, Shichen and Mio left to find somewhere to eat.
They each carried one plush, but they'd actually won several—only to give most of them away. Keeping too many felt pointless. The very first plush was always the most special.
Mio wasn't really interested in restaurant food—she only truly loved the meals Shichen cooked—but going out to eat was still part of the "date experience."
Shichen was thinking about what to take her to eat when they passed a family restaurant. Mio stopped dead, staring at a child inside happily biting into a burger.
"Shichen, what's that?"
"That? A hamburger."
"A hamburger?"
"Yeah. Simple fast food—balanced enough, and popular with all ages."
"All ages? I don't see any elderly people in there."
Shichen coughed. "They just haven't 'grown old' in their tastes."
"Hm?" Mio gave him a puzzled look.
"Ahem. If you're curious, then let's eat here." Shichen led her inside.
"Do you like it?" Mio asked.
"I'm not picky."
"Good."
At the counter, Shichen ordered a lot: several burgers, fries, fried chicken, and soda.
In the future, people might call it junk food—but right now, thirty years ago, ingredients were honest, portions were real, and "mystery additives" weren't a thing yet.
After ordering, Shichen and Mio sat in a corner to wait.
To avoid staff overlooking them, Shichen briefly dropped the concealment effect. The downside was immediate: he became the center of attention.
There were a lot of girls in the restaurant, and their "sneaky glances" at Shichen were… not subtle at all.
Mio noticed too. Watching them stare at him made something twist in her chest.
"Mio, what's wrong?" Shichen saw her cheeks puff slightly in a pout.
"Nothing…" Mio shook her head.
"If you're thinking something, tell me. Don't bottle it up."
"I… I'm kind of annoyed." After hesitating, Mio admitted it.
"Annoyed?"
"They're… all looking at you."
"Oh, that's what it is." Shichen laughed.
"Why are you happy about it?"
"Because you're jealous." Shichen said it plainly.
"Jealous… so that's what this is." Mio blinked, realizing it out loud.
"You get jealous for me. Of course I'm happy." Shichen smiled.
"Mm…" Being called out so directly made Mio flustered.
Their food arrived. Shichen immediately turned the concealment effect back on, and within moments the restaurant felt "normal" again.
"Here, eat. Take a big bite—like this." Shichen demonstrated, biting off nearly half a burger and chewing confidently.
Mio copied him, but her mouth was smaller—she could only take a little bite. A dab of sauce clung to the corner of her lips.
Shichen reached over, wiped it away with his finger, then—without hesitation—licked the sauce off his fingertip.
Mio turned even redder, dropped her gaze, and focused on eating.
…It really was delicious.
Her mood brightened completely; the sour jealousy from earlier faded away like it had never existed.
Once they finished, they left quietly. They'd already paid at the counter—no dine-and-dash.
Full and pleasantly lazy, they walked on and happened to pass a cinema.
So Shichen brought her in to watch a movie.
Mio "knew" what movies were now, but she'd never actually watched one. She was curious. Shichen wasn't particularly into films, but it was a classic date activity.
He didn't know what was good in this era, so he let Mio choose.
After browsing for a while, Mio picked a romance film.
Shichen bought tickets, waited with her, then they went in—ticket check, entry, and seats in the far corner, undisturbed.
No popcorn or drinks; they were still full.
Their section was nearly empty. Quiet. Peaceful.
Mio watched with wide interest, her silver, glassy eyes reflecting the screen's light—mesmerizing.
A few minutes later, the film began. Shichen and Mio held hands, both looking forward to it.
It was a classic story: different social backgrounds, a fateful meeting—back then, it didn't feel like a "trope" yet.
Romance movies, even old ones, had kissing scenes.
On the big screen, the leads shared a heartfelt kiss, and the audience visibly leaned in.
Shichen felt almost nothing—too chaste, too "peck-like."
But Mio wasn't him. Her heartbeat sped up, her imagination ran wild, and she instinctively squeezed Shichen's hand tighter—then interlaced their fingers, copying the couple.
"Mio?" Shichen looked at her.
"Shichen…" Mio looked back, cheeks pink.
"You're not going to—"
"Shichen… what does kissing feel like?" Mio stared at him, eyes bright and intent.
"Well…" Shichen started, then smiled faintly. "You can't really explain it with words."
"I want to know." Mio leaned closer.
"Y-you—mm."
Before Shichen could finish, Mio kissed him.
So bold.
~~~
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