Although only a few dozen centimeters remained, countless had fallen at the dawn of success.
Finally, the claw carrying the plush reached steadily above the exit chute.
"He did it?", one of the JKs blurted out, her expression hard to describe, either amazement or envy.
Her companion also looked a bit sour. She had tried more than a dozen times herself, spending over a thousand yen, but couldn't even fish out a small one, all the money had gone into grabbing air.
She was about to approach and ask this claw machine master for some tips, but the moment she met those pale chestnut-colored eyes, she froze slightly.
Kaito casually glanced at the two unfamiliar JKs and paid them no mind. He simply bent down, picked up the chubby little seal from the machine, and handed it to the green-haired girl beside him.
"Mission accomplished."
Mutsumi was silent for a moment, then finally gave a soft "Mm."
The little seal plush was fluffy and meticulously made. It clearly wasn't cheap, and it felt great to hold in her arms.
But... No matter how nice the texture was, it couldn't compare to another kind of feeling that filled her heart.
It was the joy and satisfaction of being valued.
Clearly, she had only glanced a few more times at the cute plush without truly hoping to own it, but someone had braved all obstacles to fulfill that wish for her.
It felt like a fledgling had suddenly fluttered into her heartsoft, and warm.
"My turn, my turn! And I want my rainbow pony!", Mortis looked enviously at the little seal in Mutsumi's arms. She grabbed Kaito's hand and shook it non-stop, acting spoiled in a drawn-out tone, "Onii-chan~ Onii-chan~"
"Calm down," Kaito rubbed her head and inserted another coin.
This time, again, there was no suspense. The claw was steady from beginning to end, more obedient than a house-trained dog, grabbing precisely where pointed.
"Thank you, Onii-chan! I love you so much!", Receiving the long-desired rainbow pony, Mortis cheered, rubbing the plush against her cheek, totally unwilling to let go.
Kaito was used to her over-the-top reactions. He simply asked the two of them if they wanted any more plushies, since they were already here, it would be no trouble.
However, he received a negative response.
The cutest plushies in the machine, a rainbow pony and a little seal, were now theirs. Getting more would only be burdensome.
Kaito didn't insist. He nodded slightly and then calmly withdrew the invisible giant hand he had condensed using spiritual power.
This amusement park's claw machines were pretty greedy. Several times the plushies almost fell off halfway during the grab.
Fortunately, his skills were superior.
Now that the girls' wishes had been fulfilled, there was no need to linger.
The group left the claw machines, intending to check if there were any other fun attractions nearby.
It had to be said, two equally beautiful girls with identical appearances were already enough to turn heads. Now, each holding an adorable plushie, their attention-drawing power easily doubled.
Though most of the gazes still ended up on Kaito in the end, he had long since gotten used to this and felt nothing at all.
After wandering a bit, Mortis suddenly scrunched her little nose, looking troubled.
She had eaten quite a bit earlier, and drank plenty of beverages. Now, a certain urge came rushing fiercely, hard to suppress.
She tossed out a quick "I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back," handed her plushie to Onii-chan for safekeeping, and hurried off.
Watching the girl's figure gradually disappear, Mutsumi fell into thought.
Mortis had left. Which meant, right now, it was just her and Onii-chan.
She subtly glanced around the surroundings. The girl then suggested, "There's a bench prepared for visitors up ahead. Onii-chan, want to take a rest?"
Kaito didn't think much of it. Though he wasn't tired, considering that Mutsumi's body was still that of an ordinary person, he nodded slightly.
The bench was in a nearby corner, slightly secluded, and there were barely any visitors around, almost no one in sight.
What a perfect place to do something bad. Of course, anything too extreme was out of the question.
After all, no matter how few people there were, it was still a public space. There was always a risk of being discovered. For certain individuals, that might be part of the thrill, but unfortunately, she didn't have that kind of fetish.
However... She hadn't planned to do anything overly bold anyway.
Sitting on the bench, after a moment of silence, Mutsumi gently raised the little seal plush in her hands, breaking the quiet.
"Thank you for earlier, Onii-chan."
"You mean this plush?"
Kaito flicked the little seal's forehead, "As long as you like it, the gift wasn't in vain."
Mutsumi curved her lips slightly, then shook her head a little, "Mother taught me since I was young, to give a return gift for every present received."
The girl's golden eyes shimmered like soft crescent moons.
She slowly leaned in, like a cat, a few playful strands of hair brushing against his cheek with the motion, tickling slightly. A faint white sandalwood scent lingered at his nose.
Then, a slightly moist, soft sensation gently landed, like a drop of spring rain falling on a lotus leaf, slipping away without a trace.
"I really like this gift," Mutsumi whispered.
"Hu... If I knew, I wouldn't have drunk so much," Relieved, Mortis let out a long breath. After rinsing her hands by the sink and confirming everything was fine, she left the restroom.
"Hope Onii-chan and Mutsumi didn't get too impatient waiting?"
With that thought in mind, she quickened her steps and soon returned the way she came.
Only...
'Hm? Where are they?'
The girl froze for a second and looked around, finally spotting two familiar figures in a secluded corner not far from here.
"So they're here," Mortis sighed in relief. She had thought she got lost, thank goodness she didn't.
She briskly stepped forward, her light-footed silhouette like a white crane stepping through water. Yet, the moment she saw the scene in front of her clearly, she couldn't help but tilt her head.
'Is it just my imagination?'
'When I made eye contact with Mutsumi just now, did her face... turn a little red?'
[ Shoutout to Ben, Archer, Christopher & Tahmeed for joining patreon. Thank you very much.]
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Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining. You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
Chapter 263: Seaweed and Egg Soup, Not Cauliflower Soup
Mortis looked a little suspicious.
But when she rubbed her eyes and looked over again, Mutsumi had already returned to her usual calm. Her pale white skin reminded one of shattered snow in winter, there was no sign of guilt or blushing.
Even when meeting Mortis's searching and direct gaze, Wakaba Mutsumi still wore her usual faint expression. This was the good thing about a three-no-beauty, even without any expression, she never appeared out of place. It was hard to read what she was really thinking behind that unreadable face.
[Note: "three-no" refers to a quiet girl with "no expression, no emotions, no words."]
'Hmm, I probably just saw wrong.'
Unable to find any flaw at all, Mortis finally let it go. With Mutsumi's passive and quiet personality, expecting her to do something extra while she was gone was really too difficult. She had only scared herself.
Rather than thinking about such useless things, there was undoubtedly something more important at the moment.
A must-experience attraction at the amusement park, the Ferris Wheel.
As one of the three great classic dating spots, the Ferris Wheel carried countless beautiful wishes of couples wanting to stay together for life. All sorts of romantic legends associated with it were far too many to count. Mortis had long yearned for it.
It was also the best place to confess. Because it was located high in the air, away from the ground, the space was isolated and absolutely private. No one could interrupt your conversation, and the girl couldn't run away. You had plenty of time to say what you wanted, and do what you wanted to do.
Although Mortis didn't yet have the courage to confess, nor the guts to tell her true feelings to her brother, she could treat it as a rehearsal in advance.
The Ferris wheel rotated every fifteen minutes. When the girl excitedly dragged her brother and the third wheel Mutsumi to the queue, the slow-moving giant had just stopped spinning.
There weren't many tourists around. Perhaps because it wasn't evening yet. The space behind the glass cabin door was quiet and empty, and the small size could only accommodate two people.
"It's actually a two-person cabin", Mortis tried hard to put on a disappointed expression, but the curve at the corner of her mouth just wouldn't go down, 'A legitimate excuse to leave Mutsumi behind and be alone with Onii-chan has just presented itself. Hold it in, no laughing.'
She tried her best to straighten her little face, letting out a fake sigh, "What a shame, I originally wanted the three of us to ride together"
"In that case."
Seeing that she seemed genuinely disappointed, Kaito thought for a moment and simply suggested, "You and Mutsumi ride the Ferris wheel together. I'll just wait down here."
Mortis: "..."
The girl, who had been fantasizing about sneaking a kiss while alone with her brother in the cabin, snapped back to reality, visibly stunned, "Eh?"
"No need to worry about me," Kaito thought she was just too shy to leave him behind, so he rubbed the little girl's head, "It just so happens I'm not very interested in this attraction. So, just enjoy yourselves."
It wasn't an excuse to make her feel better.
He truly wasn't interested in Ferris wheels. While it might seem romantic to girls as a classic couple's attraction, to Kaito the pace was just too slow.
By comparison, he'd much rather ride the roller coaster a few more times.
However, faced with his voluntary withdrawal, Mortis couldn't smile at all.
How could she possibly be happy?
Riding the Ferris wheel in itself meant nothing. The person you ride with is what gives it meaning. If she couldn't experience it with her brother, then it was like tomato and eggs without tomato, or seaweed and egg soup without seaweed, it was all completely backwards, pearl-buying-for-the-box logic. Only a fool would do that.
But Kaito didn't notice her anxious and flustered expression. He turned to Mutsumi and gently rubbed her head too, "Go ahead and enjoy. I'll wait for you down here. No need to rush."
"Mm," Wakaba Mutsumi lightly nodded. Although she also felt a bit disappointed that she couldn't ride alone with her brother. On the bright side, if she couldn't, then neither could Mortis.
Anyway, she'd already sneakily gotten enough kisses today. Her heart was satisfied.
As the Ferris wheel started, the slow-moving giant gradually rotated, and the sealed two-person cabin rose bit by bit.
Looking out the window, the drifting clouds in the sky were dyed a mellow warm color by the midday sun. The figures of the visitors below had shrunk to the size of ants, and the distant outlines of the city became increasingly softened by the bright light. The towering buildings looked like stacked blocks, sinking with the noise into a far-off valley.
The scene was so beautiful it felt dreamlike, enough to become a romantic blade, piercing even the coldest and proudest girl's heart.
But Mortis felt nothing at all. On the contrary, she was listless, weak, like a cucumber wilted by frost.
No matter how beautiful the scenery was, if there was no one beside you to share it with, it was just flavorless leftovers. Tasteless to eat, wasteful to discard.
'Life is hard,' Mortis sighed.
'But'
She looked toward Mutsumi, who had been silently gazing out the window without saying a word, and found a bit of comfort in her disappointment.
'Happiness is all about comparison.'
Even if she missed this chance, she still got to act spoiled with her brother normally, got kisses and hugs, and could quietly take some little advantages.
In comparison, Mutsumi's quiet personality meant she mostly acted as a bystander, at most piggybacking off the benefits that Mortis had earned. She looked a bit pitiful.
Thinking of this, a sense of superiority welled up naturally.
'Victory!'
The Ferris wheel still had about ten minutes left to complete a rotation.
Kaito sat on a bench. He originally planned to kill time by scrolling through his phone, but a new message suddenly popped up in the top notification bar.
[Yamada Ryou: Boyfriend-kun?]
'Gremlin Ryou?'
A little surprised, he replied with a question mark.
[Kaito: ?]
[Yamada Ryou: I'm super cute, lend me some money.]
[Yamada Ryou: The latest model of the effects pedal is out. Only 100,000 yen. I'll do anything. Onegai~]
Followed by a chibi emoticon of someone kowtowing with a bang bang.
So shameless yet flexible, definitely Yamada Ryou's style.
[Kaito: 100,000 yen isn't a small amount.]
[Kaito: I'll have to discuss it with my fiancee.]
[Yamada Ryou: Didn't you and Bocchi just start dating? When did you get engaged?]
[Kaito: We didn't.]
[Kaito: So there's nothing to discuss.]
This time it was Ryou's turn to send a question mark.
[Yamada Ryou: ?]
Rare to see this Gremlin girl speechless, it was a very different satisfaction from teasing a certain pink dragon.
Kaito casually transferred 100,000 yen over, understanding the art of a sweet date after a hard slap.
Yamada Ryou, who had been about to fight back, quickly accepted the transfer and shamelessly sent over a [Thank you, master!], like a fawning eunuch in a historical drama, fully embracing the art of flattery.
[Kaito: Save your thanks for later. If there's nothing else, I'm logging off. Got things to do soon.]
[Yamada Ryou: Ahem! Of course there's more!]
[Yamada Ryou: I've hit a bottleneck writing songs lately. Nijika wants to host a group camping trip to help inspire me.]
[Yamada Ryou: As our honorary ex-bandmate, Boyfriend-kun, are you interested in joining us?]
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Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining. You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
Chapter 264: The Little Penguin in the Aquarium
Ryou's invitation was a little sudden.
Before Kaito could respond, a new chat window popped up.
