I've gotten used to this rigged kunai now. Uchiha Ryo guaranteed that even without activating his Sharingan, he could hit it every single time!
"Boss, remember... nine throws."
The middle-aged boss nodded with a grin. "You've got great luck, young man. You'll definitely hit it next throw."
The kunai flew out, precisely hitting the topmost balloon.
The surrounding passersby all turned to look. They had been playing for a while, but this was the first time they'd seen someone hit a balloon so casually.
The boss clapped, pulled out the kunai, and brought it over. "See? I told you. I never cheat."
Uchiha Ryo smiled, and another kunai shot out, hitting its mark.
The smile on the boss's face froze for a moment. He wordlessly pulled out the kunai and handed it over.
The kunai was in his hand for less than a second before it was thrown again. As the third balloon popped, the onlookers broke into applause.
Uchiha Ryo pointed at the Mr. Pan plushie on the shelf. "Let's have that one first."
The smile on the middle-aged boss's face completely vanished, but he still handed over the plushie.
"You've got some skill, little brother..."
"Eh~ It's my first time playing. Just lucky, I guess."
Uchiha Ryo took the plushie and handed it to Yukinoshita, then took the kunai again. "Boss, you can't just have one kunai, right? Give me two more. It'll save you the trouble of pulling it out each time."
The boss gave a wry smile and pulled out two more plastic kunai from his cabinet.
Uchiha Ryo weighed them in his hand. Mhm... all three kunai have the same problem.
With a flick of his wrist, three kunai flew out at once, precisely popping three balloons.
"Well now, boss, it seems my luck is pretty good today. I'll take that cat plushie this time."
Booth Owner: "....."
"Big brother! You're amazing! Hana-chan and I also spent 500 yen, but we didn't get anything."
Just as Uchiha Ryo was about to use his last three throws, he heard a slightly childish voice beside him. Turning to look, he saw two very cute children.
Judging by their age, they looked like elementary school students. This unscrupulous boss even takes money from elementary schoolers?
"Hinata, let's go. Since we can't get the Myaa-nee plushie, let's just forget it."
The little girl called Hinata giggled. "It's okay, Hana-chan, I have an idea!"
"Big brother, I have 500 yen here. Can you help us win that Myaa-nee plushie too?"
[System has detected a capturable target]
[Capturable Target's Name: Shirosaki Hana]
[Current Shirosaki Hana Affinity: 3]
System, what do you mean? What kind of person do you take me, Uchiha Ryo, for!
Uchiha Ryo looked at the orange-haired little girl confidently holding out the money, shook his head, and said.
"I can't play using your money."
"Ehh—"
Uchiha Ryo pointed at the Myaa-nee plushie. "But I have three throws left. I can help you win it."
"That's great! Hana-chan, we can get the Myaa-nee plushie now."
While Uchiha Ryo was getting ready, the shop owner was getting anxious. Now he's helping others? If everyone asks this little brother for help...
"Little brother, let's stop playing for now. I admit I was blind to your talent."
"Ah, but I still have three throws left."
The middle-aged boss sighed. He first took the cat plushie and the Myaa-nee plushie from the shelf, then returned the 1,000 yen he had just pocketed to Uchiha Ryo.
"I don't want the money either. Take these three plushies as a token of friendship. You guys can go home now!"
Not bad. Uchiha Ryo took the money, gave the cat plushie to Yukinoshita, and handed the Myaa-nee plushie to the cute girl called Hana-chan.
[Shirosaki Hana's affinity for you has increased—G-Points +20]
"Thank you, big brother!"
Watching the two little girls leave with their plushies, Uchiha Ryo and Yukinoshita Yukino left the third floor of the shopping center with their two plushies, under the extremely happy gaze of the owner.
"Thank you..."
"I got them for you in the first place. What would a guy like me do with such cute plushies?"
Uchiha Ryo held out his hand, but he meant for Yukinoshita to give him the plushies for now.
"Let me hold them for you. I'll give them to you when we get back to the apartment."
"Mm..."
Seeing Yukinoshita hugging the plushies tightly, Uchiha Ryo's eye twitched. "I'm not going to take them from you. I already said, what use do I have for these plushies?"
Yukinoshita nodded, handed the two plushies to Uchiha Ryo, and gave a rare smile.
[Yukinoshita Yukino's affinity for you has increased—G-Points +10]
So Yukinoshita does have a cute side besides her looks. Yukino seemed a bit shy as she quickly pulled her hand back after handing over the plushies. It seems the Ice Queen can be melted.
"I didn't expect you to be something of a gentleman."
Uchiha Ryo chuckled lightly. "The men of my Uchiha clan have always been kind-hearted, gentle, and thoughtful gentlemen."
After speaking, Uchiha Ryo imperceptibly glanced at a clothing store not far away. At the entrance, two people seemed to be pretending to choose clothes, but were actually glancing at him and Yukino from time to time.
One of them looks like Hiratsuka-sensei. Even with a mask on her face, the size of her 'headlights' is impossible to hide.
Then the person with Hiratsuka-sensei, who is also very interested in Yukinoshita Yukino, must be the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family.
"Oh~ Yukinoshita-san, are you two on a date?"
While his attention was on those two, Uchiha Ryo didn't notice that someone had stopped in front of them, someone who seemed to know Yukinoshita.
"We are not, Hayasaka-san. I was just helping him buy some pet supplies, since a certain someone doesn't know how to raise a cat at all."
Uchiha Ryo focused his gaze on the blonde gyaru in front of him. Her brilliant blonde hair, delicate, fair skin, and exquisite features, combined with her compensated-dating vibe, made one feel an inexplicable sense of fondness.
The blonde gyaru shifted her gaze from Yukinoshita and slowly walked in front of Uchiha Ryo.
"I've heard about you, Uchiha Ryo from Class 2. The genius top student who got third place in the year as an external student, and who joined the Classic Literature Club."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Hayasaka Ai from Class 1. It's a pleasure to meet you~"
[System has detected a capturable target]
[Capturable Target's Name: Hayasaka Ai]
[Current Hayasaka Ai Affinity: 1]
Even though her affinity is only 1, she acts like she's easy to approach and that we're already friends. Hayasaka Ai... as the personal attendant of the Shinomiya family's young lady, she's also in the hard-to-capture category.
"A pleasure to meet you. But as for being a genius top student... there are still two students in our year with higher scores than me."
"Well~ Uchiha-kun, you're so modest. If the third-ranked student in our year can't be called a top student, then what does that make me, who's in the middle of the pack?"
Before Uchiha Ryo could speak, Yukinoshita spoke first.
"The first monthly exam at Shuchiin is coming up soon, right? I hope you can still maintain your third-place position."
"Of course, I'll have no problem. But Yukinoshita-san, won't you be too busy studying 'Hyouka' to review for the exam?"
Hayasaka Ai looked from one to the other. "Are you two really not a couple out on a weekend date?"
....