Chapter 303
Erietta seemed to imagine herself holding that toy rifle, aiming with full concentration, and pop-pop-pop!
Each balloon burst one by one, filling her ears with a sound of satisfaction.
And the reward was clear: that luxurious stick of cotton candy would be hers.
"Erietta, do you want me to try the balloon-shooting game to get that prize?"
"Hm!"
"Alright then, let's go to the stall. Look, the attendant is there right now."
Ilux, standing beside Erietta, quickly caught on to her behavior.
Her fixed attention, frozen posture, and determined gaze directed at the balloon-shooting stall were a language clear enough for him.
He did not need to ask at length.
An intuitive understanding flowed between them, built from shared adventures and laughter over time.
To confirm and to give Erietta space, Ilux offered a simple proposal.
His voice sounded light amid the carnival's clamor, directly asking whether Erietta wanted him to try the balloon-shooting game.
The question was not mere formality, but an offer of help, a gesture showing he was willing to act as an extension of Erietta's clearly expressed desire.
Erietta's answer came without hesitation.
She nodded firmly, a decisive motion that confirmed all the expectation and focus that had earlier shone from her expression.
The nod was not merely permission, but more like handing over a mission.
Within it was trust that Ilux could make the balloons burst and claim the shimmering cotton candy.
With that confirmation, a shared objective crystallized immediately.
The energy that had previously been focused on static observation shifted into action.
Ilux and Erietta exchanged a brief glance, a silent communication filled with meaning, before moving forward together.
The two teenagers approached the balloon-shooting stall, stepping past the imaginary boundary between spectator and player.
The stall, with its tempting colorful balloons and glittering prizes, now felt very close and tangible.
Behind the counter sat a woman.
She appeared to be absorbed in checking herself with a small mirror she held, perhaps adjusting her makeup or simply watching her appearance amid the carnival's bustle.
She was the owner and operator of the stall, the one who held the key for Ilux to begin the game.
"Welcome! Want to test your aim? The prize is a special cotton candy.
Here's the gun. Three shots for five tokens. Easy—aim, then shoot."
"Fhuuuuh!"
"Good luck! If you pop three balloons, you can choose your prize."
A smile bloomed on the stall attendant's face, radiating a friendliness that might have been a bit too bright for the late afternoon.
That smile could be read as simple cheer in welcoming a new customer, or perhaps there was a deeper flicker of satisfaction beneath it, a kind of veiled anticipation known only to seasoned game stall operators who could read hope in visitors' eyes.
With smooth movements like a ritual repeated thousands of times, her nimble hands went to work.
Several metal tokens moved from Ilux's hand into a small cash box on the counter, producing a brief clinking sound that was quickly swallowed by the carnival music.
That simple transaction became the ticket into this small arena of play.
Once the payment was accepted, the woman's friendly demeanor was immediately followed by swift and decisive action.
From behind the counter, she produced the game's main tool.
It was not a real gun, of course, but a lightweight replica made of thick plastic, with a barrel that might have been slightly worn from countless hands gripping it before.
The toy pistol had a simple spring mechanism and an aim that was certainly less than accurate, designed more for amusement than true precision.
With an almost ceremonial air, the woman handed the pistol to Ilux.
Her movement was full of confidence, as if she were presenting a precious instrument for a noble task.
Her expression remained bright as she watched Ilux now holding the toy weapon, while her eyes perhaps briefly evaluated the new player, gauging his skill or nervousness.
"Don't let them notice our presence. Stay low and quiet."
As Ilux raised the toy pistol, gauging its weight and finding a comfortable balance in his grip, his eyes and thoughts were fully focused on the row of colorful balloons on the target board.
Yet beyond that narrow focus, at a distant point behind the crowd flowing like waves, two other figures had taken their observation position.
Theo and Aldraya had found an ideal spot, a gap between a food stall and another game tent that offered both safe distance and a clear enough line of sight toward the balloon-shooting stall.
They stood there, nearly blending into the shadows and the bustle, two figures deliberately flattening their presence to avoid drawing attention.
Their task now was to listen.
Theo had reminded Aldraya in a brief whisper that maintaining an undetected stalker position was absolute.
That meant not only staying out of sight, but also controlling every movement, every breath, and maximizing their senses to capture the target from afar.
In this case, their ears were the primary weapon.
They tried to filter out the roar of carnival music, vendors' shouts, and other visitors' laughter, isolating and capturing the conversation between Ilux and Erietta.
Every word, every intonation, and every spontaneous reaction was valuable data.
"Hah! The very first shot already missed. So much for being reliable, Ilux?"
"Wussssh!"
"There, it missed again! Where is that aim even going?"
"Fuuuh!"
"Woooohh!"
"Wow, that's already four failures. Looks like the dream of the best cotton candy is starting to fade."
Then, under the stall's bright lights, the action began.
Ilux's finger pulled the trigger, and the spring mechanism inside the toy pistol clicked.
A sharp but small pop sound, almost drowned out by the carnival noise, marked the first shot.
But that was only the opening.
What followed was not careful, calculated aiming.
Ilux seemed to discard all concepts of pause, precision, or ammunition conservation.
With a sudden surge of enthusiasm, twelve shots were fired in rapid succession, like a burst from a machine driven by wild excitement.
The pop-pop-pop sounds rang out continuously, fast and without clear pattern.
Bullet after bullet streaked toward the target board, as if Ilux intended to destroy not only the balloons, but also the very idea of patience itself in a brief eruption of mischief.
Unfortunately, that explosive enthusiasm was not matched by accuracy.
Of the twelve shots fired with such fanfare, only six found their mark.
Six balloons burst with satisfying pops, leaving limp scraps of rubber hanging from the board.
The other six missed, thudding dully into the wooden backing or disappearing somewhere unknown.
Each time a shot was not followed by a balloon's explosion, a spontaneous reaction came from Ilux's side.
Erietta laughed.
Her laughter was not mere amusement, but a clear and cheerful mockery.
She laughed at every wasted effort, every useless bullet, and perhaps most of all, at the gap between Ilux's confident style and the actual results.
Each laugh seemed to underline that all the flair and bravado Ilux had shown moments earlier amounted to nothing, a performance that failed to achieve its goal.
To be continued…