Chapter 309
Each time the sound of failure echoed, an automatic response came from the side.
Ilux, still leaning casually, would cover his mouth with the back of his hand, yet the small tremor in his shoulders and the creases at the corners of his gleaming eyes revealed everything.
His laughter did not burst out loudly, not a guffaw that would draw other people's attention.
It was restrained, hidden laughter, deliberately kept just audible enough for Erietta's already heated ears.
That sound was like steam hissing from a boiling kettle, a wordless mockery that hurt more precisely because of its passive-aggressive nature.
Every suppressed breath that turned into a small vibration of laughter was an affirmation: "I told you so."
"Enough! Let's go to the cinema now, before I truly lose my temper."
"There's a small trick to this machine. Let me show you."
The irritation boiling in Erietta's chest finally found what felt like the most logical outlet for a teenager.
Escape.
Her breathing came in short gasps, her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, while her empty hands clenched tightly.
With a voice forced into flatness yet still bitter, she expressed her desire to leave immediately, to abandon the insulting machine and rush toward the cinema that had been their original destination.
For her, the dark room filled with moving images was the only refuge that could hide her defeat for now, a place where her heart would no longer be humiliated by a doll's smile and a friend's laughter.
Her movement was already set to turn away, her body half pivoted, leaving behind the bad memory in front of the claw machine stall.
But Ilux was like a reef standing firm against the current of Erietta's will.
He did not move to follow.
His body, still leaning against the pillar, remained solidly in place, only his eyes blinking slowly as they watched Erietta's tense back.
A strange smile, no longer mocking but something deeper and more calculated, formed on his lips.
His refusal to leave was felt in the silence itself.
It was as if he was savoring the moment after this small storm, waiting for something, or perhaps preparing something.
A few seconds passed in that tense quiet before, suddenly yet confidently, he pushed himself away from the pillar.
His steps were firm, not following Erietta as she left, but moving forward toward the still-lit claw machine, the source of all frustration.
"Just because you men like to rely on logic doesn't mean everything will go according to your logic, Ilux."
"Just be quiet and watch. Luck always walks with me—and it's never been wrong."
The echo of Erietta's comment about fragile logic seemed to get caught in the carnival's clamor, tossed aside without ever truly reaching its target.
Ilux stood like a statue of concentration before the glass box radiating artificial light, the outside world already blurring into a meaningless backdrop.
All the noise, laughter, and music blended into a white hiss that only sharpened the silence within him.
His sharp eyes traced every corner, every gap, every possibility hidden behind the machine's mechanical movements, as if he were reading a script of fate written in the language of gears and magnets.
Ilux did not move hastily.
His entire being merged with the machine, with the space, with the moment.
The hand holding the lever did not tremble, but moved with near inhuman precision, as if he were not guessing at all, but executing a calculation already completed in his mind.
The steel claw above darted forward swiftly, then curved gently, dancing over the sea of dolls in a pattern only he understood.
His gaze never left the target, the teddy bear with the red ribbon, as if he had bound the toy's soul with an invisible tether.
Behind the glass, that small world seemed to hold its breath.
"Whoa! Three at once?! Hurry, grab them, Ilux! Don't let them fall again!"
The steel claw descended not with careless motion, but like an eagle's talon striking its prey with deadly certainty.
Not just one, but three soft-furred dolls in pastel colors were caught in a single, perfect mechanical grip.
Magnetic chains and metal angles fused with those gentle forms in an unexpected embrace, creating a fragile yet strong composition behind the shimmering glass.
Erietta, who had been suppressing disappointment and resentment in the corner of her heart, was instantly pulled back into that magical center of gravity.
All irritation evaporated, replaced by a spontaneous gasp of awe that drew her steps closer almost without her realizing it.
She now stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with Ilux, her shoulder almost brushing his arm.
Her eyes, once filled with skepticism, now sparkled with something else, a flicker of hope reborn from the ruins of defeat.
She held her breath, both hands clenched tightly in front of her chest as if lending strength to support an invisible weight.
A whispered encouragement slipped from her lips, no longer words of rejection or mockery, but a low, urgent voice filled with conviction, urging Ilux to complete the small miracle forming before them.
The surrounding world, the carnival noise, the smell of roasted sugar, all faded away.
There was only the glass box, the steel claw, the three dolls, and Ilux standing there in absolute concentration.
"It seems your good luck always skips over odd numbers. But… still, thank you."
Wiiiihh!
"So adorable. I'll take the best care of them."
"Ahahahaha."
A thin layer of moisture on the palm, a mortal consequence of focused tension, turned out to be enough to alter the course of a small fate behind the glass.
As the claw rose with what seemed like a perfect load, a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor occurred.
One of the three dolls, pale blue in color, slipped free from the fragile magnetic grip.
Its soft body caught briefly on the edge of the prize pile, swayed for a moment, and then wedged itself back among the others, returning to the unreachable treasure.
The other two dolls, however, completed their journey obediently, falling into the victory chute with two echoing "clack" sounds, marking a victory that was not entirely whole.
Erietta could not help herself.
A small, triumphant smile, now more playful than biting, bloomed on her lips.
Mocking words followed, light yet precise, touching on odd numbers and the misfortune that seemed to trail Ilux.
Yet her tone no longer carried the sharp sting it once had, sounding instead like a familiar ritual of friendship, an acknowledgment that even the conqueror of machines was not perfect.
The teasing quickly evaporated into the air, replaced by something warmer and more sincere.
Her gaze fell on the two dolls now held loosely by Ilux, as if they were tangible proof of an almost perfect effort.
Then, with a natural motion filled with gratitude, Erietta took the two soft-furred dolls from Ilux's hands.
For a moment, their fingers touched, a brief bridge of sweat and warmth.
She did not pull away immediately.
The dolls were pressed tightly to her chest, a quick yet deep embrace, as if she were welcoming back two fragments of her soul that had long wandered beyond reach.
Her face dipped for a moment, brushing against the soft fur, inhaling the new scent of plastic and fabric that to the world was merely a factory smell, but to her now was the fragrance of achievement.
And from that silence, laughter was born.
To be continued…