Chapter 213: Pecking of the Noobs
"Kanna-chan, are you heading home now?"
"No," Kanna shook her head, her sky-blue eyes shimmering. "I want to play."
As a young dragon, Kanna's appetite and curiosity were strong. She was always eager for new experiences, so naturally, she loved to play. And since she didn't have to worry about any strange men luring her away with candy, she wasn't in any rush to go home.
The little girl Saikawa hesitated, looking a bit down. "I'm going home… Otherwise, Mama will worry."
"You're such a thoughtful girl," Vigne said kindly, patting her head. "Be careful on your way back."
Saikawa blushed slightly, turning her face away before waving goodbye. "Bye, Kanna-chan! Bye, everyone!"
"Bye, Saikawa."
...
After Saikawa left, it was nearly five in the afternoon. But since the sun was still high, everyone decided to head toward the nearby mall — destination: the arcade on the second floor.
In this modern age of smartphones and PCs, most arcades had become nostalgic relics. But in this country, arcades still thrived.
Especially with the new VR setups that had become incredibly popular lately. The problem was the wait time — unless you had both patience and a strong bladder, getting a turn was nearly impossible.
"Wow, so this is the arcade?" Everyone gasped in surprise as they reached the second floor.
Unlike the smoky, rowdy image one might imagine, this arcade was bright, spotless, and surprisingly family-friendly. No cigarette haze, no cursing punks — just the cheerful buzz of games and laughter.
All around, people were playing — kids, adults, even some elderly couples.
"Heh, Gabriel! Let's settle this with a game!" Satania declared, eyes blazing with excitement.
"You?" Gabriel squinted at her.
Satania quickly realized her own lack of confidence and blurted, "My servant will help me! Together we'll defeat you!"
'Who's your servant?!'
'You think half-priced pineapple buns can buy my loyalty?!'
"Sounds fun," Raphiel clasped her hands together, smiling. "I'm joining too."
"Then…" Satania pointed at a screen. "Let's play this racing game!"
She had chosen a Nintendo racing game with cute, chibi-style characters. Four machines were linked together for multiplayer, and players could use items to sabotage each other — simple but entertaining.
Kouya suspected the four elementary schoolers playing nearby had influenced her choice.
"Gabriel, don't tell me you're scared of facing me and my servant!" Satania said proudly, one hand on her hip.
"Tch, fine," Gabriel replied, finally fired up.
Soon, the first round was set: Kouya and Satania versus Gabriel and Raphiel.
Coins clinked, cars were selected, and the game loaded up.
A big "GO!" flashed across the screen — and the race began.
Then…
"Aaaah! Why am I in last place already?!"
"Servant! How do you use items?!"
"Damn you, Gabriel! How dare you throw a banana at me!"
"Then take this rocket shell!"
BOOM!
A direct hit.
Watching his car flip, Kouya's expression darkened.
'Fine, missing Gabriel was one thing, but why was she always hitting me?!'
"Oops, that was an accident," Satania said, sticking out her tongue with a sheepish giggle. "Won't happen again."
'There won't be a next time!'
Dragged down by Satania's incompetence, they lost the round miserably.
"Again! I won't lose to Gabriel!" Satania shouted, refusing to accept defeat.
Raphiel stood up, smiling sweetly. "Vigne-chan, your turn."
"Eh? M-me? But I don't know how to play..."
"Neither do I," Raphiel said, laughing. "It's just shaking the controller around. It's easy! We came all this way — it'd be a waste not to try."
"W-Well… okay," Vigne nodded timidly.
"Rikka, you play too," Kouya said, giving up his seat and choosing to watch from the side.
With Satania as his partner earlier, his patience was already spent.
The new round began.
"Take this, Gabriel — banana attack!"
Satania tossed a banana peel… and Vigne's car spun out.
Rikka threw a stink bomb, sending Satania into a dizzy spin.
Watching the chaos unfold, Kouya sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "So this is the legendary 'pecking of the noobs,' huh?"
As he spoke, he suddenly felt a tug on his shirt.
Looking down, he saw Kanna holding onto him, pointing at a row of machines in the corner. Her soft voice came out sweet and slow: "Wanna play."
"Hmm, capsule machines?"
Gachapon — one of the most common machines found in Japan, right after claw machines and vending machines. It had even formed its own 'capsule culture.'
The concept was simple: themed miniature toys packed into plastic eggs, sold randomly by turning a crank after inserting coins.
Usually, one spin cost about 200 yen (1.3$)— cheap, but getting what you actually wanted depended on pure luck.
The prizes ranged from anime figures and cute mascots to animals, food, and everyday objects. Practically anything could pop out of a gachapon capsule.
"This one," Kanna said, looking up.
"Alright."
Kouya fed coins into the machine, and Kanna turned the handle. A plastic capsule dropped out — when opened, it revealed a tiny half-open steamer basket with a white rice bunny and two tiny carrots.
Kanna stared at it for a moment, then opened her mouth. "Ah—"
"That's not food." Kouya pinched her cheeks gently.
'Just because it looks edible doesn't mean you should try to eat it! It's just a very realistic toy!'
"Looks fun! I wanna try too!" Raphiel said, stepping over to give the machine a spin. She picked up her capsule eagerly.
When she opened it, inside was a Miss Fuchiko.
Miss Fuchiko was one of the most popular gachapon characters — a tiny office lady who always seemed to have her skirt suspiciously lifted. Her charm was that she could hang on the edges of cups in adorable poses, earning her the nickname "The Cup Girl."
"Yay! I've always wanted one of these!" Raphiel cheered, eyes sparkling as she clenched her fist in excitement. "I'm spinning again!"
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