Wednesday. 5:05 PM – Game Center Downtown
Ren stood at the arcade entrance, trying to mentally prepare himself.
Before he could even blink—
"Ren-kun~!!"
Mei Kanzaki leapt onto his back like a hyper cat, her twin tails bouncing wildly.
"Today's my day! No running! No escaping! No Yui sneaking in with a 'lost book' excuse!"
Ren stumbled forward. "W-Wait! I didn't even—!"
Mei grabbed his hand and charged forward.
"First, let's game till our souls evaporate!"
Round 1: Dance Battle Madness
They stood on a DDR machine. Music blared. Arrows flew.
Ren tried to keep up.
Mei? Already CRUSHING it.
"LEFT-RIGHT-UP-UP-DOWN-SPIN-POSE!!" she shouted mid-move.
People started watching. Mei winked at them.
"Sorry boys! He's taken—for the next 3 hours!"
Ren tripped and fell at the final step.
Mei laughed and helped him up.
"Even falling, you look cool. Kind of."
He groaned. "My pride is in critical condition."
Round 2: Shooting Game Co-op
"Okay, protect me!" Mei yelled, ducking behind Ren's shoulder.
"Don't you have the higher score?!"
"I like the view from here," she said, cheeky.
They cleared the stage. Mei jumped in excitement—and hugged Ren tightly.
"Yaaay~! You're fun to play with."
Ren's face turned red. "T-Thanks…"
Mei looked up, her grin softening.
"…Also, I really mean it. You make things more fun. Life too."
Break Time: Cotton Candy & Clarity
They sat on a bench, sharing a giant swirl of pastel-colored cotton candy.
Mei poked Ren's cheek. "Ne, Ren-kun. Why don't you smile more?"
"I do smile."
"Not the real one. The one that crinkles your eyes."
He looked away. "I… don't know. Guess I forgot how."
Mei stared at him, then leaned in.
"I'm gonna make you remember, okay?"
He blinked. "Huh?"
She suddenly snapped a selfie—of them together, cheeks smooshed, cotton candy on his nose.
"There! You're smiling. SEE?"
Ren laughed.
For real.
Mei froze.
"…Whoa. That was the real one."
And for a second, she just stared, cheeks pink.
Evening Ends
As they left the arcade, Mei pulled at his sleeve.
"Ren-kun… I know I'm loud and chaotic and not really girlfriend-material…"
Ren looked at her. "Don't say that."
She smiled shyly. "...Then just keep looking at me, okay?"
Back home, Ren stared at the selfie Mei sent him.
📸 Mei: "Best boy + chaos = today 💖"
He smiled again.
Then froze.
📩 Emi: "Hope you're rested. Tomorrow's my day. I don't tolerate tardiness."