Ultimate Strategy for the Arcade

Star Color and Kohei Katsuragi finished lunch, changed into more suitable casual clothes in their room, and headed to the agreed meeting spot.

"Tamiya!"

He waved to Tamiya Emi in the distance.

"Star Color."

"Sorry, I'm a little late."

Star Color panted lightly. Looking up at Tamiya Emi, he put a hand to his chest, his expression tinged with apology.

"Oh, it's fine. I only just got here, too."

Tamiya Emi noticed the faint flush on Star Color's face and the panting caused by the air in his lungs being squeezed as he jogged. His lips opened and closed rhythmically as he breathed, like a cat's.

"Well, let's go."

They strolled through the shopping center, which even had digital products... Why did they have things like voice recorders here!? Was this a training room or something!?

Star Color looked around and spotted a toy shop, too! What man could resist Bandai!? His eyes went wide as he took in the dazzling array of models inside.

On display were popular toys from recently aired tokusatsu shows: Lockseeds, Ginga Sparks, and Shuriken Swords.

Tamiya Emi noticed Star Color's gaze and gave a quiet laugh.

"Star Color, do you like toys? You really haven't grown up, have you?"

"No, it's just that I like tokusatsu shows. They're aimed at children, but their stories can often make adults think, too."

People yearned for "justice" precisely because there wasn't much justice in the real world. That was why so many adults immersed themselves in the utopia of "children's tokusatsu," indulging in the strange fantasy that it would be wonderful if they could become justice themselves.

"But more than the heroes of justice, I like the 'monster' or 'villain' roles."

"Monsters? Villains?"

"I like all kinds of strange, twisted, grotesque monsters and villains with a fantastical, evil air to them. Aliens and other creatures from imaginary tokusatsu shows, too."

"That's certainly an unusual hobby."

Tamiya Emi didn't look disgusted at all. She listened earnestly to every word Star Color said.

"Look, this is one of my favorite monsters."

"It looks like a longhorn beetle..."

"Space Dinosaur Zetton—the first monster to kill a hero of justice..."

"Kill a hero of justice?"

Tamiya Emi watched Star Color gently stroke the glass, the image of Zetton reflected in his eyes. A mixture of longing and bitterness turned in his gaze.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

Tamiya Emi nodded, though a strange feeling had begun to stir inside her.

"An arcade..."

Star Color's eyes lit up. For someone as good at games as he was, an arcade was the perfect choice.

Star Color tugged on Tamiya Emi's sleeve and excitedly pointed at the arcade...

His face was full of expressions that said, "I really want to go," "Please, Tamiya," and "Let's go inside and play."

As a sheltered young lady, Tamiya Emi had never been to a place like this. Her idea of an arcade was apparently limited to claw machines.

Star Color happily exchanged his money for a small basket of Neon Yen Coins.

(Arcades in Japan either used cards or took cash.)

"What do you want to play, Tamiya? It's my treat."

Tamiya Emi looked around the claw machine area. She spotted a teddy bear that suited her taste for cute things and pointed at it.

"I'd like to try this one."

"Why don't you give it a try first, Tamiya?"

After several unsuccessful attempts, Tamiya Emi gazed at the plush toy behind the glass, unwilling to give up.

"Let me try, Tamiya."

Star Color smiled and put in a coin.

"You haven't found the best plush to grab, Tamiya. Which do you think is easiest to grab: one lying lengthwise, sideways, or diagonally?"

"Sideways!"

"Exactly! But this machine's claw is a little weak, so you need to grab it twice to get the plush out."

The first time, Star Color grabbed the plush. As the claw rose and moved, its grip gradually weakened, and the plush dropped precisely onto the acrylic panel by the exit.

"The second time, you use the force of the claw coming down to press the plush into the exit."

Just as Star Color expected, the teddy bear plush fell into the chute.

Star Color crouched down and took it out.

"This is for you, Tamiya."

Star Color held out the cute teddy bear. In Tamiya Emi's eyes, it was a "cute plus cute equals double cute" combination. Just the sight of it was heartwarming.

"Thank you, Star Color."

"You're welcome. Is there another plush you want?"

"Star Color, you're really good at this. Did you go to arcades often in middle school?"

"Hahaha, I've just watched a few tutorials. I'm not that good. It's just a trick you can learn after a few tries."

Star Color scratched his cheek, then changed the subject.

"Want to try something else?"

Without realizing it, Star Color took Tamiya Emi's hand. She simply savored the small, warm feeling.

He led Tamiya Emi over to try Taiko no Tatsujin.

At the whack-a-mole machine, Star Color proudly earned a score of zero. Compared to Tamiya, standing in front of him, he immediately lost heart.

He was a boy, yet he'd scored worse than a girl... Star Color fought the urge to smash the machine.

Hmph. He couldn't take it out on Tamiya, so the only option was to take it out on the arcade.

Star Color headed to the ice cream claw machine first and picked the most expensive Haagen-Dazs. Using the claw's rotation, he swept two tubs off the edge of the top row. He controlled it precisely, knocking down only two without causing any damage—just subtle enough that even the staff would turn a blind eye.

"Tamiya, want some ice cream?"

"Sure."

The two of them sat down and ate their ice cream.

"There's a machine over there I want to try."

"What's that?"

Following Star Color's gaze, Tamiya Emi saw a huge machine called Castle Adventure.

[Castle Adventure Game Rules]

[1. Insert a coin and press the button. The coin will slide along the track and must pass through the castle gate, which moves from side to side, to enter the castle. If the gate blocks the coin, it will fall.]

[2. When the coin enters the gate, it activates the pinball launcher at the lower left of the machine. The ball shoots to the top, then drops into the peg area. If it falls to either side, you lose the game and earn no points.]

[3. If the ball falls from the peg area into the entrance of the rotating disk in the middle, the pattern on the disk will determine your final reward when the ball drops into the hole in the bottom center.]

[The rewards are: three soldiers worth 5 points each, two knights worth 15 points each, two generals worth 30 points each, and the ultimate reward: the king.]

[If the ball enters the king's hole, it activates the lucky wheel at the very top of the machine. If you hit JP, the machine pays out all the points the previous players have lost.]

Put bluntly, it was a variation of Pachinko. The only difference was that it used arcade tokens and didn't involve gambling, making it a form of entertainment.

A coin had a 1-in-2 chance of entering the castle gate, a 1-in-3 chance of entering the rotating disk, and a 1-in-8 chance of landing in the king's hole.

In other words, each coin had only a 1-in-64 chance of hitting the king and getting a shot at the lucky wheel above.

Can he win? He can!

Star Color put in twenty coins.

But the machine had one fatal flaw: the coins always fell at the same speed after the button was pressed and they were launched. The ball might be affected by interference as it dropped, but the difference was minor. The middle disk also rotated at a fixed speed!

All he had to do was watch the king. When it reached a certain position, he'd press the button and launch the coin. The ball might be blocked by the gate or fall to either side of the pegs, but as long as it entered the rotating disk, the result would definitely be the king!

Based on his observations while eating ice cream and his first test, the king needed to reach an angle between 140 and 130 degrees on the left half of the disk.

If he pressed the button at that angle, the king would be at the bottom just as the ball reached the bottom of the disk. A perfect hit!

There was also a detail about the coin-blocking gate: the coin track leaned to the left. The castle gate obstructed coins far more on the left side, while the right side of the gate barely got in their way!

He watched the angle at which the king passed, while keeping an eye on the castle gate with his peripheral vision. He avoided launching the coin when the gate moved to the right.

Out of five attempts, three hit the king.

Star Color's ultimate, invincible, perfect strategy!

The students and staff who had gathered behind him stared in disbelief. Coins poured out of the chute in a clattering stream, while the wheel at the top of the machine spun now and then. At that moment, Star Color was the coolest guy in the entire arcade.

What man who hung around arcades didn't love a JP prize? Star Color had only one goal: JP!

But there was no way to influence the wheel above, and every time he came close, he just missed.

"What kind of luck is this!? Tamiya, why don't you give it a try?"

"Huh... Me?"

Tamiya Emi asked in surprise, having been absorbed in watching Star Color show off.

"Yeah. I believe in your luck, Tamiya."

Damn it! Star Color cursed inwardly. If I'd let anyone else try, they'd have gotten the JP prize by now.

Tamiya Emi sat down in front of the machine.

"When I tell you to press the button, don't hesitate. Press it right away. It's fine if you miss. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's just a game."

Star Color reassured Tamiya Emi, who seemed a little nervous.

"Three, two, one—press!"

As Tamiya Emi pressed the button, the coin launched down the track and flew through the castle gate. The ball shot into the air. It was knocked slightly off course by the two flippers, but still made it into the hole without mishap.

The lucky wheel above began to spin, finally stopping on the face marked [JP].

"Eek, I got it!"

Star Color took Tamiya Emi's hand. Her cheeks warmed before she even realized it.

"Tamiya, you really are lucky."

The machine spat out all the points it had accumulated. Star Color completely emptied it. Coins poured out in basketfuls.

"Tamiya, what would you like to exchange them for?"

Star Color counted the tokens that had spilled out, feeling thoroughly satisfied. This was definitely the most fun way to play at an arcade.

Of course, some people weren't happy about it. The arcade owners, for one.

Several staff members filled baskets with the coins, looking close to tears. They sure had their work cut out for them. Sorry, sorry... I'd do it again next time. (sticks out tongue)

Star Color exchanged the tokens for a huge, adorable Capybara Plush for Tamiya.

With the remaining tokens, Star Color got a game card and loaded the rest onto it.

Tamiya Emi couldn't put the enormous Capybara Doll down. She turned it around in her hands, her gaze lingering on it.

"Do you like it?"

Star Color wore a satisfied expression, feeling refreshed, like he'd just finished a major task and entered a state of enlightenment.

"Mm..."

Tamiya Emi poked the plush's face and gave a shy smile.

"This plush has the same vibe as you, Star Color. Sleepy and cute."

"Huh... Me? Seriously?"

Tamiya Emi handed the plush to Star Color. His petite body was holding an enormous toy that was two-thirds his height.

"It's huge... It's nothing like me. I'm not that spacey."

Tamiya Emi felt her heart melt. The two of them happily enjoyed their Saturday and Sunday together.