A bit later, Tatsurou finished taking photos of both Livanya and the waitresses of the crepe store, and checking, if the photos came out good or not and a little bit of chatting, Tatsurou and Livanya got out of the crepe store and now they were making their way towards the shopping square of District 4, to visit its arcade and play some video games.
Then, as Tatsurou and Livanya entered the shopping square and slowly approached the arcade...
"Mister Tatsurou, these pictures came out really good...wait, no, let me correct myself here, ahem...they came out perfect! And the waitresses did so many cool and fun poses with me, it was so much fun!" Livanya, that was walking next to Tatsurou, said with a very happy tone, as she looked at all the pictures Tatsurou took of her and the waitresses in the small screen on the back of the camera, something that made Tatsurou smile quite a bit.
"Drakon-san has been looking at those pictures, ever since we left the store...it's impressive how something so simple, made her so happy..." Tatsurou thought as he glanced at Livanya and smiled again, upon seeing how happy she was with the pictures, he took, but this wouldn't last long...
"Thank you very, very much! For taking those pictures, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said again with a very happy tone, while she looked at Tatsurou and smiled.
"You don't have to thank me for that, Drakon-san! And thanks to that, whenever you need a cameraman, you know just who to ask!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, after he gave Livanya a thumbs up.
"Yep, I sure do! But I still need to thank you, both for the crepes and the photos you took! So with that in mind, please take me to the nearest money exchange machine at once, mister Tatsurou! I'll be the one to pay for all the games we're going to be playing in the arcade!" Livanya said with a happy and excited tone, as she placed her left hand on her chest and smiled, before she pointed at Tatsurou, that sighed a bit, upon hearing her.
"Come on, you don't need to go and exchange your Rubbles for that, Drakon-san...so let's just go to the arcade right away, instead of running around trying to exchange said money, ok?" Tatsurou asked as he looked at Livanya, that looked at Tatsurou with a worried and angry expression on her face, as she began to pout.
"That is not ok, mister Tatsurou! I won't deny that I want to go to the arcade right away...but you already paid for the crepes earlier! So please, let me at least pay for this now, as a thank you for earlier...!" Livanya said with an angry tone, that quickly turned into a worried one, as she put her camera away inside her shoulder bag, but Tatsurou interrupted Livanya, with a sigh.
"I don't really mind paying for all the games we're going to be playing in the arcade, Drakon-san...so for now, the only and most important thing I want you to do is choosing the video games you want to play and have lots of fun! Instead of thinking and worrying about how you should pay or thank me, alright?" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he took his right hand out of his jacket's pocket and moved it a bit, something that made Livanya look at him for a bit in silence.
"You want me...to just choose what I want to play and have lots of fun...I can choose what I want to play...!" Livanya muttered as she glanced at Tatsurou, before she began to blush a bit, but it didn't last long, as Livanya gently shook her head, to get her thoughts back in place.
"No, no, no! I am very grateful, that you're ready to pay for that too, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a embarrassed tone, as she stooped shaking her head.
"But I can't let you pay for that too, especially after letting you pay for those crepes, so once again, let me be the one...!" Livanya said now with a worried tone, as she began to move her hands, but once again, she was interrupted by Tatsurou.
"Come on, Drakon-san, I already said that it's ok and that I don't mind paying for that, so don't think about it...!" Tatsurou said with a stoic happy tone, as he briefly glanced at Livanya, that began to pout when she heard Tatsurou.
"That might be ok with you, mister Tatsurou...but not with me! So instead of wasting more money, let me be the one to pay for everything now!" Livanya said with a faint angry tone, as she kept pouting while looking at Tatsurou, that answered her with a brief sigh.
"I think that I'm understanding everything now...so basically you don't want me to waste more money with you today, is that it, Drakon-san?" Tatsurou asked as he looked at Livanya, that nodded upon hearing Tatsurou, that let out another sigh before he began to laugh a bit.
"Listen Drakon-san, you don't have to worry about me wasting money or not...I tend to save up a lot, so it's ok!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he looked at Livanya and smiled, but once again she wasn't having it.
"Even if you save up a lot, mister Tatsurou...I...I still feel bad seeing you pay for everything when I have money with me and I could at the very least, help you pay for everything!" Livanya said with a faint angry tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, before she placed her right hand on her chest, and after a very brief silence, Tatsurou began to laugh a bit.
"What's so funny, mister Tatsurou?" Livanya asked more curious than worried, as she looked at Tatsurou, that slowly calmed down with the laughs.
"Well, Drakon-san, I'm happy to hear that you don't want me to waste money and that you don't want me to bear all the costs, but it's just like I have told you, I save up a lot since I never know what might happen or need...but then again, I also don't save up money, on top of saving up more money all the time, since I believe that sometimes, we do need to treat ourselves with something good or have some fun, without burning all the said money you have, of course..." Tatsurou said as he looked at Livanya before he made a small pause.
"What I'm trying to say here, is that saving up is good, but you can't forget to also spend some and treat yourself to some fun, from time to time! So with that said and with what I told you earlier, Drakon-san, please don't worry about me wasting money since it's for these types of moments that I save up and just think about you and me having fun today!" Tatsurou said with a happy and honest tone, as he gave a thumbs-up to Livanya, that blushed once again as she looked at Tatsurou with an impressed expression on her face, for a brief moment.
"But...but even if you say that mister Tatsurou...I still feel bad..." Livanya said with a very embarrassed tone, as she kept blushing, before pointing her index finger at each other, something that Tatsurou didn't let her do for too long.
"Ok then, Drakon-san! So after going to the arcade, I'll take you to a money exchange machine, and the next place we go, I'll let you treat me to something! But, under two conditions!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he raised his right index finger a bit.
"Really? But what are those conditions of yours, mister Tatsurou?" Livanya asked with a happy and curious tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, that smiled upon hearing her.
"My conditions are simple and pretty easy, Drakon-san! First, I want you to stop thinking about me wasting money and the second and most important one is that I want you to have lots, no, tons, and tons of fun at the arcade!" Tatsurou said with a very happy tone, as he used his fingers to tell Livanya his conditions.
"Hmm, I see, I see...well you're conditions are pretty easy....but I don't know if I can do the first one, mister Tatsurou..." Livanya said with a faint joking tone, as she placed her finger on her cheek, before she tilted her head.
"Oi, oi, I'm going to get angry, if you don't follow them, Drakon-san..." Tatsurou said with a stoic joking tone, as he looked at Livanya and in the blink of an eye, both Tatsurou and Livanya were now both laughing, as they looked at each other.
"Alright then, mister Tatsurou! If you promise me that after the arcade, you'll let me treat you to something good, then I will accept your conditions, no problem!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she calmed down with the laughs.
"Sure, it's a promise, Drakon-san! But you have to treat me to something simple and economic, preferably..." Tatsurou said with a happy and worried tone, as he looked at Livanya, that gave him a mischievous smile.
"Fufu! Too bad, mister Tatsurou! It's my money, so I get to choose, what I'll treat you to!" Livanya said with a smug tone and expression, as placed her hands on her hips before she puffed out her chest, something that made Tatsurou sigh briefly, before he began to smile.
"Alright then, I'll let you win that one, Drakon-san...!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket again, but as Tatsurou did that, he and Livanya, had arrived at the arcade of the shopping square.
"Oh, we've finally arrived at the arcade!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he pointed at the black glass framed storefront door of the arcade, that had a rather large sign with white letters that read, ArcadeVerse, that also had a black neon thunder under it, that made it look, as if the letters were riding said thunder.
But something that also called to the attention of anyone one that saw this arcade were the various long rows of small, white-colored and square-shaped gashapon machines, that had capsules inside them, with either small figures, phone straps and other novelty items, that stood on the right and left side of the entrance.
"Oh good heavens! This arcade looks exactly like the ones I have seen in anime and video games, mister Tatsurou! Especially those small machines over there, they remind me so much of the ones in the game Judgement!" Livanya, said with a very excited and happy tone, as she looked in the direction of the arcades entrance with a big smile and star-shaped eyes, while she clasped her hands together, something that made Tatsurou and the people that walked around smile, as they looked at Livanya.
"But what am I even doing, just looking? This needs to be immortalized and asap!" Livanya said still with a happy and excited tone, as she took a few steps forward, before she opened her shoulder bag, from where Livanya took her camera out, but just as she was about to take some pictures, Livanya stooped, while a worried expression appeared on her face.
"Mister Tatsurou, I won't get into trouble for taking pictures of the entrance or the interior of the arcade, right?" Livanya asked more worried than curious as she turned towards Tatsurou, that was caught a bit off guard with her question, but not for too long, as he remembered the reason why Livanya asked him this.
"I was really joking earlier, about getting into trouble for taking pictures without asking, back in the crepe store, Drakon-san...so go ahead and take as many pictures as you like, you won't get in trouble, I promise!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he gave a thumbs up and a wink to Livanya, that smiled brightly, as she heard Tatsurou.
"Don't mind if I do then!" Livanya said with a very happy tone, as she turned to the arcade again and what followed was Livanya snapping pictures, of the entrance and its sign, before she took a few steps forward, to snap close up pictures of the gachapon machines and then, a few minutes and lots of pictures later...
"Done! I swear, these photos, are going to an album once I print them!" Livanya said with a very happy tone, as she looked at the photos of the arcade, on the screen in the back of the camera, before she placed her right hand on her cheek.
"Oh, good to know that you're planning on printing those photos and putting them on an album, Drakon-san..." Tatsurou said with a stoic tone, as she approached Livanya, that became a bit surprised with the way Tatsurou was talking.
"Is something wrong, mister Tatsurou?" Livanya asked with a very curious tone, as she tilted her head a bit, something that made a mischievous smile grow on Tatsurou's face.
"Oh, it's nothing...I'm just worried that you might fill up the camera's memory card if you keep taking so many pictures..." Tatsurou said with a stoic joking tone, as he glanced at Livanya, that gave him a brief smug laugh in response.
"Fufu! You won't get me so easily again, mister Tatsurou! And you don't have to worry! My sister gave me a 120GB memory card for my camera so that I could take a lot of pictures, so that I didn't need to worry about running out of storage space!" Livanya said with a smug tone, as she waved her camera a bit before she laughed again at Tatsurou's failed attempt to tease her.
"Well, looks like I was caught this time around...and good thinking on your sister part for giving you a memory card with so much storage! But I have to be honest, I was only joking like this, because I thought that you might run out of space in your camera, because it reminded me of the first time I went to Japan with my mother..." Tatsurou said with a faint depressed tone, as he sighed a bit.
"Really? But what happened?" Livanya asked with a curious tone, while she tilted her head a bit.
"Well, when we went to Japan, my mother brought with her a camera that had a memory card with only 2GB of storage and to make a long story short, she ended up taking so many pictures of me and my grandmother, so when it came to taking pictures of monuments or landmarks...well...I think that you can probably guess what happened..." Tatsurou said, while he placed his left hand on his hip before he moved his right hand a bit, and upon hearing this, Livanya took a few steps forward, until she was in front of Tatsurou.
"That's such a bad thing to happen, especially when it was your first time visiting Japan, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a worried and sad tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, that smiled a bit.
"I have to agree with that, Drakon-san...but when it comes to taking pictures and the alike, I prefer to enjoy both the moment and see the monuments and landmarks first, then taking pictures after, that is if I end up taking any pictures at all..." Tatsurou said while he scratched his cheek a bit before he briefly laughed, but it didn't last long, as Tatsurou noticed a growing sad expression on Livanya's face.
"I also think that enjoying the moment, is more important than taking pictures all the time, mister Tatsurou...but...well...when it comes to me, I do prefer to take pictures...since I want to have memories of the things I've seen and did here in Takamagahara...because...well...you know..." Livanya said with a faint sad and depressed tone, as she looked down at her camera for a bit, it was then that Tatsurou remembered the things Livanya told him back at the crepe store, flooded his mind, but out of all of the things Livanya told him, there was one thing that stood out...
"...I don't know, if I'll ever get another chance to come back here or visit other places, you know..."
These words replayed over and over again, inside Tatsurou's head once again, as a worried and guilty expression began to slowly appear in his face.
"I shouldn't have said that...especially when pictures are so important to Drakon-san...I'm such an idiot sometimes..." Tatsurou thought as he scratched the back of his head, while his worries and guilt grew bigger and bigger, but it didn't last long, as Tatsurou put on a determined face, before he gently grabbed Livanya's right hand, something that surprised Livanya a bit.
"Mister Tatsurou, what are you...!" Livanya said with a very surprised tone, as she looked at Tatsurou then at the hand he was holding, but before she could ask anything else, she was interrupted by Tatsurou.
"I see...then what are we still doing here outside when we could already be inside the arcade and take even more pictures, right Drakon-san? Let's go!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he began to walk towards the inside of the arcade with Livanya, that briefly looked at Tatsurou, then down, before she began to blush from ear to ear.
"Thank you...mister Tatsurou..." Livanya thought happily, while she blushed and smiled before she began to gently grip Tatsurou's hand tighter, and with that Tatsurou and Livanya finally entered the arcade...
-------------------------
Once inside the said arcade, Tatsurou and Livanya were greeted by a very large room, that had tall silver walls and a dark blue and white tiled floor, and on those said silver walls there were several, thin neon tubes, that shined in a light blue color, but one of the things that caught the attention of anyone that stepped inside, was the rather large neon sign on the wall to the right side, that was similar to the one, over the entrance of this arcade, that changed color every two minutes.
But all of this was nothing, compared to the true show-stealer, that was the dozens upon dozens of lines of classic arcade machines, from the late 80's and early 90's to the more modern ones, and as for the arcade cabinets, they went from the simple fighting games cabinets, to cabinets with car seat's and steering wheels or rail shooter cabinets with plastic guns and we could not forget the prize catching machines, that had various items, such as figures or plushies.
In a short, there was something for both the casual arcade visitor, to the more experienced visitor.
"Hmm...I wasn't expecting that they got some new cabinets here, lucky us...!" Tatsurou thought as he briefly looked around, before he glanced at Livanya, but as he did that Tatsurou stooped as he saw Livanya, that had her eyes and mouth opened wide, while she looked in every direction of the arcade in complete silence and awe.
"This...this is..." Livanya said with a very impressed and happy tone, as she tried to escape her loss of words and say what she thought of the arcade, something that didn't last long, as Livanya slowly let go of Tatsurou's hand.
"This arcade is so...amazing, cool and out of this world! They have so many games here, all the Tekken, Street fighter, Soul Calibur! Heavens, they even got Sega rally, Wagan midnight, and...Initial D cabinets with steering wheels and immersive car seats! I thought that those were only available in Japan! Oh, no way, no way! Is that an original two-player Time Crisis 2 cabinet from the 90's over there?!"
Livanya said with a very excited tone, befitting of a child on its first visit to an amusement park, as she pointed at one cabinet after the other, with a big smile plastered on her face, something that surprised Tatsurou for a bit, before he began to smile.
"I was expecting that Drakon-san, would be very excited with the arcade, but not this excited! She even beats Shirayuki's excitement, when I brought her here back when we first met..." Tatsurou thought, as he smiled and remembered the first time he brought Shirayuki to this arcade, but it didn't last long.
"This arcade looks exactly as you described it, mister Tatsurou! I can't even believe it!" Livanya said still with her happy and excited tone, as she turned towards Tatsurou, that was brought back from his thoughts when he heard Livanya.
"Come on, Drakon-san, don't say that you didn't believe me, when I told you about this arcade, back in the crepe store, that hurts you know..." Tatsurou said with a stoic mischievous tone, as he looked a bit away from Livanya, that blushed a bit, upon hearing Tatsurou.
"O-Of course that I believed you, mister Tatsurou! It's just that I wasn't expecting the arcade to look like this at all!" Livanya said with an embarrassed tone, as she pouted a bit, before clenching her right fist and moving it around a bit, something that made Tatsurou laugh.
"I know that! I was just pulling on your leg a bit, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he placed his hand in front of his mouth before he laughed some more, something that made Livanya pout again.
"Mister Tatsurou, you meanie! Bleeh!" Livanya said with a faint angry tone, as she briefly showed her tongue to Tatsurou before she looked away from him while pouting once more, something that made Tatsurou smile.
"I'm sorry, Drakon-san, but I just couldn't resist...but say, how about we walk around to choose a game to play, while you take some close-up pictures of the cabinets?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Livanya, that began to slowly turn her gaze towards Tatsurou.
"I forgive you, mister Tatsurou...because your idea is pretty good and it's better to take pictures of the cabinets one by one, instead of taking an out-of-focus one, of all the cabinets!" Livanya said with a mischievous tone, while she gave a smug smile to Tatsurou.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she turned around, before she began to walk towards the various arcade cabinets, while she smiled.
"Wait for me, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said also with a happy tone, as he followed Livanya, that began to take pictures of a Tekken 7 cabinet from all possible angles, before she turned towards a street fighter 4 cabinet...
----------
Then once again, after taking lots of pictures of various arcade cabinets, Tatsurou and Livanya were now slowly walking around the arcade, while Livanya chose a game to play on.
"Have you seen something that you would like to play, Drakon-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he glanced at Livanya, that was looking to the left and right side, with an indecisive expression on her face.
"Hmm...well...there's so many, that I can't choose which one I want to play on first..." Livanya said with a worried tone, as she looked around once again, while she placed her index finger on her cheek.
"I'm so sorry for taking so long, mister Tatsurou! But I want the first game that I play to be special, you see?" Livanya said with an embarrassed tone, as she looked at the Tatsurou then away, while she blushed.
"It's ok, Drakon-san and I understand that you want your first arcade game to be special, but can you tell me which one's you would like to play, so that I can help you choose?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he rubbed his chin a bit before he looked at Livanya.
"Thanks, mister Tatsurou! But it's quite hard to tell which one I wanted to play the most since I have a lot of arcade games ports, that I played on my console, that I really want to play on an arcade cabinet...but if I had to suddenly choose, it had to be one from the golden age of beat 'em up games..." Livanya said with an informative tone, as she crossed her arms a bit.
"I see..." Tatsurou said as he placed his hand in front of his mouth, before he began to tap it with his index finger.
"If I'm not mistaken, those types of games peaked during the late 80's and early 90's...hmm, I think it was Double Dragon and Final Fight, that created this golden age of beat 'em ups...at least that was what Michiko told me once, but I'm not sure..." Tatsurou thought as he now rubbed his chin a bit, while he looked at the ceiling for a bit.
"Say, Drakon-san...what do you think about these two games...!" As Tatsurou said this, he looked to his right side, to ask Livanya, if she wanted to play the games Double Dragon or Final Fight, but Tatsurou stooped as he saw that Livanya was gone.
"Heh? Drakon-san?" Tatsurou said with a very worried tone, as he quickly began to look after Livanya, but his worries would come to a sudden halt, as he looked behind him and saw that Livanya was standing in front of a black arcade cabinet, with shining eyes, while she held the strap of her bag.
"There she is! Thank god..." Tatsurou though, while he did a quick run towards Livanya, and in a matter of seconds, Tatsurou was finally standing next to Livanya once again.
"Why did you...!" As Tatsurou was about to ask Livanya why she stopped so suddenly and stayed behind, she interrupted him.
"This one...this is the one I want to play on first, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with an excited tone, as she kept her eyes, glued, at the arcade cabinet, while she held her bag's strap a bit tighter.
"Hmm? You want to play this one...?! Wait it's a Final Fight cabinet!" Tatsurou said with a surprised and impressed tone, as he looked at the banner on top of the black arcade cabinet that had the well know aggressive red and yellow letters spelling out, Final Fight.
"No, no, mister Tatsurou! This isn't just a simple and mere Final Fight cabinet! No, this is an original 1989 Capcom produced Final Fight cabinet, with a two-button and 8 direction joystick layout! The original machine, with the original CP system board and game that started the golden age of beat 'em up games, right after Double Dragon established the concept, for all these types of difficult side-scrolling games!"
Livanya said with a very excited and informative tone, as she gripped her strap tighter, while she smiled from ear to ear, Tatsurou just looked at Livanya with a surprised and impressed expression on his face, as he repeatedly blinked.
"God, for a moment I thought that I was seeing and hearing Michiko here..." Tatsurou thought, still impressed, as he looked at the cabinet, then at Livanya, while he imagined, Michiko, standing right next to Livanya, before he briefly rubbed his eyes with his right thumb and index finger.
"I'm impressed that you know so much about this cabinet here, Drakon-san...!" Tatsurou said as he slowly crossed his arms, but Livanya interrupted him once again.
"But of course, mister Tatsurou! Final Fight is one of my favorite side-scrolling beat 'em up's ever! I like them so much, that I own and played, every remastered release of these games and I'm always coming back to them to beat my high scores or when I get tired of playing RPGs!" Livanya said again with an excited tone, as she took a step close to Tatsurou, before getting on the tip of her toes, as she kept a big smile on her face.
"I-I see..." Tatsurou said again with an impressed and faintly embarrassed tone, as he looked at Livanya, that had her face only a few centimeters away from his, something that made Tatsurou blush a bit and needless to say that Livanya also began to blush, as she noticed how close she was.
"Oh! I'm so sorry about this, mister Tatsurou! But when it comes to this game, I get a bit too excited...since I don't get a lot of chances to talk about it..." Livanya said with an apologetic and embarrassed tone, as she took two small steps away from Tatsurou, that smiled a bit, while he scratched the back of his head a bit.
"You don't have to apologize Drakon-san and to be honest I do like to hear people talking and being so passionate about the things they love! Especially since thanks to that I also get to learn new things, about subjects that I'm pretty much clueless about..." Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he placed his hands inside the pockets of his jacket before he smiled.
"I see, but still..." Livanya said still with her embarrassed tone, but Tatsurou was the one to interrupt her this time.
"Come on, it's ok! Now, I don't think I need to ask, but this is the one you want to play, right Drakon-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he glanced at the cabinet, then at Livanya that nodded, while she blushed a bit.
"Y-Yes...it is this one that I want to play, as my first arcade game..." Livanya said with an embarrassed tone, as she slowly and gently placed her hand on the cabinet's joystick before she looked at Tatsurou that placed his hand inside his jacket, from where he took out his wallet.
"It's settled then...here, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he took out a coin from his wallet, that he handed to Livanya.
"Thanks...but don't you want to play with me, mister Tatsurou? Final Fight is also known for its co-op mode!" Livanya asked with a curious tone, as she grabbed the coin with both hands before she tilted her head a bit.
"Well, I wouldn't mind...but to be honest, I never played this one and I actually want to see how skilled you are at your favorite game..." Tatsurou said with a faintly embarrassed tone, as he scratched the back of his head a bit, while he laughed, Livanya just looked at Tatsurou in silence for a brief moment, before she began to smile.
"Oh! I see I see! Then please do observe me beat Final Fight in the way it was supposed to be originally played and beat, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with an excited tone, as she turned towards the cabinet and inserted the coin in the coin slot and in the meantime, Tatsurou placed himself next to Livanya.
"Hehe, mister Tatsurou, want's to see my skills! I better not disappoint now!" Livanya thought happily and excited, she placed her left hand on the joystick and her right index and middle finger on the buttons of the cabinet, as she prepared to show off her skills to Tatsurou and then one hour would pass and now, it was 16:04 pm and Livanya was still playing on the Final Fight cabinet, but now she had a concentrated expression on...
"Oh! I'm already at the 6ht and final stage, Mister Tatsurou! From here on out it won't take much longer to reach the final boss Belger!" Livanya said with a happy and excited tone, as she briefly looked at Tatsurou from over her shoulder, then back at the cabinet's screen.
"Don't worry about it, Drakon-san! Just take it easy now and beat that last boss up good!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, which turned into an excited and motivating one, as he looked at Livanya moving the joystick and pressing the buttons of the cabinet to defeat the enemies that appeared on screen, one after the other effortlessly and without breaking a sweat.
"God, I still can't believe that Drakon-san, is this good at beat 'em up games...but that was to be expected, after all, it's her favorite game...but still impressive nonetheless!" Tatsurou thought as he kept looking at Livanya that was happily playing the game, but right now, Livanya was very concentrated, as she was about to approach the room of the last boss.
"I'm really happy that Drakon-san is having lots of fun...but...I was expecting that her playing this...would attract this huge crowd..." Tatsurou thought a bit worried, as he now looked behind him and saw a large crow of both people and Beastkins, that went from girls and boys both young to old and even the odd staff member of the arcade, surrounding the cabinet, as they watched Livanya play.
"Hey, that girl is pretty good!"
"Yeah! If she keeps going like this, she's gonna beat the local record!"
"Go, little miss, go! Were all rooting for you here!"
"Hey! Show Belger who's the boss and the strongest, miss!"
These were just a few small examples of the things the crowd either talked with each other or said to encourage Livanya to beat the game's final boss, something that made Tatsurou's worries vanish, as he looked at Livanya once again, but now Tatsurou began to encourage her too.
"I know that you can beat that final boss and that high score, Drakon-san! Go, go!" Tatsurou said with an excited tone, as both he and crowed, saw Livanya arriving a the room of the final boss and for a brief moment silence reigned in the room, as everyone had their eyes glued to the screen, while they observed Livanya's every move and attack, then after some very close calls and some rather tense breath-holding minutes, Livanya finally did it, she defeated the final boss.
"Good heavens...I thought that I was almost a goner on that last attack...!" Livanya said with a relieved tone, as she took her hand off both the joystick and buttons before she sighed and looked at the final cut scene playing and her high score of 2, 997, 104 points displayed on the screen, but this wouldn't last long as Livanya was interrupted by both applause and whistling of the huge crowd that was behind her and needless to say that this made Livanya jolt quite a bit.
"That was so awesome, little miss! Way to go and good job beating that high score!"
"Yeah! Both you're attacks, throws, and timing were just on point, miss!
"Agreed, I have never seen such skill before! Say, do you play this often?"
"Wait, now that you beat the game, you got to give us some tips or share some secrets with us first, before anything else!"
These were some of the things the people in the crowd said as they approached Livanya, to congratulated her for beating the game, but this proved to be a little bit too much for Livanya, that began to blush quite a bit before she ended up running and hiding behind Tatsurou, something that surprised him a bit, but not for too long, as he smiled.
"Looks like this was, way too much attention for Drakon-san's comfort...I bet that she isn't used to big crowds..." Tatsurou thought as he briefly looked at Livanya and giggled.
"Ahem! I'm very sorry everyone! But as you can see, she's a bit shy around strangers and not used to big crowds...so it's better to not get close that suddenly or you'll end up scaring her..." Tatsurou said with a stoic happy tone, as he looked at the crowd, that in return looked at him in silence for a brief moment before they looked at each other.
"My, my! That's so cute and adorable!"
"Truly one of the best and cutest high score breakers we ever had here, right next to that legendary fighting game expert shrine maiden from last month!"
The crowd said with a happy tone, as they looked at Livanya that poked her head out briefly before she hid behind Tatsurou again.
"We're sorry for having scared you, little miss! We hope to see you around again to break some more high scores!" The crowed said again with an apologetic tone, as they looked at Livanya that gave them a thumbs up, as she kept hiding behind Tatsurou and with that, the crowd finally began to take their leave, but without first giving so more encouraging words to Livanya and then when they were all finally gone...
"I wasn't expecting everyone to have this reaction or to be this understandable..." Tatsurou thought a bit impressed, as he scratched his head a bit, but it didn't last long, as a another thought crossed his mind.
"And wait...legendary fighting game expert shrine maiden? Don't tell me that, Shirayuki, became famous around here, after beating everyone on that Street fighter 4 cabinet, the first time we came here..."
Tatsurou thought, still impressed, as he tried to imagine how Shirayuki would react to these news of having become a legend in this arcade, but once again it didn't last long, as Tatsurou let out a sigh, before he began to slowly turn his gaze towards Livanya.
"You can come out now, Drakon-san! Everyone's gone now..." Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he looked at Livanya, from over his shoulder.
"M-Mister Tatsurou...s-since when was that big, no...since when was that huge crowd here?" Livanya asked a bit scared and embarrassed, as she slowly poked her head out from behind Tatsurou.
"Well, there weren't too many people watching at first, but when they saw you gaining such a big high score and not losing a single life, more and more people stooped to take a look until, well...you got that huge crowd surrounding the machine and cheering you on, Drakon-san! Even I began to cheer you on! " Tatsurou said with a reassuring and informative tone, as he looked at Livanya, that now slowly got out from behind Tatsurou.
"Wait, wait! They were all cheering me on, including yourself mister Tatsurou?" Livanya asked with a curious and surprised tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, that nodded a bit upon hearing her.
"Good heavens! I was so engrossed in the game, that I didn't listen to any of your encouragements or the encouragements of the crowd at all!" Livanya said with a very embarrassed tone, as she briefly placed her hands in front of her mouth.
"I have to admit that when everybody got close to me, while they talked all over themselves...I thought that I did something bad or wrong...but right now I feel a little bad for hiding in such a manner and giving off the wrong impression, but then again I'm not good with crowds..." Livanya said with a worried and embarrassed tone, as she looked a bit away from Tatsurou before she began to blush a bit.
"Your worrying too much here, Drakon-san! Everyone would be scared and hide if a crowd of people suddenly approached them like that..." Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he looked at Livanya that was still blushing, while she looked away from Tatsurou.
"I know...but still...that probably looked a bit rude on my part...! Livanya said still a bit embarrassed, she began to look at Tatsurou, but she was suddenly interrupted, by a young girl with long black and violet hair, that was wearing a black t-shirt with a white vest and equally black jeans, that appeared behind her.
"Excuse me, miss!" The young girl, that was holding a Polaroid camera in her right hand and a small white paper bag in her left hand, said with a happy and excited tone, as she looked at Livanya that jolted a bit before she quickly hid behind Tatsurou once again.
"Y-Yes?" Livanya asked a bit worried and embarrassed as she poked her head out from behind Tatsurou.
"Oh! I'm so sorry for scaring you just now! But I have to know if you want me to take a picture of you together with the cabinet, while its high score is displayed on the screen!" The young girl said with an apologetic tone, which quickly turned into a happy one, as she pointed at her Polaroid and smiled.
"Huh? Well...I..." Livanya said still a bit embarrassed as she slowly got out from behind Tatsurou.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I should have explained this a little better! Well, ahem...you see miss, when someone beats a high score in one of our cabinets, we usually take a picture so that our record breaker can always remember this rather spectacular day! And we also give them a prize for beating said high score to make it even better!" The young girl said with a happy and informative tone, as she tilted her head a bit.
"I-I see! Then I would like to take one! I mean, if that's ok..." Livanya said with a happy tone, which turned into an embarrassed one, as she got out from behind Tatsurou.
"Of course that it's alright, miss! Now then, I'm going to prepare the camera to take the picture, so place yourself next to the cabinet and get ready to...!" As the young girl said this, Livanya suddenly interrupted her.
"Please, wait, a second!" Livanya said as she turned towards Tatsurou before she grabbed his hand, something that surprising Tatsurou a bit.
"What is it, Drakon-san?" Tatsurou asked more embarrassed than worried, as he looked at Livanya, that answered him almost instantly.
"Come and take this picture with me, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she gently pulled on Tatsurou's hand.
"Huh? But I didn't even play or help with anything, that made you achieve the high score, Drakon-san...so I think that you should be the only one to..." As Tatsurou said this Livanya interrupted him again by pulling on his hand once more.
"Please don't say that, mister Tatsurou! If you hadn't given me the coin, I would have played, right? So you deserve to be on that photo as much as I do! And besides, we didn't have a chance to take a picture together back at the crepe store, right?" Livanya said again with a happy tone, as she smiled, before pulling on Tatsurou's hand once again, and after a brief moment of thinking and seeing that Livanya wasn't taking a no, for an answer, Tatsurou complied with her demand.
"Alright, alright...I'll take that picture with you, Drakon-san! Is that ok, miss? Tatsurou asked a bit curious as he looked at Livanya, then at the young girl, that gave him a thumbs up and smile in response.
"Very well then, let's do this!" Tatsurou said as he began to walk towards the arcade cabinet with Livanya and once they got close, they placed themselves on the right side of the cabinet, with Livanya giving a peace sign with her left hand, while she warped her right hand around Tatsurou's left arm, something that made Tatsurou blush a bit.
"D-Drakon-san...why are you...!" As Tatsurou was about to ask why Livanya was holding his arm, Livanya quickly interrupted him.
"That's a polaroid, mister Tatsurou! The paper that come out from them is really small, so we have to stay this close or else we won't be together on the frame!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she briefly looked at Tatsurou before she held his arm tighter.
"Yes...that's sort of right..." Tatsurou said a bit embarrassed, as he looked a bit away from Livanya.
"Very well then! Get ready and at my signal, I take a picture, is that ok?" The young girl asked as she looked at both Tatsurou and Livanya that began to strike a victory pose, by making a v with their fingers, after they heard the young girl.
"Ok now, stay still...and...done!" The young girl said as she pressed the small button on the camera and a small flash was seen, before a square photo slowly came out of the front of the camera, and with that Tatsurou and Livanya stooped posing.
"So...how does it look?" Livanya asked with a very curious tone, as she walked towards the young girl.
"Hmm...looks pretty good to me! But I think that you should have a look yourself!" The young girl said with a happy tone, as she gave Livanya the photo she took and once Livanya looked at it, she couldn't stop smiling.
"Oh! It came out pretty good!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she looked at the photo with star-shaped and sparkling eyes.
"I have to admit that it looks pretty good! Caught your high score quite well, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said with an honest and happy tone, as he looked at the photo, while rubbing his chin a bit, Livanya just blushed and smirked when she heard Tatsurou's remark.
"Y-Yes...it really did..." Livanya said a bit embarrassed as she looked at the photo, but her eyes weren't fixated on either the cabinet's screen or on herself, as she suddenly became very quiet, but this wouldn't last long, as the young girl brought Livanya back from her thoughts.
"Well, now that the picture is taken...it's time for your prize!" The young girl said with a happy and excited tone, as she handed Livanya the small white paper bag she was holding.
"Usually our prizes, tend to be plushies, figures or the alike, when people win several rounds without losing in PVP mode on our fighting games cabinets...but when you beat the high score of a side-scrolling, driving or on-rail shooter game...you usually get awarded a secret and rare item that has to do with either gaming or anime!" The young girl said with a happy tone, as she raised her index finger a bit before Livanya grabbed the said bag.
"A secret and rare item? That sounds pretty nice, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said as he looked at Livanya, that smiled and nodded as she heard Tatsurou.
"I have to agree with you on that one, mister Tatsurou! I honestly can't wait to see what it is! Oh and thank you very much for these!" Livanya said with a curious and excited tone, as she briefly inspected the bag, before she bowed briefly to thank the young girl, for both the prize and the picture.
"You don't have to thank me and I hope that you love your prize!" The young girl said with a happy tone before she giggled a bit.
"Now, with all that said...it was a pleasure to have you here today with us, miss! And I do hope to see you here again to beat some more high scores!" The young girl said again with a happy tone, as she began to take her to leave, but instead of leaving right away, the young girl got very close to Tatsurou.
"You got quite the cute and skilled girlfriend, mister! Please do bring her over more times, I really can't wait to see her break more records around here!" The young girl whispered into Tatsurou's ear with a happy and excited tone, which made Tatsurou blush a bit, upon hearing her, as for Livanya, she simply looked at them a bit confused, while she wondered what the young girl was telling Tatsurou.
"H-Hold on! We..." Tatsurou said with an embarrassed tone, as he tried to correct the misunderstanding, but the young girl interrupted him.
"No need to be so shy! And once again, I sure hope to see you two around here very soon! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to put more coins in the change machine!" The young girl with a happy tone, while she gave Tatsurou and Livanya a wink before she finally took her, leave and once she was finally gone, Tatsurou let out a big sigh.
"Not again..." Tatsurou said a bit worried, as he remembered how this was the third time, that someone thought that Livanya was his girlfriend, but make no mistake, despite what Tatsurou said he wasn't worried or upset with the idea that people mistook him for Livanya's boyfriend.
No, it was the thought that Livanya would be either upset or creeped out with the idea of being mistaken as his girlfriend, something that worried Tatsurou, since he didn't want things to get awkward between them or that Livanya would feel uncomfortable around him thanks to those misunderstandings.
"God, good thing that Drakon-san didn't hear what Misumi, the waitress from the crepe store or this arcade employee said...I bet she would be creeped out, if she knew that people around us, thought that were a couple...but then again...I would be lying...if said that I'm upset with people thinking that I'm the boyfriend of a girl as cute and beautiful as Drakon-san..."
Tatsurou thought a bit embarrassed, as he looked at Livanya, that was now looking at the photo she took with Tatsurou and at her paper bag with a smile on her face, something, that made Tatsurou blush and smile a bit, but not for too long...
"G-Get your mind of the gutter, right this instant, Kurokami Tatsurou, you moron! Being happy and smiling like an idiot because of this!" Tatsurou thought even more embarrassed, as he blushed from ear to ear, before looking away from Livanya and gently hitting his head, but it wouldn't last long as Livanya, that had placed the photo and the paper bag inside her shoulder bag, got close to Tatsurou and gently pulled on his sleeve a bit.
"Is something wrong, mister Tatsurou?" Livanya asked more worried than curious, as she pulled on Tatsurou's sleeve again, before she tilted her head a bit, something that surprised Tatsurou quite a lot.
"Heh? I...I mean...ahem! N-No...nothing's wrong, I was just thinking...if there's anything else you would like to play, Drakon-san! Y-Yes, that's it!" Tatsurou said with a faintly nervous tone, as he raised his index finger a little.
"Oh! I see...hmm, well I wanted to play some more classics, but since I just played Final Fight...now I would like to play something together with you, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a happy tone, as she let go of Tatsurou's sleeve before she placed her hands together.
"So you want to play something together now? Well I don't mind, but what should we play...do you want to try out the Inicial D cabinets or perhaps the Time Crisis one, since it's co-op!" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he rubbed his chin a bit before he looked at Livanya that was now pointing her index fingers at each other and fidgeting a bit.
"W-Well...I would love to give those a try too, but since I'm still in a beat 'em up, mood...I would love it if we could play on some of those modern arcade cabinets with the fighting games, such as the Soul Calibur 6 one or the Tekken 7 one, close to the entrance, mister Tatsurou..." Livanya said a bit embarrassed, as she kept pointing her index fingers at each other, Tatsurou just giggled a bit, as he placed his hand in front of his mouth.
"That's fine by me and I have to admit that after seeing those skills of yours in the Final Fight cabinet, I now want to both see and experience your fighting game skills and see how I hold up against them, Drakon-san!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, which quickly turned into an excited one, as he punched his left palm with his right hand.
"T-Thank you, mister Tatsurou!" Livanya said with a happy tone, while she clasped her hands and smiled brightly, upon hearing Tatsurou.
"Now then, I haven't played Soul Calibur 6 yet, so how about we play some Tekken 7, Drakon-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Livanya that nodded, as she kept smiling
"Fine by me, mister Tatsurou! I can't wait to see your skills and how I hold up against them! Oh, and by the way who's your favorite character?" Livanya said again with a happy tone, as she grabbed Tatsurou's hand before she began to pull him towards the arcade cabinets with the various fighting games.
"Come on, Drakon-san...we still have time, so you don't need to rush it! Hmm, I like Steve Fox and Asuka a lot!" Tatsurou said as looked at Livanya, that kept holding his hand, as she pulled him towards the Tekken 7 cabinet.
"Oh, nice choice, mister Tatsurou! My favorites are Xiouyu and Chloe! But now I wonder which one I should choose, to play against you first!" Livanya said again with a happy tone, as she kept pulling Tatsurou, that sighed briefly before he began to smile and going with both Livanya's pace and flow...