After an unknown amount of time, Yukino, holding a large bag filled with Pan-san dolls, left the doll store with Hoshimi, who had a subtle expression.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Hoshimi, whose expression wasn't too good. Her brows involuntarily curved up, and a hint of a smile began to build without her realizing it.
In her bag, there were a total of 10 Pan-san dolls, of which 2 were given to them by a store clerk who felt sorry for Hoshimi's unfortunate attempts, while the remaining 8 were won by Hoshimi himself.
Among these 8, the first two cost an unknown number of tries; she had been watching from the sidelines, her eyes sore from it. She had even urged Hoshimi several times not to waste his money, but for some reason, he suddenly became as stubborn as a mule and insisted on winning more.
After countless attempts, Hoshimi seemed to discover the secret and suddenly became adept at it, then began to obsessively win doll after doll in retaliation.
If she hadn't advised him that he was pushing it too far, that petty guy Hoshimi might have tried to win all the dolls in the machine.
Thinking of this, the smile on Yukino's face grew even more pronounced.
Hoshimi, it turns out you're not always so carefree and laid-back; occasionally, you show a bit of ambition~
Good, good, I've noted today's events. Perhaps in the future, there will be opportunities to stimulate your ambition.
With a smile deepening, Yukino affectionately took Hoshimi's hand and gently nudged his shoulder, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy after winning so many dolls?"
"..." Hoshimi, who didn't want to talk, just squeezed Yukino's soft hand lightly.
He wasn't unhappy; he had simply calculated the costs and realized he had lost too much. Not to mention the financial cost, just the time spent was enough to frustrate him.
When they entered the doll store, the sun was still high in the sky; by the time they came out, it had already set behind the mountains.
Looking at the dim twilight, his internal scale could never find balance.
He had always been the one playing with others; when was it ever his turn to be played with? Besides, this wasn't even a person! It was a machine!
If it hadn't been for Yukino's persuasion, he would have really wanted to grab all the Pan-san dolls out of the machine!
"Alright, alright, let's have fun. Hoshimi, cheer up." Seeing Hoshimi's gloomy demeanor, Yukino felt inexplicably cheerful. She smiled as she doodled some meaningless symbols in the palm of Hoshimi's hand.
Hoshimi rubbed his face with one hand, putting on his usual smile again.
"Yukino, are we still going to the ocean area?" Hoshimi asked with a smile, his mood quickly recovering.
Seeing Hoshimi's ability to change his expression, Yukino couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise. Should she say he has a strong ability to self-regulate? Or that he was just good at acting?
She didn't dwell on it and responded to Hoshimi's question, "It's getting a bit late, so let's call it a day. We can visit the ocean area next time we come."
"Alright then." Hoshimi replied, stopping in his tracks, "Wait here for a moment, I'm going to the restroom."
"Do you know how to find it?" Yukino asked, letting go of Hoshimi's hand.
"..." Hoshimi looked at Yukino with a strange expression, "Yukino, are you doubting my intelligence?"
Yukino averted her gaze, her voice drifting, "How could I? You're overthinking it; I was just asking casually."
"..." Hoshimi didn't say anything further, just standing still, staring intently at Yukino.
Feeling a chill at the nape of her neck from Hoshimi's gaze, Yukino pushed against his chest and said, "What are you standing here for? Didn't you say you were going to the restroom?"
"Then I'm going..." Before he finished speaking, Hoshimi had already turned to leave.
After watching Hoshimi's figure disappear into the distance, Yukino found a nearby bench to sit on. She hugged the bag of dolls, her gaze gradually drifting off, unsure of what she was thinking.
After a while, Hoshimi returned silently to Yukino's side. He stood beside the bench and asked Yukino, who seemed lost in thought, "Yukino, what are you thinking about?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yukino snapped back to reality and casually replied, "Nothing, just…"
Mid-sentence, Yukino froze in place, staring in surprise at the huge panda plush toy that Hoshimi was holding.
Wasn't that the life-sized Pan-san displayed at the entrance of the doll store? How did it end up in Hoshimi's hands? Did he rob the doll store?!
No, no, no! Did Hoshimi win a prize from a lottery?! And he happened to hit the jackpot?!
"Yukino, do you like it? I won it for you~" Hoshimi said with a grin as he presented the life-sized Pan-san to Yukino.
This thing was quite heavy; his hands had become a bit sore from carrying it all the way here.
"..." Looking at the slightly fierce expression of Pan-san, Yukino gradually calmed down.
She tilted her head slightly, peering past Pan-san's large head to look at Hoshimi, "How much did it cost?"
"I got it on the first try~" Hoshimi sat down next to Yukino, still smiling with the big toy in his arms.
Yukino shot a sidelong glance at Hoshimi and murmured softly, "You're kidding... Could your luck be that good?"
It was a lie that even a child wouldn't believe; she certainly wouldn't. Hoshimi must have wasted a lot of money...
Even if Hoshimi wasn't short on cash, he shouldn't be so wasteful...
"Okay, actually, it wasn't on the first try, but on the tenth try. No, it was the thirtieth try that I won it." Seeing that Yukino didn't believe him, Hoshimi laughed and increased the number of attempts.
"....." Yukino remained silent, just staring intently into Hoshimi's crimson eyes.
As night approached and the light faded, Hoshimi's eyes, once as vibrant as pomegranate seeds, appeared especially striking now, almost radiating a soft glow.
"Alright, actually it was the fifty-first try that I won." When Yukino still didn't believe him, Hoshimi continued to up the number.
"..."
"Hmm~ how about a hundred tries? I feel like the chances of winning are quite high then."
"..."
"It was a hundred tries! That's the truth! Really! Yukino, you have to believe me!"
"..."
"..."
Seeing that Yukino remained silent, Hoshimi found it a bit puzzling, so he decided to say nothing and just stared at Yukino.
Now, it was a battle of endurance between the two.
Whoever blinked first would lose, and the winner would get the final say.
"Hey~ hey~ Ayako-chan, do you know what I just encountered?"
"Uh-huh? What is it?"
Just as Hoshimi and Yukino were playing their staring game, two young ladies with vibrant youth walked by.
Unspoken, the two unconsciously shifted part of their attention to the idle chatter of the two young ladies.
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