Chapter 426: Would You Like To Give It A Try, Young Man?
"It's really a coincidence," hearing Hachiman's explanation, the girls nodded, though it's uncertain how much they believed.
But then, Shizuka laughed heartily. "Haha, I told you! It's the summer festival, it would be a waste if you only focused on work. Kirisu-sensei, sometimes you're just too uptight."
Seeing Shizuka's cheerful demeanor, Mafuyu smirked. Despite her reliability as a senior, she could be quite unreliable at times.
Not only Mafuyu, but even Hachiman looked at Shizuka with a hint of resignation. "Are you sure being so carefree is a good thing?"
You're so laid-back, is that really okay?
Even though they were both teachers, the difference in their attitudes was staggering.
At that moment, Yui noticed the bag in Mafuyu's hand and couldn't help but ask, "Oh, Kirisu-sensei, what's in your hand?"
Hachiman stepped in to explain for her. "Oh, these? When I bumped into Mafuyu-sensei earlier, she was playing a shooting game, and these are the prizes she won."
"Wow, Kirisu-sensei is amazing," Yui exclaimed, surprised by Hachiman's words.
Even the other girls were a bit astonished. Looking at the bulging bag, it was evident there were quite a few items inside. If these were all the prizes Mafuyu won from the shooting game, then she was indeed impressive.
However, upon hearing Hachiman mention the shooting game, some of the girls became interested.
Excited like a child, Alice spoke up, "Shooting game? Hachiman-kun, I want to play too!"
"No problem," Hachiman naturally agreed. Since the girls had finished their fried noodles, it wouldn't hurt to move around a bit.
"But let's go to a different stall. The shooting stall we just saw has probably been cleared out by Kirisu-sensei," he added.
This was partly because if the owner saw Mafuyu, who had just cleaned them out, return, he might end up in tears.
Anyway, there were plenty of game stalls at the summer festival. It wouldn't make sense to go back if all the good prizes were already won by Mafuyu.
Upon hearing Hachiman's words, Mafuyu felt a twinge of embarrassment. She had gotten carried away in the moment and forgot to rein herself in.
Of course, the girls didn't seem to mind. After all, if what Hachiman said was true and Mafuyu had won all the good prizes, there wouldn't be much point in returning.
And so, after tossing the leftover packaging and chopsticks from their fried noodles into the trash can, the group set off again in search of the shooting stall.
They quickly located another shooting game stall.
The stall owner, also a middle-aged man, greeted them with a smile. Despite his balding head, he appeared cheerful.
"Stand behind that line. Your hand shouldn't cross it. Knock down any prize, and it's yours."
Seeing the large group, the stall owner naturally widened his smile. More people meant more profit.
"It's 500 yen per round. You get five bullets for the first round. If you run out, it's 100 yen per additional bullet," the owner explained with a grin.
Upon hearing this, Hachiman nodded and picked up a replica rifle, turning to the girls. "Who wants to play?"
"I do!" Alice was the first to raise her hand.
Taking the replica rifle from Hachiman, Alice looked challengingly at Erina. "Erina, dare to challenge me?"
"Bring it on! I'm not scared of you," Erina retorted, unable to resist the challenge. She grabbed another rifle.
The stall owner watched the scene with satisfaction. More players meant more money for him.
And so, the daily competition between the Nakiri sisters commenced.
After paying for two rounds, Erina and Alice took their positions with their rifles.
They both gripped the rifles firmly, trying to mimic a proper shooting stance. Throughout the process, their expressions remained serious, as neither wanted to lose.
Soon, their competition began.
Aim, lock, fire...
With a "bang" from their replica air rifles, the wooden bullets sliced through the air toward their chosen prizes. Unfortunately, halfway there, the bullets veered off course, flying past the prizes and landing behind the prize shelf.
"Oops, so close! Keep it up, ladies," the middle-aged stall owner encouraged, seeing neither Alice nor Erina hit their targets. He fanned himself happily, comforting the two girls.
The two girls were clearly playing with replica rifles for the first time, but they weren't discouraged. They adjusted their positions and took aim again.
"Bang."
The second bullet was fired.
This time, Erina still missed hitting the target, but the deviation was slightly smaller.
However, Alice managed to graze the edge slightly. The plush toy wobbled a bit but ultimately didn't fall.
Seeing this, the girls pouted in frustration. "Ugh, even though we hit it, it didn't fall down."
Surprisingly, Alice managed to graze the target on her second attempt. Hachiman was a bit surprised but still comforted her with a smile. "It's okay, just a little off. You'll get it next time."
He didn't forget to encourage Erina either. "Erina, keep it up!"
Hearing Hachiman's words, Alice regained her confidence, while Erina remained calm and focused. With bated breath, she squinted one eye, her face displaying a serious expression.
"Bang."
She pulled the trigger, and the third bullet burst out. This time, Erina didn't miss. A small teddy bear fell down with a soft thud.
"Wow, impressive, young lady."
Seeing Erina hit the target with her third shot surprised the middle-aged stall owner. He then smiled and praised her.
"Hmph, of course," Erina replied confidently, tossing her golden hair.
But in business, it's impossible to always profit without loss.
The owner picked up the fallen teddy bear and placed it in front of Erina, smiling as he said, "You're lucky, young lady. You still have two bullets left..."
Before he could finish his sentence, another gunshot rang out.
"Bang."
At the same time, Alice pulled the trigger, and a unicorn plush toy on the other side also fell down.
The stall owner's face showed a surprised expression at seeing Alice also hit the target.
Was his luck really that bad today? Two young girls in a row managed to knock down the toys.
But he didn't welsh on the deal. He picked up the unicorn plush toy knocked down by Alice and handed it over.
"You're quite talented, young lady."
"Of course." Alice took the plush toy and ignored the stall owner, instead going over to Hachiman and holding up her prize.
"Hachiman-kun, look, am I impressive?"
Seeing the eager expression on the girl's face, Hachiman couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Indeed, she had the mentality of a child.
But he naturally wouldn't withhold his praise. "Alice, you're very talented."
"Hehe."
Upon hearing Hachiman's praise, Alice hugged the plush toy to her chest, her face beaming with happiness.
"Hmph."
Seeing this scene, Erina nearby couldn't help but snort in dissatisfaction.
Hachiman wouldn't play favorites, so he also praised Erina.
"Erina, you're also very talented. You managed to hit the target so quickly."
After hearing his praise, Erina's expression improved significantly, and she looked towards Alice beside her.
"Let's continue."
Since they still had two bullets left, their competition wasn't over yet.
"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you," Alice replied confidently.
The two girls returned to their shooting positions, each picking up a replica rifle.
However, unfortunately, neither of them managed to hit anything with their final two shots.
Seeing this, the stall owner let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the fact that Erina and Alice managed to hit the targets earlier was largely due to luck.
With the five bullets used up and neither of the girls opting to continue, the stall owner spoke up again with a cheerful tone.
"Who else wants to give it a try?"
After all, with so many people around, it wouldn't do for just Erina and Alice to play.
As expected, another girl expressed her desire to play, and Hachiman once again pulled out his wallet to pay.
Unfortunately, not everyone had good luck. Despite the continuous sound of "bang, bang, bang," there were few successful hits on the prizes.
After all the girls had taken their turn, only a few of them had managed to hit the prizes.
Seeing this, the smile on the stall owner's face widened even more.
However, at this moment, he noticed Hachiman, who hadn't played yet, and couldn't help but pick up a rifle and encourage him.
"Would you like to give it a try, young man?"