February 14, 2022 (Done in February 28-March 1)
Word: review
A highschool girl, sweating buckets while fiddling with her pen, frantically scratched the back of her head in frustration as she gazed into an empty test paper. "I can't think straight anymore," she moaned.
A period of rest is anticipated by hard working individuals. Summer vacation, a period of time where students enjoy their youth, is an example of a period of rest granted every year. Students spend their time with friends playing in the beach or the poolside, some prefer to remain in the confines of their homes, others focused on fulfilling their duties as a diligent student by finishing their summer vacation homework. Saki, an unfortunate soul, was neither of those. Individuals under the average score for the finals exams must accomplish a score greater than the average. In other words, she was cursed with supplementary classes.
She rested her cheek on her arm. "I wonder what Seiji is doing right now…" she contemplated. Images of Seiji savoring her time with Maho flashed before her eyes— holding hands as they walked together, feeding each other parfaits in a cafe, cuddling with each other as they watched a romantic movie in a theater. Her heart stinged
She shook her head. "What am I thinking like this? There's no way they could do such a thing behind my back. That's because…" she thought as she turned her gaze over her shoulder.
"Sup!" Maho approached Saki from behind, greeting her with a wave.
"... she's taking supplementary classes with me too."
Maho turned the chair across Saki to face her, sitting in an unsophisticated manner; crossing her legs and revealing a glimpse of her undergarments. While Maho reached for her phone without a care, Saki's face flushed in secondhand embarrassment. Although the classroom was empty, somehow she found it immoral even if she displayed it exceptionally for her as a friend. Being a previously prim and proper student during her middle school days, Saki couldn't fathom doing the same. With that thought, she concluded that she cannot change unless she adopts the same manner as Maho.
Maho tilted her head. "Is there anything in my face?" Maho asked, tucking her curly hair on the back of her ear.
"N-no." Saki stuttered, turning her gaze away from Maho in an attempt to hide her reddish face. Her objective failed as Maho grinned at her adorable expression. She found her gaze downwards as she refrained from showing her amusement, taking a glance at the neat paper of activities.
"How curious! You haven't finished your activities, Saki." Maho said. "Is the former honor student struggling?" She pushed her fingertips on the soft, fluffy cheek of Saki, giggling like a mother poking fun at her newborn baby.
"Like. I. Said. I was the quiet student following the rules that had no friends in middle school. That doesn't mean I was a smart student!" Saki pouted, which only eagered Maho to poke at her cheek more. "Don't let me explain it again."
Maho's heart was healed with the sight of an adorable friend pouting. "How cute," she thought, resting her chin on her palm as she tickled the fair skin of Saki. "Alright. Alright. I understand.
"You don't look like you understood at all!"
The voices of two close friends showing each other affection filled the empty classroom with their warm conversations as chatters of students from various rooms resounded throughout the corridors. High-pitched noises, created by the several athletes' shoes playing in the gymnasium near the main building, sneaked through the gaps of silence in the symphony of youth, together with shouts from passionate baseball players. As the stratus cloud passed by, the summer sun made its majestic entrance, bestowing a scorching heat. A stream of light beamed through the curtainless windows of the classroom where the two female students stayed.
Finally free from supplementary classes, Maho patiently waited for her friend. With a lot of time in her hands, boredom eventually plagued her. On the other hand, Saki continued to stare into the barely touched paper before her; as if she was waiting for the answer to appear. Momentarily looking at her seatmate, she saw the eyes once filled with boredom change into stars, imagining a light bulb lit up over Maho's head.
"Hey, Saki. Let's go to the arcade after this." Maho suggested.
"Sounds fun, but I can't promise anything, Maho. I feel like this would take weeks for me to finish." Saki said, plopping her body on her desk. "I wanna live my youth to the fullest not spend my time agonizing over a piece of paper."
"There. There." Maho comforted, caressing Saki's head. "How about this? Let me provide support for your activity. Though I'm not that confident with my answers," she scratched the back of her head, chuckling. Saki, once unmotivated to even move an inch, stretched her mouth into a mischievous grin with a devious thought clouding her sense of responsibility. "Looks like we speak the same wavelength, miss Saki."
The two began their scheme. Maho provided baseless answers as Saki wrote it down, forging a paper filled with uncertainty. Laughter disrupted the silence as they relished the tedious yet lively time at supplementary class. An orange hue draped the sky as time passed by, queuing the departure of the students. Chatters of students together with the sound of footsteps passed through the hallway beside the two. Maho stretched her arms upwards as Saki let out a sigh of relief.
Maho looked outside the window. "We sure took our time finishing the activity. We could've gone much earlier if we just jotted down the answers. I can't imagine a girl so desperate to go out and have fun reviewing her answer. As expected for our honor student." Maho teased, resting her chin on her palm.
"Shut up. I wanna make sure I don't have to do this again," Saki rebutted, crossing her arms.
"Uwah, look at the time." Maho turned her smartphone to Saki displaying the numbers 17:43. "We should go tomorrow, It's getting late after all. Maybe this time with our favorite upright friend with glasses," Maho beamed.
Images of Maho and Seiji having fun flooded back in Saki's mind, stinging her frail heart. Saki clasped Maho's hand, gazing into her eyes with anxious eyes. "Let's go right now."
"Eh," Maho's face displayed an emotion called confusion, fazed by Saki's unusual behavior. "Won't your family worry if you go home late?"
"I'll let them know, don't worry. Let's reward ourselves for the hard work right now," Saki insisted, sinking her gaze deeper into Maho's eyes.
Maho timidly nodded with a flushed face, delighted by her behavior; she thought that their bond as friends was finally developing. However, Saki had a different thought in mind: she despised the thought of Seiji and Maho engaging in a romantic relationship.
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"Stop clinging onto me! It's embarrassing."
Maho tightly hugged Saki's arm while rubbing her cheek on her shoulder as they made their way through the glowing sidewalk. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We're just a pair of high school girls getting friendly with one another."
"That's besides the point!" Saki yelled. As they passed by students similar to their age staring at the two with reddish faces, Saki wore the same expression as those who witnessed the embarrassing sight. Finally, the extravagant sign spelling the words ARCADE was just a few steps ahead. "L-let's hurry and enjoy ourselves already."
They entered another world with a single step: Noises from unusual machinery meshed together throughout the arcade: the sound of button mashing at the fighting game aisle, the songs in various music game machine scattered around, the cling clang of the pinball machines, the shouts of players cheering for the horses they betted on, and other unique sounds from interesting games. Machines illuminated with different colors, decorating the arcade with its colorful lights.
"So nostalgic," the two said in unison. They turned to each other, surprised they uttered the same words. A smile formed in the two's faces as they explored the lively establishment.
The ufo catcher aisle had many fluffy stuffed toys encased inside the machines, one of which caught the attention of Saki. Determined to please her friend, Maho planned to display her skills by giving her the stuffed toy. Though, in reality, it took them several tries. Likewise, the crane games had unusual snacks inside them, which Maho loved. This time, Saki tried her hand in this one. Unlike Maho, this took longer than before. Both dejected yet happy at the same time, they made their way to a simpler game: skee-ball. Saki believed that the game is more tied to luck, while Maho believed it takes skill. Proving each other's point, they competed to see who gets the most tickets. Maho ended up winning the most points by scoring the jackpot two times. Exchanging the tickets to get a stuffed toy, they made their way towards the fighting games aisle.
"I never played a fighting game before, I sometimes watch my brother play in the living room. Other than that, I never knew the rules or the controls," Saki said.
"Fear not, my lady. This game is quite simple even for beginners. It's called…" Maho presented the arcade machine before them like an auctioneer. The arcade cabinet had the characters 鉄拳 7, translated into "... Tekken 7! Even professionals struggle against casual players because of their random inputs. Yes, they despise button mashers!"
"Doesn't that apply to any game, though?"
"It's especially bad in this game." Maho said. "I suggest using Eddy or Lili against a professional and only using the bottom two buttons."
"You're oddly passionate about this, Maho."
"This was the only game I played whenever I visited the arcade back in elementary after all," Maho scratched the back of her head. "I'll play at the other arcade cabinet behind this one, so let's fight against each other!"
"If you say even amatuer could take down a professional player with these two characters, then I'll take the challenge and fight you." Saki said with a playful tone, acting like they were rivals facing each other for the first time. She inserted tokens into the machine and pressed select. "Bring it on."
"That's the spirit." Maho said, playing along. She made her way to the arcade cabinet behind Saki's, also inserting tokens. "Let's do this tournament style! Best out of three wins!" Maho shouted over the noise that draped throughout the arcade.
Saki agreed to her proposal by shouting "Okay!" as she made her way to the character select screen. She was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of characters that you could select. As the timer decreased choosing the appropriate fighter, she hurriedly browsed the fighters names. Eventually, she found the first character Maho suggested: Eddy. "His outfit sure is stylish," Saki whispered as she made a selection. On the other side of the coin, Maho immediately selected her favorite character: Kazuya Mishima. After the loading screen displaying the fighters, the battle had begun.
"FIGHT." the announcer said.
As soon as the match, Saki remembered the words Maho told her. "Only use the bottom buttons, roger that'' Saki whispered as she mashed the two buttons in succession. However, she was too late. Maho had already made her first move— Electric Wind God Fist— launching Saki's character to the air. It followed another EWGF into a dash up EWGF. The combination of moves tranced Saki. Eventually, her character reached the wall. The combo did not stop there. The wall splat was followed up with a set of moves once again, depleting the health of Eddy to more than half his health bar. It was already game over at this point. The casual continued to press her buttons while the professional used a low mid string to close off the round.
"You didn't tell me you were good at this game!?" Saki peeked over her arcade cabinet. Maho focused her attention on the game, not even realizing her friend was complaining; she even wore eyes blazing in passion. Once Saki noticed this, she sighed. "I'll let this slide since I never saw her so passionate before," she whispered.
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"CONTINUE?" the announcer said, mocking Saki with the sight of her chosen fighter pounding the floor upset by his loss; she was not able to make a comeback after the first round.
"Damn it." Saki said inserting more tokens into the arcade cabinet. "A little reminder, miss beginner. If I win this game, I'll win the tournament!" Maho provoked Saki, emphasizing the word 'win' with a condescending tone. "We'll see about that," Saki said, wearing a smug.
The game made its way to the character select screen. This time, during her time browsing the characters before, Saki already found her next character: Lili. "Her dress looks so beautiful," she said. Selecting the character, the screen shifted to the versus screen. "Kazuya Mishima, oh how I love to win against you." The second game had begun.
"FIGHT."
"Look who we have here," a voice from behind said. "Is that you, Nakagawa Saki?"
Saki's eyes widened as her shoulders jolted from the chill that went down her spine. Her left hand lost its function, allowing Maho to juggle her character through the stage, although her right hand continued the back and forth motion of her index and middle fingers. Gradually turning her head behind her, a suppressed memory made its way back to her mind.
"Don't get involved with that boring girl. She prefers to be alone after all," a condescending voice mocked from behind a student wearing a sturdy pair of glasses and long silky black hair. It was Saki before she changed her appearance."I bet she seduced the home room teacher with her breasts to get a higher score on tests," a group of girls chuckled.
This was the treatment she had in middle school: shunned by others, mocked her behind her back, neglected by the teachers' care— she suffered because of her timidness and her 'unsightly' appearance.
"I haven't changed at all," Saki thought, turning her gaze back to the arcade cabinet, moving the joystick as her hands shook. "I'm still afraid of facing my fears."
"That's weird, did she not hear me, love?" the voice asked her companion beside her. Because of the memories that tormented her returned in her head, Saki overlooked the presence of her companion: a boy the same age as them wearing a reserved expression. "I-i-i think you need to speak a little louder." the boy said. " What did you say?" the girl asked, glaring daggers at the boy. "N-n-nothing, I-I said that she was rude for not listening to my beloved."
They were a strange couple, as if the boy was unwillingly put into a relationship with this girl. He was terrified by her demeanor; aggressive and immoral.
"That was what I expected," the girl pressed her lips on his cheek, turning his face bright red.
"YOU LOSE." the announcer said, marking her second loss against Maho. Saki's hands stopped pressing buttons or moving the joystick, yet it continued to play their own vibration: shaken by the pressure she was shouldered to by the sudden appearance of this girl. Her eyes stared into the nothingness of the arcade cabinet's paint. She looked so fragile, like a single touch would have broken her into pieces. As much as she wanted to utter even a single sneer against her, she struggled to let out even a voice.
"Did I not ask for you, Nakagawa Saki?" the girl asked once more. "Is this how you treat a friend?"
Is this how you treat a friend? Once those words reached her ears, the once trembling fragile girl sparked in rage. Wrath took control over her reasoning, sinking her nails into the skin of her palm. Slamming her fist onto the arcade cabinet, It alerted the attention of everyone inside , including the oblivious Maho peeking over to her arcade cabinet."Friend? What kind of friend ridicules my entire existence, all for the childish reason of mocking my appearance and personality? What kind of friend spreads baseless gossip about sleeping around with the teachers, the students, and even the staff members? What kind of friend forgets about our relationship during our childhood." A tear trailed down her cheeks. "You call yourself a 'friend?' Such a hypocrite." She vented her feelings towards… and yet, all she could do is curse her in her mind rather than outright expressing her thoughts. "I haven't changed after all, huh?"
"Are you alright, Saki?" Maho asked with caring eyes, rubbing her palm on Saki's back. Tears formed in Saki's eyes as the warmth of Maho's palm comforted her distress. "What did you do to my friend?" Maho scowled at the girl behind her.
"W-Whatever do you mean? I only greeted a friend hello. Is there a problem in doing so?" the girl folded her arms wearing a sheepish expression, averting her gaze towards an unexpected crowd of people. The people gathered around the arcade cabinet whispered gossip to each other. 'Are they fighting over the guy behind that girl?' , 'Are those two girls seeing each other?" , "I only ever see this scene in dramas or animes," and many more.
Maho turned to Saki, lowering the volume of her voice. "Is what she said. Are you sure you're friends with this bitch?" Saki, amused by her wording, stretched her mouth into a grin as she sniffled. Saki shook her head and mouthed a word of thanks. "I thought so. Don't worry I'll work this out."
Recently finding motivation from befriending an unusual pair—Saki; the cute classmate that approached her, and Seiji; the third wheel of the friendship— Maho encountered the need to change. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she gathered her composure to deliver a bombardment of scolding.
"Listen here you—"
"I implore you to refrain from gathering in a single space. It would become an inconvenience for others to enjoy their time in the establishment." Seiji appeared out of nowhere interrupting the delivery of Maho's scolding, bowing towards the crowd. Taking a single glance at the outfit Seiji wore, the group of people quickly dispersed, returning to their respective arcade cabinets. Returning from his bow, Seiji's beam transformed into a menacing grin. "Tanaka Fumiko." Seiji said, glaring into the girl before him. The expression of the girl crossing her arms became a petrified face, together with the boy beside her. "Didn't I warn you not to mess with us anymore?"
"W-w-w-w-why are you speaking to my girlfriend like that?" Tanaka Fumiko hid behind her boyfriend like a lady in distress. The boy thought of himself like a knight in shining armor shielding the princess from a dragon's breath. Seiji, on the other hand, grew tired of the farce that he tried to turn a blind eye to.
"Such a befitting couple you two. Cowards frolicking with baseless rumors rather than delivering the same utterance to the subject of the rumors." Seiji snickered. "A pair of chicken." (Cringe dialogue, change it)
Embarrassed by Seiji's statement together with an unpleasant memory brought about by a notorious delinquent, Tanaka Fumiko urged her partner to exit the establishment without making a fuss. Her boyfriend, who had a pinch of resentment towards the one named Seiji, agreed and left the remainder of his self-esteem behind. With many eyes watching the scene of the two leaving, some applaud the actions of an employee of the arcade.
Maho approached Seiji with a smack on his back."That was amazing, Seiji. I didn't know you could express so much emotion," She praised while teasing him at the same time. Seiji averted his gaze and scratched his head. "Shut up," he replied.
Maho questioned Tanaka Fumiko, his employment at the arcade, and their relationship in middle school; topics that Seiji and Saki chose to abandon. As the banter between Maho and Seiji, Saki's attention remained in the past.
"Don't get involved with that boring girl. She prefers to be alone after all." , "I bet she seduced the home room teacher with her breasts to get a higher score on tests." , "Did you see the look on her face? Don't be deceived by her crocodile tears." , "Why don't you talk about your sister?" , "I don't want to because she's gloomy." , "I didn't raise a daughter just for her to be ridiculed by others!" , "Don't worry, mommy will always be by your side."
"Don't bother us anymore," the voice of Seiji echoed throughout her mind. A tear fell on the arcade cabinet.
"I promised myself to change and yet…" Saki thought, hiding her tears by wiping them off. "... and yet I continue to be spoiled by your kindness. I'm sorry. Seiji"
A hand caressed the back of the head of Saki. Looking over her shoulder, she met the gaze of Seiji. "How long are you gonna be sad, cry baby? Haven't I told you to not let the past bother you?" He reminded her of his advice. "But I want it to bother me," Saki whispered under her breath.
"Did you say something?" Seiji asked, tilting his head. Saki wiped her tears and swiveled towards her two concerned friends. She shook her head. "It's nothing," she beamed.
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"Why do I have to do this with you," Seiji said, annoyed by the situation he's in.
"If you're not here, how could we be reminded of a memory of the saving grace that brought judgement to the demons of the past?" Maho teased, reciting her lines like an old man telling the tale of a brave hero.
"Alright. Alright. Let's get this over with." Seiji said. "We're about to close so we better hurry up."
"Sure thing, employee of the month." Maho teased once again.
Cramped inside a secluded photo booth, hidden within various arcade cabinets, were three highschool students planning to take a commemorative photo to serve as a memory for the eventful day; mostly to be used by Maho to tease Seiji. Positioned at the front were Seiji and Maho standing side-by-side to each other while Saki positioned herself behind the two.
"Are you sure you want to stay there?" Seiji asked.
"I promise, I'm alright. I just don't want the camera to catch me teary eyed." Saki lied.
"If you say so," Seiji said.
"Oh what's this? Does Seiji want to take a picture together with Saki?" Maho teased.
"I wanted the two of you to take a photo together. This is the first time you took a picture together, no?"
"Now that you mentioned it, you're absolutely right. I don't know you could be such a gentleman." Maho poked the sides of Seiji.
"Can you stop? I wanna go home as soon as possible." Seiji asked.
"Fine, I'll let you go for now."
"For now? Can you stop my suffering instead?" Seiji rebutted, making Maho pout. "Fix your looks, especially Saki. I'm about to take a picture."
"Ah, just like I thought…" Saki whispered.
Ka-chick
"... They look perfect for eachother," tears trailed down her cheeks.