"Oh, you're still here?"
Kenneth went back to the classroom after forgetting his homework.
He was with his teammates despite already retiring, as he was training the juniors together with Leo. It was still fun, so he chose to keep playing at least until he graduated from high school.
After opening the door, he saw Beatrice still in the room, staring blankly at her phone.
But when she raised her head and looked at him, he blinked.
"I forgot my homework," he commented before entering.
"I see. I am about to go home as well," Beatrice replied, her voice almost cracking.
"Come to think of it, do you have anything to do right now?" Kenneth nonchalantly asked as he rummaged through his desk for his homework.
Beatrice looked at him, and seeing his usual look, she shook her head.
"Nothing in particular."
"There you are," Kenneth pulled out his notebook, then put it inside his bag before turning to her.
"Do you want to go to an arcade? Leo and the rest were too useless; they were talking about being tired with just a short practice," he even shook his head in disappointment.
"Out of the blue?" Beatrice couldn't help but say.
"I was thinking of going for a while now. I invited Luca and the others, but well, they were all busy. Am I the only one who's not busy?" he furrowed his brows.
Then he shrugged, "Are you free? It's fine though if not. I'll just look for someone else. I mean, things will start getting busier for all of us once we all start our university, so…"
Beatrice thought about it, and remembering the place she'd return to, she felt like not going back yet.
"Sure, why not," she replied.
"Cool."
Kenneth grinned at her affirmation.
The two went to an arcade and started playing.
"Of course, basketball first," Kenneth was like a child who came to a playground for the first time in a while.
Beatrice giggled, "You came out from practice and you still want to play?"
"There's a different fulfillment when you score high points in these basketball areas," he beamed at her.
Then he went to the shooting area.
"Here you go," before he started playing, he handed her some tokens as well.
"Why don't we compete?" he bobbed his brows up and down.
"Compete? Coming from the champion of the basketball competition? The MVP at that?" Beatrice replied with a laugh.
"Come on, who knows, you may be good at this," Kenneth urged.
"Fine," Beatrice gave in.
The two then started playing.
…
Beatrice was looking at Kenneth with puffed cheeks. On the other hand, Kenneth was laughing so hard, he was even holding his stomach.
"Stop laughing," she complained.
"It's because… I… I did not expect… someone… could be as… bad as this in… a basketball game… in an… arcade…" he was laughing in between his words.
Beatrice's cheeks puffed even more.
She also did not expect that she would be this bad.
"I mean… who would score… zero points… in this game?" Kenneth continued laughing.
"Stop laughing!!!!" Beatrice complained as her face turned red.
She thought it would be easy, but no matter how she shot, the ball just wouldn't go inside the ring.
Kenneth continued laughing while she could only hit his arm in embarrassment.
Others were even turning to their direction because of how hard he was laughing.
"Ken!!!!" she called, almost begging.
"Okay, okay," Kenneth took a deep breath, seeing that she was close to tears.
"I'm sorry. I just really did not expect it. I'll stop—pfft."
Beatrice glared at him.
He raised both hands and finally was able to control his laughter.
"This is fun, shall we try the other games?" he asked her.
"No, this is not fun," Beatrice complained.
"It will be. It will be. Come on."
He pulled her to try more and more games.
From zombie shooting to fish catching. Even the crane games, trying to get the different kinds of toys but to no avail.
"Do you really want that?" Kenneth felt helpless.
On the last crane game, there was a cute panda stuffed toy that Beatrice tried to get but to no avail. He tried as well, but he was as unlucky as she was.
They even finished their tokens and got some more but to no avail.
Beatrice sighed before smiling, "It's fine. It's just not for me."
She checked her time and found that it was already half past seven.
"I guess we should step out now. I'm quite hungry, do you still have time for dinner?" she asked.
"Sure," Kenneth replied.
Beatrice walked ahead, and he followed, glancing at the crane game one last time.
"I'm craving for some noodles," Beatrice said after they stepped out.
"Why not some Korean dish? I saw a restaurant near here a while ago," Kenneth suggested.
"Sure," Beatrice smiled.
They went and ordered some Kalguksu.
It is a comforting and flavorful Korean noodle soup that features hand-cut wheat noodles in a light, savory broth. It's a popular dish, especially in colder months, and is often enjoyed with various accompaniments.
They chatted about random things while enjoying the warm noodles.
Beatrice felt the warmth comforting her current emotions.
"Wait for me for a bit, I just need to buy something," Kenneth said just as they stepped out of the restaurant.
Before she could say that she would accompany him, he already dashed off to the health and beauty retail chain store nearby.
She could only stand there and wait for him.
While doing so, she looked at her phone, thinking about what steps she would take next.
"Okay, I'm done, let's go. I'll walk you to the bus stop."
Beatrice's place could be accessed by bus or train, and the nearest to the mall they're at was a bus stop.