Agiworks Unlimited (Rukako)

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira was not one to really care too much for huge gatherings of people. Mostly, it was the fact that there just happened to be so many faces all around. Of course, the fact that it was noisy and dangerous was another thing. Now, that was not to say that he disliked things like festivals. In fact, he really did like them. But he didn't like being involved with them too much. He found watching from the sidelines to be more enjoyable. Seeing people come together like that, making all that noise and it all being fun and games was great. Being in the middle of it? It was just a bit of a headache. You couldn't observe anything- too messy and busy. A spot on the sidelines was infinitely better in that regard. Plus, more comfortable, and it usually included a seat.

Unlike his usual outings to things like this, in which he'd go in full drag and trap any number of people to his whims, the boy was taking this festival seriously, if only for the time being. Dressed as appropriate for the tradition, the boy wore a yukata. His hands were safely free to be seen. The design was simple- from top to bottom, alternating rows of long strips of dark blue and thin strips of a slightly lighter blue- and definitely seemed fitting for a mature male. Because of that, despite his almost girlish face and his ponytail, most did not assume he was a girl.

Now, the boy was waiting on someone near the bottom of the steps to the shrine. Numerous people, young and old, male and female, proceeded up the steps. Some seemed vaguely familiar. Others, the majority, seemed completely alien to him. Some had come up to him, mostly girls, hoping to drag him up with them. He declined in each case. That sort of person bored him. Besides, he had made a promise. Or an offer, at least. He would be accompanying Kurokawa Rukako. He hoped to use the visit as a means of speed-leveling her social prowess and giving her emotions a good kick-start. Worst-case scenario, she'd just have fun. He wasn't expecting a failure. Not at all.

After all, he was the Student Council President.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka seemed to have run into much more trouble getting to the shrine than she had expected. For one, she wasn't used to walking in such awkward footwear. The girl nearly tripped when she began to walk out of her apartment, and several more times while going down the stairs. From there, she kept a slow pace, making sure not to trip. To only make matters worse, the walk to the shrine was a long one from her house. Along the way, a few boys even asked her to tag along. Of course, she politely declined, knowing that she would likely hold them up in doing so. That, and she had already made plans with someone whom she was likely holding up thanks to these accursed sandals.

The sandals were of course, only one part of the whole outfit that she was wearing tonight. It was a rather unique outfit at that, but seemingly normal for the occasion. After learning that she would be going to a festival, the girl had made a trip to the mall to go shopping for a yukata. This is not what she purchased, nor what she was wearing tonight, however. There was apparently a "misunderstanding" between her and the woman at the clothing store. Rather than a yukata, Luka had described wanting something along the lines of a furisode. These were of course, much more expensive and intended for formal social gatherings like weddings and tea ceremonies. Luka recalled that the prices for all of the gowns were considerably high for a yukata.(Which made sense, seeing as they weren't yukatas) But when the girl's eyes locked on to a pure white gown with simple but pretty snowflake patterns, Luka was dead set on it. After getting fitted for one, she made the purchase right then and there.

Fast forwarding back to the night of the festival, Luka was now wearing that very furisode as she struggled to walk to the shrine. The gown itself was simple, but made with very fine, expensive silk. It was actually quite comfortable to wear, admittedly. And now that she thought about it, she looked a lot like her first persona in this gown. She wasn't sure how she should feel, looking like a youkai from Japanese folklore. Upon inspection of the designs on her dress, one could note that various snowflake designs along the middle of the dress and on the sleeves. And much like any furisode, the sleeves on this thing were long. Should the girl bring her arms all the way down, she would end up dragging the sleeves along the ground slightly. This naturally made getting to the shrine harder than it was already.

But with effort, and a lot of careful steps, the girl found reaching the bottom of the stairs leading to the shrine. And up ahead, she noticed the person whom she had likely kept waiting. The girl picked up her pace a tad after noticing him. Akira! She called out to him just loud enough so that he could hear her. A second after that, the girl felt herself stumble a bit as she walked. It seemed these sandals would be giving her quite a bit of trouble tonight. Finally making her way next to the boy, she took note of his attire. It seems he chose to wear a yukata as well.(Which is funny, because she wasn't wearing one.) Blinking and tilting her head, she decided to comment in her normal, straightforward tone. I like your yukata. The girl liked the color blue, sure. But the yukata honestly looked pretty good on him. How do I look? She stared at the boy as she waited for his input. She was truly curious about what he thought.

[Akira Nakajima]

There were two possibilities the boy had expected that evening, in terms of the girl's choice of clothing. Either she would come in super-casual clothing and feel awkward because he dressed according to the customs back home, or she would dress in a yukata as well, matching him. He had given no recommendations to the girl. As such, it did not matter over much too him. However, the boy had to admit that, while he was perfectly all right with whatever the girl happened to show up in- within limitations, of course, as her suddenly showing up in BDSM gear would have likely done him in- he was very much surprised to see her not in casual clothing, nor in a yukata. No. Not casual or formal clothes at all- she skipped straight to super-formal. Not only that, but she was basically advertising her availability for marriage. Did this girl realize that, or had she just gone with whatever she thought looked best? Honestly, it could have gone either way. He did not let his conflicted feelings show on his face, though. Instead, he simply smiled as she approached. Just. . . how was he supposed to react to that, exactly?

”Thank you for the compliment. I just went with something simple.” He casually commented on his own choice as the girl went on to fish for compliments. He could have been an ass, an actual one, and teased her. He could have embarrassed her and revealed what it was she was wearing (and he may have very well decided to do that before the night was over), or he could just play along for the time being and give her an honest compliment before they began their trek up the stairs. If only for the sake of keeping things pleasant and fun for the both of them for the time being, he decided to go with the last of those options. He just smiled warmly at her.

”You look good. The snowflake design matches you, and not just because of your Persona.” He mentioned their other sides, but it was light enough that it wasn't intended to get them thinking on the city's issues. He really did believe what he said, though. This girl was a pure white, just like a snowflake. He had to be careful what he did, otherwise he himself might have been responsible for ruining that. Slowly, he extended his hand. His smile never faded.

”Shall we ascend to the merrymaking above us, young miss?” He asked with a slight tilt of his head. He was going to try to make sure she enjoyed the evening plenty. Then, at the end of it all, he could tease her to get what deficiency of enjoyment he had out of it.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka was definitely expecting the boy to tease her in some form when she asked for his input on her attire. Honestly, she had probably set herself for such a case. But she didn't get any teasing from him. Not even an evasive answer. He thought that she looked good, and even noted the comparison between Luka and her persona. While she was apprehensive about making that comparison, hearing Akira make the same comparison in a carefree tone put her a bit at ease over that fact. She giggled lightly at the response slightly covering her mouth with the sleeve that reached just a bit past her hand. I found it at the mall a few days ago. It was a lot more expensive than what I expected for a yukata, but I knew I had to have it when I saw it. She seemed quite proud about making the purchase for herself. Luka was very careful about frivolous spending. She always managed her money carefully. After all, how else would she be able to make such filling meals so often? But once in a while, like now was fine she supposed. Hopefully nothing would tempt her like that again though.

With both of her hands (which were hidden under her long sleeves) held just over her mouth, the girl looked to the hand extended to her, and then to the boy who extended it. Though hesitant, she nodded and slowly extended her hand from out of her sleeve to grab his. Hm. Let's go. She nodded, with a smile.

From there, she turned to look at the set of stairs that she would now have to ascend to reach the shrine. Remembering how hard it was just to get down the stairs from her apartment building, the girl looked at the staircase with a bit of fear. H-Here we go then. . . Slowly, she tried ascending the stairs while in in her sandals. With her first step, she began to lose her balance almost immediately and ended up having to back off. Auu. She tried another approach this time, involving an awkward looking sidestep. Again, not very effective as she nearly fell back over. Auu. . . Going up stairs seemed to be even harder than going down them. Sorry. I'm not very good at walking in these sandals. She seemed legitimately apologetic about this. They hadn't even entered the shrine yet and she was already causing trouble.

[Akira Nakajima]

Frankly, Akira was not too surprised by Luka's lack of experience with sandals. And climbing while in sandals. The reason for this? She had a unique set of circumstances while growing up. He doubted she had worn a kimono and sandals at all for a great length of time. He had prepared himself when they started to mount the stairs, but he knew better than to expect something wonderful. When she backed off, he smiled at her and released her hand. It was not out of frustration, but so that he could stare at her while giving a contemplative gaze. His right arm crossed his stomach, while his left elbow sat upon that hand, brushing against his chin. For a good few moments, he stared at her. In truth, though, he already knew what he was going to suggest. Seemed that he'd have a good chance at embarrassing her- good-naturedly- prior to the end of the festivities for them. That was good. Hopefully it'd not get in the way too much, though.

"Well, if that's the case, then how about I carry you up the stairs? I already carried you once, so I know I can handle it. Plus, isn't that something that girls like?" With an innocent smile, half-closed eyes, and a tilt of the head, the boy just left that casual suggestion. He doubted she'd just take him up on that, though. "I mean, it'd be safer for you, and probably quicker overall. It'd mean you could enjoy yourself sooner." He threw some logic out immediately afterward, just watching the girl. If he was going to try embarrassing her, he wanted her to squirm. At least if it got to that point, it'd be amusing.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka had originally felt that the night was off to a good start. Akira wasn't teasing her(yet) and the night was looking to be a fun one. Even though she was presented with a small problem, Luka knew that they would fix the issue somehow.

E-Eh? Did Akira really suggest something like that? She looked at him with a surprised look at first, but soon dropped it for a slightly more serious one. He was teasing her again it seemed, judging by his smile. Though, Luka wouldn't put it past him to actually carry her should he decide to. But something like that would be beyond embarrassing, especially in front of all these people. Try carrying me and I'll bite you. She glared at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the stairs. Pathetically enough, these stairs were a major issue for the girl. Couldn't she just enjoy one night without running into any issues? She decided give the stairs one more attempt, making it as far as the second step before stumbling back again. No good.

Even if she lacked the self-respect to simply crawl up the stairs, she would be getting her outfit dirty as a result. That would not do at all. Tumbling down the stairs should she make it a bit farther was certainly out of the question as well. Instead, Luka simply stood there in contemplation for a few moments trying to figure out a way to get up the stairs. The issue was clearly visible on her mind as she tried thinking of some other way up.

[Akira Nakajima]

Seemed that Luka was against such an idea. The silly girl, instead of accepting his kindness, was instead threatening him and trying again, in vain, to climb the stairs. Made him wonder why he bothered coming dressed normally if he wasn't going to get the chance to play the part appropriately. He watched her for a moment before stretching his arms up and reaching behind his head, leaning back to stretch his back. Felt good, really. He was stiff, for some reason or another. Oh well. Back to the present, he was stuck with a rather bothersome girl who refused to give in. But he could certainly strike back verbally.

"Threat aside, since I may actually enjoy your biting, I have no issues with carrying you. I did so on that one mission, so I know I'm physically capable. I could even do it bridal style, this time, if you'd prefer." His choice of words was excellent, if only because of the fact that she was wearing what was essentially a Japanese equivalent for a wedding gown. He shrugged slightly, mostly to himself, as he gazed at the little snowflake- the dense, sheltered-in-an-odd-way snowflake. Exactly what was he going to do with her?

"So, Ruka, do you have an idea of how you'll get to the top, safely, without having me carry you? I mean, as resourceful as I am, I'm not seeing many methods that ensure safety, speed, and cleanliness." He observed as an old couple passed them, looking their way and smiling as comments about "youth" and "boys and girls" were uttered. He paid them no mind, focusing solely on the girl, though.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Well creepy comment aside, you already made it more than clear that you can carry me. She chose to ignore the mention of a specific carrying method, if only to prevent herself from inadvertently giving Akira more fuel to use against her. She began to focus on the stairs again, trying to ignore Akira for the time being. To put it bluntly, it wasn't very effective.

Akira decided to continue his argument by pointing out the lack of other safe methods of ascending the stairs in a rather roundabout way. The comment pretty much broke her focus on figuring out a method to get up the steps. (Not that it mattered, seeing as she wasn't making any progress regardless.) Not even a minute into the night and she was already agitated. Somehow she wasn't surprised. Her eyes locked on to the old couple that seemed to be talking about them as they passed by. When she realized just what they were talking about, she pushed Akira away. Hmph. The actual push wasn't really strong enough to move him of course. It was just her letting off steam.

But the girl knew that he was right. It would probably be a lot easier and quite possibly faster to have him carry her up. She let out a small groan of frustration. She was about to make a decision that she may or may not regret. Fine. She moved in closer to him. Just do it quickly. She averted her gaze from him, knowing that he would probably be smiling right about now. He had essentially won again, and she didn't feel like seeing the boy get full of himself over it.

[Akira Nakajima]

The girl continued to argue and make sounds and push and shove and generally be a mean and cold-hearted bully to the saint-like youth willing to go to such ends to provide a pleasant evening for the both of them. When the girl finally conceeded, the boy did, in fact, smile, but it was not a teasing smile. It was the smile of a leader that felt like a follower had just learned something. Or it was the "Warm" smile of a sadist enjoying the emotional turmoil he had put another living being into. Either way, he was smiling in an affectionate manner.

"As you wish." He noted before closing the already-small distance between them and scooping her up. With one arm under her legs and another supporting her back, the boy held Luka's form against him. He didn't hesitate or hold back. Once certain that the girl was settled and safe, the boy began to walk up the steps. He was taking his time, but not to tease her- it was purely out of caution, considering the fact that he was now carrying another person. One could run all they wanted if they were alone, be it up or down the stone steps, but not while transporting fragile or valuable goods.

"We will be reaching our destination shortly." The boy warmly noted as he ascended. He wasn't against conversation, but he honestly wondered if the girl would try to maintain communication or shut him up every time he tried. It really could have gone either way with her. She might have even gotten violent, which could be dangerous for the both of them. Despite that, he really did want to ask at least one thing. At the point in which he decided to go through with it, the boy's smile shifted into an impish grin.

"So when would you like to bite me? And where?"

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka simply waited for Akira to do whatever he was going to do about their situation, having given him permission. She had half the mind to believe that he might sling her over on his shoulder if he wanted to. When he actually did make his move, Luka was caught completely off guard as she felt the boy's hands touch the back of her legs and back. W-Wait a minute! As she was scooped up, she instinctively went to reach for something as support and ended up wrapping her arms around the boy's neck.

Despite how embarrassing it was, she continued to cling on to him as they ascended. It was a safety thing to do, really. Like for someone who was afraid of roller-coasters, they might hold on tightly to the bars that held them in despite it not really making them much safer. For all that truly mattered, they could be flailing their arms in the air without any concern. This was funny, given the girl's previously mentioned fear of roller-coasters. When Akira noted that they would be done soon, Luka simply nodded. Mm. She wasn't angry in the least. She really couldn't be. In fact, she had almost thanked him just now, but held her tongue. Her body had originally tensed up from a combination of being suddenly picked up and slowly ascending stairs while doing. Though, she slowly began to relax and almost enjoy the ride while it lasted.

The ascension of the stair may have turned out a bit more pleasant had it not been for the boy's last comment in regards to her threat. Puffing her cheeks, she decided to outright end that notion that she had regretfully given him. Shutup. Despite her agreeing to the idea in the first place, she would get him back for carrying her as promised. But that was for later, seeing that the two had reached the top of the steps at this point. Wow. As the festival slowly came into the girl's view as they ascended the steps, she took note of all the different stands that were there. Honestly, she wasn't expecting something as lively as this. There was a lot of people around, which Luka wasn't particularly fond of. But she felt that she could look past that fact. This was a night to have fun; and she certainly planned to having already gone through the trial of getting up the stairs.

The festival seemed to bring up a few old memories from the girl. Very old memories. The last time she had been to a festival was when she was four. Sure, there was a lot of the same attractions back then that could be found here, but most if not all of those memories were vague and hard to recall. This would essentially be a brand new experience for her, in many ways. So, where should we go first? She let Akira take the lead again, as much as she didn't like being led around like a child. She was basically lost in a social situation like this. Date aside, if they really were calling it that, Luka didn't know what to do at a festival like this. She would likely get the hang of it as the night went on, but for now she would be getting the foundation course on the subject.

[Akira Nakajima]

So the girl hugged his neck. Well well. That was a highly erotic sensation, even if the situation was not of that nature. Naturally, this was not exciting to the boy. He was just mildly surprised that the defiant girl had done so. That, and the fact that the sensation did carry that quality. She told him to shut up, something to be expected from the typically mean-mannered girl, or so she had proven herself to be that evening. Actually, that evening and the other night. She even fell asleep during his lessons. Gee. Kurokawa Rukako could be quite rude. Despite his vindictive mood, he knew better than to try to bother her when the night was still young. He had already had his fill, after all. As they ascended to the shrine itself, the girl commented in awe. Akira simply progressed far enough that he could safely let her down. Doing just that, he straightened himself and stretched his arms. Taking her on his back had been simple, but his arms were then sore. And then they'd be leaving by means of the steps, he imagined. What a pain.

”There are foods, games, and souvenirs.” He noted when the girl flipped to eager-mode. He'd just make a note to bother her in a way that counted later- had to be before they left, though. ”I suggest we go to a food stand to begin eating, then explore and look for games and souvenirs. This way, you don't risk overfilling your stomach while still leaving yourself open to eating as time passes. Pleasure and enjoyment balanced, you see. Plus, I'm sure there's enough Japanese around here to justify a takoyaki stand. Takoyaki is probably the single best dish found at places like this for portable consumption. Just get a stick and thrust it through them. Suddenly, takoyaki-bobs.” He casually noted before crossing his arms and pressing onward. He then looked over his shoulder, smiling at the girl.

”So let us try to find a stand, then we'll find out games to go with our bread.” Naturally, he waited for her to follow before proceeding. He wasn't going to physically hold her hand the whole time. While the girl would probably enjoy it, they were not together, and she was not a child.

Even if she acted like one.

[Luka Kurokawa]

The boy named a few things that could be found at the festival. Among them seemed to be food, games, and souvenir stands. And just as she expected, Akira seemed to have a general idea of what they should do before doing anything. The first thing, seeming to be finding something to eat while they walked around. Luka blinked at the mention of takoyaki. It wasn't because she was unfamiliar with the food. Quite the contrary. She probably knew how to make a few different kinds of it. The takoyaki here is probably good, if the market is anything to go by. There were plenty of takoyaki stands in the marketplace; all of which sold very good takoyaki. At the mention of takoyaki-bobs, the girl smiled and followed after him.

I'll look for a stand then. Catching up to him, the girl held on to his sleeve as they walked to avoid getting separated. Almost immediately, the girl spotted one not too far off. Ah, right here! She tugged at the boy as she led them over to the stand she spotted. She took the liberty of ordering for the two of them. When she finished paying, she received two takoyaki on sticks. Handing one to the boy, she tilted her head with a blank expression. Since you bought me a sundae that one time, I figured I'd buy you takoyaki this time. Well, the girl was certainly putting forth effort towards sociability.

Blowing on her newly bought snack a bit, she looked to Akira once more. Ah. . . so next would be games, right? Only looking off to her side, the girl noticed some sort of shooting game. As soon as she saw someone try firing the gun, she knew what she wanted to do. Akira. Akira. She tugged on his sleeve again, then pointed to the shooting game. That. She was clearly excited over it. After all, this was a completely new experience for the girl.

[Akira Nakajima]

The boy could not comment on whether the quality at the festival would be good or not. He typically did not branch out his diet beyond what his family was adamant on him eating. That said, they never had home-made takoyaki. It wasn't the sort of thing his mother would make. Likewise, it wasn't the sort of thing he'd bother to learn how to make. The girl said she would keep an eye out. And then she grabbed his sleeve. He figured he knew why, but the fact that she did it right after he thought about the fact that she acted like a child was truly ridiculous. The girl was not supposed to further cement ideas like that in his mind. She was supposed to present natural evidence that he was wrong. She was a complete failure in that regard, but he did not sigh. If anything, it just made the fact that she was older than he that much more amusing.

Soon enough, they did in fact find a stand. Enough Japanese, indeed, the boy noted. The girl then impulsively strode forward and ordered two. She was a heavy eater when excited, it seemed. Or, no. She was buying for him. That was actually unexpected. He had thought he'd be footing the whole bill. Her logic was amusing, but somewhat sound. Though, if she was paying him back for the sundae, what of the clothes, the karaoke, and all that? Maybe he'd tease her for it later. Instead of bothering her about details, he bowed his head slightly and accepted the snack with a word of thanks. Rather than blowing on his balls, he straight-up tugged one off the stick and began chewing while the noted that next came games. He nodded before following her pointing and ushering. And there was that gun-thing one could often find in the festival scenes in anime. Or in actual festivals, but the mileage there could vary.

”But are you a good shot?” He jokingly asked after swallowing his first ball. ”We can if you'd like, though. They may even have a decent prize.” He lightly shrugged before getting the second ball into his mouth and pressing forward, looking back at her. ”Ref roo' ro' rife'.” He calmly spoke through his food, not bothering to utilize his business-skill of speaking clearly while housing and chewing food. After all, it was a festival. That was the one time of letting loose. The boy went on and then checked the stand. Rather than looking at the prizes, he looked at prices. That was all that really mattered to him at that moment.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka turned to Akira as he swallowed one of his balls. He had asked if Luka was even a good shot, seeing as the game she had in mind was a shooting game. She considered how she should answer this. She could be modest, and say that she was an okay shot. Otherwise, she could be honest and give him an idea of just how good she really was. In the end, she decided to be completely honest. I have no idea. Truly, the girl just wanted to fire the gun.

However, as they made their way over to check the prices at Akira's request, the thought of prizes did sound appealing to the girl. She checked the price to play before even thinking about looking at anything on display. The girl was good with money management despite an occasional childish impulse; evident by her rather "filling" meals that she manages to make every day. The price to play was normal for a game stand. As in, not exactly expensive, but certainly not cheap. However, most of the time, these games are rigged to be nearly unbeatable. This naturally was knowledge outside of Luka's experience. It's actually pretty cheap. I'm going for it. She nodded to herself, while letting Akira know that she was going to give it a try. After being handed the gun, the stand attendant made note of the grand prize. It was a rather large plush of an iconic mascot for a famous anime company. As soon as Luka saw it, she knew she had to give it her best shot. Before starting though, the attendant noted that she would need to hit the target three times with her three shot she had.

Easy enough.

Taking a deep breath, the girl focused on the target she was supposed to hit. Extending her hand outward, the girl tried holding the rifle with one hand. . . .Au. As her hand struggled to hold the rifle up, her strength gave out as the rifle simply hit the counter. She tried using all of her strength left in her arm to lift the gun, managing to get it a few inches in the air before prematurely firing. Again, she dropped the rifle. As for her shot, the girl had completely missed the target. There went her chance for the grand prize. This time the girl decided to hold the gun normally, which thankfully, was actually normal. Her form was still awful though, seeing as she made another shot far off to the side. Au. . . She knew she was doing awful now. And then, with one last pull of the trigger. . .

Oh. I hit it. After that, the attendant simply handed the girl a small pinwheel. And when I say small, I'm talking three inches long, small. Blinking, the girl spun the pinwheel before putting it just in front of the boy's face. Garudyne. She was disappointed in not getting the grand prize, but she was content. See anything you want to do? Now Luka was simply being fair to the boy, seeing as she had gone and did a game she wanted.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira munched on balls while the girl went about with her commando gun-play. When he saw Luka hold the rifle with one hand to begin with, he knew how it would end. With the number of “Au's”, he had an idea of what she was trying to do. When the snowflake failed, received only a pinwheel, and returned, he just stared at her, a ball in his mouth. He had half the mind to say something mean, but he figured he'd play it easy and then proceed to be a badass. Because that was what Student Council Presidents did. Without fail, they managed to save the day. It was law- just look at anime! And, having come from the land of anime, the boy knew plenty about how to fit the role.

”Your magic stat is too low.” He casually told her before quickly bringing the last three balls to his mouth, chewing as he set the stick down on the stand, and purchased a round for himself. He took a step back, rifle in hand, and readied it before tugging his yukata up and sinking onto a knee. Then, bracing the rifle against his shoulder, he took aim, using both arms to stabilize his aim. The world came to a still. The boy had never bothered firing a gun before. Why did he know how to aim with one? Because anime and games. People could say whatever the hell they wanted about games not equating to real-life experience, but it certainly gave you the knowledge you'd need in a number of fields. Hell, his quack-advice had been driven from the psychological analysis of characters in different series. He likely would not have been able to perform as well as he could without anime, games, and the H-variety.

He pulled the trigger, and the shot flew, hitting the big prize. One for three. He readied a second shot. Pulling the trigger sent another shot towards the big prize. Two for three. One more to go. Then he could brag in front of Luka for the sole sake of teasing her. In other words, the fate of the world hung in the balance. A somewhat entertaining evening with a childish girl, or a vastly entertaining evening with a pouting girl? Which was better? Honestly, did the question even need to be asked? The boy smirked slightly before his nostril tingled. Then, sneezing, he reflexively tightened his grip, firing the rifle. The round hit a part of the stand, ricocheting wildly like a tsundere stake of purgatory, and eventually found its home. That is, the eye of the stand attendant. It was. . .

. . . a hole in one.