Kapitel 24: Chapter 24
Chika tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, there are two days of missions coming up. Kaguya, your horoscope might just happen to fall on a Mercury retrograde day." She grinned mischievously. "Remember to watch that fortune-telling show on NHK when you head out tomorrow morning!"
Kaguya rolled her eyes. "I watched one of those shows yesterday, and it was completely useless!"
Natsuki, ever the pragmatist, cut in. "Let's focus on how we're actually going to complete this task."
Chika nodded, her expression turning serious. "Right, right. Defeating a hundred people... it always sounds a bit..."
Their eyes met, and both Natsuki and Chika quickly looked away. They'd been down this road before.
Kaguya furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "It would be so much easier if we could just bribe the opponents." She sighed, remembering her family's influence. "If there weren't rules against cheating, taking out a hundred or even a thousand people in a day would be child's play."
Suddenly, Chika's eyes lit up. "I've got it!" She thrust her hand into the air excitedly. "What about rock-paper-scissors?"
Natsuki shook his head skeptically. "That doesn't sound very reliable. Why don't you try it first and see if it meets the requirements?"
"Alright, let's duel, Kaguya!" Chika said, striking a dramatic pose.
Kaguya hesitated but figured there was no harm in trying. To her dismay, she lost five games in a row.
Chika blinked in surprise. "Wow, I won again? Maybe that horoscope show was right – I really am lucky today!"
As Chika basked in her victory, Kaguya began to question everything she knew about luck.
Natsuki stepped in. "Let me give it a shot. Chika seems to be on a roll today. It's probably best if you don't play against her, Kaguya."
Kaguya bit her lip and nodded, turning to face Natsuki for a round of rock-paper-scissors.
After their match, Chika looked over expectantly. "Well? How'd it go?"
Kaguya shook her head, her expression carefully neutral. "It didn't work. The game doesn't meet the task requirements."
Chika's brow furrowed as she thought hard. Suddenly, her face lit up again. "I've got it! Kaguya, you're an amazing archer. How about entering an archery competition?"
Kaguya sighed, shaking her head. "An archery competition would give me a good chance of completing the mission, but... my stamina just won't allow it."
Despite her many talents, Kaguya had her weaknesses. As a young lady with a packed schedule of refined activities, she rarely had time for physical exercise. In gaming terms, she'd be a high-attack, low-defense character – easily taken out with a single hit.
She'd already considered various sports-related duels, but her lack of physical endurance forced her to reject them all. Even in archery, where she excelled, she couldn't imagine lasting a full day without her arm giving out.
Chika's eyes lit up with another idea. "Oh! What about shogi? Kaguya, you're brilliant at both shogi and go. Surely you could defeat 100 people in a day at that!"
Natsuki looked thoughtful. "The mission calls for a display of force, though. Chess is more about intelligence. Still, it's worth a try."
"I think there's a shogi set in the board game club's drawer," Chika said eagerly. "Should we go check it out?"
The trio made their way to the club room. Chika found the shogi set, and she and Kaguya began a match. In less than ten minutes, Kaguya had thoroughly defeated her friend.
Kaguya frowned. "It still doesn't work."
Chika flopped onto the table, dejected. "I'm all out of ideas."
After a moment of silence, Natsuki spoke up. "I might have a solution that could work."
Chika perked up immediately. "Really? What is it, Natsuki? Tell us quick!"
"Have either of you played arcade fighting games?" Natsuki asked.
Chika shook her head. "I've heard of them, but never played."
Kaguya crossed her arms. "I've never even heard of such a thing."
Natsuki nodded, unsurprised. It made sense that neither of these well-bred girls would have experience with arcade games.
"That's okay," he explained. "They're fighting games played on machines in arcades. It's a one-on-one fair duel, a real test of skill and reflexes. It might just meet the mission requirements."
"We won't know until we try," Chika mused.
Natsuki continued, "There's a game center on my way to school. We could head over now and check it out. If it doesn't work, we can think of something else."
"Sounds perfect!" Chika exclaimed. "Let's skip class, Kaguya!"
Natsuki sighed. "We don't need to skip. If we hurry, we can check it out and still make it to class on time."
Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Let's go to the game center."
The trio left the classroom and headed towards the school gate, walking against the flow of students entering the building. Their unusual behavior drew curious glances from their classmates.
Chika's eyes sparkled with excitement. "This feels like we're actually skipping class! It's thrilling!"
Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "Chika, have you ever actually skipped class before?"
"Well," Chika grinned proudly, "I did skip PE once last summer. It was so hot, I only ran one lap before hiding in a corner!"
Kaguya's expression softened. "Oh, Chika, you're adorable."
Natsuki nodded in agreement but subtly distanced himself from the girls. He'd read somewhere that spending too much time with... less intellectually inclined individuals could be detrimental. Better safe than sorry.
Chika noticed Natsuki falling behind. "Hey, Natsuki! Why are you lagging?"
Natsuki thought quickly. "Well, Chika, you're so popular. If I walk too close, we might end up in the tabloids. Then your admirers might corner me in an alley and I'd end up in the hospital. Better keep my distance, you know?"
"That's ridiculous!" Chika protested, while Kaguya stifled a laugh.
They soon found themselves outside the school gates. After a brisk ten-minute walk, Natsuki brought them to a stop in front of a colorful building, music and electronic sounds spilling out onto the street.
"We're here," he announced. "Welcome to the game center."
Kaguya looked at the unfamiliar environment with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. "So this is where arcade games are played?"
Natsuki nodded. "Japan is actually the birthplace of arcade gaming. It's a big part of youth culture here."
Chika bounced on her toes, eyes wide with excitement. "It looks so fun! Can we go in?"
"That's why we're here," Natsuki replied. "Let's see if these games meet the mission requirements."
As they stepped inside, the girls were immediately overwhelmed by the lights, sounds, and energy of the arcade. Kaguya tried to maintain her composure, but her eyes darted from machine to machine, taking in the new experience.
"Now," Natsuki said, leading them to a specific section, "these are the fighting games I was talking about. Want to give it a try, Kaguya?"
As they climbed the stairs to the second floor, Natsuki briefly explained, "Arcade games were huge in the 80s and 90s. They're not as popular now, but Japan still has a decent player base."
Turning the corner, they were greeted by a wall plastered with colorful game posters. Claw machines and capsule dispensers lined the sides.
Chika's eyes widened in surprise. "It's so clean! I thought it'd be dark and crowded, like some scary basement."
Natsuki chuckled. "That's just a stereotype. It's part of the service industry – they have to keep it clean, or no one would come."
As they passed a VR area, Chika's attention was caught by a girl wearing a helmet, seemingly hunting for underwater treasure on a big screen.
"Ooh, what's that?" she asked excitedly.
"VR games," Natsuki explained. "The equipment here is much better than home setups."
Chika clasped her hands together. "I want to try!"
"Maybe later," Natsuki said, guiding them to an arcade cabinet. "We're here for fighting games, remember?"
He booted up Street Fighter 4 and quickly explained the basic controls. "It's probably best if you both choose the same character to start," he advised, stepping back. "Give it a shot."
Kaguya and Chika sat down at the machine, one on each side.
"Okay, you can insert coins now," Natsuki prompted.
Chika looked confused. "What do we vote for?"
Natsuki stifled a laugh. "No, not vote. There's a coin slot by your legs. Put in a 100 yen coin."
"Oh!" Chika started rummaging through her pockets. "Wait, where's my wallet?"
Kaguya sighed. "You left it in your schoolbag, remember?"
Chika's face fell. "Oh no! I can't believe I forgot!"
Natsuki shook his head, amused. "Don't worry, I've got some spare change. Here," he said, handing each of them a coin.
Kaguya examined the coin curiously before carefully inserting it into the slot. The machine came to life with a burst of sound and flashing lights.
"Now what?" Kaguya asked, her usual composure slightly shaken by the unfamiliar situation.
"Choose your characters," Natsuki instructed. "Then you'll fight each other. Remember, the goal is to see if this counts for the mission."
As the girls tentatively began navigating the character selection screen, Natsuki couldn't help but smile. Watching these two privileged students fumble with something as common as an arcade game was certainly an interesting sight.
"Ready?" he asked as they finally settled on their characters. "Let the battle begin!"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein