章 249: Ch 249. Miss Haruno Who is Alone in an Empty Room
"Ugh~~" Seeing the claw machine half-full of "Pan-san" characters, Yukino's heart instantly sank.
Unconsciously, she took a step forward, pressing closer to the machine and staring intently at the various "Pan-san" characters inside.
That's right, even fierce-looking Pan-san came in different styles. There were versions with cowboy hats, others predominantly blue or pink, and somewhere Pan-san was holding a bamboo stick. Of course, the most common ones were still the classic black-and-white versions.
"Hoshimi, this one looks really nice too..." Yukino tugged at Hoshimi's sleeve, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hmm, yeah, it does look nice..." Hoshimi replied, though his gaze was entirely on Yukino.
He had no interest in plush toys. Having lacked a proper childhood and not really being a teenager, he had no particular fondness for these fluffy toys.
However, Yukino's current behavior intrigued him.
The usually cold and aloof second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, who always maintained a frosty demeanor, had an entirely different expression in front of cute kittens and plush toys. This adorable, soft side of her made him question whether this was truly his Yukino.
"Yukino, do you want the small ones or that big one?" Hoshimi asked, leaning close to Yukino's ear.
"Ugh~" Yukino hesitated, torn between choices.
But after a moment, she resolutely made her decision.
The small ones! While the life-sized Pan-san looked great and she really wanted it, it wasn't worth it!
She had taken a good look earlier. Though the life-sized Pan-san was a special Disney edition, there wasn't much difference in terms of craftsmanship and details, except for a small Disney castle logo on the scarf around its neck.
That tiny difference wasn't worth the big price to try and win it.
If she really wanted it, she could just buy it at the nearby specialty store, without relying on the slim chance of winning.
Compared to the life-sized version, the smaller Pan-san toys in the claw machine were less impressive, but they had many advantages.
First, they were cheaper to obtain, second, they were easier to place, and finally, they came in a variety of styles, so she could pick whichever she liked.
So, the small ones were better!
Having made her decision, Yukino tugged at Hoshimi's sleeve again. "Hoshimi, I want the small ones. You help me win one."
"Hmm?" Hoshimi glanced at Yukino. "Yukino, you don't know how to use a claw machine?"
Yukino shook her head. "No, I've never tried one before..."
Hoshimi: "Oh~ Same here. I've never tried one either."
"..." Yukino stared at Hoshimi in silence. "So, what now?"
"Obviously, we learn on the spot. What else?" Hoshimi said, stepping closer to the machine to read the instructions.
A moment later, after reading through them, Hoshimi flexed his hands confidently. "I get it now. The joystick controls forward, backwards, left, and right. The left button drops the claw, and the right button retrieves the prize. Seems simple enough."
"Let's see, 200 yen per play. Just insert the coins directly. Buy five tries, and get one free. Let's start with six rounds to test it out."
Hoshimi took out his wallet and found two 500-yen coins in a compartment, inserting them into the machine.
As soon as the coins dropped in, the lights on the machine flashed, and instructions on how to play lit up on the screen.
Once the instructions disappeared, Hoshimi confidently grabbed the joystick.
The controls were simple, and everything looked easy enough, so winning should be straightforward, right?
"Yukino, which version of Pan-san do you want?" Hoshimi asked, his focus entirely on the claw machine.
"The one holding the bamboo..." Yukino said, her nerves rising as the machine activated. She pointed toward the Pan-san in the center of the machine, clutching a bamboo stick.
"Got it~ Watch me." Hoshimi expertly moved the claw directly above the bamboo-holding Pan-san.
Then, he pressed the drop button.
After pressing the button, the claw paused for a moment before slowly descending.
When it was almost fully around the bamboo Pan-san, Hoshimi pressed the retrieval button.
The claw closed, seemingly grabbing the toy, but when it rose, it was empty...
"Huh?" Hoshimi's eyes widened slightly.
He clearly caught it, so why couldn't he lift it? Was the claw's grip too weak, or was his technique off?
After reflecting for a moment, Hoshimi tried again.
The second attempt played out the same. The claw appeared to catch the toy, but when it lifted, the plush fell back into the pile.
"..." Hoshimi squinted.
It must be the weak grip. Grabbing the toy by its body wasn't enough. He needed a different tactic...
Eyeing Pan-san's large head, Hoshimi had an idea.
If grabbing the body didn't work, what about grabbing the neck? That should work, right?
With this new strategy, Hoshimi started his third attempt...
The third attempt failed—he missed the neck.
The fourth attempt failed—the same issue.
The fifth attempt failed—the claw went too deep and grabbed nothing.
The sixth attempt failed—the claw didn't go deep enough, missing the neck by just a bit.
"Let's go again." Hoshimi took out his wallet, but he only had one 100-yen coin left; the rest were bills.
He thought for a moment and decided to head to the counter to exchange for more coins. "Yukino, wait here. I'll go get more coins."
"Hoshimi..." Yukino stopped him and handed him some coins from her wallet. "I still have a few here. Try again."
"Alright~" Hoshimi counted them: three 500-yen coins and two 100-yen coins, along with his own remaining 100-yen coin. That gave him enough for 10 more tries.
With 10 more attempts, surely, he'd succeed!
Hoshimi inserted the coins, once again brimming with confidence as he resumed his battle with the claw machine.
Not long after...
Hoshimi and Yukino stared at each other in silence.
"What now?" Yukino asked.
"Ahem~ It's surprisingly difficult. I'll go get more coins..." Hoshimi coughed, avoiding eye contact as he walked toward the counter.
After 10 failed attempts, he began to question whether his learning abilities were somehow faulty...
But at least there was progress. Initially, he couldn't even pick up the toy, but now, at least he could lift it. He just couldn't get it to the prize chute...
A few more tries, and with some experience, it should work, right?
After a while, Hoshimi returned with a stack of coins, having exchanged 10,000 yen's worth—enough for 50 tries. No, with the bonus rounds included, he had 60 chances.
Sixty tries!! If he still couldn't win after that, he'd eat the claw machine!
...
Meanwhile, Haruno had already arrived at Yukino's house.
She sat on the living room sofa, smiling as she patiently waited for Yukino and Hoshimi to return.
She hadn't caught them at the workplace visit, but surely, waiting at Yukino's house would do the trick, right?
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