Chapter 564

Shibuya.

Arcade.

Natsume Chikage, Yue Dao Lin, Huang Mu Jie, and An Jing Youcai arrived here.

As soon as they walked into the noisy arcade, the colorful lights and various electronic sound effects rushed toward them.

Huang Mu Jie spotted a row of claw machines at a glance and immediately dragged An Jing Youcai over, stopping in front of a machine filled with gorilla dolls.

"I like this one! Quick, get it out for me!"

An Jing Youcai was dragged by her, muttering, but his body was very honest as he started taking out coins:

"I really can't do anything with you..."

Before inserting the coins, he suddenly had an idea, turned his head to look at Yue Dao Lin, who was standing quietly to the side, and asked attentively:

"Classmate Yue Dao, do you have any dolls you like? Should I get one for you while I'm at it?"

Yue Dao Lin just smiled and shook her head gently, though her gaze drifted elsewhere:

"I don't have any particular favorites, you should just get one for Jie Ai."

Upon hearing this, a flash of regret crossed An Jing Youcai's heart, thinking that a girl with such a mature temperament as Classmate Yue Dao probably didn't like dolls anymore.

Looking at his own childhood friend, she was already this big and still so childish.

Sigh, forget it, who told her to be his childhood friend.

Just as Huang Mu Jie was gently nudging him with her elbow while complaining about him, Yue Dao Lin was about to say something to Natsume Chikage beside her.

Turning her head, she found he was no longer in his spot.

She was slightly stunned, and her gaze immediately began searching the crowded arcade.

Soon, she spotted Natsume Chikage's figure in front of another row of claw machines not far away.

He was slightly hunched over, focused on operating the joystick.

Yue Dao Lin felt a bit surprised.

In her impression, Natsume Chikage had a steady personality and a temperament much more mature than his peers; he didn't look like someone who would be obsessed with claw machines.

But this unexpected contrast didn't make her feel it was out of place; instead, she felt that this Natsume-kun revealed a rare bit of cuteness, making her heartbeat quietly accelerate.

She walked over quietly and found that Natsume Chikage's target was a cute purple rabbit doll, so she couldn't help but ask curiously in a low voice:

"Natsume-kun, do you really like this doll?"

Natsume Chikage's gaze followed the claw as it moved, and he shook his head with a smile:

"Not really."

Yue Dao Lin blinked, even more curious:

"Then... just purely wanting to experience the fun of claw machines?"

Natsume Chikage's lips curled up as he explained:

"Not that either."

"My younger sister really likes this doll, so I thought I'd get one for her to take back."

Yue Dao Lin suddenly understood, a trace of warmth spreading in her heart:

"So that's it, Natsume-kun is really a good older brother."

Looking at Natsume Chikage's focused profile, her heart stirred, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the jasmine bracelet on her wrist—the one Natsume Chikage had given her earlier.

She lowered her eyelashes slightly, took out some yen coins, handed them to Natsume Chikage, and said in a soft but clear voice:

"Natsume-kun... actually, I quite like this doll too."

"But I'm not very good at claw machines... could I ask you to help me get one too?"

Natsume Chikage nodded readily:

"Of course."

"What color do you want?"

Yue Dao Lin lifted her eyes, her gaze falling on the pile of dolls, and smiled slightly:

"White."

"Okay."

Natsume Chikage gripped the cold metal joystick, and suddenly a thought occurred to him.

This joystick... if he focused his intent and tried to treat it as "swinging," he wondered if the bonus from that special equipment would take effect?

Holding the mindset of giving it a try, he adjusted his breathing and poured his attention into his wrist.

Under his control, the claw began to move, aimed at the target, and dropped steadily.

The claw grabbed the white rabbit and slowly rose.

When it reached the highest point, the claw swayed as usual, and the doll looked like it was about to slip off—

Yue Dao Lin couldn't help but hold her breath.

At the very last moment, the claw seemed to tighten subtly, and the doll tilted, but ultimately didn't fall, successfully rolling into the delivery chute.

"You got it on the first try? Natsume-kun, you're amazing!"

Yue Dao Lin exclaimed in surprise.

Natsume Chikage himself was also stunned for a moment, then bent down to take out the doll.

"Maybe someone played it many times before, and it just happened to be the 'guaranteed win' turn."

Yue Dao Lin thought about it and felt that made sense.

The mechanism of claw machines is usually like this; after accumulating many failures, the grip strength will increase once.

Natsume Chikage, however, had doubts in his heart: was this a coincidence, or did the equipment ability really take effect in some form?

After all, the current situation wasn't like swinging a baseball bat or a shinai where he could clearly feel the increase in power.

He decided to try again.

He handed the white rabbit he had just gotten to Yue Dao Lin:

"This is for you first."

Yue Dao Lin took it with both hands, hugging it to her chest as if it were a treasure, gently rubbing her cheek against the soft fur, her smile bright:

"Thank you, Natsume-kun. I will definitely cherish it."

Natsume Chikage inserted coins again, his gaze locked on another purple rabbit doll.

He repeated the previous operation, his mind focused on the joystick.

The claw dropped, grabbed, rose, swayed—the second doll also successfully fell into the exit.

"You succeeded again!"

Yue Dao Lin's eyes were sparkling, full of admiration.

"It seems Natsume-kun, you are really good at claw machines, getting two in two tries."

Natsume Chikage picked up the purple rabbit, his doubts deepening.

If the ability really took effect, then the judgment of this "swinging" seemed quite subjective.

But just two successes weren't enough to serve as conclusive evidence.

Besides, playing once wasn't cheap, costing 300 yen per try, and for him, who was strapped for cash, there was no need to continue testing.

The two of them, holding their respective dolls, returned to Huang Mu Jie's side.

They saw An Jing Youcai with sweat on his forehead, gritting his teeth as he struggled with the claw machine, while Huang Mu Jie beside him watched his clumsy appearance, laughing uncontrollably.

"Ah Dou~ Ah Dou, are you actually capable of anything?"

"Stop nagging! I'm a claw machine master! I'm just waiting for the 'guaranteed win'! Once the 'guaranteed win' comes, it's a sure hit!"

An Jing Youcai said stubbornly, inserting three more 100-yen coins.

After experiencing more than a dozen attempts, the machine finally "showed mercy," allowing him to grab a doll of a gorilla holding a banana.

"Hmph! See that? I told you I was a master!"

An Jing Youcai triumphantly shoved the doll to Huang Mu Jie.

"Haha, not bad!"

Huang Mu Jie took the doll, smiling very happily.

At this time, the two noticed the returning Natsume Chikage and Yue Dao Lin, as well as the rabbit dolls in their hands that were the same style but different colors.

An Jing Youcai's eyes widened instantly as he looked at Yue Dao Lin: