Inside the arcade, Sakurai Saki pressed the button on the claw machine. Amid a flurry of cheerful sound effects, the claw descended slowly, then hooked precisely onto the foot of a Shiba Inu plushie.
Beside him, Fujiwara Chika pressed both hands against the glass, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Not so much for the plushie itself—but for the prospect of receiving a gift from him.
Clunk. The prize dropped.
"Here." Sakurai Saki bent down, retrieved it, and handed it to her.
She really liked dogs. Chika was unequivocally a dog person—she had a pet Shiba named Pace at home, and he'd once discussed the dog-versus-cat debate with her. (Hayasaka Ai was also a dog person, he recalled.) The topic was ultimately meaningless; most girls liked both. If it was fluffy, they'd want to pet it.
"Thank you," Chika said happily, clutching the plushie.
"It's nothing. You don't need to thank me." Sakurai Saki glanced around the arcade. For a while now, he'd felt an intense gaze fixed on them from somewhere.
"Nino? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just saw an acquaintance." Nakano Nino replied to her friend, Hayami Yuki.
Why are Sakurai-kun and Fujiwara-kun at the arcade together? Are they dating?
Curiosity flickered, but Nino didn't stare. Even if they were dating, it wasn't her place to intervene.
"Hmm? Was it a handsome guy? Spill—you were totally glued to him just now."
"Sakurai-kun is handsome, isn't he?" Nino said honestly.
"Oh, Sakurai General Affairs." Yuki nodded knowingly. "He's super popular at school. But he's pretty much been claimed by Chika-chan and Hayasaka-san already."
"Claimed?"
"Don't you think they're a good match? It's hard to break into that kind of atmosphere." Yuki noticed Nino's expression falter. Her eyes widened with realization. "Wait—Nino, you're not secretly into Sakurai General Affairs, are you?"
"...I like him a little."
"He might already be dating Chika-chan, you know." Yuki's bias was clear. The Media Department had been hyping that love triangle for over half a year, and the speculation hadn't faded.
Nino's steps faltered.
"Sakurai-kun is our sisters' tutor now," she said quietly, more to reassure herself than anything. As long as there was contact, anything was possible.
"That's just a teacher-student relationship, though." Yuki pressed on. "Sakurai-kun is nice to everyone, but he keeps his distance. If you try to close that gap unilaterally, he'll pull away. He hates that."
"Aren't we friends?" Nino's voice tightened. "Why do you keep saying discouraging things?"
Yuki relented, flashing a bright smile. "Okay, okay! I'll cheer you on! Fight, Nino-chan!"
Nino could tell it was perfunctory.
"Never mind. Let's just go eat."
There will always be a chance. There has to be.
"Saki-kun~ Quick, lower your head."
Chika and Sakurai Siki were crammed inside a photo booth. She had been nagging him about taking pictures, and he found he couldn't refuse. On the screen, garish pink floral effects bloomed around their faces.
Sakurai Saki suppressed a sigh. This is what current high school girls like?
He leaned his face next to hers.
Chika had originally intended just a normal photo—but looking at his profile, another idea sparked.
"Saki-kun… have you ever taken one of these with her?"
"...No." He knew exactly who she meant. He and Hayasaka Ai had only been dating for two weeks, with exactly one date so far. They hadn't visited an arcade before they started dating.
"No one's watching in here~" Chika's voice dropped to a meaningful murmur. She wanted to give him something unforgettable.
"Saki-kun. Close your eyes."
He complied.
The instant she pressed the capture button, Chika wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
A sweet scent. A unique, girlish fragrance. The heat of her affection—all of it flooded his senses.
Click. The shutter captured them embracing intimately. Sakurai Saki's arms found her waist, pulling her closer.
For a few seconds, they stayed like that. Then Chika slowly opened her eyes—because Sakurai Saki had suddenly pulled back.
"What's wrong?" she breathed, slightly dazed.
He lifted her chin with one hand. "Stick out your tongue."
"...Mm~"
Her face flushed crimson, but she obeyed, extending her tongue like an obedient puppy.
"Good girl." Sakurai Saki lowered his head again, capturing her small tongue and kissing her deeply.
When they finally broke apart, Chika's face was burning. She pressed a hand to her chest, backing into the corner of the booth.
"That's… enough!" Her voice came out breathless.
Today's kiss was so strange! Completely different from last time! ...Although, she had to admit, it was quite comfortable.
Sakurai Saki stepped forward, caging her against the wall with his arms.
"Chika-chan~" His voice was gentle, almost consulting. "You were the one who started this, weren't you? But I'm not satisfied yet."
Her heart hammered.
"It's our first time taking photo booth pictures together," he continued smoothly. "We should make some memories, right?"
Trapped against the wall, with nowhere to run, Chika could only look up at him, her eyes shimmering.
This was definitely not what she had planned.
His words made it sound like refusal was an option.
But Sakurai Saki's eyes told a different story—pitiful, imploring, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Chika's expression wavered, caught between embarrassment and affection.
"But..." she started weakly. Doesn't it feel strange to make me act like a dog? "No way~"
"Please, Master Chika?" He tilted his head, puppy eyes fully deployed. "Woof."
A few seconds of that gaze was all she could endure.
"I really can't say no to you." Her expression softened into gentle resignation.
And then, like the obedient puppy he'd asked for, she tentatively stuck out her small tongue.
Sakurai Saki's face broke into a mischievous grin. "So cute—"
Only then did Chika realize her mistake.
"Wait, mmph—!"
He didn't give her a chance to protest. With that same wicked smile, he captured her lips again.
Several minutes later.
Chika clutched the printed photo booth strips to her chest, her face burning. If anyone ever saw these...
"I'll treasure them forever." Sakurai Saki tucked his copy into his pocket.
"...Don't do anything weird with them!" Her voice came out embarrassingly weak.
"But if I can't see you, I'll feel lonely." He slipped back into puppy mode, blinking up at her. "Is that not allowed?"
Fujiwara Chika instinctively nodded—then immediately shook her head.
"No matter how cute you act, it's not allowed!" She lunged for his pocket.
He sidestepped smoothly. "I won't do anything strange," he said with perfect seriousness, making no move to actually surrender the photos.
In truth, he had no intention of letting go. The image of Chika panting like a puppy was seared into his memory—adorable beyond words. And the expression she'd made later, breathless and dazed from kissing... also incredibly cute.
Chika grabbed his arm, trying to pry the photos from his hand. "Give them to me!"
"Chika." He shifted tactics smoothly. "Can you actually take these home? Isn't your family's tutoring extremely strict? You can't even read romance manga, right?"
She froze. Her grip loosened.
"...That's true."
"By the way." Sakurai Saki had already pulled out his phone. "I'm making this my wallpaper." A few quick taps. "Done."
He turned the screen toward her.
Chika opened her mouth to protest—then stopped. The image staring back at her wasn't the compromising photo booth strip at all. It was a candid shot, one she didn't remember him taking.
"...You took a candid photo."
"It was a reward from a game ages ago. You forgot?"
"Eh? Really?"
"You forgot?" His expression shifted to wounded sadness.
Chika's heart clenched. "...I'm sorry."
Sakurai Saki reached out, gently stroking her cheek. "This kind of thing requires punishment, don't you think?"
"...Mm."
She closed her eyes. Tilted her head slightly. An invitation.
A long while later, they finally emerged from the photo booth.