Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

“I-I can’t believe it…”

Once away from the crane game and sitting on the bench in front of the vending machine, Mashiro was staring disapprovingly at the stuffed animal she had just managed to win.

“Isn’t it goo? That’s the one you were after.
“That’s not what I meant…I ended up wasting my money.”
“Nothing is wasted. Mashiro got the prize she wanted and I got the pleasure of seeing it. It’s a win-win situation.”
“I don’t agree with that!”

I showed her the same stuffed animal that I had gotten in one shot, and she patted me on the shoulder while holding the stuffed animal that she had received from the staff’s mercy.
I accepted the adorable cat pat and thought back to the scene just a few minutes ago.

Mashiro was getting her first crane game experience and melting down her money. A staff member, couldn’t stand to see this, moved the stuffed animal Mashiro wanted to a position where it would be easier for her to pick it up.
By making it so that she could drop it with just a slight touch, even Mashiro, who had been struggling so much, was able to get the one she wanted on the very first try.

Of course, Mashiro’s efforts were the result of her own efforts, but she was not satisfied with the result.
If that was the case, I could not let it end there for Mashiro’s sake.

“Then, I guess we’ll have to play another game.”
“Eh? S-Satou-san, don’t waste your money…!”

I grabbed Mashiro’s hand and pulled her to the game corner again.
There should be many other things for Mashiro to enjoy besides crane games. It was a great opportunity, so we should enjoy it to the fullest.

And so, with Mashiro still talking about not wasting money, I made some excuse and continued to enjoy the arcade to the fullest.

“That was fun, Mashiro.”
“…I wonder how much we spent just in that one moment.”

After winning the crane game, we went on to conquer all kinds of medal games and racing games that we had first looked around.
We played in a way that would allow us to compete in some way. I had the advantage in games where skill was the deciding factor, but surprisingly, Mashiro had the upper hand in games where luck was a strong factor.

In a sense, this may be a natural result, as there was no way to win in the first place when I’m spoiled by Mashiro on a daily basis…

Nevertheless, Mashiro and I were able to play all the games we normally can’t play at home.
Beside me was Mashiro, who was completely satisfied, was sitting with a look of despair on her face.

“I see…Mashiro didn’t have fun?”
“That’s not fair of you to ask me that… I had fun, though.”

When I jokingly show her my concern, she quickly followed up, but she don’t seem satisfied in a different way than she did earlier.
She seemed to be concerned about money, but it was not like we spent that much to begin with.
But unlike buying clothes or food, there was nothing left after paying. That feeling may have made her feel that way.

“Don’t worry about it. Arcade games are for people to have fun without worrying about money.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Well, it’s called adult power.”
“Don’t do that…”

To be honest, I remember playing without worrying too much about money even when I was a student, but as an adult, I don’t worry about it as much.
If anything, it may be more difficult to make time to relax and play.

Before I picked up Mashiro, I spent my days off just doing the housework and wasting time trying to pay off my weekday sleep debt.
It was thanks to Mashiro that I was able to enjoy my time in this way.
I really couldn’t thank her enough. Thinking about it, there was no need to worry about money.

Mashiro was not in a good mood, and she was giving me long-winded advice on how to save money in the future, but she seemed to be having a good time.
After being relieved, we left the arcade and resumed our stroll around the area.

Although Mashiro admonished me to not do it, I looked around the streets and stores without going to places that would cost too much money.

We looked at the general store across the street from the game center, and stopped by a bookstore a short distance away to see what it had to offer.
As promised at the beginning, we even talked about our own memories while looking at the nearby school from the outside.

Mashiro seemed very interested in all of this.
She had spent a great deal of her life as a cat before she met me, so I’m sure she saw the sparkle in all of them.

“Thank you, Satou-san.”

Mashiro, who was walking next to me, said this unexpectedly, and I stopped and looked at her face.

“What’s wrong, suddenly?”
“I wanted to thank you again for showing me so many things for my benefit.”
“Mashiro is too disciplined. It’s okay, that’s all right. I have a personal desire to simply hang out with Mashiro.”

As far as today was concerned, it was really all I wanted to do. The original purpose was something else, and this was borrowing that time.
If anything, I should be grateful to Mashiro.

Besides, nothing would make me happier than to make her as happy as possible with what I could do for her.
There was more to the world that Mashiro has never seen. If I can show her that, at the very least, I can repay her kindness.

“We may have taken a little too many detours.”

The sun, which should have been overhead just a moment ago, was now just above the mountains in the distance.

“Good grief…I told you already.”
“It’s not safe to walk around after dark. Okay, let’s find a hotel!”
“Satou-san, you need to plan better…”

I couldn’t say anything back to Mashiro, who sighed in exasperation while holding her forehead.
It was not that I did not expect this to happen, but time passed more quickly than I had expected.

Feeling a little guilty, I took out my phone and searched.