I arrived at the arcade with Mei.
Well.
"I dragged Mei there" was a much more accurate description.
"Shimizu-san, I still don't think this is a good idea…"
"Relax. It's an arcade, not a criminal organization."
"That's exactly what someone trying to recruit me into a criminal organization would say."
"See? You're already learning."
Mei sighed.
I smiled.
And then we walked through the automatic doors.
Mei's eyes went wide immediately.
Lights.
Screens.
Music.
Machines everywhere.
Electronic sounds.
Announcements.
People playing.
It was impossible not to feel overwhelmed the first time.
"Wow…"
Ah.
That reaction.
That reaction was completely worth it.
"Welcome to paradise."
"Is that what you call this?"
"Of course."
"It seems very loud."
"That's because you're new."
"And when does it stop being loud?"
"Never."
"I see."
Mei seemed genuinely impressed.
And for some reason that made me happy.
Maybe because in my past life I'd spent too many hours in places like this.
Or maybe because watching someone discover something for the first time was always nice.
I showed her the racing machines.
I showed her the rhythm games.
I showed her the simulators.
The fighting games.
The shooting games.
Everything.
And little by little Mei lost her shyness.
Until I discovered something terrifying.
Mei was competitive.
Ridiculously competitive.
"I won!"
"That was luck."
"I won again."
"That was more luck."
"Three times in a row."
"Luck exists."
"Shimizu-san."
"Yes?"
"You're making excuses."
"I'm not making excuses!"
"You are."
"I am not!"
"You are."
"Shut up!"
Mei smiled.
She smiled.
The traitor smiled.
I had never seen that expression on her.
And honestly…
It was cute.
Very cute.
Which was a problem.
Because lately too many things about Mei seemed cute to me.
After several rounds I ended up defeated.
Humiliated.
Destroyed.
"I can't believe it…"
"What's wrong?"
"I thought I'd be good at video games."
"You are."
"Then why did I lose?"
"Because I was better," she answered, laughing.
I just stared at her.
She kept a completely innocent expression.
A lie.
An absolute lie.
She was enjoying this.
"That's scary."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
We ended up buying milkshakes.
And sat down to rest at a table by a window.
"That was fun," Mei admitted.
"Told you."
"I didn't expect to like it this much."
"Everyone says that the first time."
"Do you come here often?"
"W-Well, I used to."
The answer came out on its own.
Used to.
When I was Ren.
…
Before I became Aika.
…
Though this is the first time I've come with someone else…
"Shimizu-san?"
"Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah."
I smiled at her.
"I was just remembering something."
Mei nodded.
She didn't ask more.
It was one of the things I liked about her.
She knew when to push.
And when not to.
While we drank our milkshakes I noticed something.
Several guys were looking in our direction.
One.
Two.
Five.
Too many.
Well.
This place always seemed like paradise for teenagers to me, but I guess that was the perspective of a guy.
Two girls like us together drew enough attention to get uncomfortable.
Although after the club I feel like my sensitivity to this kind of thing has gone down a lot.
I couldn't help making a face thinking about that.
Mei stared at me, puzzled.
And then we kept drinking our milkshakes and talking a little.
During that moment everything felt incredibly normal.
Like I really was just some regular student.
Like I didn't have a secret job.
Like there wasn't a strange system in my head.
Like I could forget everything.
Even if just for a while.
When we were about to leave, we passed by a photo booth.
And that's where the trouble started.
Mei got excited seeing it. I figured she'd never been in one but knew what they were.
"Shimizu-san, we have to go in."
"Huh? You like photo booths?"
"I've never used one but I always wanted to… can't we?" she asked, blushing, looking away slightly.
For a moment I could practically see a red "critical hit" sign floating next to me after seeing that.
I clearly couldn't refuse.
"O-of course we can," I said with a nervous little laugh.
"Great, let's go!" Mei exclaimed, taking my hands and dragging me inside.
The booth was much smaller than I remembered.
Much.
Smaller.
…
We followed the instructions on the screen and posed.
First photo.
Smile.
Flash.
Second photo.
Peace signs.
Flash.
Third photo.
The screen changed.
It asked us to get closer.
"Closer?"
"I guess."
We moved.
And then Mei stumbled.
She fell toward me, and though she caught herself quickly, we ended up dangerously close.
Very close.
Her face was inches from mine.
I could see her eyes.
I could feel her breathing.
I could catch the soft scent of her shampoo.
And then…
The photo took itself.
Flash.
We both pulled apart immediately.
"…"
"…"
Neither of us said anything.
Because neither of us knew what to say.
The remaining photos were a disaster.
When we stepped out of the booth the pictures started printing.
We looked through them.
And there it was.
The photo.
The damn photo.
It looked like a scene out of a romantic comedy.
I turned red.
Mei too.
"…"
"…"
"I think I'll keep these," Mei murmured.
"All of them?"
"Yes."
"Even that one?"
"Especially that one," she murmured.
"Huh?"
Mei looked away.
"N-Nothing!"
And she put the photos away before I could react.
My heart decided to stop working for a few seconds.
After that we walked back toward the station.
The sun was starting to set.
And for some reason the atmosphere felt different.
Calmer.
Warmer.
"Thanks for inviting me."
"It was nothing."
"No."
Mei smiled.
"I really had fun."
I stared at her.
And thought that maybe I did too.
"We can go again sometime."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Then I'd like that."
We said goodbye.
And when she disappeared into the crowd I kept walking alone.
But my thoughts weren't exactly calm.
Because I kept remembering the booth.
The distance.
Her gaze.
Her lips.
And the play.
The damn play.
The kiss.
"I'm not going to survive this…"
I pressed my face into my hands.
Why did I have to think about it so much?
Why was I so nervous?
It was just acting.
Just acting.
Just…
Acting…
…
…
The next day I was still the same.
Worse, actually.
I looked up kissing tutorials.
Read tips.
Watched videos.
Tried practicing.
But it was all horrible.
Absolutely horrible.
So much so that I ended up taking refuge on the rooftop during break.
I needed to think.
I needed to focus.
I needed…
Well.
I needed a miracle.
Once there I tried rehearsing.
…
Okay okay, focus, you can do this.
It's just a kiss, close your eyes and imagine the scene.
If I put my hand like this… it's like it's a mouth…
I just have to…
"Oh my god, what are you doing?"
I let out a scream and jumped half a meter.
"WHO SAID THAT?!"
Yuuna was sitting near the fence.
Watching me.
"How long have you been there?"
"Since the beginning. Why were you kissing your hand?" she asked before bursting out laughing.
"Don't laugh, I'm rehearsing! It's really rude to spy on people."
"I wasn't spying, I got here first!"
"Sure you did!"
"Besides, who are you to talk about spying? You were the one spying on me in the auditorium!"
"That was just a coincidence, an accident!"
"Uh-huh, sure."
I let myself drop down, defeated.
"I don't have the energy to argue… I'm done."
"I noticed."
"Thanks for the support."
"You're welcome."
I sighed.
"What do you do when a scene gets hard for you?"
"Hmm, I try to understand the character's feelings, and use my own experiences as a reference, that makes it easier."
"My own experiences?…"
…
…
…
"I'm screwed," I said with a face of pure tragedy.
"Why are you overcomplicating this? It's just a kiss, you already did the hard part."
"The problem… the problem is… I've never kissed anyone…"
Ahh… I'm pathetic.
I looked down, feeling more and more embarrassed.
"I see, so that's what this was about."
…
I don't know why I'm telling this to a high school girl…
To someone who doesn't know I already lived 28 years as Ren, this probably seems completely normal…
There's no way that…
Suddenly a hand gently took my chin.
I lifted my head.
Confused.
And before I could ask anything…
Yuuna kissed me.
My brain went completely blank.
So did the world.
There was only the wild pounding of my heart.
And the sudden heat that ran through me from head to toe.
The feeling of her lips was so… soft… warm.
Even a little damp.
It was only a few seconds, but they felt eternal.
When she finally pulled away, I stayed frozen.
Unable to process anything.
Yuuna looked at me for a second.
Then shrugged.
"Problem solved."
She turned around.
And started walking away.
"Huh?"
"Practice well for the play."
"WHA—?!"
"See you."
And she kept walking.
While I stayed alone on the rooftop.
My face completely red.
My mind in pieces.
And my heart trying to escape my chest.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?