Seeing Hachiman wiping the sweat from her forehead, Mafuyu's heart was filled with immense happiness.
Is this what it feels like to be cared for?
Mafuyu remembered that ever since she started practicing figure skating as a child, no matter her achievements, her parents only urged her to keep working hard and not to slack off.
It had been a long time since she felt any affection from them.
After giving up figure skating, things only worsened; her parents were greatly disappointed in her and focused all their energy on her younger sister.
Mafuyu had almost run away from home to pursue a career in education, and now that she was working, she had basically cut off contact with her parents.
Every time she saw other children enjoying happy moments with their parents, Mafuyu couldn't help but feel a sense of longing and envy.
Today, she unexpectedly felt that long-desired emotion from Hachiman.
While it was slightly different from the affection parents have for their children, it was genuine care nonetheless.
This made Mafuyu instinctively grab Hachiman's hand.
Noticing her action, Hachiman paused as he wiped his sweat and gently asked, "Mafuyu, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just feel really happy right now," Mafuyu replied, shaking her head and placing Hachiman's hand against her cheek.
Feeling the warmth of his palm, a smile crept onto Mafuyu's face.
Seeing this, Hachiman felt a bit puzzled. He thought he hadn't done anything remarkable, yet Mafuyu had such a strong reaction.
However, Hachiman was not foolish enough to pull his hand away; instead, he gently caressed Mafuyu's cheek with his palm.
"This is just the beginning; we have a long way ahead of us. I promise to keep you happy," he said, pausing for a moment to glance around before continuing, "Alright, let's not go overboard in public; it's not a good look."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Mafuyu looked up in surprise, glancing around and noticing the many strange glances directed at them.
This made her quickly lower her head, her cheeks flushing as she mumbled, "Let's go, let's get out of here."
With a red face, Mafuyu pulled Hachiman away from the area.
After moving to a different section, they found a lively crowd gathered, as if some kind of event was taking place.
Curiosity piqued, they approached the group.
People have a tendency to be drawn to excitement; the larger the crowd, the more one wants to know what's happening.
As they got closer, it turned out that the game center was hosting a Street Fighter tournament, with limited edition figurines and dolls as prizes.
When discussing arcade fighting games, one cannot overlook Street Fighter.
In 1987, a two-player battle game appeared in Japanese arcades, quickly gaining popularity for its excellent game balance and impactful gameplay, becoming a classic for a generation.
This was the arcade fighting game created by CAPCOM—Street Fighter.
Even today, among the myriad of fighting games available, Street Fighter still holds a prominent position.
While the equally popular King of Fighters series was introduced later, when it comes to global influence, the newer King of Fighters does not quite match the established legacy of Street Fighter.
...
Seeing the bustling event, Mafuyu became interested and tugged at Hachiman's sleeve.
"Hachiman, is this game fun?"
"Of course! Street Fighter is a classic," Hachiman nodded in agreement.
As he looked at the posters of the characters on the wall—Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Sakura, Alex, Vega, Akuma—Hachiman felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.
In his previous life, Street Fighter and King of Fighters had been his favorite fighting games.
If he had to choose between the two, however, Hachiman would still opt for Street Fighter. Compared to the one-hit knockout potential found in King of Fighters, Street Fighter had better game balance, making it fairer for both players.
"Is that so?" Mafuyu nodded, then seemed to recall something, looking at Hachiman as she continued, "Hachiman, you should enter the tournament."
Taken aback, Hachiman responded curiously, "Mafuyu, do you want those dolls?"
Blushing, Mafuyu nodded slightly. "I do want them."
The idea of her boyfriend working hard to win a gift to give to her felt incredibly romantic.
Coincidentally, the collectible dolls being offered as prizes featured her favorite cartoon characters from her childhood.
Hachiman, not one to refuse a challenge, replied confidently, "Leave it to me! I'll definitely win that set of dolls for you."
With that, he took Mafuyu's hand and headed toward the registration area.
Since it was a popular event, they had to wait in line, and Hachiman pulled Mafuyu to stand at the back of the queue.
As they moved forward, it wasn't long before it was their turn.
"Hello, you two!" a young woman in a staff uniform greeted them with a smile.
Hachiman returned the smile and nodded, "Hi! We'd like to sign up for the tournament."
"Sure!" the staff member replied, "Do both of you want to compete?"
Hachiman glanced at Mafuyu, asking, "Mafuyu, do you want to play together?"
Upon hearing this, Mafuyu quickly waved her hands, "No, no, I've never played arcade games before."
"That's true; I remember you only excel at shooting games," Hachiman nodded in agreement.
The staff member laughed at this. "That's a coincidence! We also have a shooting game competition, and the prizes are the same."
"The prize for the fighting competition is dolls, while the prize for the shooting competition is figurines."
"What do you say, miss? Would you like to participate?"
"Wait, a shooting competition?"
Mafuyu's eyes lit up at the mention of shooting games. If it's about shooting, she was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone.
"Yes, I want to enter! I'll definitely win that figurine to give to Hachiman!"
After all, it's not just boyfriends who can give gifts to their girlfriends; girlfriends can equally gift their boyfriends something meaningful after putting in hard work.
Hachiman couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Alright, I'm looking forward to it."
"You two seem to have a great relationship," the staff remarked, a hint of envy in her voice, as she pulled out two registration forms and handed them over. "Please fill out your information on these forms."
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