“Some of them are, but they're also different than console games. For one thing, they don't use standard controllers. There are a few shooter games there, too―zombie shooters like Dead Rising and House of Haunted Horrors. But there are other games as well: dancing games and racing games and games where you have to shoot basketballs into hoops. The arcade has a lot more variety than what I have at home.”
“I want to play the shooting ones.”
“You know, most girls don't like those kinds of games,” Kevin said, though he didn't about the accuracy of his words, since he had very little experience when it came to women. For all he knew, every female loved blowing the heads off of zombies and popping a cap in some jabroni's ass.
“Then I guess I'm not like most girls.” Lilian sounded very proud of this fact. “Besides, aren't those your favorite kinds of games? It's only right that they would be my favorite as well.”
“I hope you're not saying those are your favorite for my sake.”
“It's not just that,” Lilian said in a voice so soft that Kevin almost missed it, especially over the wind and thrum of traffic. “They weren't just the first video games I've played.” Her arms tightened around his waist. She also stopped groping him, which he was thankful for. “They were the first games I played with you. That makes them special to me.”
Kevin's cheeks reddened as blood rushed to his face, and not because of Lilian's twins. That had to be one of the most heartfelt statements anyone had ever said to him. His heart, which had been beating steadily against his chest, was now hammering away like a war drum. For just a second, he thought that maybe being Lilian's mate wasn't so bad.
“Plus, seeing how cute you look when you're concentrating on something difficult makes me so hot and bothered that I just want you to ravish me, ufufufu!”
And just like that, all the feelings of warmth disappeared as Lilian butchered the moment with a rusty spork.
“Ugh, there you go with that laugh again.” Kevin wondered if she knew how her words had affected him. Given her last comment, probably not. “Anyway, we're here.”
A large two-story square building loomed before them. Above a set of sliding doors hung a sign with the words, Gamer's Paradise, in giant, neon-orange lettering. In the center was the image of a small island with a claymore embedded into the ground. If that didn't say video games, nothing did.
“Wow!” Lilian looked at the building in awe as she hopped off the back of the bike. “This place is amazing! It's so much bigger than the other buildings around here!”
Kevin dismounted as well and wheeled the bike over to the bike stand, where several others were already locked up.
“Wait until you see the inside.” Kevin grinned. Seeing Lilian acting so enthusiastic about something he enjoyed doing felt nice. He didn't know of any other girl who would be so excited to play arcade games.
With the efficiency of someone who had done this a million times, he wrapped the cable around the bike and bike stand, then closed the combination padlock with a deft click. Standing up, he looked over to where Lilian was standing.
“Let's go in… side… eh?” Kevin trailed off when he noticed that the redhead was no longer there. The high school sophomore blinked, then scratched the back of his head, a perplexed expression overtaking his features. “Where did she go now?”
“Beloved!” He turned his head to see Lilian standing just outside the entrance to the arcade, a dazzling smile on her face as she waved him over. “Come on! Let's go!”
Kevin sighed as he walked over to the fox-girl. “Coming!” Couldn't she show at least a modicum of patience? It wasn't like rushing around with the feverish eagerness of a child on a sugar high would allow her to play arcade games any faster.
Once he caught up to her they walked inside. Lilian's entranced eyes went wide as she found herself in what could only be described as a veritable gamer's paradise. Everywhere she looked there were large machines featuring a variety of different arcade-style games―everything from games where people shot things with large plastic guns, to games with stages that people danced on, to basketball games and casino-type games where people earned tickets that could be exchanged for prizes. Every type of game she could think of―and then some―was there, just waiting for her to play them.
In the center of the room, a set of stairs led up to a second floor. Kevin told her there was a bowling alley up there. In the back of the arcade, she could see a small bar-style restaurant that served strange foods that she had never seen before.
“Come on, Beloved!” An excited Lilian grabbed Kevin's hand, eager to go out and explore this world of arcadium that her mate was so fond of. “Let's go!”
“Hold up, Laura Croft.” Kevin dug his figurative heels in, stopping the girl before she could begin dragging him off. “I need to put some credits on my card before we can begin playing any games.”
“Oh,” Lilian pressed a finger to her lips, her delicate eyebrows furrowing cutely in an expression of inquisitiveness. “How do we do that?”
In response to her question, Kevin pointed over to the wall near the entrance. “With that machine over there.”
“That machine,” as Kevin so eloquently called it, was a large, boxy contraption with a touch screen. It allowed people to select the amount of credits they wanted to put on their cards. Since they were in an age where everything was paid for with plastic, the arcade games were no longer coin-operated, but ran based on the same principle as a gift card.
Kevin put twenty dollars' worth of credits on his card. It would be enough for him and Lilian to play for at least two or three hours. At least it should be, provided Lilian didn't go crazy trying to play every game there.
They were supposed to eventually meet up with Eric, who he had sent a text message to, and received an emoticon smiley face back. However, since his pervy friend enjoyed sleeping until noon, Kevin allowed Lilian to pull him into the arcade and play some games. They of them played several different games, the first being House of Haunted Horrors.
“Ha! Take that evil mutant zombies!”
“I don't really think they're mutants,” Kevin mumbled as he shot at the zombies on the screen in a far more conservative manner than Lilian, who blew them away like some kind of machine-gun wielding psychopath.
“Hmm? Did you say something, Beloved?”
“I said you're really getting into this.”
“You think so? I guess it's because I've never done this before. I heard that my clan's resort has arcade games and tons of other cool stuff, but the matriarch never let me go there before. And our village doesn't have any of the new inventions that you humans have come up with, except for washing machines and ovens. Things like arcades and movie theaters are non-existent.”
“That must really suck,” was the only thing he could think to say.
“Yeah, it's pretty boring over there. Even when we went on vacation to the other villas my clan owns, they never let me leave them. That's why I'm so grateful to you for taking me to places like this.”
When Kevin looked over at the redhead, he caught a glimpse of her honest smile. It was beautiful.
“Ah…” His throat constricted. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. All he could do was croak. “Ah…”
“Are you okay, Beloved?” Lilian asked, concerned when she saw his weird behavior. “Your face is all red.”
She leaned over and pressed her forehead against his, which really just made his face turn an even deeper shade of red, making it take on the general coloration of a billboard in Las Vegas.
“You don't seem to have a fever.” She looked confused. Kevin wondered how a girl so set on jumping his bones could be so oblivious.
“I-I'm fine.” Kevin shook his head, trying to rid himself of the strange feelings that being so close to Lilian generated within him. Having had two weeks' worth of practice doing just that, he was marginally successful. “And you're welcome. Now why don't we continue playing?” He looked back at the screen
, only to blink when he realized that they had both died sometime in the past few seconds when neither of them was looking.
“Eh?!” Lilian glared at the screen as the words, Game Over, appeared in dark crimson, leaving trails down the screen like blood. “I can't believe we lost!”
“We did get distracted talking.”
“But I was sure I paused it!”
“… Lilian, arcade games don't have a pause button.”
“They don't?”
“No, they don't.”
“Oh… my bad.”
They then played the arcade basketball game.
“Yay! I scored 40 baskets! How many did you score, Beloved?”
“…”
“Beloved?”
“… five.”
“Oh, wow. You really suck at basketball, Beloved.”
It should be noted that this guy, Kevin, sucked at basketball.
“Shut up.”
They played many other games as well, including Dance Dance Revolution and Crazy Taxi. Lilian enjoyed herself immensely, and though Kevin wouldn't admit it out loud, he had a good time as well.
“This place is so much fun,” Lilian squealed as they finished a racing game. She had lost because she kept crashing into various walls and objects―not to mention people, but she didn't seem to care. It wasn't about winning or losing with her. It was about having a good time with her mate.
“I'm glad you're enjoying yourself,” Kevin said, his voice earnest and matching the grin on his face. “Are there any other games you'd like to try out?”
“I want to try all of them!”
Kevin chuckled and blushed at Lilian's declaration. He would never tell her this, but she looked really cute standing there, her fists planted on her hips, eyes alight with excitement and determination. She looked ready to embark on some kind of epic quest or something.
It was the ultimate Dungeons and Dragons pose.
He wondered if she got that pose from the Dungeon Master's Guide or the Player's Handbook.
“Ah, but first, I really need to use the restroom.” Lilian suddenly looked sheepish, and it took Kevin a second to realize why―she didn't know where the restrooms were.
“I'll show you where they are.” Kevin grabbed Lilian's and led her through the various arcade games and groups of people that had shown up in the past hour. He really hated how crowded it became once lunch time rolled around.
Lilian stared at their conjoined hands with a large, nearly luminescent blush and an even larger smile. It wasn't much, but the fact that Kevin had been the one to initiate contact between them brought a sense of gratification and pleasure to the kitsune. It swept through her like a storm. Her body literally shivered at the rush of emotions flowing through her.
They eventually stopped in front of two doors with signs hanging over them, labeling them as the restrooms. Turning to his companion, Kevin was about to speak up when he noticed the redness on Lilian's cheeks. “Hey, Lilian, are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
“I-I'm fine,” Lilian stuttered in a totally Out of Character way.
Kevin stared at her for a little longer, making Lilian squirm under his gaze, but he eventually shrugged off her strange behavior. “Alright, I'll wait here for you.”
“Okay. Be right back.”
Lilian was quick to make her exit after that. Kevin watched her go with a curious expression. He wondered if something was wrong. Lilian wasn't the blushing type—unless she was trying to rip his pants off or something, but that was a completely different kind of blush. In the end, he decided that this was one of those things that was just not worth knowing.
As he waited for Lilian's return, Kevin leaned against the wall and scanned the room, taking in all the people bustling around the arcade. It was almost noon, so the place was jam-packed with teenagers looking to kill time. Eric was probably in there somewhere by now.
As his gaze roamed across the many arcade games and people using them, he eventually singled out a girl with long black hair and snow white-skin. She was pressing her hands and face against the glass case to one of the claw-grabber games, admiring the many prizes inside.
The girl in question was pretty cute, but what really got Kevin's attention wasn't her looks, but her clothes. She wore an all black, gothic lolita dress complete with frills, ruffles, v-shaped piping on the bodice, a puffy skirt, elbow-length gloves, black stockings and slipper-like shoes.
Just what a girl was doing wearing something like that in this heat was beyond Kevin. She must have been sweating up a storm in that thing, air-conditioned building or not.
The girl frowned as she pressed her face further against the glass. Kevin's curiosity finally got the better of him and he walked up to her. He stopped directly behind her, waiting for the girl to notice him. When it became clear that she wasn't going to notice his presence anytime soon, he cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want one of those prizes?”
“Kya!”
Kevin took a step back at the loud, keening wail of surprise. The girl spun around, her hair almost smacking him in the face. Her eyes widened when she saw him standing there, her right hand going to her chest, grabbing the fabric of her bodice. Her shoulders heaved as she took in deep breaths of air.
A second after she caught sight of him, her eyes widened. Then she blushed. Before Kevin could ask if something was wrong, the blush darkened and she started scowling. “You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, you jerk!”
“Sorry.” Kevin had the decency to look abashed. “I didn't mean to sneak up on you or anything. I just saw you standing there, and wondered if you wanted to get something from that machine.”
The girl's cheeks darkened in hue. “O-of course not! Don't be stupid!” She turned away. “Why would I want one of those stupid felines?”
“Felines?”
Kevin looked into the glass. There were several different stuffed toys that could be classified as feline, but the one that stood out to him was a creature reminiscent of a black cat with red sclera, black irises and off-white accents around the ears and tail.
“Do you mean the Umbreon?”
Umbreon was one of several hundred types of animals from an anime he used to watch back when he was a brat. Seeing that thing brought back some nostalgic memories.
The girl's face flushed as she looked at the game again, her eyes straying to the stuffed Umbreon before looking away just as quickly.
“N-no! Don't be stupid! W-w-w-what could I possibly want with such a cute―I mean, dumb stuffed animal!”
“I can get it for you.” Kevin was positive the girl did, in fact, want the Umbreon, but was too embarrassed about liking something so childish to admit it. Deciding that he would get the girl her stuffed toy regardless, the young man walked straight past her and stood in front of the game.
After swiping his card through the slot, Kevin grabbed onto the joy stick and started moving it around. In response, the crane inside of the machine also began to move.
“I used to play these games a lot when I was younger,” he told the girl, almost all of his concentration focused on the claw he was now controlling. “Back then I was so good at this game that I always managed to get something. Let's see if I still―ah-ha! Got it!”
Indeed, the crane managed to grab the stuffed Umbreon by the torso―a perfect catch―and pull it out of the pool of toys. As the item dropped into the small chute, Kevin reached in, pulled it out, and presented it to the girl.
“Here you go.”
The girl, who Kevin noticed had the most stunning ice blue eyes, grabbed the stuffed toy with shaky hands. She held it at arm's-length, regarding the prize like it was some kind of alien entity. It was only was only after giving the girl her prize that he noticed her face was... blue? Yes, her entire face had turned an icy shade of blue.
At that moment, Kevin shivered. Maybe it was just him, but it felt like the temperature had suddenly plummeted several dozen degrees. He could feel goosebumps breaking out on his
skin!
“Hey, are you okay?” he ignored the chill in favor of worrying over the girl. “Your face is, well, um, kind of, ah, blue.”
“I-I-I'm f-f-f-fine! Idiot!” The girl snapped, making Kevin almost stumble back. “I didn't ask you to get this for me! I could have gotten it myself! Hmph!” With one last huff, the girl whirled around and stalked off, the Umbreon clutched tightly to her chest.
Kevin ran a hand through his hair. “What was that all about?”
“I think I should be the one asking that.” A voice said from behind.
Kevin spun around to see Lilian standing before him, hands on her hips. She looked displeased. Kevin didn't know why, but he felt extraordinarily uneasy at seeing such an unpleasant expression on a face that normally appeared so cheerful.
“Who was that?” Lilian asked in a, “you'd better have a good explanation for why you were talking to another girl while I was otherwise preoccupied” kind of voice.
“Huh? You mean that girl?” Kevin shook off his uneasiness and shrugged. There wasn't any reason for him to feel so uneasy, right? “I dunno.”
“You don't know?” Lilian's frown deepened as she stared at her mate. “Then why were you talking to her?”
“I just saw her staring at one of those stuffed toys in the prize machine.” Kevin gestured to the arcade game next to him. “I thought I'd be nice and get it for her, since she seemed to be having some kind of trouble.”
Though he didn't know what kind of trouble she'd been having. Not enough credits to play? Already played several times and couldn't get her prize? He didn't know; he hadn't thought to ask her.
“And that's it?” Lilian leaned forward, forcing Kevin to lean back as she invaded his personal space, her green eyes narrowing as they pierced his own blue orbs. “There was nothing else going on?”
“Going on?” Kevin scratched his left cheek with his index finger. “What do you mean? What would be going on?”
“Never mind,” Lilian sighed. Her mate was clueless. Though at least she now knew this was just a simple act of kindness, and not because he knew that girl in the weird getup. “Since it looks like you were just being nice, I'll let it go… this time.”
A Fox's Tail (American Kitsune Book 2) Page 3