Replay

1-2 Strength

A/N: A little sad I didn't get any sort of response, but I'll just keep going anyway. I'll upload an illustration of a scene from each chapter if I'm in the mood to draw; hopefully that keeps some readers going. 

"You bought some clothes from back there? What'd you buy?"

I unsuspiciously patted shut the large paper bag against the leg of my chair, concealing a flash of red from inside. "Yeah, I did. The clothes from that shop you introduced me to are quite cheap, aren't they?"

Hina stared at me for a long moment, her brown eyes trying to read through my very blatant diversion, before taking a scoop of her sundae and following my lead. "I'm glad you like it." I ate a spoonful of my own coffee-flavored ice cream to cool down my sweating face.

It was the weekend, and as promised, we'd headed out to town together. Hinata had shown me around a few more stores before taking me to a quaint cafe, where we were now. The chocolate brown floorboards and walls gave it a homely appearance, and the table we were situated at offered a good view of the bustling street. The cold, sweet treats were a welcome break from the summer climate. I'd definitely remember this place for later.

"So, is there any place you want to go?"

"Hm..." I thought for a few seconds, spoon dangling from my fingers. "Is there an arcade nearby?"

I hadn't touched a computer in a week, and I was starting to get a bit antsy. Technology, although outdated, still did exist, but my host family, being old-fashioned, didn't have one. They probably wouldn't have wanted me on it anyway, in the off-chance that I somehow broke it. The inner programmer in me was getting restless--ok, I just wanted to play video games, alright?

Hina looked surprised. "You go there? I didn't expect you to, Blake-chan."

"Yeah, I do sometimes on my days off. Why?"

"Well," Hina placed her spoon in her finished glass, "you never seemed like the kind of person who would. How should I put this? You feel a lot more like an adult."

I certainly felt like an adult when talking to my 14-year-old classmates. I could feel my IQ drop just listening to them all-day. Hina herself was one of the more mature ones, though. Come to think of it, the majority of the cast acted a lot older than their age, to the point where I kept forgetting they were middle schoolers. I should probably watch myself if she had noticed though, as I didn't potentially want a certain time-traveling 26-year-old on my tail.

I tried to laugh it off, but it probably came off as suspicious instead. "Is that so? That's, like, the first time anyOne's tOld me thAt," I said, intentionally butchering my pronunciation with as American an accent I could muster.

Hina gave me another long look, and I could feel a bead of sweat roll down my cheek. That had probably been a bit overkill. I broke away from her stare as I ate the last bite of my dessert. Being a kid was tough.

---

The arcade Hina brought me to was a dim, spacious room illuminated by the large window at the storefront. Nearly identical machines were neatly arranged in rows, mostly either joystick or button controls. There were enough people, mostly teenagers, to roughly occupy every booth. It was quite a retro arcade, but nevertheless, I found myself gravitating towards the machines.

Hina watched from over my shoulder, uttering words of support that were while heartwarming, implied she'd never played a video game before. Maybe 15 minutes had passed until I realized that I was making her stand and wait for me as I was utterly absorbed in the flashing screens. "Sorry for taking so long. Let's move on."