Saving Me: Ruinene

The Arcade Duel (20)

Nene

The arcade is noisy, but it's not the kind of noise that bothers me. The flashing lights and beeping machines drown down my thoughts.

And finally, here at least, I'm good at something.

I'm standing in front of a shooting game, my go-to when I need to clear my mind— aim, fire, repeat. No second guessing, no pressure.

I watch as a guy picks up the gun next to me, glancing at me as if judging. Yeah, yeah, a girl can't shoot. Shut your crap and watch me.

The timer counts down and— the other guy doesn't even stand a chance, and I've already shot all the targets by the time it reached 3 seconds. They groan and leave, but I barely notice. I just keep playing.

Win after win, it's the same thing. I don't say a word to anyone, but the more I play, the more people start to watch. ...I guess I should probably just, play another game before they start—

I'm about to leave when someone steps up beside me and gestures their head towards me to the screen. I glance at him briefly before starting the game— a guy with split hair color and a calm look at his face. He looks like Todoroki if he never had Endeavor's quirk.

He doesn't say anything, just picks up the other gun, and like that, we're off.

I fire rapidly, taking down targets like usual, but this guy— he's different. His shots are precise, calculated. For every target I hit, he hits one too. We're evenly matched, which... doesn't happen quite often.

The crowd around us starts to grow, whispers blending with the noise of the game. I start to blush in embarrassment, but quickly shook it off. This is something important— this is some competition.

We're both locked in, trying to outshoot each other. My pulse quickens as I realize he's keeping pace with me, shot for shot.

I throw a quick glance at him. He's completely focused, calm as ever, barely blinking as he hits every target with almost robotic precision.

The game's final round comes, and I'm determined to win. My fingers tighten around the gun as I fire off shots as quickly as I can, but he matches every one.

The game ends with the screen flashing in bold letters: Draw.

A... draw? That's never happened before.

I finally turn to face him. He's still calm, but there's a slight raise of his eyebrows, as if he's impressed.

"You're good."

It's the first thing he says, and it catches me off guard. I'm not used to people talking to me here.

"...you too."

He nods, lending out his hand for me to shake, a hint of spark in his eyes.

"I'm Toya Aoyagi."

I hesitantly shake his hand. "...Nene Kusanagi..."

Toya: "Mm... you want to go again, Nene?"

For some reason, I don't mind the idea. Usually, I'd avoid talking or playing with anyone for too long, but this feels... okay.

"Sure."

We reload the game, and this time, I'm not just playing to escape. I'm playing because this is fun— something I haven't felt in a while.