milk pudding « kozume kenma

chapter fourteen || vanilla milkshake

chapter fourteen: VANILLA MILKSHAKE

The train ride to Ebisu was oddly quiet, as Kenma sat beside Miruka in the tight space. They quietly whispered about a game they should get then play together later, occasionally showing each other screenshots of the gameplay. Once they were at their stop, the cheering and noise of the volleyball team began again.

He snook a glance at the girl's face when they arrived at the huge glowing arcade, already full of life even before lunch. She looked as if she was glowing, dark eyes sparkling at the machinery and games as they went inside.

"Oh Milk-sama," the captain called. "We've bought loads of tokens so you can play all the games. Go crazy."

A heavy satchel was dropped into Miruka's arms, Kenma's eyes widening at the amount he had given her. The setter made eye contact with his best friend, who sloppily winked at him and ruffled his half-blonde hair.

The girl gasped, tackling the older boy with a pout in thanks and pushing him away for her to squeal with delight. She thrust the bag into Kenma's face, making him flinch in shock. Her mouth formed into an odd line then to an elated grin.

"Kenma, Kenma, just look at how many tokens there are!" she exclaimed, opening up the satchel to show him. He rubbed the back of his head in surprise, never thinking Kuro would go this far. "I never knew that the bedhead was this generous ~ !"

Kuro scoffed in the background.

"I'm always this kind."

What felt like a wind brushed past everyone, not believing a single word in that sentence. A cold air settled down, Miruka breaking the mood with a snigger. Ending the scene, Miruka took Kenma's hand gently, his cheeks and ears reddening profusely while she tugged it harder.

"Come on, Kenma," she whined, furrowing her eyebrows. "I wanna go play with you! You may be good in video games, but I'm truly the ruler of the arcade. Just watch!" Miruka pulled him and he walked with her, still hand in hand.

He intertwined his fingers with hers, reciprocating the action. Kenma didn't notice the her jolt at his movement, but continued on with his neutral yet slightly flushed expression. His determination rose at a car game, her edging closer to the same one.

"Good taste," Miruka chuckled, squinting her eyes at him devilishly. "But you picked the wrong game to try and beat me at."

Kenma's amber eyes widened and softened, an odd spark of determination igniting in him. He sat into the black leather seat, Miruka into the white. With the push of a button and a token rolled in, the game started and the roar of the in-game car's engine boomed.

The countdown began, and they were off.

• • •

"Seventeen losses and seventeen wins," Miruka sighed, sipping on a vanilla milkshake she bought. "We really are evenly matched, don't you think?" The pair had played so many games they got tired, eventually getting some smacks.

Kenma nodded hesitantly, throwing his soda into a bin as they approached a Dance Dance Revolution machine. A crowd had gathered around, cheering and gasping in awe of the person currently dancing. They silently decided to check it out, jaws dropping at the quickness of the one in the middle.

"That guy's pretty cool," the girl mumbled, tugging at his sweater sleeve. "I've never seen anyone play it that fast . . ."

"Y - Yeah . . . " Kenma agreed, scratching his neck. He watched him get 'perfect' for every step, admiring his talent and wondering whether he could do it to. Of course, Kenma had played it on occasion, but he never got to this level.