fox on the run | miya osamu

the claw

Suiren has a list of things to do planned in her head and luckily, Osamu's just the type to go along with whatever seemed enjoyable. "Where would you like to go first?" asks Suiren, whose formal manner of speech still remained. He anticipated nothing less, seeing that she still talks formally even to Miko, her closest friend.

"Wanna eat?" he suggests, looking at the restaurants all around, the faint aroma of ramen enticing him even more. "Or we could go to a shop you like," he adds. Osamu just realizes he had no idea about her interests, and so did she.

"What interests do you have? Apart from volleyball, of course," she asks.

"Food" becomes his immediate answer. "And you? Books?" he asks, noticing how much she gazed at the bookstore.

"Ah, no, not at all," she denies, soflty giggling. One more of that and Osamu's sure to be as flustered as he was earlier, when she complimented him.

"People often think I'm smart and bookish, but I'm, well, I really am not," she clarifies, her language getting a little less serious.

"Really? You strike me off as a nerd," he tells her. He doesn't immediately realize what he just called her until she reverts back to her signature poker face.

"Nerd?" she mumbles, tilting her head.

"I, I meant, like, a smart person," he says, feeling a tinge of nervousness and embarassment.

"I've never heard anyone call me that," she chuckles, "At least not in front of me."

"Huh?"

"And, I'm not mad at you, Osamu-san," she confirms, seeing a hint of panic on his face.

"It's impossible to read you," says Osamu. She sees a sigh escape his lips but it eventually forms into a smile. "Then where do you want to go?" he asks.

"Well, I was looking at the arcade," answers Suiren.

"Then, arcade?"

"Is it okay with you? Is it really?" she asks and pauses on the side, surprisingly much more enthusiastic. Excitement gleams on her deep brown eyes, making her impossible to reject.

"Yeah, sure," he answers with a nod. Suiren excitedly leads the way as she even increases her pace of walking. "You really like arcades, Suiren-san?"

"Yes, I often go here when I go to the mall," she answers, her formal speech gradually returning.

"Ah, I see," he mumbles. The colorful lights illuminate her tanned skin, a pretty sight for Osamu, who's just beside her.

"Wanna try the food claw machines first?" he suggests. His voice barely reaches her sense of hearing, thanks to the noises and music.

"What?" she asks, leaning closer to listen better.

"Food claw machines," he repeats, moving towards her.

"Oh, sure," she agrees then quickly glances at him, except that it lasts a little longer than a second.

"The candy one looks easy," he recommends. Osamu pauses at one of the claw machines and she simply follows.

"Do you think we could get it?"

"I dunno, wanna try?" he asks. She responds only with a nod and she prepares coins from her purse.

"You should go first," she tells him before inserting a coin.

"But that's your coin?"

"It's just a coin, Osamu-san," she sighs then points at the claw machine, signalling him to start playing.

His hand graps the joystick and he drags it forward, then to the left, just aiming for whatever feels more likely to get caught. "Oh?" she mouths, her eyes glued on the claw dropping down.

"Ah, it's too weak," he sighs, shaking his head. The claw barely manages to lift the candy bar, and it raises itself with nothing in it.

"Can I try?"

"Yeah sure," he says and moves aside. For a split second or two, while grabbing on the joystick, Suiren holds the back of Osamu's hand, causing a little surprise.

"I'm, I'm sorry," she stammers, flinching back. It's the first time she stutters, her nervousness is beginning to reveal itself.

"It's fine," he mutters, pulling back his hand as well. He fishes out a few coins from his pocket and he inserts one in the machine.

"I'm not very used to skinship," she explains. With a hand quite shaky, she holds on the joystick once again and attempts on grabbing the same candy bar as him.

"Yeah, by now, I can tell that much," says Osamu. She glances at him with reddening cheeks and ears but she quickly averts her gaze back at the claw. "Even Miko-san doesn't touch me," she mumbles, "I don't know why."

Osamu's out of words to say so he simply responds with a silent nod.

"Ah, I think I got it." Her mood lightens, seeing the claw lift the candy bar they wanted.

"Oh, you got it on your first try?" he comments. The claw drops the candy bar at the center, which is the last part. "Oh please don't bounce back," she sighs.

"Oh! I got it!" The volume of her voice unusually gets louder in excitement. She grabs the candy bar from the bottom pit where it landed, and she joyfully shows it to Osamu.

"Yeah, you did, nice," he remarks, a half-smile forming on his face.

"What else do you want to try?" she asks.

"I dunno, how about you pick one this time?"

"Oh, well," she mumbles. They begin to walk around the area, Suiren in search of an interesting claw machine.

"Melty Kiss?"

"You like Melty Kiss, Tsutsui-san?"

"It's my favorite," she confirms and nods. They pause at the said machine and there are also other chocolates as prizes. "Then, let's try this one?" he asks, which she swiftly responds with a nod.

She grabs her purse again to get a coin and she blurts out a question in the process. "Do you still call me by my last name?"

"Oh, I just did?" he realizes.

"Yes, you did. I thought you made up a nickname for me."

"Yeah, but wasn't Chuunchun for the sake of, you know, fake dating?" he reminds.

"And you're older than me too," he explains.

"Do you not like Chuunchun, Osamu-san?"

"Wha- What?"

"Is she asking me about my feelings?! Already?!" he asks himself, panicked.

"What?" she returns his question. He momentarily bites his lower lip, thinking of what to answer. She's waiting for an answer.

"I, I think that, you're very pretty," he answers, avoiding the question.

"Oh." The possibility of Osamu misunderstanding the question just crosses Suiren's mind now and she's taken aback by the sudden compliment.

"I mean, I did agree to fake dating you, so I suppose I-" he blabbers but he stops after seeing her blank face.

"Tsu- Tsutsui?"

"Chuunchun?" he calls again.

"Yes?" she snaps back.

"You're really really hard to read," he sighs. "Tell me, what are you thinking of?" He raises a brow, waiting.

"That Osamu-san is very cute."