I stared up at the massive neon sign overhead—Le You Arcade.

"You really wanted to come here?" I glanced at Xia Tong beside me, her eyes sparkling like stars.

"Mhm! I’ve never been to an arcade before. I always heard classmates talk about it, but you know my ‘untouchable goddess’ rep at school. I’ve been dying to try it."

True. Xia Tong’s icy school persona clashed completely with this place. I’d visited arcades often as a kid—but only because Mom dragged Xiaoxi and me along whenever *she* wanted to play. After discovering the internet, I barely left home during holidays, let alone came here. Since we were here today, might as well fulfill her wish. It wasn’t a big deal anyway.

"Guess I haven’t been here in ages either," I admitted. Last time was around third or fourth grade. "C’mon. Time to show you this arcade king’s skills."

Xia Tong beamed, clearly pleased. She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

The arcade occupied the basement level, roughly 300 square meters—already one of S City’s largest. Xia Tong’s gaze swept over the rows of machines.

"Ye Xi, what should we play first?" Even a genius like her was lost on her first visit.

I scanned the area. So many new games since my childhood. Back then, *Fishing Master* was the hottest spot, always packed with queues.

"Haven’t been here in years—I’m clueless too! We’ll take it slow. Play whatever catches our eye."

She nodded, eyes darting to the lines. "Over there!" She yanked me forward.

"Whoa, stop!" I held her back.

"Huh?" She turned, confused.

"You’re just gonna queue like that?"

"Yeah? What’s wrong?"

Right. Forgot this was her first time.

"These machines need tokens. Let go—I’ll get coins at the counter." I pointed to the central booth.

Xia Tong’s eyes flickered between the queue and the booth. "I’m not in a hurry. Let’s go together. That line’s too long." She jabbed a finger at the crowd, her other hand still clamped on my arm.

I checked the queue. Packed. And leaving her alone? Risky with that face.

We exchanged ¥100 for 200 tokens. The bag felt heavy in my hand.

"Start from this side?" I nudged her. She didn’t care where we began.

Along the way, Xia Tong eyed every coin-push game eagerly. I patiently explained they were pure luck—just dumping money in. I gestured to the players: mostly grown men. Not exactly her scene.

Funny how, after that, she clung even tighter to my arm.

A few steps later, we turned a corner and found something playable.

"Xia Tong, try racing games?" I pointed to the simulators. Unlike single-seat cabinets, these were full car shells—you had to half-recline to play.

"I’m not very good..." she hesitated.

"Who is on their first try? Give it a shot! Looks fun."

"Okay..." She released my arm. "But you’re playing too!" She pointed to the adjacent machines.

Honestly, my right arm had gone numb. But seeing her hopeful eyes, I swallowed my refusal. I fed tokens into her machine first, then mine. Twenty tokens a go—no wonder it was empty. We settled in, reclining.

"Ye Xi, it really feels like driving!" Xia Tong swiveled her head, instantly immersed.

"Read the tutorial first!" I called over. Basic rule: know the game before playing.

Mine was simple: accelerator and brake pedals. Drift by braking hard into turns, just like any racer.

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"Ready—GO!!!"

We shot forward. Neck and neck on the straightaway. But at the first turn, we both drifted—Xia Tong cut the inner curve faster. *Patience wins races.* This self-proclaimed arcade king couldn’t lose here. I pushed harder, overshot the turn, and slammed into the barrier. Game over. My time: 6:27.57. The screen prompted for a name. Glancing at the #1 spot—5:07.13—I flushed and typed just "Ye."

Xia Tong bounced over. "Ye Xi, was I good?"

"How’d you do?" I asked absently.

She jabbed a finger at my screen. I followed it. Rank #7: a player named 「Ye♡Xia」 with 5:11.34. I’d only noticed the top spot. Xia Tong—a total newbie—acing it like this? Did gaming talent cross into real life too?

I rubbed my nose, embarrassed. "That name..."

"We raced together!" she declared, unshaken. No arguing with that. The name was already saved.

Back on solid ground, Xia Tong latched onto my arm again. After a few hours, I’d gotten used to it. Why protest when she’d never let go?

"Let’s check other spots," she tugged me onward.

A corner of the arcade was packed. Xia Tong dragged me toward the commotion. I forged a path through the crowd, shielding her. *Fishing Master*. Of course. After *Thunder Force* and *Street Fighter*, this always drew the biggest mobs.

Xia Tong’s eyes lit up at the cartoonish graphics. "How do you play this?" she asked.

I explained the mechanics and fish values. When a seat opened, she pounced. Seeing her excitement, I dumped all 160 remaining tokens into her machine.

At first, she only caught cheap clownfish with 5-token shots. Then she got the hang of it—snagged a 30-token sailfish. Her grin widened. She adjusted shot power smoothly, even netting two sharks from the frenzy. Onlookers watched the pretty girl dominate the screen, stubbornly competing until they all failed.

After half an hour of wins and losses, her balance hit 700+ tokens. Only then did she quit. The coins overflowed one bag; I rushed to the booth for another.

The rest of the afternoon, Xia Tong conquered every game. My job? Feeding tokens and hauling bags.

By 4 PM, we’d scoured the entire arcade. Resting on chairs, Xia Tong still buzzed with energy. *Women are monsters.* Xiaoxi was the same. Do their legs have motors? I stole a glance at Xia Tong’s—smooth, fair, slender. Didn’t look it.

Beside me, she snapped selfies. I insisted I was camera-shy, but she dragged me into several shots. One glance confirmed it: I looked awful. But Xia Tong beamed at the photos, utterly unfazed.

"All done?" I asked after catching my breath.

"Mhm!" She focused on editing.

"Wait here a sec."

She dropped her phone, watching me curiously.

"Gotta store these." I hefted the bags. "Who knew you’d win *this* much? Can’t carry it all."

She glowed at the praise, head bent over her phone again.

At the booth, I stored all her tokens under her name and number.

"It’s all saved under your name. Just give your number next time to claim it," I told her.

"Why would I come alone?" Her tone implied: *You’d better come with me.*

Silence stretched for seconds. She pocketed her phone. "Let’s go." She stood. I followed.

At the exit, a row of claw machines caught Xia Tong’s eye. She drifted to one filled with small gifts, fixated on something inside. Pulling coins from her purse, she started playing. I watched quietly. Her target: a pair of bracelets in a rectangular box. Impossible to grab directly—the claw had to hook through the box’s holes. Brutally hard. Only 15 seconds per try. The claw swayed wildly, missing the holes every time.

Seeing her intense focus, I tapped her shoulder and took the controls.

"Don’t let your *Fishing Master* streak fool you. Claw machines need experience, not just talent. My mom was a pro. Watch and learn."

I maneuvered the claw down. No time to steady it—just like Xia Tong struggled. I had to predict its swing. Timed it perfectly. Hit the button.

The claw closed slowly. We both held our breath.

"Nice." Perfect grab. I fished out the prize and handed it to her.

"See? No broken promises this time." The arcade king title was tarnished, but at least I delivered here.

Xia Tong tore open the box. Black and white bracelets. She seized my left wrist, fastening the black one around it. Hers went on her right.

"Even though you fished it up, I’m giving it to you. Don’t take it off, got it?" Xia Tong added when I didn’t react. "Thanks for today. That’s all for now. Someone will send those clothes back later—no need for you to carry them. Well… goodbye!" She waved and turned away.

After Xia Tong vanished from sight, my phone buzzed with a text:

"Today’s date was so much fun!" Below it was a photo of us together.

"A date?" My mind went chaotic. I stared at the bracelet coiled around my wrist. How did I really see Xia Tong? Restlessness churned inside me.

Stepping out of the arcade, it was already past four. I rushed home in a hurry. Just as I neared my street, I remembered something vital!

"Damn, I forgot the pudding!" I glanced at home, just around the corner.

"Sigh…" I spun around and headed back to the shopping district.