Chapter 255: The Arcade Trip
The atmosphere between the two quickly warmed. Franklin didn't overstep—after lightly kissing Tobiichi Origami's slightly flushed cheek,
he retrieved the charms from the prize chute below. A Flying Thunder God mark was placed, automatically triggering a defensive formation embedded within.
During this time, Franklin had already expanded his domain, rapidly understanding and digesting the smart device technology of this era.
After taking Origami's phone, Franklin swiftly compressed and transformed it into a wristwatch form. The white rabbit charm was converted into a decorative pattern and engraved directly onto the watchband.
Seeing the slight surprise on Origami's face, Franklin smiled and put the watch on her wrist.
"Carrying a phone around is too troublesome. This watch is a holographic projection device. All the data from your phone has already been stored inside.
You can use it however you like—just take a little time to get used to it, and you'll adapt quickly."
Origami tapped the watch experimentally. Instantly, a holographic screen appeared in front of her.
As she looked at the information displayed on the projection, her eyes widened more and more. Finally, she let out a soft breath and looked at Franklin with undisguised astonishment.
"This watch is also a manifestation device… and its control over spiritual power is even better than the equipment I used in AST?"
Franklin smiled and nodded.
"This technology already surpasses the organization you're in. Since you want to kill Spirits to avenge your parents,
I'll fully support you. But once Spirits become human, I hope you can treat them as normal human friends. Can you do that?"
Hearing Franklin's words, Origami fell silent. After a long while, she let out a quiet breath.
"I'll try not to hate them…"
Hearing that, Franklin smiled and gently kissed the back of her right hand.
"Thank you. You should give these rabbit charms to them as well. You've seen it yourself—they're essentially human. They only became Spirits because of special circumstances."
Origami didn't resist, allowing Franklin to lead her forward. Seeing Yoshino and Yoshinon not far away,
Franklin snapped his fingers, and two watches—one white, one black—were conjured into existence. The white rabbit charms were engraved onto the bands, becoming decorative white rabbit motifs adorning the watches.
While the two were still immersed in their game, Franklin directly expanded his domain and fastened the watches onto their right wrists.
Sensing the sudden unfamiliar feeling, both of them immediately noticed Franklin's arrival.
"Yo, Lin, you're back again. Want to join us? I can give you my spot."
Franklin smiled and shook his head.
"No need. You two haven't had a chance to properly play together before. Today is for enjoying yourselves.
When you have time, try getting familiar with that watch. It has a lot of clever uses—it's a gift from Origami and me."
In an instant, both Yoshino and Yoshinon froze, turning to look at Origami in surprise.
Sensing Origami wanting to say something, Franklin gently tugged her hand.
"It was thanks to Origami's reminder that I thought of getting you gifts.
The cute rabbit designs were also Origami's choice. Go have fun—if you need anything, just tell me."
Yoshino showed a gentle smile that felt like a spring breeze to anyone who saw it.
"Thank you, Origami."
Yoshinon didn't tease either. She bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Origami. Let's get along well in the future."
A completely unfamiliar feeling surged into Origami's heart. She lightly pressed a hand to her chest. Franklin smiled, waved to the two girls, and pulled Origami back toward the crane machines.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Meeting Franklin's concerned gaze, Origami gently shook her head.
"I haven't felt like this in a long time. It feels… strange."
Franklin smiled and shook his head, gently holding her hand as he led her toward Kotori and Tohka. This made Origami's brows knit slightly, her body instinctively resisting.
"Since you'll all be together for a long time anyway, getting closer isn't a bad thing, right?"
Facing Franklin's smile, Origami's resistance vanished instantly. She instinctively followed his lead, and the two arrived beside Tohka and Kotori.
Looking at the game screen on the machine, Franklin was a bit surprised. Seeing tears already welling up in Tohka's eyes, he rubbed his forehead helplessly.
When he fastened a purple-banded watch with a white rabbit onto Tohka's wrist, she finally snapped back to her senses.
"Lin, hurry and help me! Kotori keeps bullying me—I can't beat her at all!"
Looking at the King of Fighters screen displaying a big "KO," memories from Franklin's past life surged into his mind.
He lightly shook his head and helplessly looked toward Kotori's machine.
"I told you to take Tohka to play some fun, casual games. And you bring her to this? Fine, you play it—but you've been nonstop crushing her?"
Hearing Franklin's voice, Kotori finally came back to herself. She immediately stood up, her cheeks quickly turning red.
"I didn't… no, sorry, big brother. I got carried away while playing and forgot Tohka's a beginner."
Franklin rubbed his forehead.
"Put this watch on first. We'll play a round too—consider it revenge for Tohka."
Hearing this, Kotori—her single ponytail tied with a black ribbon—instantly became serious.
"Big brother, I won't hold back."
Franklin smiled and nodded.
"Perfect. I just don't know if the buttons are still the same as back then."
"Go, Lin! You have to get revenge for me! Kotori's been bullying me forever—waaah…"
Franklin smiled and rubbed Tohka's head. Origami glanced at Tohka in mild surprise, then turned her gaze to the screen.
Iori Yagami, Kyo Kusanagi, Orochi VS Mai Shiranui, Ice Girl, Thunder Woman
The opening exchange went poorly. Franklin quickly realized the skill inputs were completely different now.
Three rounds ended in the blink of an eye. As expected, Franklin was utterly crushed—he didn't even take down a single character from Kotori.
Turning around to see Tohka looking at him with the same pity she reserved for herself, Franklin gave a bitter smile.
No use denying it—he was old. These childhood memories just couldn't keep up with the times anymore.
"Sorry, Tohka. I'm a rookie too—no match for Kotori at all."
Seeing Franklin's helpless expression, Tohka stopped dwelling on her earlier defeat. She gently hugged his arm and smiled, pointing toward the various restaurants outside the arcade.
"If we can't win, then forget it. Lin, take me to eat something tasty. I feel like I've been moving around for so long—I'm kind of hungry."
Glancing at the two little ones still immersed in their games, Franklin smiled and nodded.
"Kotori, I'll leave Yoshinon and Yoshino to you. Just make sure no one gets lost. I'll take Tohka and Origami to stroll around the indoor food street across the way."