Chapter 417: Shiina Mashiro, Gaming Master Cerberus
The scene rewinds to a few hours earlier.
With the unyielding grip of a hellhound on a mission, Cerberus had dragged Lanterby all the way to a building pulsating with neon light and electronic music. She didn't know the human word for it—'arcade'—but her instincts screamed that this place was the pinnacle of fun.
Lanterby, finally catching her breath as she took in the flashing marquee, puffed out her chest. "Cerberus!" she declared with a proud grin. "Today, I'm going to show you what real skill looks like!"
Cerberus tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "So, Lanterby, what are you going to do?"
Lanterby let out a confident snort. "Play games, of course! I am an undisputed arcade master! Follow me! I'll take you on a tour of record-breaking! Hahahaha!"
"Whoa! Lanterby is amazing!" Cerberus's tail would have been wagging furiously if she'd had one.
"Of course!"
The moment they stepped inside, Cerberus was captivated. A cacophony of music blared from dozens of machines, a display of synthesized explosions, triumphant jingles, and roaring engines. Laughter and shouts echoed through the hall, and the air itself seemed to thrum with energy, bathed in the shifting glow of countless colorful lights.
Lanterby, ever the little rich girl, marched straight to the counter and exchanged a hefty sum for a massive basket overflowing with game tokens. She turned to Cerberus, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Alright, Cerberus! Where to first? What do you want to play?"
Cerberus's gaze darted around the vibrant space before locking onto a row of elaborate racing simulators. She pointed excitedly. "That looks fun! Lanterby! Let's play that! That one!"
A wide, knowing smile spread across Lanterby's face. "Hahaha! As expected of you, Cerberus! You picked one of my specialties! Let's go! Time to race!"
Though Cerberus had never touched such a machine before, her intuition was razor-sharp. As she customized her virtual car, she made a series of instinctual choices that earned repeated nods of approval from Lanterby.
The moment Cerberus settled into the driver's seat, a strange sensation washed over her. Her instincts, the primal core of her being, told her that this was going to be exhilarating.
In the next instant, a faint red light flickered deep within Cerberus's eyes. The countdown timer flashed across the screen—3... 2... 1... GO!
Lanterby had barely processed the start signal when Cerberus's car shot off the line like a cannonball. A strange, predatory smile stretched across her lips, a look unnervingly similar to the one Pandemonica wore after her morning coffee. Whether it was a trick of the flickering lights or not, her eyes seemed to burn with a fierce, competitive fire.
However, Lanterby was an expert in her own right. Shaking off her surprise, she slammed her foot on the virtual accelerator and skillfully drifted through the first corner, quickly closing the gap. For a time, the sight of two stunningly beautiful foreign girls locked in a high-speed duel drew a crowd of onlookers, their gasps and exclamations a proof of the skill on display.
"Whoa! That was so much fun, Lanterby!" Cerberus cheered as the results screen declared her the winner by a hair's breadth.
Lanterby let out a frustrated sigh, though a grin played on her lips. "I'm seriously impressed. You're the first person to ever beat me in a racing game. Damn it, it was just that tiny bit of distance at the start! Let's go again!"
Just then, two young men ambled over, clearly intending to strike up a conversation. It wasn't surprising; both Lanterby and Cerberus were lively, energetic beauties with figures and faces that turned heads. The overflowing basket of tokens also signaled that they were well-off, making them a prime target for a casual pickup line.
Lanterby noticed them approaching from the corner of her eye. Just as one of the men opened his mouth to speak, she raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and cut him off, her tone breezy but firm. "No need to try, we both have boyfriends~"
The two men froze, their prepared lines dying on their tongues. They exchanged a brief, awkward glance before slinking away. This wasn't some melodramatic novel where they'd encounter an arrogant young master who wouldn't take no for an answer. Getting shot down in an arcade was just as common as trying to flirt in the first place.
Cerberus looked over, her head tilted in confusion. "Lanterby, you have a boyfriend?"
"I will when Courage and the others finally catch up to me," Lanterby declared with a wink. "Now hurry, hurry, the next round is starting!"
"Oh, oh, oh!"
For the rest of the afternoon, the arcade owner found himself in a state of deep conflict. On one hand, the presence of Cerberus and Lanterby was a godsend. Nearly every single game record in his establishment was shattered, one after another. Videos of their incredible feats were already circulating online, bringing in a flood of new customers and providing very useful free publicity.
On a small corner of the internet, the duo was already being hailed as the "Gaming Goddesses of Akihabara." Most viewers were simply in awe of their skills, but those who commented on their beauty were quickly informed that both girls had claimed to be taken, a fact that many refused to believe. The arcade's profits soared, but on the other hand, if these two kept breaking high scores, his entire stock of grand prizes would be completely wiped out. The owner felt his wallet weeping with every new record they set.
"Where... is this place?"
At that moment, the quiet girl from before, a sketchbook clutched in her arms, found herself standing before the arcade's entrance. Drawn by the cascade of lights and sounds spilling onto the street, she paused for a fraction of a second, a thought forming and dissipating just as quickly, before she stepped inside.
"So noisy..."
The sensory overload was almost enough to make her turn and leave, but then she overheard a nearby conversation.
"Those two girls are amazing! Did you see their score on the shooting game? I've never seen skills like that!"
"Yeah! Their boyfriends must be the luckiest guys in the world. Especially the one with the beast ear headband, she's so cute!"
"Hahaha~ Matsuda, you're thinking of buying one for your girlfriend, aren't you~"
"Damn, you saw right through me!"
"Come on, man, I know you. Let's go, the burger shop down the street has a 30% discount today!"
"What are we waiting for! Let's go!"
The girl watched the two men leave, then tilted her head in thought. Her hand rose to touch the top of her own head as she whispered to herself, "Animal ears... hair ornament?"
Compelled by this new curiosity, she ventured deeper into the arcade. By now, Cerberus and Lanterby had amassed a mountain of prize tickets and tokens. The owner had personally provided them with a small cart to haul their winnings and was now watching them play, his expression a mixture of awe and financial dread.
"Woohoo! Cerberus! That's it! The monster on the right! Hit it twice!" Lanterby shouted over the din of the game.
They were currently dominating a light-gun shooter, their score already leagues beyond the previous record. Lost in the thrill of the game, Cerberus's ears twitched and wiggled with excitement. In the dim, flickering light of the arcade, most onlookers simply dismissed it as a trick of the light, but the newly arrived girl stared, her eyes fixed on Cerberus's ears, not blinking once.
"Alright! New high score!" Lanterby cheered.
"Oh!" Cerberus pumped her fist in the air.
The surrounding crowd erupted in applause. As Cerberus's ears gave another happy twitch, the girl finally gave in to her impulse. She walked forward, weaving through the puzzled onlookers, and reached out a delicate hand.
And pinched one of Cerberus's ears.
Cerberus froze mid-celebration. She looked up to see a delicate, utterly expressionless face staring down at her. Lanterby tilted her head. "Cerberus, do you know her?"
"No, I don't," Cerberus replied, bewildered. "Who are you? Wait, why are you grabbing my ear?"
It was worth noting that the girl still hadn't let go. Cerberus, for her part, hadn't tried to pull away. After a moment of gentle prodding, as if she had just discovered a new continent, the girl spoke, her voice a soft monotone.
"Fluffy..."
The great Hellhound of the Apocalypse was completely dumbfounded. What kind of comment was that? Before she could form a response, she heard the girl speak again, a hint of confusion in her otherwise flat tone.
"Fluffy... Cerberus?"
Cerberus nodded slowly, still baffled. "Who are you?"
"Mashiro," the girl stated, her fingers still gently exploring the texture of the ear. "Shiina Mashiro... fluffy... so comfortable..."
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