The Chika-Bankaa(3)

Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Adagio

Second Day of Protection – Late Afternoon

The day had passed like any other, without any particularly notable differences… except for the fact that the Chika-Bankaa had stuck to their protégée like glue. Completely desperate, she walked home in a diamond formation before suddenly stopping, her gaze lowered.

Her bodyguards noticed and stopped, looking at her.

"What's wrong, little bunny?" Nao asked.

Minami, who had been holding it in all day, finally let her emotions burst out: "What do you mean, 'What's wrong'?! You guys stuck to me the entire day! I couldn't even breathe without one of you being less than a meter away from me!! You even scared off Sanae!"

Katsuro responded nonchalantly, "Ohhh~ come on. You're exaggerating, we weren't that much of a hassle—"

"It's too late to complain now anyway!" Nao added with a yawn.

Kurou also shared his opinion: "We told you we weren't going to let you out of our sight because of that idiot."

These guys are seriously unbelievable!! Minami thought.

"If Kiyoshi hadn't stepped in, I'm sure you guys would've followed me into the restroom!! You bunch of lunatics!"

Nao replied, "What? Pff haha, as if! We were totally going to stop right before! We're not idiots, who do you take us for?"

"Girls are way more violent than people think! And I say this as an expert!" Katsuro added, with an air of authority.

Minami turned toward the gang's leader, hoping to hear his opinion, but he had already changed the subject and was chatting with Kiyoshi. She stared at the latter intently, as if trying to decipher his personality. Kiyoshi noticed the bunny's gaze—harmless, ridiculous, and almost cute in his eyes—and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

She crossed her arms, took a moment to think, and declared, "Can't you all be more like Kiyoshi? In the end, he's the most normal one among you!"

Maybe I can be friends with her? Kiyoshi thought.

Katsuro, shocked by her remark, responded, "Kiyoshi? Normal?" He looked him up and down before bursting out laughing, "Hahaha! You've completely lost it!"

"But look!" Minami insisted.

She stepped closer to Kiyoshi and asked, "Why did you step in earlier? You guys could've followed me into the restroom or at least stood right outside, right? But you suggested waiting by the stairs instead. Why?"

Okay, never mind. She's a bit weird, I don't really want to be friends with her... What kind of question is that? Kiyoshi thought.

He simply answered, "Well, that would've been weird, right?"

Minami turned to the three others and exclaimed, pointing at him, "See?! He's the only normal guy here! He doesn't think like you!"

"I think we're all different in our own way," Nao replied.

"Argh! Yes, of course, but he's different different!"

All the Chika-Bankaa members—except Kiyoshi—didn't really understand what she was getting at. Kiyoshi, however, thought, I get what she means, obviously, but them... He glanced at his comrades, then sighed internally, There's no way they'll ever understand…

Minami saw the confusion on her protectors' faces but refused to give up. "Alright, come on, let's go to the arcade."

"Oh, finally! Something fun!" Katsuro exclaimed.

"Perfect timing! I wanted to check it out, they're running a small lottery event," Kurou added.

Nao, excited, chimed in, "Hehe, we get to test Katsuro's luck!"

Katsuro smirked, "Ahh, guys, seriously, what did I tell you?"

A mischievous smile crept onto Minami's lips as she rubbed her hands together like a fly plotting something devious. Kiyoshi watched her from the corner of his eye and thought, She's actually really weird…

Yeah, yeah, have fun. I'm gonna use this chance to slip away, Minami thought.

Later, at the Arcade

The moment they stepped inside, Minami was already planning her escape. First, she slowed her pace, then subtly shifted her trajectory while pretending to check her phone.

Her bodyguards were completely distracted by the variety of games, the hypnotic neon lights, and the energetic atmosphere of the arcade.

This is my chance to escape, she thought.

However, she quickly realized that Kiyoshi was the only one who hadn't moved ahead of her, unlike the others, who were already engrossed in the games.

Crap, this is gonna be tricky…

The three delinquents stopped in front of a small sign, and Kurou spoke up, "This is what I was talking about earlier. You ready?" he asked, looking at Katsuro.

"I'm always ready! Hmm~ let me see…"

He leaned in slightly to read the game rules.

"'The Game of 42, pick-[...]'"

Nao suddenly turned toward Minami, "Hey, little bunny! Come here! Katsuro's genius isn't limited to what you saw yesterday!"

"A-Ah?! Uh, yeah, I'm coming… Damn it, I thought Kiyoshi was the only one I had left to escape from!"

Katsuro, having finished reading the rules, shouted, "WHOA! THIS IS INSANE!"

The Chika-Bankaa leader, proud of himself, grinned, "Hehe, I knew you'd like it!"

Minami, curious, asked, "What are the rules?"

"It costs 50 Drymat per game, and you can only play once—"

"How do they make sure people don't come back another day to try again?" she questioned.

Suddenly, an arcade staff member appeared with a camera and announced, "We take a picture of every participant, haha!"

Minami, surprised, responded, "Seriously? The prize must be huge for you to be this strict… And on top of that… only one attempt…" She paused for a second before asking, "By the way, one attempt at what?"

The staff member brought out a large transparent plastic ball filled with smaller colorful plastic balls.

"There are three hundred balls in total. You have to pick one and open it. If you get the number 42, you can take anything you want from this arcade. If not, you put the ball back inside—"

Before he could even finish explaining, Nao gasped in shock, "WHOA! THAT'S INSANE!"

Katsuro, even more excited by his comrade's reaction, shouted, "SEE?! VICTORY IS OURS! HAHA!"

The two brothers were jumping for joy in their corner as if they had already won the prize. Minami was desperate seeing their reaction: Are they stupid or what? Just because there are four of them doesn't mean they'll succeed. But also surprised by the considerable reward, she asked the staff, "50 drymat, right? That's really cheap, but given the prize at stake, I suppose you've already made a lot of money, haven't you?"

The staff member replied enthusiastically, "Haha! That's exactly right!"

Kurou pulled out his wallet and declared with a smile, "Alright, I'm paying for everyone! Even though Katsuro alone is enough, I want to show the bunny that he's special." he said, looking at her.

"Great! Who's going first?!"

The Chika-Bankaa's vice leader answered, "Me! Katsuro will go last!"

Filled with confidence, his hands behind his head and whistling, he replied, "Okay! No problem!"

Where does he get that confidence from? Minami wondered.

The staff placed the ball in an unusual machine, pressed a green button, and the ball started spinning, shaking the ones inside.

Still boasting, Katsuro declared, "You can mix them all you want, it's useless, haha!"

"It's ready! Go ahead, let's have some fun! Too bad they can only participate once; otherwise, I'm sure they'd get addicted, and we'd make even more money!"

Nao took a deep breath and pulled a ball while exhaling, "Come on! Please!"

He opened it, and his face darkened.

Kurou asked, "So?..."

Nao replied in a gloomy tone, "41…"

The Chika-Bankaa leader couldn't help but laugh this time. Katsuro patted his shoulder in consolation, "Waa… That's like a bad joke… Y-You'll do better next time—"

"There is no next time," Minami added.

"Haha… A-Ah, right…"

"Alright, my turn," Kurou said, stepping forward.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a ball and immediately opened it. Nao and Katsuro leaned in to see the result and burst into laughter, rolling on the floor.

Minami stepped closer to look as well and saw that Kurou had also drawn number 41 : "Oh… Huh? That's funny."

She asked the staff, "Are there duplicates?"

He replied with a grin, "Haha, yes! We thought it'd be funny to add multiple 41s and 43s as duplicates, haha!"

Clearly irritated, Kurou added with a nervous smile, "Normally, I'd smash your crappy ball, but since Katsuro is going to win, I won't do anything…"

The gang leader's tone and terrifying expression made the staff member's entire body tremble, "H–Huh? I hope he's joking… Who's next?"

Minami stepped forward, drawing without expecting anything special, "My turn. I don't know what to expect…"

She opened it and fell completely silent.

The delinquents gathered around her and started laughing hysterically.

"A RABBIT! A RABBIT! SHE GOT A RABBIT!" Nao and Katsuro shouted.

She looked at the staff member with a murderous aura.

Is she a delinquent too?? he wondered.

"Haha, w-well, actually, there aren't just numbers… I thought it'd be funny to do that…"

Kurou said teasingly, "Now do you see why we call you Bunny?"

She put the ball back inside, mumbling, "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

Only Kiyoshi and Katsuro remained.

The group's giant stepped forward without a word and drew number 43. He didn't seem to care, but deep down, he thought, I'm usually calm, but this isn't funny at all!

The staff member's joke really didn't amuse the Chika-Bankaa.

It was finally the star of the day's turn. But instead of stepping forward to play, he took a step back and puffed out his chest.

What is he doing? Minami wondered.

He spoke loudly to get everyone's attention, "Hello to all young players and young ladies! Let me introduce myself! My name is Akira Katsuro, and I am the great winner of the Game of 42!"

"Haha! That's my bro! Go on, show us! I can't wait!" Nao said excitedly.

A crowd gathered around the Bunny and the Chika-Bankaa.

"I hope everyone is ready! I'm going to pick a ball at random, and I'm going to walk away with whatever I want, haha!"

The crowd didn't take him seriously—some laughed, others went back to their business, seeing him as a clown.

The staff member thought, Is he stupid or what? Good! He's been annoying me this whole time with his arrogance, a little ridicule won't hurt him.

There's a crowd—this is the perfect chance to slip away… but I really want to see the result. Minami admitted to herself.

Suddenly, amidst the commotion, a familiar voice called out, "Come on, Narumi! He looks like a lot of fun!"

Minami turned and shouted, "Jun! I'm so happy to see you!" as she jumped into his arms.

Catching her just in time, he was surprised to see her again, "Minami!? Again!? What are you doing here?"

He gently set her down, and she answered, "Uh… I don't even know myself… What about you?"

"I came to pick up Narumi."

The little Katayama suddenly appeared behind Jun, lollipop in hand, "Yo!"

"Ahh~ so that's why you needed him yesterday?"

"Yup!"

Jun looked towards the Chika-Bankaa, who were now wondering who he was.

Nao asked Minami, "Who is he?"

She glanced at Jun quickly, then answered with a smile, "He's my big brother! So, you don't need to protect me today since he's here!"

Jun furrowed his brows and asked his little sister, "They were protecting you? From who?"

Seeing that he was a little tense, she cleared up the misunderstanding, "H–Huh? No! No one! I won a bet and got three days of protection with it, that's all."

"Oh~ I see! That's super cool, guys! Cont—"

He paused for a moment before exclaiming, "Hey! But aren't you the Chika-Bankaa?! I'm such a big fan, guys—"

The Chika-Bankaa? Are they a music group? The guy on the side is kinda handsome… Narumi thought.

Minami couldn't understand how he knew them and asked, "H–Huh?! But how do you know them?!"

He simply replied, "Well, you told me about them last time. Remember?"

"Oh yeah… That's right…"

Katsuro shouted, "WAA, WE HAVE FANS, GUYS!! THIS IS CRAZY!!"

The Chika-Bankaa's vice leader spoke fervently to his boss, "CHIEF! I THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF OUR GLORY!"

Kurou held his chin with a thoughtful expression, "Hm~ I didn't expect this kind of success…"

Minami, exasperated by the ridiculous scene, thought, Success? What is he even talking about?

Jun was amused by the enthusiasm of the young delinquents, "Haha! See, Narumi?! I knew they'd be fun!"

I take back what I said… Their attitude ruins everything. Narumi thought.

Nao suddenly stopped his excitement and said to Minami, "By the way, we have plenty of reasons to protect you! Yesterday, that loser Leon almost hit you! So please, don't make us look like kids who play—"

"Wait, what?!" Jun asked Nao.

"Hm? Oh yeah! So basically, yesterday, some guy from the track club tried to go after her, but other members of the club stepped in before we could."

Jun remained silent upon hearing this. Minami, concerned about his reaction, thought: Crap!

Narumi couldn't believe her ears and was naturally worried about her sister. She grabbed 

Minami's sleeve and asked with a trembling voice, "A-Are you okay, Minami?"

Minami gently patted her head and replied, "Y-Yeah, yeah, don't worry! It's nothing. She's too cute!!"

She then turned toward Jun and the delinquents to clear up the misunderstanding but instead witnessed an unusual scene. They were huddled in a circle, slightly leaning forward like a soccer team ready to do a war cry, while Jun seemed to be giving them instructions.

"Alright, guys! Listen up! I can't be with Minami all the time, so whenever she's in trouble, I need you to be there to protect her! Her dad and I are counting on you!"

Kurou responded, "Yeah, I get it, but these three days are an exception. Our services aren't free..."

"Hmm~ I see… Then I'll just ask you to keep an eye on her! As a classmate, you know? You don't have to go as far as you did today... Besides, I don't think she'd like that. But still, just stay on guard, guys!"

Nao, recalling some memories, added, "If it's just that, I think we're already on it. Remember those chemists who tried to take over Sanae's cooking room? They were really terrible at fighting, though..."

Jun was pleased to hear this and congratulated them one by one, but he fixated on Kurou. Squinting, he said, "Hey, you really look like someone I know..."

The Chika-Bankaa vice-leader replied, "You probably ran into one of his brothers! He's the youngest of a big family! The Arata family!"

"Oh! But I know some of your brothers, we used to hang out back in the day—"

Minami interrupted their conversation. "Are you guys done getting to know each other?! And about your so-called protection, after these three days, I don't want to see you anywhere near me! Otherwise, I swear, I'm gonna explode..."

They didn't really pay attention to her words, and Katsuro walked over to the 42-game machine, saying, "Alright! Enough of that, my fans are waiting. I need to put on a show." He then continued, "Are you all ready?!!"

…

Silence. Narumi thought: Wow… This is embarrassing.

Disappointed by his fans, Katsuro declared, "Pff~ It's always like this. They all turn their backs on me when success is right in front of them. My life as a star is really tough. Ah, la la..."

Then he added, "Alright! Since I'm so generous and I don't want you all to regret not supporting me when I win, I'll give you a second chance! Are you ready??!!"

The Chika-Bankaa gang shouted in unison, "YEAH!" Jun joined in, shouting as well, but Minami grabbed his arm and said, "Hey, stop it, this is embarrassing!"

"Oh come on~ You take things too seriously, it's not like he's actually gonna win—"

As soon as he said that, he turned around because the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.

Katsuro stood in the middle of the crowd, a smile on his face, eyes cast downward under the ceiling light, which shone on him like a spotlight. His right hand was in his pocket, while his left arm was raised high, holding the number 42.

The arcade staff had collapsed on the floor, seemingly having fainted from the emotional shock. Jun, Minami, and Narumi stared at the scene, eyes wide, mouths hanging open.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" they all said at the same time.

The people who had initially left their seats got up and joined the crowd, celebrating the star of the moment.

"Ah la la… And now the crowd changes sides… Humans are all the same..." Katsuro said dramatically.

The Chika-Bankaa leader grabbed the lifeless-looking staff member by the collar and lightly patted his cheek to wake him up. "Hey, anyone in there? It's time for the prize."

The staff still didn't seem to regain consciousness. Jun, having recovered from the shock, decided to restore order in the arcade.

"Alright, he doesn't look too good. Hand him over to me, and in the meantime, go check out the prizes and pick what you want." He carried the staff member on his back and placed him on a chair behind the counter.

"I was super hyped at first, but now that I look around, there's nothing here I'd actually use a lot if I took it home…" Katsuro said.

Nao added, "Now that you mention it, maybe it's the feeling of victory that I enjoy more than the actual reward… That's weird."

Kiyoshi, who had been silent until now, responded, "It depends on the person, but even if the reward is huge, we often enjoy winning it more than actually using it afterward—" He suddenly stopped and thought, Crap, I said that out loud. Did I say something weird?

…

Katsuro paused for a moment to reflect on Kiyoshi's words before nodding as if he had just received a revelation. "Whoa… I think that's exactly it! It feels like I don't even play for the prize anymore, but just for the feeling of winning..."

You're finally realizing how much you're slaves to your emotions… thought Minami.

Narumi joined the discussion and made a suggestion to the group of delinquents. "If none of the machines here really interest you, the most profitable choice would be to pick the most expensive prize and sell it, right?"

Nao, surprised by her sharp thinking, complimented her. "Wow! You're pretty smart for someone your size!"

And you're pretty dumb for someone your size... thought Narumi.

"Uh, thanks."

"But actually, who are you?" he asked.

Minami placed her hand on Narumi's head and answered for her, "She's my little sister!"

"Ohh! So you're the famous little sister of the 'Bunny'! Boss, it's her!" he said, pointing at Narumi.

The Bunny? The famous one?! That means Minami talks about me?! And in a good way too! He looks super excited to see me! thought Narumi as she glanced at her sister.

A mischievous smile appeared on the Chika-Bankaa leader's face. "So, I've got no chance against her in Eclypsia, huh?"

"Yep! You got that right!" Minami replied proudly.

Kurou examined Narumi from head to toe, thinking, She didn't seem to be lying when she said that yesterday, but at the same time, it was 100% provocation.

Jun joined them. "I think he'll wake up in about ten minutes—what are you guys doing?"

"Narumi is going to play against Kurou in Eclypsia and completely destroy him," Minami declared.

"Seriously?"

"But I don't even know the game, Minami!"

"Don't worry! You'll do a practice match first, then the real game will begin!"

"Yeah, you're really gonna need that warm-up match. Even if you're still gonna lose," Kurou stated.

Huh? This guy is way too full of himself. What's his problem? thought Narumi.

____

The game had already begun, and a little provocation wouldn't hurt. Sorry, even if you're adorable, I have no intention of losing... thought Kurou.

The two opponents locked eyes; the tension was electric. Jun spoke up, pointing at a table in the distance: "Cool! There's a free table over there. Let's go! I'll grab the game from the counter."

The challengers, along with their audience, headed toward the table. Minami walked with a beaming smile, fully confident in Narumi. The latter thought: Minami is counting on me. I'll crush him—no, even more than that.

As she sat down, she spoke up: "If I win the second round, I want to pick the game prize from the 42 and take it home. Otherwise, it's not really fun…"

Jun, returning with the game, exclaimed enthusiastically: "Haha! Narumi has always had that fire! Isn't she awesome?" he said, looking at the delinquents.

"What?! No way!" Nao blurted out.

Ah. They don't seem to like that much... Jun thought.

"Why not?" Katsuro asked. "It's not like she's gonna beat the boss in two games when she doesn't even know the rules yet. I get that you shouldn't underestimate your opponent, but come on, be reasonable."

Narumi and Kurou never took their eyes off each other. A psychological battle had already begun. Minami watched her little sister with pride: Hehe! She's gonna destroy him! She managed to beat Mom, so she can totally do it, even if it's a different game.

She's cunning, Kurou thought, his gaze sharp.

He smirked and replied, "Alright. A warm-up round so you can understand the game, then we'll play for real in the second match."

"Perfect," she answered.

Narumi, her face drenched in concentration, thought: I admit, even though I'm acting confident, I'm not sure I can wi—

Minami placed her hands on her little sister's shoulders and grinned. "You're gonna crush him, just watch!"

Narumi turned her head and saw the determined expression on her big sister's face—the unwavering confidence she had in her. She turned back to Kurou, locking eyes with him again. I'm going to crush him.

Her gaze changed. Kurou thought.

Thirty minutes later

The warm-up match was over. Kurou had won, but it didn't matter because the real game was about to begin. Narumi had fully grasped the game's rules and was now ready to defeat her opponent.

They explained the rules to her throughout the match. Even though there were some pauses for questions, she lasted a long time for a first-timer, Kurou thought.

"So, what do you think?" Minami asked her sister.

"Hm… It should go well."

Katsuro and Nao shared some popcorn while commenting on the situation. The Chika-Bankaa's second-in-command asked Narumi: "How old are you?"

"14."

"For real?! I could've sworn you weren't older than 11! You're tiny!" Katsuro added.

She completely ignored his remark and instead asked Jun to follow her. He didn't seem to understand but complied without a word.

"Where are they going?" Kurou asked.

"Uh… no idea," Minami replied.

Barely five minutes later, the little Katayama and her big brother returned with three cans in hand. He handed one to Minami, who thanked him, and Narumi calmly took her seat.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

END OF CHAPTER