Ch 46: Spree and Arcade

Serena's POV

Dressing Rodan was always an adventure. He was squirmy, full of questions, and very, very invested in how he looked. Today was no different.

"Mommy, do I look good?" he asked, adjusting his baseball cap, looking at me with those big, expectant eyes.

I stepped back and gave him an exaggerated once-over. White short-sleeved hoodie? Check. Black jogger pants? Check. White sneakers with Velcro straps? Triple check. My boy was looking stylish.

"You look like a prince," I said proudly, ruffling his hair.

Rodan beamed but then tilted his head. "Uncle Jake told me I am technically a prince."

Oh. Well. He wasn't wrong. "That's true," I admitted. "Both me and your mom are S-rank hunters, we make a ridiculous amount of money, and we have noble titles. You are literally a prince."

Rodan giggled, pleased with himself, while I did one final check on our outfits. My knee-length white flowy dress with subtle floral prints, pink strappy sandals, and sun hat made me look like I belonged in a peaceful countryside painting. Rodan looked like a mini streetwear model. 'Yep, we were ready'.

"Alright, handsome prince, let's go find your mom and sister," I said, holding his arm as we stepped outside.

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As soon as we reached the front yard, I stopped in my tracks.

Valerie was standing there, folding Cristina's stroller with our baby girl balanced on her hip. She was wearing a white oversized hoodie, black joggers, white sneakers, and a baseball cap.

Rodan's outfit.

And Cristina? She was in a white floral sundress with thin straps, soft baby pink sandals, and a sun hat.

My outfit.

Valerie looked up, saw me, and we both burst out laughing.

"You didn't tell me what you were wearing," I said between giggles.

"Neither did you," she shot back. "I picked Cristina's outfit. And you picked Rodan's."

Somehow, without planning it, we had accidentally dressed in mother-child pairs. It was like our subconscious minds decided to coordinate, just for the sake of the aesthetic.

Rodan, completely unfazed, ran to Valerie. "Mom, can I hold Cristina?"

Valerie smiled and carefully passed Cristina to him, adjusting his grip to make sure he wouldn't drop his baby sister. I internally prayed Cristina wouldn't decide to grab his nose and yank.

Valerie clapped her hands together. "Alright, ready to go?"

"Yep!" I said, and we were off.

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When we arrived at the meeting spot, Brianna and Leon were already waiting for us.

Brianna, ever the fashion queen, was in a beige knit sweater, olive-green high-waisted wide-leg pants, and chunky brown boots. And Leon? Beige hoodie, olive shorts, and brown hiking boots.

I sighed internally. Of course.

'As expected of the OG main character and his mom'. I thought to myself. They looked effortlessly put together, like they had just walked off the cover of a nature-themed fashion magazine.

"Where's Cecilia?" I asked.

Brianna waved a hand. "She went back to get her car. She'll be here in a minute—"

Right on cue, Cecilia pulled up. She stepped out, popped open the trunk, and—oh.

Beige sweater. Olive cargo pants. Brown hiking boots.

I narrowed my eyes and turned to Brianna. She caught my look and immediately went on the defensive.

"It was Leon's idea!" she blurted out.

I smirked. "I didn't even say anything."

Brianna scowled. "Shut up."

Valerie snorted beside me. "I'll get our car."

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The mall trip was a whirlwind. The moment we stepped into the clothing store, Cecilia went straight to the saleslady.

"I need outfits for a baby girl," she said, showing a picture on her phone.

The saleslady, eyes sparkling with the promise of commission, asked, "What's your budget?"

Cecilia, without missing a beat: "None."

The saleslady LIT up like it was Christmas morning. She practically sprinted to grab every stylish baby outfit in sight, explaining in detail why each one was perfect.

Meanwhile, my brain was running at full capacity.

'Cecilia. My dear, sweet, emotionally constipated Cecilia. Who is this baby? Why are you being so secretive? Are you actually adopting an heir to build your own secret hunter dynasty? Are you going to raise her in the mountains and train her in the ways of survival? Should I be concerned?'

Before I could question her, Brianna nudged me. "You and Valerie should go buy your own outfits. We'll wait here with Cecilia."

"Good idea," I said, and off we went.

By the time we finished, we had spent thousands on clothes. And that was before we moved on to the shoe store. And the toy store. And, of course, buying baby necessities like cribs, diapers, and anything else a baby might need.

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After a long day, we finally had a moment of peace. It was one of those peaceful moments after shopping, when everything was perfectly in order. The bags were packed, our wallets were a bit lighter, and I was pretty sure I had done enough damage to my bank account for the next two weeks.

And then, of course, Valerie—being Valerie—had to ruin it.

"So, anyone up for the arcade?" She flashed her usual mischievous grin, her eyes glinting like a predator spotting its prey.

Brianna's response was immediate and unwavering. "Yes! Absolutely!"

Of course, Brianna would be on board. She had the stamina of a hyperactive squirrel on five shots of espresso. 'Of course you're into this, Brianna. You're a walking chaos generator'.

I glanced at Cecilia, hoping she would back me up in resisting the temptation. I even gave her a knowing look. She just sighed. "I'm too old for arcades."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not that old, Cecilia."

She gave me a deadpan stare. "No. I'm just tired. And I think I have an allergy to neon lights and obnoxious music."

I smirked. "And the arcade games?"

She groaned. "The GAMES."

I shifted my gaze to Rodan and Leon. The moment my eyes landed on them, it was over. They were looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes, their hands clasped together like they were presenting me with a choice they knew I couldn't refuse.

"Mom, can we go to the arcade?" Rodan asked, his voice practically oozing with hope.

"Please, Aunt Serena!" Leon added, his big, red eyes wide as saucers, practically begging with the weight of a thousand tiny, adorable puppies.

Brianna shot me a wink, clearly aware that she had already won.

I looked at them, then back at Cecilia, who was now shifting uncomfortably. Great. I knew that look. The look of someone who doesn't want to be dragged into this but will inevitably be dragged in anyway.

I sighed. "Fine."

"Yesss!" Rodan practically launched himself into my arms with the kind of enthusiasm only a child high on sugar and the promise of arcade games could muster.

Valerie was practically glowing. "I knew you couldn't resist!"

"Do you really have to make it sound like I'm a prisoner being forced into this?" I muttered, but my protests were empty. My resolve was already crumbling. The kids were too cute, and the idea of having to deal with their disappointment would haunt me for days.

I glanced at Cecilia again, who now had a resigned look on her face. "Don't make me go alone," she muttered.

"You're not going alone," I replied dryly. "I'm going too."

Cecilia groaned. "I swear, if I get roped into playing a claw machine again, I'm leaving you all."

I shook my head and chuckled. "You're the one who got Rodan addicted to them in the first place."

She raised an eyebrow. "I did no such thing."

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

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The second we stepped into the arcade, I knew we had made a mistake.

Rodan's eyes sparkled with the intensity of a child who had just discovered a portal to paradise. He was already vibrating in place, barely restraining himself from sprinting to the nearest game. Meanwhile, Valerie—my dear fiancée—was standing tall with the aura of a general surveying a battlefield. Her eyes locked onto the leaderboard of a shooting game, and I could practically hear her internal monologue: "I will claim victory or perish trying."

Brianna had a different goal in mind. She leaned down to whisper something to Rodan, and whatever she said made his grin widen. That was my first warning sign. The second came when Brianna casually patted Leon's head and whispered something to him too. He frowned at her, then at Rodan, but ultimately nodded. 'Oh no. She's organizing them'.

Cecilia, poor tired Cecilia, sighed as she clutched her drink like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the mortal realm. "I'm going to sit down," she mumbled, already making a beeline for the nearest bench.

"Are you not going to play?" I asked, knowing full well she wouldn't.

"I just spent the last hour chasing after Rodan when he tried to fight a mannequin at the clothing store. I need a break."

Fair enough.

I turned to Brianna, who was smiling way too innocently. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing."

"Lies."

She smirked and walked off with Rodan in tow. 'Oh, this is going to end in either laughter or disaster… probably both'.

I decided to follow Cristina's lead and simply watch the chaos unfold. She was strapped to my chest in her baby carrier, wide-eyed and alert, like she was taking notes. I gave her a pat on the head. "We just sit back and judge, okay?" She cooed in response. 'Good girl. A true observer of nonsense'.

Valerie was on a mission. She stomped over to a fighting game and slammed a token in so aggressively that the machine beeped in protest. Some poor kid had been about to sit down, but after one glance at Valerie's expression, he wisely chose to find another game. 'Good choice, kid. Live to fight another day'.

She selected her character—a swordsman, of course—and immediately jumped into battle. Her fingers moved at speeds that shouldn't be humanly possible. The screen flashed with combo after combo, and Valerie had this wild gleam in her eyes.

"Bri, come fight me!" she called.

Brianna turned away from whatever evil she was planning with Rodan and grinned. "Oh, you're on."

The fight was intense. Valerie was a perfectionist, and Brianna was a menace. Where Valerie played with precision, Brianna played dirty. Every cheap trick, every annoying move, every sudden pause just to throw off Valerie's rhythm—it was all fair game.

"You paused the game again?" Valerie growled.

"Oh, sorry, my hand slipped," Brianna said, not looking even remotely sorry.

Valerie cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to destroy you."

Meanwhile, Rodan and Leon had disappeared. Not good.

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I found Rodan and Leon at the claw machines. More specifically, I found Brianna (how'd she even—did she fucking teleport?) guiding them in what I could only describe as an arcade heist.

"Okay, Rodan, just a little more to the left—no, left. Other left—yes, perfect. Now, Leon, get ready."

I walked over, hands on my hips. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

Rodan spun around, smiling way too wide. "Winning!"

I peered into the machine and immediately spotted at least four plushies precariously stacked at the edge, ready to tumble into the prize chute. Oh no.

Brianna winked at me. "I found a trick."

"You mean cheating."

"It's not cheating! It's a creative problem-solving."

Before I could intervene, Rodan delivered the final bonk to the machine's glass—lightly, but enough to send the plushies tumbling down. The machine dinged happily, and Rodan and Leon scooped up their prizes with victorious grins.

I sighed. "You realize they're going to kick us out if they catch you, right?"

Brianna shrugged. "Then we just go to another arcade."

"I—" 'You know what? I don't have the energy for this'.

Cristina let out a tiny giggle, her baby version of my exact internal reaction. I nodded. "Yes, exactly. Just laugh and let it happen."

While Brianna was corrupting my son and nephew, Valerie had moved on to a basketball game. She was shooting with deadly precision, racking up an absurd score. Cecilia, from her bench, muttered, "She's going to break that thing."

Right as she said that, Valerie threw a ball so hard it bounced off the hoop and smacked her in the face.

I wheezed. This is the best day of my life.

Rodan, high off his plushie heist, ran over to an air hockey table. "Mommy! Let's play!"

"Alright, but don't cry when I win."

"I won't!"

Spoiler: he did cry when I won.

Not because he was upset—no, my dramatic son threw himself onto the floor and declared, "MOMMY IS TOO POWERFUL!" as if I had just vanquished him in an anime battle.

Cristina clapped. 'She's learning well'.

Leon was quietly trying out a rhythm game, and he was shockingly good at it. I watched as his little fingers tapped perfectly in sync with the music, his usually serious expression shifting into quiet concentration. I nudged Cecilia. "Look at that."

She cracked one eye open and smiled. "He got that from me." 'How though?'

Valerie, having recovered from her basketball incident, noticed too. "Ohhh, I'm challenging him next."

Leon froze. His soul visibly left his body.

And just like that, the arcade descended further into chaos. Brianna kept scamming the claw machines, Valerie got way too into a dance battle with Leon, Rodan ran circles around the air hockey tables, and Cecilia and I simply sat back and let it all happen.

Cristina, my tiny partner in judgment, watched with wide eyes before looking up at me and giggling again. I smirked and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, baby. They're all ridiculous."

And I wouldn't change a thing.

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After a day of excessive shopping and playing (more like exercise) in the arcade, we were all starving, so we went to a famous restaurant in the mall.

The food was incredible—five-star quality, artfully plated, the kind of dishes that people post on social media with captions like "treating myself today <3".

Rodan, however, had other opinions.

After a few bites, he looked up with his signature innocent expression and said, "Mommy and Aunt Brianna's cooking is more delicious than the chef's!"

I nearly choked on my drink. Brianna, flattered, laughed.

I gently patted Rodan's head. "Sweetheart, that's very nice of you to say, but you SHOULDN'T say that in a restaurant."

Rodan blinked, then nodded, stuffing his mouth with another bite of food.

Crisis averted.

I glanced at Brianna, who smirked. "Admit it, though. He's right."

I sighed. "I know."