Chapter 85: Second date, second conflict
Arc 9: Pride of pleasure, pain of power
*Beep* *Beep* *Ching* *Buzz* *Bang* *Ding* *Ring*
The electric rhythm of an arcade, it was a classic place for a date. In a simpler time, Eren took Rika here for a date many times.
A time long past, at least a decade earth time. A couple centuries land of the dead time. Meaning that Eren was well out of practice; having to lean on the classics to get back into the rhythm of it all.
Although the vibe was still very much the same. Neon lights, bright and colourful, the sound of coins hitting metal, electronic games, the noises, the gun firing sounds, the thud of a punching bag, the sound of joy and excitement of those playing and the smell of cheap, greasy food and BO.
Even though most games were essentially Gate this or Gate that. Insert famous ranker here, or corporation here; the overall experience of being in a place of fun, of happiness, it never really went away.
"What did you want to do first?" Eren asked, looking over the woman. Kaori had dressed more casually for their adventure, a tight pair of black jeans and a dark grey long-sleeved hoddie. Hair a little messy, but hidden beneath the hood.
Eren was fascinated by this girl's ability to look stunning in anything, as well as her want to pull it off. A fact he had to keep to himself; otherwise, he would likely fail some weird test set by the small woman.
"You pick." Kaori replied, arms crossed and eyes scanning the floor of the arcade. The neon lights illuminated the hall like a light show.
"Hm..." Eren thought, looking about the place.
'Is she testing me again? It feels like I'm being tested again.'
The irony of his own advice hit him as he watched Kaori's calculated performance. Being honest was crucial in dating, yet here they both were, playing their own versions of pretend.
Sticking to his own advice, the pair moved over to the shooting gallery. Zombies, undead and monsters of all kinds, a personal favourite of the Reaper.
'Slay the demons of Tokyo. Caution if you experienced personal loss during the siege of Tokyo event this game may trigger trauma. Please contact a staff member for assistance.'
An event he missed entirely, but through Jun; even many withing the Silvermane. He felt it's impact. That man wanted to forget about it entirely.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Click*
The sounds of a gun, a rifle. A light and laser sight meant that the kickback was minimal. The pair played the games, two players, shooting monsters and beasts. Demons, zombies, goblins, vampires and even a giant spider boss.
However, if Eren didn't know any better; Kaori was holding back.
She was good, but seemed to be slower, letting her shots miss more often and her reloads were slower. Her movements stiff, rigid, and imprecise. As opposed to the fast paced, fluid, and relaxed nature of Eren's shooting.
"Good shot." Kaori praised, seeing how Eren took down the spider boss with pinpoint damage, hitting the vital spots with ease. The screen displayed a high score, one of the top ten for the arcade.
"Yeah... I guess these games aren't mean for rankers to play." Eren replied. It was easy, too easy in fact. The enemies were weak, their attacks were telegraphed and movements predictable. Unlike the real thing.
"Hmmm..." Kaori continued her examination of Eren. Eyes scanning for the details.
"We could always go to the batting cage." Eren suggested. A place to hit balls and swing at the wind with unlimited stength.
"Yeah... Let's." The woman nodded. Eyes curious as they walked over to the cage.
'Why do I feel like I'm failing the test already?'
"Which level ya want?" Asked a man at the desk, a bored tone in the voice. Eyes half open and hair messy, looking more asleep than awake.
"Max it out please." Eren said. Handing over the tickets to the man at the counter. A grunt came from the attendant and the cages opened for them both.
The pair walked into the room. The first thing noticed was the smell of the room; sweat and rubber. Not an unpleasant smell but one that was noticeable. Then came the sound; a constant low hum of electricity.
'Stand at the plate, and swing away!' A mechanical announcer enunciated every word like the real thing.
*Ding* 'Fast ball.'
*Whack*
A metal bat hitting a baseball. The first ball shot out, a high straight fast pitch. Eren's swing connected with the ball. It hit the back of the net, a solid thunk. It was like batting practice in high school again.
*Ding* 'Low curve'
*Whack*
Another swing, another connection. The ball flew into the back of the cage again, a solid thunk as it hit the middle net.
*Ding* 'Changeup'
*Whack*
The same result. Another solid hit. Eren was no pro baseballer, but it felt like cheating when one had hundreds of years of combat experience.
"You want a turn?" Eren asked, noticing that Kaori was more focused on Eren than her own game. Her gaze was intense, absorbed. She seemed to be analysing every move, every swing, every step.
*Ding* 'Fastball.'
*Whiff*
A big miss, the ball went passed Kaori. An annoyed glance back at her date.
'What now?' Why did she have that glare.
*Ding* 'Curve ball.'
*Whiff*
Kaori had missed again.
"Are you ok?" Eren asked. Watching as Kaori just wasn't getting the hits. She swung, but her movements were uncoordinated and clumsy. But it looked purposefully. Eren had no clue as to why.
*Ding* 'Slider'
Another big miss. This time Kaori lost balance, dropping the bat, and falling to the side.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah... Yeah..." She groaned, standing back up, brushing the dirt from her pants.
"We could turn the machine down if you want."
"No. No. It's fine." She shook their head. Her ire growing with each swing, it looked as though Kaori wasn't having fun, frustrated by something else.
'Did the ring just give me dating advice?' Strange that an ancient nearly divine relic had opinions on dating and courtship. More so it felt strange to listen to said advice.
"Hey." Eren said, grabbing her hands. "I'll show you." He spoke, a gentleness in his inflection.
"Legs shoulder length apart." He moved her legs, taking the stance for her. "Hold the bat, like this." He put the bat in their hands, moving their fingers into the right grip. "Bend slightly at the knees."
Kaori let Eren manipulate her body like a ragdoll. She was pliable in their hands, allowing her stance and position to be adjusted to fit the situation. Her face remained expressionless the entire time, although a slight tinge of red grew on her cheeks gave away some of what was hidden.
*Ding* 'Curve ball.'
*Whack*
Standing behind Kaori, Eren guided her hands. It was a good hit; the ball went back a fair distance.
*Ding* 'Change up.'
*Whack*
Another nice hit. It went just as far.
'Is she letting me do this? I mean she seems like she wants to learn, but also that it's more than just the batting cage. What's up with this woman?' Eren wondered.
"Have a go by yourself." Eren said, releasing the woman from her hold, taking a step back.
*Ding* 'Fast ball'
*Swing*
*Whack* The bat connected with the ball, sending it to the back of the cage, a solid thunk as the ball bounced off the netting. Kaori had hit harder than Eren expected from such a small girl.
"Good work... I knew you had it in you." Eren said, giving an applause to the woman.
Redder now, Kaori seemed almost embarrassed by the compliment.
'I think I get it now...' She was playing the damsel in distress, or a version of. The strong man teaching the weak woman. A classic trope, reasoning unclear to the Reaper for now.
---
The date continued all according to Kaori's meticulously crafted plan. She would be bad at something, and Eren would come in to save her. Whether that be shooting, throwing balls into holes, hitting moles with mallets and finally taking down the high scores on the punching bags.
It was clear to Eren though.
Kaori was pretending. Her movements were stiff, like the woman was fighting herself to hold back her true ability. It was frustrating to watch; although she was clearly having fun.
"What's next?" Eren asked, licking an ice cream cone.
"This one." Pointing to a claw machine. A great big blue bear was in the centre, surrounded by many smaller toys and stuffed animals. The bear looked to be the size of a child, a meter tall and almost as wide.
"Right..." Eren knew that these machines were rigged to a degree. But with enough practice, and some dumb luck, anything was possible. If all else fails he could manipulate the shadows to assist.
"Alright." Eren placed a 1000-yen bill into the slot.
*Beep beep*
*Vrumm vum vumm*
The arm moved along the x-axis. A joystick moved the crane to where the item was located. Eren moved it to where the blue bear sat.
"And go." Pressing the red button, the crane lowered, descending.
"Shit." It missed.
*Beep beep*
*Vrumm vum vumm*
"Dammit." It missed. Again.
"Can I try?" Kaori asked, leaning over their shoulder.
"Sure." Eren handed the woman the rest of the coins. It was easy enough the first time, so why should the second attempt be any more difficult?
*Beep Beep*
*Vrumm vumm vrummm*
The crane slid along the rails, positioning itself to the top left of the bear. A soft press of the red button and the crane lowered, the arm opened to pick the toy up. And slowly rose.
It was perfect. The claw clamped around the tag of the bear. With a slight tug it lifted from its position and began to rise. However, it fell back to where the bear had once been.
"Mmmmpphhh." Grunted Kaori, the woman was frustrated. Her brows furrowed and lips pursed. She wanted to win that prize, but it was proving more difficult than she had initially thought.
"You want me to try again?" Eren asked, seeing how the woman was starting to get upset.
"No... I got it." Kaori replied, placing another coin into the slot and moving the claw to her desired location, pressing the button with more than enough force, her fingers were turning white from the pressure she was putting into the small device.
"Dam thing."
*Beep beep*
*Vrumm vum vumm*
Despite both efforts the bear remained elusive. Kaori gave up some time ago. Whilst Eren kept at it. He would spend every yen of his 8-figure bank account to obtain the stupid bear.
"Fuck, shit, cunt, fuck." So angry now, his Australian custom was beginning to show. Most likely he would rip the bear in two when he finally got the thing.
*Beep beep*
*Vrummm vumm vrmmmm*
"Fuck's sake." Cussed Eren. He was so engrossed in the task at hand that he didn't notice Kaori leave.
'Where is that girl at now?'
"Master... Allow me to manipulate this device, and you shall have your prize." Whispered Saku from the nearby shadows.
"Not yet... I'll go find Kaori." Eren replied. Looking over to the bathroom, no sign of the woman, nor the nearby food stall.
Walking through the rows of arcade cabinets. Finding a child sized woman, in room of child sized people was a daunting one. Her distinct lack of presence was also a problem. Even now it felt like she was hiding, or just not as noticeable. Regardless, she was nowhere to be found.
Eventually coming across a small crowd that had gathered around the dance mat, the classic dancing game that tested agility, stamina, and rhythm.
And too Eren's surprise; there was Kaori dancing on the machine, a bright pink glow surrounded her body as she danced, her movements were fast and precise, each step was in time and her feet never left the floor unless needed.
No longer the clumsy girl he needed to teach, but a graceful woman. A professional dancer, a ballet dancer that had taken on the dance machine.
*Clap Clap*
*Beep Beep*
The crowd cheered. Eren watched as the woman's performance on the stage was captivating. But it was strange, she looked like a different person than the girl who had spent the afternoon with them.
'New high score'
"Amazing." Cheered the boys, most of them were teenagers, they were all enthralled by the display of athleticism, and skill that was shown on the dance machine.
"Thank you." Kaori replied, giving a bow, and taking a step off the platform.
"Kaori!" Called Eren, making their way over to the woman. Her cheeks were a deep red from the intense workout she had given herself on the machine.
"Impressive performance." He said, leaning down, whispering to her ear, a voice soft and gentle.
"Yeah?" Her face lit up, a smile on their lips, eyes wide with joy. Admiration, praise, compliments, all seemed to make Kaori happy. Unusually happy, like she had been starved of it her whole life.
"Hey! Kaori... That your boyfriend?" Asked a brass voice from past the crowd of onlookers.
Turning to face the man that called out to her. Minato Tachibana, Golden tigers head of gateway management. The person that claimed Eren broke his back, from a bop to the nose.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, stepping between her guildmate and the Reaper.
"Wondering why you're hanging around with a Silvermane dog. This one's a coward ya know." Minato taunted.
"Do I know you?" Asked the Reaper, walking up to stand beside Kaori.
"What? You did this to me!" Minato pointed to their broken nose, the black eyes.
"No sorry... I don't remember you at all." He said, playing dumb just to fuck with the man. It was a small joy in life to see someone who's pissed at something trivial.
"Kaori. Why don't you join your guild for some drinks." Minato offered, although it was more like a demand.
"No thank you-"
"Hey." Halting her before she could walk away.
"It's good to build relationships between co-workers." Minato said, a hand placed on her shoulder.
"Oi, hands off." Eren grabbed at the hand that held Kaori. Twisting it away from her. A small amount of force applied to the wrist, enough to hurt, but not injure.
"Mmmph! Ya fucker, couldn't get a bear for her. So, you resort to violence?"
'His been watching me.'
"I learnt my lesson from a couple weeks ago." Minato clicked their fingers. From the crowds; emerged black suits with golden tiger pins.
Seven men including Minato, surrounding them. Smirks of confidence on their faces. They were the hunters and Eren was the prey.
Two draws, one built like a sumo wrestler another black man built like a linebacker. On his lefts and rights respectively.
*Whack*
A sucker punch to Eren's jaw, enough power behind the blow that they fell to the ground.
"Not fun, is it? When you get a surprise hit." Minato chuckled. His buddies joined in on the laughter.
"Stop. Leave him alone." Kaori stepped up, grabbing at the shoulder of Minato. The boy turned and slapped her away. A strike so hard that Kaori fell back, holding onto her cheek.
"Leave the guild politics to the professionals." Minato taunted down to the ground, turning back to the Reaper on the ground. Although he now stood up, blood trickled from the cut on the lip.
An anger to those eyes. A speed so fast that very few could stop the reaper. Or halt what was about to happen next.