“So, how far have you gone with virgin-kun?”

I was having lunch in class with my friends. For some reason, Kurumi asked me that question out of nowhere.

“He asked me out on a date today. I think this one won’t last that long.”

“But he is the one that sent that mystery text to you right? I have never seen you laugh so hard in a long time.”

“What? Are you saying he is my destined partner?”

“I wouldn’t go that far… but… Would it kill you to put in a little more effort this time around?”

“I put in the effort.”

“Spreading your legs isn’t putting in the effort.”

“If you have something to say then say it!”

“Both you calm down.” Haruko intervened

Not good. I am too emotional right now. Remembering my past with Madoka has put me in a bad mood.

“Hinata, Kurumi just wants what’s best for you. We both do as your friends.”

“Thanks for worrying about me but it’s unnecessary.”

“Ha… So where is he taking you?” Kurumi asked

“Don’t know. He hasn’t said anything about that but from past experience, it’s probably a shady love motel, his place, or a shady karaoke place.”

“Never thought I would hear two places being called shady in one sentence.”

I could only shrug my shoulders at her words. Japan is seen as an upright society but in reality, there are a lot of shady places that turn a blind eye.

Sensei is the one who taught me that…

 

***

“It’s a karaoke Hinata.”

“Why did you bring me here sensei Hiro?”

“To celebrate of course. Your grades have improved after all.”

“By only 84 points. I am still in the bottom rankings”

“Details, details.”

“So what are we going to sing?”

“I was thinking we can play a strip sing game.”

“Strip Sing?”

“We will each take a turn to sing a song and the person with the lowest score each round will strip off something until one of us is naked.”

“I am going…”

“Hinata don’t be so cruel. Do you know what I went through to find this shady place?” he pleaded while grabbing a hold of me

“Shady?”

“What? You think any ordinary karaoke place will allow an adult and a young girl in a school uniform to just use one of their booths without questioning their relationship?”

“Now that you mention it… That love motel also didn’t say anything… Don’t tell me…”

“That one is shadier than a yakuza…”

“Why can’t we just do this in your apartment?”

“The old hag landlady came back from her trip, and you know what they say about old hags…”

“…”

“They are better than CCTV (security cameras). If I take you there, our business will become neighborhood gossip by the time you leave my room.”

/* Sigh

“Fine, but what if someone comes in?”

“They won’t. This is a shady place after all ♥.”

“Don’t try and make it sound cute.”

I could never say no to sensei when he pushed for something. A trait I have carried since then.

However, I have no regrets.

“How long are you going to cry sensei Hiro?”

“But I didn’t win any match…”

“You are so childish sometimes.”

“Hinata…”

“What?”

He gazed at his now rock-hard dick before flashing some puppy eyes. Childish indeed.

 

***

I want to feel the emotions I felt back then. I want to feel loved again. Sensei Hiro…I want sensei...

“Did I keep you waiting?”

The one who called out to me was Takashi. It was the scheduled day of our date.

“Not at all… I just arrived myself.”

“Sorry… There was something I wanted to buy before meeting up with you.”

“And what might that be?”

“Here…”

“This is?”

“It’s an invitation to a Cherry blossom event in Tokyo in April. I thought we could travel there together. I have already prepared everything. The ticket and the …kimono …rental”

So he wants to see me in a kimono huh …but wait a minute …isn’t this totally different from all my past relationships. The aim of every guy up to now was to sleep with me. Ever since my reputation as an easy lay was spread, guys just stopped going the extra mile.

What is his game here?

Could it be he doesn’t know about my reputation?

I doubt that. I just can't figure out this guy, and if I accept this won’t it mean I will be in the longest relationship since sen-

“Okay”
“Really?”
“Yeah”

He pumped his fist into the air in celebration. He looked so cute doing that.

“Was this the reason you brought me here?”

“Ah…no. There is somewhere I want to take you to…”

“Is something the matter?”

“Ah no, you just look really cute…”

“thanks."

After a brief walk, we arrived at our destination. As crowded people walked behind us I read the sign.
There was nothing shady about this place. If anything this is the sort of place you would find school-going kids hanging out. Well, the nerdy ones.

“The Kamekame Arcade Center?”

“What do you think?”

“Umm…”

“Come on, what I want to show you is inside.”

We walked through the roles of arcade-playing people. Each playing a game that they liked. Fighting games, racing games, shooting games…

Each had their likes and interest.

I wasn’t a fan of these kinds of things.

Perhaps if sensei was, I would have taken an interest in them but he wasn’t.

“Here it is…”

“A Momo-chan strap crane game?”

“Yeah…”

“Why would you bring me here?”

“You remember when you showed me the strap on your phone?”

“Yes…”

“I took a mental note of the serial number.”

“The serial…”

I quickly took out my phone and looked at my strap. Indeed it had a small serial number imprinted on it. 1D5SX-25GGSSLG

What the fuck, he remembered all that from the brief glimpse I showed him.

As I stood there in shock, he taps on my shoulder and pointed to something printed on the crane game.

It was the same serial number.

I still don’t understand what any of this means.

As I looked at him with a puzzled look on my face he began to speak.

“This is the same crane game your father used to win that strap.”

It hit me like a wrecking ball. This was the game that my father had used to win my mother this strap.
“Oi Oi…I thought I banned you from coming here!”

As I was thinking that, an old man came shouting at Takashi. He looked really angry for some reason. Did Takashi do something?

He was apologizing and bowing his head repeatedly.

The old man then looked at me for some reason. I bowed my head in respect and he simply scratched the back of his head and left.

“Did you do something?”

“Ah…no… nothing important.”

“Takashi-san, I hate cheaters, liars, and people who keep secrets from me the most. Tell me this instant what happened or I am leaving.”

“Well, the thing is, I may have caused trouble here a while back.”

“Trouble?”

“I was hogging this game and many people didn’t take too kindly about it. They complained to the manager who is that old man and he kind of banished me.”

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“To win this.”

What he presented me was a blue momo-chan strap. I glanced at mine which was pink and at the ones in the crane game. All of them were pink.

“Is that thing special?”

“Come here.”

He took me to the other side of the game. There was a tv screen and some sort of control panel.
“Place your phone here and turn on your Line app.”

I did as he said and the app connected to the momo-chan website.

“Place your pink momo-chan there and then place your blue one there.”

I followed his instruction to the letter and after a brief moment, a download screen appeared on my phone. When it was finished, the app connected to the tv screen that was in front of us and played back what it had downloaded.

I was speechless.

“The momo-chan is a couple’s game. Every time someone plays the game a camera records it. The video is stored on the official momo-chan server. The only way to get that video is to have both the pink and the rear blue momo-chan strips of the same crane game. When I saw the serial on your strip, I tracked down the crane game it came from, but only found one blue strip left. I.. Hinata?”

I didn’t hear a word of what he was saying. My attention was glued to the video that was playing on the screen. It was a video of me, my dad, my sister, and my mother happily playing the momo-chan game.