I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Unmoved, Yuu Tenkuji was still thinking about the jam recipe.

Seeing that he had already gotten used to her coquettish tactics, Iroha pouted in annoyance, then suddenly her expression changed. After a short gasp, she looked at him with apologetic eyes: "Ah, so you're afraid of losing face in front of me, that's why you didn't dare to make a move, right... Sorry, I didn't consider your pride, senpai..."

"Provocation doesn't work on me," Yuu Tenkuji said casually. "Besides, don't you think I'm handsome in real life? Do I really need to show off in front of you? I'm really disappointed in you, Ayaha. I thought you've always admired me."

Her meticulously tattooed eyebrows twitched, and Isshiki Yu revealed a warm and cheerful smile, while uttering cold and ruthless words: "Yes, I've always admired your thick skin, which even a meteorite couldn't penetrate. Is this what they call a 'tragic handsome guy'?"

"All I heard was you say I'm handsome." Yuu Tenkuji nodded in satisfaction, then, under Ayaha's disdainful gaze, strode toward the shooting booth ahead.

"But since you've put it that way, I'll show you a couple of tricks."

Isshiki Iroha's eyes lit up immediately, and she followed excitedly, grinning like a fox who had stolen a chicken: "Heh heh, the reverse psychology worked after all~ Senpai, you're such a proud guy!"

"What's face? I just don't want to disappoint the junior who idolizes me." He said nonchalantly, as if putting on airs, and handed her the shaved ice and other plastic bags. Tenkuji Yuu freed his hands, took out his wallet, and paid for the game.

"Don't steal any! I know you've been eyeing the shaved ice I've eaten for a long time."

"Oh dear, I accidentally dropped my senior's shaved ice on the floor~ (reading in a flat tone)"

"Just kidding, just watch from behind."

Tenkuji Yu smiled, picked up the prop gun on the table, and randomly selected one of the ten rubber bullets from the small metal tray and inserted it into the muzzle.

His perfect shooting skills allowed him to tell at a glance that the gun's performance had been slightly weakened. If the prizes on the stall were a bit heavier, even if he hit the right spot, he wouldn't be able to knock it down; at most, it would just sway a few times.

It doesn't matter.

Although the methods were cunning, those who do business always have to do some small tricks that won't make them lose money, and Yuu Tenkuji didn't intend to make a big deal out of it.

After loading the bullets, he asked the stall owner, who was sitting on a small stool fanning himself, "Can I use two guns at the same time? That would look cooler."

The stall owner glanced at the beautiful girl in a yukata behind the boy, then looked at his "not-so-standard" gun-holding posture and the childish expression on his face that seemed to say, "Give me a chance to show off in front of my girlfriend."

Seemingly recalling his reluctant youth, he shook his head with a touch of melancholy, then gave Tenkuji Yu a kind and encouraging smile:

"Sure, but it'll cost extra."

So Yuu Tenkuji paid for another round, holding two guns and two magazines of bullets in front of him, and turned to ask Iroha Isshiki:

What prize would you like?

"Hmm..." Iroha Isshiki frowned and pondered as she ate her melon-flavored shaved ice.

I originally wanted to pick the biggest and most eye-catching Totoro plushie on the wooden shelf to deliberately make things difficult for him, but I saw that several tourists next to me were also trying to hit it, but it was like tickling them and they didn't see any effect at all.

He pointed to the other plastic model that looked easier to hit, revealing a mischievous smile: "That's it! Hehehe~ This one's quite difficult, you know, senpai..."

If you think you can't beat them, it's better to admit defeat now; they won't hate you for it.

Before he could finish speaking, two bullets struck the upper right corner of the model box with a series of "thuds," causing it to tilt backward like a roly-poly toy. Just as it was about to be pulled back onto the shelf by some strange force of gravity, a final bullet came hurtling through the air, finishing it off.

With a snap, the model box lay upside down on the shelf, revealing a lot of black debris on the bottom, like a layer of iron powder.

"It takes three shots... Looks like there's an anode magnet down there."

As Tenkuji Yu murmured, her cold gaze swept over the bewildered shopkeeper, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, turn away guiltily, and slink away to take the prize down from the shelf.

With a mere look warning her not to go too far, Yuu Tenkuji turned her gaze behind her and smiled at her, who was still somewhat dazed, saying:

"How about it? Pretty cool, right?"

Isshiki Iroha nodded blankly, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "Just like the technology in the movies, rather than saying it's cool... Senior is too amazing, right? All three shots hit the same spot, and the reloading speed was super fast... It was over before I could even see it clearly."

"Well, these are just basic skills. These little tricks aren't enough to go toe-to-toe with Nobita."

Tenkuji Yu shrugged nonchalantly, but a hint of smugness was clearly visible in his eyes. He was very pleased with his junior's heartfelt high praise.

Men's vanity.

He continued to pick up two more rubber bullets from the remaining seventeen and put them into the barrel of the gun. His eyes swept around the shelf and quickly locked onto the largest and most difficult target—the Totoro doll.

"You originally planned for me to shoot this, right? But you were afraid I'd miss and still try to be brave, so you changed the target."

Isshiki Hatake's eyes widened slightly: "Eh? How did you know, Senpai..."

Tenkuji Yu said gently, "Because when you were secretly eating my shaved ice, I was also secretly watching you."

"..."

Iroha looked down at the few remaining melon-flavored shaved ice pieces and was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.

"I'm somewhat attracted, but I can't fully fall for it... What exactly is this feeling?"

Ignoring her hesitation, after loading the bullets, Yuu Tenkuji held the remaining fifteen rubber bullets in his hands, then raised the muzzle of the gun, his aura beginning to solidify.

"Although it's a hassle to bring this thing home after shooting it down, I can't waste the money from two rounds. I have to at least make a profit... Let me try. How many bullets will it take to shoot this thing down?"

A game with ten bullets costs 1,000 yen, so two games would cost 2,000 yen—while this giant plush toy would probably cost over 5,000 yen at the specialty store near the Tokyo Skytree.

In addition to the model we just discussed, if we can successfully capture it, the profit will be twice the cost!

Tenkuji Yu narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved up. He felt a rare sense of excitement and thrill in the face of a challenge.

"How could something that big be shot down with bullets and a toy gun?"

A couple nearby, having gained nothing, threw down their guns and said this, looking over with disbelief and amusement.

Originally sharing their sentiments, Iroha couldn't contain her anger upon hearing someone speak so disrespectfully about her. After glaring angrily at the two, she decisively stood behind Yuu to cheer him on.

"Go for it, senior! I believe you can definitely beat it!"

Her pretty face flushed, and she mustered her courage to say, "If you can successfully shoot it down, I... I'll... give you a kiss!"

"I thought you were going to say something, but I didn't expect you to be so innocent..."

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but chuckle. He paid no attention to the gossip of others or the boss's slightly nervous expression, which seemed to be trying to convince himself not to worry unnecessarily.

Only the girl's words, expressing her unwavering support for him, resonated deeply within his heart.

"Fine, even if it's just for this kiss, I'm going to get this thing off today."

This is the first time I've used a perfect shooting skill for someone.

He focused all his attention on the gun, letting his fingers and heartbeat slowly freeze.

He had heard that some snipers would use incantations to hypnotize themselves before firing, in order to stabilize their heart rate and bullet trajectory.

"I am a bullet, and bullets have no feelings—therefore, they will not be confused."

With a solemn expression, Tenkuji Yu murmured softly as his finger slowly pulled the trigger.

"It will only fly towards its target."

boom!

The poorly made gunshot rang out, and rubber bullets were fired at high speed.

Almost without a pause, a second shot followed. The two bullets, one after the other, were still in mid-air when the icy-eyed boy, with lightning speed, crossed his arms and deftly inserted the rubber bullets in his hands into the muzzle of the gun, then, as if without even aiming...

Boom!

The Totoro plush toy was hit by two bullets and fell back slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Before things could stabilize, two more bullets hit the same spot, almost colliding with the bullet in front, making the backward tilt even more pronounced.

Then, a series of gunshots rang out in quick succession, the rhythm as precise and stable as a machine, and the hits never deviated from their intended positions.

Amidst the stall owner's incredulous gaze, who even dropped his fan to the ground, a Totoro doll, almost as tall as an elementary school student, slowly lifted its legs and fell backward, like a banana leaf ravaged by a rainstorm.

Finally, when the bullets ran out, a prop gun was slammed onto the table.

Yuu Tenkuji has one hand in his pocket, the gun barrel pointing straight ahead, and a smile appears on his face again.

"Shouldn't we shout 'Tiro Finale' at this moment?"

Unfortunately, young people these days don't know what the senior's ultimate move is; they only know that the senior is cute and brainless.

Thinking this, he casually fired the last bullet, hitting the Totoro, who was already lying on the shelf, between its legs, delivering a meaningless final blow.

If this doll had a life of its own, it would probably have given up resisting with tears in its eyes, showing an expression of being completely ruined.

"Even with my unparalleled accuracy, it would still take sixteen bullets to take this thing down... Tsk tsk. Boss, isn't the grand prize a bit too much? Or was it never meant to be a prize for customers?"

The boss, who had been standing there dumbfounded, brandished the muzzle of his gun, and Tenkuji Yu smiled kindly.

"If it is, I apologize. If it isn't... we finally succeeded in the challenge, so giving us a bigger reward isn't too much to ask, is it?"

……

In the end, Yuu Tenkuji only received a consolation prize of a lollipop, the knocked-down model, and a pair of small ornaments before leaving the stall amidst the owner's grateful farewell.

As for the Totoro plushie, since Iroha Isshiki said she didn't want to continue the date with such a big light bulb, she didn't take it with her in the end—but the 2,000 yen for the game was returned, so no one lost out, and everyone was happy.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Trials and Memories, Clues of Unreality

"Huh? You mean the shop owner tampered with the shelves to make things harder to fall off?"

While licking her lollipop, Isshiki Hajime looked at Tenkuji Yu in surprise.

He nodded: "Most expensive items have a layer of iron powder stuck on them with tape, and then they're held in place by a magnet to increase stability... Although the effect is so-so, it's not that they're really impossible to knock off, but you need a certain amount of skill and luck. If they do manage to knock them off, you can just peel off the tape when you pick up the item, and basically no one will notice the problem."

As for the grand prize—the Totoro plush toy—that was meant to attract people, there was no trickery involved. It was simply set up to lure overconfident people into a trap, with no intention of actually winning it.

If it weren't for the fact that Yuu Tenkuji's shooting skills and physical abilities had already surpassed the human peak, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and spending hundreds of thousands at the stall might not be enough to defeat the doll.

Of course, he wasn't that stupid—he could buy everything on this stall, including the owner, for a few hundred thousand, so why torture himself here?

"How could such a thing happen! It's outrageous!"

With a forceful bite, Isshiki Yu chewed the candy on the stick, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster angrily munching on sunflower seeds: "I should never have let him off so easily! I should have used this to threaten the boss and made him give all the tampered prizes to the customers who paid for them!"

She just wanted to stand up for the tourists who were ripped off, and didn't care about giving up the Totoro plushie.

After all, it was my own initiative to say I didn't want it, and I really didn't want to carry that doll up and down the mountain... No, that's not actually the most important reason.

Even if she did take the giant plush toy, her senior would probably end up carrying it anyway, so she didn't need to worry about that at all. Despite her quirky sense of humor and penchant for pranks, Isshiki Hatake had great confidence in her senior's gentlemanly manners and masculinity.

So the biggest reason is actually...

If you have something that takes up so much space in your hands, won't your senior have no chance to hug you?

The moment the fireworks display is announced to begin at 8 PM will be the most exciting and climactic moment of the night.

Young men and women who are in love with each other will choose to confess their feelings at the moment the fireworks explode, while lovers who are deeply in love will express their feelings with a romantic kiss. It can be said that this is the essence of the fireworks festival.

Is it even worth attending a fireworks display where you can't have close contact with someone you like?