As we walked, I found myself comparing heights. Conway-san was the shortest, I was in the middle, as Mae was the tallest. My shorter statue is another reason why playing basketball took my full commitment. Because being outdone by people taller than me was a given.

As the GPS barked orders Conway-san would wave us to follow her. The only thing I could clearly understand was when it spoke out the street names in Japanese. The smirk on Conway-san’s face was vibrant. She searched the morning streets like it was a jungle full of mystery. Well, she is a foreigner from London. I wonder if she doesn’t go out much. Suddenly, my shoulders were grabbed, breaking my mindless thoughts.

“Mado-chan!”

“Huh?!”

Ma-chan held onto my side making it hard for me to walk straight. She shuffled to the side making our pair look questionable at best.

“I’m so glad to see you…again.”

Conway-san glared to us with a strange expression. With a sigh, she turned back.

“I-I’m glad to see you too Ma-chan.”

“Mado-chan, you look so slim!”

Mae let go of my body and started feeling my arms.

“And like I said over the phone, you sure are prettier still Mado-chan.”

“What are you going on about?”

Seemingly annoyed, Conway-san looked back at us. However, the GPS spoke again in English causing her to advert her attention back to the sidewalk.

“Anyway…”

I interjected.

“I’ve been sitting on my butt since I got home. If anything, I’ve gained weight. And like I said over the phone…You Ma-chan are the prettier one.”

As strange as this may sound to an outsider, Mae-chan and I always did this kind of pointless bickering when we were younger. Maybe it gave us a bit of a confidence boost if anything.

“Oh please.”

Conway-san muttered loud enough for me to hear at least.

“Well, now that we have a third person to finally break this endless struggle…”

Was she seriously thinking of putting Conway-san in this meaningless back and forth? Mae cupped her hand over the side of her mouth and sang to the shark leading the pack.

“Oh, Conway-san!”

Conway-san turned around, seemingly unamused.

“Who is the prettiest here?”

“Frankly, that’ll be me!”

With that, Conway-san spun around and kept walking, stepping on our pride all the way.

“There’s your answer, Conway-san wins.”

I gave it a light chuckle. She had a backbone for sure. Or maybe that’s just the way she is.

We followed her as she led us to a busier street. To the right, we could see a large shopping center. It being a Sunday the crowd was thick as we entered. As we walked into the mouth of the mall my nose caught a whiff of sweet teriyaki coming from a store nearby. Suppressing the urge to wonder over, I leaned closer to Ma-chan. After a few more minutes we came to a sign with the neon lights. Digital noise blared from inside the establishment. It was easy enough to see that it was an arcade gaming center. The sign read, “Galactic Potatoes.”

“There it is!”

Conway-san screamed, racing over to the door.

“I-I’ve never been in one before. I heard there are all kinds of games in Japan’s gaming centers! Much more than Europe and the States!”

She noticeably shacked in excitement. If she had a tail it would be wagging uncontrolled. With a beam, she turned back to see Mae-chan and I watching her alien movements.

“Eh?!”

Her face turned beet red as she crossed her arms.

“W-Well h-hurry along. We’ll play a few games here then we’ll be leaving! We have much to do today.”

Conway-san clapped twice like a proper young lady.

“We do?”

Ma-chan tilted her head.

“O-Of course we do!”

Her voice squealed as she squared up to Ma-chan. The difference in height made Mae-chan seem like the dominant in their relationship. But that was certainly an outsider's perspective.

“I just wanted to look at it and maybe play a few games…I-it’s not like I wanted to bring a friend to play here with me or anything...”

“Do you have to explain yourself, Conchi-san?”

“S-shut up you!”

Well, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that Conway-san’s been eager to play the arcade games. But for some reason, she didn’t want to go alone. Maybe she didn’t want to look like a bull in a china shop? Well, whatever the reason is in the end…we are here, and Conway-san is here.

As if answering to my conclusion on the matter, Mae lifted her hands in the air.

“Let’s have some fun, girls!”

Before triumphantly marching inside.

Conway-san and I went in after, looking around both ways. The starlight of the games shined in the darkroom. Plenty of teens our ages were here too. It being Sunday, that was to be expected. Thinking about the last time I came into an arcade was certainly sometime in middle school. I was with Ma-chan and we played a few games before running out of money and wondering elsewhere.

The outer space atmosphere drew me in but what truly caught my eye was Conway-san’s expression. As if trying to take in everything at once, her eyes were extremely big and her mouth was open wide. If she could see herself from my perspective I wondered if she’d become self-conscious? Well, not that I wanted her to be flustered or anything.

“Let’s go over there…”

The shark gasped. Her body moved as if being controlled by the devil of the arcade. We rushed behind her and stopped in front of a wide-open game machine. It was a large machine that was open from both sides. There was enough for at least five or six people to step inside.

Once the three of us made our way in we had free movement. The floor lit up with our steps. There were five guns laid out in holders. In front of us, the surrounding walls had the screen concave as if pulling us in the game’s world. The name of the game filtered on the screen. “Zombie’s Bane!” fazed in and out in English letters.

Conway-san picked up a gun and pointed it at the screen.

“Let’s play! C’mon, put in money Watanabe-san!”

Mae-chan chuckled warily. The price was 200 yen per player. But before I could pull out my wallet, Mae-chan had already chucked in enough for all of us.

“Okay girls, let’s kick some ass!”

Mae-chan cried.

“Let justice be done!!”

To my surprise, Conway-san even got hyped and cried a victorious shout as she pointed her rifle to the screen. Now that I looked closer at it, we all had different kinds of weapons. I had a pistol, Mae-chan had a shotgun and, Conway-san had a rifle. Looking at her from the side, with her foreign outlook she reminded me of a cowgirl from a western movie. Maybe a bias on my part though.

As I imagined this, Conway-san turned my direction and our eyes met.

“Hey, look at the screen Nakagawa-san!”

“R-right!”

Now attentive, the zombies started approaching us. Conway-san took the ones on my left. I covered the front as Mae-chan covered Conway-san’s right. Probably not the best strategy but we had a rhythm going. But despite our efforts, eventually the mansion we were in started to get overrun with hordes of undead.

“Nakagawa-san, keep up!”

The commander cried as she took out two more zombies approaching my side of the screen. My attention was starting to wane due to how disorienting the game was becoming. So many things were happening at once that my head began to spin. It was like World War 3 and I couldn’t keep my focus on one area.

Mae would let out grunts every now and then but she’s dead focused. Conway-san was making expert shots like a pro. Not a drop of sweat could be seen on her. It’s as if she’s done this a few times.

Reluctantly, my fingers stumbled, and the zombie demolished my side of the screen. The glass had the appearance of breaking. I slumped my back, defeated.

“I screwed up...”

I failed in the zombie war.

“I’ll avenge you!”

Mae cried as the number of her shots from her shotgun increased. Conway-san didn’t break her pose as she continued to meticulously slaughter the zombies. I glanced to the side to see Conway-san moving closer to the panel. A faint light reflected in my right eye and before I knew it Conway-san had inserted another 200 yen into the machine on my side.

“It can’t be helped, Nakagawa-san. Stick to protecting me and I’ll protect you!”

I wasn’t expecting Conway-san to pull me a lifeline. And I was honestly content with just watching them play but I took the gun again and did as she told. The war continued as things became tense.

“Watanabe-san protect the door! Nakagawa-san you stay on my back! Got it?!”

“Right!”

Mae screamed in my ear. I turned to her, puffing my cheeks. I could have sworn that she did that on purpose.

“Nakagawa-san do I have conformation?!”

Was Conway-san super into this game? That thought aside, I put air in my lungs.

“Yes.”

But that’s all I could muster for my war cry.

The end was near now. Or at least it felt that way. The mansion was flooded with the flesh-eating dead and somehow the place caught fire. I don’t know what that was about but that wasn’t the important part. The climax was here, and our characters were planning a daring escape via a helicopter. They’ve just destroyed the lab where the zombies were created, and the hoard was coming close.

“Watch out!”

Mae heroically used her last grenade, shielding Conway-san and me from the newly formed hoard, leaving her wide open. We tried our best to save her, but her side of the screen cracked and filled with blood. Unlike before where mine broke but was still visible to see through, it seemed we were at a point in the game where putting in money was out of the question. Making the climax that much harder.

The screen looked irregular with a deep red blotch taking up the camera's room.

“Good luck guys.”

Ma-chan slumped over as Conway-san and I zoned in. The mansion exploded as our characters were on the roof now. They climbed in the helicopter, escaping certain death.

The music of victory played out as we all relaxed. "This game isn’t good for my health," I said, in my head. I turn to Conway-san who had a satisfied look on her face too.

“Yes, we won!”

She cried out, tossing the gun to the floor. I felt that if a staff member saw her do that she'd be scolded.

Just then a zombie opened its mouth ready to bite the unsuspecting heroine's head off. After twenty or so minutes of reflexes at work, I lifted my gun and pointed it behind her, blowing the brains out of the zombie who seemingly snuck into the helicopter before takeoff. Kind of corny but with all that happened in the game so far, it wasn’t going to win any awards for originality.

“Ahhh?!”

The victory screen at last played. Mae clapped with pleasure as Conway-san looked at me in a seeming daze. Her face turned a reddish pink. She must have been flushed from the drama of the game. I’m sure I looked the same. My cheeks curved as I flashed a grin. It took me a bit to get into the game, but I felt accomplished.

“Hehe, I got your back Conchi-san!”

I rubbed the warm gun next to my face. My trusty pistol saved the day this time.

“I-I didn’t ask you to save me, Nakagawa-san!”

But for some reason, Conway-san blurted out a rebuttal.

“But that’s…part of the game. Isn't it?”

I couldn’t bother to find a less direct response. Feeling the abnormal tension in the air I take it, Ma-chan stepped in. Her blueberry hair created a wall between us.

“Anybody hungry?!”

She suggested, breaking the strange friction.

“I am! And Nakagawa-san is paying since I spent money on her!”

“I-It was only 200 yen!”

“Hmph!”

The blonde shark kicked her heels and marched away from the game. Her rifle laid wasted where she was. I wasn't sure what that was all about, to be honest. Did I do something wrong? Mae shrugged at me shyly as we followed her hot trail. I could literally see the steam seizing from her ears at this point. So, I decided to let her trail off, maybe that would cool down her temper?

“Oooooh!”

I stopped to see Mae looking at a stuffed cat in the bright blue game machine.

“Wait, guys, I wanna get this!”

Conway-san turned around with her arms crossed. It seems her ruddy tone died down and now what was left on her face was a light scowl.

“Hm, hurry it up then. I’m hungry, Watanabe-san.”

We all approach the machine with various merchandise. There were even foods like pocky and plenty of things you’d find in a DASIO store. But there were also high-end figurines of popular anime too. I don’t watch anime, but Hana-san does, and seeing the shows she watches every now and then I could remember some faces.

“Here I go!”

Mae put in 100 yen and the UFO crane began to move. With all her might, she aimed for the stuffed cat in the corner. The crane dropped down but missed.

“C’mon…”

Mae tried again…and again…and again until I could see the spirit in her seeping out of her mouth. Conway-san shook her head in contempt.

“There’s a trick to these games and you seem to not understand it, Watanabe-san.”

I stepped in; a tad excited I’ll admit.

“Let me give it a try.”

After watching her attempts I wanted to give it my own. I think I understood by Conway-san’s demeanor that she knew of the trick. So, before she could take over and win, I wanted the chance to get it. With that, I put in my 100 yen and the crane was in my control. Instead of going directly for the stuffed feline, I tilted the UFO to the right a bit then let it drop. The crane missed the target completely and picked up a black box with a bottle inside instead. Out came the shoot, the foreign object.

“What is it?”

Conway-san tilted her head.

The dark label made it hard to read but after turning it around I found its name.

“Lemon Essence?”

“A cheap 100-yen perfume?”

All of us stared at the bottle as if saying “Do not want.”

“Well Nakagawa-san, it’s yours now. Now, if you please. I want to get food so I’ll get this toy for Watanabe-san.”

Without another word, Conway-san put in the money and angled the crane in an odd position. The crane lagged and reached in, grabbing the stuffed cats head. It lifted and tilted the beast to the side before being tossed in the prize box.

“Wow! On the first go?!"

Mae squealed as she held her new stuffed animal.

"Thanks, Conway-san!”

Mae smiled, bringing a hint of joy to me as well.

“I needed you to play enough games so I could understand the way the crane worked.”

Conway-san’s nose held high as she pushed out her chest.

“The crane will behave the way I needed it after a few rounds. I’m glad it’s value wasn’t thrown off because of Nakagawa-san’s successfully failed attempt.”

She laughed out loud like a villainess from a romcom. It was kind of cute.

“You seriously studied the arcades, haven’t you Conchi-san?”

Conway-san glared at me but before saying anything, her eyes veered away. Instead of commenting, she crossed her arms.

“Now, let’s go eat. I’m famished!”

Without waiting for a reply, she walked off. I chuckled before checking the time on my phone.

“Uh no…”

It seemed I had 12 miss calls all from…mom. In a panic, I called her back...