Chapter 18
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Tuesday came and pass, without much happenings for Arata and the notable women in his life. He was not able to help out a lot in the Student Council, but he was still running errands for the school queen. He went to pick up Attori after the club activities, and had gone to get Yukari as well. Tohru made fun of the hand and even flicked it once, sending pain that made the king cry a little inside.
Even the forums had no amusing events. There were tags here and there, and Arata had seemed to go back in answering them. His presence evoked a lot of sleeping dragons, summoning his four celestial beasts named Devin, Botan, Pantsu, and Mumumu, and even the chaotic legendary Horsepower.
Arata was about to sleep when Attori decided to call him. He answered the girl with a smile. "Hey, Attori! Good evening!"
"Arata! Promise me you'll keep your afternoon free tomorrow! I mean after my dance class!" She sounded excited through the phone.
"Sure. Are we going somewhere?" The king hummed, remembering last week when they went for a hotel.
"Yes! I'm so sure you'll like it!" She giggled again before stammering a bit. "And, uhm, we can go with Yukari and Hamada, too, if you like, but they might not be around since they don't have practice tomorrow."
The king was amused by the tone she was using. He laughed out a little. "Yukari seems to be growing on you a lot. You used to not have anyone else around."
"I don't know. She's like a sister." The blue-haired girl hummed with a big smile, as what he could picture from her voice. "But if she wants to watch the dance, she might be free to go with us."
"Sure, sure, let's ask her tomorrow." Arata chuckled with a smile. "Will you be able to sleep tonight? You sound so excited."
"I will, I'm already tucked in bed. I just saw it while browsing- ah, my surprise!" She screamed a little before giggling. "Good night, Arata!"
"Good night." He made a smooch sound.
The call ended, as well as the day. The king lied down his bed and slept peacefully like he had not done it for the past few days.
Soon enough, Wednesday came, and Arata walked on his own towards the bus stop. He found Cora waiting there, who greeted him with a faint blush. She asked about the hand, just until the bus arrived. There was no affection scene triggered, and so the day dissolved to his Intelligence being tested. Attori's lunch made a comeback that day since Keiko refused to even get near Arata. Yukari was okay with not making him lunch, she was pretty squished with making her siblings', and she always made him dinner since Monday.
Dance class live practice was in session, but Yukari did not make it. She had to fetch her siblings that day so she could not stay. She wanted Arata to record the dance, but it was prohibited by the club. The performance was way better than it was last week, since they knew Arata would start coming to watch them. The audience were also into the dance as well, as they got mesmerized by the movements of the ladies. It was job well done, but they still had to practice the remaining parts of the music.
"Whew, that was really hard!" Attori giggled as she walked towards the lockers with Arata. "I didn't think we were going to have a stormy part!" The song was about the flower petals going with the wind, and a part made them swing violently through a storm. She then hummed as she was changing her shoes next to Arata, even though his locker was on the opposite side. "But I enjoyed it a lot." She smiled at him. "Thank you for making them interested! No one can resist you ever, huh!"
"I only want it to succeed because of you, Attori." The king smiled back at her. He caught a knowing grin on her face. "I know you love to dance."
"Yes, so we're dancing again later!" The mad girl tugged on her boyfriend's arm and led him into the city.
Instead of taking the bus, they walked further to get to the subway. She purchased the tickets and continued smiling at him as she kept quite where they were going. Arata could only speculate, but he just left it to her. As long as they would not get lost, he was okay with her little surprise. After minutes, they reached their get-off station. The king did not know what it was, but Attori kept on pulling him around, only to arrive in a restaurant.
"Let's have dinner first!" She beamed at him, as she read through the menu.
After eating, she took the king into the plaza where there were people crowding inside. Arata's eyes widened as he saw the banner on top. It was the Hibiya Oktoberfest, which meant a festival of drinking beer. The king gasped at the idea before pulling Attori back as she walked through the crowd.
"Attori! We can't drink! We're not twenty!" Arata took a firm grip at her hand, and tried to use his own feet to get her to a stop.
"I know, but don't worry about it!" She only laughed and used her strength to pull the guy again.
The two ended up going to a small booth where a middle-aged lady was selling beer to a line of customers. The booth was seriously understaffed, and it was giving her nightmares. She was blond and undeniably not Japanese, but Arata could hear her talk from where they were, surprised with her fluent Japanese.
Attori went to the counter and waved at her. "Mama! We're here!"
"Attori!" The woman smiled and opened the gate for her and Arata to come inside. She then continued to chat despite the orders coming in from the line. "I'm sorry I can't talk all that much, but put on your aprons. The barrels have labels so you shouldn't be lost!"
"She's your mother?" Arata looked at the beautiful woman at the store front.
"Yeah, she really looks like a foreigner, but she grew up here. It's her mom that was from another country." Attori chuckled as she put on her apron, and Arata's on him. "Sorry about not telling you. I don't want you to feel nervous meeting Mama."
"You should at least warned me we're just meeting someone!" He laughed out. "I thought you'd be out here drinking-"
"That happens later. Work for now." She chuckled before beaming at him. "Do you want a race, Arata? Let's see who serves more, you or me?"
"Well, I'm good with it." Arata chuckled, not minding if he loses or not.
[You have unlocked a minigame: Attori's Beer Dash! Serve more customers than Attori to win! This can only be unlocked during Hibiya Oktoberfest with Mad Bitch Attei Attori's Affection Rate of 90% and above.]
[In order to play the game, you must get the order of the customer. Find a clean mug and fill the mug with the requested beer.]
The hell the king was losing! He suddenly felt so motivated hearing the notification, even though it was childish for him to get excited. He turned to Attori who was expecting a fight. In one second, they both started serving.
Just like any other minigames, the player's equipment and stats affected the performance. With his speed shoes and max Charms, Arata was clearly winning the game. However, he was surprised when it was three consecutive rounds, Attori working faster than the round before. Since it was aided by the game mechanics, Arata did not have to think about the change since it was Attori's mom who was collecting the pay.
After three excruciating rounds, the king managed to win by serving five customers more than Attori did. The minigame could have cost him Stamina if he was playing this properly since he felt so exhausted afterwards. Not to mention that his hand was wounded; good thing he did not need to use a lot of fingers. The blue-haired girl only whined with a smile, still happy about the result.
[You have won three rounds! Congratulations! You have been awarded with 5000 Experience points for the story clear!]
[You have reached level 101! Congratulations! New magazines and room frames are now available! Please check the shop for more exciting items!]
"Wow, your boyfriend looks so reliable!" Her mother chuckled as the store front calmed down with no to two souls buying. She reached out a hand for a shake. "My name is Attei Kanaru. I'm Attori's mother, but I don't live with them anymore."
"It's so nice to meet you, Kanaru-san!" Arata would shake her hand, but he could only show that it was bandaged, leading her to inspect its thickness. "Attori was so excited when she told me you're coming home."
"Not really, I'm just here for the Oktoberfest. I would have to go back to Okinawa after this." Kanaru hummed and stared at the girl who was managing the store front since there were only a few customers coming in for their beer. "Ah, she grew up rather fine, didn't she? And to think that she has a boyfriend now."
Kanaru turned to Arata. "Do you mind staying longer? I doubt the barrels are already depleted. Let's have a drink or two. Have you eaten dinner? I could buy some snacks over there if you like." She chuckled and stroked at the king's head. "I want to know what opened up my little girl's heart."
Hearing about her mother's sentiment, the king decided to not leave past the 6 PM action time. Since the customers did not crowd around all that much, Arata and Attori was able to handle them all without the girl initiating another race. The mother just played cashier and was having fun watching the two work.
Soon, they were left to themselves, and Kanaru filled three mugs of beer for them all. Though the students were not supposed to be drinking, it was not much of a problem since they had a guardian with them, and people came to that place to drink. Since Arata had munched on his Stamina refill items in his breaks, he was able to take the supposed stamina cost of drinking with Kanaru. Attori, on the other hand, slept on the bench they were sitting on, her head resting on Arata's thigh.
"Wow, she was a fierce one before. Did you promise her something to make her like you that way?" Kanaru chuckled, mesmerized by the peace written on her daughter's face.
"I promised her love and companionship," Arata simply answered, stroking at the blue oceans placed in her locks. He then made a sad face. "I might be invading, but are you divorced with Attori's dad?"
"Huh? No. We are estranged more likely." Kanaru hummed as she swirled the beer in her mug, her face reddening because of the alcohol. "You see you can't get joint custody in Japan so if we get a divorce, he won't be able to see his children. On the other hand, I would have to take both of them with me every time." She started to have hiccups so she went to fetch a glass of water from the tray she had prepared beforehand. "I found it easier to just leave them with him, and ask them to see me if I went over. Ever since that, Attori was the only one who comes."
"She misses you a lot, Kanaru-san. Are you calling her frequently?" The king took a glass of water as well, before popping a few bites of pizza down his stomach. "Then again, she gets pretty busy with her dancing class from time to time."
"Yeah, I heard about that! The dancing class!" Kanaru laughed out before humming. "You know I missed being a ballerina. It was like the world's eyes are on you, and you're nothing less than the most beautiful they had ever seen!" She then chuckled darkly as she resumed drinking beer. "But that was the old life. New one asks me to vend stuff as long as I can pronounce it. Huh, sales is a weird profession."
"A ballerina, huh." Arata could only smile before looking down at Attori's funny sleeping face. He started chuckling as he stared at her longer. He then looked at Kanaru again. "How long are you going to stay, Kanaru-san?"
"Until the twenty-second, I think. I'm flying to Okinawa on the morning of the twenty-third." She cooed at the sleeping girl. "I bet you want to skip class to see Mama off, don't you?"
"I'll make sure she would." The king laughed out, as if skipping classes was a good thing. Then again, it was her mother they would go see, so their teachers might have the heart to let them off after some convincing.
"Wow, thank you for being the one my daughter values a lot." Kanaru chuckled before raising her mug and inviting Arata for a toast. "To love and everything that matters!"
"To love!" Arata raised his mug.
[You have unlocked a special scene from Attori's Route! This scene can now be accessed through Albums! Congratulations!]
The 9 PM action time was coming to a close as Arata was left to take Attori home. She was riding on his back from the plaza to their neighborhood. He did place her down when they were on the last trip of the subway, though. He had no choice but to keep her for the night as he dared not to leave a drunk Attori in their house.
However, outside his house stood Keiko who had been avoiding him since last Monday. She shrieked and averted her gaze from him. However, he bravely walked up to her to ask for help. She did open the gates for him, seeing that he carried Attori on his back despite his wounded hand. The childhood friend ended up following them inside his house, closing the gates and door behind her.
"Where did you go? She looks wasted." Keiko glared at the sleeping girl.
"We went to see her mother, and drank with her." Arata chuckled as he went to grab a glass and walked to his water dispenser for a cold one. He drank all the water in one go before grunting. The king then turned to the two unmoving girls. "Are you planning to stay here, too, Keiko?"
"No, I'm going home." Keiko shook her head. "I as just worried you weren't home yet."
"Okay. Good night." Arata patted her head, before seeing her off till the gates.
The king then looked up and stared at the few stars he could see from the dark sky. Thin clouds blocked the view of the white moon, causing the man to worry about tomorrow's weather. It was unlikely to rain, but he knew his nimbostratus clouds.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Tuesday came and pass, without much happenings for Arata and the notable women in his life. He was not able to help out a lot in the Student Council, but he was still running errands for the school queen. He went to pick up Attori after the club activities, and had gone to get Yukari as well. Tohru made fun of the hand and even flicked it once, sending pain that made the king cry a little inside.
Even the forums had no amusing events. There were tags here and there, and Arata had seemed to go back in answering them. His presence evoked a lot of sleeping dragons, summoning his four celestial beasts named Devin, Botan, Pantsu, and Mumumu, and even the chaotic legendary Horsepower.
Arata was about to sleep when Attori decided to call him. He answered the girl with a smile. "Hey, Attori! Good evening!"
"Arata! Promise me you'll keep your afternoon free tomorrow! I mean after my dance class!" She sounded excited through the phone.
"Sure. Are we going somewhere?" The king hummed, remembering last week when they went for a hotel.
"Yes! I'm so sure you'll like it!" She giggled again before stammering a bit. "And, uhm, we can go with Yukari and Hamada, too, if you like, but they might not be around since they don't have practice tomorrow."
The king was amused by the tone she was using. He laughed out a little. "Yukari seems to be growing on you a lot. You used to not have anyone else around."
"I don't know. She's like a sister." The blue-haired girl hummed with a big smile, as what he could picture from her voice. "But if she wants to watch the dance, she might be free to go with us."
"Sure, sure, let's ask her tomorrow." Arata chuckled with a smile. "Will you be able to sleep tonight? You sound so excited."
"I will, I'm already tucked in bed. I just saw it while browsing- ah, my surprise!" She screamed a little before giggling. "Good night, Arata!"
"Good night." He made a smooch sound.
The call ended, as well as the day. The king lied down his bed and slept peacefully like he had not done it for the past few days.
Soon enough, Wednesday came, and Arata walked on his own towards the bus stop. He found Cora waiting there, who greeted him with a faint blush. She asked about the hand, just until the bus arrived. There was no affection scene triggered, and so the day dissolved to his Intelligence being tested. Attori's lunch made a comeback that day since Keiko refused to even get near Arata. Yukari was okay with not making him lunch, she was pretty squished with making her siblings', and she always made him dinner since Monday.
Dance class live practice was in session, but Yukari did not make it. She had to fetch her siblings that day so she could not stay. She wanted Arata to record the dance, but it was prohibited by the club. The performance was way better than it was last week, since they knew Arata would start coming to watch them. The audience were also into the dance as well, as they got mesmerized by the movements of the ladies. It was job well done, but they still had to practice the remaining parts of the music.
"Whew, that was really hard!" Attori giggled as she walked towards the lockers with Arata. "I didn't think we were going to have a stormy part!" The song was about the flower petals going with the wind, and a part made them swing violently through a storm. She then hummed as she was changing her shoes next to Arata, even though his locker was on the opposite side. "But I enjoyed it a lot." She smiled at him. "Thank you for making them interested! No one can resist you ever, huh!"
"I only want it to succeed because of you, Attori." The king smiled back at her. He caught a knowing grin on her face. "I know you love to dance."
"Yes, so we're dancing again later!" The mad girl tugged on her boyfriend's arm and led him into the city.
Instead of taking the bus, they walked further to get to the subway. She purchased the tickets and continued smiling at him as she kept quite where they were going. Arata could only speculate, but he just left it to her. As long as they would not get lost, he was okay with her little surprise. After minutes, they reached their get-off station. The king did not know what it was, but Attori kept on pulling him around, only to arrive in a restaurant.
"Let's have dinner first!" She beamed at him, as she read through the menu.
After eating, she took the king into the plaza where there were people crowding inside. Arata's eyes widened as he saw the banner on top. It was the Hibiya Oktoberfest, which meant a festival of drinking beer. The king gasped at the idea before pulling Attori back as she walked through the crowd.
"Attori! We can't drink! We're not twenty!" Arata took a firm grip at her hand, and tried to use his own feet to get her to a stop.
"I know, but don't worry about it!" She only laughed and used her strength to pull the guy again.
The two ended up going to a small booth where a middle-aged lady was selling beer to a line of customers. The booth was seriously understaffed, and it was giving her nightmares. She was blond and undeniably not Japanese, but Arata could hear her talk from where they were, surprised with her fluent Japanese.
Attori went to the counter and waved at her. "Mama! We're here!"
"Attori!" The woman smiled and opened the gate for her and Arata to come inside. She then continued to chat despite the orders coming in from the line. "I'm sorry I can't talk all that much, but put on your aprons. The barrels have labels so you shouldn't be lost!"
"She's your mother?" Arata looked at the beautiful woman at the store front.
"Yeah, she really looks like a foreigner, but she grew up here. It's her mom that was from another country." Attori chuckled as she put on her apron, and Arata's on him. "Sorry about not telling you. I don't want you to feel nervous meeting Mama."
"You should at least warned me we're just meeting someone!" He laughed out. "I thought you'd be out here drinking-"
"That happens later. Work for now." She chuckled before beaming at him. "Do you want a race, Arata? Let's see who serves more, you or me?"
"Well, I'm good with it." Arata chuckled, not minding if he loses or not.
[You have unlocked a minigame: Attori's Beer Dash! Serve more customers than Attori to win! This can only be unlocked during Hibiya Oktoberfest with Mad Bitch Attei Attori's Affection Rate of 90% and above.]
[In order to play the game, you must get the order of the customer. Find a clean mug and fill the mug with the requested beer.]
The hell the king was losing! He suddenly felt so motivated hearing the notification, even though it was childish for him to get excited. He turned to Attori who was expecting a fight. In one second, they both started serving.
Just like any other minigames, the player's equipment and stats affected the performance. With his speed shoes and max Charms, Arata was clearly winning the game. However, he was surprised when it was three consecutive rounds, Attori working faster than the round before. Since it was aided by the game mechanics, Arata did not have to think about the change since it was Attori's mom who was collecting the pay.
After three excruciating rounds, the king managed to win by serving five customers more than Attori did. The minigame could have cost him Stamina if he was playing this properly since he felt so exhausted afterwards. Not to mention that his hand was wounded; good thing he did not need to use a lot of fingers. The blue-haired girl only whined with a smile, still happy about the result.
[You have won three rounds! Congratulations! You have been awarded with 5000 Experience points for the story clear!]
[You have reached level 101! Congratulations! New magazines and room frames are now available! Please check the shop for more exciting items!]
"Wow, your boyfriend looks so reliable!" Her mother chuckled as the store front calmed down with no to two souls buying. She reached out a hand for a shake. "My name is Attei Kanaru. I'm Attori's mother, but I don't live with them anymore."
"It's so nice to meet you, Kanaru-san!" Arata would shake her hand, but he could only show that it was bandaged, leading her to inspect its thickness. "Attori was so excited when she told me you're coming home."
"Not really, I'm just here for the Oktoberfest. I would have to go back to Okinawa after this." Kanaru hummed and stared at the girl who was managing the store front since there were only a few customers coming in for their beer. "Ah, she grew up rather fine, didn't she? And to think that she has a boyfriend now."
Kanaru turned to Arata. "Do you mind staying longer? I doubt the barrels are already depleted. Let's have a drink or two. Have you eaten dinner? I could buy some snacks over there if you like." She chuckled and stroked at the king's head. "I want to know what opened up my little girl's heart."
Hearing about her mother's sentiment, the king decided to not leave past the 6 PM action time. Since the customers did not crowd around all that much, Arata and Attori was able to handle them all without the girl initiating another race. The mother just played cashier and was having fun watching the two work.
Soon, they were left to themselves, and Kanaru filled three mugs of beer for them all. Though the students were not supposed to be drinking, it was not much of a problem since they had a guardian with them, and people came to that place to drink. Since Arata had munched on his Stamina refill items in his breaks, he was able to take the supposed stamina cost of drinking with Kanaru. Attori, on the other hand, slept on the bench they were sitting on, her head resting on Arata's thigh.
"Wow, she was a fierce one before. Did you promise her something to make her like you that way?" Kanaru chuckled, mesmerized by the peace written on her daughter's face.
"I promised her love and companionship," Arata simply answered, stroking at the blue oceans placed in her locks. He then made a sad face. "I might be invading, but are you divorced with Attori's dad?"
"Huh? No. We are estranged more likely." Kanaru hummed as she swirled the beer in her mug, her face reddening because of the alcohol. "You see you can't get joint custody in Japan so if we get a divorce, he won't be able to see his children. On the other hand, I would have to take both of them with me every time." She started to have hiccups so she went to fetch a glass of water from the tray she had prepared beforehand. "I found it easier to just leave them with him, and ask them to see me if I went over. Ever since that, Attori was the only one who comes."
"She misses you a lot, Kanaru-san. Are you calling her frequently?" The king took a glass of water as well, before popping a few bites of pizza down his stomach. "Then again, she gets pretty busy with her dancing class from time to time."
"Yeah, I heard about that! The dancing class!" Kanaru laughed out before humming. "You know I missed being a ballerina. It was like the world's eyes are on you, and you're nothing less than the most beautiful they had ever seen!" She then chuckled darkly as she resumed drinking beer. "But that was the old life. New one asks me to vend stuff as long as I can pronounce it. Huh, sales is a weird profession."
"A ballerina, huh." Arata could only smile before looking down at Attori's funny sleeping face. He started chuckling as he stared at her longer. He then looked at Kanaru again. "How long are you going to stay, Kanaru-san?"
"Until the twenty-second, I think. I'm flying to Okinawa on the morning of the twenty-third." She cooed at the sleeping girl. "I bet you want to skip class to see Mama off, don't you?"
"I'll make sure she would." The king laughed out, as if skipping classes was a good thing. Then again, it was her mother they would go see, so their teachers might have the heart to let them off after some convincing.
"Wow, thank you for being the one my daughter values a lot." Kanaru chuckled before raising her mug and inviting Arata for a toast. "To love and everything that matters!"
"To love!" Arata raised his mug.
[You have unlocked a special scene from Attori's Route! This scene can now be accessed through Albums! Congratulations!]
The 9 PM action time was coming to a close as Arata was left to take Attori home. She was riding on his back from the plaza to their neighborhood. He did place her down when they were on the last trip of the subway, though. He had no choice but to keep her for the night as he dared not to leave a drunk Attori in their house.
However, outside his house stood Keiko who had been avoiding him since last Monday. She shrieked and averted her gaze from him. However, he bravely walked up to her to ask for help. She did open the gates for him, seeing that he carried Attori on his back despite his wounded hand. The childhood friend ended up following them inside his house, closing the gates and door behind her.
"Where did you go? She looks wasted." Keiko glared at the sleeping girl.
"We went to see her mother, and drank with her." Arata chuckled as he went to grab a glass and walked to his water dispenser for a cold one. He drank all the water in one go before grunting. The king then turned to the two unmoving girls. "Are you planning to stay here, too, Keiko?"
"No, I'm going home." Keiko shook her head. "I as just worried you weren't home yet."
"Okay. Good night." Arata patted her head, before seeing her off till the gates.
The king then looked up and stared at the few stars he could see from the dark sky. Thin clouds blocked the view of the white moon, causing the man to worry about tomorrow's weather. It was unlikely to rain, but he knew his nimbostratus clouds.
Tuesday came and pass, without much happenings for Arata and the notable women in his life. He was not able to help out a lot in the Student Council, but he was still running errands for the school queen. He went to pick up Attori after the club activities, and had gone to get Yukari as well. Tohru made fun of the hand and even flicked it once, sending pain that made the king cry a little inside.Even the forums had no amusing events. There were tags here and there, and Arata had seemed to go back in answering them. His presence evoked a lot of sleeping dragons, summoning his four celestial beasts named Devin, Botan, Pantsu, and Mumumu, and even the chaotic legendary Horsepower.Arata was about to sleep when Attori decided to call him. He answered the girl with a smile. "Hey, Attori! Good evening!""Arata! Promise me you'll keep your afternoon free tomorrow! I mean after my dance class!" She sounded excited through the phone."Sure. Are we going somewhere?" The king hummed, remembering last week when they went for a hotel."Yes! I'm so sure you'll like it!" She giggled again before stammering a bit. "And, uhm, we can go with Yukari and Hamada, too, if you like, but they might not be around since they don't have practice tomorrow."The king was amused by the tone she was using. He laughed out a little. "Yukari seems to be growing on you a lot. You used to not have anyone else around.""I don't know. She's like a sister." The blue-haired girl hummed with a big smile, as what he could picture from her voice. "But if she wants to watch the dance, she might be free to go with us.""Sure, sure, let's ask her tomorrow." Arata chuckled with a smile. "Will you be able to sleep tonight? You sound so excited.""I will, I'm already tucked in bed. I just saw it while browsing- ah, my surprise!" She screamed a little before giggling. "Good night, Arata!""Good night." He made a smooch sound.The call ended, as well as the day. The king lied down his bed and slept peacefully like he had not done it for the past few days.Soon enough, Wednesday came, and Arata walked on his own towards the bus stop. He found Cora waiting there, who greeted him with a faint blush. She asked about the hand, just until the bus arrived. There was no affection scene triggered, and so the day dissolved to his Intelligence being tested. Attori's lunch made a comeback that day since Keiko refused to even get near Arata. Yukari was okay with not making him lunch, she was pretty squished with making her siblings', and she always made him dinner since Monday.Dance class live practice was in session, but Yukari did not make it. She had to fetch her siblings that day so she could not stay. She wanted Arata to record the dance, but it was prohibited by the club. The performance was way better than it was last week, since they knew Arata would start coming to watch them. The audience were also into the dance as well, as they got mesmerized by the movements of the ladies. It was job well done, but they still had to practice the remaining parts of the music."Whew, that was really hard!" Attori giggled as she walked towards the lockers with Arata. "I didn't think we were going to have a stormy part!" The song was about the flower petals going with the wind, and a part made them swing violently through a storm. She then hummed as she was changing her shoes next to Arata, even though his locker was on the opposite side. "But I enjoyed it a lot." She smiled at him. "Thank you for making them interested! No one can resist you ever, huh!""I only want it to succeed because of you, Attori." The king smiled back at her. He caught a knowing grin on her face. "I know you love to dance.""Yes, so we're dancing again later!" The mad girl tugged on her boyfriend's arm and led him into the city.Instead of taking the bus, they walked further to get to the subway. She purchased the tickets and continued smiling at him as she kept quite where they were going. Arata could only speculate, but he just left it to her. As long as they would not get lost, he was okay with her little surprise. After minutes, they reached their get-off station. The king did not know what it was, but Attori kept on pulling him around, only to arrive in a restaurant."Let's have dinner first!" She beamed at him, as she read through the menu.After eating, she took the king into the plaza where there were people crowding inside. Arata's eyes widened as he saw the banner on top. It was the Hibiya Oktoberfest, which meant a festival of drinking beer. The king gasped at the idea before pulling Attori back as she walked through the crowd."Attori! We can't drink! We're not twenty!" Arata took a firm grip at her hand, and tried to use his own feet to get her to a stop."I know, but don't worry about it!" She only laughed and used her strength to pull the guy again.The two ended up going to a small booth where a middle-aged lady was selling beer to a line of customers. The booth was seriously understaffed, and it was giving her nightmares. She was blond and undeniably not Japanese, but Arata could hear her talk from where they were, surprised with her fluent Japanese.Attori went to the counter and waved at her. "Mama! We're here!""Attori!" The woman smiled and opened the gate for her and Arata to come inside. She then continued to chat despite the orders coming in from the line. "I'm sorry I can't talk all that much, but put on your aprons. The barrels have labels so you shouldn't be lost!""She's your mother?" Arata looked at the beautiful woman at the store front."Yeah, she really looks like a foreigner, but she grew up here. It's her mom that was from another country." Attori chuckled as she put on her apron, and Arata's on him. "Sorry about not telling you. I don't want you to feel nervous meeting Mama.""You should at least warned me we're just meeting someone!" He laughed out. "I thought you'd be out here drinking-""That happens later. Work for now." She chuckled before beaming at him. "Do you want a race, Arata? Let's see who serves more, you or me?""Well, I'm good with it." Arata chuckled, not minding if he loses or not.You have unlocked a minigame: Attori's Beer Dash! Serve more customers than Attori to win! This can only be unlocked during Hibiya Oktoberfest with Mad Bitch Attei Attori's Affection Rate of 90% and above.In order to play the game, you must get the order of the customer. Find a clean mug and fill the mug with the requested beer.The hell the king was losing! He suddenly felt so motivated hearing the notification, even though it was childish for him to get excited. He turned to Attori who was expecting a fight. In one second, they both started serving.Just like any other minigames, the player's equipment and stats affected the performance. With his speed shoes and max Charms, Arata was clearly winning the game. However, he was surprised when it was three consecutive rounds, Attori working faster than the round before. Since it was aided by the game mechanics, Arata did not have to think about the change since it was Attori's mom who was collecting the pay.After three excruciating rounds, the king managed to win by serving five customers more than Attori did. The minigame could have cost him Stamina if he was playing this properly since he felt so exhausted afterwards. Not to mention that his hand was wounded; good thing he did not need to use a lot of fingers. The blue-haired girl only whined with a smile, still happy about the result.You have won three rounds! Congratulations! You have been awarded with 5000 Experience points for the story clear!You have reached level 101! Congratulations! New magazines and room frames are now available! Please check the shop for more exciting items!"Wow, your boyfriend looks so reliable!" Her mother chuckled as the store front calmed down with no to two souls buying. She reached out a hand for a shake. "My name is Attei Kanaru. I'm Attori's mother, but I don't live with them anymore.""It's so nice to meet you, Kanaru-san!" Arata would shake her hand, but he could only show that it was bandaged, leading her to inspect its thickness. "Attori was so excited when she told me you're coming home.""Not really, I'm just here for the Oktoberfest. I would have to go back to Okinawa after this." Kanaru hummed and stared at the girl who was managing the store front since there were only a few customers coming in for their beer. "Ah, she grew up rather fine, didn't she? And to think that she has a boyfriend now."Kanaru turned to Arata. "Do you mind staying longer? I doubt the barrels are already depleted. Let's have a drink or two. Have you eaten dinner? I could buy some snacks over there if you like." She chuckled and stroked at the king's head. "I want to know what opened up my little girl's heart."Hearing about her mother's sentiment, the king decided to not leave past the 6 PM action time. Since the customers did not crowd around all that much, Arata and Attori was able to handle them all without the girl initiating another race. The mother just played cashier and was having fun watching the two work.Soon, they were left to themselves, and Kanaru filled three mugs of beer for them all. Though the students were not supposed to be drinking, it was not much of a problem since they had a guardian with them, and people came to that place to drink. Since Arata had munched on his Stamina refill items in his breaks, he was able to take the supposed stamina cost of drinking with Kanaru. Attori, on the other hand, slept on the bench they were sitting on, her head resting on Arata's thigh."Wow, she was a fierce one before. Did you promise her something to make her like you that way?" Kanaru chuckled, mesmerized by the peace written on her daughter's face."I promised her love and companionship," Arata simply answered, stroking at the blue oceans placed in her locks. He then made a sad face. "I might be invading, but are you divorced with Attori's dad?""Huh? No. We are estranged more likely." Kanaru hummed as she swirled the beer in her mug, her face reddening because of the alcohol. "You see you can't get joint custody in Japan so if we get a divorce, he won't be able to see his children. On the other hand, I would have to take both of them with me every time." She started to have hiccups so she went to fetch a glass of water from the tray she had prepared beforehand. "I found it easier to just leave them with him, and ask them to see me if I went over. Ever since that, Attori was the only one who comes.""She misses you a lot, Kanaru-san. Are you calling her frequently?" The king took a glass of water as well, before popping a few bites of pizza down his stomach. "Then again, she gets pretty busy with her dancing class from time to time.""Yeah, I heard about that! The dancing class!" Kanaru laughed out before humming. "You know I missed being a ballerina. It was like the world's eyes are on you, and you're nothing less than the most beautiful they had ever seen!" She then chuckled darkly as she resumed drinking beer. "But that was the old life. New one asks me to vend stuff as long as I can pronounce it. Huh, sales is a weird profession.""A ballerina, huh." Arata could only smile before looking down at Attori's funny sleeping face. He started chuckling as he stared at her longer. He then looked at Kanaru again. "How long are you going to stay, Kanaru-san?""Until the twenty-second, I think. I'm flying to Okinawa on the morning of the twenty-third." She cooed at the sleeping girl. "I bet you want to skip class to see Mama off, don't you?""I'll make sure she would." The king laughed out, as if skipping classes was a good thing. Then again, it was her mother they would go see, so their teachers might have the heart to let them off after some convincing."Wow, thank you for being the one my daughter values a lot." Kanaru chuckled before raising her mug and inviting Arata for a toast. "To love and everything that matters!""To love!" Arata raised his mug.You have unlocked a special scene from Attori's Route! This scene can now be accessed through Albums! Congratulations!The 9 PM action time was coming to a close as Arata was left to take Attori home. She was riding on his back from the plaza to their neighborhood. He did place her down when they were on the last trip of the subway, though. He had no choice but to keep her for the night as he dared not to leave a drunk Attori in their house.However, outside his house stood Keiko who had been avoiding him since last Monday. She shrieked and averted her gaze from him. However, he bravely walked up to her to ask for help. She did open the gates for him, seeing that he carried Attori on his back despite his wounded hand. The childhood friend ended up following them inside his house, closing the gates and door behind her."Where did you go? She looks wasted." Keiko glared at the sleeping girl."We went to see her mother, and drank with her." Arata chuckled as he went to grab a glass and walked to his water dispenser for a cold one. He drank all the water in one go before grunting. The king then turned to the two unmoving girls. "Are you planning to stay here, too, Keiko?""No, I'm going home." Keiko shook her head. "I as just worried you weren't home yet.""Okay. Good night." Arata patted her head, before seeing her off till the gates.The king then looked up and stared at the few stars he could see from the dark sky. Thin clouds blocked the view of the white moon, causing the man to worry about tomorrow's weather. It was unlikely to rain, but he knew his nimbostratus clouds.
