[ Sometimes, between everything, there are peaceful days.
They take the Yamanote line in to Shinjuku, and it's nothing like the crowded rush hours of the early morning and eveningโ instead, the dusk is filled with parents and children returning home from school; the 5pm chime has just sounded, ringing out through the buildings. An entire kyudo team, all in hakama and carrying their longbows, just about force them into another carriage when they stop near the Meiji practice grounds. The lanterns of Shinjuku's izakaya and ramen shops have started to flicker on, and the streets take on the early evening glow; red and gold, and neon ahead.
The game center is alive with a very specific dinโ arcade games and dancing games roar from the back, with crowded UFO catchers taking up the front, flashing lights and bright fluorescents illuminate the machines and their contents.
There areโ pokemon everywhere. Nyanko-sensei plushies are squished into glass machine cases like salarymen into train carriages.
The entire train ride over, Yuji, who would usually have been chattering mindlessly to Fushiguro and Nobara, had been silently absorbed in a youtube video on his phone, now and then nudging one of the other two to make a comment about UFO catcher technique.
Always having been more of a pachinko man himself lmao ojisan, Yuji has decided that it's not too late to branch out. First of all, the competition seems kind of slim. Fushiguro, as far as he can tell, has probably never been to a game center in his life (but then again, Fushiguro is a secretive guy, so who knowsโ he might hold some sort of weird Tokyo otaku world record and none of them would be any the wiser). Nobara, on the other hand, has the potential to throw his plans for a loop. Girls are always surprisingly competent when it comes to finicky strategy games (for some reason...). Either way, he intends to win both of them a giant stuffed Sanrio character, and cement himself as the super cool game center champion of the day.
Yuji is first in the front entrance, swinging back to face the other two, his sneakers squeaking dramatically on the linoleum.
He claps his hands together, causing a few game center employees to look over disapprovingly. ]
Okay. Fushiguro, Kugisaki, we've got to be smart about this. Winning is all about strategy!
[ He presses his face up against the glass of a machine that houses a collection of giant Evees. ]
This one's no good, but hang onโ wait a secondโ
[ Glancing back at Fushiguro and Kugisaki again, he jabs a finger in Megumi's direction. ]
Isn't Evee Fushiguro's favourite Pokemon?
[ THIS MACHINE IS DEFINITELY HARD MODE... but that's okay. Surely. After all, he didn't spend his entire train ride over studying the intricacies of the claw machine to avoid showing off his totally theoretical knowledge lmao ]
[ predictably, nobara spends most of the train ride to shinjuku engaging in idle conversation with sometimes dumb and dumber while either scrolling mindlessly through several (read: way too many) social media applications or on her camera app. whether she's taking selfies, photos of the pretty pink sky or snapshots of the two dummies she's with โ only she knows! she's gotten so very good at discretely taking pictures of itadori and fushiguro, saving them as blackmail material in a secret album.
she seems uninterested now, but she was talking herself up a storm when they made these plans last week. they will probably remember her telling them she'd kick their sorry asses at every game (name any game! i'll beat you, she'd said) and make them carry all her (their) prizes home. empty threats, because she doesn't bring up winning all the games again.
little do they know... she has so many games on that cursed piece of technology, she just also keeps them tucked away in a folder that's hidden in plain sight. or rather like, on the fourth page of her phone screen. anyway, she doesn't show her hand because she wants them to be blown the hell away by her skills โ even though she is actually absolutely amazing at smash bros it's true gege said so โ she's dead set on acting like she's Bored and Distracted when she's actually excited.
they get to their destination without incident (surprise!) and a wave of nostalgia washes over her like a tidal wave. a memory is unlockedโ having frequented the one (1) game center in her hometown with fumi after school in her early middle school days. but in that same breath, she gets a waft of a very specific scent and that is the scent of... smelly and sweaty teenaged boys. she is suddenly reminded as to why she vowed to never come back to these kinds of places.
the things she does, for her friends.
when itadori spins around to face them, nobara is making a face; her brows knitted and her nose scrunched up in mild disgust. ]
I told you guys that I hate U.B.S.S.D. [ not like what she says matters because he's flitting to the next shiny thing he sees, before pointing at fushiguro and embarrassing him with how loud he is, she's sure. in any case! nobara crosses her arms, her foot tapping impatiently against the tiles of the floor as she looks over to squint at fushiguro. ] Well, Fushiguro? Is it? If you don't say yes, we're moving onto the next machine.
( he's almost positive that the two of them have designed this entire trip to ruin his life, so--he concedes to himself that if he's going to die, then at least he should die with one prize from the UFO catchers coming back home with him.
the train ride goes as expected, where he's forced to sit in between the two that lean across his lap and argue with each other, point out things on their phone screens or take not-so-covert photos documenting the journey, and he sits with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his light jacket, his eyes trained up on the ceiling of the train. he can even pretend like he's reading the advertisements there: mostly he's just trying to act as uninvolved as possible, though he does spend a good amount of time watching one of the 'strategy' videos over itadori's shoulder, wondering if it will even help. as far as he's concerned, these things are mostly a scam: maybe the stuffed animal ones, not so much, but the ones with the expensive figures and watches and gift cards? completely impossible.
the music is loud, once they step inside, and he still has his hands in his pockets--he's mostly trailing itadori and kugisaki like a shadow, casting his gaze around the interior the further they get inside. it's almost uncomfortably warm; and he can see his worst enemy, the purikura booths, towards the back with the rest of the catcher machines. he hopes to some deity that kugisaki doesn't see them.
and why is it up to him? abruptly, he's met with two sets of eyes: kugisaki's, narrowed and shrewd and impatient, and itadori's, who look up at him like he's desperate to be told he's right. with a sigh, he looks to the machine--and twists his head, embarrassed. )
...I like the black one. ( which means that yes, he knows well enough about pokemon to be able to discern which eevee is which, and yes, he's just given them a reason to stall at this particular machine. it's filled with huge stuffed plushies, mostly of the generic eevee, with some of the evolutions scattered within.
disgruntled, he gives a half of a shrug, and leans his step closer to kugisaki, as though she's the less embarrassing half. ) But I don't think you'll get it. This one is a money trap.
( he's well aware that telling itadori not to do something goes about as well as telling a cat not to do something, but he tried. )
[ That's just the thing; this particular machine, with its display of giant, stuffed Eevees (in a variety of coloursโ Yuji's more of movie guy, okay, he can't remember all of those things' names) is now basically a dare. Saying I don't think you'll get it to Yuji Itadori is just about the same as a direct command to try and do the thing in question, and a look comes over him that says, without mincing words: he's about to spend all of his money and probably a good percentage of everyone else's trying to win a ridiculously large Eevee that they will struggle to even get through the doors of the train. ]
The one with the rings around its legs? That one? Look, there's one of those over there.
[ In the far corner, there is indeed an oversized Umbreon lying on its back, limbs in the air, with its Sukuna-esque yellow markings. Yuji's cheek is jammed against the glass again, leaving a fog of breath on the glass when he looks back at the other two. ]
I bet if I can get the claw around its leg, I can move it closer, you know, you can use the claw to uhโ push it. Remember the video I showed you?
[ There had been a rather tepid interest in his continuous babble of: hey hey look, that's how it's done, Fushiguroโ and oi, Kugisaki, look they won a Switch, but Itadori is determined to show off his new skill set (which he hasn't even practiced yet but whatever).
He's reaching into his pocket in a second to take out a 500 yen coin, and the machine springs to life as he deposits the money. Yuji stretches his arms over his head, and then bends down to touch his toes, as if he's preparing for a sprint, or a sporting eventโ he even cracks his knuckles for effect. Like a professional UFO catcher. There's a glance lobbied back at Fushiguro and Nobara, and he smiles at them both, sidelong. ]
Are you guys watching? Hey Fushiguro, if I get this in one, you have to pay for lunch. [ There is literally no chance in any world that he's getting the thing in one try, so fortunately Megumi is safe on that front.
He adds, starting to move the claw with the joystick, the thing quivering as it shakily makes its way towards the prize: ] If it takes more than twelve, then we have to do purikura with Kugisaki.
[ The confidence...
He kind of likes purikura, even if it's a bit lame and girly, so it's no great loss for Itadori.
The Eevee getsโ scraped by the claw, lifts about an inch off the ground andโ drops back to the pile of other Eevees. ]
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day off shenanigans
They take the Yamanote line in to Shinjuku, and it's nothing like the crowded rush hours of the early morning and eveningโ instead, the dusk is filled with parents and children returning home from school; the 5pm chime has just sounded, ringing out through the buildings. An entire kyudo team, all in hakama and carrying their longbows, just about force them into another carriage when they stop near the Meiji practice grounds. The lanterns of Shinjuku's izakaya and ramen shops have started to flicker on, and the streets take on the early evening glow; red and gold, and neon ahead.
The game center is alive with a very specific dinโ arcade games and dancing games roar from the back, with crowded UFO catchers taking up the front, flashing lights and bright fluorescents illuminate the machines and their contents.
There areโ pokemon everywhere. Nyanko-sensei plushies are squished into glass machine cases like salarymen into train carriages.
The entire train ride over, Yuji, who would usually have been chattering mindlessly to Fushiguro and Nobara, had been silently absorbed in a youtube video on his phone, now and then nudging one of the other two to make a comment about UFO catcher technique.
Always having been more of a pachinko man himself
lmao ojisan, Yuji has decided that it's not too late to branch out. First of all, the competition seems kind of slim. Fushiguro, as far as he can tell, has probably never been to a game center in his life (but then again, Fushiguro is a secretive guy, so who knowsโ he might hold some sort of weird Tokyo otaku world record and none of them would be any the wiser). Nobara, on the other hand, has the potential to throw his plans for a loop. Girls are always surprisingly competent when it comes to finicky strategy games (for some reason...). Either way, he intends to win both of them a giant stuffed Sanrio character, and cement himself as the super cool game center champion of the day.Yuji is first in the front entrance, swinging back to face the other two, his sneakers squeaking dramatically on the linoleum.
He claps his hands together, causing a few game center employees to look over disapprovingly. ]
Okay. Fushiguro, Kugisaki, we've got to be smart about this. Winning is all about strategy!
[ He presses his face up against the glass of a machine that houses a collection of giant Evees. ]
This one's no good, but hang onโ wait a secondโ
[ Glancing back at Fushiguro and Kugisaki again, he jabs a finger in Megumi's direction. ]
Isn't Evee Fushiguro's favourite Pokemon?
[ THIS MACHINE IS DEFINITELY HARD MODE... but that's okay. Surely. After all, he didn't spend his entire train ride over studying the intricacies of the claw machine to avoid showing off
his totally theoretical knowledge lmao]/)_(\
she seems uninterested now, but she was talking herself up a storm when they made these plans last week. they will probably remember her telling them she'd kick their sorry asses at every game (name any game! i'll beat you, she'd said) and make them carry all her (their) prizes home. empty threats, because she doesn't bring up winning all the games again.
little do they know... she has so many games on that cursed piece of technology, she just also keeps them tucked away in a folder that's hidden in plain sight. or rather like, on the fourth page of her phone screen. anyway, she doesn't show her hand because she wants them to be blown the hell away by her skills โ even though she is actually absolutely amazing at smash bros
it's true gege said soโ she's dead set on acting like she's Bored and Distracted when she's actually excited.they get to their destination without incident (surprise!) and a wave of nostalgia washes over her like a tidal wave. a memory is unlockedโ having frequented the one (1) game center in her hometown with fumi after school in her early middle school days. but in that same breath, she gets a waft of a very specific scent and that is the scent of... smelly and sweaty teenaged boys. she is suddenly reminded as to why she vowed to never come back to these kinds of places.
the things she does, for her friends.
when itadori spins around to face them, nobara is making a face; her brows knitted and her nose scrunched up in mild disgust. ]
I told you guys that I hate U.B.S.S.D. [ not like what she says matters because he's flitting to the next shiny thing he sees, before pointing at fushiguro and embarrassing him with how loud he is, she's sure. in any case! nobara crosses her arms, her foot tapping impatiently against the tiles of the floor as she looks over to squint at fushiguro. ] Well, Fushiguro? Is it? If you don't say yes, we're moving onto the next machine.
no subject
the train ride goes as expected, where he's forced to sit in between the two that lean across his lap and argue with each other, point out things on their phone screens or take not-so-covert photos documenting the journey, and he sits with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his light jacket, his eyes trained up on the ceiling of the train. he can even pretend like he's reading the advertisements there: mostly he's just trying to act as uninvolved as possible, though he does spend a good amount of time watching one of the 'strategy' videos over itadori's shoulder, wondering if it will even help. as far as he's concerned, these things are mostly a scam: maybe the stuffed animal ones, not so much, but the ones with the expensive figures and watches and gift cards? completely impossible.
the music is loud, once they step inside, and he still has his hands in his pockets--he's mostly trailing itadori and kugisaki like a shadow, casting his gaze around the interior the further they get inside. it's almost uncomfortably warm; and he can see his worst enemy, the purikura booths, towards the back with the rest of the catcher machines. he hopes to some deity that kugisaki doesn't see them.
and why is it up to him? abruptly, he's met with two sets of eyes: kugisaki's, narrowed and shrewd and impatient, and itadori's, who look up at him like he's desperate to be told he's right. with a sigh, he looks to the machine--and twists his head, embarrassed. )
...I like the black one. ( which means that yes, he knows well enough about pokemon to be able to discern which eevee is which, and yes, he's just given them a reason to stall at this particular machine. it's filled with huge stuffed plushies, mostly of the generic eevee, with some of the evolutions scattered within.
disgruntled, he gives a half of a shrug, and leans his step closer to kugisaki, as though she's the less embarrassing half. ) But I don't think you'll get it. This one is a money trap.
( he's well aware that telling itadori not to do something goes about as well as telling a cat not to do something, but he tried. )
no subject
The one with the rings around its legs? That one? Look, there's one of those over there.
[ In the far corner, there is indeed an oversized Umbreon lying on its back, limbs in the air, with its Sukuna-esque yellow markings. Yuji's cheek is jammed against the glass again, leaving a fog of breath on the glass when he looks back at the other two. ]
I bet if I can get the claw around its leg, I can move it closer, you know, you can use the claw to uhโ push it. Remember the video I showed you?
[ There had been a rather tepid interest in his continuous babble of: hey hey look, that's how it's done, Fushiguroโ and oi, Kugisaki, look they won a Switch, but Itadori is determined to show off his new skill set (which he hasn't even practiced yet but whatever).
He's reaching into his pocket in a second to take out a 500 yen coin, and the machine springs to life as he deposits the money. Yuji stretches his arms over his head, and then bends down to touch his toes, as if he's preparing for a sprint, or a sporting eventโ he even cracks his knuckles for effect. Like a professional UFO catcher. There's a glance lobbied back at Fushiguro and Nobara, and he smiles at them both, sidelong. ]
Are you guys watching? Hey Fushiguro, if I get this in one, you have to pay for lunch. [ There is literally no chance in any world that he's getting the thing in one try, so fortunately Megumi is safe on that front.
He adds, starting to move the claw with the joystick, the thing quivering as it shakily makes its way towards the prize: ] If it takes more than twelve, then we have to do purikura with Kugisaki.
[ The confidence...
He kind of likes purikura, even if it's a bit lame and girly, so it's no great loss for Itadori.
The Eevee getsโ scraped by the claw, lifts about an inch off the ground andโ drops back to the pile of other Eevees. ]