I Risked My Life To Save The Cheeky Girl, And As A Result, I Lost My Right Arm. - Chapter 7.2: Being clumsy isn’t so bad after all! (Part 2)

Being clumsy isn’t so bad after all! (Part 2)

That day, we spent the whole day exploring the shopping mall.

We visited clothing stores, bookstores, a variety of shops, a movie, and a restaurant—nothing was left out. We made the most of it.

Senpai kept smiling the whole time, saying things like, “Let’s check that place out!” and “Doesn’t that movie look fun?” and pulling me along.

One moment I found particularly cute was when we were at the restaurant. When Senpai tried to drink some corn soup, it was too hot, and he shouted, “Ouch! It’s too hot!”

“Damn it! The world is so tough on people with sensitive tongues!” he grumbled, his eyes a little teary as he blew on the soup to cool it down.

It was so adorable that I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks soften with a smile.

After we had pretty much covered everything, Senpai suggested, “Let’s stop by the arcade!”

“We’ll finish by grabbing a prize from the UFO catcher! How’s that for a perfect finale?”

He said it in a deliberately cheesy way, flashing a mischievous grin.

“Sure, it’s already 5 PM, so after the arcade, we should head home,”

“Alright! Let’s go!” Senpai said, unusually cheerful, as he walked into the arcade. He stopped in front of a UFO catcher with a cute cat plush.

“This little kitty is so cute! What do you think, Hasegawa? Don’t you want it?”

“Yeah, it’s cute,” I replied.

“Alright! Watch and learn, Hasegawa! You’re about to witness the legendary UFO catcher master, Nakamura Reijiro, in action!” he declared, with unnecessary flair.

With that, Senpai eagerly inserted 100 yen into the machine.

Game Start!

With the cute voice of a girl character announcing the start, a timer on the machine showed 20 seconds. It looked like this was one of those time-limited games.

“Senpai, are you good at UFO catchers?” I asked.

He chuckled.

“Well… hahahaha!” Senpai turned towards me with a smug smile.

“I’ve never done it before! Not once!”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“W-What?! Then why were you so confident? You were talking like you were some legendary expert!”

“Tch, tch, tch, you don’t get it, do you? The key is to raise the bar for yourself, so it’s more rewarding when you do it,” he said with a grin.

“Senpai, sometimes you just have the weirdest attitude,” I sighed.

“Now listen closely, Mrs Hasegawa. UFO catchers require you to use the power of your heart to guide your hand,” he said, suddenly adopting a grandiose tone.

“Where did that character come from?” I asked, confused.

“Well, doesn’t it sound like something a legendary person would say?” he replied, looking proud.

“I can’t keep up with you, Senpai!” 

“Hahaha!” he laughed loudly, clearly enjoying himself.

Just as Senpai kept joking around, it happened.

Game over!

The voice from the machine announced that the game had ended. Oh, right, 20 seconds had already passed.

“Wait, what!? Hold on! I didn’t even do anything yet!?”

“Looks like the time limit is up,” I said.

“Ugh, nooo! This is the worst! I’m such a klutz! I totally wasted that 100 yen!” Senpai cried, holding his head in frustration.

Honestly, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Seeing him so dramatically defeated, I couldn’t help but laugh, my shoulders shaking.

“Ah!? Hasegawa, you…!”

Senpai looked completely surprised as he noticed me laughing.

(Oh no, I did it… I laughed after all…!)

I had been trying so hard not to laugh. I knew that if Senpai saw me laughing in front of him, it would make him feel bad. It would remind him of the time before the accident, before he lost his arm. So I had been holding it back, but I couldn’t help it this time.

“I-I’m sorry, Senpai, I didn’t mean to…!”

As I tried to apologize, Senpai suddenly grabbed my shoulder with his left hand, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He shouted, his voice loud.

“Hasegawa! Did you think that was funny!?”

“Eh?”

“Did it make you smile? Did you laugh a little?!”

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Yes! Yes! I’m so glad! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you laugh!” he said, grinning broadly.

“Eh…?”

“Ahh, this is amazing! I’m so happy! So it was funny, huh!? I can’t believe it!”

“……”

“I swear, this is the first time in my life that I’ve been glad to be such a klutz! I’m so glad! Really glad!”

“…Senpai…”

Senpai smiled brightly as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and slid another 100-yen coin into the machine.

“Alright! Let’s keep this streak going and grab that cat plushie! We’re going home on a high note!”

“………………”

“What day is it today? The 15th, right? Okay then! March 15th is officially ‘The Day Hasegawa Laughed.’ Let’s make it a national holiday!”

“…Haha, geez, what are you even talking about?”

I couldn’t help but laugh again at his ridiculous suggestion.

Senpai was fully engrossed in the UFO catcher, shouting, “Come on! Come on! Almost there!” as if his life depended on it.

“………………”

My chest felt so warm, it was overwhelming.

If I let my guard down for even a second, I felt like the tears I was holding back would spill out.

Senpai, I love you.

I really, truly love you.

I love you so much.

I love you so so much.

But this feeling, I can never say it out loud. It would only cause trouble for him.

I hurt him. I gave him a wound that will never heal. And because of that, I have to carry my own unhealing wound for the rest of my life.

Besides, Senpai has already decided he won’t fall in love again. If I confessed now, it would only make him suffer.

“………………”

But… but I want to say it.

I want to express these feelings.

I love how clumsy Senpai is.

I love how unpretentious Senpai is.

I love how endearing and truly kind Senpai is… so much that it makes me want to cry.

It doesn’t have to be a direct confession. If I could just put even a fraction of these overflowing feelings into words… even just a little…

“Yes! Finally, I got it!”

On his 11th try, Senpai managed to win the cat plushie.

“See that!? I told you, didn’t I? I am the legendary UFO catcher master!”

With a beaming smile, Senpai proudly declared his victory to me.

“…F-fufu~, you’re right.”

I tried my best to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. With all my strength, I squeezed out the one phrase I could muster.

The one phrase that, for me, was the closest thing to a confession I could offer.

“Senpai you are… truly amazing, just the way you are.”