I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!? - Chapter 58: Continuing the Date Story

Chapter 58: Continuing the Date Story

“Here, open wide!”

We went into a café in a corner of the food court. Each of us decided to enjoy a parfait we were interested in, but…

As expected, or rather, just as I imagined.

It seems I can’t eat a parfait normally.

“Grape parfaits are rare. You should try a bite.”

“A parfait means strawberries, right? You should start with the classic.”

Makoto, who ordered a peach parfait, Kanade, holding a grape parfait, and Yuna, lifting a strawberry parfait, all pointed their spoons at me at the same time.

Look, if this was at home, it wouldn’t be a problem. I could accept each of their so-called “open wide” gestures one by one.

But this is a busy shopping mall, and there are quite a few people in the café. Being surrounded by multiple beautiful girls who could outshine models or celebrities already draws attention. On top of that, getting “open wide” from all three of them? The stares from people around could kill me, and I wouldn’t have a right to complain.

“Guys, people are watching…”

“…? No problem, right?”

“We’re not doing anything shady.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s true! It’s a bit embarrassing, but…”

Normally, I thought shy Yuna would back me up, but coming out to have fun together has her so excited that her embarrassment brakes seem broken.

…Looks like I need to prepare myself.

If they don’t care, I just have to endure the violent stares alone.

“Then, I’ll start with strawberry…”

“Good! Here… open wide.”

“…Open wide.”

The sweetness of whipped cream and the fresh tartness of strawberries spread in my mouth.

…It’s delicious, but the painful stares, especially from the guys around, make it hard to enjoy the taste.

Next…

“Kanade, can I have some?”

“Of course. Open wide.”

The clear sweetness of grapes matches the rich sweetness of vanilla ice cream, making it very tasty. But while my mouth enjoys this lovely space, a resentful atmosphere spreads around us.

“Now, it’s my turn!”

Last is Makoto’s peach parfait.

The faint sweetness of peach, combined with the sauce, creates a perfect harmony.

The harmony of murderous stares around us also reaches its peak.

But, well, I guess I’ve crossed the peak for now…

“Now, it’s our turn!”

“I want to try that too.”

“Yeah! It’s unfair if it’s just us!”

…Right. Climbing a mountain doesn’t end with reaching the top.

You have to make it back down properly, haha.

…Alright, let’s keep going.

After experiencing the strange mix of happiness and murderous stares, we headed back into the mall.

Our next destination?

“I’ve always wanted to come here! The arcade!”

“Makoto, you’ve never been to a place like this?”

“Yeah, my family doesn’t really like these places…”

“Same here. My parents said girls shouldn’t come to places like this alone!”

“For safety reasons, that makes sense. What about you, Yuna?”

“I was never really interested in this stuff. It’s my first time.”

That said, I haven’t exactly come to arcades often either. Let’s enjoy this new experience together.

“Hey, Ryu-kun! What should we do first?”

“Hmm… how about a classic crane game?”

“Crane game?”

“You don’t know, Kanade? It’s that one over there.”

I pointed to the area with crane game machines.

“You use the crane up there to grab prizes inside… that’s the game.”

“…Sounds easy.”

“You’d think so, but the crane’s claws are super weak, and the stuffed toys are heavier than they look. It’s surprisingly tough.”

“Hmm… I want to try it.”

“Then let’s start with the crane game.”

We walked around the crane game area.

Then, I noticed Makoto stopped and stared at one machine.

“See something you want?”

“Uh, yeah… that one.”

She pointed to a stuffed toy lying there.

“…That?”

“What’s with that reaction!? It’s cute, right!?”

The stuffed toy she pointed at… well, how do I put it?

To put it nicely, it has a very unique look.

At first glance, it looks like a slime from a typical RPG.

But what stands out is its expression.

Its eyes are perfect circles, and it has a chick-like beak sticking out from its mouth.

Plus, it has tiny wings that a slime shouldn’t have.

Well… some people might like it? It seems Kanade is drawn to its look.

“Everyone has their tastes. Makoto has always liked weird stuff like that.”

“Hey, Kanade!? What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Makoto… even someone as perfect as you has flaws…”

“Flaws!?”

“Alright, alright… let’s give it a try.”

“Hmph… I’m not happy about this, but for this little guy’s sake, I’ll let it slide!”

She’s already acting like she’s won the stuffed toy.

But she doesn’t yet understand the terror of the crane game jungle.

For the next ten minutes, Makoto tried several times but didn’t get close to winning.

“…Ryu-kun~”

She clung to my waist, teary-eyed.

Look, I’m not exactly great at crane games either.

But I can’t ignore her crying like that.

“…Don’t complain if I can’t get it.”

I put in some coins and tried a few times. But, as expected…

“…It’s tough.”

“I didn’t think it’d be this hard…”

We can’t keep spending money on this. There might be other things we want to try. Let’s back off for now.

“…Let me try.”

“Kanade?”

She stepped forward and put in a coin.

“Kanade, I appreciate it, but don’t push—”

Clunk

“I got it.”

“…Huh?”

She grabbed the stuffed toy we struggled with in just one try.

“…Please let me call you Kanade-sama.”

“How much offering should we give!?”

“Haha, no need for that.”

Yuna gave me an exasperated look as I played along.

Well, a little fun like this is fine, right?

“I want to try this.”

Next, at Kanade’s request, we played a rhythm game where you hit a drum to score points.

“Haha, tremble at my rhythm sense!”

Kanade grabbed the drumsticks and started the game.

The song was the theme from a recently released anime movie.

It’s a fast-paced track with a decently high difficulty.

“Hmph, hmph!”

“…Kanade.”

“This is… uh…”

“Oh, it’s over.”

Her rhythm sense was indeed something to behold.

She chose normal difficulty, but the game ended before a third of the song was done.

It didn’t even look that hard from the side…

“Good exercise.”

“If you’re satisfied, Kanade, that’s fine, but…”

“…Hmm. I’ll give it a try.”

Next, Yuna, who had been watching quietly, took the drumsticks.

She picked the highest difficulty.

“Yuna? Isn’t that too hard?”

“Just watch.”

The moment the game started, an astonishing sight unfolded.

“Whoa!? Yuna, you’re too good!”

“…As expected of my rival.”

“Yeah…”

It’s the same song as Kanade’s, but the difficulty is way higher, with an insane number of markers. Yet, she hit almost all of them perfectly. It’s practically art.

She missed a perfect score but finished the song, looking satisfied as she put the drumsticks back.

“…Everyone has their own weird talents, huh?”

“Yeah, you two are amazing.”

“Then let’s find a game you two are good at.”

“Yeah, with so many games here, let’s try a bunch.”

“Alright! Let’s try that one next!”

Makoto jogged off to the next spot.

Everyone’s having fun, and that’s what matters. I’ll keep enjoying this too.