Chapter 23 It’s Cute, I Guess #2
I follow her inside. A blast of cool air-conditioning offers a striking contrast to the humid night. Goose bumps spread down my legs, but I know I’ll warm up soon. Especially since they have Dance Dance Revolution here.
“I think I wore the wrong shoes,” I say, looping Yua’s arm in mine and dragging her to the ticket booth.
After we’ve purchased our play-all-night wristbands, Yua and I hurry to the arcade floor.
There’s a long line of people waiting for popular games, like Mario Kart, Killer Queen, and, of course, DDR. We wait at the pinball machines for the crowd to die down.
I pick a game with Naruto characters on it.
Every time I sink the ball into the hole, the game flashes and Naruto shouts, “Dattebayo!”
Even though I can’t understand Japanese, I can read everyone’s body language well enough to see that strangers will walk up to each other and compliment their outfits.
Some even ask if they can take pictures.
This is what I love about fashion—about wearing statements on our bodies.
Statements that can help others feel safe and explore their uniqueness without fear of adhering to the status quo.
I’m surrounded by my people, and they don’t have to be wearing what I’m wearing.
Yua and I have just finished a vintage game of Street Fighter when someone taps me on the shoulder. I whirl around to see two girls—a short one with a set of blunt bangs over her brows, and a tall one with round cheeks. Wait, why do these girls look familiar?
“Oh, hi!” Yua says just as their names resurface in my memories—Keiko and Yukie, Yua’s coworkers from Cuppa Coffee. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight!”
“Neither did we,” Keiko says. She glances down at me from her knee-high go-go boots. I’m impressed by the height of her heel, honestly. “Glad to know that no one’s covered in hot chocolate today.”
I giggle as I brush a hand over the spot that was once stained by a spilled drink. Thank goodness there haven’t been any catastrophes. Yet. Because the night’s still young, and there are waaay too many people carrying around soda.
“Sorry to bother you,” Yukie says, fanning a set of fluffy pink lashes at me. “We just wanted to say you two look very cute together.”
Yua glances at me at the same time I look at her. There’s a smile on her lips while the apple of her cheeks bloom pink. I reach over and lace my fingers in her hands. She squeezes me back.
“I love your outfit, Lilyn,” Yukie adds. “How is your mentorship going?”
I smile and pull out my phone. I show Yukie and Keiko my yukatas and the sketch I have for my final installment. Not once do I let go of Yua’s hand. As Yukie and Keiko gush over my work, an idea pops into my head.
“Hey, so I’m going to need models for a fashion show I’m doing at the Obon Festival next month.
Would you be interested in helping me?” I know it’s a long shot, but considering that we’re all here bonding over fashion and fun, Yukie and Keiko are the perfect models for the job.
Sure, my designs are tailored to my size, but with a little bit of pinning, I can modify the yukatas to accommodate them as well.
I’ll just have them come in for a fitting first.
“I’d love to model for you!” Yukie exclaims.
“Me too!” Keiko adds. “We were there for your first date, and I’m happy to help support you before you leave Tokyo. And it’s nice to see that despite a messy start, you two made your relationship work. It feels so poetic!”
I guess Yua really does tell them everything. I haven’t thought about it like that before, but it’s true. There certainly were a lot of ups and downs. But I’d do it all over again just to hold Yua’s hand.
“Thank you,” I say, feeling my own cheeks flush. “Did you two want to play a game with us? I think the line for Mario Kart is dying down.”
Yukie shakes her head. “No, thank you. Actually, we were just leaving.”
“But we wanted to say hi first,” Keiko adds.
We plan a time to do their fitting before I wave goodbye.
Now that it’s just Yua and me, we bounce around from game to game.
As I watch her play Mrs. Pacman, Keiko’s words linger in my ears.
Yua has been my entire summer. If I hadn’t put my heart on the line, I wouldn’t be here, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while she games.
Then when Yua watches me play Asteroids, I feel her fingers trace up and down my spine.
I don’t want to move to another game, but a line forms, and I have no choice but to let the next player in.
“Do you want to play DDR?” Yua asks as we wander through the arcade. “I feel like you’ve been eyeing it all night.”
Toward the back of the floor is a whole horde of people standing in line, waiting their turn. The crowd hasn’t gone down whatsoever. If anything, this place has only gotten busier. Yua and I are sandwiched between two gaming consoles right now. Not that I’m complaining.
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. My feet hurt, anyway. I kind of want to find a place to sit down.”
Yua nods then guides me back toward the front door.
There’s nowhere to sit at the arcade except for the games that have seats built into them.
And there’s a little cafe off to the side, but that’s for diners only.
I know this because I’ve been searching for a place to sit since my feet started hurting an hour ago. Damn this lack of arch support.
We’re about to leave when Yua stops me. “Wait. Can I do something real quick?”
I glance back over my shoulder. Yua’s looking at one of those claw machine games. Stuffed plushies are bundled inside a glass box while a metal claw dangles above them.
“Are you good at these games?” I ask.
Yua and I weave our way over between the crowd. “I’m not the best, but look.” She points up at a sign written in Japanese characters. “It says there’s a prize guaranteed. I want to get you another souvenir to take home.”
Suddenly, I’ve forgotten that my feet hurt.
Yua hits a button, and the mechanical arm swings into place.
She guides the joystick over to a plushie, a small black bat—one that looks like it could be Boba’s little brother.
It’s covered by other stuffed animals, but its webbed wing sticks out from the pile like it’s saying Help me!
Yua’s focused brows are pinched, and the tip of her tongue sticks out between her teeth.
I catch her taking several deep breaths as she maps out exactly where the claw will fall.
Her face is practically pressed against the glass as if she’s looking for the perfect vantage point.
But then, out of nowhere, the claw drops on its own.
“Not the timer!” Yua cries, watching it descend. She drags her hands down the sides of her face, and I can’t help but laugh. I don’t need an extra toy bat for Boba. Just knowing that she wanted to get me a souvenir is enough.
I trace her back in soothing circles as the claw finally clamps down on none other than the bat wing.
Yua and I look at each other. Did that really happen? And then we’re both locked on the claw as the machine pulls it up. And up. And up.
No way.
The stuffed black plushie is in the jaws of the mechanical crane. But the moment the machine makes its way over to the deposit box, the toy falls and lands right on top of the pile.
“Nooo!” Yua howls. The machine finishes its route. The beak opens so that nothing but air falls out of its mouth. “Okay, let me try one more time.”
Yua’s back at the claw machine again. But there’s a thunk as a toy falls anyway. After all, a prize is guaranteed. She’s so focused on getting that bat for me that she doesn’t seem to notice me reaching into the compartment to pull out the prize.
“Look,” I finally say, holding up the small plushie.
Yua glances my way. Then her eyes go wide. In my hand is a small red panda with black buttons for eyes. Its nubby brown arms are held up as if it’s reaching for a hug.
Yua presses a hand over her lips as she giggles to herself. “I can’t believe it. Red pandas are my favorite animal.”
I glance down at the toy, seeing it in an entirely new light. This accidental gift from Yua will now always carry the memory of tonight.
I hug the toy to my chest. “Mine.”
Yua turns her back on the claw machine. “Yours,” she agrees.
We finally break out of the arcade. The streets are just as busy as when we got here. It’s been several hours, even though it looks like no time has passed. I’m sure it’s close to midnight.
Yua leads us to Harajuku Station. She takes care of my ticket and minutes later, we’re sitting side by side in a train car, and my feet can finally rest.
The train rattles as it takes us down the path back home. There’s a station not far from the Nakamura house. I imagine that’s where we’re headed, but I don’t want to ask. Because talking about the final destination only brings the end of the night closer.
I want to sit here with my head on Yua’s shoulder and her head on mine.
We look so colorful in our reflection in the window across the aisle.
As the train weaves between buildings, I catch a flash of fireworks through the window.
They explode over a stadium somewhere off in the distance.
Maybe it’s to signal the end of one of those baseball games Mr. Nakamura has been watching all summer long.
Yua must notice it, too, because she sits up and stares.
“It’s cute, isn’t it?” I say, nodding out the window.
“I guess.” Yua smiles at me. “Not as cute as you, though.”
I do my best to keep my smile from overtaking my face. “I don’t want tonight to end.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Yua says after a beat. “At least, not exactly.”
I sit up so I can look at her. The concealer beneath her eyes has creased, and her lipstick is faded in the middle. This has been a long night for her, too.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I quit my job at Cuppa Coffee since I’ll be leaving for California next week, anyway,” Yua says, throat bobbing when she swallows. “Which means I’ll be spending a lot more time at the shop.”
I nod, even though I don’t really know what she’s hinting at. Maybe I’m more tired than I thought.
“You still have one final yukata to sew, don’t you?” Yua presses.
I nod again. But now I’m beginning to understand.
Yua finishes my thoughts for me. “Do you think Mum would be okay with me helping you finish it?”