Chapter 16: In Search of the Big Prize Candy
"Amu." (sound of biting candy)
Top Chat: A girl happily munching on candy… nothing better than that.
Top Chat: Agreed.
Top Chat: ※Reminder: she had a for lunch at the soba shop earlier.
After that, I tried another round and managed to snag five ramune candies. A satisfying haul.
"Alright, next up—this one!"
Top Chat: The famous big prize candy.
Top Chat: Gonna be trickier than the ramune, but maybe still doable?
Top Chat: Hm… though the shield height looks kinda nasty.
Riding the high of my victory, I set my sights on a bigger challenge: a machine flaunting a huge sticker reading “Prize Exclusive” on a box of candy you’d never see sold in stores. It was much larger than the ramune machine, about the same size as most of the other crane games.
"Shield? What shield?"
Top Chat: See how the prize chute is surrounded by acrylic panels? That.
Top Chat: The taller the shield, the harder it gets—you need to carry the prize right above the drop point to win.
Top Chat: In short, difficulty ↑.
"So basically, I just need a solid grab, huh. Alright, go!"
The claw started moving, accompanied by cheerful background music.
"Alignment good. Depth good. Grab it."
The claw lined up perfectly over the big box of candy and clamped down with its two slender arms. But then—
"Huh?"
Top Chat: It dropped.
Top Chat: It dropped immediately.
Top Chat: Barely lifted it at all.
I tried again, but the moment it lifted, the box spun and plopped right back down. Tried once more—spin, drop. And again—spin, drop.
"…Is the claw this weak?"
Top Chat: Yeah, looks really weak from here.
Top Chat: They probably lowered the power to minimum.
Top Chat: Oh, and check the claws—one side’s thinner than the other, looks like a swap-out.
Top Chat: Does this machine even want you to win?
"That’s… allowed?"
Top Chat: Technically, just barely not against the rules.
Top Chat: But yeah, this setup’s brutal.
Top Chat: No wonder you don’t see anyone else playing this one.
Sure enough, glancing around, I realized no one else in the arcade was touching these crane machines.
"I see… so it’s a high-difficulty setup, huh. Now I’m fired up."
Top Chat: Uh-oh.
Top Chat: Wait, this might actually get interesting.
I circled around the machine, studying every detail carefully. The exclusive-stickered candy box, the tall shield, the underpowered claw, the swapped-out uneven tips.
"Alright."
Top Chat: …Wait, seriously?
Top Chat: This is gonna be a total waste of money.
Top Chat: No way you’re getting this. If you grab it in one shot, I’ll drink orange juice through my nose.
Top Chat: Aaand there goes the coin…
The lively jingle tenterorin played cheerfully in the background. But this wasn’t the time to relax and enjoy it. No distractions. Focus. Focus. Focus. I concentrated so hard on timing the claw that the music itself started to sound stretched and distant.
"—Now!"
Top Chat: Huh? Off by a bit?
Top Chat: Yeah, that looks misaligned.
Top Chat: Wait, maybe just barely within reach?
Top Chat: Close call.
Top Chat: For all that aiming, kinda underwhelming lol.
Top Chat: Eh?
Top Chat: Wait, no way—
Top Chat: Huh?????
"Got it."
Top Chat: No, no, no, hold on!
Top Chat: Don’t just say “got it” like it’s nothing!
I pulled the oversized candy box out of the prize chute. The exclusive sticker had peeled off in the process, but well… nothing I could do about that.
"Isn’t this how you’re supposed to do it?"
Top Chat: …Wait. You intentionally slipped the thin claw tip between the sticker and the box?
Top Chat: Never seen anyone play like this before.
Top Chat: So crane games are actually hard…
Top Chat: No, that’s not the point here!
"Tastes good."
Top Chat: Oh, you’re just opening it right here, huh.
Top Chat: Victory = eat spoils. Law of the Savannah.
Top Chat: Elf-san’s radiant smile actually stings my nose a little.
Top Chat: Same, but also, the citrus smell’s hitting hard right now.
Top Chat: The guy’s actually doing the orange juice punishment lol.
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