[X] Choose a game.
-[X] Whatever's furthest from the zombies. (Air Hockey?)
"Uh, I-I…" you mutter weakly and avert your gaze from your friends. Maybe if you pretend that you're looking around, they won't notice how close you just were to breaking out in tears. "L-let's see?"
The Arcade is after all a big place with many games to choose from. And given your state of mind, you're mostly drawing blank on any suggestions. Your only goal at the moment is to pick something as far away from the-game-that-shall-go-unmentioned. You need something light and fluffy, or at least something predictable without nasty, evil surprises hiding behind every corner.
The only thing to cross your mind is soccer after you glance at Yuujin. But this is not the place to do that.
However…
Your gaze is pulled towards a row of four peculiar tables, separated from the machines to give enough room for people to move around. It's no soccer, but air hockey is predictable and fun! You have played the game before when you were still little, so you know what is coming, even if your skills may be rusty.
"What about air hockey?" you ask out loud and start walking towards the tables before even hearing out what your friends have to say. You're starting to calm down already. "There's room for everyone to play at once!"
"Hmm, that's not a bad idea at all!" Matsuko notes with some glee evident in her voice. "How about a tournament while we're at it? Everyone plays against everyone once and we'll see who does the best!"
"Oh, that sounds like fun," Ami exclaims and joins you to pick the tables.
Yuujin doesn't open her mouth, and just calmly goes to the side to pick up the puck and the hockey pushers for the group. However, she's not silent, as you can hear her speak to you through telepathy.
'Matsuko, Tamimoe...' you have to suppress the urge to yelp indignantly at that. '...Keep in mind that Ami's not a Magical Girl. Don't go all out on her, alright? Thanks.'
You nod wordlessly when Ami's not looking at you. You can do that much at least.
Tamiko vs Yuujin, Matsuko vs Ami
As it happens, Yuujin is your first round's opponent. The girl appears to be quite relaxed as she takes the position behind her goal and sets the hockey pusher down on the table. The engines blare into life immediately after, and you strike the puck towards her. Yuujin's a Magical Girl, so you can go all out on her here. She'd understand.
What you don't understand, however, is the way she seems to be predicting your every strike before you've even made them. Her pusher always seems to be in the right place just before you've even struck the puck.
The only thing keeping you ahead is your intense and relentless assault that eventually overwhelms Yuujin, and grants you the victory.
You can't quite shake the feeling that she wasn't even trying, though. But that remains a moot point as Ami moves to stand before you, having lost to Matsuko quite handily. The reason for that seems to lean more on Ami's lack of experience and clumsy handling of the pusher, rather than Matsuko being that overwhelming an opponent.
Maybe she just needed some warm-up?
Tamiko vs Ami, Yuujin vs Matsuko
Ami definitely does better now than before. She's starting to find her groove in the game… which isn't really saying that much, but it's the thought that counts. You do your best to restrain from overdoing it with your Magical Girl reflexes at any rate, so if she loses it's on her!
Sadly, you end up overdoing it a bit, and you only realize that you actually lost when Ami strikes a rather mean rebound straight into your goal. The puck comes fast enough to try your reflexes even as a Magical Girl.
You can only stare slack-jawed at the table, unable to believe that actually happened. Never underestimate your opponents, you guess…
Next to you, Yuujin seems to have wrecked Matsuko, who is taking it in a stride and grinning brightly as she switches places with Ami.
Tamiko vs Matsuko, Yuujin vs Ami
To your credit, you put up a good struggle against the green-haired girl, you really do. But she seems to be really intent on coming up triumphant over you. Not even once does she cease her relentless assault, and you barely have the time to do much besides move the pusher and hope that is stands before the incoming puck.
Hope does not win games, though, and after a while you're forced to watch as Matsuko adds the last needed point to her tally and cheers out loud. She may have won, but you take solace in your struggle against the inevitable. She never got off easy.
Ami also seems to have defeated Yuujin while you were preoccupied with stalling your inevitable loss.
"Alright, this leaves me and Ami with two wins each, while Tami and Yuyu both have only one," Matsuko announces it first, looking quite pleased with herself. "And since in the match between the two us, it was me who won, I hereby proclaim myself the winner of this tournament!"
Ami nods along to that, quite pleased with her own performance, even if you suspect she knows you went easier on her. "Congratulations! Though I'm surprised I did even half as good as I did against you."
You nod to that, fighting down the urge to whistle innocently. Instead, you look at your hands, and start to think of something else. "Uh, let's see… That leaves me with the third place since I won against Yuujin, right?"
"Yup," the girl in question notes with a small smirk on her face. "Dead-last, the good old me… Though I can't help but mention how our esteemed winner here got wrecked against the loser."
Matsuko sticks her tongue out at her. "Bah, you're just jealous of my skills~!"
"Be as it may, what next?" Ami asks. "Is our air hockey queen up for challengers trying to take her throne?"
"Hmm, nah," Matsuko says with a dismissive shake of her head. "But being the good and gracious ruler I am, I will listen to the wishes and grievances of those below me!"
So you're free to suggest something else? That works too!
What do you do?
[] Make a suggestion for another game!
[] Talk with your friends.
[] Write-in.