I haven't written anything in forever, how saddening. So, this is just a little idea that came to me that is somewhat inspired by the Cyber Set.

Date Published: 3/20/17
Word Count: 4,194
Page Count: 7

Chapter 1: Trip to the Game Center

A sigh flew out of Maki's mouth as she leaned on a wall near the entrance to one of many game centers in the area. It was the weekend, and the world around her was bustling with life as the sun glimmered blissfully. The previous day Honoka declared that the group needed to take a day off of idol work to have some fun. After some discussions and minor friendly bickering among the members, they decided to go play some games, and hopefully bring home some prizes.

She wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea, especially since games weren't exactly her thing. Sure, she wasn't horrible per say, but she couldn't declare proudly she knew her way across the various types of machines. If someone asked her to name three games, she would only know the dancing game she had played with her fellow idols. She was good at rhythm games and not much else. As long as Honoka didn't come up with some sort of contest between them all, it should be a fun day. She knew she wouldn't come in last place, but she wouldn't be in the top tier either.

She arrived about ten minutes early and had been staring at the passing crowd or messing with her phone. Luckily, it didn't take too long before the rest of the girls started to arrive. Rin and Hanayo came together, and Rin's chipper faced turned into a pout when she saw Maki. She wasn't happy that Maki decided to walk there alone instead of going with them. The second years came together of course, and Honoka was obviously very energetic about getting there. Then to the surprise of nobody, Eli and Nozomi were together. Maki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she noticed how close their hands were. Last, but not least, was Nico carrying a simple beige tote bag with a stupid grin plastered on her face.

"What are you grinning about?" asked Maki as she stared at the approaching girl that stopped before her, and near Rin and Hanayo. Her upperclassman was a…interesting person so to speak. She was dedicated to the life of a school idol and was willing to do anything to succeed. She never wanted to give up her dreams of shining like the girls she cheered on for so long. No matter what would happen, Maki knew Nico would continue to push herself no matter the circumstance. Yet, that determination was often hidden behind her mischievous nature. It was easy to forget that she could be serious considering how goofy and playful she could be.

"Now wouldn't you like to know!" she said in an impish manner, before turning her gaze over to Honoka, who was to Maki's right. She pointed at her, and professed loudly as if she was declaring war on the group's leader, "I'll show you my UFO catching skills!"

"Hehehehehe!" replied Honoka smugly as she crossed her arms over her chest, "As will I! I will show everyone how good I am at getting prizes!"

"Honoka, you aren't even that good at them," added in Umi in a deadpan voice as she stared at the orange haired girl. Honoka just turned her head and replied with a slightly panicked, "I'm not that bad! I have won stuff before!"

"After spending a lot of money, Honoka-chan," spoke Kotori in a light tone, "And I'm sure one time an employee pitted you and helped you get one."

"H-hey! That's not…that true, really!" she responded while her voice wavered slightly, "Kotori-chan, that plush got stuck and was rightfully mine! He was getting it for me, not pitying me!"

"Oh my, are you two going to have a contest to see who can get more prizes?" asked Nozomi with a small smile on her face. The other two third years where to Maki's left. Nico and Honoka must have came up with the silly thing after Maki headed out. She recalled hearing them being loud about something, but she wasn't particularly interested in sticking around to see what they were going on about.

"You got it! I'm going to prove to all of you how good I am!" responded Nico with the same silly grin and pride seeping through her voice, "There is no way she'll be able to beat me! I have never needed any help from an employee to get anything!"

"Okay, I have had some bad luck in the past but I will prove to you it will be the other way around!" replied Honoka, who suddenly regained her confidence.

"Hehehe," giggled Nozomi as she moved her hand to her mouth, "Is there a punishment for the loser? It's no fun if there is none. It is a competition after all."

"A punishment game?" the two competitive, and overly energetic girls replied, surprisingly in unison. Both of their faces paled slightly just at the word.

"If neither of you can come up with one, I would gladly help with that," replied Nozomi with what looked like a devilish gleam in her normally tranquil eyes as her hands twitched slightly. It was as if she was hinting at what would be the punishment for the poor unfortunate soul that lost.

"No! We're good!" they both shouted with horrified expressions on their faces. The reactions were likely a result of possible trauma from their unfortunate groping by the fortune teller. The two backed away slightly, and looked like they could latch onto each other for life support if needed. Knowing Nico, she would push Honoka into the demon's clutches and make a speedy retreat without an ounce of remorse.

"Now now, don't go scaring them, we're here to have some fun," spoke Eli in a calm, though lightly annoyed demeanor, "So keep those hands to yourself."

"True true Elichi," replied Nozomi who then moved her head over to Eli's ear and whispered something that caused the blonde's face to go ablaze. Maki wasn't exactly sure what Eli said since it was kinda low, but she could have sworn she said something along the lines, "They aren't allowed to go there either."

"Those two should just come out already, jeez," mumbled Maki to herself, "It's obvious." Honestly, she couldn't understand why they were trying to keep it on the down-low. None of the girls would judge them, it was their choice and they were happy, so that was all that mattered.

"Huh? Huh huh?" repeated Rin in a light and airy tone, "What's obvious Maki-chan?"

"That they should just get a room already," she said with a light huff.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, not understanding what Maki was referring to. She tilted her head slightly, raised her hands and was bending them to look like paws. She looked as if she wanted to be petted.

"It's nothing, let's just go inside already," she stated simply. Rin was obviously lost but didn't say anything. So, without any further chitchat, the girls began to walk inside of the arcade. Nico, Honoka, and Rin were much more rearing to go and play some games than the other girls.

When they entered, they decided to split up and go play whatever they wanted. Rin quickly grabbed onto Hanayo's wrist and dragged her energetically towards a machine of some fighting game. Hanayo let out a little squeak but didn't resist. Honoka charged towards a nearby UFO catcher that had plush bread, of all things, inside. Umi and Kotori followed after her of course, and she heard Umi tell her to not get too worked up. Nozomi and Eli stayed behind for a bit as they debated on what they wanted to do before they agreed to just walk around until they found something they wanted to play.

"Hey, Maki-chan!" spoke Nico who trotted in front of her before turning to face her, "Want to watch me win a bunch of prizes?" Nico had the same smirk from before plastered all over her youthful face, "I'll get a bunch of stuff, I guarantee it!" She was beaming with confidence, and it was as if nothing could bring her down.

"No thanks, I'm good," she replied simply before continuing to walk. She didn't get very far because Nico jumped in front of her once more.

"Hey, come on! Hmm, would you want something? There is a lot of stuff here and I know I can win you anything your heart wants!" she declared proudly. Nico was just trying to be nice, though she still had a trace of arrogance seeping into her speech. Even so, she wanted to do something for Maki, to give her anything that she wanted. Maki was used to getting things from her parents, and not so much from others. So, the possibility of getting something from Nico made her feel different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it made her happy. Even so, she tried her very best to ignore the feeling. It wasn't like she needed any help if she saw something she liked.

"If I see something, I'll get it myself. I don't need any help," she said, in a manner that came out colder than she intended it to be, as she pushed the thought out of her head. It was her pride talking again, she didn't need anyone to do anything for her. Plus, the itty-bitty percentage of embarrassment from the warm feeling that she had when Nico offered to get her something.

"Awww, come on Maki-chan!" she replied, this time lightly tugging on her sleeve, "You don't think I'll get anything, don't you?" Nico looked semi-annoyed due to the lack of faith and semi-disinherited that Maki didn't seem interested in getting anything from her.

Maki didn't say anything to her, she just looked down at her upperclassman with uncertainty dancing through her belly. Her pride was telling her she could do anything herself if she put her mind to it, but she couldn't shake that happy feeling she had. It was as if she wanted Nico to win her something, even though she wouldn't let herself say something like that aloud.

"I'll show everyone here I can get anything I want, without fail!" she declared after she received nothing but silence. Nico's face transformed into one of determination as she let go of Maki's sleeve and marched further into the game center while saying, "Just watch me Maki-chan! I'll win a bunch of stuff!"

All Maki could do was sigh as she watched the petite girl walk off, "Good job me, you got her worked up," she mumbled as she started to walk once more. Honestly, she should have just said she would take something from Nico. Even though she knew she wouldn't let herself say it. She wouldn't be who she was if she wasn't stubborn and prideful. Yet that attitude of hers wasn't making things easy for her.

"It's not like I need to get anything from her, really," she mumbled as she walked further into the center. A variety of machines were lined up, and there was a decent amount of people scattered around. She could hear what sounded like cries of agony emanating somewhere in the vicinity, and she couldn't help but think it sounded like Honoka. Based off of what Umi said, she wouldn't be surprised if her attempts were getting her nowhere.

"I guess someone isn't living up to her own expectations," she mumbled as she continued to travel through the center. She didn't have anything, in particular, she wanted to play, so she decided to just wander around. She stumbled upon her fellow first years playing that fighting game Rin mentioned. The cat-like girl mashed away at the buttons swiftly as Hanayo tried her best to keep up. She, of course, was no match and lost. Maki decided to watch them play a couple rounds, and no matter what Hanayo did, she just couldn't keep up. She wasn't familiar with the inputs, nor was she as fast. Despite her defeats, she still smiled because she was having fun.

"Do you want to try Maki-chan?" asked Rin happily as she turned to face her.

"No thanks, I'm fine with just watching," she replied. She knew nothing about video games, much less fighting ones. She would just lose over and over.

"It's fun, even if you're not very good," added in Hanayo, who also wanted to include Maki in their fun.

"Really, I'm good and besides, I was going to look at something else anyway," she said before she started to walk away from the girls. Rin let out a little sad nya as she walked away, and she could their eyes glued to her back. Maybe one day she would try it out. Just maybe.

Her mind started to wander back to what had happened with Nico. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to ask her. It would just be a gift. It was a friend doing something nice for another friend. It wasn't like she actually needed it, but she appreciated the sentiment. She could do it herself, though it couldn't be that hard to get a simple toy.

As her mind continued to linger on those thoughts, she came upon a machine that caught her eye. It wasn't much different from the other UFO catchers that were scattered all over, but it was the content that made her go closer. Inside were plush white bunnies with strawberry hair clips on both ears. It was a decent size, and it looked very soft and cuddly. The machine cost 200 yen per try.

It honestly didn't look very hard to her. All she had to do was place in the money, and position the claw in the right angel. It wasn't like pushing a button was hard. Yeah, she could do it. No problem. Honoka was just having trouble because she must have rushed into it and got overly excited about winning. That or Honoka just sucked at the winning anything.

"How hard can it really be, to get this little thing?" she mumbled with a slight smile as she placed in two 100 yen coins in into the machine. It would prove that she didn't need Nico to get her something. She could get it on her own, no problem. She was capable of doing it on her own.

She moved the claw over to one of the rabbits sitting in the machine. They were all bunched together, but the one she locked onto was on her right. It was propped up higher than the others as if someone else was aiming for that exact one. She hovered the claw over the plush, and then pressed the button to send the claw down to grab the plush. It grabbed onto it and pulled it up a bit before it fell out of its clutches.

"Okay, that was only the first try, these take a few try's," she spoke as she placed in two more coins, "They should anyway."

She moved the claw over to the same rabbit as before, and after lining it up once more, she pushed the button. That time, it just grazed the plush and couldn't even pull it up. She sighed and placed in more coins. They say third time was the charm, so she should get it that time. She moved the claw over to the same plush once more, and much to her dismay, she was completely off. The claw lowered down and didn't even touch the plush she was eyeing.

Okay, it was harder than she expected. Much, much harder. Even so, she could still do it. She was no pro at UFO's so she just had to try more than others. She wasn't Honoka, so it shouldn't be much longer till she got it. So, she put in two more coins, and then another two, and then two more, and six more after that.

With the tenth try, the claw grabbed the plush and brought it close to the drop chute, but it, of course, fell out of her grasp. With an aggravated sigh, she dropped her head and mumbled, "Okay, it's way harder than it looks."

With a lighter sigh, she took a look at her wallet and decided that it would be best to just stop. She wasted enough money on the stupid machine. It wasn't like she needed the dumb thing anything. It was cute, but it wasn't something she needed to bring home with her. She moved her head around, and luckily it seemed like none of her fellow μ's members were nearby. No one would need to know of her unfortunate defeat at the accursed machine and that the prideful Maki had given up.

She quickly retreated from the machine and wandered over to where she last saw the second years. Honoka was still in front of the same machine, and she was slouched over while Kotori was gently patting her head. Umi was bearing a, "I knew this would happen," face while her eyes were pitying her friend. Maki didn't even want to know how long she had been there, much less how much money she spent.

"So, you have given up, huh?" she heard Nico proclaim as she walked up to them. The tote bag she brought with her was filled, with a brown bear and a light pink one with bows sticking out.

"H-huh?!" yelled Honoka in shock, "You have that many already?!"

"Well duh! I told you wouldn't be able to beat me!" she proclaimed proudly while puffing out her flat chest and placing her hands on her hips, "I'm an expert at these machines!"

"Ahhhhhh," was all Honoka was able to let out, "I've been defeated so easily!"

"Pretty much," Nico stated in a matter-of-fact voice as she walked up to the machine Honoka had been fighting with and began to examine it, "Hmmm."

"W-what is it?" asked Honoka, as she began to examine the machine as well.

Nico turned her head and looked at the orange haired girl, and extended her hand with a little pout, "Give me some money."

"Huh? Okay," responded Honoka who gave her a four 100 yen coins without a question.

Nico placed in the coin and started to move the crane over to the plush bread Honoka had been fighting with. With a push of a button, the claw lowered over to the plush and grabbed hold of it. It started to drag over the plush to the chute, but it fell out of its grasp. Nico then put in the other coin and repeated the process. With a sense of odd elegance, she got the plush grasped tightly and it was successful dropped into the chute.

The petite girl bent down and pulled out the prize and handed it over to Honoka, "See? I told you I was good at these!" Nico then turned her head over to Maki who had been silently watching them. Nico gave her a silly grin as if to say, "I told you so Maki-chan!" before returning her gaze to Honoka.

"Thanks, Nico-chan!" Honoka said happily. The defeat that had washed over her usually chipper blue eyes returned to normal as she snuggled the cute little plush in her arms. It was just a slice of bread with black eyes, pink cheeks, and a little smile.

"So, by accepting that plush from me, you have admitted defeat, right?" Nico said in a boastful manner.

"Ehhh!" she squeaked while grasping the plush tighter, "You tricked me! That's no fair!"

"Hehehehe," giggled Nico playfully, "All fair in the battle of plushies! You just don't have the same skills to keep up with me!"

With that comment, Nico turned her back on the orange haired girl before she could respond and trotted cutely over to Maki. She was bearing that same silly grin, and her eyes were shiny brightly.

"See, see Maki-chan! I told you I was amazing as these games!" she said proudly, with a smirk.

Maki moved her line of sight over to the bag on her shoulders, "Yeah, I can see that." She couldn't really see how many was in there, but she was sure she managed to get a nice haul of cute little critters to take home.

"You don't sound really impressed Maki-chan," replied Nico in a disappointed tone as she squinted her eyes in disproval. Nico had a tendency of making odd faces at everyone and everything. Maki would think it was a cute tendency of the older girl, but no one would ever hear her say it aloud. It was a miracle she even allowed herself to acknowledge such a thing.

"Congratulations Nico-chan," she said with a small smile to the smaller girl before raising her hand and lightly patting her on the head. Sometimes she swore she was the older one.

Nico's face lightened up at her words and gesture, "Thanks, Maki-chan! Now that you've seen me at my greatest, would you like me to win you something?"

Nico was certainly being persistent about getting her something. At least she knew Nico was actually capable of getting the prizes and it wasn't just all talk. Her mind wandered to the plush rabbit she was unable to win, and her lips nearly started to move. No, she couldn't ask. There was no way she could admit she couldn't even win a bunny, much less to Nico of all people.

"I-I'm perfectly fine," she said as she turned her head away from Nico with a small pout as she started to feel her face heat up, "I haven't seen anything I really like anyway! So, there isn't any need for you to get me anything."

Nico leaned in closer to Maki after she finished those words. Maki instinctively moved back from the sudden closeness of their bodies. Nico just moved closer to eliminate the space with a little sneer, "Maki-chan, I'm sensing you do want something, your face is giving it away. You can't keep a secret from me."

"I-I'm not hiding anything!" she replied as she felt her blush expand over her face, "I swear!"

Nico continued to stare at her as if she was expecting Maki to reveal the truth if she looked into her face long enough. Nico would make little, "hmmm," noises as she slowly inched herself even close to the redhead.

"R-really!" replied Maki in an obviously embarrassed tone.

Nico backed away after those words, "If you say so then Maki-chan. If you do find something you want, just ask, I'll get it for you." Her impish demeanor was nowhere to be seen for a change, just a genuine, sweet smile.

"O-kay," was all she could say as she looked at Nico. Maki's face was still burning brightly, some may even say it was brighter than some of the machines. Looking at Nico and her genuine desire to get her something made her feel like she really should say something. To just thank her for the offer and get the cute rabbit she wanted.

Yet she was unable to just say it. Her pride just wouldn't let her say it. She wanted to do it on her own because the idea of getting help made her feel even more embarrassed. It was silly, stupid, senseless, but she just couldn't will herself to move her mouth and say a simple word of approval. Oh well.

"Anyway Maki-chan, come and play some games with me!" Nico said energetically, "Do you want to play a rhythm game or something? You won't be able to beat me, but you can try!"

"Uh, sure," she said as Nico snapped Maki out of her thoughts.

"Yes! Prepare to lose Maki-chan!" yelled Nico as she made a goofy face which was a mix of confidence and delight as she pointed at her with both her hands. Maki had no idea why she would do that at times, but it was cute.

"Yeah yeah, sure. You can't win at everything Nico-chan," responded Maki with a light huff. That girl was always so confident, but she did find it endearing.

"You sure? I'm pretty darn confident that I can win anything if I try enough!" she proclaimed when she suddenly grabbed hold of Maki's left hand with a dorky grin.

Instead of saying anything back to the smaller girl, Maki just squeezed her hand as she looked away from her with tinted cheeks, "Y-yeah. You can't win everything, you have to admit defeat sometimes."

With a tug and snicker from the smaller girl, they started to walk towards another game that the two could play together. As they walked, Maki asked, "What was that snicker for?"

"Oh, it's nothing Maki-chan," she responded with another snicker.

"Whatever," she sighed, it was just Nico being Nico, "Oh, how much was that machine with the bread plush anyway?"

"100 yen, why?" asked Nico as she turned her head to look up to Maki.

"You still have two of Honoka's coins, don't you?" asked Maki as she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Consider it my reward for beating her!" she proclaimed happily.

I hope you enjoyed, and stay tune for chapter two soon! Reviews are always welcomed.