Spoilers for the Priestess Confidant.

This one goes out to PokeKid 25 for reminding me of this GOLD.

From what I read, Arcade Kid's Confidant doesn't start till September, so...I'm twisting the timeline a bit. All for the sake of humor, trust me.

"You just...point the gun at the screen, right?"

"Well, usually there are targets, but yeah. That's the gist of it."

Akira grinned, gently patting Makoto's shoulder as he walked to the console. The wire tying the toy pistol to the machine made it nigh impossible to twirl it like he usually did, so he settled for dangling it on his finger by the trigger before flicking it back into a proper grip. "Have you played this before?"

"Oh, I'm an expert."

Something in Akira's mind twitched, recalling memories of that...monster with the red cap, grinning and laughing cruelly as he completely decimated Akira's score. He was snapped out of his reverie by Makoto waving a hand in front of his face, a look of mild concern with a hint of confusion written into her features. He blinked a few times before realizing that he was still holding the gun and staring at the scoreboard. He pushed the humiliation of defeat to the back of his mind choosing instead to shake the clouds out of his head. "Right. Anyway...want to try?"

"I-If it's okay with you...Do you think you could teach me?"

Akira smiled, pulling the second gun out its 'holster' and offering it to her. "Sure. It's not that hard to pick up, especially for someone as sharp as you."

Makoto blushed lightly at the compliment, taking the gun from his hand and trying now to dwell on how their fingers brushed against each other. She quickly glanced at the way Akira was standing and mimicked the movement. "Ready?"

The game started much faster than she figured it would, a blast of pixelated sound bursting from the speakers fixed on the side of the machine. Akira simply lifted his pistol when something was in sight, firing as calmly as he did in the Metaverse. Makoto assumed this was a good way to sharpen one's aiming skills anyhow. "Makoto, they're coming your way."

Upon noticing this, Makoto squeezed the trigger, the screen displaying a blast of color to signal her shot hitting home. The admittedly easy accomplishment was enough to lift her spirits."I did it!"

"That you did. On your right."

"Huh?!"

Makoto flinched when a monster lurched into view, quickly dispatching it with a rapid volley of shots. Akira nodded in approval, levelling his pistol at the screen and firing with more controlled bursts. His score quickly caught up with Makoto's, but he purposefully held back from overtaking her to keep her focus on the game. He didn't have to try very hard either way; just like in the Metaverse, she was a quick learner. "You're out of bullets."

"No way!"

Makoto fumbled with the gun, quickly scanning the control scheme painted below the screen to assure herself that she knew how to reload. By the time she aimed the gun back at the screen, however, her avatar was already in trouble. Apparently, she thought that meant her real self was in danger too...because she screamed. "Ahhh!"

Akira bit back a laugh, quickly aiming his pistol at the enemy threatening to attack Makoto. He quickly memorized the placement of the approaching enemies before turning his head and firing mechanically, subtly scanning the arcade as he did so. His suspicions were confirmed rather easily; Makoto's...spirited style of play was attracting some attention.

The two finished their game rather quickly, if only because Makoto's cries were making Akira a bit anxious. He may have taken a few more hits than necessary to end the game faster…

Makoto seemed to be glowing happily from the experience, though exactly why was something Akira would probably never find out. She smiled at him when she noticed he was watching for a reaction or commentary. "Oh, so this is how it is."

Akira stared at her dully, quietly noting that her behavior was a stark contrast to the frantic squeaks and shouts from less than two minutes ago. Choosing to put that behind him, he simply smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're a...a real gamer."

All in all, Akira thought the whole ordeal was rather cute. Those few minutes had easily put to rest any lingering doubts that the rumors around Shujin were true; that Makoto was akin to a robot and all that nonsense. As if there was ever any doubt, anyway. "I wonder if I could apply some of the techniques I learned here during battle."

"...I'm sure you'll be fine either way."

"Hmm...I'm starting to understand how people pass the time. It's quite interesting; I never would have thought about coming here before."

Although that may be because…

She snuck a look at Akira before quickly averting her gaze. "Anyway, er...do you think you could help me out again later? I might be able to give the team more ideas if I gained increased knowledge outside my studies."

Akira raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You sure it's not because you had fun? Maybe want to come here again?"

Makoto managed to take the dig in stride, nodding after a moment. "Well, I won't say I didn't have fun. I'm not sure I would want to come here without you, though…"

Akira watched her freeze where she stood, quickly glancing at him uneasily before she crossed her arms and stammered, "I-I mean, I still need your help to learn how to play! You saw clearly enough that I needed a helping hand every now and then."

He nodded silently, letting her own words sink in as she recalled the moment he passed her the gun. Makoto quickly quashed the thought, staring steadfastly at the floor as she muttered, "Never mind. It may not be immediately, but I'm sure I can be of use."

"You're plenty useful already. Morgana's jealous. Mostly because of the whole motorcycle thing."

Makoto relaxed, letting out a light laugh. "Thank you. By the way, you went to the red-light district in when you were chasing after Kaneshiro, right?"

"Yeah. Heh, Ryuji got jumped."

"I'd like to go there as well."

Akira blinked, his thoughts skidding to a stop as he started at Makoto. She quickly realized that her wording was rather poor. "N-no! Not for my own purposes."

"Uh-huh."

Makoto shot him a glare that bore no real malice before elaborating. "Truthfully, I've received reports that a student from Shujin was spotted there…"

Akira noted that as a return to form. He simply listened to her speak, falling into a trance of sorts as she detailed why she wanted to investigate. It took her a minute to notice that he was sort of gazing dreamily at her. "...What?"

Hmm...Maybe...

The thought made Akira smile softly. "Nothing, really. Ready to go home?"

I just hit rank 4 Charm...Ohh, I'm so close to the finish line now.

Hope you enjoyed.