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I was well aware of the little scheme the owner was running.

Taking the wooden pellets from him, I turned to the girls beside me with a smile. "See anything you like? Just point it out."

Seeing me step up to play again, Mayuri hesitated. "Kyoya-kun, I-Is this really okay?"

The girl was clearly remembering what had happened at the goldfish scooping stall earlier. She couldn't bear to see this shooting gallery owner suffer the same fate.

"Don't worry about it. The owner was the one who insisted I play, so of course, I have to give it a proper go," I said, completely unconcerned by Mayuri's worries, and turned to look at the still-grinning owner.

"Hey, pops, if I happen to win a little too much, you're not going to back out on me, are you?"

Hearing my question, the owner slapped his chest and said with confidence, "Hahaha! Don't worry, kid! Whatever you hit is yours! I absolutely won't go back on my word!"

The stall owner was used to this kind of talk. Every guy on a date wanted to show off his marksmanship in front of his girl. But they never stopped to think—if there were really that many sharpshooters in the world, wouldn't he have gone bankrupt long ago??

"Well, if the owner himself says so, then none of you need to worry!" I ruffled Mayuri's hair and smiled at the group.

"Mm!"

Although the girls nodded in agreement on the surface, they couldn't help but look at the still-grinning owner with a hint of pity.

'Uncle, It looks like you still don't understand the gravity of the situation!'

'I just hope you can still be smiling later!'

———

Next, I hefted the replica rifle, and after confirming there were no issues, I looked at Mayuri beside me. "Mayuri, you go first. Which one do you want?"

"Eh? Me first..." Hearing my words, the girl hesitated for a long time before choosing a doll that looked like an angel.

"I'll take that one!"

Following the direction of her finger, I nodded. "No problem. Leave it all to me."

Saying this, I raised the replica rifle in my hand and got into a shooting stance.

Load, aim, fire—the entire sequence was one fluid motion.

"Bang!"

With the sound of a pellet cutting through the air, the angel doll fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the owner's eyelid twitched, a sinking feeling forming in his gut.

'H-He actually hit it on the first shot??'

'Th-This has to be luck, right??'

After a moment of self-reassurance, the owner bent down, picked up the angel doll, and handed it to me, still forcing a grin. "Not bad luck, kid! Just like that little lady earlier, you hit it on your first try."

Hearing the owner's compliment, I just smiled and nodded in response, then turned and handed the doll to Mayuri.

"Here you go, Mayuri,"

"Thank you, Kyoya-kun."

Taking the doll, Mayuri thanked me, a sweet feeling welling up in her heart.

I playfully pinched the girl's pretty nose, a gentle smile on my face. "What are you thanking me for? This is a gift for my Mayuri."

Feeling my intimate action, a charming blush appeared on Mayuri's pretty face.

Watching the two of them being so affectionate, not only the stall owner but also the onlookers felt a little heartbroken. Without realizing it, they had just been forced to endure an overdose of public affection.

In addition, the other girls couldn't help but feel a little jealous, puffing up their cheeks and staring at me.

Suddenly, Kotori walked over and swatted my hand away from Mayuri's nose. "Mind your surroundings! Don't just casually tease girls like that!"

Looking at Kotori's puffed-up cheeks, I couldn't help but find it amusing.

'I didn't expect this girl to get so jealous now. She's almost on Tohka's level.'

"Which one do you want, Kotori-chan? Let me help you!"

"Hmph..."

Hearing my words, Kotori let out a tsundere snort but still pointed out the prize she wanted. "—I want that green turtle doll."

Looking at the green turtle doll on the shelf, my expression turned a little strange.

"No problem."

After nodding in agreement, I once again raised the replica rifle, loaded, and aimed...

———

On the other side, the owner's heart was in his throat. He continuously reassured himself.

'He won't hit it. He definitely can't hit it again...'

Perhaps the self-reassurance was working. A confident smile reappeared on the owner's face.

However, it turns out that you should never celebrate too soon.

"Bang!"

As the sound of another shot rang out, the green turtle doll on the shelf also fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the confident smile on the stall owner's face instantly vanished.

'Could it be that I really met a sharpshooter today??'

However, I paid no attention to his current mood and said with a smile, "Owner, if you wouldn't mind getting that prize for me."

Hearing this, the owner, looking helpless, could only hand over the turtle doll.

Taking the doll, I immediately handed it to Kotori.

"Well? Not jealous anymore, are you, Kotori-chan,"

"Hmph, Who's jealous," Hugging the green turtle, Kotori, with a blushing face, turned her head away with a tsundere snort. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net

However, the slight smile that hung at the corners of her lips still betrayed her true feelings.

In the spirit of treating everyone equally, I spoke again. "Tell me which one you like. Everyone gets one."

Hearing this, the girls also took turns saying what they wanted.

And I proceeded to put on a sharpshooting clinic, with every shot hitting its mark.

"Bang!"

A game console fell.

"Bang!"

A unicorn doll fell.

"Bang!"

A beautifully packaged box of White Rabbit creamy candy fell.

"Bang!"

A notebook fell.

As the "bang bang bang" of the rifle continued, the prizes on the shelf were continuously shot down by me. And the stall owner beside me... the smile had long since vanished from his face, replaced by a look of pure panic.

Every time I pulled the trigger, the owner's heart would pound violently, a look of utter despair on his face. He had never expected that the young man before him could actually hit every single shot.

At the same time, he increasingly regretted inviting me to play.

'This is completely self-inflicted!'

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