”Mai...come on, everyone else is all dressed up!” Hikari calls from outside of her dorm. Emi and Chiara and standing there with her. Emi is wearing a cowgirl outfit with jeans, boots, fur jacket, red and black plaid button up, and a cowboy hat. Her outfit isn’t exactly unusual in the state of Texas, but it’s all she can put together in a hurry. She had to borrow some clothes from Tomio to pull it off. Chiara is dressed like Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Other than her reddish hair, Hikari thinks she looks adorable in that costume and it suits her well. Hikari’s outfit was a bunny suit that she picked out earlier while shopping at the local Halloween store that opens up around this time. As for Mai...
”What’s holding up Mai? The University Halloween Festival and Ball is about to start.” Emi asks Hikari as she shrugs her shoulders.
”Well...let’s just say Mai is undergoing an image problem right now. She refused to go shopping with me for a costume last week.” A slight smirk curls on Hikari’s lips. “So I picked out a costume without her consent and I’m forcing her to wear it for the ball tonight.” Hikari knocks on the door of her dorm. “Come on, Mai! We’re not going to leave until you open that door!”
”Screw you, Hikari!” A voice shouts from the other side. “This costume is so demoralizing! It should be considered an offense in the Geneva convention!”
”We aren’t in Geneva and the only convention going on right now is the Halloween party. Now hurry up and come out!” Hikari calls back impatiently. “Don’t you want to get some free candy and fruit punch? It’s first come, first serve you know.”
”Gah...fine….just….wait a moment...I’m gonna come out of the door...nice and easy.” The door knob turns as Hikari, Emi, and Chiara all step back for the big revealment. Mai steps out of the door with a white blanket over herself.
”Mai, stop hiding under that blanket.” Hikari rubs her temple, nearly knocking over her bunny ears.
”But it’s my costume.” Mai insist as she bumps into the doorframe since she cannot see through the blanket.
”Are you...supposed to be a ghost or something?” Chiara asked nervously. “That’s kind of….lame.”
”That’s not her costume at all. She’s just trying to hide under it.” Hikari noted.
”Nah...ah...this is totally my costume. I’m a spooky ghost….ooooo~” She tries to wave her arms under the blanket.”
”You not even facing us Mai. At this point, you look more like a clansman than a ghost. It wouldn’t surprise me since your family is all hicks.”
”Alright...alright...I’ll take the blanket off...just….don’t look at me for too long….please….” Mai pulls off the blanket over her and finally reveals her Halloween costume to her friends. Emi and Chiara’s eyes light up the moment they see her.
’SHE’S SO CUTE!” They both glee over Mai’s Sailor costume which consist of a sailor top in blue and white, a sailor skirt, and a little sailor hat on her head.
”I know right? I knew exactly what I was picking for Mai. She looks like a little doll!”
”I really wish I were on the USS Liberty right now.” Mai grumbles with her cheeks bright as an apple. “I hate this so much.”
”Aw...don’t be so grumpy my adorable little sailor girl!” Hikari teases Mai. “That’s what you get for not going shopping with me. You don’t have a right to complain anymore.”
”Pfft….whatever. At least I don’t look like a stripper.”
Hikari pinches Mai’s cheek with her fingers. “Hey...you better watch that sailor’s mouth of yours.”
”Ah….that hurts…let’s just go to this stupid party so I can get some free snacks.”
The Halloween Ball is being held outside of the University Center which is located just outside of the student cafeteria. There’s plenty of students all dressed up with a DJ playing live music from the UC building entrance. There’s a couple of stalls from various clubs offering free drinks, candy, and some hosting some carnival type games. As the girls traverse through the crowds, Chiara spots a stall which happens to be some kind of shooting gallery game. “Emi, look. That’s something should try.”
”You’re right, Chiara. What do you say girls? Do we show everyone here how it’s done?”
”I doubt anyone here has VR shooting experience.” Mai shrugs. “Let’s do it, Emi.”
The stall is being hosted by the university ROTC. Two guys in military fatigues stand by the sides of the stall as they watch their guests attempt to shoot moving duck targets with a air rifle. At the top of stall is a stuffed university mascot dressed in a generic military camo uniform. The guests do not take down the targets needed to win the prize and they move on from the stall. Emi and the others step in. “Heya, we’d all like to have a go at the game.” Emi addresses the ROTC students at the stall.
”Sure thing, try to hit all the moving ducks before the timer runs out. You only have a limited number of air bursts, so make each shot count. Are you ready?”
Emi takes the rifle and positions herself to aim down the stall. “Ready!”
The timer starts as the ducks begin to move across Emi’s horizon, she attempts to shoot all of the moving ducks but was only able to manage to take down two out of the 8 ducks. An embarrassing performance for Emi. She could had sworn she was aiming down the sights but her hits weren’t going where they were supposed to be going.
”Aw...nice try, but you only hit two. The best reward we can give you is a chocolate bar.”
”Hm...well it’s something.” Emi takes the bar of chocolate.
”I never realized you were such a bad shot Emi. Let me show you how it’s done.” Hikari steps up to the stall and takes the air rifle.
”Careful, it’s a lot harder than it looks Hikari.” Hikari makes her attempt to shoot the ducks but managed to not hit any. “Wh….no way. I didn’t hit any of them.”
”Yeah, unfortunately so. Sorry, can’t give you a prize for that.” The ROTC student stated to the dismay of Hikari.
”Chiara...do you want to give it try?” Emi asks Chiara who is studying the stall and especially the prize.
”Uh...sure, I’ll give it a go.” Chiara steps up to the shooting gallery and takes the rifle. From what she saw from Hikari and Emi’s performance, they were both trying to aim down the sights like they would with their rifles in Mil-Sim Story. But it seems aiming down the sights doesn’t guarantee the air hitting the targets at the point of aim. She going to try a different approach. She takes aim and as soon as the ducks start moving in front of her she aims the air rifle slightly in front of the ducks instead of directly at them. Her shots start making hits on the ducks but without any warning, the ducks flip and change opposite directions which throws Chiara off. In the end, she ends up hitting 5 of the 8 ducks which makes her the highest score of the four so far.
”Woo! Way to go Chiara!” Emi cheers from the slide line behind her.
”That was some fine shooting. You didn’t get all the ducks but you earn our second tier prize.” The ROTC students grab something from the box behind the stall and hand Chiara a key chain of the school’s mascot.
”That’s so cute…” Chiara noted as she clips the key chain to her lanyard holding her dorm keys.
”Alright...I think I got the gist of it. Step asides ladies!” Mai walks up to shooting gallery. She had seen how Chiara was aiming ahead of the ducks and figures if she were to copy Chiara’s strategy, she can easily hit all of the ducks. “I’m ready. Ready for totally rubber ducky death!”
The ducks start to move and Mai starts taking shots at the ducks. One by one they start to fall unitl the remaining ducks after the fourth duck switch directions. Mai was expecting this and follows through with taking out the rest of the ducks. “Ha ha! Piece of cake!” But right as she’s about to get the eighth rubber duck, it switches directions at the last moment and Mai misses her last shot. Seven out of eight ducks were knocked over my Mai.
”Oooh….so close. Nice try. Here. Have a key chain.” The ROTC student hands Mai the same key chain that Chiara won.
”Man...this game is so rigged, just like everything else in this country.” Mai fusses to herself.
”Be grateful you won anything at all, Mai.”
”But Hikari, I was so close to winning the grand prize….”
”That was some pretty good shooting, Mai.”
”Huh...is that…” Mai and the others look and see Tomio and his friends. Tomio is wearing a western outfit similar to Emi’s costume. Ramirez is dressed like a janitor, Kimberly is wearing a magicians outfit with a tux and top hat, and Fio is wearing what appears to be some kind of futuristic blue tight suit.
”Tomio!” Emi eyes widen when she spots them. “It’s good to see you here. How did you find parking without a parking permit?”
”Let’s just say we put up a temporary sticker in our van.” Kimberly smirked gleefully. Ramirez costume worked pretty well to convince the campus guards.
”It’s not just my costume, it was my previous outfit from my last job. It paid a lot better than the warehouse job, but it’s a pretty convincing wage slave costume.” Ramirez says bluntly. “Enough to fool security.”
”Jeez...it’s been years since I’ve been on campus grounds.” Kimberly notes as she looks around. “Look at this Rami. This is what passes for a Halloween party? It’s so PG.”
”Kimberly, most students here barely under 21 for them to serve alcoholic beverages.”
”They didn’t give a shit back when we were in Uni, Rami.”
”Fio...what on earth are you wearing? I can see every curve on your body!” Hikari is clearly disturbed.
”Oh! You like my costume? I’m Zero Suit Samus! I bought and made this outfit to wear at cosplay conventions. I love Metroid you know.”
”And I thought Hikari’s costume was obscene.” Mai looks over Fio’s costume. “Are you even comfortable wearing that around?”
”I wish I could wear it everyday but it’s too expensive to mess up.”
”Dweeb.” Hikari sighs.
”Say, do you want to horde some candy from the stalls?” Fio asks excitedly.
”That was my plan from the very start.” Mai insisted as she follows Fio.”
”Hey! Wait for us!” Kimberly and Ramirez follow suit.”
”Do they have cotton candy?” Chiara asks.”
”We just saw a stall serving some when we stopped by.”
”Cool, thanks!” Chiara walks off on her own, leaving Tomio and Emi to herself. Emi looks at Tomio and sighs.
”What a coincidence that were both wearing western costumes. You planned all this, didn’t you?”
”Well…...maybe.” Tomio rubs the back of his head and adjust his cowboy hat.” Emi’s expression softens as her lips grin a little.”
”Well, you do look pretty handsome in your costume.” She mentions a bit hesitantly.
”Ah….really? Well so do you….I mean….not exactly handsome...no….wait….you’re very pretty….cute…..ah…” Tomio stumbles his words as Emi laughs.
”It’s alright, Tomio. I think I get what you mean. I think it’s cute we both match.”
”Hey Emi, since we’re all by ourselves now, would like to dance with me?”
”D...dance? Oh….I don’t know if I even know how to dance.” Emi blushes heavily.
”Well...me neither, but we can try to learn together. I just hope...the others don’t try to catch wind of us making a poor attempt.”
The music that’s been playing at the Halloween ball so far was the typical dance hits of the present and the past alongside some standard Halloween jams, but now the music has shifted to something more slow and melodic ballad pop song. “Well….that’s pretty convenient. A slow song to start off.” Tomio offers his hand to Emi who grips it with a tight but affectionate grip.
”Shall we?”
”I’d love to, Tomio.” Emi and Tomio hold hands as they head for the crowd of slow dancers in the festive Halloween night.