“It’ll only be for a year,” Daisuke’s chipper voice was almost drowned out by the victorious trill of the arcade machine, “Or two, or three—“ His confidence deflated with each hasty alteration.

The young man let out a soft grunt, as he dropped into a crouch to retrieve the prize that had fallen through the chute.

“—Uh, hey, how many years is a space internship again? Y’know, if I don’t get myself booted off early?” Daisuke reappeared at his full height, wiggling the fluffy plushie he now had clutched in one hand, hoping to entice his companion into accepting it.

He leaned his hip against the control panel, bashfully surveying the response to his attempts at joviality.

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t look at me like that,” Daisuke shifted on his feet, lips twisting into a slight pout. The lights from the surrounding LED displays danced across his soft-smiling face, a shifting kaleidoscope of neon colour, “It’s not like I want to be blasted off into space. I mean—yeah, once in a lifetime opportunity, cool!—but—“

His rambling dwindled out into a sheepish laugh, almost drowned out entirely by the arcade’s rambunctious atmosphere. He sighed, lifting his free hand to scratch his cheek, “…You knew my mom was gonna sign me up for something eventually.”