Chapter 259 | First Try

Selene glared at Dexter. "Hmph."

She stepped toward the controls and placed her hands on them the claw motor hummed as Selene listened carefully.

The claw descended and she missed the first time.

Second attempt, she adjusted based on the sounds. The claw dropped and she actually grabbed a blue bear and actually lifted it.

Dexter’s mouth opened as the bear dropped into the chute.

Selene reached down and retrieved it and it was even nearly twice the size of Dexter’s!

Mira burst out laughing.

Dexter stared at his tiny bear. Then at Selene’s.

"Beginner’s luck."

Selene smiled sweetly. "Of course."

Lyra stepped forward. ’Me.’

Dexter sighed. "You too?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Fine."

He paid.

Lyra attacked the machine with frightening determination and it wasn’t until her 8th attempt before she actually managed to get something.

By her 10th time, she actually managed to get two more plushies and hugged them proudly.

Dexter looked down at his single tiny bear. "I think the machine is sexist."

Lyra chuckled.

Then everyone looked toward Mira.

Mira noticed and she immediately shook her head. "No."

Dexter raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"This is childish."

Dexter smiled and leaned toward her. "Just say you can’t do it."

Mira’s eyes sharpened. "I said it’s childish."

"There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re scared of losing."

"Scared?"

"Terrified."

Mira’s crimson eyes narrowed.

Dexter smiled. "Don’t worry. We’ll understand."

Mira extended her recovered right hand. "Move."

Dexter stepped aside immediately. "That’s the spirit."

Mira moved in front of the stuff and a faint spectral hand manifested beside her.

The game formation prevented talents from directly interfering with the claw or prizes themselves, but Mira could still use the spectral construct as an extension to operate the external controls, provided she wasn’t manipulating anything inside the machine.

She moved the claw and suddenly it grabbed a teddy bear and moved it. "Plop!"

Silence.

Mira looked at Dexter’s stunned face.

A slow, victorious smile spread across her face. "First try."

Dexter stared at the bear. It was smaller than his. But that suddenly seemed irrelevant.

Mira picked it up with her recovered right hand. "See?"

Dexter narrowed his eyes.

"The bear is tiny."

Selene and Lyra covered their mouth and laughed.

Dexter stared at the three women. "So that’s how it is?"

Mira hugged the little crimson bear against herself. "Accept defeat gracefully."

Dexter slowly smiled. "Defeat?"

Something about that smile made Mira suspicious. "Dexter."

He turned toward the attendant.

The attendant looked back.

Dexter pointed toward the enormous human-sized teddy bear displayed behind the counter. "How much for that?"

The attendant blinked. "It’s not technically for sale."

Dexter took out one hundred dollars. "Now?"

The attendant shook his head.

Dexter increased it to five hundred.

The attendant hesitated.

Mira stared at him. "Dexter, don’t you dare."

Dexter placed one thousand dollars on the counter.

The attendant’s eyes widened. He immediately grabbed the massive teddy bear. "Congratulations, sir!"

Mira’s mouth dropped open. Selene blinked. Lyra stared.

Dexter accepted the enormous bear. It was almost as tall as he was.

He turned toward his wives with the most shameless smile imaginable. "See?"

He hugged the giant bear. "I won."

Silence.

Mira’s eye twitched. Selene’s mouth opened. Lyra stared at him as though he’d committed a crime.

Then all three reacted.

"That’s cheating!" Mira snapped.

Selene nodded firmly. "Definitely cheating."

Lyra’s voice blasted through Dexter’s mind. ’Cheater!’

Dexter laughed. "Only the result matters."

Mira glared. "You bought it!"

"And who possesses the largest teddy bear?"

"That’s not the game!"

"The process is irrelevant. History only remembers winners."

Selene turned away from him. Lyra folded her arms and pouted. Mira looked genuinely offended on behalf of claw-machine players everywhere.

Dexter raised the teddy bear and continued laughing.

Then he noticed something. Lyra’s pout deepened. Selene still refused to look at him. Even Mira had crossed her recovered arm over herself as much as she comfortably could.

Dexter’s laughter slowly stopped. "...Seriously?"

No response.

Dexter looked at the attendant. The attendant was desperately trying not to laugh.

Dexter sighed. "Fine."

He reached into his pocket. "How much for the other two giant bears?"

The attendant’s professionalism immediately returned.

Dexter paid another two thousand dollars. The man’s smile became radiant enough to illuminate the festival.

"Excellent choice, sir."