Extra Story 20IF – Chasing the Giant Plushie
Note: This was originally written as Chapter 20 of “Elf Goes Outside,” but I scrapped it and made it a side story instead. It has no connection to the main story. It’s a spare piece for when I can’t update.
"Nom."
Top Chat: Girls who look happy eating snacks are the best.
Top Chat: Facts.
Top Chat: Meanwhile I had katsudon at a soba shop for lunch.
After that, I tried another round and managed to score five ramune candies. A satisfying haul.
"Alright, next game!"
Top Chat: Going for the big plushie is tough.
Top Chat: Maybe don’t?
Top Chat: We don’t want Elf-san’s smile to disappear…
Riding the momentum, I headed for a crane game with a prize: a thirty-centimeter plush of some girl in a swimsuit. No idea who the character was.
"Okay, go!"
With cheerful music, the crane started moving. For all the warnings about difficulty, the speed wasn’t much different.
"Front’s good, depth’s good. Grab it!"
The claw latched nicely onto the plush and closed its three arms. But then—
"Huh?"
Top Chat: Dropped.
Top Chat: It lifts just fine… up to that point.
Top Chat: And then, yeah, that happens.
"Are the claw arms weak?"
Top Chat: Ah, she noticed.
Top Chat: Yep, they’re weak.
Top Chat: Or more accurately—it’s a rigged machine.
"A rigged machine?"
Top Chat: It’s a type of crane game. Unless the machine takes in a set amount of money, it won’t let you win.
Top Chat: It lifts the prize all the way, or just before dropping it in the hole, and then—plop.
Top Chat: That movement is so sneaky. If you don’t know, you think, “Oh man, I was so close!”
Top Chat: Of course the payout threshold varies, but yeah… game design-wise, it’s kinda scummy.
"Hmm…"
What to do? I twirled a strand of my long hair and rested my chin on my hand.
Top Chat: Word is Elf-san summoned me.
"Oh? The Elf expert?"
Top Chat: I’m just a mythology nerd, but yesterday they called me that.
Top Chat: Lies, he’s totally an Elf fan.
Top Chat: He dove into Norse myths just for Elf.
Top Chat: Sus!
"Know any magic?"
Top Chat: What a way to ask that, Elf-san lol
Top Chat: Sounds like she’s asking where the stapler went.
Top Chat: If you mean magic Elves are associated with, then rune magic comes to mind. In Norse mythology, one of the roots of Elf lore, magic was done by carving runes with special ink. But most of that knowledge has been lost.
Top Chat: Runes? I’ve heard of those in games.
Top Chat: Yeah, they pop up a lot. Didn’t realize it was from Norse myths.
"So… any chance one of those runes could snag a cushion?"
Top Chat: There she goes again, asking in the most literal way possible lol
Top Chat: Straight to the point!
Top Chat: Not really… If anything, maybe Tiwaz? It’s a rune said to make the impossible possible. But either way, not something you can just whip out in an arcade.
"Mm… so magic’s useless after all."
Top Chat: Well, there was also seiðr, a kind of sorcery practiced by the Vanir goddess Freyja. Some theories say Elves were actually Vanir or their followers… but that kind of spell takes preparation. And even if you could use it, it’s definitely not something you’d do inside an arcade.
"Why not?"
Top Chat: Because it was said to involve… sexual ecstasy.
Top Chat: [chair scraping sound]
Top Chat: Quick! Teach Elf-san the method!
Top Chat: What are you doing, Elf Expert?! Hurry up!!
Top Chat: LMAO you guys…
"I’d just get scolded by Kirishi-tan, so nope. …Hm?"
Somehow, while I was fiddling with my hair, it had gotten tangled around my fingers. Back you go. Okay, fixed.
"…Ah, wait. That might work."
Top Chat: Oh?
Top Chat: Eh? You’re actually gonna try something?
Top Chat: You’re using magic? Is it the… lewd kind? That’s fine too!
Top Chat: lol
The claw descended and grabbed the plushie. Same as before. But what happened next was different.
Top Chat: Hm?
Top Chat: Ohhh?
Top Chat: It’s holding!
Top Chat: It’s not falling, it’s not falling!
Top Chat: It’s going, it’s going, it’s go—
Top Chat: Huhhhhhh??
Top Chat: Wait, what just happened?
"Got it."
I pulled the plush out of the prize chute and held it up to the camera.
Top Chat: No, don’t just say “got it”!
Top Chat: What was that movement?!
Top Chat: The claw was clearly open, but the plush didn’t drop for like a whole second!
Top Chat: What did you do??
"I tangled the plushie’s hair in the claw."
To demonstrate, I brushed my fingers through the plush’s synthetic hair while holding it in my palm.
Top Chat: …Eh?
Top Chat: Wait, I thought that only worked on your hair!?
Top Chat: Seriously, how the hell are you doing that…?
Top Chat: Elf Expert, explain!! What is this!?
Top Chat: Well… there is the term “Elf-lock.” In folklore, hair tangles were blamed on Elves’ mischief.
"Huh, really? Interesting."
And then, without missing a beat, I spun the plushie in a dragon screw for emphasis.
Top Chat: Elf-san lol
Top Chat: About half my office just went “nnfhh” and covered it up with fake coughs.
Top Chat: Productivity drop incoming.
Top Chat: Elf-san’s contagious energy is unreal.
Top Chat: Y’know, I just realized… you were kinda hyper during your first stream too.
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