NOVEL WEB In reality, an amusement park doesn’t only have thrill rides like roller coasters, Vikings, or drop towers. Among us, Kayoko seemed to prefer more static rides, and Nagisa also favored a calmer atmosphere.
It’s heartwarming to see her earnestly trying various attractions to fit in with us, but watching Nagisa struggle a bit makes my heart ache, or rather, my eardrums…
Anyway, one of the rides that meets those conditions is this dark ride. It’s an attraction where you ride in a vehicle, like a car or boat, along an indoor track themed for all ages to enjoy without much burden. For reference, my last experience was riding a dark ride themed around a Halloween castle at a certain amusement park.
When the suggestion to try out this dark ride came up, Nagisa lit up, and the other kids didn’t seem to voice much opposition either. After the roughly 10-minute ride on the smooth track, it seemed like Nagisa regained some peace of mind, which put me a bit at ease.
…By the way, I noticed her hands were trembling earlier; is she facing withdrawal symptoms from black tea or something?
Afterward, we took turns riding thrilling and relatively mild attractions, but to my surprise, everyone seemed less than thrilled about it. For Nagisa, it felt like torture, and the other kids said it broke their rhythm.
The last attraction we visited was the Ferris wheel, a ride you spend in the air while overlooking the amusement park, usually frequented by couples or families…
“Didn’t it say in the guidelines that Magic Pass holders have to buy tickets and wait in line for the Ferris wheel too? You’re aware of that, right?”
“Really?”
“…You didn’t read it properly, did you?”
According to Kayoko, while other attractions might be accessible with a Magic Pass, this particular one wasn’t designed for that convenience. Due to its extremely low turnover rate, they implemented this rule to minimize customers’ feelings of deprivation. I get it intellectually, but emotionally, it’s just disappointing as someone who’s spent money.
It’s understandable given it operates on a separate ticket system, but it was my first time standing in line outside of the ticket booth. Normally, I’d ride attractions immediately because of money, so now waiting feels oddly unsatisfying.
“Ugh… But the line isn’t too long. I think waiting a bit more to ride is fine…!”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“I… honestly want to ride no matter how long the line is.”
Since we only waited about 30 minutes for the extremely low turnover rate, our group decided we’d wait to ride.
Especially, it was pretty obvious why Nagisa wanted to ride this thing, so I thought if our opinions differed from the Heungsinso side, we could split up temporarily.
Thinking it over, there’s really no need to worry about them running away. If I just gave Hina a heads-up about putting them on a wanted list, their accounts would get frozen in no time. They wouldn’t want that to happen, so there’s no way they’d run away.
Even if they did, there’s nothing I could do but visit the suspected client. If I poke around a few times, I’d easily gather the necessary information…
Ah, no, wait. We’ll naturally run into each other during the summer festival, so I wouldn’t need to seek them out.
Just as I had half-confirmed the amusing future of rhythmically tapping the head of a handsome but foolish Gehenna student, the Heungsinso kids unexpectedly expressed positive intentions.
“If you let Angel-chan ride with us, Mitsuki-chan totally agrees~! Ku-hu-hu♡”
“Wait a minute! Mitsuki, that means you want to ride separately from us!”
“Eh~? But, Aru-chan, there’s hardly any other chance to mix with new people, right? So, let’s just sit together half and half! How about it? I think it’s a great idea!”
For reference, the Ferris wheel accommodated six people per gondola. Honestly, I thought it would be just me and Nagisa sitting together while the others paired off, but surprisingly, everyone easily agreed to split the group.
Why is that, seriously? Am I missing something here?
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible, Asagi. Mika and you will have to ride in different gondolas.”
“Hmm~? Why is Jealous Angel-chan deciding that on her own? I’m not really interested in the Ferris wheel unless I’m sitting with Angel-chan. You’re not planning to suggest sitting alone with her now, right?”
“…Jealous Angel?”
“Why, doesn’t it suit? Someone who fell in love with a remarkable person and feels threatened by any rival… kya-hat, I see you don’t like it much, so I’ll call you Angel-san instead♪”
“Honestly, you’re such a talkative person. You remind me so much of the old Mika. Hah…”
Hmm… Is that so? They seem similarly noisy. Meanwhile, it looks like Nagisa is trying to fill a gondola with those who don’t show interest in me. Does that mean Azusa and Mitsuki are being sent to another gondola?
“Well, that’s minor. Asagi, sit with me. Azusa, you too. It would be great if Mika could join, but that might burden Hifumi, so let’s give up on that part.”
“Wait? I’m okay with it, though…”
“No, Hifumi. I don’t want to inconvenience you because of our matters.”
“…kya-hat, I see~? If that’s the case, I’ll join! It looks fun, so for this time, I’ll grant it to you, Jealous Angel-chan… Oh wait, I meant to call you Angel-san, right? Ku-hu-hu.”
Huh? So, you really want to sit separately from me?
Considering Nagisa, she must have her own reasons for wanting to sit apart from me. But hearing her say she wants to sit separately makes me feel slightly disappointed.
“…Why me?”
As I asked that, Azusa lightly grabbed my sleeve and looked up at me with a sorrowful expression. I couldn’t ignore our squirrel’s pitiful gaze, and just as I was about to suggest sitting together, I suddenly realized why Nagisa wanted to sit with those two.
To put it simply, she wanted to declare “Don’t touch my property.” It’s so very Nagisa-like, but she’s being surprisingly straightforward about it. Her choice was a vehement and determined assertion that left me taken aback.
“Azusa-chan…”
It would be a lie to say I didn’t want to support Nagisa, but that wouldn’t be right. This is something she can’t forcibly impose, and she probably fully understands that. If Azusa doesn’t want to, we’d have to reconsider.
I glanced at Azusa’s face in the shade of her hat. Even though it was just over her hat, I gently placed a hand on her head and slowly opened my mouth.
“You can say you don’t want to if that’s how you feel. It’s alright. We’re here to have fun today. Even if there are complicated circumstances, one person shouldn’t be forced to do something they don’t want to do.”
“…Okay, I understand.”
After a short moment of looking at Nagisa, Azusa nodded. It seems like she’s made up her mind on this side as well.
“I’ll sit with Nagisa. Avoiding it wouldn’t change anything.”
“I see. I can’t say I’ll support you, but… Yes, still, clearly expressing your thoughts will help sort out your emotions.”
As I lightly patted Azusa’s shoulder for encouragement, I suddenly felt a freezing chill run through me. When I stole a glance, there was Nagisa glaring icily at me.
“…Hey, Mika. I think I just figured out what the problem was.”
“Ahaha… Really? I’m not sure why, but that sounds a bit scary.”
“Never mind. Speaking up won’t fix anything, and I actually like seeing that side of you. The real issue seems to lie with the people getting too close to someone who’s taken…”
Oh, I see, Nagisa. But why’s the blame on me when you say the issue is there? And to be fair, Haruna and the others were… before any of that happened with us.
Well, when did Nagisa learn about mind-reading? I was only thinking it, yet her glare intensified.
“I think I have an idea of what you’re talking about, Nagisa.”
“Don’t pretend to understand when you really don’t… If Mika had even a hint of awareness, you would have figured this out by now.”
“Yikes, Nagisa. Aren’t you being a bit harsh today?”
“It’s all just the truth.”
Nagisa opened up several scratches on my not-so-delicate heart, but as someone who has made mistakes, I couldn’t refute that. It wouldn’t even be shameless of me to pursue her now, considering how precious she is to me in Kivotos.
Nagisa, who had once done reckless things for me, how could I not cherish her?
“You really are a girl with many faults.”
“Ahaha, I’m starting to at least be aware of certain things now… Wait a minute. Why do you sound like you’ve known all along, Kayoko-chan? Huh?”
“With someone whose attention is fixed on you when they constantly switch groups, it’s more odd to not notice.”
Oh? Our girls didn’t know you caught them stalking me. Could you say that out loud? It’s a relief that Nagisa didn’t seem to hear that at least…
“…Kayoko, what do you mean? I thought it was just that I had quite a few friends?”
“Hah…”
Kayoko, who was quickly defeated by her superior’s words right after making a point, let out a small sigh. She’s probably going to have a long struggle ahead, but it’s likely because she cares about those kids so much that she’s willing to endure it.
To put it all together, Kayoko also seems to enjoy her fair share of voluntary hardships, just like me.
As we chatted away, the line shrank quickly. Before we knew it, it was our turn, and we finalized the grouping and order.
First, it’ll be me, Aru, Haruka, and Hifumi getting on the Ferris wheel that comes down first.
Nagisa, Azusa, Mitsuki, and Kayoko would wait a bit longer and then take the next Ferris wheel—a somewhat delicately arranged group.
“Are you really okay, Kayoko? You’d be better off joining them, even if you split the group into three or five.”
“…I appreciate the concern, but I honestly don’t care. If worse comes to worst, I can always listen to music.”
“Hehe, Kayoko-chan, you still can’t be honest today. To be fair, I just wanted to sit with you since I’m worried~!”
“Not happening, so keep your distance.”
Honestly, I’m more concerned about Nagisa than Mitsuki. It’s almost certain the tension will arise between Azusa and Mitsuki, but Nagisa will be left in the most dangerous and disadvantageous position.
But well, everyone left their guns in the locker, so at least that’s a relief? They wouldn’t do something as foolish as fighting on a Ferris wheel, so this might be overthinking.
Anyway, we finally arrived at the front of the line and split up as discussed. Standing next to Hifumi, I caught a brief glimpse of her smiling face and realized she might have been fine riding alone with the Heungsinso kids.
“Time for the ticket check. How many people in your group, Customer?”
“There are four of us.”
“Alright, once the ticket check is done, please wait until the internal sterilization finishes to board the capsule.”
After getting our tickets checked by the Doberman staff and stepping inside the Ferris wheel, I found myself sitting next to Aru, with Hifumi and Haruka right across from us. At least with this group separation, it seems unlikely that Haruka would go wild, which is a relief.
…But honestly, are they really alright over there?