There’s something lovely about the name “amusement park.”
With family during childhood. With friends during school days. And as I grew older, with a beloved partner.
Depending on who accompanies you, the same place can evoke slightly different feelings.
Since that plague from China spread, I haven’t been there even once. And after I possessed this body, there simply wasn’t time to go.
In the crowd full of dreams, hopes, enjoyment, and other assorted things at the amusement park, I let out a small sigh.
“Azu-chan… could you please put the gun down? I’m asking nicely here.”
“There are too many watching us… If someone from the crowd is targeting us, we can’t let our guard down.”
“Ow… Azu-chan, I really don’t think anyone plans an ambush in a place this crowded.”
Only after Hifumi’s backup did Azu finally relent and lower her gun. However, she couldn’t help but keep glancing around, a habit drilled into her by Saori…
Anyway, today, the members visiting the amusement park are the same four as originally planned: Hifumi, myself, Azu, and Nagisa, who tagged along with Hifumi’s permission after being dazzled by the Momo Friends parade.
Originally, I thought to introduce Azu and Hifumi here, but since we ended up planning Nagisa’s birthday party, their acquaintance developed way earlier than expected. Seeing Hifumi calling her Azu-chan instead of Ms. Azu indicates they must have been getting along without me knowing.
To avoid drawing too much attention today, everyone opted for casual clothing. When Trinity ladies visit an amusement park, it wouldn’t be surprising to attract troublemakers. Though I couldn’t be sure if my presence would reduce or increase such encounters…
As for Hifumi, she wore a V-neck knit paired with a plaid mini skirt, topped off with a ribbon beret… Naturally, our Hifumi-chan, who is deeply in love with Peroro, carried a mini Peroro crossbody bag. I’ve often noticed while shopping that Hifumi looks incredibly good in a beret.
Azu today was dressed casually, avoiding excessive adornment. With the summer sun, she sported a bright and cheerful colored t-shirt, black shorts, and an oddly familiar baseball cap.
Since I don’t recall helping her with it, I suspect it might have been Hifumi’s touch. And what’s this ECC at the brim? 12:8… Azu-chan, why did you borrow Saori’s cap…?
By the way, Nagisa and I are matching outfits… or more accurately, similar styles. Yesterday, Nagisa dragged me into town and quickly threw this together, suggesting she might be conscious of Azu.
Both our outerwear is pastel blue. I chose a hoodie, while Nagisa opted for a plain button-up shirt. Our crossbody bags are even in the same design, thanks to Nagisa’s influence.
Overall, our vibes are similar, but one glaring difference is that I’m wearing a white skirt while Nagisa has on white skinny jeans. This happened simply because Nagisa thought this looked better on her. I’m confident I can pull off skinny jeans too… but Nagisa’s legs look so good in them it feels a bit unfair. Thus, this is how it turned out.
“Ugh, all these eyes on us are a bit troubling. I know they’re not staring at me but…”
…Well, I guess they are, but since Nagisa is clinging to me, it’s hard not to feel that way, right?
“If I don’t hold you tightly, who knows when or where you’ll charm some other girl? I know I should be grateful to Seiya, but I’ve warned you not to get too close… I didn’t expect you to cling to her so shamelessly. Is it really possible that a human hand cannot block the flowing river? Is that even sensible to say?”
“Ahahaha…”
“Mika, you shouldn’t be laughing like that. I thought it was just the little thieves of Gehenna, but now there are wild dogs nearby, and a sister too…”
Nagisa, clearly aware that one of those wild dogs is right next to her, still manages to make that remark, causing Azu to make that signature ‘ᓀ‸ᓂ’ expression.
“Wow, how about riding that first? I’ve wanted to try that ride forever, but the line was always too long so I gave up.”
Whatever else was going on, Hifumi, who wasn’t particularly interested in our conversation, suddenly pointed in a direction and spoke up.
It was a carousel… no, a cow-ousel. Instead of sleek and fancy horses, there were sturdy bulls lined up in a bizarre spectacle. Just as I started processing what the heck this was, the ride began to move.
“…Looks fun.”
“Right? I knew Azu-chan would understand!”
Up on the spinning ride, the bulls kicked wildly. Watching the students aboard it scream, I couldn’t help but think, isn’t this just rodeo?
“Hifumi-chan, is there a normal carousel instead of that?”
“Eh? Mika-senpai prefers that? There’s obviously a carousel, but we probably need to head all the way to the opposite end to find it. This area has rides suitable for older students rather than little kids!”
Ah, thanks for the explanation, Hifumi-wagon. It’s not that I particularly like carousels; I was just wondering if it might make for a nice atmosphere to ride one with Nagisa later at night.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with a nighttime carousel ride during a date, right?
…At least that’s what I recall from old dramas and movies, so it must be true.
“Thanks to you, Mika-senpai, we won’t need to wait in line today. Let’s aim to ride all the visible rides!”
Oh, right. This amusement park has a Magic Pass that allows access to exclusive lines. At about 100,000 yen per person for a day, it’s definitely not a budget ticket, but… as I always say, T-party Gold Express is unbeatable.
Typically, if the waiting time at an amusement park disappears, the number of rides you can take increases exponentially. So, if Hifumi is right, we’d probably ride everything and still have time left. It might even be fun to ride some of them twice.
Entering through the Magic Pass-only entrance, I felt an overwhelming comfort of not having to wait. Ah, is this what the upper class life is like… If I become the ddeokbokki tycoon of Kivotos, I doubt I’d ever experience this again. Suddenly brimming with motivation!
“Basically, unless you’re alone, we prefer to have 2 guests per ride, so keep that in mind, customer.”
Hearing the robot employee speak in such a stiff tone felt oddly disappointing. The amusement park I visited during my childhood had cast members who were about a third of the ride’s fun, but it seems I can’t expect that here. After safely storing our bags in lockers, we headed towards the formidable assortment of bulls.
“Let’s go, Azu-chan!”
Even while Hifumi dragged her along, Azu stole glances at me, seemingly wanting to ride with me. I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her when I saw her pouty face as she sat behind Hifumi, totally monopolized by Nagisa. If only I had come here unknowing, it might’ve been easier for us to enjoy together.
“Ahaha, but Nagisa-chan.”
“Yes, yes?”
“What if you get scared of something like this already?”
“T-That’s because Mika-senpai doesn’t know well…”
“Hmm?”
Following Nagisa’s suggestion, I got on the bull in front of us and reached out to help her up.
“…No. You’ll understand once you ride it.”
With an ominous comment, Nagisa carefully took her seat behind me and fastened her safety belt tightly. As I had just checked, it wasn’t going to violently flail around, so safety measures were indeed necessary.
“Ugh. I don’t think my neck will survive today.”
…What, are you saying you’re going to scream to death? What about my eardrums?!
Thud. Squeak.
As the ride started up, I worried whether my ears would withstand it, mocking my concerns. Even though we were still in the initial startup phase and the movements weren’t very wild, Nagisa clung to me tightly from behind.
…Hmm, I must not think any naughty thoughts. That’s against the rules. What if Nagisa is more impressive than she seems on the surface…?
Somewhere, Wild West-themed background music started playing. With that cue, the bulls we were on began to buck wildly.
Whoa, what is this? This is way more fun than I expected! The thrill of a rodeo ride stimulates my brain. Part of it is due to Nagisa clinging to me, but the pure joy of the ride is enough to give it a passing grade.
“M-Mika-senpai… could you bear with it a little even if it’s loud…!”
“Ahahaha, why’s that, Nagisa-chan? You can enjoy this level of excitement normally!”
“T-This is just the beginning…!”
Clunk!
It seems Nagisa wasn’t joking, as the bulls surged into a fiercer and wilder motion. I thought it still felt manageable, but…
“KYAAAAAAAAA…!”
Nagisa’s tone began to rise gradually, ringing in my ears. A perfect crescendo, yet it remained tolerable.
But wait, is the movement really turning wilder…?
No, this isn’t just rodeo levels! Thankfully, my body is strong, but with the bulls getting rowdier, I would’ve expected the seatbelt to leave bruises on my belly if it were my old body.
Nagisa’s screams were escalating, too, and I was starting to feel dizzy…
Seated in front of us, Azu and Hifumi appeared to be enjoying the ride comfortably. Now Hifumi was even raising her arms in delight… I guess that level of bravado is required to be the leader of a swimsuit masked brigade. Azu, too, seemed to be reveling in the jolting ride, sporting a small smile that fascinated me.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
N-Nagisa…
I really hate to say it, but…
Couldn’t we switch it up and take turns riding with Azu? Otherwise, I might not survive today’s eardrum challenge.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud, so I just mentally repeated it, trying to clear my mind to endure this challenging time.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Nagisa seemed to realize she’d been torturing me, and after riding a couple more attractions with a sheepish expression, she swapped seats with Azu.
Our Nagisa, so sweet-hearted. Though no matter how lovely her voice is, I hope she remembers that if it goes too high, it becomes a torment for the listener…
