Chapter 64

A short while later, in front of the amusement park ticket booth.

“…So, in this case, it should be one child and two adults, right?”

“I’m not a child. I’m an adult.”

“You should consider your age, Gayeon. Legally, you’re still a kid.”

“I’m 14 now.”

“Then we should count you as a teenager, not a child.”

Gang Ian chuckled softly as he watched Gayeon confidently argue. Chise quietly observed the two bantering back and forth like a comedy duo.

“…Come to think of it, they never said it was just the two of them.”

For some reason, a sense of disappointment stirred within her. On the other hand, she was too embarrassed to lift her head.

“Ugh…what was I even thinking all this time?!”

It wasn’t even a date, but she had mistaken it for one. She had been worrying over someone who didn’t even have feelings for her.

A strange sense of disappointment and awkwardness washed over her. She tugged at her skirt, trying to shake off the feeling.

“Tsukino-san?”

“Y-yes?!”

“Are you okay? Your face is a little red…”

“Did I call you at a bad time…?”

Seeing Gang Ian’s slumped expression, Chise quickly shook her head in surprise.

“No, no! I’m fine! I was just thinking about something…!”

“Then, can you hang out today?”

“Of course!”

Well, in the end, she was the one who accepted the invitation. Now that they were all here, it would be too rude to back out.

“…Shall we go in then?”

“Sure!”

“Alright!”

‘Since we’re here, I might as well forget everything and just have fun!’

Quickly brushing off her emotions, Chise smiled brightly, took the ticket from the booth attendant, and headed inside.

***

Narin, Chise, and Gayeon enjoyed various rides at the amusement park.

“Whoa, whoa…we’re going up, up!”

“Oppa, hold my hand!”

The roller coaster, a staple of amusement parks.

*Screech! Thud!*

“Drive carefully, Tsukino-san! Gayeon-san!”

“You’re the one who…”

“Keeps bumping into us!”

My back is going to break!

Bumper cars, where everyone crashes into each other.

“Gayeon-san! Look over here!”

“V-”

And the carousel, where photos always turn out beautifully.

We spent a lot of time riding various attractions.

“Amusement parks are fun places.”

“Yeah.”

We decided to take a short break.

We headed to an outdoor garden where eating was allowed and laid out a mat.

“Wow…!”

“It’s pretty.”

As we opened the lunchboxes we had prepared, the two of them exclaimed in admiration.

‘I prepared a bit yesterday for today.’

“Both of you, eat a lot. We still have more to do after this.”

“Okay!!”

Nod. Nod.

Chise gave a confident salute, while Gayeon, already devouring the lunchbox, nodded her head.

Watching them enjoy the food, I smiled contentedly.

‘Then, I’ll eat too.’

Even if it’s an expensive lunchbox bought from a store, the decoration is reliable.

I made it myself, but looking at it again, it’s well done.

I picked up my chopsticks and reached for the food.

***

“Phew…that was good.”

“Thank you for enjoying it.”

“Ah, Sajan-san!”

After eating, I approached Chise, who was resting on a bench.

“Gayon? No, where’s Gayeon?”

“She said she wanted to buy something. She went to the souvenir shop.”

“Is it okay to let her go alone??”

“It’s close by, and Gayeon-san is good at finding her way.”

There’s also a phone, and if needed, teleportation.

I sat down next to Chise and continued to watch the rides in motion.

“We really rode a lot.”

Then, as if bored from sitting still,

Narin started talking to me.

I nodded appropriately, responding to her words.

“Buying the pass was a good idea.”

Even though people die easily and terrorism can happen anywhere in this world, strangely, the crowds here seemed similar to those in the original world.

Is this just a normal part of their daily lives?

Anyway, thanks to these brave souls, the amusement park was bustling with people.

“The pass is great. You don’t have to wait in long lines to ride.”

Seeing the unusually long lines, it seemed like we wouldn’t be able to ride properly without it.

So, I spent a hefty sum to buy a pass that allowed us to ride the attractions with priority for the day.

“Thank you for including me!”

“I asked you to come. It’s only right to take care of you.”

Chise thanked me, and I laughed it off as if it were nothing.

“But still! You even made lunch and brought it. I feel bad.”

“There’s nothing to feel bad about. I just wanted to try something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.”

When I smiled at her, she pursed her lips for a moment.

“…But why did you bring me?”

Then, with slightly flushed cheeks, she stared at me.

“It’s your first time here. This could become a precious memory. Why did you bring me?”

She was asking why she, a customer, was brought along instead of a friend.

‘…I just didn’t have anyone else to hang out with.’

I had several close people, but they were all from work, so it was awkward to call them friends or ask them to hang out.

But Chise wouldn’t know about this.

So, what she really wanted to ask was probably…

‘Why did you bring me instead of ‘that girl’ from before?’

Last time, when I was bothering Narin, she happened to see us.

Chise might have misunderstood that I had some kind of relationship with Narin,

and might be questioning why I’m hanging out with her like this.

Is this…two-timing?

“Hmm…”

I pretended to ponder while looking elsewhere, then opened my mouth to convince Chise.

‘Honestly, I brought Chise here to have someone experienced to make the day more efficient…’

But if I told her the truth, wouldn’t she get mad?

She might think I was using her and never come back to the cafe.

‘That can’t happen.’

I need to stage another terrorist attack to help her grow, so I can’t ruin things over a small variable.

“…I want to be friends with Tsukino-san.”

“Huh…?”

Chise seemed flustered by my words, her tone rising.

I scratched the back of my head, pretending to be embarrassed, and nodded.

“Actually, I don’t really have any close friends.”

“Then, what about that person you were hugging last time…?”

“Ah, her?”

I smiled brightly and looked at Chise.

As if there was nothing to feel guilty about.

“She’s just a younger friend. She’s preparing for a play this time.”

“A play…?”

Chise looked confused.

I nodded as if there was no problem.

“Yeah. That time…was it a scene where lovers whisper sweet nothings?”

“…You recreated that scene?”

“She insisted we had to…”

Chise looked incredulous.

But she didn’t say anything after looking at my face.

A man who had never been to an amusement park before.

Always smiling.

Kind enough to be friendly even to strangers, and willing to spend money on cooking and expensive tickets just to make friends.

With such a foolish demeanor, she probably wouldn’t think to say anything.

‘I’m just a simpleton now.’

Somewhere between innocence and idiocy.

Like the protagonist in a romantic comedy who, despite receiving attention from all the girls, goes, “Huh? Someone like me couldn’t possibly be popular?!”

The kind of character that makes the heroines sigh and say, “Well, that’s just how he is,” but ultimately accept.

In other words, the perfect role for enjoying irresponsible pleasures.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just…ha, no.”

You don’t bother explaining to someone who’s clueless.

They wouldn’t understand what they did wrong anyway.

“Anyway, I get what you’re trying to say.”

In the end, Chise decided to let it go.

“I like it too. Being friends.”

“Really?”

Wow! I grabbed Chise’s hand and leaned in with an excited expression.

Trying to make it overlap with the scene she saw at the cafe.

“Thank you!”

“…Uh, that’s too close…”

Her face turned beet red as she slowly lowered her head.

I stared at her, trying to meet her gaze.

‘…It seems like what she asked earlier wasn’t just about whether I’m two-timing.’

Her flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips.

Every time our eyes met, she quickly looked away.

‘Can I take advantage of this too?’

Confirming an unexpected gain, I smiled slyly and stroked her hand.

***

A short while later.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, well…”

After riding a couple more attractions, we sat on a bench and ate hot dogs.

‘But when is Gayeon coming back?’

While waiting for Gayeon, who still hadn’t returned, we rode a few more rides, but there was no sign of her.

She said it might take a while, but isn’t this taking too long?

*Beep beep*

With her not answering her phone, I started to get worried. I finished my hot dog, got up, and said,

“Tsukino-san. I’m worried about Gayeon-san not coming back, so I’ll go look for her.”

“Ah, then I’ll come with you, Sajan-san!”

It’s easier to search together.

Chise also finished her hot dog and got up.

“Alright. Let’s go look. First, the souvenir shop…”

Just as we were about to start searching for Gayeon.

*BOOM!!!*

“Ha, crazy.”

“Couples! Couples need to be wiped out!! Why are the standards only strict for me?! You, you damn bastards!! Why, why is everyone only cursing me! Everyone, couples!!”

With the sudden appearance of a villain, the entire amusement park descended into chaos.

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