As soon as they reached the amusement park, the lively clamour flooded their ears.
There were people everywhere—noise everywhere, laughter everywhere, happiness everywhere. For Yoshino, sights like this were exceedingly rare.
Even Yatogami Tohka had never witnessed anything like it; school felt dull in comparison.
"Shichen, where is this place? Why are there so many people? What are those things? They look so fun! And I smell delicious food!"
Tohka's eyes sparkled the moment she took everything in. She was no longer the wary Spirit who used to be on guard the instant she saw strangers.
Beside her, Yoshino was still tense and uneasy.
"Don't be afraid—I'm right here." Shichen tightened his grip on her hand and spoke gently before turning back to Tohka. "This is an amusement park—a place people come to enjoy their holidays."
"Amusement park? I never imagined somewhere like this existed!"
"Mm‑hmm. All those rides are for fun. In a bit I'll let you try every single one."
"Awesome! I want to ride that long car that runs up in the sky!"
"That's called a roller coaster."
"Ro… roller coaster!"
Tohka was clearly ecstatic; her delight showed all over her face. Shichen couldn't keep from smiling—bringing her here had definitely been the right call.
This park looked a bit like the famous one from his original world, but different enough that he didn't need Ratatoskr's tactical advice. He had once gone on a whim, only to discover afterward that it wasted nothing but time, money, and energy—and had no spiritual value at all. Perhaps that was because he'd gone alone. With girls along this time, he actually felt motivated to have fun.
Strictly speaking, they had gotten in for free: Fraxinus had teleported them past the front gate, so they hadn't even bought tickets. Shichen felt no guilt; he was, after all, saving the world and working for peace. What was one free ticket?
"Come on—let's grab breakfast first." Still holding Yoshino's small hand, he led everyone toward a breakfast café, the map supplied by the crew on Fraxinus. (They were useful now and then.)
The park's buffet breakfast offered bread, noodles, eggs, milk—nothing fancy, but enough to fill an empty stomach. They weren't really here for breakfast anyway; with so many snacks around, hunger was the least of their worries. Today's outing counted as official duty, so money wasn't a concern.
Inside the café there were few patrons, yet Yoshino still clung to Shichen's hand, nervous and constrained.
"It's all right. I'm beside you. No one will bully you—no one could. I'll stay with you the whole time today."
"…Mm!" Yoshino nodded hard. She still gripped his hand, but the trembling stopped.
"Shichen, do they have anything tasty? I think I smell bread—do they have kinako pan?" Tohka sniffed the air, eyes full of curiosity.
"They don't."
"What? How can that be?"
"I think only you like kinako pan, Tohka‑nee," Itsuka Kotori sighed.
"Impossible! Kinako pan are delicious!"
"Not as good as lollipops," Kotori shot back.
"Lollipops are awful! Reine, what do you think?"
"Hmm… sleeping pills probably taste better," Murasame Reine answered listlessly.
"Sleeping pills? What are those?"
"Reine, what are you talking about?" Shichen's mouth twitched.
"Ah—sorry."
"Shichen, what's a sleeping pill?"
"Don't ask. Trust me, it isn't something edible."
"Really? Then, Yoshino, Yoshinon, which is better—kinako pan or lollipops?"
"Eh? I… I think… the food Shichen Onii‑chan cooks is the best…" Yoshino whispered shyly.
"Oh‑ho~ Yoshino sure knows what to say," teased Yoshinon.
"Yoshino, you're flattering him on purpose? So scheming!" Tohka stared, shocked.
"S‑scheming? I‑I'm not…" Yoshino panicked and shook her head.
"Tohka, where did you pick up that word?" Shichen asked, unable to help himself.
"From the TV yesterday. Didn't you watch?"
"No… Try to watch less TV; don't learn random stuff."
"But I thought it was useful."
"You're bullying Yoshino—look, she's uneasy."
"Ah! Yoshino, I'm sorry—I was only joking."
"I‑it's fine…"
"All right, no chatting in the doorway. Let's grab something and start playing."
"Okay!"
Tohka and Yoshino followed Shichen to choose food, while Kotori paired off with Reine; those two didn't need Shichen's personal care. Yoshino was too shy to decide, so Shichen picked a few items that suited her taste from dinner last night. Tohka, by contrast, was interested in everything and took a portion of each.
The buffet wasn't expensive, but her stack of plates drew plenty of curious glances—none of which bothered her as she sat down and dug in. She was so adorable that the onlookers couldn't keep from smiling warmly.
After breakfast, Shichen took everyone to the rides, starting—at Tohka's insistent request—with the roller coaster. Luck was on their side: each car seated three, so no one was left out. Shichen rode with Tohka and Yoshino; Kotori partnered with Reine.
For normal people a roller coaster is thrilling, but none of them felt the rush. Even Reine nearly nodded off. Yoshino clutched Shichen's hand, startled more by the surrounding screams than by the ride itself.
"Shichen, this isn't all that fun," Tohka complained as soon as they stepped off.
"For you, I suppose not."
"Why?"
"You can already fly around in the sky on your own—how could a roller coaster excite you?"
"Oh, I see. So what is fun?"
"Maybe I picked the wrong place…" Shichen sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind. Let's just try every attraction—we're here purely to play today."
"Okay!"
"Yoshino, hold on tight, okay?" Shichen said.
"I—I will!" Yoshino nodded solemnly.
"Ho‑ho~ Onii-chan's so thoughtful. Treating Yoshino that well—planning to cuddle her tonight?" teased Yoshinon.
"U‑uh…" Yoshino's face went bright red.
"Do I have to wait till tonight? Some rides will let me hold her right away," Shichen said openly.
"Ho‑ho~"
"Shichen? I want you to hold me, too!" Tohka joined in.
"All right, all right—everyone will get a turn."
"I don't need that," Kotori declined.
"Really?" Shichen's gaze drifted meaningfully to the black ribbon on Kotori's head.
"Shichen‑nii, what are you planning?" Kotori backed away, hands over her ribbon.
"He‑he~ Nothing at all. Let's go."
…
All day long Shichen took the group through every ride—even the haunted house. Thanks to Fraxinus's well‑timed guidance, they never encountered a long queue. Only Kotori was a bit nervous in the haunted house; the others felt nothing, and Tohka had no concept of ghosts. In terms of thrills the day was a flop—the real highlight ended up being the food. Still, there was progress: by late afternoon Yoshino was far less afraid of crowds.
"Ahh—today was really fun!"
Bathed in the golden light of sunset, Tohka sighed contentedly.
"Wasn't it supposed to be boring?" Shichen teased.
"But playing together with everyone is fun."
"Is that so? Then how about we go out every week?"
"That'd be great!"
"It's getting late—let's head back."
"Okay~"
"Hold it—don't be in such a hurry to leave, Origin."
Suddenly, an aged voice cut in at the worst possible moment.
~~~
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