Sunny and company were currently standing by a railing, enjoying something called ice cream, which Avi had insisted on getting — apparently after being won over by Juliet, who'd been bringing it to her almost every night. She seemed to have developed a serious sweet tooth.
Sunny held a chocolate cone, same as Nephis. Cassie had gone with something called vanilla, Avi had chosen strawberry (of course), and Juliet stuck to her favorite — butterscotch, which was apparently a mix of butter, sugar, and chocolate or something like that.
Not that Sunny cared about the details. He just stood there, quietly enjoying the atmosphere: the noise, the color, the crowds. Mundane children ran wild, dragging exhausted parents from stall to stall in search of new rides, glowing toys, or overly sweet snacks. A few Awakened wandered about too — some guards, some families, some clearly there to enjoy the park just like everyone else.
It was... nice.
But also overwhelming.
Sunny still felt out of place — crowded spaces weren't exactly his comfort zone. Nephis didn't look much better. To anyone else she seemed calm and regal as always, but Sunny could tell the blankness in her gaze wasn't aloofness, but uncertainty. She had no clue what she was supposed to do here.
And it didn't help that they were attracting a fair bit of attention.
A lot of boys were gawking. Most of the attention was on Juliet, of course — she was hard to miss — but Nephis and Cassie, walking hand-in-hand, weren't far behind. Their combined aura had people stopping in their tracks.
Sunny, meanwhile, was mostly receiving jealous glares. Dozens of them. Apparently, being the lone guy standing among four gorgeous girls made him public enemy number one. Not a single girl seemed to be looking at him, though — they were too busy admiring the others.
He sighed.
Like an overworked office drone, Sunny was silently playing bodyguard, glaring at any guy who so much as looked like he might approach. It seemed to be working — most of them turned away quickly.
What Sunny didn't know, however, was that it wasn't his glare doing the work.
It was Nephis's blank, cold stare and Juliet's predatory smirk that were warding off the brave.
In fact, quite a few girls had noticed Sunny — and found his tired, deadpan act kind of… cute. Adorable, even. A few were even mustering the courage to walk up and talk to him.
Unfortunately for them, Nephis seemed to subconsciously shift whenever they got close, positioning herself just slightly in the way. Cassie, for her part, was radiating a faint aura that made people's instincts scream do not approach.
Whether it was intent or just natural presence, something invisible — an unspoken pressure — formed around their group.
A bubble.
A wall.
Not even the Dream Realm could've crafted a stronger one.
And so, Sunny licked his ice cream, completely unaware that, contrary to what he was assuming, he was the only clueless one in the crowd.
Next, they had decided to try the roller coaster.
It looked like a public train… except built a hundred meters in the sky and twisted into loops and impossible curves.
"It's been a while since I rode one of these," Cassie said wistfully, smiling. "Last time must've been a year ago. Or two."
"Seems like a regular train with extra steps," Sunny muttered, eyeing the track. "What's the big deal?"
Juliet smirked as she turned to him. "You all better fasten your pants, because we're going up."
She locked eyes with him. "You're not scared, are you, Sunny?"
Sunny blinked. "Nope. Why would I be?"
Juliet's grin widened. "Oh, you'll see. You don't mind sitting alone, do you?"
"Nope."
Sunny still didn't get the hype. It looked fun, not scary. Just speed and turns and a view, right?
.
.
.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Sunny was screaming.
Not a little.
Not once.
Constantly.
From the second the ride started, his voice was practically echoing across the entire park. Five full minutes of pure, unfiltered existential terror.
And he wasn't alone.
"SAAAAAAAAAVEEEE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BIG SISSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEEEE!!!" Avi was crying at the top of her lungs, clinging to Juliet's arm like her soul was trying to evacuate her body.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU JULIEEEEEEET!!!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH I'M FALLING!!! SAVE ME BIG SISSSSS!!!"
It was chaos.
Meanwhile, the others?
Well, they were having a bit too much fun.
Nephis looked... tense at first. But unlike Sunny and Avi — the first-timers — she wasn't panicking. There was a faint, almost serene smile on her face, her eyes calm as she observed everything, including Sunny's shrieking spiral into madness.
Juliet was laughing so hard she was practically wheezing.
"'What's there to be scared of?' HAHAHAHAHA!! Oh, Sunny, you sweet innocent disaster!!"
Cassie wasn't faring much better — she was doubled over in her seat, clutching her stomach, tears in her eyes.
"Ahahaha!! Oh, Sunny!! My stomach hurts — HA — this is the best thing ever!!"
The ride came to a temporary stop at the top of the tallest peak — a narrow track that looked almost horizontal. The wind was sharp and cold.
Sunny sagged against the safety bar, pale and trembling.
"Remind me to never go along with one of your schemes again…" he growled at Juliet, glaring.
Juliet fluttered her lashes. "Aww, Sunny. How can you yell at me when I'm this cute and innocent?"
"You're anything but innocent."
He barely managed to hold back a comment on the "cute" part — thanks to his flaw.
"Oh? So I am cute? Trying to impress me now, are we?" Juliet teased, eyes glittering.
Sunny ground his teeth.
"Y-yes—no—I mean, who would want to impress a psycho like you?!"
Juliet just gave him a satisfied hum, then casually gestured forward.
"But Sunny, maybe you should be worrying about something else right now."
Sunny blinked.
Then turned his head.
And froze.
The track in front of them looked like a near-vertical drop into oblivion. The wind howled, the sky tilted—
And the coaster clicked forward.
Sunny started sweating bullets.
"W-wait. WAIT. Juliet—you're gorgeous! Beautiful! Kind! Please—I swear I'll listen from now on! Just stop this madness, I beg you!!"
"You deserve it, you scoundrel," Avi muttered from behind him.
"Trying to impress my big sis? Dream on."
"Shut up, you—please someone stop this—"
Juliet leaned back in her seat, looking smug.
"Hmm. Not impressed."
Click.
Sunny's soul tried to leave his body.
"PLEA—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I'LL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!"
The coaster dropped.
And with it, Sunny's will to live.