Though a strange feeling of being cheated on inexplicably arose in her heart, Elysia ultimately chose, as always, to unconditionally trust the explanations given by the lovely young ladies.
At least on the surface, it seemed Eden and little Seele hadn't left any visible… marks afterward from sharing the same horse earlier.
Besides, how could her dear best friend possibly take a fancy to her own future wife?
So she absolutely had to trust her own good Eden!
Only, Elysia, who was being just a "tad" blindly optimistic right now, seemed to have selectively forgotten that she had never dared to openly mention in front of her dear friend Eden that her relationship with little Seele went beyond mere friendship.
So even if Elysia really did get her relationship poached outright by the wealthy Eden, what grounds did she—who hadn't even kissed little Seele yet at this stage—have to criticize her own good Eden?
But perhaps precisely because she recognized the cowardice in her own heart, even though Elysia had sensed certain clues in her own way, she still refused to believe that something like her best friend stealing her crush could actually happen to her?
Still, for Elysia, the only fortunate thing at the moment might be that the wealthy Eden, due to the unusually smooth progress in her plan to woo "Seele-sensei," hadn't yet gone so far as to do something as classically outrageous as outright cuckolding Elysia right in front of her face with the adorable "Seele-sensei."
After the first carousel ride, which had room for behind-the-scenes manipulation, aside from the wealthy Eden, whose mood remained excellent due to having grown closer with the beloved "Seele-sensei"…
Both little Seele—who hadn't fully recovered yet after being forcefully snuggled by the wealthy Eden on the horse—and Elysia—who inexplicably felt like her relationship was being poached—were now, due to their respective troubles, temporarily unable to laugh from the heart.
Fortunately, the wealthy Eden wasn't so deranged as to brazenly rig all the amusement park rides.
After all, Eden's original intention was simply to use this rare amusement park date to naturally grow closer with Seele-sensei.
If she rigged too many rides and made it too obvious, she might even lose favor with Seele-sensei!
So after Elysia's unlucky pick of the specially-made carousel at the start, the rest of the three young ladies' amusement park visit proceeded much more normally.
For attractions like the drop tower, bumper cars, and the swing ride, at least the three could still openly see each other.
What remained unchanged, however, was that every time seating was assigned, Elysia could at best end up next to her good Eden, but never managed to get a seat beside little Seele.
Elysia didn't dwell too much on this not overly deliberate detail, though.
As long as it wasn't some intentionally isolating arrangement specifically targeting her, Elysia wasn't the petty type to nitpick minor details anyway.
Only, for rides like roller coasters and pirate ships, where there were clear front and back rows…
Elysia always seemed to have the "luck" of being assigned to the outermost seat in the row right in front of the other two, while Eden and little Seele were assigned the innermost seats in the back row, their seat numbers conveniently consecutive.
But for these thrilling rides where a slight mishap could lead to danger, even though Eden would have liked to add some extra backdoor features to take advantage of "Seele-sensei"…
Considering safety, she could only settle for continuing to manipulate the seating.
Then, while Elysia was assigned to a different row and couldn't observe the lower-body movements between her and Seele-sensei…
The wealthy Eden maintained a perfectly natural facade on the surface. With sunglasses and a mask on, no unusual expression could be seen anyway.
But thanks to sitting right next to little Seele, Eden's restless, sinful hand smoothly slipped onto Lunelle's fair, delicate foot.
However, since everyone was buckled into their seats during these rides…
Even though Eden really wanted to have just a "few" more intimate moments with the adorable Seele-sensei…
To avoid ruining Seele-sensei's not-particularly-high-quality socks, Eden could only take this chance to indulge her hands without tearing them, getting her chicken-feel fix.
And because Lunelle had been subjected to what could be called merciless mental "beatings" by her great wife Dark Seele in the consciousness space more than once before…
Thanks to Dark Seele's "special care" during those beatings, always paying extra attention to Lunelle's feet, which were like works of art…
Lunelle had thus been forced to develop a considerable resilience against "foot attacks."
So facing Eden's assault, which was high in frequency but not too intense in "beatdown" strength…
Lunelle ultimately managed to pull through with only the cost of a flushed face, surviving the scare.
After all, compared to Dark Seele, who always tended to be just a "bit" heavy-handed…
The wealthy Eden's level of contact, limited to just touching and feeling, was clearly not in the same league!
If it weren't for the fact that Seele's body in the simulation was just too, too, too prone to shyness, and was overly sensitive to a beautiful girl's assertive touches…
Lunelle even felt that with her current "battle-hardened" mental endurance, merely being touched on her fair legs by a beautiful girl like Eden shouldn't have been enough to make her blush at all!!!
As they had gone through almost all the major rides in the amusement park, time quickly passed from noon, when they had first arrived, to dusk.
Since the wealthy Eden had cleverly interspersed the few rigged rides randomly among the ones the three young ladies experienced…
Elysia, who had sensed something off from the carousel earlier, once again let down most of her guard.
After all, during most of the non-rigged attractions, the wealthy Eden had always behaved properly around little Seele in front of Elysia, appearing as just an adorable fan who simply admired little Seele—at least, that's how it seemed wherever Elysia could see.
And now, the three girls—oddly dressed yet all stunning beauties—were quietly waiting near the front of the longest line in the park.
After all, in this amusement park secretly funded by Eden, its most iconic landmark is undoubtedly the colossal Ferris wheel built at astronomical expense!
And this Ferris wheel just happens to be the final stage in the plan of the immensely wealthy Eden to "capture the heart of Seele-sensei."
Gazing at the magnificent, dreamlike giant wheel nearby—the most beautiful sight in the entire park and also the most beloved spot for couples—Elysia couldn't help but feel a flutter of youthful longing.
She began to fantasize about what "wonderful~" things might happen if she could one day share that dreamy Ferris wheel ride with little Seele.
Just the thought made her feel like it would be worth dying for!
But then she remembered the so-called "future of human civilization" that had forced her to compromise countless times, along with the fact that little Seele wasn't quite ripe for the picking yet.
With a pained heart, Elysia had to suppress that overly delightful fantasy.
If she were ever to truly give it a try, she'd have to wait until little Seele was firmly eighteen years old.
If, by then, human civilization could fight the Honkai without requiring her sacrifice…
Or if, by then, she could finally make a choice between the agonizing "future of human civilization" and the "universe's most incredibly, unbearably cute little Seele"…
Then, perhaps, Elysia might consider making some real, tangible progress with her beloved Seele?
Elysia's eyes remained fixed on the beautiful Ferris wheel, and before she knew it, she'd become completely lost in thought.
But just as the line seemed to have finally reached their group, her dear wife Elysia still wore a pensive look, utterly unaware of their turn.
"Elysia sis? Um… I think it's our turn now."
Feeling the growing impatience from the many people still waiting behind them, Lunelle—bundled up head to toe—awkwardly poked her own dear wife, Elysia.
After all, if Elysia kept spacing out, it wouldn't be good for the park staff or the others waiting in line, now would it?
"Huh!? It's really our turn already~?"
Lost just moments ago in her delightful peach-colored fantasy about little Seele, Elysia had gotten so carried away in her daydreams that she nearly lost all sense of time.
One could only say that daydreaming about the adorable little Seele was truly an easy way to lose yourself and forget the hours!
But faced with the "impatient king" stares from the crowd behind them, Elysia scurried somewhat sheepishly into the designated boarding area.
Now she felt a bit grateful that, like her good friend Eden and little Seele, she'd covered herself up completely this time.
Otherwise, wouldn't she have just embarrassed herself in front of everyone?
In her flustered state, Elysia didn't notice that the moment she hurriedly stepped into the waiting area and took her spot, the staff—who had long been prepped by the wealthy Eden—immediately arranged her Ferris wheel cabin with precision.
After all, the big boss had given strict orders: if this behind-the-scenes maneuvering wasn't executed perfectly, then this entire amusement park, built specifically for Eden at a cost of several billion, might as well cease to exist!
But if things went nicely this time, not only would the park be spared, but all its employees would receive generous raises as a reward.
What's more, since the park itself would become the place where their boss and the future "madam" officially established their relationship, the park's special significance to the boss meant its future prospects would be absolutely brilliant!
So, as they approached the most critical moment of the plan, all the staff and the many "plants" disguised among the queues were on high alert, pouring their hearts into the task.
Thus, as the previous batch of Ferris wheel passengers descended from their cabins one pair after another, Elysia—noticing the classic setup of two people per cabin—soon recalled some "unpleasant" memories, the scene stirring old feelings.
But quickly, her uneasy premonition became reality once again.
Just like when they first chose the carousel ride, Elysia was once again assigned alone to the cabin right before the one shared by the wealthy Eden and little Seele.
Highly suspicious that this separate cabin assignment was no coincidence, Elysia tried to spot any clues from the staff around her.
However, under the motivation of the boss's promised hefty bonuses, every worker near the Ferris wheel performed as if possessed by award-winning actors, their behavior utterly natural.
Even Elysia, an expert at reading others' emotions—especially those of beautiful girls—couldn't detect the slightest hint of anything amiss.
Finding no issues after a final check, Elysia had no choice but to obediently accept her assigned cabin, one without her good friend Eden or the adorable little Seele.
The only thing that made Elysia feel slightly less miserable was that the person sharing her cabin was at least a fairly good-looking young woman.
After all, if she'd been randomly paired with a man, while Elysia's personality wouldn't exactly breed disgust toward men, it certainly would have made her already less-than-cheerful mood even worse!
"Huh???"
Having once again watched the biggest third wheel and her good friend Elysia get separated from them, the wealthy Eden—who could hardly wait any longer—eagerly stepped forward to take Lunelle's small hand.
She then led the little cutie briskly toward the private cabin meant just for the two of them.
After gently guiding the delicate little Seele into the cabin, the wealthy Eden immediately followed, promptly locking the door to their soundproof, top-tier "couple's snug cabin."
"Hm? Eden sis… what are you…?"
Forced into a Ferris wheel cabin filled with "❤︎~" atmosphere, Lunelle seemed to anticipate something and immediately put on a clueless, dazed act.
Like a lamb entering the tiger's den, she leaned in close and asked Eden sis just what her urgent purpose was in bringing her into this perfectly soundproofed cabin.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.