"Over here!"
In front of the school gate, Tokai Teio bounced in place, waving at Eternal Meteor with a bright smile. At least for now, Teio could still laugh like everything was fine.
"At this hour, the bank isn't open yet. Where should we go first? I don't really go out much, so I'm not familiar with the area."
"Don't overthink it. I just focused on training all the time—I didn't want to go out and play."
Teio's eyes had started drifting toward pity, so Meteor quickly added that explanation. She wasn't about to let people start looking at her like some tragic orphan horse girl.
"Ummm… how about we go look at earrings first?"
"Absolutely not. Just imagining something clipped to my ear all the time makes my skin crawl."
Meteor folded her arms. Just picturing it gave her goosebumps. She'd always hated having things on her head—back when she was human, if she wasn't in public, she'd never wear headphones either.
Seeing Meteor's pure disgust, Teio dropped the idea and lowered her head to think.
"Then… clothes? Honestly, what you're wearing right now is… uh… kind of a disaster. Let Teio pick something out for you!"
Meteor's outfit was a visibly oversized T-shirt and equally oversized shorts—one pure white, one pure black. In terms of fashion sense, it wasn't merely "bad."
It was the kind of thing that made onlookers grieve and witnesses shed tears.
Meteor, however, spun in place and enjoyed the floaty fabric like it was luxury.
"I think it's pretty comfortable. Maybe somewhere else?"
Truth was, Meteor also wanted another set of clothes—
but she wasn't about to admit the real reason:
she had no money.
Even with her thick skin, she wasn't thick-skinned enough to say "Hey, can you buy me clothes?" to a junior.
It was like asking someone what they want to eat, they say "whatever," you list ten options, they reject all ten—then you ask what they actually want, and they answer "whatever" again.
Teio was now living inside that hell.
She rubbed her hair in frustration, and Meteor—feeling a little guilty—finally started thinking seriously too.
"…Is there an amusement park nearby? I kind of want to try one."
"Of course there is! And it's huge—every ride you can think of! Let's go buy tickets right now!"
Teio grabbed Meteor and took off running.
Celebrity Problems (and VIP Tickets)
They hadn't even gotten far outside campus before someone stopped Meteor for an autograph.
Then another group.
Then another.
After forcing their way out of a crowd with the strength of ten oxen, Meteor immediately regretted not bringing a hat.
But it wasn't all bad.
Just as Meteor stood there stunned by how massive the amusement park was, a manager doing a walk-through recognized her. He asked for a signature for his daughter—
and then straight-up gave them two VIP passes, one each.
"Man… your popularity is crazy, Meteor."
Teio looked at how everyone recognized Meteor and felt a sour little sting of jealousy.
Meteor immediately slapped Teio hard on the back.
Teio shrieked so loudly her tail shot straight up and puffed out.
"YIIH?!"
"Stop putting yourself down. Trust me—you won't be any worse than this in the future."
"Then why did you hit me?!"
"Because it's Amusement Time! Don't think about anything else. We finally came to an amusement park, and we've even got VIP tickets. I'm going to play until I'm satisfied!"
"Osu!"
Teio got infected by Meteor's excitement—
right up until Meteor dragged her to the biggest roller coaster in the entire park.
The Roller Coaster: Teio's Regret Speedrun
"M-Meteor… are you sure we're riding this? It's… kind of dangerous, isn't it?"
A near-vertical drop.
Then a full 360° loop.
Then a sideways 720° rotation.
Teio's heart went cold. Her legs started trembling nonstop.
Meanwhile Meteor was humming happily, already showing the staff their tickets.
Teio started doubting herself.
Maybe it's not scary at all? Maybe I'm just scaring myself?
"Come on! Don't tell me you're scared, Teio~?"
That line hit Teio like a duel challenge.
She grit her teeth, stomped her foot, and marched right in.
Two minutes later, Teio wanted to strangle her past self.
The coaster climbed with clunk… clunk… clunk…
Each sound hammered her heart like the grim countdown of death.
Near the top, she didn't dare look forward anymore. She turned her head toward Meteor—
Meteor wasn't scared even a little.
Only a bright, excited grin.
Noticing Teio shaking, Meteor reached her hand over.
"Don't be scared. Want to hold my hand?"
"Meteor—"
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
The instant Teio grabbed her hand, the coaster launched like a fully drawn arrow. The G-force slammed Teio into the seat so hard she couldn't even bow her head.
Meanwhile Meteor:
"HAHAHAHAHAHA—WOOHOO!!"
Teio screamed with her eyes squeezed shut, gripping Meteor's hand like a lifeline, feeling the wind whip her face—
until she heard Meteor's laughter.
"Don't be scared—open your eyes! I'm right beside you! If you miss a view this good, you'll regret it! Hahahahaha!"
Meteor squeezed Teio's hand back even harder.
Teio cracked her eyes open—
and got hit by the scenery like a revelation.
The view covered the whole amusement park. Everything was laid out under them. Riding the coaster felt like soaring through the sky like some immortal cruising on clouds.
"So the view from up high is this beautiful?! AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Her awe lasted maybe three seconds before the next giant rotation shattered her composure.
But this time—even while screaming—she didn't close her eyes again.
"Great job." "Next: Drop Tower."
After they got off, Meteor shook out her sore hand and asked with a smug grin:
"Well? Pretty amazing once you keep your eyes open, right?"
"It was really pretty! But your hand… sorry…"
Teio glanced at Meteor's hand—red and swollen from being crushed in fear-grip—and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"It's fine. Being scared is normal. Honestly, for your first time, keeping your eyes open is impressive."
Meteor patted Teio's head while rubbing her ears—exactly the right amount of pressure, the kind that feels too good.
Teio's face softened, genuinely moved—
right before Meteor's next sentence turned Teio into a statue that promptly crumbled into dust and scattered on the wind.
"So, to train you further, next we're riding the drop tower!"
"Noooooo—!!"
Dragged toward hell itself, Teio let out one final unwilling scream.
By the time they finished all the intense rides, it was already afternoon.
Teio collapsed into a park bench, completely greyed out—like her soul was visibly floating out of her mouth.
Author note: Despite the chapter title, Teio's wallet didn't die this time. The author promises to "work harder."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 60)
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Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 64)
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