Volume 3 - CH 4

After the shocking bombshell of Oguri-chan at that offline meeting, I was completely lost on how to even respond, simply staring at her in disbelief, my mouth wide open like a fish waiting to be fed. Can you blame me? Something like this never happened during the previous offline meeting eleven years ago. Usually, you’d use your knowledge of your time before the time leap to your advantage, but how am I supposed to deal with an event that didn’t happen before? I feel like I’m on my NG+ playthrough but somebody else played my first one.

However, thanks to my new ally Biwako-senpai, with a skilled ‘Oh wow, Nananosuke’s so popular! You’re the mixer master!’ comment, she managed to defuse the stiff atmosphere and situation. In the end, we concluded the king’s game there, had fun with some karaoke, and eventually disbanded. The offline meeting ended safely, but my heart was racing the entire time.

I was terrified of what was about to come. Will I be able to avoid Oguri-chan’s confession this time around? Eventually, the new week arrived, and preparations for the cultural festival began at our Amakusa South High. As in every other class, we from 1-7 were staying after classes, working hard in our classroom.

“Nanaya~! Chief’s class is doing a haunted house!”

“Pretty meta, all right. Well, she’d probably say something like ‘What’s wrong with meta?’, so I take it.”

But of course, I knew about it before. Her class did the same thing eleven years ago. And, I heard rumors that she’d be dressing up as a witch, so I went there without hesitation. However, another senior ended up dressed as a witch, and I was never allowed to see the chief cosplay. I guess I missed the timing. My fault was that I didn’t have the exact shifts of her class down.

“I’ll get my revenge this year! I’m not letting this go to waste!”

“What are you blabbering about, Nanaya? Get to work.” Nao complained, handing me a hammer.

On a side note, our class is doing a maid cafe. We’re doing plenty of cliché events, so I’m really not one to talk. During this time, maid cafes are super popular in anime, so that makes sense. Three classes are doing maid cafes just among the first years. How are we supposed to sell something? Right now, Nao and I are working on the billboard in front of the class.

“Are you still working part-time at that cafe, Nao?”

“Yep. Salary’s great, after all. But that place is pretty chill, so I always wanted to experience a genuine maid cafe like this.” She showed me a peace sign.

Just as she said, that place seemed rather frequented by adults, on the complete opposite of the spectrum in comparison to a cultural festival maid cafe.

“Oh yeah, we have this huge tree in front of our main entrance at school, right?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a legend that, if you confess there on the day of the cultural festival at 5 pm, the couple will stay together forever, remember?”

“W-Well…I heard about it, I think.”

Of course I know about it. After all, I was confessed to by Oguri-chan beneath that tree at the very cultural festival eleven years ago.

“Why don’t you confess to the chief, Nanaya?”

“Are you stupid? We’d be getting an endless amount of onlookers.”

I’m speaking as someone who’s experienced this before.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like many people will be confessing that day.”

“Well, duh.”

It takes a lot of courage to confess.

“Nanaya, I’m feeling a bit tired, how about we get some juice?”

“Hm? Yeah, sure?”

She just handed me the hammer and now she wants to immediately take a rest? What a free person she is. We both left the classroom, heading over to the front entrance. Since the vending machines were located outside, we had to change into our outdoor shoes, which is a bit of a pain. After we got there, I put in a 100 yen coin.

“Try the mystery zone.”

“Hell no, I don’t want some gross drink being thrown at me.”

“But Chief scored the mixed juice before, right?”

“She’s different. She’s born under a special star.”

“Haha, now that you mention it.”

The chance of getting the mixed juice is like a thousand to one. Yet the chief scored it after one try. I think she’s got some cheats from the Goddess watching her. She’s definitely not born equal. While cursing my own misfortune, I clicked the button on the black coffee.

“Coffee again? You’ve changed into some old man lately, Nanaya.”

“O-Oh shut up. Boys become men in high school, that’s just how it is.”

“Girls grow up too, you know.” Nao said and pushed up her giant two melons.

Since she had several buttons of her shirt wide open, her cleavage was visible clear as day.

“Stop that! You’re making me stare!”

“Totally on purpose! Are you getting horny because of your childhood friend’s boobs?”

“Like hell I would!”

Or so I said, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Get it together, my conscience.

“For crying out loud, when did you grow up so much?”

“I worked hard to make these babies grow so much.”

“Is that really something you work towards?”

“Of course~ Well, Mom’s about just as big, so it’s probably in our DMM.”

“You mean DNA!”

“Oh yeah, DMM sells lewd games.”

“FANZA took over for that!”

“Really? You’re awfully knowledgeable, Nanaya. Closet pervert.”

“Zip it! I’m not some closet pervert!”

Also, FANZA isn’t a thing yet! Nao was totally right and I’m a closet pervert!

“Hm? Hold on a second.”

“What is it now? I’m exhausted.”

“I knew it!”

Nao ignored my words and suddenly ran towards the school gate. I sighed in disbelief at my hyperactive childhood friend, and opened the can of coffee. Shortly after, I heard Nao’s stuff reaching all the way to where I was standing.

“It’s OguOgu! Been a while, what brings you here?”

Man, she’s got some crazy volume in her voice. She’s at least ten meters away, and yet her voice is crystal clear. I wonder, is somebody hiding next to the school gate? When Nao stretched out her hand, a white arm appeared, followed by a girl with a bob cut. While pulling this girl along, Nao jogged back to me. In doing so, I could clearly figure out who the other girl was. At the same time, my heart started racing. By the time they stopped in front of the vending machine, my heart was about to explode, and a heavy amount of sweat built on my forehead. With a bright grin, Nao talked to the girl.

“OguOgu, let me buy you some juice! There’s so much here.”

“Y-You don’t have to, Nao-senpai.”

“No need to be polite. Man, you’re so cute as always.”

“B-But…” The girl said and glanced at me. “Eeep! Sh-Shimono-senpai?!”

Her eyes opened wide in shock, her face beet red. Why…why are you here—Ushiki Oguri.

*

“Huh? You two know each other?”

We sat on the concrete stairs continuing from the school building to the schoolyard, sipping on the juice we three bought. Next to me sat Nao, with Oguri-chan beside her. I have just two questions. First, why in the world is Ushiki Oguri-chan here? Second, I want to throw the exact same question back at Nao—These two know each other?

I don’t remember that being the case eleven years ago…Is this also the butterfly effect at work? No, I may have just not known about it. I may have just not been around while these two met each other, and finding out the truth now is also impossible. Either way, what kind of common point do these two have?

“Shimono-senpai and I played the same online game, so that’s why…”

As I was lost in thought, Oguri-chan went ahead to answer Nao’s question.

“Oh yeah, you talked about this game back in middle school.”

“I was playing the game solo when Shimono-senpai invited me to his party. He taught me everything I needed to know with such kindness, I really started enjoying playing the game.”

“Such a gentleman, Nanaya!” Nao grinned at me.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry that I could only be a gentleman online.”

“Th-That’s not true! Both online and offline, you’re very nice and cool!”

“T-Thanks…”

Since Oguri-chan praised me with such zeal, I found myself blushing. Whether it was the offline meeting before, or now…compared to eleven years ago, she’s a lot more assertive.

“By the way, why did you come here, OguOgu?”

“Ah, about that. Um…” Oguri-chan embraced her knees, fidgeting.

I felt a severe case of deja-vu and immediately understood why. This is about my life’s first date. Namely, when Oguri-chan invited me to the Tokyo Tower, she also came to my school and asked me in the same fashion. Last time, she asked me out on the date two weeks after the offline meeting, but if she’s more assertive this time around, it wouldn’t be weird for her to ask me now. However, if I agreed to this date, there’s absolutely no doubt that Oguri-chan would confess to me at some point, namely during the school festival.

What to do about this? I thought this was still further in the future, I didn’t come up with any good reason to reject her.

“Um, Shimono-senpai, if you’re okay with it, could we go to the Tokyo Tower…”

The words I dreaded came out of Oguri-chan’s mouth, right as I heard the sound of a motorbike revving up. We all looked towards the source of the voice when we spotted a gal with large twintails on a scooter. Oh yeah, she said she’s traveling to school with that.

“Oh, it’s Biwako-chan! Heeey!” Nao waved her hand as she called out to the girl.

Hey now, my dear childhood friend, could you not? If Biwako-senpai joins us here, everything will go off the rails so quickly. But as expected, Biwako-senpai spotted us, drove towards us with her bike, and stopped.

“Oiii, Naopon!”

“Yaaay, Biwako-chan!”

They shared a fist bump. What are you, some rapper?

“Oiii, Nananosuke!”

Huh?! Me too?! Hell no!

“Heeey, Nananosuke!”

She’s not giving up until I join in, huh. So persistent.

“O-Oiii~”

I saw no other option and gave her a fist bump.

“Oiii…Wait, who are you? Oh yeah, the shortie! What was your name, again?”

Biwako-senpai went with the flow and tried to greet Oguri-chan, but staggered. Oguri-chan was just as baffled at Biwako-senpai’s appearance.

“That’s OguOgu, Biwako-chan.”

“Oh, OguOgu!”

No, she most definitely is not OguOgu.

“You also know her, Biwako-chan? Wooow!” Nao rubbed Oguri-chan’s head.

“N-Nao-senpai, this is embarrassing.”

“You’re so adorbs, OguOgu!”

Nao showed a teasing grin, ruffling up Oguri-chan’s beautiful bob cut.

“Anyway, what are you three doing here anyway?”

“Err, I think OguOgu wanted something from Nanaya. Something about the Tokyo Tower?”

“N-Nao-senpai, you don’t have to repeat that!”

Hearing this, Biwako-senpai started grinning.

“Ahhh, so that’s it! OguOgu, you must have wanted to invite Nananosuke on a Tokyo Tower date, right?”

She managed to hit the nail on the head. As expected of Biwako-senpai, she’s so sharp at times.

“That’s…um…!”

“Oh yeah, you said that Nananosuke was your type, Biwa remembers!”

“Wait, seriously?! What would you even like about that guy, OguOgu?!”

Hey, now you’re really overstepping your boundaries!

“You’re wrong! Well, not really, but…Urk…”

This time, Oguri-chan looked close to breaking out in tears. A high school student shouldn’t be bullying a junior! Or so I’d like to say, but I can’t find any room to break between them.

“You say that because you’re childhood friends, but Biwa likes him. He’s a good guy.”

Hold on, Biwako-senpai felt that way? Oh man, that’s a bit embarrassing.

“Wait, seriously?”

Don’t act so shocked. At least agree with her. You’re really hurting me.

“However, OguOgu, it’s a bit too early to invite him to a Tokyo Tower date. He may be your type, but there’s no guarantee that he’d be the best possible boyfriend, my dear middle school student. Time flies! Your middle school and high school days end faster than you could imagine! It’s a waste to push all your time towards a single and weird guy.”

“Didn’t you just call me a good guy, Biwako-senpai? Now you refer to me as weird. Or is that just my imagination?”

“Us girls are talking right now, so could you be quiet, Nananosuke?”

“…Sorry.”

So unreasonable!

“Shimono-senpai isn’t a weird guy!”

Oguri-chan is so nice!

“Yeah, yeah. But still, OguOgu, you only met him in person the other day, right?”

“T-That’s! …That may be true, but we’ve been chatting much longer than that.”

“What if Nananosuke turned out to be a girl acting as a guy online?”

“……”

“Right? People talk with each other, spend time with each other, go oi oi, and then a true heart & soul.”

What does heart & soul even mean? I don’t even know what that means, but the fact that I understand what she means annoys me even more. As I thought, she’s as good a talker as the chief. She brings the conversation in her direction.

“That…that doesn’t have anything to do with Sakonji-senpai.”

“Hey now, don’t go tsundere on Biwa, OguOgu. Biwa thought we were closer than that, oiii!”

Hey now, you had your first meeting with Oguri-chan last time as well. And you even forgot her name.

“What are you trying to say, Sakonji-senpai? I don’t understand what you’re trying to do here.”

Exactly! I’m just as lost. But at the very least, I could avoid the whole Tokyo Tower date dilemma, so although I feel bad for Oguri-chan, this is the best possible outcome for me. Sorry, Oguri-chan. And do your best, Biwako-senpai.

“If anything, what’s so fun about going to someplace that’s high up? So boring. Doesn’t feel like a place youngsters would head to.”

“Wha?! I-I’m still plenty young, I’ll have you know! Also, what other place would you recommend then, Sakonji-senpai?!”

“The amusement park, of course!”

“A-Amusement park…?”

“Exactly! And for starters, forget about going just as the two of you! Let’s all go together instead! Then you’ll see if Nananosuke’s a worthy guy for you!”

Well, I’d rather us be in a big group than just the two of us, that’s for sure. And it feels more natural too…But doesn’t she just want to go to the amusement park herself?

“B-But…” Oguri-chan was clearly hesitant.

“The amusement park does sound nice, OguOgu! I’d be worried if I let you go on a date with just Nanaya!”

Making it sound like I’m some registered sex offender…I’m the one being invited here, remember?

“…If you say so, Nao-senpai…”

Before I could even say anything however, Biwako-senpai immediately stole the show from me.

“All right! Then let’s make plans immediately! I can’t wait!”

Yep, she just wanted to go herself, I knew it.

*

That week’s Saturday, we gathered in front of the train station so we could all head over to the amusement park. As you’d expect from Biwako-senpai, her ability to put a plan together was astonishing, to say the least. We may have gathered in front of the train station, but rather than using a train, we went by car instead. This very car was a silver minivan, stopping in front of us. The driver is also our guardian for the day, Yuito-san, and the chief sitting next to him.

“Sorry for the wait.” The chief opened the window and greeted us.

The people waiting were Biwako-senpai, Nao, Oguri-chan, and I. Oguri-chan seemed more than bothered at the chief’s arrival, pouting.

“Why are you here too, Kamijou-senpai?”

Yeah, the chief might be somewhat of a stranger in the eyes of Oguri-chan. Especially in comparison to me, Mr. Average. However, since Biwako-senpai was the person behind the entire planning, I expected the chief to be here from the very start. Knowing this gal and her fancy of Kamijou Touka, there’s no way she wouldn’t invite her to this event.

“I’m sorry, Ushiki-san…First the offline meeting, now this.” The chief gave Oguri-chan an apologetic gaze.

Interlocking gazes with such beauty like the chief, Oguri-chan must have felt bashful and immediately looked away, whispering with a faint voice.

“No, um, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t want you to be here. I’m sorry if I sounded rude.”

As I thought, Oguri-chan and I really are from the same social standing. The instantaneous decision to apologize for anything that may sound rude…Yeah, I bet Oguri-chan would be a great employee.

“Don’t be so selfish and let’s go, OguOgu. The same goes for the other two, oiii!”

I’m shocked Biwako-senpai can be so nonchalant towards all the problems she creates. However, complaining about it now won’t do us any good, so we simply boarded the car as Biwako-senpai ordered. We were heading to a famous theme park here in this prefecture. After we made it to the highway, I called out to Yuito-san from behind him.

“Is this your car, Yuito-san?”

“Yep, bought it recently.”

“Oh wow, that explains why it smells like a new car.”

If anything, it’s amazing a university student could afford this. That’s Yuito-san for you.

“Once I get my driver’s license, I’ll be using it as well.” The chief said next to Yuito-san.

“Ahaha. I don’t mind, but don’t ruin it, okay?”

“Huuuh? I’m a good driver, okay?”

“You talk like you’ve driven a car before. No driving without a license, okay?”

“Ah, I mean, I was talking in a game, okay!”

She forgot that she’s a high school student again. This is why Yuito-san will get on your tracks eventually.

“Also, also, Touka? Your older brother’s such a hottie. I can totally see you two being related.”

Biwako-senpai, who sat next to me, placed her hand on my shoulder, participating in the conversation together with Nao.

“Oh yeah, I bet you must be popular.”

“Just Yuito is fine. And thanks for the compliment, ladies.”

Yuito-san showed a wink through the mirror above his head. Man, I wish I was as skilled as him.

“Just what would you like about this guy?” Ms. Little Sister threw in a harsh comment.

“Lol. Well, he may be handsome, but I’m not into older guys, so don’t you worry, Touka.”

“Oh really? You know, I’d be totally fine with someone like Yuito-kun.”

“Nao-chan, don’t give him any weird ideas!”

Out of everybody in the car, Oguri-chan, who was sitting next to Nao, was the only one with her face down, her face looking awfully pale.

“Are you okay, Oguri-chan? Are you feeling sick?” I called out to her, to which she immediately raised her head.

“Ah, no! I’m totally fine…I was just admiring how communicative everyone here is…I found myself a bit depressed that I couldn’t participate at all.”

Hearing this, Nao rubbed her cheeks against Oguri-chan’s.

“Come on, OguOgu, no need to be so depressed about it! You’re like our adorable mascot!”

“Um, Nao-senpai, you’re tickling me.” Oguri-chan twisted and turned her body in agony at Nao’s assault.

Biwako-senpai saw this and burst out laughing, whereas the chief showed a concerned look. Despite all the circumstances going on, it was an enjoyable drive. After around two hours on the highway, we reached the amusement park at roughly 10 am. The car stopped at the parking lot, and we headed for the entrance. Reaching the gate, Biwako-senpai handed out the one-day passes she bought previously.

“To make sure you’re not losing them, Biwa went ahead and got some pass holders too, so use that~,” She said, handing us the holders that hang down from our necks.

Once again, that’s very much like Biwako-senpai.

“Chief, when was the last time you went to an amusement park? I haven’t been since university.”

While we passed through the gate, I whispered toward the chief who stood behind me.

“Hmm, I did go once when I was in grade school.”

“Wha, seriously?!”

“Shhh! Don’t scream like that, Nanaya-kun.”

I guess an amusement park is too childish for someone like the chief? Then again, she seemed to have a lot of fun when we went to the water park last summer.

“Ah…”

“What?” The chief asked.

I remember now.

“Chief, you’re bad with rollercoasters and stuff like that, right?”

“Huuuh?”

“Nevermind! Forget I said anything!”

However, most of the attractions here are of that sort. I mean, some are more of the calm type like shopping and the like, but most people come here for the rollercoasters. As soon as we made it through the gate, we heard the rattling sound of a coaster near us, followed by screams of joy. Biwako-senpai saw this, brimming with excitement.

“Biwa wants to ride that first!” She said and jumped.

Of course, everybody else agreed, and we lined up at the entrance of the roller coaster. It’s about what I expected. Looking at the board at the beginning of the line, it said ‘Japan’s highest coaster!’, which certainly didn’t help. We walked up the hilly road, reaching the end of the line. Since it was still quite a ways away from the coaster, it’ll probably take a long time. Will the chief be okay? I was worried and turned around. Her face was pale as could be.

“Chief?!”

“W-What?”

“Are you okay?!”

“I-I-I’m totally fine. I won’t be killed by some rollercoaster!”

The second she connects death to a rollercoaster, she’s clearly terrified! The others were clearly looking forward to this, and she reminded me of a young girl terrified during a school trip. Maybe we should just quit here? Then again, there were already several other people lining up behind us, so getting back to the end of the line would prove difficult. Well, she got what she wanted, I guess. This is what happens when you try to act tough. Sometimes even the chief contradicts herself…but if I say anything, I’ll eat shit for it.

And while thinking about this and that, the line moved forward until it was finally our turn.

“Let’s ride together, Yuito-kun!” Nao pushed Yuito-san’s back, heading for the roller coaster.

She sure is acting clingy towards Yuito-san all of a sudden. Just to let you know, but he’s mine, okay! I won’t hand him over to some big-breasted girl! As I was feeling jealous, glaring at Nao, Oguri-chan appeared next to me.

“U-Um…Shimono-senpai, if you’d like, could we…”

“Oiii, OguOgu! Let’s ride together!”

“Ah, hey! Sakonji-senpai, I want to ride with…Ahhh!”

Before Oguri-chan could even finish her words, Biwako-senpai dragged her along. I’m sorry, Oguri-chan, it seems like she’s really interested in you. I just pray you don’t turn into a girl by her influence. Anyway, that just leaves the chief and me.

“All right, let’s hop on, Chief.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t wanna, don’t wanna, don’t wanna! I don’t wanna ride this! I’m scared!”

“You play tough, yet now you’re breaking down!”

“I didn’t think it’d be this high up! No! I’m scared! Let me go!”

“I told you before that this is Japan’s highest rollercoaster!”

“No idea! I don’t remember that!”

“You really are just…”

With the roller coaster in front of her, she only now realizes how scared she is. It’s rare to see the chief being selfish after always showing rationality. However, the other visitors already started boarding the coaster. If we take our time here, the employees will warn us. Seeing no other option, I pulled the chief towards the rollercoaster, and we both sat down.

“Waaah! Power harassment! Sexual harassment! Rollercoaster harassment!”

“Since when was rollercoaster harassment a thing?! Anyway, down with the machine belt! If you’re not careful, you’ll fall off!”

“Nooo, I’m scared!” The chief cried genuine tears as she pushed down the machine belt.

Immediately after, Biwako-senpai turned around towards us and started grinning.

“You that scared, Touka? You’re such a kiddie!”

Of course, she had to fan the chief on even more. Read the mood, won’t you?!

“Huuuh?! I’m not scared at all!”

She’s still trying to act strong?! What can you even gain from that?!

‘The ride will now begin.’

As we were causing a ruckus, the safety belts were all put on us, and the employee commented. CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK. The wagon started moving forward, with the roller coaster going up the hill. Out of the blue, the chief tightly grasped my hand. My heart skipped and I looked at the chief. She showed me a calming smile and said the following…

“Nanaya-kun…it was nice knowing you.”

“This isn’t the final scene before the climax of a romance movie, so don’t talk like some tragic heroine!”

And thus, the rollercoaster descended.

*

“That was the best, ever! Right, Nananosuke?”

“It was amazing! The double-loop was hella fun! Right, Oguri-chan?”

“Exactly! I might get addicted to this rollercoaster! What do you think, Nao-senpai?!”

“It was great! My boobs flew all over the place!”

“Yep, Biwa could see that from behind you, Naopon!”

“You’re so lewd, Biwako-chan!”

“Hahahaha!”

The rollercoaster ride ended and we finally returned to solid ground.

“Now I’m looking forward to the other attractions around here, Shimono-senpai! Especially the one where your legs dangle!”

“Ah, Biwa was interested in that as well.”

“Biwako-senpai, according to my research, that attraction is considered Japan’s scariest.”

“Oiii, Nananosuke! Are you underestimating me? Biwa’s scared of nothin’!” She said, punching my shoulder.

Behind us walked Yuito-san, watching over us as he carried his little sister on his back.

“Hey, hey, Chief, you okay?” Nao seemed worried as she took a peek at the chief’s face.

“Touka’s always been bad with roller coasters and other related adrenaline stuff. She could have just waited for us, but you know…” Yuito-san delivered an explanation, when…

“I’m not bad with it…I’m not forcing myself…” The chief said with a voice about to vanish.

Even playing strong now, I once again have to praise her.

“Anyway, where should we go next?” Yuito-san must be used to this kind of manner and wholeheartedly ignored his little sister’s voice.

I definitely can’t force her through another rollercoaster ride, that’s for sure. An attraction that would allow everybody to have fun would be…

“Why not a haunted house? The one here is famous, too.” I said while looking through the pamphlet.

“Oh yeah, I saw that on TV. They apparently have some great variety.”

Yuito-san agreed to my proposition. Looking at the chief on his back, her expression lightened up a lot more. She’s probably a lot better with scares than roller coasters.

“Guess it’s decided, then.”

“O-Oh, Nananosuke, you’re such a child if you want to go to a haunted house. B-Biwa’s an adult, so she’s totes fine!”

Biwako-senpai said out of the blue. I was surprised and looked at her expression when I saw her…snow white! I’m having such a deja-vu right now! Don’t tell me…

“W-Well, Biwa’s not scared at all! So if you’re all so adamant on it…Biwa doesn’t mind tagging you along. Not like Biwa would rather go somewhere else?”

This time it’s you?! The hell is going on?! First my beautiful superior is scared of rollercoasters, then the charismatic gal everyone admires is bad with horror? You two are like sisters! What kind of gap certain-kill attack is that! And I hate myself for thinking of that as cute!

“What should we do? If you’re scared of going through a haunted house, we can just go elsewhere.”

“Huuuh? Biwa isn’t scared of some haunted house. She just said she was fine tagging along. You have a death wish, Nananosuke?”

She’s…she’s just as thick-headed as the chief!

“If you’re okay with it, then I don’t mind. But are you really sure? You don’t want to end up the same way as the chief, right?”

“Leave me out of this!”

Even if you shake your legs up and down, Chief, your words have absolutely no credibility behind them.

“See, Biwako-senpai? You don’t want to end up like her, do you?”

“Shut up. So persistent. Annoying. Let’s go. Biwa’s fine. Not scared at all!” She kicked my shin with her thick boots over and over at every single word.

She’s incorrigible.

“Okay, I get it already!”

For crying out loud, these two seniors are nothing but trouble. And with that out of the way, our next destination was decided to be the ‘Bizarre Terror Horror House.’

*

The ‘Bizarre Terror Horror House’ used a regular hospital as its stage and main atmosphere. It’s a type of interactive horror where you have to clear various missions and aim for the goal. It’s basically a horror house combined with an escape room idea, and the number of people clearing it runs at about 30%. They had several emergency exits on the way, which allowed even people who are bad with horror to experience it.

This attraction is the second most popular after the rollercoaster, so after lining up for about 40 minutes, we finally reached the beginning.

“Biwako, if you get too scared, you can always leave mid-way, you know?”

“Biwa ain’t scared at all! There’s no way she’d quit mid-way.”

Her voice is shaking like crazy. And she’s been clinging to the chief’s arm for a hot minute now. After the group before us set out, the employee came to us and gave us a brief explanation. Apparently, you have to move in groups of two to three people, as this was the best number for the riddles.

In front of the main entrance, I looked up at the building. It perfectly replicated a hospital ward of the near future. As the setting, a treatment AI went rampant, turning patients into experiments and creating grotesque lifeforms. And you are tasked to find out what is going on inside the hospital—that’s the premise of what we were told. We’re pretty much investigators.

In terms of concept, it’s less of a Japanese-themed horror house, rather a Western-styled monster house. There’s bound to be zombies inside there, I’m sure. Who in their right mind would investigate that? At least give us a knife for beginner’s equipment.

“How do we handle the groups?” Yuito-san asked after the employee finished the explanations.

“Rock, paper, scissors?”

“Sounds good.”

And the results were as follows. The first group consisted of the chief, Oguri-chan, and I. The second group was composed of Yuito-san, Nao, and Biwako-senpai. In terms of boy-girl ratio, that’s a nice split.

“N-Naopon, you can walk ahead of Biwa just this once.”

“Leave it to me! I’ll protect you with my boob barrier!”

What the heck is a boob barrier? Your breasts are sounding more omnipotent by the day. Well, they got Yuito-san with them, so it should be fine. As for the group I’m in…this is one hell of a complicated match-up, for sure. One of them is the girl I’d like to show off how reliable I can be…

“An escape room…We’ll clear this at high-speed,” said the chief, showing no signs of being scared.

At the same time, the other is the girl that blindly relies on me…

“Sh-Shimono-senpai, please don’t leave me behind…” said Oguri-chan, evidently scared.

If I disregarded her now, casting her aside, she’d definitely fall out of love and never confess to me, but I can’t bring myself to act this cruel.

“Yeah, don’t worry. We’ll take our time, Oguri-chan.”

“Okay…! Thank you very much. I always knew you were a kind person.”

Please don’t look at me with such puppy eyes…

“Ah!”

I felt a sharp killing intent behind me and turned around. Why is she chief glaring at me?! And then she kicked some small pebble on the ground.

“Nanaya-kun, Touka is scared, too…”

“Weren’t you brimming with motivation not even a minute ago?”

WHAM! She now proceeded to kick my leg instead of the pebble.

“Ouch! That hurt!”

“Hmph! You’re not going to say something like ‘I’m with you, everything will be okay’?!”

“Do not worry, as I am currently with you.” I spoke in a monotonous tone.

Of course, she kicked me again. Can you blame me? She’s not scared at all, so saying that is more embarrassing than anything! While we were having this banter, the employee signaled us that we could head inside.

“Wah, this is a lot darker than I thought. Best be careful where you step.”

“Yes, thank you very much, Kamijou-senpai.”

See how reliable she is. What do you mean you’re scared? We moved through the darkness when we reached the operating room in front of us. I guess this is the first place the event is going to happen. The entrance was illuminated with an eerie green color, giving even someone like me, who’s accustomed to horror, some chills.

“Seems like we have to solve a riddle here.” The chief didn’t hesitate much and just slammed the door open.

At the same time, Oguri-chan twitched in shock at the sound of that. We followed the chief, entering the room. The inside was equipped with one big operating table. The second Oguri-chan closed the door, loud sirens started blaring together with red lights blinking.

“Eeep!”

Oguri-chan tried to open the door again, but it was locked. Immediately after, a zombie came crawling toward us from the corner of the room.

“Gaaah!” “Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Both me and Oguri-chan screamed at the same time. This is a lot more terrifying than I thought!

“Must have been set up to automatically lock. Ah, there’s a puzzle on the display. This is easy.” The chief started fidgeting with the display like it was some phone game.

Ten seconds later, a ringing sound reached us. GACHAN!

“Waaah!” “Nooooo!”

Me and Oguri-chan screamed once more.

“It opened. Let’s go.”

That was the sound of the lock undoing?! Also, how in the hell can she remain this calm? But the chief showed no signs of stopping for us, opening the door, and left the room. We were left behind, running away from the zombie that was closing in on us. After leaving the room, we ran into a blue-lit room.

“Ugh…I’m scared…Shimono-senpai…”

Oguri-chan moved in closer to me, letting out a quivering voice.

“S-Sorry, Oguri-chan, I think I’m pretty scared, too…”

Contrary to us, the chief’s back was straight as she walked on head. My, what a beautiful posture she has. Chief realized that she was leaving us behind, twirled on the spot, and returned to us with the blue light at her back. Hold on, she’s not supposed to be scaring us, right?!

“Nanaya-kun.”

“Y-Yes…!”

“Touka is scared too, so…let’s go together?”

She has the nerve to say that after stomping ahead of us?! But the way she said ‘Let’s go together’ really rustled up my jimmies. If anything, I’m the one who wants to go together. If I have someone as reliable as the chief with me, there’s nothing I’m scared of.

“Um, Chief, it pains me to say this as the man in this scenario, but please stay close to me, okay?”

“Huh?! Y-Yeah, I won’t!”

Thank god. As I thought, a mature older sister-type is the best. I feel so at peace. However, will my heart be able to handle the next three areas?

*

“Finally done~!”

We passed through the goal, reaching the outside world after several minutes. My weakened heart was filled with light. Ahh, serotonin is the best.

“The sun smiles upon me…” Oguri-chan looked up at the sky with vacant eyes.

Her bangs were glued to her forehead because of her sweat.

“Since all of the riddles were just simple puzzles, we managed to get out quicker than expected!”

Only the chief seemed to be perfectly fine after this entire ordeal. It’s almost like she did a solo tour while showing us around. After waiting for a while, we heard screams from the exit.

“Gyaaaah! No more! Wait for Biwa, Naopon!”

“Ahaha, don’t pull on my clothes, Biwako-chan! Oh, the exit’s there! We did it!”

“Seriously?! Heck yeah! Let’s hurry on out!”

Biwako-senpai and Nao were clinging to each other’s arms as they appeared from the exit. Yuito-san followed them, seeming semi-exhausted, semi in disbelief. Spotting this group, Touka jogged toward them.

“You managed to clear it without retiring? Well done, Biwako!”

“Biwa was so scared, Touka~!”

It seems like Biwako-senpai reached her limit of acting tough. She jumped right into the chief’s arms, rubbing her head against her chest. I’m so jealous of that sigh. I want to be spoiled by the chief.

“Chieeef! I was scared, too!”

“There, there, it’s all good now, Nao-chan.”

Nao also joined in. Let me say this again, I’m so friggin ‘jealous. Also, what about the boob barrier? And the second you stepped out of that haunted house, you were totally fine, no? I took a sneak peek at Nao’s face and found her grinning. She’s lying so that she gets spoiled by the chief.

“Since it’s noon already, how about we have lunch?” Yuito-san commented as he looked at his wristwatch.

Already this late, huh? We went through two popular attractions already, so I guess we deserve a break. We all gathered together, checking out the restaurants in the pamphlet.

“Biwa wants to eat something sweet.”

“Indeed, I’d like to supplement myself with some sugar…” Oguri-chan commented.

“Ohh, you’re agreeing with Biwa, OguOgu?”

“N-Not for your sake.”

“Why’re you so flustered now? Lol.”

“I’m not flustered.”

As these two were happy-go-lucky interlocking arms, we other members spotted the food corner, moving there.

*

The food corner was a lot larger than I had anticipated. With many tables to offer, it was even built on two floors. We each ordered something we wanted to eat, gathering at a large table. I went with this park’s special and popular big burger set. Wrapped between two buns, the meaty hamburger looked mouth-watering. The chief went with the same menu as me. Nao and Yuito-san chose ramen, whereas Biwako-senpai and Oguri-chan ordered pancakes.

“Nanaya-kun, can you grab me the spice mix?” The chief said, sitting next to me.

“Even on your hamburger?!”

“They have it here, so why not?”

I mean, I can see the seven spices mix inside the basket for spices, but that’s for soba or udon, I bet.

“Also, I’m not putting it on. I’m inserting it.” She said, removing the top bun, and directly sprinkling it on the hamburger.

“That…isn’t the problem here.”

The teriyaki sauce of the burger slowly turned red. But actually, this might still be pretty delicious.

“Um…Chief, could I also try it?”

“Hm? Did I hear you right? You’d like to try the spice mix?”

Why are you grinning like that…You can see that I’m just waiting for it.

“…Yes, please.”

“You spoiled child.” The chief whispered into my ear as she put the mix onto my own teriyaki sauce.

Why does this feel so lewd?! When did she learn such an indecent move? Then again, this is still seven spices, so it’s nothing of that sort.

“So what should we do in the afternoon? If Touka can’t handle screamers like rollercoasters, we’re pretty much limited on where we can go.” Biwako-senpai said, sitting across from me.

“I’m not bad with it or anything? I just feel like that one ride was more than enough. You guys don’t have to worry about me, though.”

“Yes, yes, you’re just acting tough.”

“A-Am not! But, we also have to avoid any horror stuff, otherwise you might just collapse again, Biwako! You were crying like a little puppy, yeah?”

“Huuuh? Biwa’s not scared at all! She absolutely slaughtered that zombie that came crawling at her! Right, Naopon?”

Don’t kill poor Staff-san, okay. Also, isn’t the idea of a zombie that you can’t kill them?

“Yep! Biwako-chan obliterated it with her grenade launcher!”

What an awful way to play along. Don’t use a grenade launcher in such an enclosed space. Anyway, I should probably give my own comment.

“I’d like to check the souvenir corner, so could you come with me later, Chief?”

“Huh?!”

“We were talking about Japan’s craziest roller coaster, and you definitely can’t deal with that, right?”

“W-What’s that supposed to mean? W-Well, I also wanted to check the souvenirs, so I don’t mind going with you.”

“Yes, yes, I’d be happy if you would.”

If she were to ride that, she’d definitely pass out. Yuito-san must have guessed what I was trying to do, speaking up by himself.

“Then me and the others will check out the rollercoaster.

“Wooo! I can’t wait! Let’s go, OguOgu!” Nao grabbed Oguri-chan, who showed how flustered she was.

“Um, I also want to check out the souvenirs…”

“Hey now, OguOgu, let’s have a contest on who screams less!”

“No, I’d like to go with them to the souvenirs…”

“Good idea, Biwako-chan! I’m in on that! The loser has to buy the winners some ice cream!”

“Actually, I want to…”

“Biwa’s not going to lose against you two!”

“Excuse me…”

“Now you said it! Let’s go right away, Yuito-san! You too, OguOgu!”

“Gaaaaaaah!”

The young girl was dragged away by the group of normies. Yuito-san chased after them while giving me a wink.

“Shimono-kun, let’s meet again later. Take care of Touka, aight?”

And only then did I realize that the chief and I were alone now. I feel like my heart is going to suffer some more in the afternoon.

*

“Look, look, Nanaya-kun. Isn’t this adorable?” The chief grabbed a t-shirt in the souvenir shop located near the entrance of the park.

It had the illustration of a zombie imprinted on it.

“These must be goods from the haunted house, right? I’m sorry, I don’t see how you could think a zombie is cute.”

“Whyyy? It’s so adorable, no?”

“If it was drawn in a cute way, but this is an awfully realistic drawing, no? How is that cute?”

“Like the pose?”

The pose?! How does that make any sense?! He looks ready to attack!

“Let’s look somewhere else.”

The inside of the shop was quite spacious, offering countless souvenirs on sale. The chief looked through the various goods, which had special prefectural goods to collaborative sweets and so on.

“Who are you buying souvenirs for, Nanaya-kun?”

As I looked through some of these, the chief called out to me.

“Probably Onikichi and my family. Kofuyu won’t shut up if I don’t buy her anything.”

“She could have just joined us.”

“She couldn’t make time with her club. Also, since she’s so bad with strangers, there’s no way she would have agreed to come with us when Biwako-senpai and Oguri-chan are here.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Well, it was Ushiki-san’s idea to begin with, I feel really bad we’re just tagging along.”

“Without you around, there’d be nobody to stop Biwako-senpai or Nao. I alone am powerless.”

“Haha, that makes sense.” The chief showed a bashful smile.

Since we just reached the sweets corner, I grabbed a sample.

“Do you think Onikichi would like this?”

“Oh yeah, why didn’t he come with us?”

“Today is his appointment at the tanning salon.”

“Tanning salon…So he’s got a proper date down? I guess I should buy something for him as well.”

“Then let’s both put our money together and buy something big?”

“Great idea, let’s do that.”

I returned the sweets to where I grabbed them from, instead setting my eyes on expensive chocolate. The chief joined in, looking through the sweets. I passed by the sweets corner, looking around the store once more. After looking around once, the chief stopped in her tracks, spotting a key chain.

“Oh yeah, during one of our business trips, you bought some weird keychain, right, Nanaya-kun?”

“It wasn’t weird at all. It was an alpaca keychain. I wanted something to add to my home’s key, so I bought it on a whim.”

“Oh yeah, where did we even go back then?”

“Nasu, right? Getting touchy with the animals, and we looked at the tick art.”

“Ah, I remember now! That was pretty fun.”

“I’d like to go there again.”

“If you join Geotam Business Affairs, you will be able to.”

“You don’t know that! There might be some influence that changes our destination in this timeline.”

“Ahaha, that’d be the most insignificant change to date.” The chief put her hand on her stomach as she laughed her heart out.

“It matters a lot. I actually liked that keychain quite a lot.”

“Why not search for something else, then? There’s a lot of keychains right in front of you. How about something like this?” She said, showing me a keychain with a character and mountain as its motif.

Must be the mascot of this park.

“It seems a bit…eerie, no?”

“Really? I think it’s cute. They call it Yamade-kun.”

As I thought, I still don’t understand the sense the chief has. Well, I prefer Yamade-kun over some zombies.

“Well, I might as well.”

“S-Say, Nanaya-kun.”

“Yes?”

I grabbed one of the keychains when the chief called out my name.

“How about…we buy matching ones?”

“Matching ones?!”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to!”

“No! Please, let’s do that!”

Matching keychains…would mean having the same pair. Having the same object, and shared memory. No matter what intention the chief may have had, I’m not stupid enough to pass up on this chance. I guess the distance between us has been shrinking.

“There’s a lot of poses for Yamade-kun, so how about pick one for the other?”

“Sounds nice. That way, we can check what kind of preferences we each have?”

“Hehe, I’ll choose one that’ll fit you well, Nanaya-kun.”

“I won’t disappoint you either, Chief.”

Ohhh, we’re like a couple now! This is so much fun!

“But before that, I need to head to the toilet. You can go ahead and choose.”

“No, I’ll wait here. We can choose together.”

“Ahaha, then let’s do that. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

With these words, the chief headed to the toilet. I think she’s having fun, at least. Maybe the fact that she went to the amusement park again after years is pushing her mood. At the very least, I get to see her smile a lot, so I’m happy. I guess I might as well check through the key chains while waiting for her…or so I decided when a familiar voice called out to me.

“Shimono-senpai!”

Turning around, I was greeted by Oguri-chan.

“Oh, Oguri-chan? What about the rollercoaster?”

“I decided against it and came back.”

“I see, I see.”

She was slightly heaving for air, so she must have been running over here.

“Did you also come here to buy souvenirs?”

“No, um…I wanted to ride something with you, so I came here to ask.” Oguri-chan said so, looking directly at me contrary to eleven years ago.

“Something you’d like to ride?”

“Yes, the…um, Ferris wheel.”

“The Ferris wheel…”

I waited and hesitated. I get what she’s trying to do here. She probably rushed over here to invite me. However, my heart can’t be shaken. Oguri-chan is a charming girl, and she deserves a good guy, but my heart belongs to someone else. And nothing will change that. If so, I should be the man in this situation and reject her quickly and painlessly. Giving her needless hope will only hurt in the long run. I know I might sound arrogant, but I want her to give up on me and avoid her confession.

However, rejecting her now would make me feel bad all the same. But before I could make up my mind, the chief came back. Oh, perfect timing.

“Ah, Ushiki-san, you came over. Are you out to go shopping for souvenirs as well?”

“Not quite, I wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel with Shimono-senpai, so I invited him,” Oguri-chan answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I see. We can all go there once we’re done shopping for souvenirs, how does that sound?”

The chief acted like a polite older sister, smiling at Oguri-chan.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” I responded, however…

“No, I’d like to ride it with just Shimono-senpai, so could we move separately?” She exclaimed with strong conviction in her voice.

I’ve never seen her like that, not even eleven years ago.

“I-I see, okay…” The chief responded with a weak and fragile voice.

“But Chief, what about the key chains?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s the request of a cute junior, so go with her.”

“Chief…”

Now that she said so, I had no means of saying no either. Met with Oguri-chan’s strong feelings and the chief’s reluctant attitude, I could only go along. And as pathetic as I was, I couldn’t even see what kind of expression Kamijou Touka just had on her face.

*

Together with a consistent rattling sound, our gondola reached higher and higher. As there were mountains and trees all around the park, the scenery from the window wasn’t all too awe-inspiring.

“Sorry to be so forceful, Shimono-senpai.”

Oguri-chan sat across from me, showing a defeated expression.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” I responded calmly.

She must have felt relieved at that since she slowly raised her head. She’s awfully close. I had no idea the inside of the gondola was this tight. Well, I never rode a Ferris wheel before, so how would I know? If I even reached out a tad bit, our hands would end up touching. I don’t know if it’s because of the gondola shaking, or my own brain shaking, but I felt a lot more tense than I normally would. We didn’t speak any words, as the gondola was reaching its zenith. You’re the older person, Nanaya, so man up.

“That reminds me…” “U-Um…!”

“Ah, my bad.” “I’m sorry!”

Damn it, what awful timing is. I can’t tell if we’re on the same level or not.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“No, you can start.”

“Yeah? Then, how did you and Nao get to know each other?”

I really know I shouldn’t be asking that, but I couldn’t come up with anything else to talk about. I was curious about it, so it should be fine.

“Well…we live in the same district, so it just sort of happened…”

“Oh yeah, you were from Nishi Middle School, right?”

“Yes…Wait, did I ever tell you about that, Senpai?”

“Ah, well!”

That’s right, she told me about that before we traveled back in time.

“Ah…did Kamijou-senpai tell you by any chance?”

“Hm? Yep, yep! Chief told me!”

That was close! When did these two talk about that? Well, it saved my bum!

“Oh yeah, you keep calling Kamijou-senpai with Chief, right?”

“Yeah, it’s something of a nickname. Nao also does that.”

“Now that you mention it. It’s an interesting nickname.”

“Ahaha…”

I guess it must sound weird for me to call a high school girl chief.

“Sakonji-senpai, Nao-senpai, and Kamijou-senpai…they’re all beautiful.”

“Nao’s my childhood friend, so it’s hard to comment on that, but the other two are famous at our school. Maybe you heard rumors at your school?”

“I didn’t know about Sakonji-senpai, but Kamijou-senpai sure is. A lot of boys are hoping to enroll at Amakusa High so that they can shoot their shot.” Oguri-chan said and looked outside the window, staying silent.

“…I mean, you’re plenty cute yourself, Oguri-chan.”

“Really?! I-I’m glad.”

I couldn’t bear the silence and ran my mouth again. But don’t blame me, I couldn’t bear Oguri-chan looking so defeated as she glanced outside the window. Not to mention that what I said is true. I want her to be more confident.

“By the way, what were you trying to say just now, Oguri-chan?”

“Ah, well…it’s about Kamijou-senpai.”

“Yeah?”

“How…how do you feel about her…?”

The gondola shook. It seems like we’re going down now.

“What…do you mean?” I understood the intention behind her question, but played innocent.

“I understand that you are close with Sakonji-senpai and Nao-senpai, but the way you look at her feels different from that…Are you dating by any chance?”

“No way! We’re not dating.”

“Really?! Thank god…” Oguri-chan smiled.

Is it…really that easy to see from an outsider’s perspective? But the fact that I like the chief doesn’t change no matter what. So if I tell Oguri-chan about this, she’s bound to give up on me, right? Maybe if I ask her for advice in that regard, I can make her give up. All right, I’ll go with that.

I glanced outside of the window. We’re getting close to finishing our round. I made up my mind and looked at Oguri-chan. Her beautiful eyes were directed at me. She looked close to breaking out in tears, yet equally determined. And then she spoke up again.

“What I said at the offline meeting before is how I truly feel.” Her shoulders were quivering ever so slightly.

I couldn’t look away from her, as the gondola approached the ground. Right as the employee put his hand on the door, Oguri-chan added another final line.

“I would be happy if you gave it some serious consideration, Shimono-senpai.”

Her face was beet red, as she stepped out of the gondola. I frantically chased after her and found myself thinking. Crap—that actually made me waver a moment.

*

After getting off the Ferris wheel, we reunited with everyone else, and took a break at the ice cream restaurant. We all sat at one table, when we looked up at the sky slowly going dark.

“Ah, it started.”

The nighttime fireworks shot into the sky, being another famous attraction of this park. At the same time, the night parade began making its way through the park.

“What kind of costume is that? It’s so gross.” Biwako-senpai munched on her ice cream as she pointed at the mascot walking in the center of the parade.

“That’s Yamade-kun. He’s so adorable, right?”

“Yuck, your idea of adorable is messed up, Touka.”

“Why?! He’s cute and I know it!” The chief complained with a stern gaze.

By the way, she’s eating wasabi ice cream. She really needs a lot of spice in her life, huh? Pun intended. As these two were having their usual verbal banter, Nao sat next to Yuito-san, tapping him on the shoulder as she laughed.

“Look, Yuito-san, Yamade-kun is about to trip! Wahaha!”

Nao’s art of interacting with people transcends the barrier of age. I can’t help but respect her for that. Having finished the ice cream before everyone else, I stood up on my own, heading over to the trash bin to throw away the plastic wrapper. When I did so, I heard a loud bang from above me, as the fireworks exploded. I remembered what happened last summer, simply staring up at the sky.

“It’s fun watching the fireworks with everyone, huh?”

The chief appeared next to me out of nowhere, showing me a warm smile.

“Oh, Chief? What about your ice cream.”

“Ate it already.” She showed me the plastic wrapper in her hand, throwing it away as I did a moment ago.

Didn’t she have at least half of it left when I got up? Well, I admit it was delicious.

“It’s been a while since things were this chaotic, huh?” I said.

“Tell me about it. Once you’re fully employed, you get fewer chances to enjoy an amusement park, after all.”

“But you’ll have more opportunities to enjoy hot springs.”

“Hehe. You sound like an old man. You’re still in your twenties, not to mention eleven years younger now.”

“Um…I’m sorry about just now. I didn’t mean to leave you behind like that.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I ran into Biwako right after I finished buying all the souvenirs.”

“But you’re bad with screamers, right?”

“Not at all! Well, I have to say, I’ve grown tired of them, but Onii-chan seems fine.”

Was it that scary? I guess I was saved by Oguri-chan inviting me.

“That’s a relief, then,” I sighed.

“What about you? Was riding the Ferris wheel fun?”

“Yes, well, I was savoring it since I probably won’t get the chance to ride it again soon.”

“Hmmm, I see.” The chief turned her back towards me.

“Are you…angry?”

“Not at all?”

“She’s in middle school, I didn’t do anything weird, okay?”

“Of course?!” The chief turned back toward me and glared.

She’s pouting. Wait, is she jealous? If only I could just ask that. Oguri-chan is trying so hard, being assertive and open with her feelings, and yet here’s me…I’m always acting in a half-baked way. Just what do I even want to do?

“It’s gotten a bit cold. I left my jacket at my seat, so let’s go back.” I used the cold breeze as an excuse to run away and started walking.

The chief joined in. Walking next to each other reminded me of when I was freshly employed. Roughly half a year after they accepted me, we often walked around outside like this. I wonder, did our relationship change compared to that time?

“I would have loved to ride the Ferris wheel, too…” The chief muttered.

I looked up at the sky. The beautiful fireworks that previously filled the sky were now hidden by clouds. And once again, I couldn’t bring myself to look at the chief’s face.

*

I can’t sleep. We returned from the amusement park, and I headed to bed at roughly 1 am. My body should be seeking out rest after the amount of energy I used today, and yet…My brain was hazy and gloomy, not allowing me to sleep. Oguri-chan’s face, the chief’s face, they created a mush in my head that left me restless.

“This is too much.”

I pushed up my body and grabbed my portable video player. At times like these, I would listen to late-night radio shows. I put in my earphones, laying back down on my bed again. It was about time for a show from my favorite comedy duo to start. I matched the channel and waited for the advertisement to end. When the clock pointed at 1 am, the show started.

*

‘Good evening, this is Inaba from Potato & Rice.’

‘And I’m Sakabe from Potato & Rice.’

‘With this, this week’s Potato & Rice Saturday Dinner Night has begun. As we do every week, we’ve been accepting themes to talk about from our audience, and this week we particularly focused on fall. So everyone, please send us your topics regarding fall. What a boring topic though, man.’

‘Hey now, we just started the show, don’t go complaining now.’

‘Also, talking about fall is way too average.’

‘Well, you’re not wrong.’

‘The writers for our radio broadcast immediately skip out on work, you know?’

‘Okay, I think you can stop now! I’m sorry, everyone. Our dear Inaba is getting ahead of himself.’

‘I’m not getting ahead of anybody. Don’t decide that stuff for me.’

‘No need to latch on to that! Anyway, we’ve got emails coming in. Their radio name is Hakata’s Miso: Inaba-san, Sakabe-san, good evening. I would like your advice on something regarding fall love. I’m currently in my second year of university, and a senior in my circle confessed to me the other day. We are now dating. She does look a bit plain but she’s very kind, but on the first day of us dating, I asked how often we should talk on the phone, to which she responded that she’d prefer it every day. However, doing it every day would be a bit too much for me, and I’d rather keep it to two times a week. Honestly speaking, I don’t think we’re that good of a fit if I have to adjust to her like that. Also, there’s a junior in my circle that I keep tracing with my eyes, which makes me wonder. Rather than being chased, maybe I should instead work towards chasing after my own love? I’d like to hear your opinion about this…it says.’

‘I hate this guy!’

‘And you still shouldn’t say that when we’re live!’

‘Cut me some slack. Daily phone calls are too tough? That girl just answered your question. Not to mention, why do you act so arrogant despite her respecting your desires. You’re not doing anything. You’re the one just expecting stuff from others!’

‘And here we go…’

‘Also, what do you mean she’s plain but kind? That makes it sound like being plain is a bad thing!’

‘Oh yeah, you really are into plain girls, right?’

‘Not to mention!’

‘You’re not done yet with the lecture?!’

‘Chase after your own love? There’s nothing wrong with the idea of that, but at least take the person chasing you seriously. If you understand how she feels, you would understand how much courage it takes to confess like that. You have no right to look down on your girlfriend, let me tell you. So for starters, maybe take your girl seriously! That’s all!’

‘Okay, back to regular scheduling. This has been Inaba-san for you. Well, I agree with the last part.’

‘Huh? What do you understand about all of this, oi?’

‘Don’t point your arrow at me?! Anyway, onwards to the next email. Let’s see…’

*

It’s the same toxic yet familiar banter that hasn’t changed at all. Normally I’d be holding my stomach in laughter, but…tonight, I couldn’t. I removed my earphones and simply stared up at the dark ceiling. It felt like I was the one being lectured. I looked down at the person chasing after me. I didn’t mean to, but I may have just been the one who sent this email. Up to this point, I’ve tried to avoid Oguri-chan’s confession. Using the excuse that I didn’t want to hurt her.

What did she feel, what courage did she muster up…as she approached me, I didn’t even try to understand. Eleven years ago, when she confessed to me, watched by such a crowd of people…or when she invited me out on a date by coming all the way to our high school…even what she said in front of the chief at the amusement park, or what she told me in the Ferris wheel. Just how much courage did that need? I simply ran away from her feelings.

That is truly insulting to Oguri-chan’s feelings. I still like the chief. I’m chasing after her. That’s why I have to understand how Oguri-chan feels. I have to properly face Ushiki Oguri, as well as Kamijou Touka. Not just run away, and instead come up with an answer. And at that moment, I received an email of my own.

‘I’ll be seeing you at Amakusa South High’s cultural festival, Shimono-senpai.’

I responded to it without any hesitation. Still, who would have thought that some people I’ve never met would give me such valuable advice? There’s a lot to learn in life, even during late-night radio shows.