Chapter 35 : The Sad Maru Who Is Short

The meaningless conversation continued until the commander, who had gone to buy cotton candy, returned.

“What does ‘again’ mean?”

“Again.”

“…Maru, what are you doing right now?”

“Ah.”

The commander, holding the cotton candy in one hand, looked at me as if I were pitiful.

…What? What did I do?

Hmph.

“What does ‘again’ mean?”

“Hey, how about eating the cotton candy first?”

Maybe because she saw my puffed-up cheeks, or maybe because she couldn’t stand this conversation anymore…

Thanks to Nunu unnie, who diverted everyone’s attention to the cotton candy, I was able to escape from the endless loop of questions.

…Now that I think about it, if I had just said “Secret means secret,” this wouldn’t have happened, right?

I can’t believe I didn’t think of something so simple. I’m such a fool.

“Here, this one’s for Maru.”

“Ah, thank you, unnie!”

While scratching my head and tilting it in confusion, Nunu unnie handed me the cotton candy.

Great. In times like this, you’ve got to eat something sweet.

-!

Huff. As soon as I took a bite, the sweetness of the sugar filled my mouth.

Unlike the soft, fluffy pudding that gently wrapped around my tongue, this sweet taste melted from the tip of my tongue!

This is it. You don’t know unless you’ve tried it. The sweetness of cotton candy at an amusement park.

A smile naturally spread across my face.

“Ah.”

When I came to my senses, both of my soft hands were gently cupping my equally soft cheeks.

Nunu unnie was watching me with a satisfied look on her face.

“Is it that delicious?”

“Yes.”

“So, what’s the big deal? It’s this ridiculously delicious and sweet cotton candy that’s in the wrong here. Cotton candy, you’re guilty for being sweet. So, you have to make up for it in my mouth.”

Nom nom.

Even though I was on my second bite, it was still so delicious.

When I tore a bit off and placed it on my tongue, the sweet flavor poured out and melted away in my mouth, making me wonder… could it be any more delicious than this?

“Churp.”

Huh.

Not only Nunu unnie, but also Bada and Commander were staring at me.

Wow…

What’s going on, am I being watched?

And why are those raccoon people looking at me, licking their lips?

Just eat what’s in your hands.

“Maru, can I take a picture of that expression from earlier?”

“…It’s not like I mind, but why are you asking now when you’ve seen it all the time?”

“No, your expression earlier was amazing. Maru, you’d be shocked if you saw it!”

I really don’t get it.

I shook my head.

“…Ugh, seeing you eat makes me want some too. Ugh, I can’t hold back!”

“Bada and Nunu unnie, after watching me eat, wanted some for themselves, so they ran to the shop.”

What? That’s how much I ate it? How deliciously did I eat it?

“Wow, I’ve always thought this, but Maru eats so neatly and well. You’d be successful as a food channel YouTuber.”

“R-really?”

What debut in food broadcasting?

At this rate, I’d rather eat another pudding during the show.

…Wait a minute, don’t broadcasters make a lot of money? I heard their earnings are huge.

If that’s the case, can I make money eating pudding… the creative economy could be possible, right?

Plus, I could eat whatever I want every day with the excuse of it being broadcast food.

I hate to admit it, but since I’m a bit cute, people would watch me. That means I’d become rich in no time…!

I’ll call it MaruMaru TV, rake in the money, and eat puddings non-stop!

I’m a genius!

When I get home, I’ll ask Commander to buy me some broadcasting equipment.

Hehe.

“Alright, then…”

While I was making grand plans in my head, the little raccoon kids standing beside me were staring at the cotton candy, swallowing their saliva.

It seems like this is the first time they’ve seen such a food, and they’re looking all nervous.

…Or maybe they’re just really excited about how it tastes. Anyway…

“ot, tact.”

“Huh?”

As expected, two of the little ones suddenly walked over to the nearby small fountain with their cotton candy.

What are they going to do? Are they going to wash their hands before eating?

The water in fountains is usually dirty, so it’s a bit concerning, but still, washing hands before eating is important, so I shouldn’t say anything.

Wash and eat.

“Eh? What are you…”

Before I could even ask, the little ones mercilessly stuck their cotton candy-covered hands into the fountain.

And then, what happened next was a sad event that anyone could predict.

The cotton candy dissolved and disappeared into the fountain.

“What… What happened? The cotton candy is gone.”

Where did it go?

Come to think of it, I think I’ve heard before that raccoons wash any food before eating it.

Oh, so they weren’t tanuki, but actually raccoon beastmen.

“Huueeeeng…”

The little raccoons, startled when their cotton candy suddenly disappeared, frantically looked around before eventually sitting down and bursting into tears.

…I should have just stopped them.

Sigh.

I went back to the store again for the raccoons who lost their cotton candy.

The bearded shop owner, who was laughing about how he sold a lot of cotton candy today, gave me an extra one as a bonus.

Thanks to that, I got to eat one more too.

Nice!

Ah, fortunately, the ones who had plopped down on the ground crying soon stopped.

Maybe it was thanks to the head pats. Head pats really do work.

Anyway, after taking the kids who had stopped crying to the lost child center, we realized the sun was already high in the sky.

So we headed straight to the amusement park.

There was a little incident where Bada got stuck to the souvenir shop window and wouldn’t budge…

But when I told them we could buy souvenirs after having fun at the amusement park, they gave up.

Curious about what had caught their attention, I peeked inside and saw a can of tuna on display.

Its name was… uh, what was it again? Royal Catnip Baby Natural Ultra Soft Mousse Signature Select Shredded Atlantic Tuna…

Anyway, just saying the name was exhausting.

The label said it was a revolutionary product for cats with no appetite!

I had no idea why something like that was being sold in a souvenir shop.

But whatever, it’s a trash game, so I just let it slide.

Maybe it’s some kind of affection item.

“Yahoo!”

“It’s been a while since I last came to an amusement park. I feel kind of nervous.”

“Eh, what’s there to be nervous about? Just have fun!”

With that, our light tour of the zoo came to an end, and we officially entered the amusement park.

As always, I was perched on Commander’s shoulders.

I felt this last time too, but this is really comfortable.

Except for the part where his rough hair kept poking my belly.

Other than that, he’s the perfect personal ride.

There are so many people. Maru, where should we go?

“Uh, hmm…”

Where would be the most fun and efficient place to go first?

Bumper cars that crash everywhere? No, we already rode glow-in-the-dark carts at the supermarket, so that’s fine.

Gyro drop? Not bad. Maybe the Viking ship? That sounds good too.

The spinning teacups that whirl you around like crazy aren’t bad either… Hmm… What should I pick? Everything looks fun.

“Kyaaaah!”

Just as I was deep in thought, resting my chin on my hand, a piercing scream tore through the air above me, carried by a powerful gust of wind.

…What was that?

“Oh, there’s a roller coaster too. But it looks really fast…”

“That’s probably the ‘Express Train to Hell’—a new roller coaster they made exclusively for mercenaries. Since regular speeds weren’t thrilling enough, they made a new one.”

The roller coaster was so fast it was hard to follow with my eyes.

…That’s the one. That’s it.

That’s the perfect first ride for me.

“Commander! Let’s go on that!”

“Uh, huh? Really? That looks way too dangerous.”

“Come on, hurry! If the sun sets, we won’t be able to ride anything!”

“But…”

Ugh, seriously.

To make him move faster, I plucked one of his hairs. Pluck.

I was aiming for a gray hair, but I guess I pulled most of them out last time—there weren’t many left.

So I ended up pulling out a slightly graying one instead. Pluck pluck.

“Ow, ow! Alright, alright! I’ll go, so stop pulling my hair!”

“Hmph.”

See? You should’ve moved when I told you to.

You’re just asking for trouble.

Luckily, there wasn’t much of a line in front of the roller coaster.

Maybe because it was still morning, there weren’t many people yet.

So we got in quickly.

“Whoa.”

Right at the entrance of the roller coaster, there were tons of ominous warning signs.

“Caution for the weak-hearted.”

“Caution for fainting.”

“Caution for shock.”

They really went all out with the warnings.

I guess that’s why it’s called the Express Train to Hell.

Not that it matters to a fearless person like me.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“You can’t.”

…?

Just as I was about to hop onto the train with excitement, a staff member came over, picked me up, and put me back at the entrance.

I could only stare blankly at them.

The staff member sighed and pointed to the very bottom of the warning sign.

What now? What’s the problem…

“Oh.”

There it was— “No riders under 150 cm.”

…Why.