episode_0015

Despite initially refusing to drink any more alcohol, the uncle who had lifted the drinking ban as a mood changer ended up preparing dinner for me in the evening, making pasta from scratch.

The pasta he made, slightly spicy and chewy, seemed similar to the tomato seafood pasta I had before, but it was much tastier than what I had at the restaurant.

The uncle mentioned that he was particularly skilled at making pasta. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was his forte. But what made him suddenly decide to go out and buy ingredients himself, pick out wine that would complement the pasta, and even find a 1+1 promotion for the amusement park entrance fee?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

As we headed down to the underground parking lot, our eyes met. I couldn’t help but keep staring at the uncle because he looked noticeably different from yesterday and today.

Not only did he make pasta from scratch, but he also managed to find a 1+1 promotion for the amusement park entrance fee after complaining about how expensive it was, knew the route to ride many attractions with minimal waiting time… Has this uncle had some experience with amusement parks in the past?

“It’s quite surprising in many ways. It’s fascinating how you’re clever about everything, including amusement parks… By the way, why did you bring what you took out of the warehouse yesterday?”

“This, this? I need this to get the 1+1 free pass… It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

So, having just that gets you a free pass? And what was he doing in the warehouse for so long yesterday? I have no idea what that thing is that he took out so carefully.

“Anyway, I’ll put this in the trunk, so it’s in the car.”

“…This is your car?”

The uncle nodded in response to my question. Seriously? It looks like an expensive car, even though I might not know much about cars. And those four overlapping circle logos look familiar…

“Why weren’t you getting in when it’s not locked? I told you to sit.”

Misunderstanding that the door was locked and he couldn’t get in, the uncle came over and opened the door for me. As I entered and sat down, the unique scent of the car stimulated my nose. It wasn’t unpleasant at all… The interior was amazing. Can I really ride in something like this?

“You should fasten your seatbelt… What are you doing? Come over here for a moment.”

As I looked around the car with wide eyes, the uncle sitting in the driver’s seat leaned towards me and reached out to the seatbelt on my right.

Was it because I was nervous riding in such a luxurious car? As I looked at the uncle up close, my heart started to beat strangely.

“We’re going to start, so you should sleep. It’s going to take quite a while to get there.”

“If I sleep, won’t you be bored alone? And I’m not tired, so I’ll keep you company on the way~”

I was actually a bit sleepy, but I wanted to have a conversation with the uncle. There were many things I was curious about… Oh, the engine sound is so quiet~?

*

Feeling refreshed from the exhilarating ride, we arrived at the entrance of the amusement park. The uncle went into the building labeled “Information,” opened the backpack he had taken out of the warehouse, showed its contents to the staff, and received two free passes for the price of one.

I was about to ask what was in my backpack, but seeing items being pushed into the storage locker like lightning made me lose all interest. Of course, I’m dying of curiosity.

“It’s not that crowded for a Sunday, huh? Maybe we didn’t need to plan out a route. Do you see anything you want to ride?”

It seems like there are quite a few people around here… I wonder how many there usually are.

“I have no idea what anything is… Oh, that! That looks fun!”

As I followed the man, a spinning ride caught my eye.

“Hurricane? Alright, there shouldn’t be much of a wait. Let’s go hard from the start.”

Saying that, the man grabbed my hand and started heading towards the Hurricane ride. Why is this man so excited? Yesterday, he said we were just coming to have fun, not practice for a date…

Well, the main purpose was to cheer up the man, so it doesn’t matter~

But what’s this warning sign? “You thought it wouldn’t drop? Everything drops!”

Sitting in the chair is fine, but the safety gear wrapped around from the shoulders to the stomach is a bit uncomfortable. Do I really have to ride like this?

“Alright, everyone, lift your heads! Straighten your backs~ Please use it with the correct posture!”

Following the part-time worker’s instructions, I straightened my back with the correct posture, and the man sitting next to me looked at me with a smile. I wanted to ask why, but before I could, the ride started moving, and I could only grab onto the safety handle.

“Alright, everyone, just hold onto the handle, it’s not fun without it! Now, let’s all cheer~!”

“Yay! Hooray!”

It had just started moving, but cheers and screams filled the air. Of course, my voice was mixed in there too. I forced myself to cheer, but it did help me relax a bit.

I thought it was nothing special, but as soon as it started moving, my heart started pounding again, and I held onto the handle tightly. Glancing over, I saw the man watching me, but I didn’t pay him any mind.

“Now, the fierce storm Hurricane is coming~ Let’s go inside~ Let’s go~!”

The ride that had been moving back and forth suddenly started spinning as soon as the part-time worker’s chant ended. But it seems like it’s spinning faster. Isn’t this too intense?!

“Hey, isn’t this spinning too much, sir? It feels different from before… Ahh! Why are we going up more here! Ahhh! Sir-!”

“Haha! Waaaah!”

Is this man enjoying watching others suffer? If it was going to be this intense, I wouldn’t have ridden it for no reason! I did ask him to ride, but I only said it was thrilling, I didn’t say anything else, so I felt a bit resentful towards the man and ended up screaming while hitting his arm.

“Ahhh!”

But even in such a scary situation, the fact that I never closed my eyes shows that maybe I’m enjoying it more than I thought?

After getting off the Hurricane ride, the man asked me how it was, and I replied, “Awesome!” At first, it was scary, but once I got used to it, I realized that this was what thrill was all about.

With my excitement soaring, I grabbed the laughing man and ran to the next ride, conquering the Twist and the Rock Spin.

I did want to try the Viking ride, but it seemed less intense than the Hurricane, so my interest waned.

“Wow, that was fun!”

Perhaps it was because I never had the chance to visit a place like this before. I only enjoyed three rides on the attractions, but I already feel satisfied. However, with so many more rides I still want to try, I shouldn’t be content with just this. Especially that roller coaster in the distance, of such a terrifying scale, I must ride it!

“Make sure to follow me closely, you might get lost, okay?”

“What do you take me for, a child? Don’t worry, mister,” I said, while feeling a bit uneasy in this unfamiliar place, grabbing onto the man’s sleeve and quietly following him. Unlike before, the man seemed to be considerate, taking small steps as if trying to accommodate me.

Wow, this place is really huge. How much further do we have to walk to get to that roller coaster? My legs are killing me. I’ve been feeling a bit hungry too.

“It’s a bit early for lunch, but let’s go eat… huh?”

Oh, this man is really attentive today, isn’t he? But why did his expression suddenly stiffen while he was speaking? Following his gaze, I turned my head and saw a woman holding a stick approaching.

Is she a theme park employee? A woman with striking makeup and a unique leather jacket outfit, with bright red hair, was walking towards us.

“Who is she? Do you know her, mister?”

“We met briefly in the past… anyway, let’s go somewhere else to avoid an awkward encounter.”

I briefly thought she might be the man’s lover, but judging by his terrified expression, that didn’t seem to be the case. Or maybe she’s his ex-girlfriend, like me, who parted on bad terms?

“Um, are you not Ms. Hennessy?”

“Damn it…”

He tried to leave, but the woman’s gaze landed directly on him. Suddenly, she stopped scolding and started walking towards us.

But why is she so eager to come over when our man clearly doesn’t want her to? What’s with this Hennessy person? I don’t know what their relationship is, but if you’re causing our man to be in a bad mood, it’s affecting my mood too.

“Mister, let’s go quickly!”

Ignoring her, I grabbed the man’s arm and moved forward, hearing the footsteps of the woman getting closer from behind. Hey lady, we told you not to follow us!