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I completely expected that. Do you hold some grudge against me? I sent Kaori a spiteful gaze, but she didn’t care. Seeing how she’s unfazed, I guess Kaori has pretty thick skin. This isn’t because of my influence, is it?

“Very well, but it’s more likely that I’ll feel nausea before it wakes me up.”
“If that happens, I’ll take responsibility and take care of you. Though of course, we won’t force you to ride.”

While I’m not good with it, I don’t mind riding with people. Besides, this theme park only has relatively easy rides. If it had really intense ones, I wouldn’t be on board. I don’t really seek thrills for fun. And as we passed through the park’s gates, students began to spread out and move on their own.

“Hey, they take a picture at the moment of the drop, right?”
“Don’t have high expectations, please. In my case, I generally won’t have any interesting face to show.”

Harumi asked with a grin, but doesn’t she know just how un-photogenic I am? In pictures, my face isn’t the type to get seen cringing in fear or smiling in joy.

“Besides, if it’s just this, I’ll be fine.”

Compared to rides that have the national record for fastest speed or highest drops, this one’s a breeze. Still, for some reason, it feels fun to ride together with friends. I’m not going to have a smile while riding it, though.

“Whether it’ll be a good memento will depend on us.”

We rode, got off, received our picture, and then had awkward looks as we saw the photo. That’s natural. After all, everyone else looks like they’re having fun while I have a different expression. I expected this to happen, so I’ve already given up on a good commemorative photo.

“Well, that’s an awfully serious face.”
“Miyako. It’s a mistake to expect anything from the pictures. When I know I’ll get a picture of me taken, my face just goes serious. It’s that bad.”
“Ah, your tone’s back.”

There’s no other students around, after all. We were all in a dense crowd at the entrance, so I changed the way I spoke. I can see other students here and there, but with how lively the place is, I’ve judged that we wouldn’t really stand out.

“Still, lining up is agonizing. I feel so sleepy.”
“The air may be cold, but the warmth of the sun is comfy. Still, compared to the past, with smartphones being popular, there should be less idle time.”

It’s just as Kaori said. Even with long lines, you can pass time with a smartphone. However, I don’t play with my phone that much, so I could only stare blankly at the air. Thanks to that, I nearly fell asleep and stumbled a few times.

“It’s really difficult finding things to talk about so Kotone won’t sleep.”
“I don’t really see you having a tough time, though.”

Weren’t you the one who’s been talking to me the most, Miyako? While we were waiting in line, she asked about my relationship with EXIST, about where to go next, and so on. She never ran out of things to talk about. Being sleepy as I was, the most I could do was throw in some nods and mutters.

“Still, as expected, the popular attractions really have long waiting times.”
“It’s really impressive how crowded it is even though it’s a weekday.”

Season-wise, classes should still be ongoing for most schools, but why are there so many families with children today? Small children having the time of their life are heartwarming to see, though. I’ve never gone to places like these during my childhood. My hometown was my playground.

“There aren’t many thrill rides, so let’s go with the more relaxing ones next. But before that, let’s shop and eat.”
“You sound really hyped today, Miyako. Were you looking forward to this place?”
“Well, not being excited to be here would be weirder. We’re definitely seeing the midday parade, alright!”

Even Kaori and Harumi were slightly taken aback by Miyako’s excitement. I, in particular, hear alarm bells in my head ringing. Didn’t Miyako say something about shopping just now? If food, then I welcome it. But she might buy some sort of costume prop while we’re at it.

“Miyako. You’re not going to buy anything weird, are you?”
“Of course not. Besides, you have a hat on, so you can’t wear it anyways.”

In conclusion, I avoided the threat. On the other hand, Kaori and Harumi are now wearing some sort of weird headband. I’m really glad I decided to wear the disguise. If I was caught wearing that in a photo, some guys will likely question me about it. Mostly the fools and my family.

“It’s not bad after some getting used to. But I’m taking this off the moment we step out of here.”
“Agreed, Kaori. It’s still fine here since other people wear it too, but it’ll be embarrassing to wear outside.”

That’s the way it is. We’re currently in dreamland. Once we step outside, it’s back to reality and sobriety. Heck, I’m not even on a high right now. After all, I was hyper all day yesterday, being on high voltage for two days in a row is hard.

“What time will the midday parade start?”
“Around 2:00 pm. We’ll have to get lunch and secure ourselves a place before then.”

This might be the first time I’ve seen Miyako being on full throttle. Listening to her, it seems like the main star of the parade, the princess, will sometimes be chosen from the park guests. They ask for the chosen person’s agreement to appear prior, so it’s got nothing to do with us.

“Do you want to be a princess, Miyako?”
“It’s not that I want to go on the parade float and stand out. I just like seeing it.”

Right? Who the heck would willingly go up there and attract attention? Sure, it’d be memorable, but also in a negative sense. It’s fine when you’re still young. But with my total age, I absolutely don’t want to be up there.

“Wait, don’t they choose the princess by raffle?”
“They seem to choose from applicants. In case the winner is absent, either a staff or someone else in the park will substitute for them.”

Kaori is surprisingly knowledgeable about it. Is it common knowledge? I’ve never gone here before and I wasn’t interested in visiting either. After all, if I carelessly brought the fools along for some reason, there’s no telling what kind of chaos will ensue.

“I’m getting chills for some reason.”
“Lack of sleep and now a cold, please don’t. Don’t forget that your trip is on the line today.”

It’s not that kind of chill, Kaori. It’s the kind I get when I have a bad premonition. Is something progressing somewhere unbeknown to me? Something that’ll have an effect on me somehow? I look around, but I don’t see anything amiss.

“Are my senses dulled from the all-nighter?”

I’m behaving this time. I’m pretty sure I’m not diving myself into trouble. In that case, is someone planning to drag me into trouble? That’s impossible to avoid, then.