“Why am I…”
“Well, you don’t really have plans for the weekend, right? Plus, we came to the amusement park, so why not go on a date?”
“…Is it too sudden?”
“Your face is smiling, though?”
“…”
I came to the amusement park with the Commander.
To be precise, I was following Midori.
Honestly, after picking out clothes and all that, I thought I’d let her do whatever, but she was worrying too much.
So, I was forced to tag along to the amusement park.
While following Midori on her date, I would catch her mistakes and help out.
Just playing the role of a little assistant.
“And… I wanted to come to the amusement park with you, Commander.”
“…Then I guess I have no choice.”
“Of course, it’s not a completely ordinary date. But don’t you think this will also be fun?”
I did a bit of disguising.
Different from usual, I let my hair down and even wore glasses with the Commander.
Honestly, I wondered if it was necessary, but Midori was super worried about being found out, so I had no choice.
To be honest, even if we got found out… I could just say I followed because I happened to meet her on a date.
“Hmm… So, when do you think they’ll meet?”
“Right? It’s been about 5 minutes now… Wasn’t the meeting time 10 o’clock?”
“Yes.”
Midori was standing alone in the plaza while we were watching her from a distance.
She was wearing exactly the outfit Dolores and I picked out yesterday.
I had planned for her to wear a hat, but it wouldn’t quite fit with the rides.
Anyway, she honestly looked just ordinarily pretty.
I thought Nana would probably like it too.
At least that’s what I believed.
But why did that friend have to use the word ‘date’?
According to Midori, they said they were just ordinary friends, so it was a bit puzzling.
“Oh, she’s here.”
“Huh?”
“Over there, the girl with black hair.”
“Yeah. She looks a little dressed up too.”
“Hmm… That’s true.”
Just as the Commander said, Nana definitely looked a bit more put together like Midori.
Though she wasn’t in a skirt, she came in jeans and a shirt, so she was at least somewhat prepared.
It didn’t feel like their meeting was nothing at all.
If Midori had gone wearing a hoodie as planned… It might have felt slightly different.
“Nana!”
As soon as Midori spotted Nana, she greeted her with the biggest smile.
Unlike the worries she had yesterday, it was a pure, joyful smile.
“Midori, how long have you been waiting? It’s not even time yet…”
“U-Um? I just got here! Like 5 minutes ago?”
“Oh, thank goodness. I thought you’d been waiting a long time. I intended to arrive earlier.”
“Hehe, it’s fine! After all, the appointment time is at 10, right? It’s not even 10 yet!”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
The two were chatting in the amusement park plaza.
They hadn’t gone in yet, but there were so many people it was hard to hear them clearly.
But that wasn’t a huge deal.
“Oh, shall we go in now?”
– Shall we go in now?
I heard Midori through the earpiece.
Midori had an earpiece in one ear too, so we could both hear each other.
Of course, I generally kept the mic function off.
“Commander, it seems they’re getting ready to go in. We should prepare too.”
“Okay.”
The Commander and I stood up from our seats.
We couldn’t follow them too closely from behind, so we had to walk slowly.
It shouldn’t be a problem since they’d be wandering around slowly while on their date.
“By the way, it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been to an amusement park.”
“Me too. Aside from when I was a kid… I haven’t been since.”
“If it weren’t for Midori, I wouldn’t have come to a place like this. Should I thank her next time?”
“Why would you do that? I bought the tickets anyway. The reason I’m here is to help Midori.”
“That’s true?”
I exchanged banter with the Commander as we slowly entered the amusement park.
After casually checking our tickets, I noticed the two of them and slowly followed while thinking…
“…Amusement parks are definitely places meant for dates.”
“All of a sudden?”
“…Who goes around here alone?”
“Well… Ah.”
The Commander surveyed the area and nodded in agreement.
Most of the people wandering around the amusement park were not alone; they were there with family or romantic partners.
Only someone incredibly brave would actually walk around alone here.
Even if you had a strong heart, it felt like going solo in this atmosphere was too much.
“I realized why I never came here before. Coming alone is definitely…”
“…Yes.”
“But it’s not now, so.”
“…Yes.”
Right, it didn’t matter to me now.
I mean, I wouldn’t have come to an amusement park by myself anyway.
– Midori, should we ride this one?
– The Viking? I love it!
“Commander, let’s go that way.”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
Hearing the sounds through the earpiece, I began moving with the Commander.
Truthfully, I wanted to explore the amusement park a bit more with him, but I was here to help Midori today.
It was a regret, but it couldn’t be helped.
*
“Ugh…”
“Were you really dizzy?”
“Not really… but after riding so many of these in a row… it’s a bit tough.”
“It is a bit… fast.”
We’d ridden the Viking first… and quite a few rides afterward.
Rollercoasters, faster rollercoasters, and even faster ones…
Honestly, I thought Nana’s taste was too thrilling; it was exhausting.
Except when we were waiting in line, I hadn’t even gotten a moment’s rest.
“Ha…”
– Ugh…
– Midori, are you okay?
– Ugh… I feel a little nauseous…
– Should we go rest over there for a bit?
– Yes…
“……….”
Listening to the conversation through the earpiece, I understood.
Even an agent like Midori was feeling a little queasy; it was strange that I felt okay.
“Let’s take a short break too.”
“…Yes.”
“If we don’t, I might end up throwing up.”
“………”
There was no way I could argue with the Commander’s point.
Honestly, I thought the same.
As we kept riding, I found myself feeling worse than expected.
Of course, I didn’t dislike riding with the Commander.
But honestly, it was just too tiring.
“Ugh…”
“Want me to rub your back?”
“…Just be gentle. If you press too hard, it might hurt more…”
“…Got it.”
We headed into a cafe for a brief rest.
It was next to the cafe where Midori went in.
We each ordered a drink and while the Commander rubbed my back, I just sat quietly.
If I had ridden properly and rested, I wouldn’t feel this bad.
I could have enjoyed myself without a care.
I had such thoughts, but at least I didn’t mind it too much.
“Commander.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think of Midori and Nana?”
I asked this while the Commander was rubbing my back.
Personally, I didn’t feel like they were just ordinary friends.
It felt closer than just friends.
Especially with Nana, not Midori.
“Hmm… I thought they looked like ordinary friends. They seemed really close.”
“…Is that so?”
Was it just me who thought that?
But that couldn’t be right; it definitely was different.
“Hmm…….”
“Why?”
“I mean, doesn’t it seem a bit strange? No matter how close they are as women, holding hands and hugging like that seems excessive.”
While continuing to follow them.
Even while we were waiting in line, I was keeping an eye on them, so I noticed even more.
“Really…?”
“Like, when you think about it, I feel like things might get resolved more easily than expected.”
“It really might.”
“…Huh?”
Well, the Commander seemed clueless about it.
Anyway, at least I thought things might resolve better than I imagined.
At least it didn’t seem like it was an impossible prospect.
“Are you feeling okay now?”
“Yes. I’m good. Now, I think I could follow them around again.”
“That’s a relief. I thought it might be a bit much for you.”
“It is… sort of. But I’m on a date with you, aren’t I? So… it was fun too.”
…Anyway, we chatted for a bit while resting.
Honestly, I told the Commander I was fine, but I was really tired.
“But no matter how I think about it, is it normal for women to hug and hold hands like that?”
“I’m a guy.”
“…That’s true, but isn’t it a bit extreme? They’re not students. Why are two grown adults acting that close?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t shake that feeling.
Honestly, it felt too close.
Midori was outgoing and acted cute normally, but Nana seemed particularly intense.
She didn’t let go of Midori’s hand while waiting in line and even grabbed her cheek while riding…
I began to understand why Midori didn’t see Nana as just a simple friend.
With that kind of behavior, how could you see them as just same-gender friends?
Of course, there were reasons beyond that for liking Nana.
But it didn’t look like just friends at all.
– Midori, you’ve got something on your lips.
– Huh, what!?
– Could you hold still for a second? I’ll wipe it for you.
– I-I can do it too…?
– Hey, we’re friends, right? You don’t have to refuse this kind of thing.
– O-Okay…
“…………”
Listening to their conversation only reinforced my thoughts.
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