Chapter 15: Playing at the amusement park with my childhood friend

Playing at the amusement park with my childhood friend

From the window of the city bus, I absentmindedly gazed outside. In the lingering heat of the late summer, the Ferris wheel in the distance seemed to shimmer.

It had been a week since the school trip ended. Despite it being a Sunday, I found myself on a bus headed to the amusement park with Tokita for some reason.

“Sorry to drag you along, Boyan”, Tokita lowered his sporty haircut as he spoke.

“Well… what’s this about a strategy meeting?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s a really simple thing… just… well, I kind of want to be alone with Aya as much as possible at the amusement park… I haven’t been able to talk to her much lately…”

I thought it might be something like that.

Today, Aya, Tokita, Aya’s friend Yukari, and I were going to the amusement park as a group of four.

A week had passed since the school trip ended and normal school life resumed. I hadn’t been able to talk to Aya much either.

She had been busy with morning and after-school badminton practice due to an upcoming tournament. Other than our usual morning greeting, “Good morning, Boyan” – “Yeah, good morning”, we rarely interacted.

During lunch, Tokita occasionally invited her to eat, but it seemed that lately, she had been declining due to badminton club meetings.

Tokita even lamented, “Aya’s been elusive even during lunch lately.”

That’s why I had been avoiding speaking to Aya as much as possible.

She was seriously focused on the tournament.

The day before yesterday, when I happened to run into her in the hallway, I told her “Do your best in the tournament.” She smiled in relief and said, “Thanks.” Her slightly anxious smile was cute.

I had the impulse to pull her into an empty classroom and kiss her, but I resisted.

—Stop it.

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My intuition, like a divine whisper, told me to stop.

So for this past week, I had been restraining myself from interacting with Aya.

Finally, yesterday, Saturday, the tournament had ended.

“…I understand why Tokita wants to leave alone and with Aya, but isn’t Aya tired?”

“Nah, Aya seemed really enthusiastic about it, like she wanted a break.”

She was probably just pushing herself.

Aya had a hard time turning down requests from others. She had this trait of not wanting to be disliked, so when she was invited, she tended to say yes with a smile.

It was one of Aya’s many charms, but also one of her many flaws.

“By the way, why did I get invited?”

“Well, at first Yukari said she won four tickets in a draw, so she decided to invite Aya. But then when there was one ticket left, Yukari apparently said, ‘Isn’t it fine if Boyan comes?’” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

So, that’s how it happened. Yesterday, out of the blue, Tokita contacted me.

When I went to the designated meeting spot, Tokita was waiting alone.

“We want to have a strategy meeting”, he said, and we took the train together.

Now, Tokita and I were on this bus together.

“Can you and Yukari go get drinks or something? And as for the rest—”

“Yeah.”

“While casually responding, I glanced at Tokita.

There was a faint trace of anxiety on Tokita’s face.

It’s like… Tokita is supposed to be more cheerful and carefree.

This kind of detailed request doesn’t really fit his character.

I suppose that indicates things aren’t going well between him and Aya.

Well, most of that is probably because of me sleeping with Aya during the school trip.

“Anyway, Yukari also wanted to talk to you, Boyan—”

“Yeah.”

I responded nonchalantly.

But still.

Does Tokita remember?

Today is the anniversary of the first date between Aya and Tokita.

Normally, shouldn’t he be inviting her to go on a date, just the two of them?

Aya is the type to care about anniversaries and such.

Tokita might have forgotten or maybe he’s not very attentive to anniversaries in general.

But, that doesn’t mean I intend to remind him.

I turned my gaze toward the window and absentmindedly watched the Ferris wheel coming closer.

- - - -

“Aya! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Tokita shouted loudly.

At the entrance of the amusement park, Aya and Yukari were already standing.

I turned to look at Aya and was captivated by her.

Aya was wearing a light blue top made of thin knit material and white shorts.

It was probably that type of summer knit. I remember my sister wearing something similar.

The sleeves were short, revealing her white upper arms.

As expected, Tokita was completely fixated on Aya.

Well, he was probably fixated on the busty charm of that knit material pushing up her bosom.

“Aya, that outfit looks great on you. It suits you so well”, Tokita said in a surprised tone.

“Yeah, uh, thanks.”

Blushing slightly, Aya’s bashful smile captivated Tokita once again.

I, too, was surprised by Aya’s appearance.

Her usual boyish aura was nowhere to be found.

Her chestnut-colored short hair was held to the side with a white hairpin, exposing her forehead.

It was a very girlish appearance.

“Since we’re all here, shall we go?” Yukari said, gently patting Aya’s head while smiling.

From her demeanor, it seemed like Yukari had a hand in Aya’s outfit choice today.

Yukari was one of Aya’s close female friends.

Her distinguishing feature was her semi-long black hair, and she seemed quite serious.

I remember that she participated in the rafting activity during the school trip as well.

After the rafting, I led Aya into Yukari’s bathroom.

Remembering Aya’s lascivious appearance at that time, I felt a rush of heat in my loins.

—Calm down.

I know.

Even for me, I wouldn’t be so crude in a situation like this.

Suddenly, my eyes met Yukari’s.

“Boyan, have a good time today”, Yukari softly smiled and I responded with a casual “Thanks” in return.”

- - - -

Naturally at the amusement park, Aya and Tokita, and me and Yukari, formed pairs and began to explore.

With Aya, we exchanged a couple of words at most.

When I said “Good job at the tournament”, Aya responded with a slightly sad “Yeah…” on her face.

It seems the tournament didn’t yield satisfactory results.

I refrained from asking further.

We moved around the park, experiencing several attractions while navigating through the crowds.

“Whoa!”

A strange sound came from behind from Aya.

Looking back, Aya was holding onto Yukari’s shoulder.

Apparently, she nearly stumbled forward.

Tokita instinctively asked, “Aya, are you okay?”

“Aya, are you okay~?” Yukari also peered at Aya, concerned.

Aya quickly let go of Yukari’s shoulder and laughed it off with an “Ahaha”.

“Sorry, just a bit dizzy… Ahh~”

She dramatically pressed her forehead, and in a joking manner, leaned onto Yukari’s back.

Her face still looked fatigued.

She seemed to be sweating more than usual.

I exhaled a breath and addressed the three.

“I’m getting hungry, so how about we find something to eat?”

“Huh, isn’t it still before noon?”

“Sure, let’s eat~”

With Yukari’s agreement, we decided to search for a place to eat.

Despite being before noon, all the food establishments in the park were already full.

Reluctantly, we headed to an outdoor resting area.

Tables and chairs were set up under parasols.

I placed my bag on a chair and spoke to the three.

“I’ll go get food and drinks. What does everyone want?”

“Thanks, Boyan! I’m good with something random!”

“And Aya and Yukari?”

“Oh, I’ll come too—”

Aya lifted her waist.

Yukari stopped Aya with her hand and stood up.

“Aya, wait with Tokita-kun~”

Yukari looked at me.

“Boyan and I will get it.”

With Yukari pushing me from behind, I left the area.

The food stalls had long lines everywhere.

Grudgingly, Yukari and I got in line at the end.

“Sorry for dragging you into this today.”

Yukari, standing beside me, started a conversation.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

I gave a vague response.

“What do you do on your days off, Boyan?”

“Hmm, I watch TV, take walks…”

But from now on, I can’t waste my days off.

I’ll be meeting Aya, and on other days, I need to study for the future.

“Hehe, you seem kind of like an old man.”

“‘Is that so?”

Surprisingly, I might be spending my old age with Aya much like I do now.

“But, Boyan, you’ve changed a bit.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, like during the school trip, you helped Aya, right? That moment… it was amazing.”

“Is that so?”

That time when Aya fell into the river.

I jumped into the river as if I was propelled.

Thinking back, Aya’s tear-stained, snotty face at that time was quite something.

I felt like bursting out laughing at the memory.

“Yeah, it became a little legend. The Legend of Boyan… I kind of spread it.”

“Is that so…?”

“Boyan, do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Then, do you have someone you like?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that Aya?”

“Yeah.”

I answered without hesitation, no intuitive stop.

Yukari exclaimed with surprise, “Whaaat?”

“Immediate answer, huh. Well, I guess… Boyan, you’re always looking at Aya.”

“Is that so?”

I tried not to let it show, but I had been careful. Until the school trip, I even suppressed my own feelings.

‘But you know, you don’t seem to care about what I’m wearing or anything.’

As she said that, I looked at Yukari.

Yukari was wearing a white short-sleeved blouse-like top and knee-length jeans.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Poke— You don’t have to be that honest~”

Yukari lightly tapped my shoulder.

I realized that indeed I was only looking at Aya.

But, it’s okay.

I have no intention of looking at anyone else except Aya.

- - - -

Yukari and I returned with food, taking a break under the parasol.

In the afternoon, Aya seemed to have recovered a bit and started playing around with Tokita and Yukari.

They rode roller coasters, went into haunted houses, and had fun at the game center.

Tokita led the way to the next destination, and Aya walked faster than usual to keep up.

At that moment…

“Oops, I left the souvenir.”

Yukari stopped and counted several paper bags hanging from her hand.

It seemed she had left one of them somewhere.

“Let’s go back and find it!”

Aya exclaimed.

Her expression was that of a determined boy on a mission.

Yukari stopped her with a hand.

“No, it’s fine. It’s probably the last store… I’ll hurry and get it. Can you wait here?”

Yukari rubbed Aya’s shoulder.

It was a gesture like pacifying a child throwing a tantrum.

In some way, the everyday interactions and the nature of their relationship were visible and heartwarming.

“Ugh… alright, be careful. If anything happens, send me a message.”

Aya looked at Yukari with concern.

“Yeah, I’ll be right back~”

Yukari ran off slowly.

The three of us waited for Yukari’s return.

Aya sighed.

It was the feeling of being quite tired.

“Aya, are you okay?”

I asked and Tokita immediately chimed in.

“You’re still feeling down, aren’t you? You said you couldn’t sleep from frustration, right? Just earlier.”

‘Earlier’ must have been when Yukari and I were getting food.

I can imagine Aya talking about the tournament, struggling to find a topic.

But…

Our badminton club—or rather Aya—should have been quite strong.

For Aya to lose so badly that she couldn’t sleep…

That’s why we met quite early today.

Aya is a child who loves sleep.

Even now, she boasts about sleeping for over eight hours a day, so she probably hasn’t been getting enough sleep.

“…Sorry, I’ll go to the restroom for a bit.”

Aya raised one hand in front of her face, looking apologetic.

This gesture hasn’t changed since elementary school.

She often showed it when she was with someone other than me or when she was in a crowd.

“Okay, see you~”

Tokita replied in a familiar manner.

Tokita and I watched Aya’s back as she walked away.

Then, Tokita murmured softly.

“Aya was having fun today, right?”

“Ah, well, yeah.”

I think she was enjoying herself, but…

Maybe you’ve been dragging Aya around a little too much.

You should give her a break somewhere.

“After this, do you want to go on the roller coaster again?”

“Yeah, sure.”

I replied casually.

“Alright, let’s make today the day Aya has the time of her life!”

Energized, Tokita put his hand in his pocket.

He was probably sending Aya cheerful stickers or images on his smartphone.

Tokita always sent Aya lighthearted pictures and stickers.

“Huh? What, huh?”

With an alarmed voice, Tokita searched his pockets and backpack.

Apparently, he couldn’t find his smartphone.

“Oh… I probably left it where we took a break…”

“Should we all go back and look for it when everyone’s back?”

“Nah, it’s fine! I’ll be right back, so you guys just wait here!”

While saying that, Tokita swiftly ran off.

I slowly exhaled through my nose.

As if planned, I found myself alone.

Is this situation a clever gift from the gods?

As I thought, Aya’s figure walking towards me caught my eye.

“Hey, where’s everyone?”

Aya looked confused.

“Ah…”

—Take her.

My intuition whispered to me.

“…we seem to have gotten separated. Let’s go look for them.”

I took Aya’s hand and started walking briskly.

“Huh, Boyan, wait a second!”

‘We seem to have gotten separated?’ Even if we did, it’s better if we stay where we were. It’s quite a lame excuse.

However, Aya didn’t say anything more.

She must have understood my intention.

I walked with Aya, holding her hand, slowly heading to our destination.

Soon, I stopped.

“The Ferris wheel… Are they there?”

Aya and I stood in front of the Ferris wheel.

Following my intuition, this was the only choice of location.

“If we’re on the Ferris wheel, we should be able to spot Tokita and Yukari.”

I asserted with a voice that was hard to tell whether I was serious or joking.

“Ha-ha, no way, that’s not possible, ahaha…”

Aya burst out laughing as if she had hit the jackpot.

It seemed that she found it funny, tears in her eyes from laughing.

It wasn’t the pasted-on smile from earlier.

Aya’s natural smile is cute after all.

“Well then, let’s check it out.”

I smiled and held Aya’s hand.

“What!?”

Aya had a face that was half surprise and half excitement.

We continued on to the Ferris wheel boarding area where nobody was in line.