I don’t know if it’s because I was looking forward to our plan or not, but the classes today felt long.
As soon as school was over, we met up with each other and immediately headed for our destination.
We decided to go to an amusement park. It was a bit far, but still within walking distance.
‘Park’ is a part of a huge commercial facility. The first floor has a game center and slot pachinko machines. The second floor has recreation, such as bowling and darts, and the third floor has karaoke.
There is also a ferris wheel on the first floor which children, adults and couples could enjoy.
Because it’s close to the station, it’s a place that’s well-known around the area, being known as ‘the best place to play’.
H: “I want to take a purikura!”
K & A: “”Rejected.””
At first, we arrived at the arcade area and stopped by for a while.Kaede and I immediately shot down Hina’s words.
Purikuras are troublesome.
It takes time, and I have to listen to people telling me what to do.
It doesn’t matter what frame it is, and it doesn’t need to be painted or anything like that.
The photos themselves are also unusually decorated. It makes me uncomfortable. People look completely different in the picture.
I don’t know what’s fun about that.
“Don’t say that. Since we’re here, why don’t we take on as a memory of us hanging out together?”
“You should just take one between girls.”
Sasaki-san, who started talking to support Hina, got cut off by Kaede without mercy.
Really, Kaede is so cold.
Speaking of which, Sasaki-san said that she’s interested in Kaede.
I wonder if she wants to take a picture with Kaede.
I’d like to have them take a picture together, but Kaede seems to hate it so it will be difficult.
But maybe four people could go together.
It’s troublesome, but I’ll cooperate with them.
A: “If you can do all the troublesome work there, we can take a picture.”
H: “Really!? I’ll do it!”
Next to the jumping Hina was Kaede with a really unhappy face.
A: “Kaede’s going too right?”
K: “I’ll go in if Akira’s going in……”
Alright, the operation’s successful.
I left the selection of purikura models to the girls, and they guided us there.
We took photos with Hina and Sasaki-san in front while Kaede and I were in the back. I left the processing to the girls so Kaede and I took a break.
The happy voices of two girls could be heard.
It seems that they’re very excited over the process.
While sitting in the break room, and talking to Kaede while looking around casually, I saw a UFO catcher and noticed that the prize was a puppet called ‘Kokopeling’[1].
The size is about twenty centimeters, and looks like a lizard with a whistle.
[1] I don’t think it’s this, but this was all I could find.
It had an expression that seemed to be saying “teehee” with a tongue protruding beside it. The whistle that has a colourful heart and star pattern.
Perhaps the motif is ‘Kokopelli’[2], which is said to be the god or spirit of Native Americans, but isn’t this a bit too colourful……
[2] Hm, quite similar
S: “Sorry for making you guys wait! Here, for the two of you.”
The two people who waited for the purikura to finish processing came over with it in high spirits.
They seem to be distributing for four people, and they offered us our share, but we refused.
A: “I’m good.”
K: “I don’t need one either.”
Even if I receive a purikura, I don’t know what to use it for.
Kaede seemed to have the same idea.
Since I would end up throwing it away, it’s better to let the girls keep it.
S: “Really? But I’ll give this to Kaede-kun. I made a mistake.”
Sasaki-san deliberately nudged Kaede and handed a strip to him.
Kaede tried to refuse it, but took it reluctantly after being nudged again by Sasaki.
K: “……”
He turned his gaze to the purikura he received, and looked at Sasaki-san for a moment, then put it away in his bag immediately.
What with that reaction?
I’m curious.
A: “Kaede, let me see too.”
K: “No.”
S: “It’s nothing much. I just got the wrong sticker.”
A: “Hmm?”
I feel like they’re hiding something.
I wonder if she drew a beard on my face or something.
“Ahh! It’s Kokopeling!!”
I suddenly heard a loud voice, and jolted involuntarily.
As I looked at Hina, I saw her looking at the Kokopeling that I saw just now with sparkles in her eyes.
“You really……you scared me with that loud voice of yours!”
“Ah, sorry. But, but it’s because I found Kokopeling! And it’s that pattern!”
What about this Native American doll that might provoke such excitement?
I-is it famous?
“It’s very trendy! Some of them are on sale, but they’re not everywhere. I didn’t know that an arcade had it……!”
I’m surprised that these are popular.
Is it even promoted on TV?
“Aki……”
Hina put her hands together, and looked at me.
It’s the ‘begging’ pose.
I feel a strong pressure instead of her begging me.
She’s probably telling me to get it.
A: “Sighh……Which one do you want?”
H: “!!! Thanks! That! That pink one! The one with the heart!”
When I looked at the direction she pointed at, I saw something similar, but it was buried under the other dolls.
It’s too difficult to take even just the head out.
A: “That’s impossible. Anyways, the red one in front of……”
H: “No! It can’t be anything other than that one!”
Her eyes look desperate.
I don’t think the pattern matters……but she’s so troublesome.
A: “Don’t be so self-centered. I’ll try once, but I won’t care if I don’t get it. You’re getting it yourself after this.”
H: “Sure!”
I inevitably inserted a hundred yen into the slot.
I checked the position of the crane from the side, and moved it with the buttons.
The crane moved horizontally and vertically. It stopped above the doll’s head, and moved down with a beeping sound.
The crane grabbed somewhere around the area where the doll was in an awkward movement, and slowly rose up……but it didn’t grab anything.
I knew it would be useless, but I was still a little disappointed.
A: “See, it’s impossible.”
H: “Ah.”
I was going to escape quickly, saying “I won’t do this anymore”, when Hina raised her voice.
Looking back, I saw a string hanging on the crane.
As the crane rose, I could see the head of a Kokopeling.
And when the whole body was exposed, it dropped right down the slot.
A: “Ohh!?”
It was unexpected……but I got it!
Got it……I got it!
Am I not amazing!?
H: “Yayy! Thanks, Aki!”
As we went to retrieve the Kokopeling, Hina was skipping like a child.
A: “It makes you that happy?”
Actually, I was so happy that I was driven by an urge to jump around, but I endured it when I saw Hina making noise.
Yes, I’m at an age where I want to look cool.
But if this makes her happy, I’m glad that I could get it.
As I watched Hina being happy, Sasaki-san came close and told me.
“Hey, that’s a doll that’s said to ‘make wishes come true’, but the heart pattern means ‘successful love life’.
Indeed, things like ‘make you happy’ or ‘have a good relationship’, etc jinxes are popular from time to time. I guess that seems to have been the case.
A: “He-eh. Well,I wouldn’t be taking care of you if it came true. Right, Kaede……Kaede?”
I was talking to Kaede, but there was no reply.
As I looked at Kaede, he was staring intently at Kokopeling with a serious expression. If he looked at it any longer, there would be holes in no time.
A:“Oi.”
When I waved my hand in front of his face, he finally looked at me.
A: “It can’t be, you won’t say that you want one too, right?”
K: “I-I don’t need it. I don’t believe in such things.”
As expected of Kaede-sama.
Despite saying that, he’s looking at me with fire in his eyes.
This guy, he actually wants one.
A: “Hm? Eh……”
I could see someone with the Hana Shiki-en’s (Four Season Flowers Garden) uniform behind Kaede.
It’s not surprising that the students of Hana Shiki-en are here, but it’s someone I know, and she didn’t seem like a person who would come here so I was a little surprised.
Moreover, it’s different from the expression I usually see.
“Shirousa-san! Oii!”
When I called out, the latter seemed to have noticed and looked at me.
Then, her face returned to the sharp look that I usually see.
She seemed unwilling to talk to me so I was going to leave, but I saw someone with her and was surprised.
“Eh, it can’t be–a boyfriend!?”
She was with a young boy, who was shorter than me, and his hair was about the same as Hina’s.
Is it better to say it’s silver, rather than light grey?
And rather than cute, his red eyes like garnet are pretty and beautiful.
My impression is that he’s the ‘Ephemeral Prince.’
The Prince was surprised, he looked at me while trembling.
“U-uh……I’m her younger brother. Are you from the same school? Thank you for taking care of my older sister.”
“Y-younger brother!?”
They certainly do have similar coloured hair and eyes.
It’s hard to understand because Shirousa-san has the face of a warrior. But if you look closely, you can see that their face structure is similar to each other…
“He-eh, I didn’t know Shirousa-san had an ikemen younger brother……”
One looks like a female mercenary while the other one looks like a lost prince, but they’re siblings.
The mystery of genes.
“Ikemen……Brother (Onii-san) too! You’re an amazing ikemen!”
His face is soft, modest and cute. Unlike Shirousa-san, who always seems to be thinking about assassinating people.
He makes my heart squeeze.
This kind of younger brother, I want one too……!
As I looked at younger brother-kun, Shirousa-san was glaring at me.
No, it’s normal to be glared at, but today I’m being glared at while someone is looking at me, and that seems to add even more ‘poisonous effects’ to it.
I wonder if she wants me to stay away from him.
But he’s cute, and that makes me want to tease him. I can’t endure it.
“I haven’t been told that a lot so I’m happy. Wait, brother? Ah, right. You’re a ‘younger brother’.”
“Yes, I’m in the third year of junior high school now.”
“Ohh. You have a promising future……”
When you grow up, you’ll probably be a beautiful ikemen.
I would like to see him when he grows up.
I’ll leave the rotten door open, and wait for your arrival.
I wish he would just enter Hana Shiki-en.
“S-sister!?”
When I was charmed by the prince, Shirousa-san pulled him away from me.
I’m worried that if you pull so hard, the Ephemeral Prince might break.
The prince waved his hand at me as he was being dragged off.
“Shirousa Prince, bye bye!!”
“!!”
When I waved back, Shirousa-san withdrew her hand, stopped for a moment, and looked at me with a terrifying expression.
I-I wonder what happened.
Did me calling your younger brother a prince touch your nerve?
The Prince glanced at me one last time, and left.
I wonder what that was about.
I was so scared that my heart was thumping like I was going to die.