Chapter 52: Under the Twilight Sky with the Ice Lady

Hinami cheerfully took them to a place that looked suspiciously like an abandoned hospital.

Of course, they knew that it was not a real hospital, but just a facility situated in an amusement park.

However, the exterior of the building was so well done, combined with the cold winter weather, it gave off an eerie feeling.

“So that’s what you mean by ‘screams’.”

“Speaking of winter, yes! Haunted houses!”

“It’s summer, idiot!”

 

Apparently, this attraction required two people to work in pairs.

Since it was dark in the hospital, they were advised to bring a flashlight.

And if anybody really wanted to give up, they could use the emergency exits at various places.

By the time they had finished listening to the receptionist explain the story and various other precautions, Chiaki and Hinami were already gone, and Fuyuka was shivering slightly next to Asahi.

“…Asahi-kun, where is the emergency exit?”

“…We just entered, you know.”

 

“But, I’m sure there’s definitely a ghost in that corner!”

“It’s still the start, so we’ll be fine.”

“What if he’s there?”

“Even if he’s there… It wouldn’t do any real harm.”

 

“I-I mean what about mentally!?”

For the past ten minutes, Fuyuka had been hesitant to move ahead from the entrance area.

The way she resisted with unusually strong words was child-like, and the content of her speech was also childish.

‘Oh yeah, Fuyuka was not good at this kind of thing.’

He can’t remember when it was, but he can remember Fuyuka being seriously frightened by the existence of a ghost, when he joked around.

As the most talented girl in the school, Asahi thought that she would have rejected the occult, but apparently what seemed scary to her was still scary.

It seemed to be the same with the artificial attractions, and he could tell that she was really scared.

“Can you please wait a little longer, until I’m ready?”

“Well, that’s totally fine, but… if you want, we can go back to the entrance now?”

“…No, I’ll do my best, at least for the first stage.”

Asahi was thinking whether he should praise Fuyuka for being brave enough to take on the challenge, instead of giving up from the beginning.

However, it was also true that they needed to move on from the starting point soon, as there were customers waiting and some had already passed them.

Asahi wondered if there was any way he could ease Fuyuka’s fears.

Thinking about this, Asahi remembered his father’s back.

“Fuyuka, grab here.”

 

“Eh…?”

 

“It’s just a distraction, but it’s better than nothing.”

“…Thank you very much.”

 

Fuyuka discreetly grabbed Asahi’s clothes from behind.

Although it was a little difficult to walk, the fact that there was someone nearby and something to hold onto should give her a great sense of security.

“Think you can go?”

“…Yes. I’m much calmer now.”

“Then, we’re moving on. Hold on tight.”

There was no reply, but instead a strong squeezing force was applied over on his back.

Taking it as an affirmation, Asahi held the flashlight firmly in one hand and proceeded slowly, illuminating the road ahead.

From time to time, he would turn around and check on Fuyuka.

She was still afraid, and her eyes were only slightly open, but it was a lot better than before.

“So far, nothing’s happened.”

 

“…If possible, I’d like it to end like this.”

“Maybe.”

 

Of course, it was not possible for nothing to happen in a haunted house.

It was a trick used to reassure the people this way, and then suddenly surprising them.

Asahi was well aware of this, but he kept quiet because it would only scare Fuyuka.

And so, it was when they finally passed through the first long straight corridor and turned the first corner.

Coincidentally, that was the point where Fuyuka found suspicious.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

A man in a bloody surgical suit suddenly appears and makes an eerie groaning sound.

A lovely scream echoed in the dimly lit ward as Asahi watched the powerful performance before him.

—

“There’s only ten minutes left until the park closes. Time wise, that’s only one more ride.”

By the time Chiaki looked at his watch and muttered to himself, the sun was setting and the area was completely tinged with orange.

As it was the end of January, the border between day and night was much shorter.

The fantastic sunset, a mixture of blue, purple and orange, would be covered in black in a few minutes.

In the midst of a cold wind and chilly time of the day.

The two, looking quite tired, open their mouths.

“…Please no more intense rides.”

“…I’ll excuse myself, too.”

 

Having been exhausted both physically and mentally by the attractions, they had very little energy left.

At the end of the day, one might want to ride a calm attraction such as a coffee cup or a merry-go-round.

As if the thoughts of Asahi and Fuyuka were understood, Hinami pointed to the sky with a big smile on her face.

Looking ahead, they saw a huge steel flower glowing with seven colors of light.

“Yep, the last thing should be a Ferris wheel.”

The three of them nodded unanimously at this suggestion.

“…Why don’t we just ride with four of us?”

“Asahi-kun, I’m sure there are things that lovers want to talk about.”

“But those guys flirt all the time.”

Asahi was not complaining at all since she took the trouble to invite him, but he felt like he had spent a lot of time alone with Fuyuka today.

‘Did they think that four people in a small gondola would be too small?’

Before he knew it, Asahi was riding in a different gondola from Chiaki and Hinami.

“Nevertheless, the haunted house was great.”

 

“Yes, but I don’t want to remember it.”

 

“I didn’t expect you to raise your voice like that.”

“Wha- I told you to forget about it!”

Even though she was desperately pleading, there was no way Asahi could forget the look on her face when they left half-way through the second stage.

“I was so scared.” Fuyuka’s comment along with her tears were so adorable that Asahi almost wanted to reach out and pat her head.

Even now, Fuyuka’s blushing cheeks were still tingling with shame, and her honest  adorableness invoked a feeling which was tingling inside Asahi.

However, he didn’t have the guts, courage, or qualifications to act on such impulses.

As usual, Asahi covered the noise and bewilderment inside his chest and talked to his friend who was looking out at the city.

“Did you have fun today?”

“Of course… Recently, thanks to you, I’m really enjoying every day.”

“Well, that’s great, but it’s too much to say that it’s because of me. Hinami was the one who invited you to the amusement park.”

“But it was you who introduced me to Aiba-san.”

“Well, that’s true…”

 

Asahi didn’t remember doing anything that would result in a thanks.

He was told the same thing at Christmas, and Chiaki once told him the same thing, but in the end he never knew what it was about.

‘Since we’re here, why don’t we ask her now?’ Asahi thought to himself.

He turned his head straight and saw Fuyuka smiling faintly at him.

That smile was supposed to be a part of the short relationship they had, but eventually it had become a norm.

Yet, for some reason, today he couldn’t take his eyes off it and couldn’t let it go.

There was a moment of silence as the gondola slowly made its way to the top.

And then―

“I’m glad that I met you, Asahi-kun.”

The muttered words were enough to stop Asahi from thinking.

A moment of silence followed, and then Fuyuka spoke again, looking embarrassed.

“I’m going to see my mother next week. Can I talk to her about you, Asahi-kun?”

“It’s not really a problem, but… there’s nothing interesting to talk about me.”

“It is. Besides, we have a lot to talk about.”

As he listened to Fuyuka’s story, illuminated by the sunset, Asahi looked blankly at her unclouded smile.

It was beautiful, and for sure adorable.

And so, he was able to verbalize the feelings he had for Fuyuka.

A word came to mind for a moment.

Under the beautiful orange twilight sky, the gondola carrying the two of them reached just above – and now it was slowly descending.