Brooding internally about the future while we waited, our turn finally came up. The safety bar dropped, the announcement played, and the ship started swinging gently. The first few swings were mild and not particularly scary — but the amplitude built fast.
“This is intense…”
“That’s the point.”
Riona, looking slightly tense, was the opposite of Reona, who was wearing a face of pure delight. As I’d suspected, Reona was the thrill-ride enthusiast; Riona, not so much.
“That was great. Let’s do the teacups next.”
“Yeah, two thrill rides in a row would wreck me.”
“Seconded.”
We disembarked and headed for the teacups. The teacups had a much shorter line and we got on right away.
“Haven’t ridden teacups in ages.”
“Yeah, going to a theme park doesn’t necessarily mean teacups.”
“It’s been a while for me and Nee-chan too.”
“Let’s get back to basics. Play hard.”
The teacup started rotating gently — and Reona immediately began cranking the wheel. Fully committed.
“Ryouya-kun, Riona, spin with me?”
“Got it.”
“Just sitting there is kind of a waste — fine, I’ll spin too.”
Riona and I started turning the wheel in the center of the cup. As the spin sped up the surrounding scenery rotated faster, and it was more fun than I’d expected. We made the most of the teacups — and then a problem developed as we got off.
”…Ugh, nauseous.”
“Nee-chan, you okay?”
Reona had clearly gotten motion-sick from the rotation and was looking unwell. Riona and I were fine; Reona just had a weaker stomach for that, apparently.
“Carbonation helps with motion sickness. I’ll grab something from the vending machine nearby — wait here with Ryouya, Nee-chan.”
“Got it. We’ll wait.”
”…Be back soon.”
Riona left in search of a vending machine. I helped Reona lie down on a bench. She looked drained and weak.
“Bad luck — getting sick this early in the day.”
”…Maybe I overdid it a little.”
“Day’s still long. Don’t push it.”
While I was talking to the laid-out Reona, she reached out and held my hand. Normally I’d be too embarrassed and pull away, but in this case I’d cut her some slack.
“Got it. Here you go.”
”…Riona, thanks.”
“Drink that and you’ll perk up.”
Reona took the bottle of cola from Riona and started gulping it down. After sitting on the bench for a bit, color returned to her face.
“I’m feeling a lot better.”
“Good.”
“Yeah, you not being fired up throws everything off.”
“It’d be even better if you drank it mouth-to-mouth, Ryouya-kun.”
“If you can make a request that ridiculous, you’re already fine.”
I’d been mildly exasperated saying it. After that we did go-karts, log flume, and merry-go-round, and were now lining up for the haunted house.
“Oh, the atmosphere is good.”
“Right? The exterior is detailed.”
The haunted house was themed as a cursed Northern European manor and looked appropriately uncanny. The female-customer screams from inside suggested it was effective.
“Effective” rather than known because I’d last been to this haunted house too long ago to recall the contents. I had a vague memory of crying my eyes out at the time.
“Hey — Riona’s been silent for a while, is she okay?”
“Ryouya-kun, Riona’s been bad with ghosts since forever.”
Reona had whispered the explanation to me when I noticed Riona had gone quiet from the moment the haunted house was decided. I’d had a mental image of Riona as the type who’d dismiss ghosts as a joke, so this was actually a surprise.
“If you’re scared, no shame in skipping. Reona and I can go in alone.”
“I-I’m fine.”
“You absolutely do not look fine.”
“G-ghosts are unscientific. They do not exist. So I am not afraid.”
She rattled that off rapidly. Riona, that’s exactly what someone who shouldn’t go in says. I asked a few more times whether she was actually planning to enter, and every time she said I’m fine.
———
Frandol-sama left me a written review. Reviews can’t be replied to directly, so I’d like to thank them publicly here. Truly appreciated.
A written review is one of the most encouraging things an author can receive — personally, second only to getting picked up for publication.
I’d add: written reviews from readers are reportedly referenced when publishers consider light-novel adaptations, per a previous interview piece on Kakuyomu. So if you’re supporting a work or an author, written reviews are very effective.