So... The attraction Joseph had chosen was...
A carousel.
I stared at him.
Niina stared at him.
Even Kazuha seemed slightly confused.
"Joseph," Niina said, trying very hard not to laugh. "I didn't know you were into carousels."
"This is where I'm at my best." He said it with such confidence that I almost respected him.
Joseph gestured toward one of the decorative carriages. "Come here, Niina."
Niina looked slightly embarrassed but eventually climbed inside. Joseph, meanwhile, chose the horse directly in front of her and sat on it like a knight escorting a princess.
I gave him the most disgusted look I could manage. Cringe.
Then I noticed Kazuha climbing onto a white horse a little farther behind them. Because of her long dress, she carefully sat sideways instead of straddling it normally.
As the carousel began moving, a gentle breeze swept through her long black hair. My brain stopped functioning.
Pretty.
Way too pretty.
The colorful lights moved behind her while her hair swayed gently in the wind. There was even a faint smile on her face as she looked around.
Before I knew it, my phone was already in my hand. "Kazuha."
She looked toward me. "Hm?"
"Want me to take some pictures of you?"
"Sure." She answered without the slightest hesitation.
Permission acquired?!
I almost jumped in excitement. I honestly hadn't expected her to agree that easily. A stupid grin immediately spread across my face—actually, judging by how wide it felt, I probably looked like a complete creep.
Thankfully, Kazuha wasn't looking at me. She had already turned her attention back toward the scenery as the carousel slowly carried us around. Good. My dignity survived another day.
I quickly raised my phone before she could change her mind.
Click.
Nice.
Click.
Another.
Click. Click. Click.
Wait, that angle was amazing!
Click.
She looked toward the side. So pretty!
Click.
She brushed some hair away from her face. Beautiful!
Clickclickclickclickclick.
I had suddenly become a professional photographer. Every press of the shutter preserved another masterpiece for future generations.
No. These weren't just photos anymore. This was art! And Kazuha was my greatest masterpiece.
I nodded proudly at my phone as if I'd just discovered my true calling in life.
By the time the carousel slowed down, I checked my gallery. "Whoa." I had taken an unreasonable number of photos.
This was easily the best attraction in the entire park.
For once in his life, Joseph had made a brilliant decision. I would proudly support his choice of the carousel as the best ride in this entire place.
Roller coasters? Overrated. Carousels were peak entertainment.
"I'll send these to you later," I said as I slipped my phone into my pocket.
Kazuha nodded. "Okay. Thanks."
She carefully started climbing down from the horse, gathering part of her long dress with one hand so it wouldn't get in the way. But just as her foot touched the platform, it slipped. Her body suddenly lost its balance. "Ah—!"
"Kazuha!" My heart jumped as I saw her falling.
Everything happened instantly. Her body tilted sideways. I lunged forward without thinking and reached for her. I managed to catch part of her weight, but my footing gave way beneath me.
"Whoa—!" We both crashed down.
People around us gasped.
"Kazuha! Kaoru!" Niina and Joseph rushed over while one of the staff members hurried toward us.
Thankfully, neither of us was seriously injured.
Kazuha had escaped with only a few minor scrapes, though part of her cardigan had torn during the fall. My ankle hurt, unfortunately in almost the exact same place I'd injured when saving Niina before, but it didn't seem nearly as bad this time.
"Glad you're okay, Kazuha," Niina said worriedly before looking at me. "You too, Kaoru."
"I'm fine." I forced a smile while sitting on a nearby bench.
Joseph crouched briefly to look at my ankle. "We should rest for a while."
"Agreed." Niina looked between us. "Should we get something to eat? Maybe some drinks too?"
Before either Kazuha or I could answer, Joseph immediately stood up. "Great idea."
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
For half a second, something passed between us. Operation Separation Mission, this bastard hadn't forgotten.
"Let's go, Niina," he said casually.
"Okay!"
And just like that, they disappeared into the crowd. Leaving me alone with Kazuha...
My heartbeat immediately became louder. For a while, neither of us spoke. Then Kazuha quietly broke the silence. "Sorry."
I looked toward her. "It's okay." I leaned forward and gently massaged the sore area. "That wasn't your fault. You slipped. I tried to catch you. That's all."
She didn't answer.
I glanced toward her again. Her damaged cardigan wasn't doing much anymore, and she had wrapped her arms around herself slightly.
Wait...
Was she... cold?
My hand stopped massaging my ankle as something suddenly clicked inside my brain.
No. No way.
My eyes slowly widened.
Friday night, my bedroom, that stupid fantasy. 'Kazuha... you'll catch a cold.'
My gaze slowly dropped toward my leather jacket before returning to Kazuha.
My heart began pounding.
Oh, God.
Was this it? Was this actually happening? The exact scenario I'd imagined last night was sitting right beside me!
God... are you on my side today? Please bless me.
Trying not to let my excitement show, I slowly reached for my leather jacket and started taking it off.
Unfortunately, there was one tiny detail my fantasy had conveniently forgotten.
It was actually cold. The afternoon had gotten chillier than I'd expected, especially with the wind blowing through the park. The moment my jacket came off, a cold breeze swept across my bare arms and exposed stomach.
My entire body immediately trembled. Oh, crap. Still, I couldn't back down now. This was my moment!
I gritted my teeth and desperately tried to remember the cool version of myself from my imagination. Calm expression, gentle smile, and confidence.
I turned toward her.
"K-Kazuha..." My teeth nearly clicked together.
She looked at me. "What?"
I held out my jacket with a trembling hand. "Y-You can h-have this." Absolutely flawless, exactly like my fantasy. Except for the stuttering and trembling. And the fact that I was hugging myself with my free arm because I was freezing to death.
Kazuha stared at me, then at the jacket, then back at me. "You're freezing."
"N-No, I'm n-not."
"You are."
"T-This is nothing." Another gust of wind hit me. My shoulders immediately shook.
Damn you, spring! Why couldn't you cooperate with my romantic development?!
I forced myself to stand despite the dull pain shooting through my ankle. "Y-You're cold too, so just t-take it. I-I can use your damaged cardigan." I tried to drape the jacket around her shoulders.
Kazuha caught my wrist. "No."
My heart cracked. Rejected?! Even the jacket?!
Before I could begin mourning the death of my romantic scenario, Kazuha stood up. "Sit."
"Huh?"
She placed both hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back onto the bench.
"W-Wait, Kazuha—"
"Stay still." She took the leather jacket from my hands.
I smiled despite my trembling. "W-Wear it. I'm okay. R-Really, this is n-noth—" Warmth suddenly settled over my shoulders.
I blinked. "Huh?"
Kazuha had put the jacket... On me.
My brain stopped. Before I could process what was happening, she leaned closer and pulled both sides of the jacket together.
My eyes widened.
Her face was close. Way too close. I could see individual strands of her hair moving gently in the wind. I could feel her fingers brushing near my collar as she carefully pulled the zipper upward. All the way to my neck, then she calmly adjusted the collar.
"There." She stepped back.
I remained completely motionless. My heart was pounding so hard that I was genuinely concerned she could hear it.
What... What just happened?
She put my own jacket back on me? My fantasy got reversed? That wasn't how the script went! I was supposed to be the cool one! I was supposed to drape my jacket over her shoulders while cherry blossoms flew through the air!
Kazuha quietly sat beside me again as if nothing important had happened, but my pride wasn't going to surrender that easily.
No. Absolutely not. I was supposed to be the cool one here!
I quickly unzipped the jacket.
Kazuha glanced at me. "What are you doing?"
I pulled the jacket off before spreading it behind us. Then I carefully draped one side around Kazuha's left shoulder while keeping the other side around my right.
She blinked in surprise.
Before she could protest, I muttered, "Let's share it."
My confidence immediately disappeared after saying those words. I stared straight ahead. Don't look at her. Do not look at her. If she rejects this, my soul is leaving my body.
There was only one problem. We were sitting too far apart. The jacket stretched awkwardly between us, barely covering either of us.
This was significantly less romantic than I'd imagined. Maybe I should just give up.
Then Kazuha spoke. "You know..."
My stomach tightened. Here it comes, the rejection.
"We need to get closer."
I froze. "Huh?"
She calmly adjusted her side of the jacket. "Otherwise it won't cover us properly."
My brain required several seconds to understand those words. Kazuha had just told me... To get closer.
My soul temporarily ascended.
Without saying anything—because I no longer trusted my mouth—I slowly shifted across the bench.
A little closer, then another little bit.
Our shoulders touched.
My entire body stiffened.
Kazuha adjusted the jacket again until it wrapped more comfortably around both of us. "There."
"Yeah." My voice came out embarrassingly quiet.
For once, I didn't know what stupid joke to make.
The sounds of the theme park seemed strangely distant. The music, the rides, children laughing, people talking around us. It was all still there, but somehow my attention remained completely trapped beneath one stupid leather jacket.
My shoulder was touching hers. Her hair occasionally brushed against my cheek whenever the wind blew and neither of us moved away.
Eventually, I gathered enough courage to glance sideways.
Kazuha was already looking at me. Our eyes met.
My breath caught.
Then... She smiled.
It wasn't a big smile. It wasn't the kind Niina gave everyone so easily. It was small. Quiet. Almost hidden. But it was there and she was looking at me.
My heart practically exploded.
She smiled. She actually smiled. Because of me? I wanted to scream. I wanted to stand on the bench and declare victory to the entire theme park. I wanted to find Joseph and shake him by the shoulders while yelling that Theme Park was the greatest idea he'd ever had.
But somehow... I didn't.
For once, I simply stayed where I was.
Shoulder against hers, sharing the same jacket and smiling like an idiot.
Maybe my stupid fantasy hadn't come true exactly the way I'd imagined. Actually, it had gone completely backward. But as I sat there beside Kazuha, feeling her warmth beneath the jacket while that tiny smile remained on her face...
I realized that finally reality wasn't so bad either.