CHAPTER 4
The most colossal backfire of the century.
Two weeks of grueling exams had finally passed for all middle and high school students. So on the Saturday following the second semester midterms, Masachika and his friends were taken to an amusement park in the suburbs in the Taniyama family’s spacious, imported four-wheel-drive vehicle (with a personal driver, no less). The group consisted of the six bandmates…plus one extra bonus guest…
“Hikaru. ♪ Are you okay with roller coasters?”
“Mmm… I’m okay with the average roller coaster, I guess… But I’m not really a fan of being left hanging upside down or spun backward or anything…”
“Really?! I’m a really big scaredy-cat, so I really look up to people who don’t get scared.”
“Oh. Ha-ha…”
As soon as they arrived at their destination, Hikaru was immediately smothered by Lea Miyamae, Nonoa’s younger sister, who seemed to be eager to get to know him better after he saved her at the Autumn Heights Festival. Therefore, Nonoa decided to let her tag along.
Officially, this outing was to celebrate that midterms were over and to celebrate (again) that their performance at the festival was a success. Nevertheless, there was also a hidden motive behind why Lea, an outsider, was invited as well. Unbeknownst to her and Sayaka, the real goal was to assist Takeshi in romantically pursuing his crush.
After they explained to Sayaka that Lea had a crush on Hikaru, they asked her to help by simply giving them some space and allowing Nonoa to be her sister’s wingwoman. Put simply, with Nonoa helping Lea and Hikaru, they would inevitably form a group, leaving Masachika and Alisa to pair up as well. This would naturally lead to Takeshi and Sayaka being paired together. Or at least, that was the plan…
However, the instant they stepped inside the amusement park, Masachika and the others realized that their carefully laid-out scheme had already gone awry.
“Do you often go to amusement parks, Alisa?”
“No, actually, this is only my second time…”
“Really?”
“What about you, Sayaka?”
“I actually enjoy them a lot, so I go four to five times a year.”
“Really? I’m kind of surprised.”
“I get that a lot.”
Masachika couldn’t help but scream on the inside while he watched Sayaka and Alisa chat.
Sayaka won’t even leave Alya alone for a second!
The group divided into two smaller groups of three and four, which was fine…but nobody expected that Sayaka would be so aggressive taking the initiative to engage in conversation with Alisa.
As it turned out, the group formed into a rather unfortunate configuration. First, leading the way was a trio of exceptionally attractive individuals. Next, following closely behind were two stylish and beautiful girls as well. And last and also definitely least, bringing up the rear were two rather lackluster boys, walking along dejectedly. It was a sad sight, to say the least.
“Psst! Takeshi, you and me are going to end up sitting next to each other on all the rides, at this rate,” Masachika whispered the issue while glancing at Takeshi out of the corner of his eye.
Takeshi, who also remained facing forward, replied in a whisper, “But Sayaka looks like she’s having fun, so I don’t really wanna bother her… If she’s enjoying herself, then that’s all that matters.”
“Stop talking like she already dumped you!” Masachika whispered intensely. He then promptly pointed at Hikaru, who was at the head of the group, smiling stiffly as he made small talk with Lea. “You see that? Even Hikaru is working hard and suffering for your sake. Are you going to let his sacrifice go to waste?”
“Is being sandwiched between two beautiful sisters really suffering?”
“I know what you want to say, but don’t. Being hit on by girls is torture for him.”
“…Think you could start talking to Alya first for me?”
“Seriously?”
Masachika sighed in exasperation at Takeshi’s unbelievable shyness. Of course, fulfilling this request wouldn’t be difficult, since Alisa, who was in on the plan to bring Takeshi and Sayaka closer together, would undoubtedly cooperate if Masachika asked. However, he couldn’t help but doubt that Takeshi would ever be able to converse smoothly with Sayaka even with their assistance.
But I guess I should give him a little help in the beginning.
He decided to strike up a conversation with Alisa, when—
“Oh, hey! Guys! Let’s check out that ride!” Lea suggested suddenly, walking ahead and ruining their chance. When Masachika looked in the direction she was pointing in, he saw spinning teacups, accompanied by cheerful music.
“The teacups here are apparently famous for how fast they spin! What do you guys think?”
“Oh…”
“I probably haven’t been on the teacup ride since I was a kid…”
Nobody in the group objected to getting on the teacup ride, especially with how excited Lea seemed, so they decided to give it a whirl. Since each cup could fit a maximum of four people, they naturally divided into two groups: the Miyamae sisters and Hikaru in one teacup and the remaining four in another. Sayaka sat on one side of Alisa, while Masachika sat on the other side, leaving Takeshi to sit in between him and Sayaka. The teacup was nearly full to the point that their legs almost touched, but Takeshi was actively making sure that never happened, quickly moving his legs away before they grazed Sayaka’s.
I’d give him an A-plus for sitting posture if we were on the train.
A snort escaped Masachika as he observed Takeshi, who was sitting up straight with his legs tightly together. But before another second even went by, a soft whirring sound filled the air as the teacup slowly began to rotate.
“So… Should I just start turning the handle in the middle here?”
He gently turned the handle, causing the teacup to rotate slightly faster.
“Whoa! That’s already kind of fast. Should I spin it even faster?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Sure.”
“Yeah.”
“All right, then. Here we go!”
Right as he tightened his grip on the handle…
“Eek!”
Lea’s high-pitched voice instantly caught Masachika’s attention, prompting him to glance in her direction…and shudder.
“Oh my gosh! This is going sooo fast!”
The teacup was spinning so rapidly that Lea had no choice but to cling to Hikaru for dear life…or at least, that was the excuse she was going with so she could have a chance to throw herself all over him.
Obviously, they were experiencing a significant amount of g-force, but it was clear from how the other two were leaning that Lea was exaggerating. Furthermore, it was likely that, despite her protests, she had actually asked Nonoa to spin the cup even faster. A shiver ran down Masachika’s spine as he sat terrified of her calculating, manipulative nature.
What a scheming little—! She’s the epitome of a femme fatale!
That was when it hit him: He could re-create the exact situation in this cup if he spun the handle as hard as he could.
Hold on. Is it really okay if I do this?
Masachika wondered if this would be the gentlemanly thing to do, knowing that he was about to create a “lucky pervert” scenario, albeit a small one. Then again, it would be weird if he didn’t spin the teacup at all, since he’d already asked if he could. Plus, he was on a mission to get Takeshi and Sayaka together, regardless.
Yeah, what’s wrong with a little surprise? Amusement parks are supposed to be amusing, after all.
Within two seconds, Masachika had made up his mind, then sharply tugged the handle, and he continued to turn it like a maniac, making the teacup spin faster and faster. As the centrifugal force pressed them into their seats, a powerful lateral g-force pulled at their bodies, and those who weren’t holding on to the handle obviously felt the full brunt of it.
“Eek!”
A startled cry escaped Alisa’s lips as she grabbed Masachika’s thigh, making him jump.
Whoa?! What the…?!
The sensation of a girl touching his thigh, something he definitely wasn’t used to, sent a strange tingle down his spine.
“Ah! Sorry—!”
She quickly withdrew her hand and apologized, but then her entire body was thrown against him. A sweet fragrance tickled Masachika’s nose as their arms touched, making him immediately look up, where he noticed that Sayaka, sitting directly in front of him, was also leaning on Alisa’s shoulder. In summary, Alisa was leaning on Masachika’s shoulder, Sayaka was leaning on Alisa’s, and Takeshi was sitting perfectly upright, like an upstanding citizen on the train.
Hey?!
Masachika couldn’t help but mentally face-palm as he watched Takeshi desperately grip the edge of the teacup, trying his hardest not to topple over onto Sayaka.
I mean, you’re doing the honorable thing! You’re a gentleman! But you’re making me look like the bad guy!
It almost seemed as if…Masachika was the only one who wanted this situation. As that thought crossed his mind, the spinning teacup gradually slowed, allowing Alisa and Sayaka to settle back into their original positions.
“<…Pervert.>”
But while Alisa was settling back in her seat, she whispered into his ear, causing him to let out a pathetic squeak.
I’m not…
After enjoying a few more rides, they took a break for lunch, but when they all went to the restroom to wash their hands, Masachika and Hikaru decided to seize this opportunity to corner Takeshi.
“Do you even want to do this?”
“…I do.”
“Speak up, punk.”
Masachika sighed as he looked at Takeshi, who was slumped over with a gloomy expression, a far cry from his usual cheerful self. After all, Takeshi hadn’t been able to have a decent conversation with Sayaka that morning, despite others going out of their way to create numerous opportunities for them to interact, including making sure they were paired up for a few activities like the haunted house. Unfortunately, however, Takeshi was the biggest scaredy-cat out of the entire group, which only made Sayaka worry about him. The roller coaster was no better, either, since he had screamed so loudly that he had weirded Sayaka out. Basically, all he had done so far was make her worry.
“I know it might be strange to hear me say this…but maybe you should be more aggressive, like Lea?”
“Come on, I’m a guy. I can’t get away with what she’s doing.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
Lea was so aggressive in her pursuit of Hikaru that it was almost impressive. Both at the haunted house and on the roller coaster, she would look up at him with pleading eyes and say, “I’m scared. Can you hold my hand?” as she touched him, pretending to be a defenseless, weak little girl… However, this kind of approach likely worked only because it was a common tactic girls used on guys. Whether it was effective on Hikaru was a completely different story.
Generally speaking, when it came to guys trying to impress and get closer to girls, their only options were to show that they could be depended on or to show that they were fun to be around—neither of which Takeshi was doing right now.
“I get that it’s a little late to be saying this, but you don’t look like you even like amusement parks,” Masachika calmly pointed out, since Takeshi didn’t seem to be enjoying the rides very much at all.
“…!” Takeshi swiftly averted his gaze and mumbled, “But, like… Everyone looked like they were really looking forward to this…and I wanted to have fun with everyone, too…”
“…In other words, you knew you hated roller coasters and scary rides, but you still came anyway.”
“Of course, Takeshi, this is something that we both really appreciate about you, but…”
Masachika and Hikaru exchanged indescribable glances as they realized that, beneath Takeshi’s goofy exterior, he was actually really thoughtful when it came to his friends.
We just need him to hang in there a little longer… This is one of those situations where you push through the pain until you can’t take it anymore, and when you finally throw in the towel, everyone’s like, “Seriously?! You don’t even like roller coasters?! You did this for us?!” and they end up liking you even more.
But there was no way he was ever going to make a good impression when he couldn’t even handle any of the rides. After all, it was to the point that he was just making Sayaka really concerned. Takeshi himself seemed pretty bummed out about how pathetic he was being. In other words, he wasn’t really showing off his best qualities right now.
“…I’ve got it! Let’s stop focusing on doing things you’re not good at and focus more on something you are good at!”
After reconsidering his approach, Masachika came up with a new plan, and when lunch eventually came to an end, they headed to the “strikeout” game area, where there was a board with panels numbered one to nine and a soccer ball ready to be kicked.
“I’m afraid someone’s going to lose their lunch if we hop back on the roller coasters already, so how about we have a little friendly match in the meantime? We’ll pair up and compete to see who can hit all the targets with the fewest shots.”
Masachika’s suggestion was met with nods from those who had been briefed beforehand, and Sayaka and Lea agreed to it as well. Just as he planned, they had Takeshi and Sayaka in one pair, with Hikaru and Lea in another. However…
“Oh, and the losing pair has to ride the drop tower! What do you think?”
Out of nowhere, Lea suggested they spice things up a little to make the game more interesting.
Well, I guess a little pressure would help Takeshi work harder.
Completely unconcerned as a free man, Masachika started to leave the strikeout area, leaving Alisa and Nonoa behind, but just as he was about to step over the fence, Alisa called out to him with a skeptical note in her voice.
“Masachika? Where are you going?”
“Huh? Oh. Balls hate me, so I’m going to sit this one out,” he replied, as if it were only natural, especially since he hadn’t included himself in the plan from the beginning.
“What kind of excuse is that?”
But Lea interjected with a disappointed groan:
“Come on, you can’t sit out now just because you’re afraid to lose.”
“What? No, I’m not—”
“Right? A’ight, Kuze’ll be on our team.”
“Guh…”
Nonoa grabbed Masachika by the shoulder and pulled him back, forcing him to stay at the strikeout corner. Although wearing a sullen expression, he watched Alisa stand in front of the number board until she eventually ran up and gave the soccer ball a good kick.
“Ooo!”
Masachika’s eyes widened at the beautiful shot. The ball soared through the air in a perfect arc, heading straight for the center target, number five…then hit the frame with such incredible force that it bounced off the ceiling…and struck Masachika right in the face.
“Gah!”
A searing pain shot through his sinuses, forcing him to double over.
“That sucks.”
“Ah! I-I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!”
As Alisa called out in concern, Masachika stood up, masking his pain and holding back his tears. Then, while putting on a brave face for Alisa and Nonoa, he groaned:
“Told ya.”
Blood trickled from his nose, making both Alisa and Nonoa simultaneously avert their gazes.
“I’m so sorry…”
“It’s not your fault. Balls just have it out for me. That’s all…”
Having been injured and forced to leave the game after the first kick, Masachika sat on a bench a bit away from the strikeout corner with Alisa while he kept his head tilted back, pressing a tissue to his nose.
“But still… I-I’m sorry I laughed…”
“…Eh. Don’t worry about it. I’d laugh, too, if I saw blood squirting out of both nostrils.”
If anything, Masachika was impressed that she managed to hold her laughter back at all. However, Alisa, being the one who accidentally injured him, seemed to be almost on edge, and after a moment of silence went by, she suddenly began to poke Masachika on the arm.
“Hmm?”
When he turned his gaze toward Alisa without moving his head, she began to pat her lap and instructed, “Come here… We need to ice your nose.”
“What?”
“I bought a cold drink a second ago, so while it’s not exactly ice, it should help.”
After pulling a plastic bottle of barley tea from her bag, Alisa patted her lap once more, making Masachika freeze as he finally understood what she was getting at.
“Uh… Is this one of those fabled ‘lap pillows’ I’ve heard of?”
“…Are you trying to make this weird?”
“No, it’s just— I’m kind of embarrassed, since we’re in a public place.”
“This is a medical procedure.”
“Well, that’s a very liberal use of that term.”
“J-just hurry up and lie down.”
“O-ohhh?”
He was caught off guard by a sudden, forceful pull, and he collapsed onto Alisa’s lap. The soft, warm sensation of her thighs against his cheek forced his brain to shut down for a moment as he felt the familiar sensation of blood starting to trickle out of his nose again.
Oh, gosh. If blood starts gushing out of my nose now, I’m going to look like a creep… I’d get Alya’s clothes dirty, too.
Feeling a sense of urgency on multiple levels, Masachika turned so that he was facing up with the back of his head on her legs. Only now his left ear was pressed against her lower stomach, so a rather imposing “mountain range” was blocking the left half of his vision.
…Guh.
Masachika seemed to be experiencing a rapid drop in his IQ as he stared at the rather shocking scenery before him…when he suddenly heard Alisa’s voice, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, echoing down from the other side of the mountain range.
“Um… Do you think you could slide down a little toward my knees?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Following orders, he slid out from behind the mountains’ shadows, where Alisa pressed a towel-wrapped bottle of tea against his face. The cool sensation was surprisingly pleasant, causing him to narrow his eyes, because apparently the spot where the ball had hit him was throbbing with heat, much to his surprise.
“…Feeling better?”
“Oh, yeah… Feels really good,” he unconsciously blurted out, only to suddenly realize how that could sound out of context.
I mean, like… Of course, her lap feels great, but that’s not what I meant…
A list of excuses raced through his mind, but he knew saying them aloud would only make things worse. Instead, he focused on swallowing the blood that was creeping up his throat while trying to ignore the sensation of Alisa’s thigh against the back of his head. But just when he thought he had found a moment of peace, she suddenly began to shift her legs.
“…Hey, if you’re feeling embarrassed—”
“No…! I’m fine…”
Though Masachika’s view was blocked by the tea, Alisa could clearly see that strangers were staring, which must have been at least a little embarrassing. Nevertheless, when he tried to ask her about it, she denied it, and when he tried to sit up, she pushed his shoulders down to stop him, leaving Masachika with no choice but to surrender.
“…By the way, how are you feeling now? Healthwise.”
After a pause, her question registered, but Masachika was still bewildered.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know…? You seemed like you weren’t feeling that well before exam week.”
“Oh…”
As soon as Masachika replied, he realized his mistake, because his reply was more or less a confession, even though he was planning on keeping that all to himself.
“So you really were feeling a bit under the weather. I knew it.”
“Yeah… A little, I guess.”
Masachika decided to come clean, realizing there was no point in denying it any longer. Truth be told, he actually had been feeling a bit under the weather before the test.
But…that was because he had been so busy taking care of Yuki after the bathtub incident that he ended up allowing his body to get too cold after the hot bath. Nevertheless, there was no way he could tell Alisa any of that. Besides, it wasn’t anything serious like a cold. He simply got a slight headache, so he had no problem going to school. In fact, it was such a nonissue that he thought he was acting perfectly normal at school, to boot.
“I just had a bit of a headache… I’m impressed you noticed, though.”
“Of course I noticed,” Alisa replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, then added with a mutter:
“<Because I always have my eyes on you.>”
Gah!
It had been so long since this exhibitionist had verbally exposed herself to Masachika this close-up that blood nearly squirted out of his nose. After frantically sucking life’s liquid back into his body and swallowing it, he claimed in a serious tone:
“I was just a little careless. That’s all. Anyway, I’m feeling better now, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Okay.”
“But, uh… I know this is just an excuse, but I’m not sure I’m going to be in the top thirty…”
“It’s fine,” retorted Alisa as she gently rubbed his head.
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