After Fushimi confirmed that she wanted her mom to come see her, I called up Mr. Matsuda and asked him to pass the message along to Ms. Ashihara. “I wonder if she’ll go,” he mused. He didn’t seem very certain. By then, we’d made flyers to advertise our film, so I sent one to him. The poster was pretty well done, with the composition emphasizing that Fushimi was the lead actress and that Himeji was in a supporting role. “Is this going to make people want to come see it?” Himeji asked. School was over, and I was in the classroom filling in the class log. “I think so.” I was sure she’d say that more people would come if we centered her instead. “More people would come if you centered me instead.” She really said it. Word for word. “It’s common sense to emphasize the star. You’re the focus in your musical’s ads, right?” “Naturally. It’s me we’re talking about, after all.” Would you mind sharing some of that absurd confidence with Fushimi? I finished filling in the log and grabbed my stuff. Lately, Fushimi was rehearsing with the drama club after school, so I mostly went home with Himeji. “Let’s go, Himeji.” “All right.” She gathered her things, and we were about to leave the classroom when she remembered something. “Oh, wait… Today is Library Day, so please head to the library.” “Library Day?” The heck is that? “You’ll know once you get there,” she said, smirking. “Although, if you want to go home with me that badly, I am willing to grant your wish.” If Himeji said I’d know when I got there, it probably meant Torigoe was in the library. If memory served, she was on duty that day. “Okay, I’ll go.” Himeji and I said good-bye at the entrance hall. From there, I went to the faculty room and dropped the class journal on Waka’s desk, then headed to the library. I opened the door and, as expected, Torigoe was sitting at the counter by herself, reading a novel. “Working hard, eh?” She raised her head at the sound of my voice. “Welcome. Are you here to borrow a book?” “No. Himeji told me to come here today, for some mysterious reason.” “Himeji…” Torigoe pressed her fingers to her temples and frowned. She sounded a little fed up. “Can’t you be more subtle…?” She sighed and pulled herself together, then motioned for me to take a seat beside her. “Are regular students allowed to sit back here?” I asked. “Sure. The teacher comes by from time to time, but it seems like she’s out today. And it’s not that big a deal anyway. You shouldn’t get in trouble.” “Okay.” I sat down. A few third-years were sitting in the self-study space visible from the counter. I yawned and gazed out the window while Torigoe focused on her book. It felt just like lunch break. At some point, though, the sound of her turning the book’s pages stopped, and she slammed it closed. “T-Takamori.” “Yeah?” “Can I send you a file?” I was surprised but didn’t ask what she wanted to send me. Considering how nervous she was, I figured it couldn’t be anything too weird. “Sure,” I said. “Okay, then.” She sent me a message with an attachment right away. It was a text file. “I—I wrote that.” “Really? Is it a novel?” Torigoe nodded shyly. So this was what she wanted to do. “…Yeah. It’s pretty short, though… I wanted you to be the first person to read it.” “I don’t know much about novels, you know. You sure Fushimi wouldn’t be better?” I felt certain she would be able to give Torigoe more useful opinions. “Yes,” she replied. I turned to my phone, ready to start reading. But Torigoe got flustered and covered my screen with her hands. “Ah, not now! Whenever you have time! But not in front of me!” “I thought you wanted to hear my opinion right away.” “That’s what I wanted at first, but it’s too much for me.” Yeah, I totally get it. I felt the same way when I showed people my short films. It’s awkward waiting for the other person to finish. “I’ll read it at home, then.” “Please do… I just felt like I was the only one who didn’t have anything.” “Is that why you wrote this?” “I mean, Hiina and Himeji had things they wanted to do. You used to be like me, and then even you found something…” “What do you mean ‘even you’?” “Sorry.” Torigoe giggled. “I guess I just wanted to do something. And it’s thanks to you that I found the courage.” “I didn’t do anything…” “It’s probably boring.” “No need to get defensive. I know exactly how you feel.” I chuckled wryly. “Say something nice, okay? Shower me with praise. Then I’ll feel like I can do anything.” “Uhh, like… How cute?” She blinked a few times, and her face began to redden. “Huh?! N-no, I didn’t mean that… But that’s pretty nice, too…” She trailed off. “I was talking about the characters.” “………………………R-right.” From the look on her face, it seemed she’d gotten the wrong idea. I felt her kick my toes. “Hey, what was that for?” “For leading me on.” “It’s your fault for misunderstanding.” “You made my heart skip a beat!” That made my own heart skip a beat. After a moment she asked, “Are you ready for the amusement park tomorrow?” Deguchi had suggested we go there as a group—the same lineup as our beach trip during the summer. In the days leading up the festival, other classes came to school even over the weekend to help prepare, but all we had to do was decorate the classroom like a theater and we’d be done. “I don’t think I’ve been to one since I was a kid,” I replied. “Same.” Our destination was a small park everyone in the area had visited at least once. Mana was hyped when I told her. She was really looking forward to it. “I’ll make us lunch,” Torigoe said. “You?” “Yup. Tell ManaMana to let me make at least half of it.” Torigoe looked the same as always, but it sounded like she was pretty excited, too. Eventually it was time to close up the library. Torigoe checked to make sure no one was still inside, then she locked the door. She left to return the key to the faculty room, then met back up with me in the entrance hall. We left school together. “It’s pretty dark already,” I said. “Yeah. It’s always like this after library duty.” “Want me to see you home?” Torigoe’s house wasn’t that far from school. “I’m not gonna hold back, you know? If you offer, I’ll say yes.” “Uh, sure. Go right ahead.” “Okay, then. Please see me home.” With that decided, we made our way to her house. As usual, we chatted about nothing in particular, then said good-bye at her door. I started toward the station, then turned back. Torigoe was still outside and waved to me. I waved back. Go inside already. I sent her a text, and she replied right away. You go home already. We didn’t want to shout at each other and bother the neighbors, so we kept our exchange to text. After that, we waved one last time, and I headed home. It was Saturday, but I still had to get up early. It almost felt like I was going to school. Mana had woken up an hour earlier and was already finished making lunch. “Another gyaru cooking masterpiece!” she said, clearly in high spirits. She called her work “gyaru cooking,” but it was better than what most mothers made. Himeji and Fushimi arrived, and Mana gave the latter her now customary fashion check. “I think we might even be able to keep some of this!” Mana said. “Whoo-hoo!” Fushimi cried. Well… Hmm. Yeah, sure. Okay. This outfit is a lot less unique than what we were seeing before. “I knew I could do it!” While Fushimi celebrated her achievements, Himeji, dressed like a fashionable college student, frowned. “Huh? You still look pretty bad, if you ask me.” “But she doesn’t look like a clown,” said Mana. “True,” I agreed. “A clown…?” Himeji cocked her head. “Finally, Mana complimented me!” Fushimi cheered. “I’m so happy!” That was not a compliment. “C’mon, Hina,” said Mana. “We’re getting you changed.” “Why?!” “I said we could keep some of this. You’ve leveled up from ‘clown,’ but you’re still only at ‘frumpy.’” It was strange to hear frumpy called a step up. “Whaaa?” Fushimi cried as Mana dragged her upstairs. “What about my clothes?” Himeji twirled by the entrance. She wore a white blouse, a long skirt, and ankle boots—the embodiment of autumn fashion. Her clothes looked a little too expensive for a high schooler, but they weren’t overly luxurious, either. She struck a good balance. “You don’t look like a high schooler.” “…Are you calling me old?” She glared at me. That one was a compliment. “I meant you look mature.” Please understand. I’m not dissing you. “You should’ve said that from the beginning.” Why am I getting attacked for paying her a compliment? “We’re back!” Mana skipped downstairs. Fushimi followed behind. It looked like she was wearing an entirely different outfit. “Did you really keep anything…?” I asked. Is this a spot the difference puzzle? “Oh, look, Ryou!” said Himeji. “Her socks! She’s wearing the same socks!” Himeji’s got some memory. I can’t even picture what Fushimi was wearing before. “Congratulations!” exclaimed Mana. “Frumpy Hina has evolved into…Stylish Hina!” After managing hair and makeup for the festival short, Mana was a pro at helping people evolve. Fushimi now wore a knit sweater and a knee-length flared skirt. “I can’t really tell the difference…,” Fushimi muttered. The girl in question didn’t seem convinced, however. “This is definitely better,” I said. I couldn’t elaborate much, since I knew little about women’s fashion. “It’s a big improvement,” said Himeji. “Kudos, Mana.” If I’d been bolder, I would’ve said the same thing. Fushimi also seemed to have changed her makeup. Her features looked brighter than usual. “Well, if you two say so.” Fushimi nodded reluctantly. The three of us formed a block, and Fushimi’s unique sense of style was roundly denied. It was always shocking to see how different Fushimi looked after Mana made her change. “Let’s hurry, or we’ll be late,” Himeji said. I checked the clock, and it was indeed later than I’d expected. We quickly left the house and made our way to the station nearest to the amusement park. We arrived at the amusement park about an hour later. After making it through the ticket gate and into the park, we all gazed at the map together. We’d already met up with Torigoe, Shinohara, and Deguchi. As I thought, everyone had been to the park before. Fushimi, Himeji, Mana, and I had come here in grade school with all the kids in the neighborhood. It had felt huge back then, and now it seemed much smaller. “Was this place always so small?” Fushimi said, as if reading my mind. “I don’t remember it at all,” added Mana. “We were in first grade, so you must’ve been in preschool,” said Himeji. “Really?” As the childhood friend trio took a little trip down memory lane, Deguchi glanced around. “It’s Saturday, but the park is practically empty,” he said. “Only kids and families come here,” I explained. It was just a local amusement park. “Even the roller coaster seems a little underwhelming now, huh?” The carts made a loud noise as they slid down the big drop. They seemed to move slower than I remembered. We picked a simple route, starting with the roller coaster, which was right next to us. “I’ll pass,” said Shinohara. “I’m gonna camp out on this bench and watch. Have fun.” “Whaaa? Don’t say that, Boss! Join us!” “Mana, I keep telling you not to call me ‘Boss.’” “Don’t get mad…” Mana pouted. “Ryou, do you like roller coasters?” Fushimi asked a little anxiously. Oh, now that you mention it… A memory came to mind. “I don’t know if I love them, but they don’t scare me.” “I remember Hina getting super scared riding this one back in the day. She totally—” “Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! D-don’t say it!” Fushimi covered Himeji’s mouth in a panic. “Did you do something, Hiina?” Torigoe looked like she was about to burst into laughter. “N-nothing, what could you possibly mean?” This perfect beauty had a dark past—one so traumatic, it seemed she wanted to sit out the roller coaster, too. “There’s no need to force yourself,” I said. “We don’t want that happening again, do we?” “Are you making fun of me, too?! It wasn’t that bad!” It was definitely that bad. “Oh, I remember!” Mana exclaimed. “Hina was crying her eyes out!” “Is that the only thing you remember?!” Mana smiled ruthlessly. I remembered it, too. “Oh, wetting yourself and bursting into tears is no big deal,” I said. “At this point, it’s just a cute memory.” “Takaryou… Do you find girls wetting themselves cute?” Shinohara didn’t even look shocked. Instead, she was observing me like a scientist might study some kind of insect. “Get your head out of the gutter. I meant a kid getting so scared they make a mess and start crying is just a funny memory.” I’m offended. Does she think I have fetishes like that? Come to think of it…what fetishes do I have? No, stop. This isn’t the time for introspection. It’s almost our turn to get on the ride. “Aww, what should I do…?” Fushimi mumbled weakly. There were only a couple people in line, and our turn was fast approaching. Torigoe and Himeji looked at each other. “Hiina, you really don’t have to force yourself.” “No one’s trying to pressure you. You can just stay with Minami.” Shinohara was already seated on the bench by the roller coaster. The carts slowly returned to the starting point, and Himeji and Torigoe got on first. Rather than sit in the same car, one sat in the front and the other in the back. They were both looking up at me. “Well then,” said Deguchi, “I guess I’ll sit next to Torigoe…” Torigoe cleared her throat so loudly, it sounded like someone revving a motorcycle engine. Deguchi showed no reaction and sat down in the cart, casually saying, “Wow, I’m so nervous.” “C’mon, Ryou. It’s going to leave.” Himeji slapped the seat beside her. “Fine, Ai. I’ll let you have Bubby this time around.” Mana pushed me toward her. “And I’ll be taking the seat next to Shizu, Deguu.” “Why? Now I have to sit by myself!” “Good. I know you just wanted to grope her.” “I did not!” While they argued, the lady in charge introduced the ride. I was in the front row and had a great view. I thought Himeji would say something as soon as I sat down, but she kept quiet, a stern look on her face. “You okay, Himeji?” I asked. “Hoo—foo—wh-who do you shink you’re talkin’ to?” “Are you having a problem with your mouth?” The security bar was lowered, and Himeji gripped it tightly with one hand. Her other hand grabbed mine. It was cold and shaking. “May I?” She looked up at me, her voice pleading. It felt pretty good to think someone so ridiculously confident was relying on me. “This way,” she said, “if I die, you’ll die with me…” “Please don’t say that.” Now I’m gonna panic, too. “Have fun!” The lady in charge said as the cart took off and slowly rattled up the track. “Ryou…!” “Wh-what?” I was flustered, so my response came out a little rough, but Himeji never let go of my hand. “I—I…!” Just then, we reached the highest point of the roller coaster. A sharp drop followed. “A-Aiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!” Himeji’s voice morphed into a scream. I heard Mana cackling behind us. The scenery flashed dizzyingly past us as we were thrown about by the carts’ speed and centrifugal force. But for just a moment, I caught sight of Fushimi and Shinohara on the bench below. They were pointing their phones at us. Himeji kept screaming. As expected of an actress training for a musical, her voice was loud and clear. After the last curve, the cart slowed down, and the lady in charge received us cheerfully. “Welcome back!” The safety bars slowly rose, and Mana got out and stretched. “Ahhh. That was great,” she said. “I laughed so hard.” She was clearly talking about Himeji, not the roller coaster. “I feel bad for her, ManaMana.” Surprisingly, Torigoe seemed fine as she got off the ride. But then I noticed that despite her calm expression, her legs were shaking. “It’s been a while, but I still got all tense and freaked out.” I stood up and started to get off the ride, then paused. Curious, I glanced over at Himeji. She had tears in her eyes. She’s crying?! “Ai’s crying for real!” Mana could barely keep herself from laughing. “Was it that bad?” I asked. Himeji sniffed. “We can talk about it later,” I said. It’d cause problems if she tried to stay in the cart. I got off and reached out to her. Taking her hand, I proceeded to pull her out. “Why is it that the sight of a strong-willed girl crying makes my heart race so?” said Deguchi. How should I know? At last, Himeji stopped crying. “I just started thinking of all the people involved in the musical I’d be letting down if I died in a roller coaster accident,” she said. You were more worried about that than dying? We met back up with Fushimi and Shinohara, and, just as I thought, they’d filmed the whole thing. You could hear Himeji’s shrieks over the rumbling of the ride. “I will treasure the rare sound of Lady Hime’s screams…” Shinohara gazed at the video with a gentle look in her eyes. Her hands were together, as if in prayer. “Are you all right, Ai?” Fushimi, on the other hand, sounded genuinely worried. “D-delete that! Delete that right now!” Himeji snatched Shinohara’s phone and deleted the video. “You cannot delete the memory from my mind, Ai.” Mana was smiling from ear to ear. Himeji had zero resistance to teasing, and she immediately took the bait and started arguing. “Pretty girls bickering jovially in an amusement park… What more could I possibly ask for?” Deguchi said, deeply moved. Next up were the teacups. There was no line, and I got on the ride with Mana. “Yahoo!” She started twisting the steering wheel with abandon right from the beginning, and I quickly developed motion sickness. “Now we’ll cure you by spinning the other way!” “P-please don’t… You’re gonna kill me instead…” My weak voice didn’t reach her, and she spun the wheel, her eyes sparkling. Naturally, this only made me sicker. In the end, the five-minute attraction felt like an hour of torture. “You’re looking a little pale there, Takamori,” said Torigoe. “I vote we take a picture,” suggested Himeji. “Let’s!” agreed Fushimi. “The title will be ‘That Time Ryou Nearly Died on the Teacup Ride.’” The girls took advantage of my weakness to take all the pictures they wanted. I didn’t have the strength to tell them to stop. I just barely managed to stagger to a bench and sit down. “You look like a boxer thirty seconds before he gets knocked out,” Shinohara said. It was a great description of how I felt. Unable to say anything back, I decided to focus on resting. After a while, I regained my sense of balance. “By the way, Himeji,” I said, “were you trying to tell me something back on the roller coaster?” “Huh?” “I heard her start to say something, too,” said Mana. “It was right before the drop, wasn’t it?” “Me too,” agreed Torigoe. After Himeji took a moment to remember, her cheeks began to flush. “……I didn’t…say anything.” “No, no, you did,” Mana insisted. “I’m going to get ice cream,” Himeji said suddenly, running away toward a shop. Mana and Torigoe looked at each other mischievously, then ran after Himeji to continue their attack. “I’ll go get drinks. Want anything?” Fushimi asked the rest of us. I stood up. “I’ll go with you.” “Thanks.” In the end, Deguchi and Shinohara didn’t want anything, so it felt less like we were getting drinks and more like we were going on a little walk. While we were looking for a vending machine, we came across the haunted mansion. Fushimi grabbed my hand and came to a stop. “Ryou, how about we go in, since we’re here?” “Right now?” “Yeah. Just the two of us… You don’t want to?” I couldn’t say no—not when she was looking up at me with those hesitant, upturned eyes. I didn’t know if it was the makeup or the clothes, but she looked even cuter than usual. Maybe it was because I wasn’t used to seeing her out of her uniform. “I don’t mind,” I said. I’d meant to keep going and add, “But everyone’s waiting for us,” but before I could, Fushimi said “Let’s go, then,” and started pulling me by the arm. We had already decided to skip the haunted mansion, since several people didn’t want to go. “Are you okay with scares?” I asked. I remembered how she’d given up in the middle of a horror movie during the summer festival. “Not really…” Her tone of voice gave me the impression she really, really didn’t like this kind of thing. The haunted mansion was completely deserted, maybe because it was still midmorning. The ride was modeled after an abandoned hospital, and the park staffer in charge gave us a flashlight and a perfunctory explanation of the route. “There are three seals inside,” he said. “Find them and make your escape.” That was the story behind the ride. There was a short exchange over the intercom, and then we were told to go inside. Fushimi was clinging to my arm before the guy had even finished his explanation. “Don’t wet yourself this time, okay?” “……” I waited for her to reply, I won’t! But she stayed silent. Then, after a moment, she said, “I—I should’ve gone to the bathroom first…” She had tears in her eyes. “Fushimi. If you wet yourself now, it won’t just be a cute childhood story.” “I’m not a child anymore…” “Right. And grown-ups don’t wet themselves.” That was what I wanted to hear. In that case, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. After we took a few steps, the door closed behind us with a creak. “Ah… Aaaahhh! They locked us in?!” “The guy explained all this already.” If they didn’t close the door, light from outside would get in. I matched Fushimi’s pace as we ambled down the nearly pitch-black hallway. I could hear water dripping from somewhere. Cold air brushed my neck. There were no cheap wind sound effects. You could tell this wasn’t some student project. “Isn’t the story a little weird, though?” I said. “Why would we want to remove seals when the place is haunted? Aren’t they supposed to be sealing the ghosts? I feel like we’re digging our own graves here.” “Huh? Oh……… Yeah, you’re right.” Fushimi wasn’t paying attention. She kept shivering and clinging to my arm, like she was a newborn fawn and I was the only thing holding her up. The seals were located in the examination room, the morgue, and the surgery room. I looked at the basic map we’d been provided. “This sure feels like an adventure, huh?” I said. “Stop being impressed and get a move on…,” Fushimi shot back. We heard a splashing sound as the ghost of a female former patient appeared at the end of the hallway. “Aah?! Aaah! Aaaaaaaaah! Eeee! Eeeee?! Ryo-Ryo-Ryo-Rorororo-Rou!” It’s not that scary! Who the heck is “Rou”? “Try to calm down,” I said. Fushimi positioned herself between me and the wall. Am I your shield? The ghost staggered toward us, and the moment she walked past… “UGHAAAH!” …she thrust her zombielike face right up to ours and yelled. “Whoa! H-holy…” That was apparently the big scare, because as soon as she was done, she walked away. At moments like those, I look right into the person’s eyes. It reminds me that they’re just an actor at work, and it calms me down. I remembered how Mr. Matsuda had told me the agency was sometimes approached by theme parks looking for part-time workers. Maybe that ghost was a newbie actor. As I wondered about this, the fright washed away. “Huh? What? What happened?” Fushimi was shaking me, her eyes firmly shut. Of course. “Open your eyes.” I felt around for her face and forced her eyes open. “Stop it!” “Ow!” She slapped me. You stop it. She was still clinging to me, and I moved forward, dragging her along. “You’re in more danger if you refuse to open your eyes. You could trip.” Despite her reluctance, she finally relented. She looked down at her feet, only to notice that the hallway floor was covered in hand-shaped bloodstains. “YOU TRICKED ME!!” “Crap. I wasn’t trying to. Sorry.” Talk about bad timing. There was a skeleton on a chair in the examination room wearing a lab coat. Judging from the coat and the stethoscope hanging from its neck, it was probably meant to be a doctor. “Ryou, can you do it…?” The seal was on the desk behind the skeleton. “Fine, fine.” I snatched the seal quickly, one eye on the skeleton in case it moved. As soon as I was done, it started cackling. “Th-that’s it…?” It was just a chortle. Okay. I sighed in relief and turned back toward the hallway. But Fushimi didn’t follow me. She was paralyzed, her eyes rolled back in her head. Pretty girls shouldn’t make faces like that. “Wake up, you’re wasting your good looks,” I said. “Wha?!” “Let’s go.” “Ryou, did you just compliment my looks?” “No.” Her expression transformed, and a smile like spring sunlight came over her features as she followed me. Next up was the morgue—a room filled with corpses laid out on beds. The white cloths that should have been covering their faces had all been removed. “The map says we have to put the cloths back over their faces, and then we’ll receive the seal.” “I—I can’t keep relying on you,” said Fushimi. “I-I-I’ll do it this time…” Really? Just don’t wet yourself, okay? Fushimi went inside, trembling with fear. She covered the bodies’ faces with white cloths one by one. She was so scared, some of the cloths wound up askew. Then, the moment she placed the last cloth…the corpse grabbed Fushimi’s arm. “AIIIIIEEEE?!” “Whoa?!” Fushimi’s shriek drowned it out, but I thought I heard the actor shout in surprise at her reaction. They were so shocked, they let go right away. A light shone on a spot in the room, revealing the seal. “E-excuse me…… I-I-I’ll be on my w-w-way now…” Fushimi shrank in on herself and pleaded with the corpse not to do anything else as she left. She snatched the seal and ran up to me, moving at light speed. “G-got it!” she stammered. “Okay. Let’s go.” “Tell me I did a good job!” She pouted. I patted her head. That was enough, apparently. “Only the surgery room to go.” By now, Fushimi had gotten used to the atmosphere. She was no longer shrieking at every detail in the hallway. Sudden noises still scared her, but she was slowly acclimatizing. We found a door marked SURGERY ROOM with a little window in it. I peered inside and saw a doctor in the middle of an operation. “Let’s go in together, Ryou…” “Yeah.” Fushimi held my hand tight, and I squeezed hers back, trying to encourage her. As soon as we went inside, the door locked behind us. “Huh?” “Seal, seal… There it is!” I exclaimed.
Chapter 151
24 min read