Otoha-san gave us a smile that was too friendly for the outfit she was wearing while she held out a pair of lanyards with tags, right in front of her ample, suit-clad chest. “And that is why I, CEO of Tenchido, rushed over as soon as I could, to give you darlings these free one-day passes personally. Isn’t that so thoughtful of me? You can say it! Don’t be shy!”
“Free?” I asked. “Uh, wait, you mean we don’t have to pay for them?”
“Of course not! You’re on a date with my daughter’s dear friend, not to mention you’re my son’s best friend too. As their mommy, it’s the least I could do!”
“G-Got it.” I shot a glance at Otoha-san’s face. The bright smile on it concealed any ulterior motives she might have had. It wasn’t like there were any holes in her explanation, but I couldn’t pin down what the point was to all of this. Surely Tenchido’s CEO of all people had better things to do than facilitate a date between Mashiro and me? And that was before you got to the bit where Otoha-san abhorred entertainment in all its forms. Would someone like that really gift us the chance to spend time at an establishment that specifically glorified such things?
I couldn’t help but think she had to be cooking up some sort of plot.
Thinking back, I did remember her excitable reaction to seeing that photo Mashiro took of me at the Drama Fair. She’d thought it “adorable” how “super-duper” in love the photographer was with me. Could it be that she just wanted to support Mashiro in her feelings for me? I guess it was possible...
“Tenchido Eternaland—that’s TEL for short!—isn’t just a theme park using elements and characters from Tenchido’s many franchises,” Otoha-san said, “it also serves as a museum documenting the company’s history! As the leader of a development team, and a young boy whose starry dreams are pulling him towards this industry, I’m sure there will be plenty of learning opportunities for you here too!”
“You’re saying this fits in with the class trip, then?”
“Exactly!”
Kyoto’s history wasn’t all traditional temples and ancient townscapes. As a company born in Kyoto and that later gained fame worldwide, Tenchido and its development was a part of that history too. If today were to end up in my report on the class trip, I was sure I’d be able to write a pretty serious piece on Tenchido Eternaland. It was also bound to inspire the 05th Floor Alliance’s improvement, now that we were moving on to console games.
Two birds, one stone. The epitome of efficiency.
This might not be such a bad deal after all.
“Here you go, sweetie!” Otoha-san said, placing one of the lanyards over my neck.
“Th-Thank you.”
She moved on to Mashiro. “And one for you too, Mashiro-chan! Here you go!”
“Thank...you...”
The smile on Otoha-san’s face and the cheerful bounce in her movements reminded me of my own mom for some reason. It felt a lot like when I started kindergarten and elementary school, when I got the lanyard with my name tag hung around my neck. She probably wasn’t doing it on purpose, but Otoha-san had this natural motherliness about her that made me feel like I was a kid again. And if a relative stranger like me felt this way, it must have been a hundred times worse for Iroha; it was no wonder she hated being treated like a kid.
“Okay, and now that’s all done for you...” Otoha-san studied the passes around our necks with a satisfied gleam to her eye, and then gave a deliberate cough. Her eyes, which she usually kept narrowed, flew open wide.
“Purby, purby, purby, welcome to the kingdom of dreams! Welcome to Eternaland! This is a place where everyone can let out their inner child! A land where you never have to grow old! It’s full of wonderful, adorable friends who are all waiting to meet you!”
...
Okay?
What the hell was that voice she was putting on? Was I actually experiencing this right now, or was I watching an educational kids’ show on NHK?
That would make sense, because I’d never heard anyone reach those high notes apart from those singing ladies on one of those shows—except now I had, in real life no less, and unless I was dreaming or hallucinating (and I didn’t think I was), it had come from the woman right in front of me: mother of two, Otoha-san.
She’d sounded so cute—and young. What was going on?
Maybe she was naturally gifted in the vocal cord region, just like her daughter and the Alliance’s voice actress, Iroha.
Mashiro and I were so bewildered, we couldn’t move until Otoha-san placed a hand on both our backs and ushered us towards the entrance. “Come now, sweeties! Set forth on your journey into dreamland!”
“W-Wait, you’re just making things more embarrassing! Please stop pushing!” Mashiro squirmed, her cheeks red.
“I-I can walk fine without being pushed, thanks!”
But she was strong, slapping at our writhing backs like a sumo wrestler, and forcing us closer and closer towards the front gate. Seeing our passes, the attendant welcomed us through the open gate with a smile.
“Purby, purby, purby!” the attendant trilled in the exact same tone as Otoha-san. “We have two very special guests here to explore the kingdom of dreams!”
“This isn’t actually the headquarters to some weird cult, is it?!”
The attendant looked completely normal and was stylishly dressed—so maybe I was hallucinating?
If I were, at least Mashiro was on the same wavelength; her face was pale to start with, but now it was turning even whiter. “Y’know, I’ve seen this kind of setup in horror movies...”
“Don’t say that. Theme parks make for some of the scariest ones!”
“I like horror, but...yeah, there’s something really culty about this place.” Mashiro shivered.
Otoha-san and the attendant waved at us and, not really knowing what else to do, we waved back as we hurried on into the park.
I couldn’t say the place had given a great first impression, but whatever—we were here now, in Eternaland, ready for our date (at least, I think that’s what it was) to start.