Kousuke looked like he would fall into the blacked out monitor, he was hitting it so hard. Scared, I called out to him.
“Kousuke,” I gently came up behind Kousuke, who was tilting his head, looking troubled. “What happened?” I asked. “Did that monitor break? Actually, maybe the power is out— it seems like the park is nearing closing time. Maybe they just cut off the power, so the monitors turned off?” Mixing in a little self-deprecation, I continued to speak. “You’re new at this, aren’t you? Move aside. I run an electronics store, and I’ve watched dad repair lots of TVs. I’m more familiar with electronics than you, too. I might be able to fix it, maybe?”
“You’re no expert,” he retorted, “all you do is work the counter.” Kousuke continued to mess around with the cable connecting his smartbug to the monitor, his embarrassment obvious, while refusing to turn around. He didn’t like that I had tried to act important.
There was no particular change with the smartbug, and it kept emitting a faint glow. I don’t really understand what’s with this smartbug; is it a living thing, or a machine? Because the answer to that isn’t clear, it’s probably better to not assume that common sense applies to it. The lights in this control room still work, I realized. That means that it isn’t a problem with the electricity.
Although, whether or not this dimension would have a proper electrical system, one that actually made sense, is unclear. On the other hand, if this park didn’t run on electricity, I wouldn’t even be able to imagine what it does run on.
Wait, the lights have also started flickering on and off. Looking up at the ceiling, there were several naked light bulbs lined up, and they were turning on and off at even intervals. It didn’t seem like they were reaching the end of their lifespan and going out; this was more proof that there was a problem with the electrical supply.
“That’s weird... Actually, what the hell was that video, anyway? That was Kagamimori, wasn’t it? Why did she seem so much like an idol...?” It seemed like Kousuke is trying to change the subject.
He’s flustered because of some unexpected technical difficulties, even though he was full of confidence when he showed off this control room, and bragged about his smartbug. It’s not like this would be the thing to make me disappointed in him, after all this time... I already knew that my childhood friend was a klutz and a bit of an idiot, after all.
He was cute being all flustered, so I couldn’t help but put on a wide smirk. Kousuke, who saw my smile, looked unhappy as he started fidgeting hard with his legs while he was sitting on the floor.
“No matter how unfazed Kagamimori could be, there’s no way she would start a karaoke session in this situation...” he commented. “But we only happened to see the video feed just now, so it’s not like someone could’ve staged it. I guess that girl does have a side of her that just can’t read the room, in a sense.”
“I don’t think there’s any need for her to read a room, she’s a princess,” I retorted. “Come on, Kousuke, get out of the way. I’ll fix it. ’Hello, nice to meet you, I’m from Denkiya,’ remember?”
“I don’t remember asking for repairs or even calling you over,” he said stiffly. I calmed down after seeing Kousuke get a little offended. Kousuke hasn’t asked for my help, as an employee of an electronics store, in all the time I’ve known him. But really, even though I’ve managed to learn by watching my parents, I’m still just the daughter in a family that runs an electronics store. I’d be in trouble if he actually asked me to help.
At school, I was often asked things like, “X thing is acting funny, can you take a look?” or, “Can you get me some batteries or light bulbs?” It was like a greeting. Getting asked these things was natural.
At school, I was just the daughter of a family that owned an electronics store. I’m also partially at fault because I would play along, thinking it easier for people to remember if I introduced myself this way. There weren’t many people who would call me ‘Hitomi,’ as if we were close, although that was because I had spent my days letting life pass me by without getting too involved with anyone.
But Kousuke probably has no business with ‘Denkiya.’ He would always be the one to drag me out into the outside world, which was filled with light in comparison to my dark store, where it seemed like time had stopped sometime during the Showa era. That was in the past, but I can’t break myself from the habit even now. Some of it still remains in me, and that made me happy.
Even now, Kousuke still seemed like he’d smell of that field in which we used to run around as children... I bring my face closer. There was nothing but the choking greasy smell of tobacco; it was a little disappointing. Wait, I realized, I don’t only smell tobacco.
“Hey Kousuke,” I asked him, “don’t you smell something weird?”
“Hm? really? Isn’t it just tobacco— wait...it’s you, isn’t it?” he accused. “You stink.”
“I don’t stink,” I objected. “I just took a shower... This might be bad.”
I felt a familiar bad premonition, so I went over to the rusted ladder on the side of the wall and placed my hand on it. There was a set of double doors at the top of this ladder which led to the surface, and the outside. I thought I could smell something unpleasant leaking through the gap in those doors. It was a smell I was already used to, that I just now got a whiff of again: the smell of something burning. Fearfully, I started to climb the ladder.
Noticing my actions, Kousuke looked suspiciously at me. “Oi, what happened?”
“Don’t look this way, idiot,” I shot back at him. “I’m wearing a skirt, and I don’t want you staring at my panties.”
“You didn’t need to call me an idiot,” he grumbled. “Why are girls so annoying?”
“Guys are the ones who should care more. ...Woah, this is bad! There really is a fire up here!” Opening the double doors at the top and peeking outside a little, I panicked. I’m just exhausted. Rather than feeling scared or surprised, I’ve built up so much stress and frustration that I can’t take it any more.
The surface was a sea of fire. There was smoke everywhere, obscuring my vision. The merry-go-round, located on top of the control room, was on fire. Under all that paint, the headless horses were apparently all made out of wood, and all of them had become large balls of fire. There was something floating in the air that was burnt to a crisp, and decorations that had melted from the heat were falling down.
At some point without me noticing, the area above the control room— where I was rekindling an old friendship with my childhood friend in peace, separated by only a thin layer— had become a burning hell. This was no time to be spacing out, thinking things like, ‘What’s going on?’ Sparks danced, and the fire was spreading towards me, along with a blast of burning wind.
“Hya?!” I squawked in surprise. The oxygen enclosed in the control room, which was almost completely airtight, was now released out into the blaze that was happening outside— and the fire leapt in. A violent fire swirled in the underground room, and I was lucky just to have not been instantly burnt black.
I was simply blown back off the ladder by the burning wind and fell down, managing to get away with my skin being only slightly roasted. “Wh-whoah,” I stuttered, having been immensely startled.
It’s hot and it hurt, and I wanted to cry. Like a baby who’s been slapped on the cheek, I had no idea what was going on, simply writhing around on the ground in pain. You could also say that I was in so much pain from taking the force of the fall over my entire body, that all I could do was roll around. Luckily, the fall didn’t cause any sprains or break any bones. I just lost all my reason and ability to think as a human.