“S-S-S-Sorry!” she then said, quickly letting go of me.
“It’s fine, don’t worry, haha... Y-You’re scared easily, huh?” I replied, trying my best to smile so that she wouldn’t realize how much she’d stirred me.
It was obvious from the start that she wasn’t fond of spooky stuff, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad...
“I-I was just surprised because it was so sudden!”
“I see... Okay then, let’s continue,” I said, starting to move forward.
“What?! Wait!” She immediately stopped me, grabbing my arm once more.
If she grabs me like that every time, I’m going to die before we reach the exit.
“S-See, you are scared... but if we don’t get a move on, we’ll never get out of here.”
“I-I know, but...” she murmured.
Hearing Kokoro as scared as this made her seem... kind of cute. It was too dark to see her face, but I couldn’t help but wonder what her expression looked like. I wish I could see that... B-But that’s just because she always acts so tough! I just find it a bit surprising that someone like her would have a cute side like this! Cute in a sisterly way, obviously.
...I don’t think I’ve ever thought of my own little sister as cute though.
My arm felt so hot. My face too. Actually, my whole body felt so hot that anyone would assume I had a fever. I was glad the place was too dark for Kokoro to see my crimson cheeks.
“A-Anyway, we can’t just stand here. Let’s go,” I said again.
“U-Uh... I-Is it okay if I walk with my eyes closed a-and keep hold of your arm?” she asked desperately.
“That’s...”
“I-I’m sorry! I know that Minami wouldn’t like it, but...”
“N-No, I was going to say that it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”
“Ichigaya...”
“Y-You can hold my arm or stand behind me if you like. But now, let’s go.”
Just as she’d said, Elena wouldn’t like it. We had to leave this place as quickly as possible, but moving forward was the only way to do that.
“O-Okay.”
“Aaahhh!”
“Gahhh?!”
“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”
All the way through the haunted house, Kokoro held on to my arm for dear life, screaming so hard I started wondering whether bursting my eardrums really was her intention.
As if all of her yelling wasn’t bad enough, the nervousness of having her cling to me was really taking its toll on my poor heart.
“F-Finally, we’re out...” she said once we’d reached the exit, struggling for breath. I could finally see her face, and she looked as terrified as I had imagined, her eyes full of tears.
“How much of a scaredy-cat are you? You were so over-the-top I thought you were faking it,” I said, unable to hold back a grin.
“Why would I fake it?! You’re the weird one for not being scared at all!”
“Welcome back!” the attendant said, relieving us of our handcuffs.
In the end, we held hands all the way through...
“I could hear your screams from out here!” said Mrs. Nishina, who was waiting for us with a smile. “Did your boyfriend protect you from all the terrors?”
“N-Not really! H-He just plowed onward without a care,” Kokoro replied.
“Huh?!”
It’s all fake! What is there to protect you from?! What else was I supposed to do?! Hug you and tell you that it’ll all be all right? I could never do something like that! We’re not dating for real, and you’d hate it if I really did that!
After buying crepes from a stall, we sat down on a bench once more to decide where we’d go next.
“As for roller coasters, there are... let’s see... ‘Dragon Coaster’ and ‘Thunder Splash,’ I think...” Kokoro said, pointing at the pictures on the park map.
“Looks like it. I remember riding those as a kid. It was terrifying,” I replied, shortly before realizing my mistake.
“Huh? Didn’t you say you two come here all the time?” Mrs. Nishina asked, eyeing us suspiciously.
Ugh! I slipped up! I phrased it like it’s my first time here in a long time!
“O-Of course!” Kokoro replied. “But when we come here on dates, we just, like, eat crepes and go on the smaller rides and that kinda thing, you know? You have to buy tickets for each ride, but entering the park is free, so we haven’t been on the roller coasters yet. Right, Ichigaya?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Oh...” Kokoro’s mother seemed unconvinced by her explanation.
“Anyway, let’s go to the Dragon Coaster! It’s the closest one,” she said.
“All right!” I replied enthusiastically, since I actually liked roller coasters quite a bit.
“Have fun then! I’ll be cheering you on from here!” said Mrs. Nishina.
“Huh?! You aren’t coming?!”
“Those kinds of rides are a bit too intense for me... And I’m also a bit tired from riding on the plane for so long, even though I was sleeping for the most part.”
“Then why did you say you wanted to come on a date with us?!” Kokoro exclaimed, her voice so high-pitched that it broke at the top.
“I just wanted to see you two being all lovey-dovey, that’s all! Hehe!”
“You...!”
Was she testing us for real?!
“So, I’ll be here! See you later!”
“Fine! Whatever!”
“I wonder if she’s onto us,” Kokoro said as we lined up for the ride. Her mother could see us from where she was sitting, but she was too far away to hear us.
“That’s what I thought.”
Kokoro thought for a minute, probably weighing up the pros and cons of dropping the farce. Then, she gave me an apologetic look.
“I’m so sorry I have to put you through this.”
I was surprised by the genuine apology. “N-No, there’s no need to apologize. This whole fake-boyfriend thing started because of me, if you think about it.”
I’d been the one to suggest that Kokoro stay at my house, so much of the responsibility fell on me.
“It’s more about having you come on a date with me even though you have a girlfriend. I mean, Mom’s here, so it doesn’t entirely count, but still. I’m so, so sorry...”
“N-Nishina...” I still felt guilty for doing this when I already had a girlfriend, but I didn’t really blame Kokoro for it. “Like I said, this all came about because of my idea. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Ichigaya...”
“And, well, you’re here with me despite liking that Yuya guy, right? So we’re in the same boat.”
“I—”
“B-By the way, how are things going with him?” I asked, half-expecting her to dodge the question like before.
“We... We’re going on a date on the first Sunday after summer vacation.”
“O-Oh...”