Don't start with the hardest ride, it's gonna make you lose all your energy

"Wow, this looks so cute!”

Since Valentine’s Day was pretty close, the amusement park themed itself around it. Heart shapes could be seen everywhere. From the foods to the merchandise and even some of the attractions were made of hearts. Most of the visitors were friends, couples and families, so it looked like the theme was working on its intended audience.

“I wanna ride that, and that, and that!” Noguchi pointed all over the place like a kid. Her eyes were practically shining.

“Yeah, I wanna ride that, too.” Iwamoto matched Noguchi’s energy, although it didn’t show on his face. They were both in sports clubs, so they probably enjoyed thrilling activities like these.

“You two are like kids. Control yourself, would you?” Adachi said.

“Said the guy who couldn’t sleep because he was so excited.”

“I slept very well! For an hour…”

“Don’t worry, Yume. We’ll ride all of them!” Unexpectedly, Seta was hyped about something. Usually, she would be smiling and reserved.

“Alright,” We stopped by a shade. “We should plan what we want to do first. So, what do you guys like to do?” Takata suggested.

“I want to ride the rollercoaster first!” Noguchi’s eyes beamed with energy as she looked at the rollercoaster.

“Yeah, count me and Fumio in.” Iwamoto announced.

“Guess I have no choice but to join you two!”

The three nodded at each other. It was crazy of them to start the day with the most intense ride, but Haru couldn’t help but respect them.

“Why do you guys like the roller coaster so much? It’s way too scary!” Ayako looked pale as she craned her neck up looking at the menacing monster that was the roller coaster.

Well, it does look scary. Haru himself wasn’t a big fan on these intense rides but he understood what made them fun, so he wasn’t as opposed to it as Ayako was.

“Come on, Fuyu, this is our first time in an amusement park together. Let’s make the best of it!” Seta smiled at her.

“Fine...” Ayako could only sigh in defeat.

We made our way to the roller coaster. There were about eight cars, so we had no problem about someone getting left behind. Additionally, the cars were customed to be like a Valentine’s Day theme.

“So, who’s going to sit with each other? There are seven of us, so one of us must sit alone or with a stranger.” Takata asked.

It was a simple question. Each car had two seats, so they had to choose who we would be sitting with. But the instigators looked at each other and understood what we should do.

“I’ll go ride with Fuyu!” Noguchi grabbed Fuyuki by the arm. She grabbed her so fast you’d think they were a couple or something.

“Yume, not fair! I was gonna ride with her!”

“First come, first served!” Noguchi playfully stuck out her tongue.

Haru saw Ayako taking a glance at him before answering, “Sure, I don’t mind. But I’m warning you, if you're scared, I won’t be able to help you.”

“I’m fine with things like this, you know? But if you’re scared, you can hold onto me.”

“Yumeeeee! You’re such a lifesaver.”

“Guess it’s gonna be me and you, Fumio.” Iwamoto put his arm over his shoulders.

“Alright. Also, your arms are heavy." 

Well, I guess I'll be riding myself. Haru didn’t mind it, though, as he was used to being alone. Besides, he was the odd one here. The only person he mostly knew was Ayako and she’d already been taken.

“I can ride with you if you want.” Seta offered.

“Oh, uh, it’s fine. I'm the odd one, anyway. You should go with Takata.” Haru was certain that if he accepted her offer, he’d be in a lot of trouble later.

“We’ll just have to switch who’s alone later, everyone agrees?” Takata suggested then they all nodded.

Afterwards, they all kept their belongings in a locker as instructed.

Seta and Takata occupied the first car, followed by Noguchi and Ayako in the second. The third car held Iwamoto and Adachi, leaving Haru alone in the fourth car. Incidentally, there were eight cars in total. The people behind Haru also looked like they were couples.

Haru looked towards the others. They were having fun. Seta and Takata were having a blast talking to each other, evident by the smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Ayako held onto Noguchi as if the ride had already taken off. Imagine how she would react if the real thing was happening already. But Haru was glad her fear was distracting her from the thing in front of her.

Suddenly, Ayako looked towards him. Her mouth moved but he couldn’t hear what she said. But he did understand what she said.

What are you sorry for?

“The ride is about to start. Please, hold onto your seats!” A staff member loudly said.

With the strap setting them in place, the cars started to move. The clanking of the cars silenced the noisy chatters of the people as they watched the roller coaster moved in bated breaths.

The cars slowly started to go uphill, slowly climbing to the top. When it reached the peak, it stopped for a moment, allowing them to see the wide city far on the horizon. Buildings, houses, small cars and the big blue sky. It was a breathtaking view.

Then the sudden drop.

Cheers mixed with shrieks could all be heard at once. The sudden gust of wind forcefully blew Haru’s eyes wide open. He sealed his mouth so tight, it felt like he was going to injure himself. The twist and loops that followed were fleeting moments that no matter how much he tried to remember, he couldn’t remember what happened.

Haru somehow managed to look at the others.

In front of him, the two of them had their hands up in the air. Adachi was screaming but the same couldn’t be said to Iwamoto. His neutral face stood tall against all the chaos. What an insane willpower.

Ayako clung to Noguchi as if her life depended on it. She was so scared that she wasn’t even looking at anything as her eyes were strongly shut. Meanwhile her seatmate was having fun like there was no tomorrow.

Looking at the others, He saw Seta held Takata’s hand. Whether it was intentional or not, only they knew.

As they got off the ride, everyone was fine. Well, everyone except Ayako. Her legs wobbled as she walked, and she needed the support of someone just to be able to walk. Her face was a mess like she had been chased by a monster in a horror movie.

As they went to exit, they bought the overpriced various photos of them riding the roller-coaster. Haru thought it was ridiculous how one photo could cost so much. Their faces on the photo were just like how Haru had seen it earlier.

“Let’s go one more time!” Noguchi exclaimed. Even though we had just gotten off on that roller coaster, she was still energetic for much more.

“Nah, I’m done with the roller coaster.” Iwamoto said as he eyed the other attractions. While it was indeed thrilling and fun, Haru would also like to try the other attraction before the roller coaster exhausted his energy.

“You guys go ahead...” Ayako looked white as if she had seen a ghost. “I’m...I’m going to take a break...” She said as she sat down on a bench under the shade of a tree.

“You alright? Now that I think about it, why did we even start with the most intense ride?” Takata asked.

“Isn’t it fine? Now, we don’t have to worry about not having the energy to ride the roller coaster.” That was true. If they started with the other attractions, Ayako might have been too tired to ride the roller coaster to begin with.

“Are you sure you want us to go ahead? We can stay and wait for you to be fine, you know.”

“It’s fine…I don’t want to keep you guys waiting. Look, lines are starting to get longer.” Ayako pointed at one of the attractions that a line was starting to form.

“Ah, she’s right! If this keeps up, we’re gonna be waiting all day!” Adachi said.

Takata placed his hand on his chin. “Alright, you guys go ahead. I’ll stay here with Fuyuki until she gets better.”

Ayako seemed to hesitate for a bit but then closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay!” she waived her hands frantically, and then looked at Haru as if asking for help. “Haru will watch over me, you guys go and enjoy the rides, okay?” Ayako pointed at Seta with her eyes.

Haru immediately caught on what she wanted to do. “Sure, I'm a bit tired myself.”

“Get well soon, Fuyu, okay? We’ll go on easier rides later.” Noguchi said.

“Well then, I guess I’ll see you later, Fuyu.” Seta said.

Takata was still pondering as the others started to leave. It seemed he was really worried about Ayako.

"What are you still waiting for? You know those guys are gonna be a mess if you're not there." 

"Fine...Take care of her for me, Shiraishi." 

"Yeah, I got you..."

They watched them disappear in the bustling crowd. “Sheesh, for a guy that rejected you, he sure does know how to keep you in suspense."

Ayako placed her head on Haru’s shoulder. It took him by surprise, and his body immediately stiffened while he tried his best not to move.

"You feeling okay?” he asked. As Haru turned his head to the left, he caught a sweet aroma that tickled his nose. Her head was so close, if he lowered his head even by a little bit, it would hit the top of her head.

She smells really good. He was once again hit by the fact that Ayako was still a woman.

“Sorry, just need to lie down my head a bit.” She moved her head a bit as if fixing her position. “I’m not annoying you, am I?”

“Yes, you are. But I'll allow this one. You need any water?” he handed her his water bottle. It was a good thing his mother prepared one for him.

“Thanks.” She took it and drank some. “Ah, that feels good!” She handed the bottle back to Haru and placed her head on his shoulder again.

I can still drink this, right? I mean, indirect kiss is really just for kids. No one thinks of that stuff anymore, right?

“Are you having fun, Haru?” she asked in a gentle voice.

“I wouldn’t say I’m having fun, but I’m not saying I’m not having fun either.”

“What kind of answer is that?” She giggled. “Sorry for not accompanying you earlier. I’m the one who invited you and yet I’m leaving you alone...”

Ah, so this is why she said sorry earlier.

“Don’t worry about it. You know I’m used to being alone, right? This is nothing to me."

“Yes, that’s why I’m trying not to make you feel alone. That feeling isn’t really someone should be accustomed to.”

“No, really, it’s fine. It’s not bad once you get used to it.”

“And I'm saying I don’t like that. Besides, we have a mission to get them together. And that means us. If I’m not there besides you, then it’d be really hard for you to move around the group.

I guess she thought it through. Thinking about it now, it would probably be hard for me to interact with them without Ayako nearby.

“As I said, it’s fine. It’s still early in the day, you know. There’s plenty of time for us to be in a ride together.”

Speaking those words, Haru couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. There was something about those words that made him feel a narcissist.

“That’s true. Hehe, you should feel honored that you’re going to get on a ride with me.”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say.”

“Well, I think I'm okay now.” She raised her head up. She fixed herself a bit before saying, “Let’s go return to the others!”

Out of nowhere, though, they heard footsteps coming closer.

A little girl approached them. Her eyes were reddened as tears effortlessly slid down from her cheeks. “C-Can you help me find my parents?”