Kurumi the Lemming and Radioactive Toukawa-san

My heart stopped as I took in the twisted forms above us. The twin kaiju's bodies rippled with bioluminescent patterns - deep blues and golds that shifted like oil on water. Grooves ran along their rubbery skin, pulsing slowly. Each of their five tentacles squirmed independently, yet somehow in perfect sync with their mirror half.

"Rhino!"

The balloon string unwound from Sae's arm as Rhino expanded, transforming into its full kaiju glory. Its whips unfurled, ready to strike.

A squeal beside me made me jump. Kurumi had abandoned all pretense of bravery and ducked behind Toukawa-san, who looked unimpressed with her new role as human shield.

I barely had time to process what was happening before cold, rubbery flesh wrapped around my waist. Little Shit squeaked in panic, burrowing into my costume's hood. The tentacles constricted, and my feet left the ground.

Is this how I'm going out? I wondered if my life insurance covered 'death by twin octopi kaiju.' If not, Gran Gran was going to be pissed.

While suspended in the air, I caught glimpses of Kurumi and Toukawa-san in similar predicaments. The only ones who'd managed to dodge were Sae and Rhino. Sae opened her mouth, but froze mid-command.

Because instead of crushing us or throwing us into the stratosphere, the twin kaiju were... gently lowering us into the Inky Inferno carts. I landed with a soft thump in Cart #4, the same one I'd been touching moments ago.

The twins then carefully deposited Kurumi and Toukawa-san into their own carts. Their tentacles moved with surprising tenderness, like a parent tucking in their kids for bed, before clicking our safety harnesses into place.

Kurumi, being Kurumi, pulled out her phone and started making those ridiculous faces she thinks are cute - peace signs, exaggerated winks, and that stupid cat-paw pose she's obsessed with - probably for another post on @LittlePoopOfficial.

Next to her, Toukawa-san's face took on that familiar green tinge I'd seen earlier with the Dragon's Descent. The poor girl really couldn't handle rides.

A piercing screech of metal made me wince. The twins had coiled their tentacles around the connecting rods of our carts, yanking the whole contraption into motion with a groan of protest.

The first rotation was surprisingly gentle. But by the third spin, centrifugal force kicked in hard. Little Shit's clung to my costume's hood like a lifeline until his claws slipped, and he tumbled into the empty seat beside me.

"Sorry buddy." I grunted as I pancaked him against the side.

The familiar pressure against my right side knocked something loose in my memory. I was twelve again, sitting next to Dad in this same spot. He always insisted on taking the right seat, knowing full well I'd end up crushing him when the ride picked up speed.

"Your old man's getting too fragile for this," he'd always say, but he never switched seats.

Maybe it was the familiar smell of metal and grease, or the way the safety bar dug into my lap as my vision blurred from all the spinning, but the memory hit harder than usual. If @LittlePoopOfficial really took off - if we actually managed to rake in some serious cash - maybe I could buy Dad a ticket home. He could sit next to me for real. One last ride before everything went to hell for, well, the hell of it.

I blinked hard. Damn it, this wasn't the time to get emotional over Dad. Not when I was stuck on a death trap being operated by twin octopi.

The world started blurring into streaks of color as we spun faster and faster. It felt like my brain was doing somersaults inside my skull and any second now, it was going to leak out my ears and splatter all over some poor maintenance worker who'd have to clean it up.

Then, the ride then screeched to an abrupt halt. Stars exploded behind my eyes as momentum tried to yank my body in three different directions at once.

"Again! Again!" Kurumi's voice cut through my disorientation. Sometimes I can't understand Kurumi. This girl had the self-preservation instincts of a lemming.

A moment later, a distinctly less enthusiastic sound came from Toukawa-san's cart - the unmistakable sound of someone losing their breakfast.

When my vision finally settled, I saw what had stopped the ride. Rhino's whips had wrapped around the twins' tentacles.

"Let them go." Sae commanded.

The twins' let out a low grumble - not quite aggressive, but definitely stubborn.

"Very well. You leave me no choice." Sae turned to her partner. "Rhino. Pull."

Rhino's whips tensed, and I braced myself for the world's worst game of tug-of-war. But Rhino hesitated, its whips loosening ever so slightly.

The twins' patterns shifted from their angry reds to a softer blue, reminding me of those cheap glow-in-the-dark stars Dad stuck on my ceiling years ago. A sound like a child's sob then echoed across the empty park.

Were they... crying?

Rhino lumbered over, ignoring Sae's calls, and reached out with its whips. It awkwardly patted the Twins' backs, the gesture so gentle that it caught me off guard.

Dad used to do the same thing after the scary rides. I'd be clutching the trash can like Toukawa-san, and Dad's large hand would rub soothing circles on my back.

"It's okay, kiddo. I'll make sure no one's looking, so don't feel embarrassed."

I looked up at the twins above us. Towering and strange as they were, they were still just kids at heart. Kids who wanted to play.

"Hey!" I shouted. "One more round won't kill us." Probably.

The twins' patterns rippled with excitement at my words, shifting from somber blues to vibrant golds. Their grumbling rose to a higher pitch, one that reminded me of Little Shit's when I bring home fresh melon bread.

The ride then jolted back to life but faster this time. Wind whipped my hair into my eyes as we spun. Little Shit let out a squeal of pure panic while Kurumi shrieked with laughter.

As the twins' colors pulsed with joy, I couldn't help but think they weren't so different from the kids who used to crowd this park every weekend. And now, we were all they had left to play with.

Maybe we could change that. @LittlePoopOfficial already had a decent following. If we showed people that the twins weren't mindless monsters, that they just wanted to give kids the ride of their lives with the time they had left on earth, well...

Crap. In my excitement, I'd forgotten about Toukawa-san. Her face had gone from green apple green to radioactive green, ready to add another coat of paint to the track below.

Sorry, Toukawa-san. I'll buy you all the motion sickness patches after this. Promise.

Ryuka_savings_tracker_v2.xlsx

Updated: [4/16/20XX]

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Current savings | ¥18,207

Direct payout from Seven Flags | ¥700,000

Motion sickness patches from Law-Soon | -¥1,450

Total Available | ¥716,757

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Tokyo Penthouse Cost | ¥50,000,000

REMAINING NEEDED | ¥49,283,243

Progress: 1.43%