Chapter 11

“Hey, Carol.”

It was a cool October morning. I had arrived in front of a large theme park in North Jakarta. The large complex featured various attractions and facilities. It had the theme park itself, an aquarium, a beach, and various other things. I was honestly surprised when I received her invitation. I mean, she specifically said not to tell Nadia about this.

“So… it’s just the two of us?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you would invite someone else, especially since you said not to tell this to Nadia.”

Carol shook her head. “We… haven’t spent a lot of time together lately. Just the two of us.”

True. Ever since Nadia arrived, she had been attached to Carol. As a result, we spent most of the time with the three of us.

“So this is a date, then?” I teased.

Carol’s cheeks reddened. She reached out for my sleeve and pulled me toward the theme park. First things first, we headed for the ticket counter. Carol purchased two priority tickets for us.

“Where should I pay?” I had received payments from Nadia.

She insisted on paying some up front. Maybe she wanted to prove that she takes this project seriously. Thanks to her, I have extra money.

“There’s no need.”

“Are you sure?”

“You already did a lot by accompanying me.”

Well… not really? I simply took the train here.

“If you say so.”

After purchasing tickets, we headed inside. Since we came on a Monday morning, the park didn't see many other visitors. It made me wonder if we even need the priority tickets. Today wasn’t a holiday, but after midterms and finals, we would have one day free. It had been that way since middle school.

Inside, many European-style buildings housing various shops greeted us. I looked around. They looked different from the regular buildings I found out in the wild.

“Where should we go first?”

“Let’s try something a bit on the slower side first…” Carol’s eyes traveled to the swinging ship.

It looked like a giant swing, reaching quite high speeds. We went into the priority line. Thanks to the priority ticket, we could get on the ship quickly. Despite it being a Monday morning, the ship was full. Maybe a lot of people thought of the same thing and decided to come.

With our safety belts on, the ride started up. At first, it was slow back and forths, much like a regular swing. But with every move, the ship sped up. What started as a slow ride, slow enough to make you sleep, soon turned into an intense ride. We traveled at much higher speeds in cars and trains, but what made the ship scary was the vertical change. It felt like the ship could throw us out.

After a few more swings, the machine slowed down. It pulled to a stop, and we got off.

“Phew/…” I let out a breath of relief.

I hadn’t come to places like this often. I didn’t really have an interest in them. I wasn’t used to thrill rides.

“Are you alright?” Carol asked.

“... I’m not as brave as you thought,” I joked. I mean, I wouldn’t really say that the ride scared me. No, it didn’t go that far. But, at the same time, I couldn’t keep myself calm. I was on the edge of my seat, literally.

“So… You don’t want to-”

“No, don’t worry about me.” I cut her off. She already invited me here and paid for my ticket. I didn’t want her to stop having fun because of me. Besides, she had gone through some tough midterm exams. I wanted her to forget about her tests for a bit.

“I want you to have fun.”

“O- Okay…” She averted her gaze, looking for a different attraction.

We had a lot of time, but the park provided us with a lot of options. If we want to maximize our money, we must move. Luckily, it didn’t take long for Carol to decide on her next ride.

“I want to try the roller coaster.”

Not wanting to ruin the mood, I went with her. I put on my bravest face, mustering all the courage I had.

And I ended up screaming the loudest. It was frightening. I could feel the G forces working on my body, throwing me around like I’m some kind of beach ball in a volley match. It took an immense amount of effort to stop myself from vomiting. I really didn’t want to ruin this day for Carol.

Up, down, left, right. At some point, I decided to just close my eyes while holding the handle as hard as I could. Any stronger and that thing might break, which was a bad thing considering the situation I was in. The wind assaulted my face, and every small anxiety popped up at the worst possible moment. Would I lose anything? Would my head hit anything? A ton of baseless worries.

Despite going at breakneck speed, time slowed down to a crawl. It felt like forever. For other people, that might be what they wanted. For me, though, it was a living hell. I wanted to get off this thing as fast as possible. Eventually, the ride slowed down, pulling to a stop. I struggled to get up. Not because I wanted another go. I was wobbly, my energy sucked out of me.

Carol was forced to hold my hand and guide me out. The staff member showed concern for how I looked, but I promised them I was fine.

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

“I’m… fine…”

I really wasn’t born for thrill rides. They’re a bit too thrilling.

“Let’s choose something slower next.”

My heart thumped. I was worried she would pick something intense again, yet at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin her fun.

“Let’s go on the carousel.”

I let out a breath of relief. That one I’m confident I could handle. We headed toward the carousel. Unlike the other rides, the carousel was much more relaxing. It had a slower rotation speed, making the up and down journey comfy. I enjoyed this ride, although I guess I do look a bit too old for it. I mean, unlike the other old people, I didn’t bring a child with me.

“This must be a really interesting ride for a child…” Carol murmured.

“Have you never ridden on one? As a child, I mean?”

She shook her head while her body went up and down along with the horses. “I used to be very busy.”

Carol had been working in voice acting for a long time. Unlike Nadia, she didn’t get that one large role that propelled her to fame. Instead, she took smaller jobs, one by one, building her reputation. I knew because I got curious about her and looked through her Wakipedia page. Most of them were acts in things I had never heard about.

“I wouldn’t say I get to enjoy my childhood… Ever since I was little, I had always been serious about this.”

“... Why?” I asked, but Carol didn’t answer. The ride slowed down, and we got off.

•••

We visited a couple more rides. Carol had gotten all the rides she wanted out of the way, and it was my turn. I took her to slower rides and places where we could enjoy the view. After a few hours, the sun began going down. Before long, it would hide beneath the horizon, and the skies would turn dark.

“Do you want to ride that?” Carol asked while pointing toward a gondola.

It seemed like a fitting ride to end today’s trip. We made our way to the gondola station and rode a gondola, just the two of us. The gondola took us over the beach, providing a great view of the sea north of us.

“Did you have fun?” Carol asked. She must be worried because of how much I struggled with her rides.

“I’m honestly surprised you like thrill rides.”

“... Maybe because I never experienced them before?”

“The opposite of me, then.”

I think precisely because I never experienced them before that I felt nothing else but fear. That said, looking back at it, I couldn’t deny that I had fun. I enjoyed being able to go together with Carol.

“... Earlier today, you asked me why I had been acting since I was little, right?”

“Hmm…? Ah, right.”

I had asked it when we spun around in the carousel.

“... The truth is, I’m similar to Carol.”

I had no clue where this was going, so I waited for her to continue in silence.

“I… have someone I want to notice me.”

I thought about telling a joke. Saying that she has someone she likes, but seeing how serious she looked, I decided saying that would be rude. Still, I wonder who this person is. I didn’t remember if Carol had any family issues, although I guess such issues would be suppressed. They wouldn’t want any news leaking.

“... Who is it? Is it family?”

I quickly realized that I intruded on personal matters, but Carol didn’t seem to mind.

“... It’s not family.”

“I see.”

I wasn’t sure if I could ask more than that.

“It was someone I knew as a child, but we got separated.” She sighed. “... Well, I guess saying ‘I knew’ is an exaggeration. Anyway, that’s all I can tell you.” She regained a bit of her cheer and looked out the window.

“... Harto, thank you for accompanying me. I appreciate it.”

I often do not realize it, because I spend so much time with her, but Carol really is pretty. Her looking out the window had quite the majestic feel to it, but also a bit of melancholy, like she was looking at something beyond the waters. I doubt she thought about this, though. She probably thought that the scenery looked beautiful.

“I’m always happy to accompany you.”

She turned back to me, a smile on her face. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” I answered with full seriousness.

“Then, I hope you continue to accompany me.”

“I will do my best.” Accompanying her on the various thrills she brought me onto might be rough, but I wanted to do it. She had been by my side for so long. I wanted to make her happy.

We enjoyed the rest of the ride together in silence.