「Chapter 7: In The Case of Ichika Tachibana」

“Haru, Haru! Don’t you think those are cool?”

“That’s such a weird headband.”

With the night sky now having settled overhead, we felt the pace at which we traveled through the park start to slow down. Even so, it wasn’t much of a hindrance that we were growing a bit tired. We had managed to explore almost all of the amusement park and all that was left was to explore the shops and eateries that we had left for the end. Since we didn’t have tickets for the waterpark right next door, we only ended up needing a single day to enjoy the majority of the park.

After having finished riding a few remaining attractions, we now walked through many of the shops that were dotted all around the park. And right now, Tachibana had picked up one of those mouse-eared headbands that are an icon of the park.

“You really think it’s weird? I think it’s quite fashionable. Look, don’t you think I look cute when I put them on.”

Being in love with her made her look cute in anything she was wearing. Whether it was her uniform, casual clothes, or stupid accessories like this one, I just couldn’t help but imagine that she was what true beauty was like.

And then she ruined my fantasy by making peace signs with both hands.

“Aww… Why’d you stop blushing? Do you not think I'm cute after all? A bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“If you keep guilt-tripping me like that you’re going to lose my love.”

“Well, if that happens, I’m sure Suzukuma will accept me with open arms. And then maybe I’ll finally have use for that black lingerie I bought a while back.”

“So that really wasn’t a lie, then?”

“Why would it be a lie? I have to win her over somehow. What better way than to make her realize how much of a goddess I am wearing that kind of clothing.”

God, now I wish I was Suzukuma if Tachibana was serious about doing something like that. All the more reason to get her to fall in love with me. I must be the first one to see her in that black lingerie!

“Stop imagining things,” she said as she giggled. “Just help me find a souvenir for my mom since you hate this one.”

“I didn’t hate it. I was just thinking that you could get her something better, something better than just mouse ears. Like…" I started as I walked over to another shelf. "I'd much rather receive this laser sword thing than mouse ears."

"Anyone would. But look at this, Haru." She took the box from me and turned it around. "You see this? It's 25,000 yen. The food was expensive enough as it is, so do you really think I can afford something like this?"

Hmm, she made a fair point. Most of the things in this park are extremely overpriced. Like, the hamburgers we had in the morning were 1,200 yen. That’s expensive in my book and Tachibana almost didn’t buy one because of that. And those sorts of prices didn’t just stop at food. All the merchandise here would break the bank. Even those stupid mouse ears were 4,000 yen, not to mention stuff like stuffed animals and toys. It's a wonder how I even managed to not go broke here.

“Still, it’s not like I was telling you to buy that specifically. It was just an example.”

“Then what about something like this?” she said as she held up a blue dress.

“Is your mom into cosplay or something?”

“She’s still pretty young. I’m sure she could make it work.” She laughed. “Or maybe it'll be better suited for someone like Suzukuma. She’s my princess after all.”

“That’s even if you get her to put it one.”

“Oh, Haru, my dear. I have my ways.” She looked me in the eyes as a malevolent smile slowly crept up on her face. In a way, I felt bad for Suzukuma. “Too bad that this, too, is something that will set me back a few weeks. After buying those chocolates, I have to be careful with my spending. So I guess maybe a stuffed animal will have to do.”

“Well, at least you have plenty of options to choose from.” Half of the shop we were in was dedicated to stuffed toys. You had small ones you could keep on your bed or desk and then you transitioned to the ones that were bigger and more for decoration. But then there were the ones that were even bigger than people. Like, who would want an elephant plushie that took up a quarter of their room?

The answer was Me, that’s who would want something like that. Or maybe the bear to the left would be a better fit.

“Oh! Maybe she’ll like this one.” Having only looked at a few of the plushies, she immediately found one she liked and darted toward it. It was one of the smaller ones, a lion from one of the company's films. I remember watching it when I was still in elementary. “My mom always told me how much she adored this movie as a kid. So I guess I’ll go with this.” Then, just like that, a tinge of disappointment appeared on her face. “Wow. 3500 yen is kinda a lot for just a stuffed toy.”

“Yep, companies have really learned to harness the power of nostalgia to squeeze every bit of money out of you until you can’t pay your bills.”

“Jeez, that’s a bit morbid.”

“That’s just how life is.”

Tachibana laughed and looked at the stuffed lion again. She nodded, probably having made up her mind, and walked to the register. The cashier rang up her purchase and Tachibana hesitantly handed over her cash to the lady behind the counter. Even though I wasn’t the one buying it, it still felt like losing a bunch of money, I mean these are just extortionary prices.

While the cashier handed her a bag with a big smile saying “Come back soon,” Tachibana turned back as if her energy had been drained from her, as if she had lost something. But if I had to pony up 3,500 yen for a stuffed toy, I would also look like I was about to die.

“Well...” I began, trying to find something positive about the situation. “I’m sure your mother will love the gift.”

“She better. I’m going to have to get a job after this.”

Today, Tachibana would walk out of the shop as a defeated girl.

“Come on. Let’s just go find the others to have one last bite to eat.”

“Sure, sure,” she said a bit dejectedly. “But you’re buying for me.”

It’s times like these where you’re lucky I’m in love with you. You're gonna end up making me broke, I just know it.

*      *     *

“Now that you two are here, we can finally go find a place to eat.”

Yuma had been having quite some fun today. He was our self-proclaimed tour guide and often was the first one to arrive at an attraction. I sometimes felt like he was running everywhere because of that and it always left me somewhat tired. I had to resort to carrying a water bottle with me.

But with exercise, thrill, and excitement comes a loss of calories and we practically ate all our meals here--breakfast and lunch. And I can tell you right now that it wasn’t easy on our wallets. I swear, if this theme park becomes more expensive, the imperial family might as well take up residence in the castle at the center of the park because they are the only ones that can afford to come here.

We ended up finding this quaint restaurant in this sort of New Orleans-styled district. It always surprised me how the park could make it feel like you were in a completely different country.

“Doesn’t this place look a bit romantic?” I didn't know who asked but it was either Yuki or Mina.

“Well, it is Chizuru’s birthday. What’s to say I can’t invite her to a lovely little French-themed cafe?” Like always, Yuma was planning to spoil Chizuru and she was practically falling in love with him all over again. “And maybe you can charm Tachibana in here,” he whispered so as to keep my secret.

His efforts were commendable but it all made it seem like he was pulling some invisible strings.

As we entered, the various aromas of the French cuisine hit our noses with pleasant notes. Looking around, the dining area was quite sophisticated and fancy, like if we were eating in the dining hall of a mansion. The meals on customer’s tables seemed really appetizing but as the stereotype goes for fancy restaurants, the portion sizes were a bit small.

The attendant at the front desk asked for our party size and quickly took us to a nearby table and gave us the menus.

“Wow. Yuma, don’t you think that this is a bit expensive?” I had to agree with Tachibana. The way the meals were set up, they each came out to be easily 4000 yen.

“Aha, this dinner was the one thing about the trip that we actually planned out. Chizuru and I chose this place with the intention of treating you all to a nice dinner. So don’t worry about having to pay.”

Chizuru nodded. “Think of it as a little thank you gift for accompanying me today.”

We all cheered, though, me and Tachibana clearly felt kind of bad for having them pay for our food especially when it was so expensive. Like, were they both rich or something? Like, I saw no hesitation whenever they bought something expensive. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for their generosity but they are starting to seem like the student council.

The general gist of the restaurant was that you had an overall course price and from there you had a list of starters, entrees, and desserts. We all started with an hors d'oeuvre player and quickly transitioned to our entrees. I went for a grilled chicken with a nice and creamy sauce. Next to me, Tachibana ordered a vegetable quiche that looked probably even better than my own dish.

It was quite the experience, I'd said. I never thought that I'd be eating food that would.be considered fancy at such a young age. It makes you think how just about anything can happen to you at any moment in time.

You hear that, Tachibana. Philosophy says that given enough time, everything and anything will happen. So even you falling in love with me is bound to happen.

"Suzukuma said that quiches were one of her favorite meals, and I'd have to agree with her because this is absolutely delicious. My Darling is always right I suppose." And just like that, my hopes of being with Tachibana were seemingly dashed.

Our dessert was a pie along with vanilla ice cream. Now, I've never been a big fan of pies but this one was good enough to convert me into a believer.

As we chatted for a bit as we enjoyed our dessert, I heard Tachibana’s phone ring from inside her bag. No one else really seemed to notice that she spent quite a bit of time typing away, her face progressively showing more and more signs of worry. It caused me to become worried and I soon found myself no longer taking bites from my dessert.

I watched as her fingers started moving across her phone’s keyboard faster and faster until suddenly, the light from her screen disappeared and went dark. Her phone must have run out of battery, and so she placed it in her bag, but the worry didn’t disappear. She must have noticed me staring because she turned to me and just shook her head, after which she excused herself and left for the bathroom.

Soon, twenty minutes passed. The conversations and witty replies eventually dwindled down, and everyone seemed to have finished all of their courses and beverages. All but one of us, that is.

“Huh? Where is Tachibana?” I think it was Yuki who first noticed.

“Didn’t she say she was going to the bathroom?”

“Yeah, but it’s been at least twenty minutes,” Yuma answered Chizuru.

Even I, who had witnessed more closely how worried Tachibana had seemed, had forgotten about her not being present. She was just going to the bathroom after all. It’s a normal thing and something that you never pay much mind to when someone says it. So naturally, after her not having returned for more than ten minutes, I engrossed myself in the chit-chat until I had completely forgotten.

“I’ll go look for her, then. She probably just got sick from something she ate.” Chizuru volunteered to go look for and soon entered the lady’s room. Not long afterward she made her way outside, but she didn’t seem to have found her in there.

“Do you think she wandered off or something? Let’s try calling her cellphone,” one of the girls suggested.

“That won’t work,” I chimed in as the girl pulled out her phone. “Her battery died, and regardless, her phone is still here along with her bag.”

“Then where has she gone off to?”

“Should we go look for her?” Yuma asked, now getting a bit worried himself.

“But what if she comes back?”

“In that case, a few of us should stay here,” Yuma suggested. “So us two and Haru will go out and look for her. I doubt she has gotten far if she did wander off on her own.”

And with that plan in mind, Chizuru went off to search the area nearest to the restaurant. Yuma went toward the castle area and the emporium, and I was left to search the area past one of the rivers that separated the themes of the park.

As I made my way through the crowds and attractions, I tried to decipher where Tachibana would have gone if she had really wandered off. So starting at the beginning, she got up to use the restroom and never came back. But...that was very little information to go off of. But that fact that she never made it back from the bathroom made it sound like she could have been kidnapped, though that seemed pretty unlikely. But if that was the case, we would have to file a missing person’s report.

But other than that, were there any clues? She was texting someone before she left, and it seemed quite urgent. And the face she made afterward made me think that it was something that she couldn’t stop thinking about. If so, she must have had that on her mind all day. Must have kept her from truly enjoying things.

Even so, I hadn’t seen her really use her phone much other than to take pictures. Except for that one time, after we got off the roller coaster that she refused to go on. Come to think of it, she had made the same face after she had received a text message. If I remember correctly, it was her mother contacting her.

And just like that, I figured out Tachibana’s location.

*      *      *

“Yeah, I found her.”

“Okay, great. Where--”

I didn’t think that I should say much more, so I hung up on Yuma after having said only those words. Hopefully, it didn’t make them worried. But I didn’t think I would be here for long, so they should be fine with me leaving them in the dark for a few minutes.

Just before I put my phone away, I saw that it was 9:20 pm. The moment everyone waited for when visiting this park.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, you found me.”

The line to the western-themed roller coaster wasn’t fairly long when I found Tachibana waiting at the end. Giving a rough estimate, I’d say that it would only take ten minutes to be able to ride it. And for the majority of that time, we spent it in silence.

But as we approached the very front of the line, without turning to face me, Tachibana said "Quite the little detective you are. How did you find me?"

"You said that this was your mother's favorite ride."

"Oh, so you figured out the whole thing to some extent. You're even smarter than you look." Standing at her side. I could see the sides of her mouth curl up just a bit. "Well, let's see if I don't scream my head off riding this."

I looked forward and the ride attendant was already prompting us to find seats for the rollercoaster. Tachibana ran straight for the front seats. I warned her that she might not like it there, but she wouldn't be deterred. The restraints were fastened and we started moving, the clicking of the wheels sounding below us.

“Let me clue you in, then, since you went through the trouble of looking for me,” she said as we entered the cave at the beginning of the ride. “You see, my mom is very prone to catching the flu. And when she catches it, it hits her very hard. So much so that she often develops pneumonia because of it. One time when I was just ten, I had to call paramedics so that she could be taken to the hospital. And it just so happens that a few days ago, she caught the flu and has been terribly ill.”

“Was that why you didn’t want to come?”

“Yep, that's the main reason, but she convinced me that I should be spending time with my friends while I had the chance. Still, I couldn’t help but worry…" As she trailed off, I could see that she was trying to force a smile. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make it seem genuine. "Look, here comes the fun part."

I was too busy looking at Tachibana to prepare myself for the sudden acceleration of the rollercoaster and was pushed back into my seat. But when I looked back at her, though her hands were holding on tight to the restraints, she seemed to be having fun. And so I decided to enjoy the rest of the ride since we wouldn't be able to talk.

But after several twists and turns, we reached a point where the ride would slow down and slowly ascend up a small hill.

“I still worry about her, though. Sure, it’s fun to go out with friends and stuff, but to completely disregard her safety when she can barely get out of bed is nothing that she can simply brush off or something that I can ignore. That's why I wandered off on my own. She catches the flu at least twice a year. So it’s impossible to not worry about her even if she tells me not to.” Now, she turned her face toward me, but only slightly. “She’s the only one I have after all.”

And just as we reached the top of the hill, the fireworks that were lit every day shot up and burst open behind us. I could hear the amazement of the people behind us as the lights parted the darkness from behind us. I’m sure that if I had turned around I would have been able to witness them along with the beautiful view of the park, but I was too focused on Tachibana to care.

And as we went over the apex of the hill, I looked at Tachibana’s hands. Now, more than ever, they were gripped tightly around the handrails. Whether it was from her worry or from the anticipation of the sudden drop, I did not know.

Whatever the case was, at that moment, I did not take her by the hand.

*      *     *

“Ichikaaa!! You had me so worried.”

The moment Chizuru caught sight of us two, she immediately ran up to Tachibana and hugged her, nearly knocking her off balance. Yuki and Mina followed suit along with Yuma. I had told them to meet us on the nearby bridge and we were able to find each other fairly quickly.

“You didn’t have to worry about me. Just got lost trying to find a gift, is all. I would have made it back eventually.”

Though it seemed Chizuru didn’t quite believe her, she chose to regardless. Yuma, on the other hand, seemed more astute than any of the others.

“I’m glad you were able to give her some company.”

“You read minds or something.”

He chuckled. “Not particularly, but I thought something might be up with her, and I feel like you are better at dealing with her than anyone else. You do love her after all. You’re the perfect candidate.”

“You give me too much credit. All I did was listen to her.”

“Well, sometimes that’s all you need to do. I certainly think it works,” he affirmed with a smile as he glanced at Chizuru as she doted on Tachibana.

I sighed partly because I was relieved that Tachibana looked happier now, but also because I was starting to get tired.

“Well, let’s explore what is left of the park and go home,” I suggested. “This is usually around the time I take a bath, so chop-chop.”

Yuma laughed and he rounded us all up to finish the final leg of our magical journey through the park. Unlike before, Tachibana walked alongside the girls for the duration of the trip. For a while, I thought about the thing she had told me and the troubled looks that appeared on her face. But with her seemingly having a good time now, those thoughts eventually fade. And soon I was back home in my bed.