There are so many people…
“Ugh… Which ride should we go on first…?”
“Well… it seems like wherever we go, it will be packed with people.”
Looking at how many people were milling about, it was clear that no matter which ride we chose, we would definitely have to wait in long lines.
“At this rate… we won’t be able to go on many rides.”
Stella said in a disgruntled voice.
As she said, although we all came to have fun together, there were so many people that we had to wait quite a long time whenever we tried to get on one ride.
I had heard that amusement parks during peak season could be unimaginably crowded, but I never expected there to be this many people.
“Sigh…”
I let out a quiet sigh.
It was to be expected since it was the weekend, but naturally, people would wish to have a pleasant time while they were here, so it was only natural to feel a bit disappointed.
Just standing there felt stifling, and with so many people around, the air felt heavy enough to make standing a bit painful.
I looked over at Evan, feeling concerned about how he was holding up, but thankfully, he didn’t seem to be struggling too much. Come to think of it, I felt like my stamina had improved a bit compared to when I was in my original world.
“Really…”
Is it too much to ask for a bit of consideration?
Seriously…
Even if this world was created based on the memories I dredged up, what on earth was I thinking by making a world that triggers nostalgia like this?
…
Had I been missing my original world that much?
Either way… the person I was before coming to this world spent his entire life never experiencing this kind of world.
I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
“Well, I guess I need to wrap things up soon.”
It was about time to return to my original world after today.
Impressive that the hero could figure out what this world required without anyone telling him.
I thought I’d be stubborn about it only until today.
This brief vacation was coming to an end.
Even though the vacation would end today, I still wanted to have a good time on my last day.
“How about we grab something to eat first?”
“… Oh! Sounds good! I happen to know a nice restaurant!”
“Aren’t you here for the first time? How do you know about it?”
“Umm… Before coming here, I obviously looked up where the best restaurant is!”
Seriously, did she really have to go to such lengths before coming to the amusement park…?
I briefly wondered about that, but since we had come this far, enjoying a delicious meal seemed like a necessity for creating even more joyful memories.
Of course, if that became the main focus, it would defeat the purpose of the outing, but eating something unappetizing would kill the mood, so I could consider it a commendable action on her part.
I didn’t know what kind of food it would be, but if we were going to eat here, I hoped it would be not just tasty but also attractively presented.
When I returned, I wouldn’t be able to see anything for a while, so I wanted to see as much as possible.
“Shall we eat first then?”
Evan turned to ask, and I smiled.
We headed straight for the restaurant.
*
After finishing our meal, we stepped outside and enjoyed wandering around the amusement park.
It was disappointing that we had to wait at least 10 minutes before boarding each ride, but that couldn’t be helped, so it didn’t bother us too much.
And enjoying ourselves wasn’t solely about riding attractions—snacking while exploring here and there was a nice treat in itself.
Despite not knowing much about the place before arriving, we were genuinely having fun.
“Ah… That was enjoyable…”
“What should we go on next?!”
“It’s getting late; don’t you think it’s better to head back?”
At my words, Uriel made a face filled with disappointment.
After spending the whole day having fun, it seemed a bit much for her to have that expression.
Just how much fun did one need to have to be satisfied?
“Well, since this is the last ride, how about we go on that one?”
Stella suggested, pointing at…
“… the Ferris wheel?”
It was the Ferris wheel we had seen from the moment we entered the amusement park.
Stella proposed we take it for the last ride, and Uriel immediately raised her hand, shouting in agreement.
“…”
I could feel the gazes around us…
Thinking back on it, Uriel seemed to overly react to every little thing.
It wasn’t necessarily a problem, but displaying such behavior in a crowded place felt embarrassingly excessive.
Part of me wanted to tell her to tone it down, but then I couldn’t bring myself to scold her when she smiled so innocently, seemingly unaware, so I reluctantly let it slide.
After all, she only acted like this in this world; she’d return to her regular self when we went back.
“… I want to ride it.”
At that moment, Aria looked up with shining eyes toward the Ferris wheel and spoke.
It was the first time we had seen her be so visibly excited, and everyone seemed to be equally surprised. I too was taken aback by her sparkling gaze, and as I stood there stunned, Stella hurriedly approached and nudged me with her elbow.
“Ah… Ahem, let’s go take a ride then.”
Could I really refuse when Aria was so eager to ride?
With Stella, Uriel, and Aria, we headed towards the Ferris wheel.
.
.
.
At this hour, was it because many people wanted to ride the Ferris wheel?
The line was incredibly long.
“Wow, this line is really long…”
“Yeah, right…”
I was starting to feel weary. While the number of people entering the Ferris wheel wasn’t low, there were so many people waiting in line that it would take a while for us to reach our turn.
Still, we endured and quietly waited, inching closer to our turn.
Finally, it was our turn to get on.
Tap,
“Eh…”
Aria was pushed forward by the people standing in line and entered the Ferris wheel ahead of me. I was startled and instinctively reached out to catch her, which caused me to walk away from Stella and Uriel, with whom I had been chatting.
The staff member who had been watching us seemed to assume we were a couple, and as soon as Aria and I entered the Ferris wheel, they blocked Stella and Uriel from coming in.
“Eh…”
“E-Evan?!”
Stella and Uriel called out my name in surprised, panicked voices, but it was already too late.
Having been pushed inside alongside Aria, it ended up just the two of us on the Ferris wheel.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t catch you in time…”
Afterward, I glanced down at Stella and Uriel riding on the Ferris wheel right next to us and apologized to Aria, who sat beside me.
Aria just laughed, saying she hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no need to apologize.
I scratched my head awkwardly at that.
“Speaking of which… I’m alone with Aria…”
I wanted to spend more time together with Aria.
Why? I wasn’t quite sure.
I thought it was probably because I liked her.
Of course, it would be embarrassing to say something like that out loud.
Looking over at Aria, who was gazing out the window, I couldn’t help but smile.
Just a little while ago, I had thought that this situation was unsustainable, but seeing Aria so happily looking outside gave me the feeling that maybe it wasn’t such a big deal.
Perhaps…
“… I guess that’s out of the question.”
If I continued thinking like that, I might never escape this world.
At least Aria had memories of the previous world like I did, but what about Stella and Uriel?
I had to return.
Return… to defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world.
That was my duty.
“Aria, did you enjoy today?”
“Of course! It was really fun.”
Aria responded with a smile.
I was relieved to see she genuinely seemed to have enjoyed herself.
While I was smiling at Aria, she briefly looked up at me before lowering her gaze.
Then she shifted in her seat and scooted closer to me.
“… Aria?”
I wondered why she was coming closer.
Aria was silent.
She merely sat beside me, continuing to look out the window.
After a long moment of silence between us, with her head bowed and no words exchanged, Aria finally spoke.
“… Evan.”
She called my name.
“…?!”
It struck me as strange.
Aside from when she referred to me as a hero, Aria had never called me brother or used formal titles.
She had never addressed me like that without any honorifics.
I sensed that something was off about Aria’s demeanor.
“Really… I see the hero is indeed a hero.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“I didn’t expect you to figure out what this trial is demanding, especially since I didn’t tell you anything…”
Aria’s expression as she said this was,
“…”
So painfully sorrowful.
