Chapter 1176 - Real-Life Culture
—And so, one thing led to another.
Starting with a horror attraction that made me wonder if it was truly appropriate as our very first choice, and then naturally transitioning into a tour of screaming machines fueled by the vitality of college students.
No matter how fundamentally incompatible I was with the concept of an amusement park, there was no way any 'downtime' could arise while hanging out with friends who made even chatting about random nonsense infinitely fun. Thus, time flew by... and in the blink of an eye, it was just before evening.
During a long vacation, and at a half-adult age, the approaching dusk was far from the end of the day. Therefore, lamenting the end of today would still be a while off, but we did, as expected, need at least a short break.
And so, by unanimous decision, in order to partake in the ultimate luxury of a break time in the middle of having fun.
Sliding into seats at an in-park cafe that luckily happened to be empty at just the right time, it had already been five minutes since Shoko, triumphantly giving a thumbs-up and saying, "Leave it to me, boys," had headed off to order, dragging the other two girls along with her.
It was probably half out of consideration for the crowded area around the ordering counter—and half out of a mischievous desire to force some of those funny, theme-park-exclusive menu items onto us guys without giving us a say... Toshiki and I watched, fearing for our future,
for about five minutes now.
"Hey, Toshiki."
"What is it, Nozomi?"
"Every time I actually see it since moving to Tokyo, it surprises me, but hitting on girls really exists, doesn't it?"
"It does. It's an unmistakable work of non-fiction."
As the two left-behind guys sat in the seats they had secured, they looked on from a distance. The trio of Shoko, Kaede, and Miki—namely, a group of three beautiful female college students who tended to draw the eyes of others, mostly men, regardless of whether they were inside or outside the university—were being spoken to in a flow that seemed to say it was only natural.
The other party consisted of two guys, both with brown hair and of a similar age, who, to choose my words carefully, had an air of being light on their feet. Well, they looked like they would normally be popular, or rather, they possessed looks that matched the confidence inferred from their undaunted approach to those three. Estimated veterans.
Thus, as we watched over those two brave souls...
"...In light novels and stuff, this is the part where the guy dashingly goes to rescue them, right?"
"Yeah. If it were a light novel. ...Well, even if it were a light novel—"
Resting my chin on my hand, I uttered those carefree words, casting my gaze to question our course of action. And returning an equally carefree nod, without showing even a shred of an indication of raising his hips from his chair...
"—Those three don't need any help..."
"Yeah, they're way beyond battle-hardened veterans... Ah, rest in peace."
A few seconds after Toshiki muttered what was completely obvious. The three girls, who had brushed off the brave souls with a brilliant smile, a lovely smile, and the glint of glasses, began chatting as if nothing had happened.
They didn't even show any sign of moving from the spot anymore. Even though those pitiful guys were still standing right there.
Even we, watching from the sidelines, felt a mysterious sense of awkwardness... so the feelings of the guys themselves must have been immense. Looking dejected, the two brave souls walked away.
Pressing my hands together in prayer in my heart toward their sorrowful backs was unavoidable. Don't lose heart, guys, good things will happen.
"I admire their guts. They are real men."
"Whose perspective is that even from? I get it, though."
Toshiki's praise, while half-joking, naturally had a faint trace of sincerity mixed in. I, too, could only let out a bitter laugh at this 'impossible game' that was practically on par with Arcadia's high-difficulty dungeons.
It was no joke or exaggeration; those three apparently had a high probability of being approached whenever they walked through town. The capital is indeed such a terrifying, otherworldly place...—and,
"Hey, boys. I wouldn't mind at all if you made a dashing entrance and played the hero, you know?"
Then, another few minutes later.
Right in front of us, as we were leisurely chatting with the standard banter we repeated every time we witnessed this scene, which we had already seen several times before. At the same time a slip with a number on it, likely indicating our place in the queue, was tossed onto the table with a clack, the voice of the extremely popular Shoko-san, who had just returned, rained down upon us.
To which,
"No, we just thought it was better to leave it to the pros..."
"It'd be a pain if we stepped in and it caused a pointless argument."
Even our responses, mine and Toshiki's, followed the usual routine.
When we looked up, Shoko, for her part, showed absolutely no signs of anger or dissatisfaction on her face. Kaede and Miki on either side of her were likewise truly calm, as if it were nothing more and nothing less than 'the usual.'
Once again, they were strong.
Ashe... was, how should I put it, on a completely different dimension, including her birth and various other implications. As for this, it was something that Sora and Nia also possessed to a greater or lesser extent, a common essential skill that beautiful girls naturally acquire.
"Well, we'll act like men when push comes to shove. Yes."
"Ahaha. I'm counting on you~"
Even so, that was how it was. When I made a token declaration of intent, Kaede giggled.
We did keep our eyes on them so we could jump in if we felt things were truly dangerous. We did, but it was just that, so far, there had never been a single instance where a turn for me or Toshiki arose.
Truly, each of them possessed splendid skill. —Therefore,
"So, how long did they say we have to wait?"
"Hmm, I don't know. Drinks are quick, but food will take thirty minutes at worst—ah, isn't that ours? Come on, go, it's your turn, boys, go get it!"
"Isn't carrying liquids through this crowd low-key tough...?"
"Leave it to me, Toshiki. Even carrying five at once with my bare hands without a tray is a piece of cake...!"
"Alright, go, Nozomi. Let's see your professional skills...!"
"No, you go too. I sentence you to 'he who does not work shall not eat'!"
A scene like in light novels, manga, or anime, where a guy dashingly comes to the rescue of a girl being hit on... is something that rarely, if ever, happens in reality—
◇◆◇◆◇
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"
—To my self from a few hours ago who thought that. This is reality.
The sun had already set, and the surroundings were in the dusk where the illumination of the attractions stood out. The location was at the edge of the park, away from the bustle, in a corner of an inconspicuous rest area centered around a few scattered benches.
The characters present, a total of four people.
Me, who had meddlesomely stepped in, and the familiar brave souls who had been there from the start,
and—
"......"
a single unfamiliar girl, who had been looking endlessly troubled after being approached by them.
Now, how did it come to this... time winds back to a few minutes ago.
[Author's Note]
Apparently, the winding back happens in the next chapter (outrageous).
The brave-soul boys who came to the amusement park as a duo of guys looking for an encounter are cute, aren't they?
It's pitiful that they have good looks but no results even by nightfall.