Chapter 37: Luna''s Date (3)
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Here
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The atmosphere, which had almost sunk into silence, transformed as we arrived at the amusement park.
"Wow..."
I couldn''t help but marvel.
The entrance was swarming with people waiting in line friends, families, couples, and more.
I could even spot a few heroes flying overhead, seemingly on standby in case of a viin attack.
It had been a long time since I saw such a crowd.
And it was my first time being part of it.
"There are so many people here..."
Song Soo-yeon, too, seemed surprised, scanning the crowd just like I was.
I hadn''t expected this.
But that didn''t mean I felt bad about it.
On the contrary, I began to feel more excited.
Everyone here shared amon emotion.
Their positive feelings merged to create a lively atmosphere.
Today seemed like it would be fun.
"It looks like we''re going to have fun, right?"
I asked Song Soo-yeon with a smile.
She looked up at me and nodded subtly.
-Thud.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, she was pushed towards me and clung onto my arm.
Instinctively, I checked on Song Soo-yeon, looking for any signs of theft or ill intent from the contact.
...It just seemed like a genuine mistake.
I clicked my tongue bitterly.
I needed to let go of these habits.
Then, I became aware of the sensation on my arm.
"......."
Song Soo-yeon was still gripping my arm. Without thinking, I blurted out.
"....Are you going to hold on to me forever?"
"........."
Without any harsh words or response, she slowly released my arm.
".......?"
I kept sensing subtle changes in her behavior.
Was this a good sign?
Whatever it was, her resistance towards me seemed to have lessened.
"........"
Lost in thought, I smiled.
Maybe someday, her aversion to men, which could almost be seen as misandry, would change.
I decided not to dwell on it too deeply.
It wasn''t a big deal.
Today was about having fun.
I said,
"Let''s go stand in the line."
---
---
After entering, we stood in front of a locker.
"Put in the lunchbox... Anything else to store?"
She zipped up her thin tracksuit to the top, shaking her head in denial.
Seeing her struggle with the sudden cold made me feel sympathetic.
The cold didn''t bother me much.
But as a non-ability user, she had no choice but to feel cold.
I felt I should buy her something to keep warm.
...I should have bought something beforeing.
As I closed the locker, I said,
"Well, then let''s go-"
"-Wait a moment."
Song Soo-yeon interrupted me.
"....Yes?"
"Mister, put your phone in too."
"....My phone?"
".....Yes."
".....Why?"
It was a puzzling suggestion.
Not that I was opposed, but I was genuinely curious.
I asked her,
"What if we get separated?"
"There''s no way we''re getting separated when it''s just the two of us here."
"What if we go to the restroom and miss each other?"
"That won''t happen. Just put your phone away."
"Why? At least tell me the reason."
"..........."
Song Soo-yeon frowned, her breath escaping beside her mask.
After blinking hesitantly for a while, she finally spoke.
"There''s no time to be distracted by a phone today."
Her response was unexpected, revealing how much she was looking forward to the amusement park.
She wanted the phone put away so it wouldn''t interrupt our fun.
Could there be a cuter reason than this?
I swallowed augh and asked back,
"What about your phone?"
"I need to take pictures."
"Ah, I see."
I nodded.
Even for a trivial reason, it made sense.
Since I wasn''t expecting contact from anyone, I put my phone in the locker.
It was no big deal.
I noticed Song Soo-yeon''s eyes curling up in a slight smile.
I looked at her and said,
"All set?"
"Yes."
We locked the locker.
We then started walking towards the amusement park.
As we emerged from the building with the lockers, arge Christmas tree, still decorated despite the holiday being over, weed us.
The festive atmosphere lifted our spirits.
I hadn''t expected to enjoy myself this much; I was d we came.
I looked at Song Soo-yeon, who was staring nkly at the gigantic Christmas tree.
With a content smile, I called out to her.
"Soo-yeon."
"........"
"Soo-yeon."
"Ah. Yes...?"
"Come here for a second."
I led her to a souvenir shop that was set up outside.
"Mister...?"
"Here."
I handed her a scarf.
Song Soo-yeon took it, standing there dazed.
"What''s this?"
"And this too."
I snatched a baseball cap off a still figure, cing it lightly on my head and then put a beanie on hers.
It was a beanie with bunny ears, with long rabbit feet hanging to the sides.
"Mister?"
Song Soo-yeon scrunched up her face at the sight of the cute hat.
Regardless, I pressed down on the rabbit feet hanging from the beanie, making the bunny ears on top of her head wiggle.
"Kuk-kuk-kuk..."
Unable to hold back myughter, Song Soo-yeon took off the beanie in annoyance.
"Hey, what are you doing..."
I quickly shook my head to defuse the situation.
"No, it''s just that you looked cold. And your clothes are too thin."
"You''re wearing thin clothes too."
"I''m not cold, though."
"Whatever, just leave it."
Song Soo-yeon tried to put the beanie back in its original ce.
But I didn''t like it when she tried to put the beanie back.
Seeing Song Soo-yeon wearing it really brought out the fun atmosphere of our outing.
"No, no, wear it. Really. I mean it."
"I don''t want to. You''ll justugh at me."
"Why would Iugh? Hurry up and wear it. This is all part of the fun and memories."
"Youughed earlier. I''m not wearing it."
I kept pushing her with a smile.
"Iughed because it''s cute, really cute. Just wear it already."
Song Soo-yeon hesitated for a moment, then I continued.
"It''s cold, isn''t it? We''ll have to wait outside for the rides, better to buy it now thanter."
"............."
She straightened up slowly and rxed her neck.
".....Just this time."
Then, she shyly put on the bunny-eared beanie.
The sight of her putting it on herself was so funny that I burst outughing again.
---
---
We rode two rides.
Having run through buildings, crossed death lines, and even faced death itself, I couldn''t find much thrill in the rides.
Was it just a brief nostalgia for the past?
Nevertheless, Iughed a lot today.
It was more about the enjoyment of being with someone than the thrill of the rides themselves.
Watching Song Soo-yeon have fun was entertaining.
She''s still introverted, not screaming in excitement like others.
She tried to keep her screams inside, but asionally, she couldn''t hold back a small shriek, and it was incredibly amusing.
I had always wanted to have such experiences before my regression.
It felt like fulfilling a simple dream.
Her eagerness to go from one ride to the next right after the first was enough reason for me to be here.
After riding two consecutive rides, we went to an indoor restaurant to eat lunch, taking out the lunchbox from the locker.
"Ta-da...!"
I opened the lunchbox.
Song Soo-yeon, rubbing her cold hands to warm up, grabbed her phone as soon as the lunchbox was opened.
Pretending to be nonchnt, she snapped several photos.
She was bing more and more honest in her expressions as the day went on.
Taking multiple photos, pondering over the next ride she was naturally doing things a woman her age would do.
"Did you get them all?"
When I asked, she nodded and put away the camera.
I handed her a disposable chopstick.
"Here, try it."
"....Thank you, mister."
She pulled down her mask.
It was the first time I saw her face since leaving the restaurant.
I watched intently as she put a piece of kimbap into her mouth.
"....How is it?"
Looking at me, Song Soo-yeon smiled faintly.
"....It''s delicious."
Now she was even starting not to hide her smiles.
Filled with a senseless warmth, I too began to fill my stomach.
Song Soo-yeon was the first to speak, which was quite rare.
Usually, I was the one initiating conversations.
"....Mister, have you decided where we''re going after this?"
"Where?"
"The haunted house."
"The haunted house?"
She looked straight at me and nodded.
Well, it sounded like it could be fun.
"Alright."
As I agreed, she smiled again.
"And after that, we''ll-"
"-Soo-yeon, let''s eat then talk."
I couldn''t help but smile at her.
She was so excited.
Where had the girl who refused toe because of the cost gone?
I was grateful she was enjoying herself.
".....I am eating, you know?"
Perhaps feeling a bit shy, she carefully ced a sushi roll in her mouth.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around us became noisy.
Gasps and shocked murmurs filled the air, with everyone ncing at their phones.
The heroes I could see were pressing their security walkie-talkies to their faces, engaged in urgent conversations.
Something had definitely happened.
".....What''s going on?"
I muttered, looking around.
Song Soo-yeon did the same, unable to hide her rising anxiety.
She seemed afraid that our day wasing to an end.
But even if she was scared, there was nothing to do.
Safety was paramount.
"Soo-yeon, just wait here for a moment."
"Mister...!"
"Don''t worry."
I stood up and approached a nearby hero.
Hmm...
I feel like I''ve seen this hero before, but I''m not sure.
Well, that''s not important.
"Excuse me."
I called out to him.
He responded to my call.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"It''s nothing much, just wondering if there''s a problem. Has a viin appeared in the amusement park or something...?"
He looked at me for a moment, carefully choosing his words.
Then, he spoke.
"....Well, actually..."
---
*Hmm the way he feels kinda reminded me of when I yed runescape again a few years ago.
As a kid, my parents could only afford a month of membership so I wasn''t able to get all the cool member gear like a full set of barrows gear, using the ice barrage spell in castle wars.. (back when it was very popr)
I yed again and fulfilled all those dreams. It was pretty boring actually but oddly satisfying.