Despite the fact that today is a Saturday, I still wake up early. I mean, I’ll be going to D*sneyland. I definitely need to wake up early for this trip.

   Just as I’m about to prepare breakfast for everyone, the doorbell rings. I go to see who’s here this early. It’s Oomori.

   ‘Morning Kagenashi-kun! You ready to have fun?’ she asks me energetically.

   ‘If by fun you mean puking my intestines out, then yeah. I’m all ready.’ I say with a dreaded tone.

   ‘Ahahaha! Come on, it’s not that bad! Besides, D*sneyland is not all about those fun rides, remember? There are shows, parades, souvenirs, food, stuff like that.’

   ‘Oh, right. In that case, I humbly request that we’ll be ignoring the rides and focus on everything else.’

   ‘Denieeeeeeeeeeeeed~!’

   ‘Well, in any case, come inside. I’m pretty sure the others will be here soon.’

   Oomori’s expression suddenly transforms from being playful to bashful.

   ‘About that, I have something that I need to tell you, Kagenashi-kun.’

   ‘Yeah?’

   ‘There’s no “others”.’

   I raise my eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’

   ‘It’s just the two of us today.’

   ‘Hold on, what?’

   ‘Oh, don’t worry. I’ve already got permission from your girlfriends. All of them are fine with it.’

   I flinch at that.

   ‘Wait, let me explain-’

   ‘It’s fine. You don’t have to. I’ve known for quite a while now. I’m pretty sure our classmates know too.’

   ‘Seriously?’

   ‘Yup.’

   That would explain why none of them ever teased Yui and I despite the fact that both of us are calling each other by our given names.

   ‘Man, things just got awkward.’

   ‘Yeah. And the thing is, I still have something that I want to tell you. When I’m done, I can guarantee that it’s going to be even more awkward.’

   ‘Which is?’

   ‘Takagi-kun confessed to me last week. I turned him down.’

   Ouch. That poor guy.

   ‘Aren’t you going to ask me why?’ she suddenly prompts me.

   ‘Okay. Why?’

   ‘Because I already have someone that I like.’

   I was about to be the dense protagonist and ask her who’s the lucky guy when I notice the way she’s fidgeting. Also, her face is slowly turning red.

   ‘Oh. Um, is that so?’

   ‘Yeah…’

   ‘Well, come inside first. It’s even more awkward to talk about things like this when someone might hear us.’

   ‘Yeah, I guess so.’

   She comes inside and proceeds to sit down at the same spot she sat last night. To do something about the awkward atmosphere, I decide to start a conversation.

   ‘Do you have any preference when it comes to breakfast?’ I ask her.

   ‘Huh? Oh, n-not really. Anything’s fine.’

   ‘I-I see…’

   ‘Yeah…’

   And it got awkward again. I really got to polish up my conversation skills.

   Honestly, Oomori’s indirect confession is sudden, but I guess there was a hint. I mean, she sat next to me at the chopper when we were going to Okinawa and started up a conversation for no apparent reason. From the way Madoka switched seat, I’m guessing that she knew Oomori’s feeling towards me, because of course she does.

   ‘...I’m sorry. It’s troublesome, huh? Me suddenly confessing to you.’ Oomori says all of a sudden.

   ‘Not at all. Really. I’m just surprised, that’s all. And flattered.’ I say to her while cooking some bacon and eggs.

   Thinking back, this is the second time I got confessed to, right after Assaf-sensei who approached me aggressively. I started going out with my current girlfriends after the ‘I love you’ we exchanged after I got back from Hades. We never did a proper confession and just relied on that suspension bridge effect, since we were pretty much going out before then.

   ‘Well, you better prepare yourself, Kagenashi-kun. I’ll be attacking you a lot today!’ she says while grinning.

   ‘If you say so, Saya.’

   She flinches the moment I called her by her given name, and her face becomes bright red. Now it’s my turn to grin.

   ‘Oops, looks like I got the first blood.’

   She recovers rather quickly and starts to grit her teeth in frustration. I can guarantee that the only reason she isn’t strangling me right now is because I’m cooking.

   ‘Y-You…stupid, Akira-kun! You jerk!’

   The bacon and eggs are done, so I put half of them on a plate and the other half on a second plate. I hand Saya one of the plate along with a fork and a knife.

   ‘Yes yes, I know I am. Now dig in while it’s hot.’

   Saya snatches the plate and the cutleries from me. ‘Thank you for the meal!’

   ‘By the way, do you want me to cook us lunch so that we could eat there?’ I ask while eating my share of the breakfast.

   ‘Well, it’s not everyday that we could go D*sneyland, so I think we should have our meal there.’

   ‘All right, if that’s that you want.’

   It didn’t take us very long to finish the simple breakfast. I quickly wash and wipe the plates and cutleries dry. After that, I get some clothes out of my closet so that I could get change from my sleepwear.

   ‘Do you want me to change here?’ I ask Saya while showing her my clothes.

   ‘What? Why? Go to the bathroom! Have some decency, will you?’ she’s almost shrieking out the sentences.

   ‘Oh good. You’re one of the normal ones.’

   ‘You mean some of your girlfriends aren’t?’

   Sakuya, Assaf-sensei and Kuromi immediately appear inside my mind.

   ‘You can say that.’

   I didn’t elaborate since gossiping is rude. I proceed to go inside my bathroom to get changed. Once I come out, Saya eyes lit up immediately.

   ‘Wow, look at you! You look quite dashing!’

   ‘Thanks. I couldn’t find a nicer timing to tell you this but, you look very nice too. It’s like you’re a model.’

   Her face goes red again.

   ‘Hey, stop that! I’m the one that’s supposed to make you blush, not the other way around!’

   ‘Well, I certainly didn’t promise to keep quiet.’

   She’s gritting her teeth once again and growls like a wolf that’s cheated of its meal. She’s also stomping her foot. It’s kind of entertaining to watch.

   ‘Oh, whatever! Let’s just go!’ she tells me once she has calmed down.

   ‘As you wish, my lady.’

   We leave my room and exit the dorm. It’s just a five minutes walk to the nearest train station, so we decide to ride the train instead of calling a taxi. The whole trip took less than twenty minutes, so we reach our destination in the blink of an eye.

   Ah, D*sneyland. The theme park of hopes and dreams. Or so I’m told. I’ve never been here in real life, after all. My classmates did organized a trip to come here when we were third years, but I wasn’t invited. I doubt they even knew that I existed.

   Even though the park isn’t open yet, there’s already lots of people lining up. I guess all of them want to go in as soon as possible. After waiting for around fifteen minutes, the park is finally open for business. We buy our tickets and go inside.

   Saya wastes no time in dragging me towards the roller coaster. As I’ve mentioned, the park has just opened. In other words, the queue for the ride isn’t that long. We waited for only ten minutes before it’s our turn.

   ‘Any last words, Akira-kun?’ Saya asks me with an evil grin while the roller coaster is slowly ascending towards the peak.

   ‘I’m so glad I had a light breakfast.’ is all I could think of.

   I don’t really remember what happened after that. I do remember vaguely that the roller coaster was going up and down in an insane speed. I may have shrieked like everyone else in the ride with me. Maybe I didn’t. The experience was so traumatizing my memory is all fuzzy.

   When we finally got out of the ride, the first thing I do is to find a bench and sit down. Meanwhile, Saya is trying her best to hold back her laughter while pointing her phone at me. She’s probably recording the way I look right now.

   ‘A-Are you okay there, Akira-kun?’ she asks between giggles and short laughs.

   ‘I’ll live. Just…give me a moment…’ I reply weakly.

   ‘Your expression right now is good too, but the one you made when you were on that roller coaster was the best! You literally looked like you were going to pass out any moment! It’s such a waste that I couldn’t capture it with my camera!’ she chortles.

   ‘I’m glad that you’re having fun. Just don’t make me ride it again.’

   ‘Sure. There are other rides still waiting for us, after all.’

   I groan at the thought of going to another horrendous ride that’s probably even worse than the one I just went through.

   ‘That said, I guess you need a break after the roller coaster.’

   I sigh in relief. ‘Thank you for your mercy.’

   I feel much better after resting for a while.Out of consideration, Saya suggests to go to some tamer places like the carrousel and the spinning teacup. There are also lots of boat rides that centers on characters from the D*sney franchise. We also enjoyed ourselves while watching the parade. Pretty much anything is fine for me, as long as it’s not some crazy ride.

   We also took some pictures with the mascots who were wandering around. Saya is especially happy that she could take picture with the yellow bear who only wears a red shirt.

   The bear is way more popular than most of the mascots nearby, and a long line was formed just to take pictures with him. We had to wait for around thirty minutes so that we could have our turn. Saya doesn’t mind the wait at all, even if it means cutting down the time to go other places. Even after we left the place, she couldn’t stop looking at the picture on her phone.

   ‘For someone who can’t even sit still for thirty seconds, you sure are passionate about a bear who does nothing but eats hunny all day.’

   ‘I know we’re polar opposites, but the way he eats hunny is just soooo cute, which is why I love him!’ she squeals.

   Her expression suddenly turns serious.

   ‘Honestly, he’s part of the reason I joined the Academy.’

   I tilt my head in confusion. ‘Really? How are the two things related?’

   ‘You just said that P**h lazes around all day, right? It’s the same with the people in real life. The world is basically the H****** Acre Woods, except much bigger. Well, most of us have schools and jobs and whatnot, so we can’t just only do the things we want all the time. Even so, their chances of having a peaceful life is at threat while the Destroyers are around. Which is why I want to become stronger. So that I could protect the forest and its inhabitants from those invaders.’

   ‘And when exactly did you start having these thoughts?’

   ‘When I was seven.’

   ‘Wow, that’s a deep thought for a seven-years-old.’

   ‘Not really. My parents watch the news all the time, and I used to watch it with them. And every time I saw those people who had their lives ruined by the Destroyers, I somehow replaced them with those animals from the show. That always made me cry.’

   ‘When I found out that I could use magic, I was overjoyed. I finally have a chance to do something instead of just sit there and cry at my own weakness. It can be very tiring, but it’s totally worth it if it means I’ll be able to help someone.’

   Wow. Just wow. All this time, I’ve always thought of Saya as a mere happy-go-lucky girl. I should stop judging a book by its cover.

   I put my hand on her head.

   ‘Just remember that you’re not alone in this, alright? If you’re ever tired, just talk to someone and ask for help. I may not be very reliable, but the least I could do is listen to your worries. And cook you some food.’

   Saya looks up at me all teary-eyed. I was afraid that she was gonna cry, but she just hugs me tightly instead.

   ‘I hate you. I hate you so much.’ she says while snuggling at my shirt. ‘How are you such a smooth talker? Did you practised it with your girlfriends? Did you, you smooth womanizer?’

   ‘Not at all. I just told you my honest thoughts.’

   ‘That makes it even worse.’

   It took her a bit longer to let go. She’s trying to hide it, but it’s obvious as day that she’s embarrassed by what she just did. Her ears are a bit red too.

   ‘I’m hungry. Are you hungry?’ she asks me like nothing has happened just now.

   ‘I’m a bit famished, yes.’

   Saya points towards a restaurant that’s based on the movie where a girl fell down the rabbit hole.

   ‘Good. Let’s have our lunch there.’

   ‘Sure.’

   I got a breaded  seafood platter, while Saya got a heart-shaped beef patty with mash potato. It’s quite crowded in here, but we still manage to find ourselves a seat.

   ‘Wow, this patty is quite delicious! How’s your seafood platter, Akira-kun?’

   I spear the half-eaten breaded prawn with my fork and puts it in front of her face. ‘Want a bite?’

   Again with the blushing.

   ‘Hey, no fair! I was gonna do this to you!’

   ‘Too late. It’s a first come, first served basis. Now do you want to eat this or not?’

   She opens her mouth and chomps down the prawn. After that, she cuts a small piece of her patty and tries to feed it to me. I take the bite without a single hint of hesitation.

   ‘By the way, the score so far is 4-0. I’m winning by a huge lead.’ I inform her.

   ‘I get it already! There’s no need for you to keep score!’

   I hear some snickers from nearby tables. I look around and find that several people are trying their best to hold back their laughter.

   ‘We probably look like a pair of idiot couples right now.’ I note to Saya.

   ‘And whose fault is that?’

   It didn’t take us long to finish our lunch, and we leave the restaurant with a full stomach. Once outside, Saya grins in an evil way.

   ‘Well then, now that we’ve eaten, let’s get back on our quest to conquer all the rides here, shall we?’

   ‘Yeah, sure. Why not? I might even puke while riding one of those things, now that my stomach’s full.’

   Saya pats me on the back way harder than necessary. ‘That’s the spirit! Now let’s go go go!’

   And so, the torture has begin once again. I guess some rides are less torturing than the other, like the one where you sit on elephants with long ears and the ride just spins around for a few minutes. There’s also a boat ride that’s probably a roller coaster for beginners. The ride was literally ended with a splash. It has to be said. There’s a lot of boat rides in this theme park.

   After what felt like centuries, we’ve finally done it. We’ve rode on every single nightmarish-rides. I was on the verge of vomiting my entire lunch out on more than one occasions, but I persevered in the end. Saya, on the other hand, is completely fine from the experience. She’s also had lots of fun seeing my reaction every time we got off a ride.

   ‘Phew, that was really fun! We should come here again with everyone!’ she says.

   ‘Sure, but leave me out of it.’ I say to her immediately.

   ‘Tsk, tsk. Do you really think you have a choice in this matter, Akira-kun? We outnumber you, remember? Wait, maybe we should go D*sneysea next time.’

   I sigh in defeat. There’s no point in trying to talk her out of it. If anything, she’s even more gung-ho just to get revenge for all the teasing I did earlier. Don’t even get me started on Sakuya, who’ll definitely be more than happy to drag me here along with Saya.

   ‘Oh, whatever. Can we go have our dinner now? It’s getting quite late.’ I say while looking by phone which shows that it’s almost eight o’clock.

   ‘Sure. What do you feel like eating?’

   We pass by a restaurant. From the smell, I could tell that they sell curry.

   ‘Let’s try here. Unless you want to go somewhere else.’ I suggest.

   ‘It’s fine. Let’s eat here.’

   Like all the restaurants we’ve passed by all this while, this one has a long waiting line too. To slightly ease our hunger, I’ve went and got us some churros. After waiting for more than thirty minutes, we finally got a seat.

   The menu’s simple and nothing to brag about, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I ordered a breaded pork curry, while Saya got herself a chicken curry.

   I took a bite of the curry when it arrives. The first thing that pops into my mind is that I could make something much better than this. And less expensive.

   ‘It can’t be helped, Akira-kun. We’re in a theme park, remember?’ she suddenly tells me.

   ‘Did you just read my mind?’

   ‘I could more or less guess from your expression. Hey, I guess it’s one score for me!’ she says proudly.

   ‘I’m pretty sure reading the other’s mind doesn’t count.’

   ‘Oh, you’re just scared that I’m finally starting to catch up to you!’

   I notice a grain of rice stuck at her cheek. I take it out from there and puts the rice into my mouth.

   ‘Actually, this is how you land a score.’ I say to her while chewing the rice.

   Man, I wish I was evil enough to pull out my phone and take a picture of Saya’s look. Out of all the times I teased her, her expression now tops them all. She’s all wide-eyed and open-mouthed, not to mention a fiercely blushing face.

   She starts to make some incoherent noise until she just gives up and continues to eat her curry while trying her best to act like nothing has happened.

   Once we’re done eating, we ask for the bill and leave the restaurant. There’s less than an hour until the theme park closes, so we pretty much wander around aimlessly until it’s almost time for the firework show.

   From what I know, the fireworks will be released to the sky from the castle, which is why the spots around it is very crowded right now. Since there’s only two of us, we manage to find a spot much easier than other larger groups.

   I guess the show was alright. To gave it an extra kick, the theme park actually projected a video onto the castle itself before the fireworks started to fly to the sky. After the final firework has exploded, we leave the park and head to the train station.

   ‘Thanks for today, Akira-kun. It was really fun.’ Saya tells me while we’re waiting for the train to reach our station.

   ‘Yeah. I had fun too. There’s one thing that bug me, though.’

   ‘What’s that?’

   ‘Didn’t you tell me that you’ll be attacking me a lot today? Whatever happened to that?’

   ‘Oh, quiet you!’

   ‘The final score’s 5-0. A pretty one-sided match, if you ask me.’

   ‘You just watch! I’ll definitely turn things around in the near future!’

   ‘Yeah, I’ll probably have to wait for a loooooooooooooong time.’

   ‘Oh, you’re so insufferable!’

   We bantered so much the train reached our station without us noticing. We got off the train and start to head for the dorm. For some reason, the atmosphere between us got weird on the way there. Neither of us talked, and Saya keep looking like she has a lot of things to say, but is too shy to do so. Eventually, she gathered up enough courage to open her mouth.

   ‘Kanasan.’ she simply says.

   That word again. For those of you who’ve forgotten, she said it to me on the chopper while we were going to Okinawa. When I tried to search for its meaning in my phone, she stopped me from doing so.

   ‘So, can I look it up now?’ I ask her.

   She nods shyly.

   I take out my phone and search up the meaning of the word.

   It means ‘I love you’.

   ‘...Wait, you confessed to me way back then?’

   ‘I-I didn’t plan to, okay? The word came out before I could stop myself.’

   ‘How clumsy.’

   ‘Shut it! It’s your fault for making me so nervous every time we’re together!’

   We’ve reached the entrance now. I guess we better wrap this up.

   ‘So, you want to join us for breakfast tomorrow?’ I ask her.

   ‘Definitely. And do I get a spare key like everyone else?’

   I’m not even surprised that she knows about it. I assume that Yui told her.

   ‘Oh, sure. I’ll go get it done.’

   ‘Thanks.’

   She hugs me once more. I hug her back. We stayed like this for around five minutes before finally letting go.

   ‘Well, see you tomorrow.’ Saya waves at me before going inside.

   ‘Yeah. See you tomorrow.’

   I wait for a while before going in myself. On the way to my room, I received a LINE message from Sakuya.

   ‘How did the date go, Akira-kun?’ she wrote.

   I ask her another question instead of answering.

   ‘Did you know about Saya’s feelings for me, senpai?’

   ‘Oh ho, the two of you are on given name basis now? Looks like there’s one more count to your list of girlfriends.’

   ‘I’m still waiting for your answer.’

   ‘Well, Yui-chan was the first one to notice. They had been friends since forever, after all. I only found out during the Okinawa mission. You know, while we were inside the helicopter?’

   ‘And you didn’t bother to tell me about it?’

   ‘Where’s the fun in that? Besides, you found out about it in the end anyway, right?’

   ‘Oh, whatever. Are you girls inside my room right now?’

   ‘Nope. We figured that you might be tired after going out for an entire day, so we decide to no intrude you. We’ll go to your room tomorrow.’

   ‘Alright, then. Good night.’

   ‘Good night~’

   When I got to the door to my room, I was at least expecting Assaf-sensei and Kuromi are inside, but I’m surprised to find out that even they are tactful to leave me alone tonight.

   And so, I do the usual of getting a bath, then get changed into my sleepwear and goes to sleep.