Chapter 383: Amusement Parks are Irresistible (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 383: Amusement Parks are Irresistible (2)
When the weekend finally arrived, Luna—who had been acting coy and pouting since yesterday evening despite having already forgiven me—couldn’t contain her excitement as the departure time drew near. She was beaming from ear to ear.
“Is our Luna all ready? Handkerchief, thermos, smartphone… you didn’t forget anything?”
“Yes! I’ve got everything!”
“Mm, I like that energetic response. Now, what did I say you should do if you get separated from Daddy or Mommy?”
“Go to the lost child protection center and ask them to make an announcement, and never follow a stranger!”
“Very good. You are officially a child qualified to go to an amusement park!”
Watching her beam like that was adorable, but it also made me wonder if it was really possible to be that excited.
“She’s probably thrilled because we bought her new clothes for today,” Ha-ni remarked.
“Oh, is our Ha-ni ready too?”
“Of course. Ga-eul and Yu-na said they’d bring lunchboxes too, so I just packed something simple. There wasn’t much to do anyway.”
“From what I recall, the two of us were working on those since four in the morning. You call that ‘simple’?”
We had even accidentally woken Luna up because we were being too enthusiastic in the middle of it.
“Well, to be honest, I did give it my all.”
Maybe it was because it had been so long since we’d gone out just to have pure, simple fun. It wasn’t just Ha-ni; everyone had seemed to be in a remarkably good mood lately.
“Ah, but the weather forecast said it might rain today. I was so surprised when the morning news suddenly said all the rain clouds had vanished.”
“Hehe, what a relief. We got lucky, right?”
“Arf!”
The wolf in Luna’s arms barked happily as if in agreement.
Seeing everyone so joyful, I felt that pushing myself a bit to clear away every single rain cloud had been the right call.
— Those kids probably have no idea you were the one who did it.
Well, it’s not like I did it to show off, so who cares?
— I wasn’t praising you, brat. It’s fine once or twice, but if you interfere with nature too often, it can cause a major disaster. Be careful.
Ah, it was only because Luna was looking forward to it so much.
— Well, I suppose once is fine. Since we’re going as far as twisting the heavenly energy, I might as well enjoy myself too.
…Hm? That sounded like she intended to join the fun herself.
I was about to ask what she meant by that, but Ha-ni beat me to it with a question.
“…By the way, is it okay to bring a dog to the amusement park?”
Well, he’s not exactly a dog, he’s a wolf, but…
“Normally it’s not allowed, but I heard breeds that pass a special intelligence test are fine. The Doctor printed out a permit for us.”
“You really are thorough.”
“I’d feel bad leaving him behind.”
“Arf! Arf!”
The little guy acted cute toward Ha-ni as if pleading not to be left out, then approached me and rubbed his body against my leg.
“Yeah, we’re taking you, so don’t worry.”
Since he was a smart fellow, I should have been able to tell what he was thinking just by looking into his heart. Unfortunately, even with my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, I couldn’t see our wolf’s inner thoughts.
…Come to think of it, I’d never given it deep thought. Luna is a high-ranking deity who just hasn’t fully matured yet, so that makes sense, but why can’t I see this guy’s thoughts?
“Arf?”
The wolf wagged his tail and his eyes sparkled as if asking why I was staring, but his mind remained a closed book. Usually, with animals, their intelligence is so low that you can at least feel their instincts, but that wasn’t the case with him either.
Well, it wasn’t urgent, but I felt like I should look into it later.
“Looks like everyone’s ready. Let’s head out! Luna, shall we hold Mommy’s hand?”
Luna and Ha-ni, both wearing wide smiles, held hands and headed toward the meeting spot. Though, calling it a meeting spot was a bit much since it was just right in front of the dormitory.
* * *
Given the number of people, I thought we’d end up renting two large cars, but surprisingly, thanks to the Chairperson’s influence, we were able to secure a bus.
Oh, and as a side note, after teasing her a bit last time, I told her to just be honest if she wanted to go. I decided to let her join after only a tiny bit more teasing. My conscience pricked me if I teased her too much.
“Wow, I’ve known Leilan for quite a while, but I had no idea she had a bus driver’s license.”
“…Hm? I don’t.”
However, a very strange statement came out of the Chairperson’s mouth—the same person who had told us to leave the driving to her. The group, who had been chatting excitedly, all turned to look at her in unison.
“…Huh? Then who’s driving? Cathy and I have never driven a heavy vehicle before,” Professor Park A-ram reacted.
The cadets naturally shook their heads, and while Baek Seol had a license, it seemed she had never actually driven one.
“Mm. As one who aims to be the perfect maid, I shall make sure to obtain all licenses, including those for vehicles and vessels, before our next trip. I still have a long way to go,” our self-proclaimed all-purpose maid—or rather, my Elder Sister—remarked, seemingly lacking a bus license as well.
“What is everyone talking about? We only rented the bus to get into the spirit of things. All that matters is that we can all fit inside, isn’t it?”
“Hm? Leilan?”
“In the first place, it can be a nuisance to ordinary citizens for superhumans to travel by road instead of using portals. Therefore, we shall not be using the roads.”
With those words, Chairperson Leilan acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She summoned a gust of wind, and the bus slowly began to lift into the air.
“Is there a law that says a bus must run on the road?”
…I’m pretty sure there is?
“If we fly, there’s no traffic, the view is great, and above all, we can arrive quickly.”
I mean, she wasn’t exactly wrong, but was the Chairperson perhaps more excited than I thought? She seemed strangely hyped up.
“Don’t worry. I may not look it, but I’ve levitated vehicles more than once or twice.”
…I think you’re talking about transporting criminals. You’ve done this while actually inside the vehicle, right?
“In a sense, you could call me a ‘best driver,’ couldn’t you?”
Everyone looked a bit skeptical, but for now, we decided to trust the Chairperson and board the bus. Contrary to our fears, the floating bus was incredibly stable—so much so that it felt more comfortable than driving on an actual road.
“…This is actually better than I expected.”
“R-right?”
“Why is everyone so suspicious? Do you think I would offer to do something I wasn’t confident in?”
Perhaps because the tension had eased, everyone began to act freely—some looked out the windows at the scenery, while others enjoyed the sensation of speed as the bus raced through the sky. It finally felt like the trip had truly begun.
But the moment I sat down in a decent spot, thinking I’d enjoy the view…
I felt something sharp, almost like bloodlust, sweep over me.
A gaze. It was a gaze.
It was so sharp and fierce that I wondered if it belonged to a starving beast, or perhaps an assassin who had honed their intent to a razor’s edge before their target. I was so startled by the intensity of the gaze—enough to make me think an assassin in disguise had slipped in among us—that I whipped my head around to look.
To my surprise, the owners of those gazes were my precious companions.
Now, if it had been the old me, I might not have noticed such a minute difference unless I had intentionally heightened my senses. Unfortunately, my senses were currently on a hair-trigger as a side effect of pushing my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils to their limit. I could perceive changes in them that I would have missed before.
On the surface, they all seemed to be chatting boisterously. They talked about the scenery and exchanged snacks they had brought. Some were trying to play with Luna and the wolf, while others talked about the trip itself.
However, with the exception of a few like Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak, almost everyone was standing instead of sitting, their eyes fixed on me.
With the eyes of hunters who wouldn’t miss a single movement of their prey.
‘The seat next to him.’
‘I’m going to sit in the seat next to him.’
With eyes like predators determined to seize their target.
‘Haha. It seems everyone is aiming for the seat next to him. That’s why I’m going for the front seat! This bus has swiveling seats, so the smart move is to take the front seat, which has less competition…!’
Someone was trying to outmaneuver the others with strategy.
‘Hmm, considering my Junior’s personality, taking the seat next to him right now would be counterproductive. It’s better to show myself playing with Luna and the wolf here. As they say, slow and steady wins the race. Shall I start by building up my image?’
Someone else was devising the optimal strategy they could execute.
‘Heehee, I learned how to bake cookies from the Senior in the cooking club! I hope So-hyun praises me!’
And someone else didn’t have much of a thought at all.
But aside from those few, most were aiming for the seat next to me with terrifying directness.
…Is an accident about to happen?
I considered the option of just sitting with Luna, but then it occurred to me that such a move would be a bit cowardly.
— I don’t know how long those girls will wait for you!
Even Mother had said so.
I bravely chose a seat and sat down. And just before everyone could move in unison and start a shadow war…
I decided to strike first.
“Could we… take turns sitting here?”
It was a suggestion I made with all the courage I could muster, but of course, it didn’t stand a chance. A small-scale competition broke out inside the bus.
‘…Was my little brother always this popular?’
Ah, and there was one person who wanted to sit next to me but lacked the courage to try.
In the end, the battlefield settled into a rather bizarre arrangement: Cathy Noona and Ha-ni sat beside me, Ga-eul sat on my lap, Professor Park A-ram sat in front of me, and my Master sat behind me. By the time the dust settled, we had almost arrived at the amusement park.
* * *
When we finally arrived, the amusement park was, as expected for a weekend, bustling with people.
“So, do we have to stand in line to get tickets now?”
“…Ugh, we left so early, and there are still this many people? If we wait for all of them, it’ll be afternoon by the time we get in.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s not like we can cut in line.”
Everyone seemed quite intimidated by the crowd, which was larger than expected. However, I, my Elder Sister, and Cheon Yu-hak moved forward as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Don’t worry, everyone. We don’t have to stand in line.”
“…Eh? Why?”
“Are you planning to cut in line?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“…Huh?”
My answer was so unexpected that Ga-eul tilted her head in confusion.
“Besides illegal ones, there’s such a thing as ‘legal’ line-cutting in this world.”
“What does that mean…?”
Everyone besides Ga-eul seemed curious, but in truth, they probably already knew. In some amusement parks, there exists a system called a “Free Pass” that allows you to skip lines for both entry and rides. It’s just a form of “money-flexing” that very few people use because it’s obscenely expensive and the efficiency is terrible.
But you see…
There are three people here from the top corporations in the country.
“There isn’t much in this world that can’t be solved with money. If you couldn’t solve something with money, it just means you haven’t spent enough yet.”
“Wait, did you buy Free Passes for all of us? Kang So-hyun, you must be… rich.”
For the record, the Free Passes in this world are so ridiculously expensive that even people who are reasonably well-off don’t easily attempt to buy them.
“Wow! Then we don’t have to wait in line!?”
“Whoa, I never thought the day would come when I’d get to use one of these. This is my first time at an amusement park, and I’m starting with a Free Pass.”
While Ga-eul and Ha-ni were purely delighted, some seemed to think skipping the line was a bit unfair. However, this was actually the result of some consideration.
“Actually, Yuseong and Cheonhwa Group own a huge stake in this place.”
“…Huh?”
“Cheon Yu-hak’s father originally wanted to rent out the whole place so only we could use it and even hold a parade for us. I’m the one who insisted we pay and come like everyone else.”
As Cheon Yu-hak looked away and Ju Ri-ra patted him on the shoulder, Cathy Noona nodded.
“You did well, So-hyun.”
See? A Free Pass isn’t that unfair, right?