Chapter 122

Sara's foul mood showed no sign of fading.

Not only had Sara been dragged out against her will, but in the process she'd ended up in unwanted physical contact with Ha-neul. Even between friends, I think plenty of people feel uncomfortable with touch.

In my original life, I'd never even considered physical contact with friends of the same sex.

But I couldn't think of a way to soothe this mood.

"S-Sorry...."

I'd asked Ha-neul for understanding and had gotten an apology, and I'd even apologized directly myself, but Sara still remained sulky.

.......

She hadn't said a word since earlier.

Even without words, the emotions I felt told me she was still there.

How could I make this mood lift?

Since I was the one moving the body, I figured I should resolve it. I ran through various ideas.

"I suddenly feel like something sweet. Should we get ice cream or something?"

I tried visiting an ice cream shop,

It's still too cold.

......Instant failure.

Right. It's still April, but it was one of those days that's warm enough to make ice cream feel borderline.

Was Sara sensitive to the cold?

"Want to ride the merry-go-round or something?"

I even picked the gentlest ride my body could handle and went on it,

......Are we little kids?

......There were indeed a lot of kids.

"The parade! It's parade time!"

We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠also watched the park's famous parade.

.......

Ah, but she seemed at least a little satisfied with this one. I'd been worried she might get annoyed if it was too crowded.

Still, that subtle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠irritation hadn't completely gone away.

But there wasn't much else to see. Since I couldn't ride the attractions, there was no reason to stand in long lines, and I'd already had ice cream, so eating more seemed out. The kids with me could probably eat more, but I knew I'd definitely feel sick if I ate any more.

They said there'd be fireworks in the evening...... but evening was still a long way off. I couldn't just keep wandering around until then.

I was trying to make the irritation go away; I couldn't risk making it worse.

"Oh, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right. The safari."

Studying the park map, I murmured.

"Want to go here too?"

When I pointed and said that, the kids all smiled and nodded.

......It seems I must have looked incredibly excited. Well, I had been bustling around since we got off the Ferris wheel. Partly I'd been playing up my delight to cheer up Sara.

Well, if it improved the mood, that wasn't a bad thing......

Ha-neul still wore a slightly guilty expression.

......I decided I'd have a proper talk with Sara about this tonight.

*

Are those animals happy?

......And I regretted that decision the moment I entered the safari.

That's right. Sara had been confined to that mansion her whole life. What was I thinking, showing another caged being to a child like that?

......I'll hope they're happy.

Unable to just let that muttering pass, I said to Sara.

Can they be happy?

.......

That wasn't something I could easily answer. I wasn't those animals.

Their diet might be better than starving in the wild. At least they wouldn't go hungry here. Living in a zoo guarantees their safety, and their offspring's too. I also knew that animals raised in places like this form strong bonds with their keepers.

But if these animals knew about life outside the zoo, would they be happy here?

Actually, that question applies to all pets, not just zoo animals. Some animals live far longer than the average lifespan when raised by humans, while others have their lifespans shortened.

Livestock raised for food or leather, horses kept for riding......

The question 'Are animals really happiest in the wild?' has always sparked heated debate whenever environmental issues come up.

In the end, it's humans who judge whether an animal is happy or not.

But I didn't think Sara was talking about animal rights.

Sara, who had been confined by an abnormal adoptive mother and grown up ignorant of the outside world.

As a result, she'd ended up in a warped situation where her adoptive mother was her sole emotional object. Now, with her feelings and memories somewhat mixed with mine, it was a bit less extreme, but originally she would have had trouble even having a proper conversation with anyone else.

Would Sara really be happy outside the mansion?

Maybe I'd been too irresponsible when I tried to just leave Sara behind.

What useless thoughts are you having?

As I stared out the car window, lost in thought, Sara snapped at me.

If I were unhappy, I'd have said so by now.

.......

Ha.

Well, that's true.

The Sara who'd returned was far stronger than I'd thought.

She didn't have a strong will to live yet, but she wasn't at the point of abandoning her relationships with us. She'd already given up on life once, but she wasn't the type of child to deny what was right beside her.

She'd already seen a possibility. She knew there were people who cared about her.

She probably knew there was no longer any reason for her to be unhappy.

.......

Ah, I see.

Maybe I'd been under a huge misconception.

Just because someone gives off a detached, otherworldly air doesn't mean they've given up on everything.

Perhaps from the moment Sara returned, there was no reason for me to worry.

.......

Sara said nothing.

But I could feel the irritation in my chest ease just a little.

*

No matter how hard we played, it seemed 4 p.m. was our limit.

No, I'll correct that.

The limit of how much fun Sara's body could handle; that was more accurate.

No matter how much we walked, there was a limit to stamina. If I used energy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠efficiently and took proper breaks, I might be able to walk a little longer, but if the body's basic stamina was lacking, I'd run out before the day was over in the end.

So we decided to save the fireworks for next time.

"Next time, we can come out a bit later, not early morning."

At So-hee's words, I nodded.

I would've liked to show Sara the fireworks...... but it was impossible. Switching personalities doesn't restore stamina.

Above all, Sara didn't like that process, so I couldn't just try it recklessly.

If I overdid it today, tomorrow could suffer. I'd planned for that by coming out on Saturday, but I didn't want to be groaning all through Sunday either.

So we decided to call it a day.

"Ah, then before we leave, should we get some souvenirs?"

I hadn't thought of that.

Honestly, I'd never bought souvenirs at an amusement park. Souvenirs were usually things like hairbands or plushies you'd never use, and when I went out with the guys, there was no reason to buy that stuff.

The other kids agreed with me. Yang Hye-in didn't voice her opinion...... well, that's how she always is.

Though I'd only suggested it, So-hee, Su-a, and Ha-neul were even more excited than I was.

The three of them led me around, putting various things on my head and making suggestions. Without any aesthetic sense in this department, I just nodded along. Well, how expensive could they possibly be?

I couldn't say how reassuring it was, at times like this, to be able to say 'I'll buy everything here' and have it not be a joke or a bluff.

Actually, I had enough money to buy out not just the store but the whole warehouse.

.......

Seeing me having fun with the others, I felt Sara getting sulky again.

If she wanted to join in so badly, it wouldn't be bad for her to just come out and do it.

......Well, Sara still seemed awkward about going around like this.

I grabbed a random hairband nearby. It had ears that looked just like the tuxedo cat, probably the park's mascot.

I put it on my head and asked.

How is it?

......Huh?

At my sudden question, Sara reacted.

I stood in front of the mirror and turned my head side to side as I said.

Does it look good?

.......

Sara still didn't seem to grasp what I was asking.

Does it suit you?

Yes, I was moving the body, but originally this body was Sara's. This face was Sara's face.

I was the one who'd picked the cat ear headband, but the face mulling over whether it suited her was Sara's.

So I was saying I'd pick one out for her.

......Unfortunately, I'd come to this world without money, so I'd be buying it with Sara's money.

Uh......?

Or how about this? Want to try a different one?

I turned my head. Since Sara shared my senses, she could see everything I saw.

"Since we're buying something, let's pick the prettiest and most flattering one. How about it? I'll help you choose."

I deliberately kept my voice low as I said it.

Sara exists in the same consciousness as me.

Even though she hadn't come out with her own body to walk around, she was still the child who accompanied me everywhere.

So there was no need to be upset.

We're going around together like this, you know.

.......

Sara was silent for a moment, then

Th-then, over there.......

She said, somewhat timidly.

I couldn't see it with my eyes, but I felt I knew where she was pointing with her consciousness.

Over there was a wide-brimmed pointed hat, like something a witch would wear.

"Got it."

I murmured and walked that way.

In the end, after that, Sara tried on over ten different headbands, hats, and hairpins, and ended up buying every single one.

Still, I thought it was a relief that we ended up enjoying the day together like this.