Chapter 196: Beauty and the Beast
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Beauty and the Beast
It took about an hour to get from our neighborhood in Setagaya Ward to Tokyo Di○ney Land in Chiba.
We had to transfer subway lines several times, and since the park is in a suburban part of Chiba, it felt like it took even longer to arrive.
Back during summer vacation when we all went to the beach, I never imagined I’d end up coming here. But somehow, I was now making my first-ever visit.
And with Rika, of all people—a girl who has a crush on me.
"Wow! Ryu-chan! Look over there! It's Do○ld Duck!"
As soon as we bought our all-day passes and entered the amusement park, Rika started bouncing around with excitement.
I followed behind her with a wry smile.
This felt less like a date and more like I was here as her guardian, but I guess it’s fine as long as Rika’s happy.
It’s normal for people to visit amusement parks less as they get older.
Unless you have a reason—family, relatives, a significant other—it’s not a place you’d come to alone. For me, who had been a graduate student in my past life, it was a world away.
"Ryu-chan! Ryu-chan! Let's buy headbands first!"
"What? Wait a second!"
I let Rika drag me along, only to be horrified when I saw her pick up a character headband at a souvenir shop.
It was modeled after the park's most iconic mascot, a black mouse, and I knew it would look ridiculous on me.
But while I was still reeling, Rika had already paid for the headbands and returned with a beaming smile.
"Here! It's my treat, so you have to wear it!"
"..."
I hesitated, holding the headband she’d given me.
A guy who’d shot up to 190 cm during a growth spurt, wearing such a cute and adorable headband?
If nothing else, I was certain I’d attract a ton of attention.
But whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Rika—now wearing an identical headband but with a red polka-dotted ribbon—looked up at me with eyes full of expectation.
"..."
There’s that look again.
In the end, I couldn't hold out any longer and put on the headband.
"Wow! It looks great on you!"
Only then did Rika clap her hands with a smile.
"R-Really?"
All I could do was respond with an awkward smile.
Just then, Rika came to stand beside me and suddenly linked her arm with mine.
A soft pressure...!
The sensation of her chest, which was more developed than average for her age, was like poison to a man.
Feeling a strange sense of embarrassment, I tried to pull my arm away slightly, but Rika only tightened her grip as if to say she wouldn't let go.
I glanced down, and our eyes met. She giggled and said, "I'm not letting go today."
Seeing her expression, I knew she wouldn't give up. I quietly surrendered any hope of escaping her grasp.
*
Crack!
"My lady?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"The drink cup in your hand just broke."
"Oh my, where is my head? Ohohoho."
At her attendant Minami's remark, Saionji Kumiko gave an awkward laugh and wiped the drink from her hand with a handkerchief.
"So, who did you say that vixen... I mean, that Miss Kishimoto Rika is?"
"Ah, I looked into that yesterday."
Minami replied, then recited the personal information she had written down in a notebook she’d found in her brother's study.
"Her name is Kishimoto Rika, born December 10th, 2000, currently 16 years old. She has past experience as a reader model for a fashion magazine but is currently on a temporary hiatus. Her father is a famous manga author who writes under the pen name Kishimoto Musashi, and her mother, Kishimoto Maria, is a part-time French instructor at Waseda University and a professional cosplayer. Her family registry is in Shizuoka, but it seems they moved to Tokyo early this year."
"Hmm. Anything of note?"
"At school, she's known as one of Kim Yoo-Sung's girls. I suspect it's because she sticks to him like glue every day."
"I see, so that's what it is."
Seeing her master look particularly frightening today, Minami swallowed hard and asked, "If the date displeases you, shall I intervene?"
"No, it's fine. This will be their last date anyway, so let them enjoy it. She seems to be Yoo-Sung-kun's most cherished friend, so we should at least let her have one final memory."
"...Understood."
As Minami took a step back, Kumiko watched Kishimoto Rika's back disappear into the distance, arm-in-arm with Kim Yoo-Sung.
'I'll let you have the spot next to him, just for today. But Yoo-Sung-kun is my man.'
It was a feeling she had never experienced before, so she couldn't quite define it, but what Kumiko felt toward Rika was, in fact, 'jealousy.'
Unlike herself, a third-year student with limited time to see Kim Yoo-Sung, Kishimoto Rika was a second-year in the same class, able to spend the entire day with him.
The thought that Rika knew a side of Kim Yoo-Sung that she didn't made her stomach twist, but as a child of a prestigious family, Kumiko knew how to practice restraint.
Besides, her trust in Kim Yoo-Sung was even greater, so she decided to do nothing to Kishimoto Rika today and simply watch.
*
There are countless rides that come to mind when you think of an amusement park.
The merry-go-round, bumper cars, gyro drop, roller coasters, haunted houses, the Ferris wheel, and so on.
But a unique feature of Tokyo Di○ney Land is that it doesn't just have these familiar attractions; each section is built around a specific theme.
Movies, cartoons, you name it.
Thanks to that, there were plenty of amazing things to see and do wherever we went.
Of course, it was only natural that I was completely swept up by Rika's pace throughout the process.
"Wow! That roller coaster was so much fun!"
In my past life, I had a fear of heights, so I usually avoided thrill rides like the gyro drop or roller coasters. But maybe because I was in Kim Yoo-Sung's body, I didn't feel a thrill so much as I just found it fun.
I could hear people who had been on the same roller coaster whispering as they passed by and looked at me, but I deliberately pretended not to notice and asked Rika, "So, what do you want to ride next?"
"How about that haunted house over there? The people who were sitting next to us said it's super scary!"
Growl!
But the sudden sound of her stomach clock made Rika, who had been speaking so energetically, snap her mouth shut.
I pretended not to have heard and said, "Should we get some lunch first?"
Rika, perhaps out of embarrassment, blushed and nodded.
*
We decided to have a late lunch, but since it was our first time here, we had no idea where to go.
As I was looking at the park map to find a restaurant, Rika, who had been fiddling with her phone, tugged on my sleeve.
"Ryu-chan, I looked it up, and there's a really good family restaurant near here."
"Oh yeah? Should we go there, then?"
"Yep! I'll lead the way!"
Rika declared confidently and strode ahead.
She looked so sure of herself that I found her quite reliable.
'Well, a high school girl would know more about popular restaurants than an old guy like me.'
I started trailing behind her, and about ten minutes later, we finally arrived at the family restaurant, only to be met with disappointment.
"What? There's an hour-long wait?"
"Yes. I'm very sorry, but we don't have any tables available, so you'll have to wait for quite a while."
My mistake was not realizing it when she said it was a place popular on social media.
Tokyo Di○ney Land is already crowded, and it was a weekend afternoon, so of course, people would flock here.
"What should we do?"
While Rika was anxiously tapping her foot, the employee who was dealing with us suddenly received a message on his radio. His expression changed completely.
"Sir, you're in luck. It seems a table has just opened up. I'll guide you there."
"Really? Wow!"
Rika's face lit up with a joyful smile.
Seeing her so happy made me feel proud, but as I followed the employee inside, something felt off.
'If he said there was an hour-long wait, there must have been other customers ahead of us. Why would he seat us first when we were the last to arrive?'
Something... something was strange.
Just in case, I glanced around.
But the street was filled with nothing but passersby; there was no one suspicious in sight.
'Am I just being paranoid...?'
I shook my head to clear the stray thoughts and sat down across from Rika at a window seat, as guided by the employee.
*
"Th-That was a close call."
"Yeah."
The two, disguised as foreigners, fixed their messy wigs and sunglasses after having to hide in a hurry. From a distance, they watched the couple who had just been seated at a window seat perfect for surveillance.
"But why did you suddenly help them, my lady? If you had just left them alone, it might have caused a rift between them."
Kumiko crossed her arms and turned her head with a huff.
"I only did it for Yoo-Sung-kun's sake. It's not like I did it because I felt sorry for that vixen, you know?"
Looking at Kumiko, Minami thought to herself,
'Ah, she's a tsundere.'