The Amusement Park Attack (3)
“...Whew.”
A man with listless eyes burned a cigarette, staring blankly at the sky. Jo Jin-hyun, an executive of Black Moon, watched his own smoke drift upward.
What a goddamn mess, all thanks to those brats.
It had only been a few days since the other executives tore into him for failing to kidnap a single brat during the entrance exam. Gathering his subordinates to make up for that blunder, curses spilled from his mouth.
“What a load of shit. If that's how it's gonna be, they should've given us a better scroll from the start, the dog bastards.”
It would have been far better if he could have just handled it himself that day. But no—back when they ordered him to guide things indirectly, saying he couldn't leave traces behind for Cheonmu.
Jo Jin-hyun warmed the chilly night air with his cigarette, thinking that this was exactly why he loathed plans drawn up by idiots who'd never worked the field in their lives.
Creeeak.
“Field Commander, shall we begin the meeting?”
“...Tch. Fine.”
Tossing his half-burned cigarette away without regret, Jo Jin-hyun entered through the back door of an old commercial building. Descending the stairs into the basement, he could already see his subordinates seated and settled around the table.
“Welcome, Commander Jo Jin-hyun.”
“...Yeah. Looks like everyone worth gathering is here.”
“A shame about what happened the other day. If we hadn't followed Jin Soo-rin's plan and moved a little more freely, we could've subdued those brats in an instant.”
“Don't put 'nim' after that bitch's name in front of me. That fucking cunt makes me sick just thinking about her.”
“That's how it always is with the delusions of those airheaded bitches sitting at their desks~. They have no idea about the struggles of us field workers like you do, Boss~.”
“Spare me the small talk and let's hold the meeting. You said you secured Kim Isabel's route earlier. Is it confirmed?”
“Yes. According to intel from our scouting team, the target is scheduled to go out to Neverland Amusement Park around 1 PM tomorrow.”
“Having an academy acceptance party or something? Typical idea for brats that age.”
They'd been lucky enough to slay the Owlbear, but kids were still kids.
Comforting himself with the thought that last time had simply been bad luck, Jo Jin-hyun leaned back into his chair.
“We cannot fail this time. Other targets aside, Isabel is the one we absolutely must secure.”
“Like I said, we should've just waited for the right moment and snatched her outside~. Why follow everything that bitch Jin Soo-rin says~.”
“...You know there's no point in bringing up the past. In any case, nothing will slip through the cracks this time, so act according to the top priority target. Understood?”
Truthfully, things had been far too chaotic from the planning stages last time.
That bitch Jin Soo-rin probably had no idea how unreasonable it was to demand the capture of a target during the entrance exam itself, just to tarnish Cheonmu Academy's prestige.
Straining to suppress the urge to slam his fist into that tabletop of hers, he stared at the map spread across the desk.
“You said the target's movement to the amusement park is already confirmed. Surely she's not crazy enough to go out alone.”
“According to Yoon Selene's intel, she's meeting up with the ones who took the entrance exam with her. The dark magic bitch, the girl who killed the Owlbear, and one Support Department guy who looks useless at everything besides stamina.”
“They say that archer bitch has terrible accuracy? Then we only need to watch out for the mage.”
“No, the one we need to watch out for most is Isabel. Playing saint, she can cast an instant binding spell the moment she puts her mind to it. Maybe not against giant monsters, but against humans she can chain someone in light within seconds. Be careful.”
“By the way, that archer bitch looked pretty decent last time~? If we just subdue her lightly, can I keep her for a while~?”
“Once we secure Kim Isabel, it doesn't matter whether the rest live or die. ...Actually, killing them as an example would be even better. Watching the girl who was set to enroll as valedictorian die so pointlessly to a bunch of villains should tarnish Cheonmu Academy's honor at least a little.”
“Aw, what~? Then I won't get to play with her for long~.”
“They're only secondary objectives, so don't get too distracted by them. The top priority is Isabel. That's enough of the meeting—everyone return to your posts and prepare for the operation. Dismissed.”
“Yes, Boss~.”
Infiltration, guided maneuvers—some damn girl's plans that were just like some damn girl. He'd hated it from the start. If you were going to do it at all, you should hit them hard and clean.
Jo Jin-hyun bit down on a fresh cigarette, resolving that this time, for sure, he would strike a real blow against Cheonmu Academy.
The outing to the amusement park with three women was, as expected, enjoyable. All the more so because every one of those women was a heroine of Surviving the Hunter Academy.
Their faces and figures went without saying—all of them were beauties—and since their personalities were all different, there was even the extra pleasure of variety to savor.
Cuteness, purity, and even brightness. If you added the cool-beauty Choi Marie and the tsundere Park Hana to the mix, I figured I might never know loneliness again for the rest of this life.
“I-Isabel...? How long are you planning to hold Seonho's hand...?”
“I intend to keep holding it for as long as possible today. After being surrounded by those men earlier, I can't trust any man besides you, Seonho.”
“Th-then...? Won't you hold mine instead...?”
“I appreciate the thought, but staying by your side, Seonho, is more than enough for me.”
“......”
Because my progress with each heroine differed a little, a minor squabble nearly broke out, but I chose not to intervene.
It was better to maintain a quiet silence than to carelessly take one side, and frankly, watching the two of them wage a subtle war of nerves over me was rather pleasant to look at.
After all, if I half-heartedly picked a side in a situation like this, things would get a bit troublesome later when I pursued the other. All the more so when neither of them had done anything clearly wrong.
“Eunju, you want to hold hands too? Here.”
“...Mm.”
Squeeze.
When I offered my left arm in place of the right that Kim Isabel had claimed, Cha Eunju carefully wrapped herself around it.
Rather than simply holding hands, she clung to my arm with her whole body, so naturally her chest ended up swallowing my arm to its center.
“Hey, you two seriously aren't dating...?”
“Shall we start with the Viking? Or the roller coaster?”
“...Hmm. Maybe the Ferris wheel first, so we can take our time deciding? If we ride something too thrilling right off the bat, the milder stuff feels boring afterward.”
Under normal circumstances, Han Sora's suggestion would be right, but not today. Getting into the Ferris wheel now would be no different from crawling straight into the villains' jaws.
Even Han Sora, whose physical abilities outstripped an ordinary person's, couldn't guarantee a safe escape if that massive structure collapsed.
The Park siblings from the Combat Department might shrug off a fall from that height, but not me and my women.
Isabel's barrier and Eunju's dark magic could absorb the impact well enough to save our lives, perhaps, but there was no sense in burning through that much strength before the real battle even began.
“Th-the carousel...”
“Hmm?”
“I-I want to ride the carousel first. Is that okay...?”
At this point, I honestly wondered if Cha Eunju could read my mind and act exactly as I wished.
She pulled out the perfect suggestion at precisely the right moment. If both my hands hadn't been occupied, I would have patted her head or given her bottom a little squeeze right then and there.
“Sure, the carousel sounds fine.”
“I think that's a good idea too.”
“Then let's ride the carousel first and browse around at a leisurely pace. We have plenty of time anyway.”
Going by the original storyline, the attack would happen in an hour or two, so time wasn't exactly abundant—but I saw no reason to share that fact as I got in line for the carousel.
We'd just have to accept a few casualties. I didn't want to meddle too much and derail the original plot, nor did I want to miss my chance to raise the heroines' affection for me.
I wasn't a saint like the original protagonist, after all. As long as I could protect my harem, that was satisfaction enough.
“Guests under 150cm must ride in the carriage rather than a horse. Is that all right?”
“...Excuse me?”
An attendant approached our group as we waited for our turn at the carousel. At her words, Cha Eunju's expression clouded over with a touch of embarrassment.
“W-well, all right then. Let's take the carriage.”
“The carriages seat four. All four of us could ride together.”
Han Sora and Kim Isabel readily agreed with the attendant, whether out of consideration for Eunju or genuine indifference.
Normally I would have nodded along and matched their mood. ...Except I'd just witnessed Cha Eunju's faltering expression a moment ago.
“But I want to ride a horse...”
“Ah...”
“......”
Seeing Cha Eunju's reaction, Han Sora's face turned awkward.
I could have asked what the point of a 150cm height restriction on a carousel was, but Neverland's carousel ran on the intense side.
It wasn't just the carousel, either—many of the rides here had height restrictions set unusually high. Since this was an amusement park regularly visited by Hunters, whose bodies far exceeded those of ordinary civilians, the attractions naturally had to be more intense than those of my original world.
I completely let my guard down. I forgot this setting even existed in the original.
Then again, neither Cha Eunju nor I were part of this 'Amusement Park Attack' event in Surviving the Hunter Academy to begin with. Seo Woojin, Han Sora, and Kim Isabel were all over 160cm, so this problem had never come up for them.
For Cha Eunju, who barely scraped 150cm even on her tiptoes, it was an unfortunately cruel height in more ways than one.
“Hmm...”
“What should we do...?”
“N-no, it's fine. I'll just take the carriage. We waited all this way, so it can't be helped...”
Coming all the way out here to have fun, only to upset our Eunju? That didn't sit right with me.
I was casting around for any way to get Cha Eunju onto a horse instead of a carriage when a line of small print on the ride's height information board caught my eye: Riders under the height limit may board if accompanied by a guardian.
“Excuse me, miss.”
“Yes?”
“If accompanied by a guardian, someone under 150cm can ride a horse, correct?”
“Ah, yes. That's possible if a guardian accompanies them.”
“Then I guess there's no other way. Eunju, want to ride with me?”
“...Huh?”
Originally, we'd all have mounted our own horses and ridden along at a leisurely pace—but this changed the story entirely.
Thanks to the height restriction, I could legally take Cha Eunju into my arms and ride. Honestly, there couldn't have been a better opportunity handed to me.
Of course, a man openly volunteering to hold Cha Eunju might have made things awkward, so I floated the offer as if it were a reluctant necessity.
“If you don't want me, you could ask Sora or Isabel... Ah, actually, Isabel might struggle a bit holding you.”
“...Hey, that was sexual harassment just now.”
“What are you talking about, Han Sora? All I said was that Isabel's height difference with Eunju is too small for it to work. What exactly were you thinking just now?”
“...Th-that's...”
Han Sora averted her eyes, her face flushing with embarrassment. She didn't seem like it on the surface, but she was quietly conscious of breast sizes, wasn't she.
“Th-then I'll ride with Seonho!”
“So if I board as her guardian and hold her, that's fine?”
“Yes. Thank you for boarding that way.”
“Lucky you, Cha Eunju. You get to ride a horse after all.”
“Y-yeah...? Wh-what a relief, heheh...”
Though somehow she seemed happier for a reason that had very little to do with getting to ride a horse.
After mounting the carousel with Cha Eunju held in my arms, I feigned interest in the passing scenery while freely savoring the sight of her blushing face.
Squeeze.
“Mmhm...”
Pretending it was only to keep her from falling, I gave the waist Cha Eunju had offered into my hands a gentle knead, and didn't forget to pull her body closer, drawing her hips a touch nearer to my crotch.
“......”
And Kim Isabel's silent gaze, watching me and Cha Eunju from the horse diagonal behind us—I quietly savored that, too.