Our First Outing

The moment we stepped through the entrance, which looked just like the night sky, a vast cluster of stars welcomed us. Starlight shot past to our left and right, brightly illuminating the surroundings and guiding our path.

"Whoa..." The moment I actually arrived at the place I had only ever seen in photos, a wave of deep emotion washed over me. The movement of the lights was something a mere photograph could never capture. I gently reached my hand out toward the tail of a starlight beam shifting in real-time.

"Jeff, aren't you going to take out your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠notebook?" Amy approached and asked as I stood there, utterly mesmerized by the starlight. Snapping out of it at the sound of her voice, I shook my head and pulled a small notebook out of my bag, flipping it open.

I looked up from my notebook and scanned the area. Right next to Rain, who was running around excitedly by herself, a massive star-shaped train caught my eye.

"That one!" Clutching my pounding chest, I started running toward the Shooting Star Train. Behind the light pitter-patter of my own footsteps, Shine's footsteps quickly followed.

As I ran with my eyes locked on the shooting star, a sudden breeze from the side made me freeze in my tracks.

Sweetness. The wind brushing past my cheek carried a sugary aroma. The faint sweetness drifting at the tip of my nose made my mouth instantly water.

"Jeff?" Seeing me stop so suddenly mid-run, Shine shook my arm with a puzzled expression. My gaze swayed slowly with her movement, but my eyes weren't on Shine.

"Cotton candy..." I muttered blankly, flipping open my notebook once more. The pages turned slowly with a soft flutter-flutter. As I flipped through, I found the information I was looking for.

The crooked, uneven handwriting was heavily emphasized with star drawings all around it. That was how badly I wanted to eat it. I darted my tongue out and licked my lips.

Just like in the anime. In the lore, Lucy's mana was said to be made of melted sweet dreams. The mana cotton candy was something she occasionally conjured to soothe crying children. And right now, a small shop at the edge of my vision was selling that exact cotton candy. On the prominent sign, a miniature Lucy was swinging a star-shaped wand with all her might.

I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out Amy's credit card. With this, couldn't I buy every single cotton candy in that shop? Grabbing the hand of Shine, who was standing right next to me, I dashed toward the cotton candy stall. I even scooped up Rain along the way as she hopped around nearby.

Dragging the two of them along with me, I thrust the card toward the shopkeeper.

"Give us all of—urk!"

Just as I confidently held out the card, a hand suddenly pressed down firmly on my head, cutting me off. It was a soft, familiar touch. But because it kept pressing down as if scolding me for doing something wrong, I couldn't even think of opening my mouth.

"Four, please."

The hand pressing down on my head belonged to Amy. Having caught up to us, she snatched the credit card from my hand, handed it to the employee, and made the order. I immediately wriggled out from under Amy's hand and patted my hair down.

"I can eat them all!" I protested loudly, but Amy only looked down at me. She simply smiled without saying a word. Our eyes met. A silent staring contest ensued for a long moment, but in the end, I was the one to look away first.

"I'm sorry..."

"Good girl. We have to eat dinner later, so you should only have a reasonable amount."

Whenever I did something wrong, Amy would sometimes just stare at me in silence. It was as if she was asking, 'Don't you already know that what you did was wrong?' which always forced me to avert my eyes just like today.

Once the payment went through, the employee turned on the cotton candy machine, showing us the process of it being made in real-time. Faint afterimages of tiny stars drifted over the empty space. The employee inserted a star-patterned stick into the chamber. The starlight wandering in the air began to coalesce, transforming into a massive, fluffy, and soft cloud of cotton candy.

A total of four cotton candies were handed to us. One for Shine, one for me, one for Rain, and one for Amy. The size and shape of each cotton candy we held were identical. The star-shaped sprinkles glittering on the surface were incredibly pretty. Clutching our treats, we immediately began walking toward the Shooting Star Train.

A sweet aroma drifted from the cotton candy in my hand. Sniffing at it, I took a big bite of the fluffy, pillowy treat. Whoosh—the cotton candy melted and vanished the moment it touched my teeth. A faint sweetness lingered, spreading throughout my entire mouth. A lingering, pillowy texture gently brushed against my lips.

A blogger who reviewed this theme park ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had left a short comment about this cotton candy: It felt like kissing a cloud. At first, I hadn't understood, but now I completely got what they meant. The cotton candy gently wrapped around my tongue before fading away, leaving behind a deep sense of longing.

"It's so good!"

While I was slowly savoring mine, Rain's eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth wide. Her tiny mouth stretched as far as it could go, revealing a glimpse of her pearly white teeth. She immediately stuffed the cotton candy into her mouth. Using her small hands, she pushed and compressed the fluffy cloud with all her might. The once-massive cotton candy completely vanished into Rain's mouth.

Right then, Rain's expression shifted dramatically. The corners of her mouth curled upward, her eyes curving into soft crescents. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a faint, happy hum escaped her nose.

"It's so delicious!" Rain cheered. The glittering remnants of the cotton candy sparkled faintly around her lips.

After boarding the Shooting Star Train, I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket.

"Rain, you got some on your face."

"Where?"

I pointed to Rain's lips and held out the handkerchief. Staring at the offered handkerchief, Rain grinned and leaned her face closer.

"Can you wipe it for me?"

Wiping it off was no trouble at all. I gently moved my hand and began wiping around Rain's lips. At that moment, I felt an intense gaze from the side. I turned my head to look at Shine. She was staring at me. More precisely, at my hand.

Just as I was wondering about the subtle warmth in her gaze, Shine suddenly took a massive bite of her cotton candy. Chomp, chomp. After tearing off several large chunks, her cotton candy vanished in the blink of an eye. Having devoured the whole thing, Shine pressed herself close to my side, as if expecting something. Her lips glistened with a faint sparkle.

I folded the handkerchief I had used on Rain and held it out to Shine.

"You want this?"

Shine shook her head slightly. Instead, she leaned in even closer. The distance between us vanished. The sweet scent of cotton candy drifting from her mingled with her natural scent, creating an inexplicable, sultry warmth.

Swallowing hard, I wrapped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the handkerchief around Shine's lips. Rub, rub. The soft texture of her lips was transmitted directly through the thin fabric. My finger gently slipped, falling right between her lips. A subtle warmth, a hint of moisture, and the soft, squishy sensation of her tiny tongue.

Startled by the strange sensation, I quickly pulled the handkerchief back.

"Hehe!" Shine let out a soft giggle. The tips of my ears burned. I hastily averted my eyes. This was supposed to be the train ride I wanted to go on so badly. I was supposed to be taking in the view of the entire theme park. But the lingering, subtle heat made it impossible to focus on my surroundings.

A tiny flutter started deep in my chest. The faint warmth gradually spread, making my fingertips and toes twitch. Checking to see if anyone was watching, I brought the handkerchief in my hand close to my nose. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted from it.

"It's over!" Before I knew it, the train had stopped, and Rain shouted as she jumped off with her arms wide open. Startled by her voice, I quickly stuffed the handkerchief into my pocket. Inside my pocket, the handkerchief felt slightly damp as it brushed against my fingers.

I spent the rest of the time checking my plans in my notebook. This was supposed to be a fun time. These were the rides I had been looking forward to so much. Yet, I couldn't concentrate at all because I was so incredibly conscious of the small handkerchief in my pocket.

"Ahahaha!" Rain hopped from horse to horse with all her might on the Starlight Pegasus Carousel. Shine and I rode together in a small carriage. Amy rode on the Pegasus connected just ahead of us. I felt an intense gaze. It was Shine's usual look, but today, for some reason, her eyes felt overwhelming.

Inside the carriage, it was silent. Outside, Rain's laughter, Amy's quiet voice, and the thumping of Rain's footsteps all blended together. The sun hanging in the sky began to sink. Along with it, the shadows on the ground grew taller. My legs throbbed from all the walking we had done. Sitting on a bench next to Amy, I blankly watched Rain and Shine play.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes." I nodded blankly at Amy's question. The scheduled time was approaching. The starlight that had flown far away returned, heading toward the end. A grand feast of countless shooting stars embroidered the sky. The scattered starlight gathered into a single point, forming the face of Lucy. With a spectacular display of fireworks decorating the sky as the grand finale, we returned to the entrance.

"Did you have a wonderful time?" The witch standing at the entrance asked, holding a large shopping bag. I nodded.

"Here! A present for you!" I reached out and took the shopping bag. It felt heavy. Peeking inside, I saw Lucy's Magic Cloak Blanket, the very item I had wanted so badly.

After saying goodbye to the staff, we walked out through the exit passage. Even though I had gotten the item I wanted, I didn't feel much excitement. My mind was completely occupied by the handkerchief in my pocket.

On the way back to the parking lot, the burly men in black suits who had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scattered around began to gather one by one. As we boarded our helicopter, the guards who had been standing watch around us also returned to their respective helicopters and boarded. The thwip-thwip-thwip of the propellers began to echo. The helicopter slowly lifted off. Outside the window, the theme park gradually receded into the distance.

On the way home, I stared blankly out the window of the flying helicopter. Now that the sun had set, the city's nightscape stretched out beneath us, illuminating the dark. As I looked at the night view while fingering the handkerchief in my pocket, I felt a slightly strange sensation.

Electric-type espers react sensitively to nearby machinery. Extremely sensitive individuals could even tell the exact number of cars driving around their neighborhood. I, too, was on the more sensitive side.

"Six...?" I muttered blankly. The total number of helicopters flying in our convoy was five. But now, a new helicopter had joined them out of nowhere.

"Seven...?" Along with a sharp *zap* of static, another helicopter revealed itself.

"Eight...?" The number of helicopters was steadily growing. Every time we passed through a cloud, more helicopters appeared. Amy, who had been sitting in her seat, also seemed to realize the number of helicopters was abnormal and stood up. And at that exact moment—BOOM! A massive explosion roared.