Sora ni koete – Beyond the sky
Chapter 4 – Of amusement parks and other disasters
Have you ever thought about how much fun it'd be to visit an amusement park with your friends? I did, more than once, but I didn't think it'd happen in that constellation. I looked skywards and fixed the huge Ferris wheel that was one of the main attractions and simultaneously I asked myself how I ended up spending my Saturday accompanying my best friend to her date. If that weren't embarrassing enough, everything went from smoke to smother when my sister decided it'd be a good idea to tag along. And while I was lost in thought, someone suddenly pulled at my sleeve.
"Come on Sora, they're already going in." Aoi was the one pulling.
"Huh? Oh, right." I said as I started walking as well. I sighed.
"That's one big sigh, little brother. Something's wrong?" she asked me.
"Well, yes. I kind of don't understand why I have to come along to Mayuri's quasi date."
"Quasi?"
"According to her they're here as friends."
"I see."
"Well I just hope no one thinks of this as a double date or something when they see the four of us. I don't want people to think I'm going out with… you." I said while looking at my sister. I shivered because of more than one reasons. First of all, the mere idea of dating my sister or someone like her sent shivers down my spine. I prayed for all the poor souls that would fall in love with her. Another reason simply being that I only like men and everyone knowing me knows that as well. Funny enough, it's the same for my sister, she only likes women.
"Soraaa, we're here!" Mayuri yelled and waved with her hands. She was standing on a bench because the entrance of the amusement park was full of people and Mayuri didn't belong to the group of people you'd call 'tall'.
"Hey. Sorry, we got… distracted." I said as we approached them.
"We? You mean you got distracted." Aoi said instantly.
"Well, doesn't matter. What shall we ride first, huh?" she asked us, her eyes twinkling full of excitement. She must have been really looking forward to that day.
"I don't know, I've never actually been to this amusement park before." I said.
"Oh, then how about we go to that one first?" Yuri said while pointing at the highest and most dangerous looking rollercoaster. I gulped in fear.
"S-say, why again did I agree to c-come here?" I asked with a slightly trembling voice.
"Ohh, did you finally remember you're no good with rollercoasters and attractions of that kind? I was wondering when you'd notice." Aoi said with a smile on her face.
"Oh no, are you afraid of heights, Sora?" Yuri asked me.
"N-no! I just don't really like… high and… sh-shaky, dangerous looking things."
"Don't worry, the rollercoasters are all tested and nothing ever happened. At least not in this particular park, haha." Yuri explained.
"Uhm, what?" my fear didn't really lower because of what he said, if anything else, I tensed up even more.
"Come on, lil' bro, it'll be fuuuun." Aoi said.
"Yeah, fun for you when you see how I'm suffering."
"I never said who the one having fun will be."
"You won't even deny it?!"
"Nope." she said with a devilish grin.
"If you want you can wait until we're done, Sora." Mayuri said finally. But now I had to protect my pride, Aoi couldn't be allowed to win.
"N-no. It's fine, I'll come with you three. I can do this." I said as confident as I could.
"Cool, then let's go." Mayuri said with a smile.
After that we enqueued in the already existing queue. While we were waiting there I looked around me. Everyone in the queue seemed to be looking forward, everyone except for me. I could never truly understand why people are attracted to rollercoasters and the kind, I probably never will. I'm a person that doesn't seek danger, I prefer safer situations. While I was thinking about where I'd want to be more than there at that moment, Aoi seemed to take notice of my nervousness and patted my head.
"You okay?"
"Y-yes."
"Really?"
"Okay no, not at all." I was obviously distressed.
"Don't worry, it'll be over faster than you think." she tried to help me calm down. At the same time a group of people came from the rollercoaster's direction, I assumed they had already been on it.
"Whoa! That was so amazing!" a man said.
"I was a little scared when that looping came though." a woman next to him said. My eyes widened in fear and I looked at Aoi.
"Y-you know, they're older than you. You're rather young, it's okay to be afrai-"
"Daddy, that was so cool! Can we ride it again?" a child of about ten years said to his father, both coming from the same direction as the two before. I looked back at Aoi again. She put her hands onto my shoulders and looked at me.
"The exception proves the rule." she said monotonously. I felt like crying.
After another few minutes it was time for us to get on it too.
"Oh oh, come on let's let the boys sit in front, Mayuri." Aoi said as she sat down.
"Wh-what?! I… don't you wanna…" I tried to convince Mayuri otherwise.
"Nah it's okay Sora, you can take the seat." Mayuri said as she sat down next to my demonic sister.
"Cool, let's go, Sora." Yuri said. The four of us were sitting, waiting until it started moving and after a few seconds it moved and my heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, did you know? Some of the first rollercoasters ever made were still too slow, resulting in that if people riding it wouldn't hold onto the wagon properly, they could fall down while the wagon was in the looping." Yuri explained calmly as the wagon moved skywards.
"I'd like to get off of this. Please." I said in fear.
"Hehe, too late lil' bro." I heard a voice from behind.
"Damn you Aoi, you're gonna pay for thiiiiiiii-" and before I could finish my sentence the wagon rushed down with all its speed.
"Akane, care to tell me again why we're here?" I asked her while we were standing in the queue.
"Because this is the only day they're selling the SSLACE of the game I want so bad, Akira!" she told me.
"Excuse me?"
"The Super Special Limited Anniversary Collector's Edition, duh!"
"I understand."
"Really?"
"Actually no, but let's pretend I do. Continue."
"And they're only selling it in this particular store and if I can't buy it I'll be really really sad, okay?" she seemed desperate.
"And why did I have to tag along on my free Saturday? You know that Sora invited us to go to the amusement park."
"Yes, but… THE SSLACE." she grabbed my shoulders and shook my entire body.
"You're really excited, aren't you?"
"How did you notice?!" she let go of me again and we both shut up for the next few minutes. The queue didn't seem to get smaller at all, we were already waiting for about an hour.
"And you're really sure that this is the right place, Akane?" I wanted to confirm it.
"I am almost absolutely sure, captain!" she said while saluting.
"Did you just say 'almost'?"
"Pff, noo! You must have misheard things. Silly Akira, hahaha." her fake laugh didn't really help supporting her bad lie.
"Akane…" I couldn't help but sigh.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Another 30 minutes passed until we finally saw the front door of the shop.
"See Akira?! Do you see all the posters on the windows? I told you I was right, ha!" Akane said, I guessed she must have felt victorious and relieved at the same time.
"Now we just have to wait. Again."
"Oh come on, Akira. It'll be fun!" she said while putting her arms up in the air.
"…sure." I wasn't convinced.
"Come on, it can't get worse!" she said with a smile.
"Let's hope it's not sold out or someth-" I said jokingly when Akane interrupted me.
"No no no no, don't jinx it now!"
"Don't worry Akane, as if they wouldn't have enough of those-"
"Dear customers, we're terribly sorry for the inconveniences, but the Super Special Limited Anniversary Collector's Edition of Toxic Square Dancing Revenge has been sold out. Please visit us next week again, thank you for your understanding." a voice coming from a loudspeaker on the wall said.
"Noooooooooooooo…" Akane screamed and fell down on her knees.
"Creepy." I said as I stared at the loudspeaker. When I noticed something pulling from my jeans I looked down and saw Akane clinging to me as if she just had received the worst news ever.
"Whyyyyyyyy…" she kept on screaming.
"You'll just have to come back next week." I tried to calm her down and patted her head.
"Everything just went from worse to worser!"
"That's not a word, but continue."
"Akiraaaaaaaaaa…"
"Oh my…" I sighed.
Yuri and I were sitting at a table and eating popcorn while we were waiting for the other two. After we got off from the rollercoaster Sora ran straight to the toilets. He probably didn't really enjoy it after all. Aoi said she'd go and look after him for a while so Yuri and me could get something to eat.
"Did you like it?" Yuri suddenly asked.
"H-huh?" I startled, I was lost in my thoughts.
"Did you like that ride on the rollercoaster?" he asked again with big twinkling green eyes and a smile on his face. I remember the first time I met him, the first thing I noticed were his bright green eyes that seemed to glow. It didn't take a long time until I fell for him, but I haven't made any process or whatsoever. I'm just too shy.
"Uhm, y-yes, I did. Thanks."
"Why are you thanking me?"
"I… just… I don't know…" I said while looking down.
"You're very odd, Mayuri, but…" he stopped.
"B-but what?"
"But that's what I like about you." he said giggling.
"I-idiot." I blushed.
"Hi there." Aoi said while walking towards our table, but Sora wasn't with her.
"Where's Sora?" I asked curiously.
"Still… uhm… let's say occupied, you two are eating." she laughed after saying that. I imagined the situation, shivered and shove my popcorn away, I had lost my appetite.
"Shall we wait for him then?" Yuri asked.
"Nah it's okay, you two go have fun until I he comes back, I'll wait for him. Let's meet up later, 'kay?" Aoi asked while pointing at my popcorn. I guessed she was asking if she could eat it now that I didn't want anymore. I nodded and she started eating; I shivered again.
"If you say so, then let's go, Mayuri!" Yuri said as he stood up and stretched out his hand, reaching for mine. I looked at his hand, then looked at his face, then back at his hand. But he only smiled and waited until I would reach out for his hand. When I looked at Aoi she only winked as she continued eating. Then I looked at Yuri's face once again and he was smiling, his eyes looking right into mine.
"O-okay." I said shyly and took his hand and the two of us left.
While we were walking around the amusement park none of us said anything, we were just holding hands and I was happy and relieved, I wouldn't have known what to say in a situation like that. The sun was already setting and bathed the air in colours ranging from yellow, orange, red and even slightly pink. After a few minutes Yuri stopped walking, he had been pulling me along all the way. And then he finally broke the silence.
"Let's ride that, Mayuri." he said as I looked up and noticed we were standing in front of the Ferris wheel. I didn't say anything and only nodded. We entered one of the cabins and the Ferris wheel started moving. I was gazing through the window and was mesmerized by the beautiful view. Everything was bathed in those warm colours.
"You like it?" Yuri suddenly said and startled me, I had almost forgotten about him while looking at the view.
"Yes! It's beautiful!" I said honestly.
"I'm glad you like it. Whenever I'm up here in the Ferris wheel and the sun is setting, bathing everything in these colours, it reminds me of your eyes, they have the same warm colour, hehe." he said almost whispering. I couldn't help but blush at those pretty words, I didn't expect him to say something like that.
"Uhm… I… I-i…" I was at a loss of words.
"That's why I wanted to show this to you once. Thanks for coming along today, Mayuri." he said while leaning forward. My eyes widened and I started blushing more, and then he kissed me on my right cheek.
When I left the toilets I only saw my sister sitting there on her own, Mayuri and Yuri nowhere to be seen. I sat down next to her and asked her about the two of them.
"Where are they?"
"Dunno, beats me." she said as she continued eating.
"Uhm…"
"Want some?"
"…no." I didn't want to eat for the next three weeks.
"Wanna go on another rollercoaster?" Aoi asked suddenly.
"Do I look like I want to?"
"You look like I want you to want it."
"No." I didn't plan to ride any more of those demonic devices for as long as I lived. Aoi didn't seem to mind, seeing as she ordered something else to eat, so we decided to just stay there and wait for the others to return.
The sun had already set and Mayuri and Yuri still hadn't come back.
"You think they're okay?" I asked Aoi.
"Sure, what should happen to them? This is an amusement park, Sora. Not some kind of suburb where it's dangerous to be on the streets at night."
"You could've just said yes, but thank you."
Just as I was about to text them my phone started ringing. It was a call from Akira.
"What's up Akira?"
"Hey Sora, you free tomorrow?" he asked.
"Uhm, sure? Why?"
"I need a break fro-" there were some noises on Akira's side and I couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Akira?"
"SORA I DIDN'T GET THE SSLACE! I NEED TO WAIT FOR-"
"Akane, gimme my phone back!"
"But since you don't understand, Sora needs to know!"
"Akane!" apparently they were having some kind of little argument. Since I already knew them for a long time I just waited until they were done.
"Look Akane, there's a sweets store over there! Here, money! Go buy something!" Akira said and I heard a faint 'yay' from Akane. Akira's attention went back to me.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"It's okay, seems you two had lots of fun, huh?" I wanted to tease him.
"…let's not talk about it."
"So you wanna come over tomorrow?" I asked him.
"Yes. Please."
"Sure, no thing."
"Thanks Sora. How was your day by the way?"
"…let's not talk about it."
"Sorry, I need to go, Akane seems to be screaming at the owner of the store. See you tomorrow then." he said, followed by a sigh and then he hang up.
"Something's wrong?" Aoi asked.
"Nothing, but Akira will come over tomorrow." I said and at the same time Mayuri and Yuri had come back.
"Yo, so you're finally back?" Aoi asked.
"Yup, sorry." Yuri said.
"I don't mind."
"Are you okay Mayuri? Your face is all red." I asked her.
"E-everything's fine, I d-don't know what you mean. It's not like s-something happened or anything." she was blushing and stuttering, something must have happened.
"Well then, shall we continue? The night's still young!" Yuri said suddenly.
"I'll pass." I said.
"I'm hungry." Aoi said. How was she even hungry, she has been eating all the time.
"Shall we go eat together somewhere then?" Yuri continued.
"Sounds nice, let's go!" Aoi was the first one to stand up. She grabbed Yuri by his arm and pulled him along as they started walking.
"S-sora?" Mayuri said whispering.
"Yes?"
"Can we meet tomorrow? I need to talk."
"Sure, want to come over? Akira's coming too though..."
"That's okay, you two can know. More like you have to know, I need to tell someone."
"What in the world happened, Mayuri?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow."
"Uhm, okay."
"Good, let's go." she said and we followed my sister and Yuri.
After that rather disastrous day I was looking forward to spending the next day with my two best friends. And I was curious about what Mayuri wanted to tell us so badly.