Q looked around at all the rides in the fair with childish awe. Beside him, Akutagawa held his hand with a deadpan expression that suggested he would rather be doing anything else than hanging out with Atsushi and Q. His eye twitched every time Q asked him if he wanted to go on a ride.
"So many rides to choose from," Q said, gazing at the roller coaster in the distance. "I really can't decide which one to go on first."
"You wanted to check out the roller coaster, right?" Atsushi said. "Or the ferris wheel?"
"Both look really fun. But since I can't choose, I want Akutagawa to pick one for us to go on together!" Q beamed an angelic smile at the man.
"I'm not sure what kind of game you are trying to play," Akutagawa responded, giving Q a death glare. "If you're thinking of sneaking off somewhere to use your ability on someone–"
"Let's not bring that up, okay?" Atsushi said, patting Akutagawa on the shoulder. "Q just wants to have some fun today, and maybe he wants you to have a lot of fun, too."
"Going on rides at a fair is hardly my idea of fun."
"It doesn't have to be a ride. Maybe we can play one of those dexterity games?" He pointed at a stand where people were scooping up goldfish using some kind of hoop they could only hold with their mouths.
"Fine. Let's see what that game is."
There was a long lineup in front of the stand, probably due to the fact that there were only three bowls for players to try on at a time. It cost three hundred yen for a single thirty-second attempt.
Atsushi went first. He hadn't thought it would be hard to scoop goldfish out of the bowl with his mouth when he was watching other people do it, but when he tried it himself, he found that the hoop-rod was way too hard to control, and using it to catch tiny goldfish swimming in a large bowl was nearly impossible. Before he had even touched a goldfish, his time was up.
Q tried next, and like Atsushi, he struggled just to move the hoop through the water with his mouth. After dropping the hoop twice, a frustrated expression came over his face, and for a moment Atsushi was afraid that Q would do something drastic in anger. But he just stood there, glaring down at the fish in mild annoyance, until the last few seconds of his time ended.
"Not going to try," Akutagawa said, moving out of line.
"What? Why not?" Atsushi asked.
"This game is clearly impossible, and the people behind the counter know it. Judging by the fact that each bowl still has about ten goldfish, probably not one person has been successful in scooping one out. It must require hours of practice."
"Then why did you agree to come to this stand?" Q asked, throwing Akutagawa an angry look.
"Because, it got you to shut up about asking me which ride I wanted to go on."
"Hey, let's not try to flare any tempers here," Atsushi said.
Akutagawa huffed, but Q smiled instead.
"That's okay," the boy said. "Since we're done here, you have to choose the next ride to go on! And I won't go on any ride unless Akutagawa chooses it."
"Seriously?" Akutagawa folded his arms. "Why are you so insistent on making me choose the ride?"
"Because – the ride isn't what matters. It's whether or not all of us have fun going on it, and right now you're the one that's having the least amount of fun!"
Atsushi gaped at Q's words. He never expected Q to show that level of concern for other people, though in hindsight, he never understood what kind of relationship Akutagawa and Q shared. Not that he suspected they had any sort of friendship at all given their places within the Port Mafia. Maybe everyone treated Q badly at the Port Mafia, and precisely due to Akutagawa's loner personality, Q had never interacted with him enough to have had any unpleasant experiences involving him. Or perhaps it was possible that Q thought a lot more about other people than he had originally assumed.
It could even be that Q was learning to be concerned about others after the friendship Atsushi had shown to him.
"Quirky, aren't you?" Akutagawa said, giving Q an odd smile. "Don't think you can deceive me by pretending to care about me. I wonder what kind of malicious intentions you're hiding behind those words?"
"None at all!" Q replied, his smile growing wider. "I just want all of us to have a fun day together."
"Akutagawa, don't accuse him of bad intentions so quickly," Atsushi said. "Q's been stuck at the Agency every day for weeks. He's probably just excited to be able to hang out at the fair with someone that he knows."
"Being held inside the Agency must be a dream compared to the room we kept him in at the Port Mafia."
"Can't we just leave all of that behind?"
"Looks like Akutagawa just doesn't want to have any fun," Q said, his smile fading into an angry frown. "Maybe we should leave him, Atsushi, and go on some rides by ourselves."
Akutagawa swerved towards Q and scowled. "No. I don't trust the weretiger to handle you by himself."
"Then why don't you stop being so grumpy and just choose a ride already?"
"I will, if that's what I need to do to keep you under control." Akutagawa pointed towards a swinging ship ride. "That one."
Q brightened again.
Atsushi found himself earnestly confused at the dynamic that existed between Q and Akutagawa. He thought about probing into their past relationship with each other at the Port Mafia, but decided against it in case he became responsible for ruining Q's day of fun at the fair.
They went on the swinging ship ride, which had Q screaming in delight every time the ship descended. Next, they went to a scrambler where each seat was shaped like the cockpit of a small glider.
"Looks like it's only two to a seat," Atsushi said. "Q, want to go with me or Akutagawa?"
"Hmmm..."
"Any preference, Akutagawa?"
"I would rather go with you, Atsushi," Akutagawa said in a mysteriously titillating tone. "Leave Q scared in a seat all by himself."
"All right, I want to ride with Akutagawa!" Q shouted, throwing Akutagawa a dirty look and grabbing him by the hem of his coat.
"I knew you would say that," Akutagawa replied.
Atsushi watched in amazement as the two of them climbed into a seat together. He had a feeling that there was some kind of an "all-according-to-plan" dynamic between them. But Q seemed to be enjoying himself, and Akutagawa was starting to get better, too, so he didn't mind it at all.
The ride wasn't as thrilling as he expected, but maybe that was because he had already had the experience of flinging himself through the city, jumping from ledge to ledge as a tiger when he needed to get to a place quickly. Q definitely enjoyed it.
"We'll go to the roller coaster next," Akutagawa suggested, and Q nodded his head.
There was a mini-roller coaster which was just a short ride around a circuit and a bigger one that involved a steep drop followed by two loops. Akutagawa had meant the bigger one.
The lineup for the larger roller coaster was the longest one in the entire fair. At the back of the queue, it looked to be about thirty or forty minutes before they could reach the front. Atsushi was starting to feel hungry, and he noticed many people in the queue had brought food to eat in small cartons while they were waiting. He didn't know if eating before going on such a fast ride would be a good idea, but he also found his growling stomach to be a problem.
"Could you save a spot for me in the line?" Atsushi spoke up. "I want to go get some food."
"We could if you return in less than twenty minutes," Akutagawa said, tilting his head towards the segment further ahead in the line. A railing prevented anyone from jumping the line once they were about halfway down the queue.
"I'll look for something quick."
"Get me something to eat, too!" Q shouted.
"Okay. What do you want, Q? Cotton candy? Popcorn?"
"How about...a severed head?"
Atsushi blinked.
"Just kidding!" Q flashed his brightest grin. "A hot dog would be nice. With mayonnaise and mustard topping, please."
"Ummm...you got it."
As he left the line to head towards the nearest hot dog stand, Atsushi felt shivers go down his back.
If that was Q's sense of humour, he was going to have a hard time convincing anyone that Q was ready to be allowed to wander out of the Agency by himself. At the same time, Q never made any dark jokes before. Maybe he was just being influenced by...Akutagawa?
Atsushi glanced behind his back and saw Q and Akutagawa having a conversation together. Q had a surprisingly bright smile on his face, and it honestly looked kind of genuine.
Just what kind of relationship existed between those two?
He bought a hot dog for Q and onion rings for himself, then realized he should have asked Akutagawa what he wanted to eat as well. Though, in reality, Akutagawa would probably tell him not to bother.
When he came back with the food, they were almost past the railing-guarded segment of the queue. Atsushi could feel a couple of annoyed stares drilling into his back as he hopped back into the spot Q and Akutagawa had saved for him. He kind of felt bad about doing it, too.
"Thanks for the hot dog, Atsushi!" Q said.
"You're welcome." Atsushi turned to face Akutagawa. "Sorry I didn't get any food for you, though."
"It's fine. I was not planning on eating anything before boarding the roller coaster, anyway. When the two of you puke up all the contents of your stomach, try not to spill any of it over me."
"That won't be possible if we're seated right next to you," Atsushi replied with a sly grin.
Akutagawa groaned. "Maybe I will have to find a seat by myself somewhere far, far away from you both."
"Come on," Q said, giving Akutagawa a light nudge. "We've all been through worse than a roller coaster, right?"
"Good point," Atsushi replied. "We practically experience free fall and upside-down jumps every day in our training, right Akutagawa?"
"It's different when you are in a roller coaster. They constrain you with seatbelts and guards so you feel helpless when you fall." A slightly evil smile came over Akutagawa's lips. "Not that any of those can stop me if I really wanted to break free."
Atsushi thought he almost saw dark threads of Rashomon materializing over the surface of Akutagawa's coat.
When they got onto the ride, Atsushi and Akutagawa and Q sat in a row of three and buckled up together. Q threw his hands up into the air as the roller coaster climbed its initial ascent. At the peak, they stopped for a few seconds, allowing them time to observe the landscape below as well as to see parts of the city. It was really no different than the times Atsushi had fought up on high ground, and certainly far less intense than the battle he had had with the leader of the Guild on top of their airship.
The roller coaster plunged. He screamed anyway.
After a series of high speed twists and loops and turns, they ended up back at the station where the ride began. Q looked exhilarated, and a little bit nauseous.
"That was more intense than I thought," Q said, clutching his stomach as he climbed out of the seat.
Akutagawa stepped away from him.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to puke." Q gave Akutagawa a large, glowing smile. "I'm still a bit hungry, actually. Want to go for lunch?"
"Yeah, lunch sounds good," Atsushi said, and Akutagawa shrugged.
They found a food court inside the fair where they each bought burgers, fries, and a drink. Q appeared to be enjoying the day immensely, and even Akutagawa was starting to look happy. Well, happy might be a bit of an overstatement, because Akutagawa rarely smiled. But the expression on his face wasn't the usual grimace that he wore. It looked more...neutral, as if he didn't care that he was spending time at the fair, but also that it wasn't a bad thing to do, either.
"Want to try more carnival games after we've eaten?" Atsushi asked.
Q nodded enthusiastically.
They went to play a target-shooting game that had obviously been rigged to make each shot less accurate, and then a basketball game where Q was able to make enough shots to win a prize. He chose a cute fluffy white tiger.
Atsushi felt goosebumps when he saw Q holding that white tiger doll.
"Afraid that I'll use my ability?" Q said, his eyes merry.
"Well, uh..."
"Don't worry! My ability only works with specific dolls, and only the Port Mafia owns copies of those dolls. As long as I don't get my hands on one of them, I can't activate my ability on anyone."
Akutagawa clasped his hands together. "Q wants to get rid of his ability."
"Huh?" Atsushi responded.
"When the Guild captured and tortured him, he realized that his ability was only a burden on him." As Akutagawa spoke, Q stared down at his feet. "The Port Mafia had weaponized him for his entire life, and so long as he has access to that doll, people like the Guild will continue to find ways they can use him to pursue their ends. If he can never have access to those dolls, he will never be used again."
Atsushi turned to face Q.
"It's true," Q said softly. "I don't like my ability, even though I sometimes really want to use it on people I hate...does that mean I actually like it?"
"I think it's better that people aren't able to use you as a weapon," Atsushi replied. "Maybe it'll be best for you if every copy of that doll was destroyed."
"Impossible," Akutagawa said. "The boss would never allow it."
"But we don't intend on giving Q back to the Port Mafia."
"He still wants to keep them as a precautionary measure in case we ever need to use Q again." Akutagawa sighed and stood up from his seat. "You know how the Agency and the Mafia are willing to cooperate if a dire situation ever strikes the city. That's why we have not tried to get Q back yet."
Atsushi's eyes grew wide. "Is this the Agency's true intention for keeping Q?"
"I don't know." Akutagawa turned away from their table. "Let's go on a few more rides."
Q had a dejected look on his face, and Atsushi really felt sorry for him. But as soon as Akutagawa suggested that they go on the ferris wheel, Q appeared happy again.
The lineup for the ferris wheel was almost as long as the one for the roller coaster. It took twenty-five minutes for them to arrive to the front. Since four people were allowed in each car, Atsushi, Q, and Akutagawa went in one together.
The top of the ferris wheel was higher than even the peak of the roller coaster. When they reached the top, they were able to get a clear view of the city.
Atsushi loved the sight of Yokohama at dusk. With the Sun slowly descending behind the horizon, the sky was awash with a mosaic of colours: red, orange, purple, yellow, and blue. The nighttime lights of flashing billboards and signs were slowly starting to appear on the buildings in the city. And he noticed a pair of grey eyes fixed intently upon him.
He returned a soft smile.
When they disembarked, Akutagawa immediately went over to the back of the queue.
"I don't want to go on the ferris wheel again," Q said.
"Well, I do." Akutagawa pulled on Atsushi's arm, much to Atsushi's surprise. "Just the two of us, this time."
"Why?" Atsushi asked.
"I have something to show you," Akutagawa whispered in response.
"Oh, so you're going to leave me all alone?" Q protested.
Akutagawa's eyes were serious. "Meet us later at the fair entrance."
"Fine. I'll just go on all the other rides by myself!" Q said, stuck out his tongue, and stomped off.
Atsushi felt his face burning up all over again. "Akutagawa, what's this all about?"
"You'll understand when we get on."
"But Q–"
"Leave him. He doesn't have that doll to use his ability with."
Atsushi gave a slow nod, still feeling unsure.
Twenty-five minutes later, when they were inside another car, Akutagawa waited until they were about halfway up to the top of the ferris wheel.
He leaned towards Atsushi and gently placed his fingers on Atsushi's head, sifting through his hair. Atsushi gazed into Akutagawa's eyes. The deep light reflected into those grey orbs from the rising glow of the city at night was so pretty.
Atsushi reached up and took a strand of Akutagawa's hair to rub in between his fingers.
"Akutagawa...are we on the ferris wheel again just so we could...?"
"Be quiet."
Their lips touched.
Atsushi eased himself into a long, slow kiss, relishing every taste of Akutagawa he could get. And all the while, he couldn't stop feeling ashamed of himself. What if someone from the Agency saw them doing this? Sure, they were high up on the ferris wheel, but there was always a chance that someone who knew him was in a nearby car.
At Akutagawa's insistence, he shut those thoughts out from his mind and allowed himself to drown in the body of the man who held him, whose hands softly caressed his hair, whose grey eyes shone such a luminescent green glow...
Atsushi parted from Akutagawa and stared out the window.
"Was this what you wanted to show me?"
"Yeah. I saw it during our last ride."
Far away, on the outskirts of the city, an ominous green mist rose out of the blue darkness. The mist moved like the wind, crawling along the city's edge, expanding to encircle Yokohama in its entirety. It was slowly moving towards the fair.
Atsushi turned around. "I need to call Dazai."