Finally time to get back into the park action! This chapter focus on their next attraction and first impression of it! Ataru and Lum needs to learn a little more about trust to get trough it! They each have their own plan and objective! It's loosely based on the manga chapter "Tanaba date" obviously, but also kind of on "Urusei Yatsura: Endless Summer". I became really fond onf this chapter, at first I planned on separating them (That's why I mention the existence of multiple entrance.), But i largely prefer having them together from the get-go! I hope you enjoy it!

Lum and Ataru finally gets to their next ride; the Haunted Maze! How will they go trough it? Will Ataru be capable of keeping his cool? In the other hand, will Lum be able to cling to him for the whole thing? Either way, they'll need to learn a little more about relying on each other!

Still walking aimlessly, and their conversation dying down. Lum thought it was time to do something. She's been enjoying walking like that a lot, but she also wants to experience a bit more of the park with him!

"Anyway! We've been walking for ages, we should check an attraction out!" She pulled his hand a bit.

"Ah, true." He really didn't mind just walking and talking with her. It was pleasant. "Where do you want to go?"

"I've picked the first two, so you can choose, Ataru!" Even if she was expecting something else entirely, she wanted to know what he wanted to do too!

"Fine." He thought for a second. What would be the best type of attraction? He'd prefer one where he wouldn't have to sit, and where they don't take any photos. Maybe also something to get a rise out of Lum. That was the ride he needed. Something where he gets some control. Checking out the map, one took his interest. 'The Terrifying Maze of Madness'. "Maybe this one, I like the name."

"Maze of Madness..." She thought to herself. "A haunted maze?"

"Seems like it, I wouldn't mind a bit more action." He pulled her hand, leading them to their next attraction. In his eyes, it was perfect. She'd had the upper hand for too long; it was time to show his manliness.

Lum nodded. Fine. It wasn't a romantic pick, she wasn't expecting Ataru to choose one anyway. Still, it could be fun!

They arrived at the horror-themed east side of the amusement park. Lum noticed that it was the only spot in the park with almost no kids. The crowd was mostly young adults or high schoolers. A fair number of couples were around. During the walk, she noticed some girls clinging to their boyfriends as they exited some of the attractions. A haunted maze really wasn't that bad of an idea after all!

Ataru forced himself to appear confident, but as they neared the maze, he felt a creeping fear. Still, the opportunity was too good to pass up. This way he could show off to Lum. The idea of simply fleeing from her during the maze weirdly didn't stick for long...

The maze was in the middle of the horror-themed area. It seemed to be full of people. On the right and left were entrances, with a crowd and a staff member on each side, indicating the maze had two entrance. Lum said they should go to the second one since they were a couple. Ataru couldn't argue against her logic, and they went to join the small group. Looking around, it was a sort of small plaza with a few benches and trees. It was designated to look like a sort of garden or small park to fit with the maze. People were everywhere. Some noticed Lum, as always, but they didn't bother as she only looked at Ataru. The two stopped at the wall next to the gate at the entrance, where Ataru leaned against it, letting go of Lum's hand and crossing his hands behind his head. Lum did something similar, but her arms were lower as she leaned next to her date.

"There are lots of people." Lum pointed out. "Must be popular."

"It's a maze in complete darkness, no wonder." Ataru answered, looking at couples in the crowds.

The Oni followed his gaze, realizing what he was talking about, and she smiled. "Oh! Because it's a good excuse to cling to each other?!"

"Or to get away." He snirked. "It's easier to run off." He turned his head away. His tone was monotonous. He wasn't sure if he was only talking about the maze right now.

"Ataru!" She yelled, getting out of her leaning position. "Is that why you picked the maze? To get away from me?!" She approached her face to his, frowning.

A sweatdrop appeared on the poor boy's forehead as he shook it and frowned back. "Idiot!" He stood up, causing Lum to step back. "If that was my plan, why would I tell you?!" Once he said that, he turned his head again.

Wait… she's right. Why didn't I think of that? The idea had crossed his mind, but he'd always brushed it aside.. All he cared about was to act manly and get a rise out of her. She won all the previous rides, where he'd succumb to her plan to get closer. This time, he'd get her to do what HE wants. But it was the same thing she wanted, wasn't it? He wasn't supposed to enjoy the date this much. Regardless, he couldn't run away after everything they'd done. He resolved to put his all into the date. To be sure, she'd come back home soon, of course! Not because he's really enjoying it... He hoped.

"Sorry, sorry!" She bowed a little.

"You really have no faith in me, huh?" He sneered.

Lum's heart skipped a beat. Did she trust him? Ignoring her doubts, she continued. "So you picked it because you wanted us to be clingy?" She leaned toward him again with a bright smile, her hands joined together. "You should have said so from the start!" She tried to hug him, but he quickly dove to dodge.

"Stupid!" He said, getting up again. "I just picked it because I like scary stuff, is it that hard to believe?!" He crossed his arms, trying to hide a slight nervousness that he got after hearing Lum say that.

Lum sighted. It wasn't really because of him, but because of her. "I suppose not." she nodded.

"Good, now shut up!" He derided.

She sighted again. "Say, Ataru?" She pointed at one of the free benches. "Let's walk around the garden until it opens!" She almost pulled on his arm, but decided to keep her distance for once.

"No way, we already walked enough!" He said, not even bothering to look at her.

Lum looked down. "...You're no fun!" She flicked her head away in a quick gesture. Keeping the pose, she walked away.

Ataru, who was doing a similar pose, struggled to keep it and finally gave up, looking at her as she walked away. "Don't get too far now, Lum!" he yelled. "And stay away from weirdos!" She didn't answer, but her heart reacted.

She walked around for a bit. Do I trust Darling? She wondered. She'd love to, but it was often hard. He lied to her a lot, deceived her, and did anything else that could be seen as untrustworthy. And yet, she knew that she should trust him. Darling is doing his best today! She nodded. On any other day, she had to keep an eye on him, he'd rush to any girl he saw. But today, he barely gave it a second look. And when he did, it was to get a reaction out of her. She was his whole focus today. Lum couldn't help but smile as she realized that. Darling.. you idiot! He didn't flirt with any girl back during their first date either. It was hard to convince him, but once it was done, there was nothing to worry about. Maybe he's really worried I won't come home if he starts misbehaving! She chuckled. Could he really miss her this much? She slowly walked back toward him, as expected, he didn't move an inch, but it was obvious he was looking for her with his head as he started blushing and looking up once she appeared again.

"Ataru!" She yelled, waving at him. "I trust you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I trust you with all of my heart, I know I can believe you!" She said this, grabbing his arm.

"I get it, stop saying that! It's embarrassing," he said, shaking his arm a bit. His efforts to get her off were half-baked. He wasn't expecting his random comment to have such an effect on her. But still, he wondered if she really meant that. "Thanks, I guess." He said this, shrugging with his elbow.

Lum rested again against the wall, next to him, but this time holding his arm. He was still trying to get her off, but she found that funny.

Soon enough, it was time. They gulped as the doors to the maze opened. The second the gate moved, an evil laugh resonated through the whole horror side of the park. And bats came out of the gates, as if freed. People started to enter, lots of them were running in and laughing. It didn't seem that scary to some. Lum would have run in too if she was alone. But, surprisingly, it was hard to get in. It seems like Ataru wasn't as excited as he thought.

"Come on, Ataru!" Lum said, pulling on his arm. "Let's go in already!"

Ataru, already frozen in fear by the laugh and the bats, could barely speak. "S-s-sure..let's.. just.. give them a head start..." He slowly said.

"Are you okay, Ataru? You look a bit pale." Lum stopped pulling, and now, examining his face, her tone showed how worried she was. Why is he waiting? A big smile lit up her face. Is he trying to get us some alone time?"

The question made Ataru focus. What am I doing? I'm supposed to get a rise out of her, not make her worry! "I'm fine. It's just a strategy..." He took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" he asked in a surprisingly nice tone.

"Mhm." She nodded happily. Darling, you're so cute! In an instant, her demeanor changed as she clung to his arm, a worried look on her face. Ataru has ignored it for now.

The two finally slowly walked in. The maze was dark. They could barely see in front of them. The walls were made of fake hedges. Some were even brown to depict them as dead. People were screaming all around them. It seemed like they could get chased by monsters in there. Ataru's only drive right now is the fact that his Oni date was hugging his arm in fear, so he couldn't be scared. But his whole body was stiff. Lum ignored it all, she enjoyed being able to be so close.

"Say, do you have any tricks for mazes?" Lum asked. It was part of her training to trust him more. She would like to be able to rely on him!

"Shhh, they'll hear us!" Ataru ducked a bit, placing a finger in front of his and Lum's faces. "Just always go right, it's that simple." Ataru whispered.

"Who?" Lum whsipered too, following his lead.

"The monsters of the maze!" Ataru said it in a way too worried tone. Eyes looking everywhere. "If they catch us, it's over!"

Lum blankly stared at him for a few seconds. Was he trying to scare her? A grin appeared on her face for a brief instant as she nuzzled her face in his chest. "Don't say that!" She cried. "It's scary!" She closed her eyes.

It's working! Ataru chuckled to himself, but as quickly as he laughed, he soon realized that he was scared too. "Wa ha ha! Are you scared? Don't!" He tried to reassure her. "I'm not!"

Lum kept her head on his chest for a little while. Ataru couldn't just push her off, so he accepted it. It wasn't that bad, and nobody could see them anyway. They walked like that for a while, taking random turns. One of those turns was a dead end. As soon as they realized this, a contraption started, creating a jumpscare with a pretty loud noise. Ataru screamed in fear for a second but stifled it instantly before Lum could realize anything was wrong.

"Eeeeek!" Lum nozzled harder into his chest. She was secretly smiling and blushing, but Ataru couldn't see that.

"Dumb maze!" Ataru yelled, kicking the wood monster.

Lum's head was slightly backed off, and she looked up at him. "Didn't that scare you?" She asked. She obviously heard his scream.

"Hehehe" He giggled to gain his composure back, then looked down at her. "Surprised me, but nothing scary." He nodded to himself. "Let's go, Lum." He was proud of himself; that was manly!

Lum didn't say a word as she kept her head close to his chest. She wasn't sure if he was scared or not. He was a really good liar—so good that he could hide his true feelings easily. Is he acting tough for my sake? She wondered.

A few minutes had passed in complete silence, apart from the usual screaming and ambient sound of the maze. After a random turn to the left, the two came face-to-face with light. It was one of the actors. He was searching for them. The pumpkin laughed and then ran toward them. Something our couple wasn't aware of was that the jumpscares are meant to also notify the staff of people's whereabouts in the maze. And Ataru's previous scream obviously didn't help.

"Aaaaah, I'm going to eat you!" The pumpkin man yelled, even if the yell was pretty loud, the tone was obviously unenthusiastic.

Lum at first stared at the monster, trying to understand what his costume even was. Ataru was frozen in fear, but instinctively, his body got in front of Lum's. As if he were trying to protect her. The two stayed still as the pumpkin ran toward them.

"Stay right here!" It screamed. It was becoming obvious that he was holding a chainsaw.

Ataru, now terrified, was about to run, but not before she came with him.

"LUM! Wake up!" He yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. She looked up at him, and he considered that enough as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her away, running.

Lum was having fun. "Say, Ataru, what type of monster was he?" She asked in a tone he found surprisingly calm.

"Now's not the time, Lum!" He yelled, looking back at her. Poor girl, She must be shocked.

To keep up, Lum started to slightly float, lowering her weight, so it was easier for Ataru. The pumpkin monster was still following them, but he clearly wasn't as fast as them. Lum found that kind of annoying. She'd rather get back to being clingy. Since Ataru was too busy running for his life to look, she took the opportunity to let her Oni's nature take charge as she let her horns and teeth loose, making the monster freeze in fear. Before he could run again, Lum sent a small shock toward him, intended to slow him down.

"Hitting the staff isn't allowed! Come back here, you two!" The pumpkin yelled in its normal voice. His voice was way scarier this way. Now shocked in every sense of the term, he couldn't keep up with the might of the young couple, and the pumpkin lost them.

Ataru finally decided to stop after a few more long minutes of running. Exhausted, he fell to the ground, only his hand slowly losing its grip on Lum's waist remained, but as he finally let go, she caught his hand.

"Are you okay, Ataru?" Lum asked, caressing his hand.

He was too exhausted to fight her. "Yes.. We should be safe.. here." He said this while taking deep breaths.

"I'm glad you dragged me with you." She tilted her head, smiling. She paused for a second, as if searching for her words. Instantaneously, her face decomposed. "I was so scared! I couldn't move on my own! "She placed her free hand on her heart.

"Don't mention it." He smirked, trying to act cool. Being out of breath, it wasn't as cool as he hoped.

"When it comes to it, you're really protective, Ataru! "She said this, clenching his hand.

"Don't start!" He weakly yelled. The idea of doing that for Lum sickened him; he'd do that for all women, right?" He closed his eyes. "How could I call myself a man if I ever abandoned a young woman in need?"

"Hmph!" She snorted softly. Her grin didn't disappear; he knew what he did for her after all. Still holding his hand, she sat down next to him. "Anyway, what should we do now?"

"Huh?" Ataru slightly slid away from her. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You said it was a perfect attraction for a couple to get alone." She reminded him. "And we're alone now."

Ataru stayed silent, as if he didn't hear.

Lum kept going, noticing he wasn't talking, and got a bit closer. "Nobody's here." She pointed out. "Don't be shy, Darling" She leaned in for a kiss. There was no game anymore at this point in her head.

Ataru's blush was hidden by the maze's darkness. He purposefully misunderstood Lum and stood up, letting go of her hand. It was obvious he acted a bit agitated. His heart was screaming at him to do it—to kiss her back, just this once. But he knew it wasn't a good idea. Not now, not today, and not like this. And not with her, of course! He added, Why wasn't this first?!

"You're right, Lum!" He clenched his fist. "Let's not be shy and waste our time, let's take the maze head-on!"

"Darling!" She pouted hard. Is he making fun of me? She sighted. At least he didn't push me off this time! She stood up, ready to say something else.

He placed one arm behind her, grabbing her shoulder. "Lum." He whispered, in a hopeful tone. "Don't be scared, I have a plan!"

The gesture made her forget about the kiss for a second. At this rate, they'll kiss on the next date for sure anyway! She nodded. "Really?! What is it?"

"Let's follow my instinct!" Ataru grinned. "Lum, use your electricity to light the way ahead!" He added, looking at her

"Oh. But-"

"The most important rule is for you to do what I say." He cut her off and let go of her shoulder.

"Alright!" She was happy he was asking her to use her power for once. It wasn't the first time, but it's rare. "Please, keep me safe, Ataru." She forced a scared tone of voice as she jumped back into his arms.

Ataru was sighted, why did he enjoy this so much? "Don't drag too much." He said it in a calm and warm tone. Even he didn't know he could have such a tone of voice. "Or you'll slow us down!" He placed a hand on her back, as they slowly started walking.

Their plan was easy, Lum would send a small shock ahead to see if the path was a dead end and where it ended. Ataru would make the decision for the two of them. Lum was happily clinging to his arm. And Ataru was standing tall, acting as if unhinged by everything around them. The good thing was that he wasn't thinking too much about the maze anymore. He forbade the use of powers during their dates to enjoy Lum as a person. It worked well. She did use them from time to time, but they were easy to ignore. But now that things were different, he asked her to use them. Usually, he sees them as a tool, something she can use to benefit his life. Never as a real part of who she is. It was easy to separate them and act like Lum, as a woman, was attractive, but an unreachable goal as the Oni was all around. For once, when he sees Lum use them, he doesn't separate the Oni from the girl. He didn't see that as a flaw. I guess it's pretty cool. His heart tried to twist this into being part of her charm, but he ignored it as best as he could. But he didn't say it was wrong. He even somewhat enjoyed this moment of silence, with the two of them aiming for the exit while working together. He enjoyed her presence, even with electricity flying so often. Maybe he could get used to it soon enough. As long as it isn't aimed at him, of course.

Sadly, it seemed like Ataru's instinct wasn't as sharp as he thought, as they often ended in dead ends. Or somehow they got back around to the spot they'd already visited. It was leading nowhere.

As they met another dead end, another jumpscare was activated. Ataru opened his mouth in terror, but Lum's presence made it so he forbade himself to make any sound again. Lum, on the other hand, exaggerated her reaction. "Aaaah! I'm scared!" She subconsciously thought about the way Mendō would scream when scared. That was the most pitiful one she had in stock. The sound of the jump scare alerted a few of the actors.

Ataru petted her head slowly. "D-d-d-don't w-w-worry, it-it-it's just cardboard.. aha..." He didn't act consciously, as his whole body was frozen in terror. Lum enjoyed that a lot still.

"Ataru. Maybe we should change our approach?" Lum slowly said, looking up at him.

He took a deep breath. "What do you mean?"

"We're not making any progress!" She decided to be frank about it.

"Well, excuse me!" He looked away. "Almost like it's the point of a maze to get lost!" He growled.

"I wouldn't mind if my date took advantage of us being lost and alone!" She growled back.

Ataru blushed at her remark. Ignoring it again, apart from a swift "Idiot," that he whispered. "Do you have any better plan to get us out of here anyway?!" He anooyingly asked.

"I do!" She let go of his arm. "But I need to ask something first."

"What is it now?" He looked at her, a bit worried about what she could ask for.

"Ataru, do you trust me?" She looked at him with a serious expression.

Taken aback, Ataru at first tried to keep his cool. "What's with the weird question out of nowhere?" But noticing that Lum wasn't answering and staring at him... he had to answer. Asking his heart, it was easy; the answer was yes. At least he wanted to. She always acted with the best intention in mind, even more toward him as she tried, but failed often, to make him happy. "...I guess I do, yes, why?"

She smiled at his answer. It seemed genuine enough! "Because we'll follow my own instinct."

"What does that have to do with trust?!"

"A lot of things!" She simply smiled at him. "I'll need to concentrate, so you'll help me walk!" She quickly grabbed his arm with her two hands.

"Isn't that what I've been doing this whole time?"

"Yes, but you need to hold me too now!" She explained it in a cheerful tone.

Ataru stared at her when she said that. "It's a trick, isn't it?"

"You said you trusted me!" Lum pouted, she didn't let go of his arm.

He looked ahead. "Fine, let's try your instinct for a while." He placed his hand in his pockets, as she nudged to him. He finally understood what she meant by trust. He placed his other hand on her shoulder. He paid attention to her.