After 6 chapters, here they are! Starting now the chapters focus a bit more on the description and their actions, instead of what they're thinking only! I think it's a really important part of Urusei Yatsura and Ataru's love language in general so I think it's a good idea! Hope you have fun reading this chapter! I'm always open to review and criticism! Thank you!
This chapter cover their arrival at the park, and how fate loves to play jokes on Ataru! They also enter their first ride! And Ataru needs to accept the fact that his feelings were changing, and that today wasn't a girl-hunting day. Today his heart asked for Lum.
Finally taking the last turn, the street they ended up in was far larger, with lots of families passing by. Ataru hesitated to let go of Lum's hand again, but she clenched hard in response, signaling that not this time. The park was in front of them, and it was large. There were still lots of shops all around, almost as if the festival extended into the park. As they approached the entrance, Ataru couldn't help but notice Lum's amazement. Her eyes were gleaming with excitement as she looked all around, trying to guess what types of attractions they had. Ataru had to pull on her hand to be sure she was walking on the ground and not flying away. Soon enough, they arrived at the entrance.
"Lum, I'll go get the ticket." He kept a firm grasp on her hand, until he finally get her attention again
"Oh, yes, sure!" She smield at him, giving him his hand back in the process
"Don't fly away now!" He warned her
"I'm not a kid!" She pouted, as she followed him closely.
The two went for the shortest line in front of them. Even without holding hand, the two kept close to each other.
Ataru approached the reception of the park. The line was fairly short, with multiple ticket sellers allowing for a faster flow of customers. Lum stayed behind him in silence, her only expression being a wide smile as she looked around, full of excitement. Their eyes met a few times, making Lum's smile widen even more. It was quite eerie for Ataru, but he maintained his composure. Usually, he was the one trailing behind a girl, not the other way around. Even worst with Lum. She would usually scream or zap him. But she was just standing here, close to him. It sure was a new experience. Finally, they reached the ticket seller.
"Two tickets, please. Two for young adults." Ataru asked, opening his wallet. He gave a small gulp, thinking about his allowance. Lum stood behind him, her hands behind her back, smiling and looking all over.
"Oh! Are you a couple? We have a special discount with some advantages for young couples if you two are interested," the ticket seller smiled.
This made Ataru flinch; now that was a hard question to answer. If he said yes, Lum would be sure to tell everyone, but he'd get a sweet discount. If he said no, he'd have to pay full price, and he might get zapped by Lum, but he'd keep his pride and she wouldn't win. In the end, the offer was too good to pass up. Or maybe he didn't minded losing this one... He could deal with the Oni running her mouth. "Sure we are, how sweet is this dicount?"
As expected, Lum's mouth opened in surprise. He admitted it! Sure, it probably only was for the discount, but still! "And what are the advantages?" Lum added, unable to hide her excitement, grabbing Ataru's arms, much to his surprise. He asked for it after all, so he didn't bother struggling.
"You get priority access to a few of our rides, such as the boat rides, haunted house, and Ferris wheel, which are popular with couples!" As she was explaining, the ticket seller took out a bag and pulled a few items out of it. "And you get those free matching bracelets and hairbands." She handed the bag to Lum. "As for the price, it's a little over the price of one singular ticket, for the two of you."
Ataru and Lum's faces lit up. It was a really sweet deal – basically the price of one ticket for two? Sold! As for the accessories, he knew he could easily refuse to wear it and save himself the embarrassment. It seemed like there were no drawbacks apart from having to confirm they're a couple at the entrance. Ataru agreed to everything and paid for it. With his new ticket in hand, Ataru chuckled to himself as Lum checked out the hairband. They both turned around, ready to leave, when the ticket seller called them.
"Sir! I forgot, you need to wear the matching accessories before entering. So the staff can recognize the couple." She explained, Lum was already wearing her variant.
"Eh?" Moroboshi gave her a grin as he nodded. But he clearly flinched when he heard that.
Lum was happy hearing that. She knew he wouldn't wear it if he had the choice. "Here, Ataru!" Lum was handing him the blue variant.
The bracelet was simple and looked cheap, with only the park's logo on it. As for the hairband, it looked like a pair of black, circular ears. Lum's ears had a small pink bow on them, the only differentiating detail. Looking around, Ataru noticed all the couples had slightly different variants, with various colors of ears, shapes, and such. With these on, they'd look like an average happy couple going on a date, and there was no way anyone would mistake him for being with someone else besides Lum. At least he could remove them once they got inside. At least he hoped.
Reluctantly, Ataru put everything on. Lum called him "Cute." pointing out how they were wearing matching clothes and all. The embarrassed young man could only manage a flustered yell of "Shut up!" at her before Lum went back to taking his hand. At this point, he couldn't resist anymore – the evidence was already perched on his head.
They quickly got their ticket checked. The staff took the opportunity to give them a reminder about the discount. "It probably won't be an issue." they said, "But please do not remove the ears while going on rides. That way couples are not separated and can stay close to each-other at all times. You two may get separated if not."
Ataru froze, Lum had to drag him in.
It was a rare opportunity. Perfect, I can just remove them and get on rides with some attractive babes instead. And as for Lum... I can just lie and say I'll wear them again near the rides... And yet, he really wasn't feeling like it. He hated those ridiculous ears, loathed them in fact. They were a constant reminder that he wasn't free anymore, that he was stuck with her. Argh... but I just don't feel like it. What's wrong with me? Do I really want to spend the day with Lum? At this point he was even feeling a bit remorseful about his plan. It seemed like Lum was doing something to him. No I don't! But at the same time... I really can't remove them. He placed his hand on the ears, hand shaking, but he couldn't.
The couple walked for a bit, looking around, searching for a good first pick. At least tried, Lum was even more estatic, this place looked great. Of course, she already went to amusement parks before, wether it be on Oniboshi or Earth. But this time was different. Visiting one with her Darling gave the experience a new twist. An excitement she couldn't hide anymore. She wasn't looking for fun rides, but for attractions she could enjoy with him.
"Ataru, Ataru! Let's go to the boat rides first!" Lum pulled him excitedly towards a large section of the park, filled with numerous rides, each boasting its own unique theme. It seemed like a fitting first pick. They just ate after all.
"Sure, it'll be refreshing" It was starting to get hot outside, and the feeling of being with Lum didn't help either, so a relaxing ride would be nice.
Lum looked around at the board having a list of all available weren't a ton of options, but she meticulously examined each name Ataru didn't bother, as long as it had water he didn't care. After a few seconds, her eyes were set on one.
"Let's go to the Love Tunnel!" She exclaimed, trying to drag him as she hurried to it.
Ataru stood his ground and clencher her hand with a bit more strenght, she was stuck in place. "No way!" He yelled
"Come on, Ataru! It's perfect for u-"
"I wouldn't be caught dead in this thing with you!" He yelled again, letting go of her hand and crossing his arms. Ataru was set on this one.
"What do you mean by with you "? Lum wasn't amused "You'd go with someone else?"
"Ah!" Ataru's serious expression instantly went away. The last part of his sentence wasn't planned, it went out without thinking.
Would I? His mind wandered to other girls Would I go with Ran? Or Shinobu? Or Mrs Sakura? Or Oyuki? Or Benten? […]. He instinctively answered Yes, of course! to himself. But the truth is that it felt off. Not wrong, at all, but off, as If something was missing. As if he wouldn't be complete or truthful without it. He'd get pleasure out of it, in a chasing his prey way. But hapiness? He wasn't sure. Ataru tried to stop there, but his mind went for the next logical step. What about Lum? He desperately hoped he could say the same, that the idea felt off, wrong, anything to fit his narrative and calm his conscience. Yet, strangely enough, it felt... right. At least, it didn't felt as weird as going in with anyone else.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked again, taking a step toward him. As she raised her voice could hear a slight bit of anger in her tone.
"I meant it's a boring ride, look!" He blurted out. With his finger, he franticly went from the start to the end of the Love Tunnel, hoping Lum followed his finger with her gaze. "It's probably so boring it could kill us both!" Seeing that her piercing glare was disappearing, Ataru took the opportunity to turn the situation in his favor. "Don't misinterpret what I say on purpose, Lum!" He yelled.
"Aah, I'm sorry! I misunderstood." She flinched in surprise at the realization. "I felt a bit jealous," she awkwardly giggled.
Ataru looked away, with a thoughful look on his face, acting serious, using a reassuring tone "It's fine".
Ataru was taken aback by Lum's sincerity. She was completely honest with him about the way she felt. Was she doing it on purpose? This is why it was so hard to keep his head away, to not look back. He was lying to others and himself so much, Ataru himself wasn't sure what his true feelings were, what he really believed in. But for her it seemed easy, just following her heart. He could never do that. In a way he admired her for that.
"Ataru?" Lum was once again grabbing his hand, trying to have him show any sign of life. "I'm really sorry!" She was giving him puppy eyes with a bright smile, trying to cheer him up. From the Oni point of view his reaction was a bit of an overreaction, but it wasn't worth arguing about today .She already made him go out of his comfort zone by being here with her today, so she didn't mind scrapping the Love Tunnel, at least for today. She did feel a little bad. Her darling was doing his best to not act as he normally does, he didn't even bring his notebook, and yet, she had a hard time trusting him completely. She kept a careful eye on him when they briefly separated during the festival earlier. Lum couldn't get this out of her mind, that he might cheat on her at the first chance he gets. She wasn't too upset after all.
Ataru's eyes widened. "Ah, Lum!" He noticed her hand grabbing his but ignored it. "Don't worry about it, let's go." With one of his signature big grins, he started to walk away, Lum following close behind, holding each-other hand.
"Really? It seemed like you were daydreaming." She seemed worried but her tone had a small bit of anger. What if he was dreaming about going with those other girls? During their date?
Ataru didn't bother looking her way and simply placed his free hand behind his head. "I've just had a bit of trouble sleeping lately, that's all." He wasn't sure if it was connected to his mixed-up feelings all day, but it was a convenient scapegoat at least. "I guess I'm a bit sleepy."
"Oh? When did that start?" Her snirky grin gave out that she already was well aware of when and why, but she wanted to hear it from him.
"A few days ago..." He answered slowly, his eyes narrowing as he was thinking about it. It's always her fault, isn't it?
"Mmhmm," Lum slowly nodded, for once she was glad he wasn't looking at her as she couldn't hide away her growing smile. Oh, Darling! He had trouble sleeping lately. He really does miss me! She knew love was on its way now. But Ataru had to realize and accept that fact too, which was the hardest part. She knew how stubborn he could be about those things. She remembered back then around Christmas, when he asked her to walk, hand in hand, together. She always cherished this moment, but he always acted like he did it as a way to be nice. As a favor for what she did so they could be even. It always made Lum giggle, because each time she asked him about it, he would blush a little, and look away. He never was good with expressing those feelings. "That's weird, I hope our date will help you sleep better!" Ataru simply looked away. If he admitted it was maybe her fault, it would mean their date had a big effect on him. He'd rather never sleep again than let her know that.
They discussed what boat ride they should go to, and they both agreed the "Underwater Experience" seemed fine enough. It was stated to be relaxing, and thankfully, the word "romantic" wasn't present, much to Ataru's relief. As they approached the ride, they could spot a little crowd. Ataru's hand instinctively tried to slip out of Lum's grasp, but she was ready and squeezed tighter. He tried to shake her off, literally, but she used her flight to follow his hand's movement, making her laugh. His intense movements made Lum's hairband fall, which he instinctively caught with his free hand. He had completely forgotten about those things. He threw it back to Lum, who happily placed it back on and clingingly caught the earth boy's hand again. Ataru sighed a little, Whatever he thought. Those hairbands are worst than any hand-holding.
The couple finally were able to join the line. A few meters away, a staff member waved at them. She quickly explained that this ride was part of the couple discount's advantages and they could get in faster. Ataru got a bit worried, But Lum excitemnt overwrote anything he could have said. They both went trough their special line. It was far less crowded. Since it was so close to the normal line, they were easy to notice. A group of 3 male student in particular glared at them, speicifically Lum. "Lucky guy"! "She's gorgeous!", "How clingy!" they whispered to each other. Ataru giggled to himself. It was worth it for times like this. The boat they entered in was built like it was made of wood, with brown and white being the main colors. Probably to fit the theme. It was large enough to fit at least 100 people. There were a few other couples with Lum and Ataru, the staff welcomed them and explained that couples had special sitting on the top floor, as it was more romantic and less crowded. Before Ataru could ask, the staff added they were allowed to go out if they wanted to, and some passengers were also allowed to get in the top floor if some couples stayed down. Of course, couple could separate if they desired to. But they had to choose before the boat departed, since they wouldn't be able to freely go up and down.
"Alright, I'll stay down there then!" Ataru quickly spourted, not giving Lum a chance to say otherwise
"Huh? Why?" Lum gave him a confused look while asking. If the idea was to girl hunt it would be hard. They were still wearing the head-band and such.
"To stay close to the water! Close to the action!" Ataru clenched his free hand, looking over the quiet water "This is how we men are" He explained, with solumn in his voice.
"Ok, I'll be up there then!" Lum tone didn't go to any extreme. She gave him a big smile –Althought you could hear a bit of disapointment in her tone– and let go of his hand, walking up the stairs. Ataru didn't interject, simply nodding. His fake confidence carried him. Lum called him one last time, waving at him a small "See you." As she disappeared up the stairs. He simply starred back, the womanizer removed his hairband, glancing at it briefly. He gave a quick look to the stairs behind him, but shaked his head, before tucking it into his shirt.
As other passengers began to board, he sat on the stairs, arms crossed. He had the perfect opportunity now – he even did it instinctively – So what was he waiting for? The 3 male students from earlier in the line went past Ataru and climbed the stairs to peek, noticing an alone Lum. The group quickly climbed down and stayed in front, discussing with each other and giggling. Ataru decided to ignore them, instead looking around, focusing on his girl-hunt. He noticed another couple that decided to stay down. There were also a lot of alone girls all around.
When Lum arrived on the top floor, alone, she was certain Ataru would join her. She looked around, seeing the other couple sitting together and talking, sometimes having their head against each other's. How romantic she thought, daydreaming about doing the same with Ataru once he arrived. She could have forced him, tried to ask him again. He could have agreed and she knew it. But this was a sort of test. She wanted to know if his heart would allow him to join her. To be true to itself for once.
Down there, the group giggled to themselves and made their way up the stairs, entering the top floor. Ataru tried to walk away, to get away from her as much as possible, not only physically but mentally, to motivate himself to girl-hunt. But his body didn't move. He looked around again; there were a lot of pretty girls too. But today just wasn't a good day for that.
Lum saw the group enter. She recognized them from the line a bit earlier. It wasn't the first time boys tried to approach her when alone, obviously. So she wondered if Ataru noticed. If he did she knew how her darling would react. Before she could daydream more, she was rudely interrupted by the group. As usual, they started to flirt and start a chat with her. Lum simply said "Sorry" and pointed at her hairband, indicating that she had a boyfriend. But they ignored it and continued talking, presenting themselves. She sighed. Darling, I hope you're on your way. I don't want to spend the whole ride with those annoying boys. She could obviously zap them away whenever, but she liked being in a situation where she needed to be saved by Ataru. She wanted to know if he'd do it.
Ataru clenched his fist in rage. A few laughs drifted down from upstairs, causing him to clench even harder. Jealousy bubbled up inside him. "Fine!" he shouted internally. He snatched the hairband and shoved it back on his head before rushing up the stairs.
A staff was in front of the entrance, blocking the way "I'm sorry sir, this floor is fu-"
"My girlfriend's up there!" He yelled, a bit too loud, jealousy being his drive as he wasn't thinking much anymore. He pointed at his hairband, proof he came in with the park as a couple, as he forced his way in.
Everyone was looking at the stairs; they all heard him, even Lum. The group laughed. "What a bad lie!" "He's way too late!" "Idiot!" Lum's eyes were full of stars. If she had listened to herself, she would have taken flight and rushed to the entrance to hug him, but she decided to let him come to her. Like a princess awaiting her prince.
"Ah!" The staff couldn't stop Ataru, not that he wanted to at this point, and simply followed him in.
The top floor had railings all over. There was a long sofa positioned widthwise opposite the stairs; it was long enough that you could sit on a corner. On each side, there are benches accompanied by a few tables. All of the couples were glaring at him; it was hard to not hear his yelling. It didn't take long for Ataru to spot Lum sitting alone in one corner. As expected, the students were sitting around her, trying to chat. Although she was obviously not interested, as she was looking over to the water. You could spot a really small grin on her face, hidden by her hand holding her head. Ataru noticed her pose, it was clumsy, almost like she was looking at the stairs a split second before. I hope she didn't hear that. He gulped. He could notice the the group of student was asking her lots of question, trying to get her to speak. She doesn't look amused he thought. Good thing he showed up after all. "HEY, LUM!". Her grin instantly grew. For once, he didn't care about being heard by others. All he cared about was for Lum to hear him!
She stood up off her seat. She couldn't contain her excitement anymore. "Darling! You came to help me because you were worried! I'm so happy!" and jumped Into his arms, flying a little to close the gap, hugging him on the spot.
"Ah!" His drive quickly shattered, what now? "It was too crowded down there." he explained, not hiding how bad of a lie it was. He wasn't pushing her away either. Enjoying the hug a little.
The staff took a quick look at Lum's hairband, comparing them both. "Alright. Well, I wish you both a good ride." He gave them a warm smile and bowed. The way Ataru yelled at him was enough proof that someone he loved was up there; he's been working there for a while. Aaah To be young and in love, he smiled, quickly walking toward the group of students who were glaring at Lum.
"Where did he come from?" "Why now?" "She was about to give us her name too..." they moaned, as the staff kindly explained that one of them had to go out since the couple had been reunited. They pleaded for a bit, hoping they could stay up there. Looking back, the staff saw that Ataru was struggling to get Lum away, as she was still hugging him tightly. That made him smile, and this cheery scene made him concede. Lovebirds and friend groups—it was too sad to separate them. The group cheered and thanked the staff member, who went back to the stairs.
Once Lum finally decided to let go, Ataru placed his arms around Lum's shoulder. It surprised her a bit. You're soo jealous, Darling, she thought, noticing he was giving quick glares at the boy group. He simply led her to the other corner of the sofa. The other couples were all sitting on the benches as they shared a drink. The sofas were pretty empty; a couple was in the middle, but apart from that, it wasn't as popular. Once our couple sat down, Ataru took his arm away, keeping a small distance from her. But he was standing way closer than usual. At least he tried to, but Lum leaned toward him and placed her head on his shoulder. He pushed her off a few times, but she playfully bounced her head against the sofa head in the opposite direction and went back to his shoulder. The earthling gave up after playing tennis with her head for a whole minute. She didn't say a word, only smiling. Ataru accepted his fate as he sighed and leaned back to the sofa himself. He did give the group, still sitting on the other corner, a small wave and grin. I guess It's not bad either.
Lum didn't bother talking because words couldn't describe her joy; she could have fallen asleep right there and then. Like she sometimes did back home, in his room. She wished this moment could last forever.
"Ataru." She softly called him
"What is it, Lum?"
'"I'm happy."
