NOVEL NEXT chapter 34
Episode 34: Awkward Atmosphere
“Have a good ride!”
Finally, it was our turn, and we got on the roller coaster together. The roller coaster started moving.
At first, the roller coaster sped through a gentle course.
When I glanced at Luna, she was smiling confidently while the surrounding spectators screamed.
Well, I guess she’s not scared since she flies all the time.
Finally, the roller coaster climbed to the steepest zone.
“It’s okay… it’s okay…”
“Hey, are you alright?”
“W-What are you saying? I’m fine…”
“If you say so.”
And then, as the roller coaster reached the top, it descended rapidly.
“Ah!?”
At that moment, Luna gripped my hand tightly.
“Hey, why are you holding my hand———”
I tried to speak, but Rena had her eyes closed in fear and couldn’t hear me.
In the end, we held hands until the very end.
“Are you okay?”
—
“`
“……I’m okay.”
Luna answered, sitting limply on the bench, looking slightly pale.
I never thought she was bad with thrill rides… It’s surprising.
“Here, I bought some water. Drink it and calm down for now.”
“Yes… Thank you…”
She took the bottled water from me and slowly drank it.
Even the way she drank water was beautiful and mystical, and if this were an advertisement, the water would sell incredibly well.
“Phew…”
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for causing you trouble…”
“It’s fine. It’s only natural for a man to take care of a woman during a date.”
At least, that’s what I read on the internet yesterday.
“Hehe, thank you.”
“Do you want to rest a bit more?”
“No, I’m fine now. Let’s go.”
“Alright, then here.”
I gently offered my hand to Luna.
“W-what are you doing…?”
“I’d be troubled if you fell. It’s better to hold on for a while, right?”
“Well… that’s true… then I’ll take you up on your offer…”
“Yeah.”
Luna took my hand and smiled happily.
We walked in silence for a while.
Come to think of it, I read on the internet yesterday that staying silent during a date is a big no-no… I should say something…
“By the way, a lot of people around here are wearing ears.”
“Huh? You’re right.”
“Since we’re here, why don’t you try wearing them too, Rena?”
Honestly, I just wanted to see Luna with animal ears! But I kept that to myself.
Of course, she didn’t agree so easily and gave me a suspicious look.
“You want me to wear that…?”
“`
—
“Ah, I think it suits you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it definitely suits you. So let’s go pick one out.”
“…Alright.”
With Luna’s permission, we stepped into the shop.
Inside, there were various headbands modeled after different characters’ ears, and many of them seemed to suit Luna.
Now, this is a serious matter.
From among the many options, something that would suit Luna—
“Then, I’ll go with this one.”
“Huh? You’ve already decided?”
What Luna was holding was a headband modeled after the main character of this amusement park, and it was one of my top choices too.
“Isn’t it nice? I think it suits you.”
“Thanks. By the way, you’re buying the same one, right?”
“Me too?”
“Are you planning to make me wear it alone?”
I never expected it to come back to me like this… but I do want to see Luna with animal ears… I guess I’ll just go along with it.
“…Alright, I’ll go buy it.”
“Money—”
“It’s fine, let me show off a bit here.”
“I see… thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Receiving Luna’s thanks, I headed to the register.
◇
“So, how is it? Does it suit me?”
“Wow! It looks amazing on you.”
As expected, the animal ears suited Luna perfectly. These animal ears were probably made to be worn by magical girls.
Yes, that must be it.
“So… that’s good… you look great too.”
“Really? I wasn’t sure how it would look on a guy…”
“No, it looks really good on you. But… we’re getting a lot of attention…”
—
—
As Luna said, the people around were captivated by her.
Luna, who was already beautiful, had become even cuter. There was no way she wouldn’t stand out.
“…Can I take it off after all?”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“When I thought I was being watched, I suddenly became embarrassed… There’s no one who wouldn’t feel embarrassed——”
At that moment, a woman wearing adorable cat ears was sitting on a bench in front of us.
“What should I ride next…? I sneaked out of work, so I have to enjoy it until I get caught———”
At that moment, our eyes met.
“……”
“……”
“……”
And then, silence fell.
An awkward atmosphere filled the air.
Luna awkwardly looked away from the woman.
The woman, too, seemed completely frozen, not expecting to see an acquaintance in such a place.
“…Shall we go?”
As we tried to leave in silence, a hand grabbed my shoulder.
“…Let’s go have some tea.”
The woman, Kiryuuin Setsuna, also known as Elisabeth, said with a serious expression.