A gentle breeze stirs the waves

Yisha paid no mind to the proprietor; in her eyes, he would only hinder her performance at this moment.

Shido stood there like a statue, his gaze fixed as he bore witness to what promised to be a truly historic moment.

“Hey! Sir, hey!”

The young man snapped back to reality at the second call, turning to face the person beside him.

“Sir, this young lady is your companion, isn’t she?”

The proprietor asked in a sly, hushed tone.

“Yes, is there something amiss?”

Shido vaguely guessed what the proprietor wanted from him.

At the rate Yisha was playing, the grand prizes in the ultimate pool would be completely claimed in less than ten minutes. At that point, the proprietor would likely have to pack up and go home, for without the allure of the ultimate pool, who would bother to play?

“Handsome, please accept these as a token of my sincerity. I assure you, you won’t leave due to a lack of funds. So, could you two please leave this area?”

The proprietor’s voice was thick with tears. He had operated this stall for four years, and aside from a certain little girl in the past, this was the second person to cause him such a massive loss. And this one was far more ruthless!

“Alright.”

[The correct choice. If this continues, we might not even get a chance to increase her favorability.]

Kotori’s voice echoed in his ear, and Shido, with a sudden realization, quickly made his way to Yisha’s side.

The young woman was meticulously adjusting her angle, the reflection of the approaching young man visible in the mirror to her front-side.

“Ah, Shido, you’ve arrived just in time. What do you want? I’ll get it for you.”

The proprietor’s resentment towards Shido instantly surged to its peak. Feeling the gaze behind him, as if he were to be pierced by a thousand arrows, Shido let out a helpless sigh.

“That one, I suppose. The one at home needs replacing anyway.”

Yisha’s face registered utter surprise, for Shido was pointing to a household microwave oven!

“I never would have thought you were so domestically inclined.”

She mumbled casually, then tossed the last ring in her hand into the air.

The circle, swayed by the wind, veered slightly off course as it spun, before settling steadily onto the small tower of rings surrounding a cola bottle.

“Miss, would you like home delivery?”

The proprietor stepped forward, forcing a professional smile onto his face as he asked cautiously.

“Shido, yours is your decision. As for mine, yes, I want it delivered.”

Yisha nodded earnestly, simultaneously sending a message on her phone.

[I got you some things. Just wait by the door to collect them later.]

After the two concluded the delivery arrangements with the proprietor, they relocated their activities to the roller coaster.

‘Today is no different from any other, unless one considers the information conveyed by a girl’s intuition to be a significant deviation!’

Jeans, a T-shirt layered with a light blue shirt, sunglasses, and a baseball cap—this was Origami’s attire for the day.

As for the binoculars hanging around her neck, let’s momentarily overlook them.

Origami’s unusual outfit stemmed directly from the aforementioned ‘girl’s intuition.’

‘Shido, with some unfamiliar person, could it be…?’

In mere moments, Origami’s exceptional intellect conjured dozens of possibilities. The most probable scenario, she concluded, was that Shido had been threatened by that shameless woman and was now wandering through the amusement park.

Furthermore, she imagined elaborate traps laid out everywhere, just waiting for Shido to step into them, at which point the woman would ‘make a man’ out of him!

‘No, I must stop her! Only I can make a man out of Shido!’

With unprecedented resolve, Origami embarked on her mission.

In a shadowy corner, a young woman gnashed her teeth, staring intently at her phone—or more precisely, at the words displayed on its screen.

[Who asked you to send me things?! Focus on your date!]

To ‘hate iron for not becoming steel’ was the perfect idiom to describe Yina’s current mood.

She furtively peered at Yisha, who was a hundred meters away, and couldn’t help but bite her lower lip.

‘It’s bad enough that she’s usually so oblivious in matters of the heart, but why is she still so dense even on a date?’

Yina felt that making her sister understand another’s feelings was akin to asking a monkey to climb a tree—not impossible, but exceedingly difficult.

Normally, Yisha only interacted with Yina, the children, and the director. The children’s emotions were always plainly visible, Yina herself would voice her displeasure, and as for the director, they only intervened if Yisha had a major problem.

Thus, Yisha never needed to perceive the hidden emotions of others, allowing her to maintain her usual obliviousness. And now, that very trait was shining brightly.

Noticing Yisha and Shido begin to move, the young woman pulled her cap lower and emerged from the shadows to follow them.

The black-haired young woman and the blue-haired young man halted before an attraction.

It was a roller coaster, a project known for its adrenaline-pumping, multi-sensory stimulation, and incessant screams.

Yisha tilted her head, her face devoid of expression, seemingly displeased with the roller coaster.

“Perhaps we should choose something else?”

Observing Yisha’s expression, Shido offered a suggestion. After all, they were on a date, not seeking a rush of pure exhilaration.

“When people feel a certain sense of danger, they unconsciously lean on those beside them. Sometimes, this reliance can evolve into other feelings. Are you sure you don’t want to try? I’ll close my eyes for five seconds. I hope you’re still here when I open them.”

A faint smile appeared on the young woman’s face as she provocatively raised an eyebrow at Shido.

[She’s practically challenging you! Shido, go for it!]

The corner of the young man’s eye twitched slightly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his own sister was the one being provoked.

Yisha’s lips curved upward slightly. When the five seconds passed, she opened her eyes.

“Not leaving? Most people are quite afraid of roller coasters. I assumed you were one of them.”

“Unfortunately, I am not among that number.”

The young man, full of youthful spirit, waved his hand, indicating he was perfectly fine and capable.

“Well then, I’ll look forward to it, shall I?”

After confirming the feasibility of her prank in her mind and suppressing a chuckle, the young woman skipped towards the ticket booth with her hands clasped behind her back.

A short while later, the two were seated on the roller coaster, awaiting the starting bell.

“Shido, have you ever heard of a safety hazard concerning roller coasters?”

As they sat in the front row, looking around to pass the time, Yisha seemed to spot something alarming and addressed Shido.

“What kind of hazard?”

From childhood to adulthood, the young man had truly never heard of any roller coaster safety hazards.

The young woman didn’t reply. Instead, she reached behind Shido’s head, then withdrew her hand, opening her palm to show him what was on it.

“A nut. What kind of hazard is this?”

The young woman’s expression was grave, as if she were looking at an idiot.

The bell rang, and the roller coaster surged forward like a striking python.

“Stop it! Your safety bar is missing a nut!”

Yisha screamed at Shido at nearly the top of her lungs.

Initially, Shido didn’t understand what she meant, but once he did, cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

Her words were akin to driving on a road knowing your brakes might fail, with no seatbelt or airbags—your life entirely dependent on the brakes’ mood!

“Help me!!!!!”

Realizing his predicament, Shido screamed for help with all his might, but amidst the cacophony of screams on the roller coaster, his voice was utterly minuscule.

[Shido, calm down. There’s nothing wrong with your safety bar.]

The languid female voice from his earpiece pulled Shido back from his panic. Seeing this, Yisha pouted.

“What happened? Why would you say that?”

Though the roller coaster continued its tumultuous ride, with the scenery flipping upside down, Shido gradually calmed down.

“I lied to you. That nut was from when I fixed the Realizer yesterday. I just picked it up from the table today.”

Yisha knew her little trick had been exposed, so she simply gave up and confessed.

“Haha You scared me to death, Yisha! Can we please not make jokes like that? They’re terrifying!”

Shido savored the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet once more, his thighs trembling uncontrollably. He struggled to suppress the urge to collapse onto the pavement.

“?”

Hearing the young man’s words, Yisha looked a little bewildered, but she didn’t delve into it further.

“I’m very sorry. I was wrong.”

She bowed in a swift apology. Yisha understood clearly that this went beyond a mere prank, though she was somewhat surprised that Shido hadn’t unleashed a furious tirade or endless complaints as she had imagined. In her memory, even Yu Yun wouldn’t easily let her off for such a malicious act.

‘A very strange fellow.’

Helpless, Yisha could only conclude this.

“It’s fine now. I’m perfectly alright, aren’t I?”

Shido waved his hand, indicating there was no need to be so tense. However, Yisha’s eyes narrowed slightly.

[Idiot!]

Kotori’s scolding made Shido freeze.

[Are you saying it only matters if something does go wrong?! If Yisha had been even slightly more malicious, you might genuinely be dead right now!]

Yisha’s earlier thought aligned perfectly with Kotori’s: they were fine now only because nothing had gone wrong, but if something had…

The commander wasn’t keen on continuing that discussion and decisively changed the plan. However, the new strategy required Shido to separate from Yisha first.

“Sorry, Yisha, I need to use the restroom.”

“Oh, I’ll wait for you here.”

Yisha watched him depart, a faint flicker of guilt stirring in her mind.

‘Is he really thinking the same as me? No, probably not. How could such a silly person possibly be that clever?’

Upon this thought, Yisha let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Indeed, Shido had been thoroughly shaken by Yisha. Even now, his thighs were still trembling, and he almost lost his footing and stumbled into the restroom.

However, Shido’s fright was not entirely in vain. Following the roller coaster incident, the personnel on Fraxinus quickly devised an alternative dating plan, though the most crucial aspect was the lack of communication.

[Based on your conversation with Yisha on the roller coaster just now, she seems capable of knowing the content of our discussions with you. While it sounds fantastical, we still haven’t determined what her Angel is, making it difficult to rule out her using it to avoid being ‘sealed.’]

“So, I’m on my own for the rest of this?”

[Yes. Have you memorized the new plan? Then channel your theatrical prowess from back in the day and go spread your love to this world!]

The communication cut off, leaving Shido utterly mortified. The ‘lines’ Kotori referred to were vows he had penned during a severe phase of chuunibyou. The original version, he recalled, was: ‘Oh, Dark Flame Master, go forth and spread your wrath upon this world!’

‘Ugh, why did I ever come up with such things?! They’re embarrassing to recall, my sister uses them to threaten me, and now they’re being used against me. They’re utterly useless!’

So, stay away from chuunibyou, and you won’t have the same experience (chuckles).

Having concluded the amusement park operation, Shido returned to their designated meeting spot once he had fully memorized the new plan.

However, upon arriving, he encountered the source of all his woes.

“Yo, little lady, all alone? How about coming with us uncles to have some fun?!”

A burly thug stood before Yisha, adopting a ‘king of the world’ demeanor, his voice laced with overt lust. His subordinates had cleared the area around the young woman, leaving only them, Yisha, and the newly returned Shido.

“Oh? Then, how about we go talk over there?”

Yisha smiled faintly, leading the way towards a deep, narrow alley nearby.

“Little lady, you understand, don’t you? Big brother likes your type!”

The thugs followed her into the alley. Seeing this, Shido quickly trailed after them, grabbing a wooden plank on his way in.

The alley twisted and turned, and even with Shido risking exposure multiple times, he nearly lost sight of them.

‘What exactly is Yisha doing? Running so far makes it difficult to even call for help.’

Shido repeatedly imagined himself charging into the enemy, breaking the stalemate, and whisking Yisha away. Yet, reason told him it was impossible.

After numerous turns, the group ahead finally stopped. Shido hid behind a crate, quietly listening to their conversation and occasionally peeking at them.

What puzzled him, however, was that the thugs merely surrounded Yisha without making any aggressive moves. Moreover, Yisha had nonchalantly sat down! Who was actually surrounded here?

Suppressing the urge to complain, Shido stealthily moved, gradually positioning himself behind the closest crate behind the thugs.

“That’s all. Can we go now, Big Sis?”

This was a bombshell right off the bat, leaving Shido somewhat astonished. Had Yisha already ‘dealt’ with them during his pursuit? Otherwise, why would they be calling her ‘Big Sis’ now?

He regretted not being able to contact Fraxinus; he desperately wanted to know what was going on!

“You may go. Work hard, and I’ll come check on you another day.”

“Eh, how could we trouble Big Sis with that? We’ll definitely do a good job, you can rest assured.”

“That’s right, that’s right, we’ll definitely work hard, very hard.”

Under Yisha’s command and the thugs’ agreeable responses, they departed—and did so with an urgency that suggested they feared being ‘eaten’ if they lingered.

“Shido, was it entertaining?”

Yisha’s cool voice reached him. Shido knew he had been discovered long ago. He emerged from his hiding spot and stood, facing Yisha.

“Were they subdued by you?”

Combining the previous situation with their words, Shido could only conclude that these thugs had been subdued by Yisha and subsequently reformed.

“Not subdued. If one has stable employment, who would willingly choose a life without any security? It was merely a mutual exchange.”

The young woman gazed at their retreating figures, a flicker of pity rising in her heart, though she quickly extinguished it.

“As for you, you followed us all this way. If I hadn’t said to ignore you, you might already be on your way to the hospital! Can’t you take better care of yourself? You’re the one who can seal the Spirits’ powers, possibly the only one in the entire world. If anything were to happen to you, who would save the Spirits?!”

Yisha launched into a rapid-fire lecture. Though it sounded harsh, Shido understood that Yisha was speaking for his sake and for their common goal.

However, he disagreed with Yisha’s assertion.

Clenching his hand, the young man met the young woman’s light chestnut eyes, stating firmly, “If I didn’t come, how could I speak of saving the Spirits?”