I was still reeling from the absurdity of a date at an amusement park, but as I looked out over the grounds Shiro-san had called into existence, I had to admit the scale was staggering. It was easily the size of a major theme park, with so many attractions that I doubted we could see them all in a single day.
I only knew that because I currently held a pamphlet Alice had whipped up. It was incredibly well-made, with numbers assigned to every landmark and clear, concise descriptions. It really made me wonder again if she hadn't originally been from Earth.
Regardless, we arrived at the entrance where Alice was working as the ticket taker. For some reason, I actually had to buy admission tickets before Shiro-san and I could walk through the gates. As we entered, we were greeted by a mascot in a creepy cat costume—one that looked entirely out of place in a happy park—holding a cluster of balloons in both hands. I gave it a brilliant cold shoulder and turned to Shiro-san.
"Um, Shiro-san. Where should we head first?"
"Let’s see. Let us go to the jet coaster. It is a point of pride for me."
"Understood."
Wait, what was that? For some reason, I felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. It was probably just my imagination... at least, I really hoped it was.
In the meantime, that idiot in the kigurumi wouldn't stop trying to get my attention. I told her to behave herself, but she just swapped into a mouse outfit—which was a lawsuit waiting to happen in more ways than one.
"Well, anyway, let's head over to the coaster. It’s that way."
"Please wait, Kaito-san."
"Yes?"
"A dire situation has occurred."
"A dire situation? What happened?"
Just as I started to walk, Shiro-san spoke with a gravity that didn't match her unchanging voice and expression.
"『Both of my hands are empty.』"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Kaito-san and I have become lovers. In other words, we are lovey-dovey."
"Right, I have plenty of things I'd like to say about that, but... in short, what's your request, Shiro-san?"
"Both of my hands are empty."
"..."
"Both of my hands are empty."
Even I finally understood what she was trying to say—and what she wanted. She was determined to make me the one to say it. It was embarrassing, but I knew that if I didn't play along, the usual infinite loop was waiting for me.
"U-Um, Shiro-san... would you like to hold hands?"
"Hmm. If Kaito-san insists, I am not reluctant to do so."
"I really, really want to hold hands with you, Shiro-san."
"I see. Since you desire it so much, I, as your lover, must respond. Now, please take whichever hand you prefer."
I felt a strange sense of defeat as I exhaled a sigh and took Shiro-san’s beautiful right hand. I realized then that while her voice and face hadn't changed, this mood felt familiar.
"Shiro-san, could it be that you’re... high-spirited right now?"
"Yes. I am very high-spirited."
I had learned this the hard way during the Six Kings Festival: an excited Shiro-san was incredibly troublesome in various ways.
"There is no way I wouldn't be. This is a date with you, my beloved, after all."
"Ugh..."
When she put it like that, I couldn't say a word. It was a simple truth, but seeing her so happy made a little bit of trouble feel like a small price to pay. I decided to steel my resolve. I was Shiro-san’s lover now; I had to give my all to meet my cute girlfriend’s expectations.
Since she had pulled the design from my memories, the jet coaster we boarded together was a perfect reproduction. It was massive, and because the Sanctuary was already high in the sky, the drop looked even more terrifying than I had imagined.
"I’m getting a little nervous. At this height, the speed must be incredible..."
"Does height have something to do with speed? I designed it to accelerate with magic power, so I don't believe that is relevant."
"Wait, what?"
I looked at Shiro-san as she tilted her head, and a horrifying thought crossed my mind. Surely she hadn't just copied the shape from my head and then improvised the rest?
"That is exactly what I did."
"Hold on, Shiro-san! If I heard you right, you just said it 『accelerates with magic power』?"
"I did."
"Please tell me the truth... is this thing going to be ridiculously fast?"
Cold sweat ran down my spine. A jet coaster powered by magic, built haphazardly by a god who was currently in a very high-spirited mood... there was no way this would run at a sane speed.
"Please rest assured. I have properly adjusted it to a speed that humankind can withstand."
"Oh, really? Thank goodness."
"Yes. I used Lilia Albert as the standard for what a human could endure."
"She’s the one person you shouldn't use as a reference!"
Why Lilia-san, of all people?! If the speed was based on her, anyone else was going to be turned into mincemeat!
"Is that so? Then let me adjust it slightly."
"Please! We're almost at the top! Hurry!"
"It is finished."
"As expected of Shiro-san! Thank you for working so fast!"
"I reduced the speed considerably. It is now slowed down to 『about ten times the speed of sound.』"
"Let me off of here!"
My screams were useless. The jet coaster carrying Shiro-san and me reached the summit and, in that same instant, left sound itself trailing far behind.
Serious-senpai: "...Farewell, Kaito. I won't forget you."
???: "Well, the Capable Girlfriend Alice-chan added a magic power barrier in secret, and he has the blessing of Shallow Vernal-sama to begin with, so there's really no danger."
Serious-senpai: "...Tch, so close."
Me-o: "..."
Maman: "..."
Serious-senpai: "I'm so glad Kaito is safe! Really! Truly!!!"