"Kaguya, Ishigami, Haruto! Let's go to the amusement park!"
Fujiwara Chika suddenly burst out with an excited shout, abandoning—for the moment—her entire obsession with Phantom Thieves, encrypted ciphers, detective fantasies, and whatever strange theories she'd been breeding in her head these last few days.
Her desire for mystery-solving had hit a dead end.
After all, even the mighty Chika Fujiwara could not keep hyper-focusing forever.
So, at the end of her Kanagawa travel guide—after flipping through pages upon pages of shrines, beaches, food stalls, historic sites—she saw one particular word.
Amusement park.
Her eyes lit up like floodlights.
Her soul instantly resurrected.
And her mouth moved before she even realized it.
"Kanagawa… has an amusement park?"
Ishigami Yū muttered.
If it were any other day, Ishigami would already be edging toward a breakdown—especially after last night's… "hot spring incident," where the group dynamic had become so dense and tangled it might as well have been physical fog.
But today, the mood was… strange.
A little too subtle.
A little too quiet.
A little too loaded.
And Ishigami Yū—ironically the most cowardly member of the group—felt that if someone didn't speak up soon, the silence might actually kill him.
So, he manned up once again.
Even if no one asked.
Shinomiya Kaguya sat stiffly, fingers folded in her lap.
Her aura today was noticeably muted, almost gray. She was clearly still replaying last night in her head.
Why did I go to Haruto's room?
Why didn't I knock?
Why… did things get like that?
Even Chika, who was oblivious 99% of the time, had noticed the faint storm cloud over Kaguya's head.
But last night's events were mutually ignored by everyone.
A silent pact.
No one mentioned the fact that all four of them—Kaguya, Fujiwara, Ishigami, and Iino—showed up at Haruto's door with the same excuse, and that the entire thing devolved into a tense, wordless retreat when they realized Haruto had already left the room.
Each one blaming themselves internally.
Each one pretending nothing happened today.
Haruto, meanwhile, was staring at a promotional poster.
Hoshino Ai's Kanagawa Tour: Special Outdoor Live – This Week, Saturday!
Apparently, the tour would also include this very amusement park.
And judging by the streets growing busier and busier, many of the people outside were already fans gathering early.
By Saturday, Kanagawa would basically explode into the biggest tourism boom it had ever seen.
Which meant:
If they wanted to play without waiting two hours for the roller coaster… now was the time.
"Look here!" Fujiwara flipped her guide around. "Even though it's not super famous, the travel book says this amusement park has everything! Roller coaster over sixty meters tall! A huge pirate ship! A super scary drop tower! We HAVE to go!"
Her sparkling enthusiasm was practically nuclear.
But no matter how excited she was, Fujiwara going alone would be depressing.
Even she knew that.
Shinomiya Kaguya stared at her silently.
Amusement park…? Am I supposed to… enjoy machinery dragging me around?
Her heart wasn't moved at all.
Even the haunted house didn't tempt her.
If I wanted to feel fear, Kaguya thought, the containment floor in the Foundation's site is more effective than actors with bad makeup.
She would never say that out loud, of course.
Then Fujiwara said something dangerous.
"I read that a lot of boys and girls get together after visiting this haunted house. You know, the effect…"
Kaguya's eyes twitched.
"Oh, the suspension bridge effect?" Ishigami replied immediately. "Classic psychological phenomenon."
Iino Miko inhaled sharply.
She clearly wanted to moralize or say something about shame.
Ishigami grabbed her shoulder before she could speak.
Not today.
Today was NOT the day for moral justice speeches.
But before Fujiwara could finish her sentence…
"Okay! Let's go to the amusement park!"
Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly shot up from her seat.
Everyone stared at her, stunned.
A moment ago she was gloomy and quiet.
Now she was radiating energy like she'd been resurrected by lightning.
Kaguya realized she had made too big a reaction and quickly sat back down, clearing her throat.
"I just… think it's a good idea."
And so, the decision was made.
Of course, the amusement park group expanded.
When Haruto asked Kato Megumi, Yuigahama Yui, and Yukinoshita Yukino, all three decided to come along.
Vignette wanted to drag Gabriel along.
That ended instantly.
Gabriel, who barely left the hotel room, was never going to walk through the streets of Kanagawa.
Vignette, having lost her only anchor, gave up as well.
They traveled using the Shinomiya family car—a luxurious black sedan with a polished interior, built-in fridge, reclining seats, car TV, and a soft temperature-controlled environment.
Kaguya and Ishigami didn't react.
This level of luxury was normal for them.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat like it was her living room couch.
Megumi looked calm, as always, subtly amazed but not overwhelmed.
And then—
Yuigahama Yui.
Miss Dango.
She sat rigidly like a terrified rookie employee visiting the CEO's mansion for the first time.
Eyes darting.
Hands stiff.
Afraid to touch anything.
Afraid to BREAK anything.
She wanted to talk to Megumi and Yukino.
But then she remembered:
Oh right. Yukinoshita-san is a high-class young lady too… And Kato-san looks too composed…
Miss Dango shriveled emotionally in the corner.
When they got out of the car:
"Are you carsick?" Haruto asked gently.
"No…" Yuigahama wilted. "I just feel kind of… out of place. Everyone's so calm in a luxury car and I'm the only one acting like a tourist. It feels embarrassing…"
Haruto patted her shoulder.
"People can't choose their origins. The only thing you can do is focus on what's within reach. Differences in background don't matter if you keep moving forward."
Yuigahama brightened instantly.
Yes! She was a Sobu High School student! She could work hard too! Her future could—
Then her brain clicked.
Wait… They're also Sobu High School students. And they're way smarter than me…
The fiery resolve died instantly.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she tugged Haruto's sleeve.
Haruto sighed, patting her head.
Poor girl.
Smart enough to understand the gap.
Not quite smart enough to overcome it.
So head pats would do.
Unfortunately—
Several pairs of eyes burned holes into her skull.
Especially one Shinomiya Kaguya, quietly biting her tongue in jealousy.
"Ah! It's Hasaka!" Fujiwara suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone turned.
A strikingly handsome boy approached, holding their pre-purchased tickets.
Smith A. Hasaka.
In other words—
Hayasaka Ai in disguise.
The omnipotent maid, the master of personas, the girl who could switch between elegant lady, gyaru, boyish cool beauty, or a refined maid in seconds.
In Fujiwara's "setting," she was:
A handsome male orphan from the Warring States period, adopted by the Shinomiya family, and Kaguya's loyal personal butler.
And—somehow—a pretty boy who likes boys.
A bizarre, incomprehensible character profile.
But entirely necessary.
Because Fujiwara's chaos attribute was so terrifying that anything less would cause catastrophes.
For safety, Hayasaka always met Fujiwara as a good-looking boy.