The three rushed out through the university's main gate. Damian, leading, didn't slow his pace; Kaguya, maintaining her impeccable composure but slightly unsettled, tried to keep up, while Yukino, still flushed from all the attention they had drawn, walked with a mix of resignation and irritation.
As soon as they turned a corner, the sound of traffic and the trembling of the ground announced the nearby subway station.
Without stopping, Damian led them to the entrance. They hurried down the stairs almost running.
On the platform there were only a few people; a couple of office workers were checking their phones and a student yawned with headphones on. Out of nowhere, Damian slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket and, as if by magic, pulled out a visor cap and a pair of dark sunglasses.
Then, without anyone noticing the exact moment, a white face mask also appeared.
Kaguya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is this…?"
Yukino looked at him too, clearly confused but trying not to show it.
"Preventive measures," Damian replied as he adjusted the visor. His voice came out slightly muffled behind the mask. "This way no one will recognize us and there won't be any trouble."
Kaguya and Yukino nodded. It made sense. With Damian's fame, going out uncovered was inviting chaos.
Just then, the arrival signal of the train sounded. The air in the tunnel shifted with the train's movement as it came in. The three boarded quickly and found an empty long seat.
Without thinking much, Damian sat in the middle, Kaguya took the spot to his right, while Yukino, after a second of hesitation and a sigh, let herself drop to his left.
The car started with a gentle rattle.
Yukino smoothed her skirt with meticulous calm and let her gaze get lost in the blurred reflection on the window glass.
"..."
After a long silence, she muttered, "How absurd. The student council president and one of the best students in Economics skipping classes together… incomprehensible."
Damian didn't open his eyes; he leaned back more comfortably against the seat, relaxed, as if the rattling of the train was lulling him. But the slight curve at the corner of his lips betrayed his amusement.
Kaguya seemed motionless, but her eyes shifted toward the window. There, between the reflections and the landscape rushing past, a faint gleam was hard to hide: a small emotion.
It was the first time in a long while that she had broken a rule like this… and doing it with Damian by her side made her heart beat to a new rhythm.
Yukino suddenly turned her head, uncomfortable with the silence. Her brow furrowed and her tone grew inquisitive.
"Eh… Damian."
He opened one eye.
"Where exactly are we going?" Yukino pressed, her voice mixing curiosity and suspicion. "Don't tell me you're planning to sell us."
Damian let out a brief laugh behind the mask and slowly turned his head toward Kaguya, who seemed ready to pretend calm but whose eyes were shining with anticipation. Then he looked back at Yukino and shrugged with a mysterious air.
Before he could answer, the train began to slow down.
"We're here," Damian said simply.
He stood up and, naturally, extended a hand to each of them to help them rise before the train came to a full stop.
They exited the car and walked through a couple of hallways, climbing stairs and crossing increasingly crowded streets. The atmosphere began to change: colorful lights, the smell of cotton candy and popcorn, laughter echoing from afar.
Suddenly, in the distance, unmistakable silhouettes appeared: pointed rooftops painted in bright colors, the metallic frame of a roller coaster, and the slow but imposing turn of a Ferris wheel cutting into the sky.
Both girls looked up at the same time.
"An amusement park?"
"An amusement park!?"
Kaguya and Yukino spoke almost simultaneously, but their voices sounded so different it was as if they were describing two opposite worlds.
Kaguya's usually serene eyes lit up at once, filling with a sparkling glow. Without realizing it, she squeezed Damian's hand a little tighter and leaned forward, like a kitten drawn to a new toy.
An amusement park!
It wasn't unfamiliar to her, but every time she had gone it was as a porcelain ornament: surrounded by maids and bodyguards repeating "maintain your composure," "watch your clothes," "don't do improper things." Always watching from afar those who could run, scream, and laugh without worrying about anything.
Now, instead, she was here, without chains, without a suffocating entourage behind her. For the first time she felt this bustling, colorful world was accessible.
Her heart sped up.
Yukino, on the other hand, froze completely. In her ice-blue eyes appeared a rare mix of bewilderment and… disdain?
An amusement park? She had gone only once, as a child, dragged by her parents, and all she remembered was heat, crowds, exaggerated screams, and the nauseating smell of cotton candy. Everything had seemed chaotic and senseless.
She couldn't understand what kind of plan Damian had: so much secrecy, so much preparation, even skipping school with all eyes on them… and all to end up in a place she considered childish? What was the purpose?
She couldn't understand!
While one was full of anticipation and the other of skepticism, Damian calmly took off the mask and sunglasses, and his bright smile appeared.
"So…" he said, looking at Kaguya, "So, Kaguya, ready to experience 'happiness'?"
Kaguya took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, but the glow in her eyes betrayed her and the corners of her lips lifted.
"Damian-kun's plan… turns out to be unexpectedly appealing."
She didn't say "I want to" or "I don't want to," but her gaze already gave her away.
Yukino let out a small huff, crossing her arms coldly. "Damian, your time and energy should be spent on more meaningful things, like going back to class."
"Meaningful?" Damian raised an eyebrow and gave a crooked smile. Without giving her a chance to retract, he tightened his fingers slightly around theirs and moved forward decisively toward the ticket booth.
"This is meaningful. Being 'senseless' for a while is also living. Let's go."
Yukino tried to stop, but her feet ended up matching the pace. With each step she saw children holding balloons, couples taking pictures, laughter filling her ears; everything was bright and warm, and though she frowned, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"Ridiculous. Childish," she murmured.
Damian pretended not to hear and with quick efficiency had already bought three unlimited passes, handing them over before anyone could protest.
"First stop, the carousel," he pointed out with an energy that left no room for discussion. In front of them, the two-story Carousel spun slowly under a sea of multicolored lights and a childlike melody.
Kaguya stopped for a moment to look at him, and her gaze softened. It was a scene she had only seen on television during her adolescence. Without realizing it, she had already taken a few steps forward.
Yukino stayed behind, staring at the colorful horses going up and down with children and adults laughing. In her eyes there was pure resistance and a clear "this doesn't fit my image." "Damian, I think that we…"
"Are you scared?"
Yukino straightened at once, red with indignation.
"How could I be! I just think it's a waste of time."
"Then don't waste time and get on." Damian was already mounted on a white horse. He extended his hand toward them with total ease.
Kaguya hesitated just a moment, but then took the offered hand. She lifted her skirt slightly to sit down carefully and gracefully, though there was a charming nervousness on her face.
Yukino glanced sideways at the two of them so enthusiastic, then let her gaze wander into the cheerful atmosphere surrounding her: laughter, lights, the sound of music.
In the end, though she tried to resist, an imperceptible curiosity she didn't want to admit began to gain ground over her obstinacy.
With a gesture that looked like silent surrender, she moved a little and chose a black horse in the back, the most sober and serious one she could find, as far as possible from Damian and Kaguya.
She sat with her back rigid, chin high and hands firm on the cold rail, as if she were there to fulfill an uncomfortable duty rather than to have fun.
The music began to play and the carousel started moving.
On the white horse in front, Kaguya swayed gently with the rhythm, the afternoon breeze playing with some loose strands of her hair and the golden sunset light caressing her face.
Little by little, the smile she had tried so hard to hide broke through and became genuine.
Yukino, on the black horse behind, remained upright with a sculpted expression, determined not to show any emotion.
But when the carousel reached its highest point and the view opened suddenly —the Ferris wheel against a sky painted in gold, the castle in the distance lit like a dream— her mouth drew, just for an instant, a curve so slight it could have been an illusion.
But she immediately recovered her serious look, though the small spark was already there, hidden somewhere inside her.
Damian, attentive even among laughter and colors, turned his head just in time to see Kaguya's overflowing joy and also that fleeting instant when Yukino had let herself be touched by the magic of the place.
A small satisfied smile formed on his face before the carousel stopped.
When they got off, Damian seemed like a natural guide. He led them to an ice cream stand with colorful sprinkles; Yukino murmured sternly that it had "too much sugar," but still ate slowly. Kaguya, tempted by the sweetness, bit into a cloud of cotton candy delicately and her eyes closed for an instant, surprised by how soft and sweet it was.
The atmosphere grew more and more relaxed, intimate, even surrounded by people.
In front of a small stand filled with sparkly accessories and ribbons, Damian suddenly stopped and turned to Yukino.
"Don't move."
Before she could ask what he was doing, his large hands had already reached her perfectly kept black hair.
With quick movements, he divided it into two sections and, in a couple of sure gestures, tied it into two neat high ponytails.
"You…!" Yukino's eyes widened with annoyance and confusion, while a blush began to spread from her cheeks to her ears.
This was a hairstyle she sometimes used in private because it was practical, but she would never have shown it in public.
"Childish…" she muttered at last, turning her face awkwardly to hide her embarrassment.
Damian smiled without giving it importance and turned to Kaguya.
Carefully, he undid the perfectly arranged bun she always wore, and her silky hair fell in a cascade over her shoulders.
"..."
For a moment, Kaguya stayed still, as if she didn't know whether to stop him or let him continue.
"Come," he said, and with patience gathered her hair into a high, loose ponytail, letting a few rebellious strands fall and soften her face.
"You're more comfortable like this," Damian commented, evaluating his "work" with satisfaction.
Kaguya blinked in surprise and brought her hand to the ponytail, feeling the new weight. Without the stiff bun, some of the solemn Miss Shinomiya disappeared, replaced by a bright freshness she herself noticed as she moved her head.
Without realizing it, both girls were slowly beginning to sink into the relaxed atmosphere Damian had created and into the lively joy typical of an amusement park. Yukino, though her expression remained restrained, seemed to have slightly softened the corners of her lips.
Meanwhile, Kaguya's smile was becoming more and more genuine and natural; she even pointed out some attractions from time to time.
After a calm ride on the tourist boat, Damian, a little ahead, checked his wristwatch.
11:30
Exact time.
The peaceful smile he had worn during the ride changed without warning. His features tensed just slightly and a cunning spark crossed his gaze, like someone who had been waiting hours for the right moment to strike.
"Good," he said in a casual voice, though his eyes were shining with excitement. "Break time's over. Time for the main course."
Before either of them could ask, he snapped his fingers and added with sudden energy, "When we finish this, our class escape will be officially legendary."
Without giving them time to react, he took Kaguya's hand naturally and grabbed Yukino's wrist before she could protest. Pulling them firmly through the crowd of the park, without yet revealing where he was taking them.
They walked for a few minutes until a colossal shadow loomed over them.
A roar of steel, screams rising and falling like waves, and the hiss of wind hitting metal rails filled the place.
Before them stood an enormous roller coaster, twisted like a serpent, with drops that seemed to touch the sky and turns that defied all logic.
"...."
The calm smiles left on their faces froze instantly. Both looked up at the same time, following the tracks disappearing at dizzying angles.
The screech of the cars speeding by made the ground tremble under their feet.
Damian turned, ready to enjoy their reaction. He could already imagine the screams, the nervousness, the excuses not to ride… a small but sweet victory. His smile turned mischievous.
But then…
"Wow!"
"Awesome!"
Two exclamations shattered his little dream at once, full of life and, to his surprise, genuine excitement.
Kaguya was radiant. Her eyes shone with such pure enthusiasm it seemed to light her from within.
She clung to Damian's sleeve, shaking it with impatience, "Damian-kun! It's this one, right?! I've always wanted to ride! I've never had the chance!"
Her face was red with excitement, without a trace of the composure she usually guarded so carefully.
At her side, Yukino crossed her arms with a gesture that tried to be cold, but her voice came out softer and, curiously, relieved.
"Finally something that isn't childish."
In her eyes there was also a bright, expectant spark, and the line of her mouth curved into a genuine smile.
Damian's plan collapsed right there.
"…Huh?" he was bewildered, while his mischievous smile crumbled like sand slipping through fingers.
This wasn't what he had imagined.
Weren't they supposed to be nervous, clinging to his arm and begging not to get on? Why did Kaguya look like she had just found a long-awaited dream, and Yukino, of all people, had that almost playful spark in her eyes?
He looked to one side and then the other, incredulous: Kaguya was practically bouncing with joy, Yukino was walking forward with steady steps, contained but visibly interested.
"Come on, Damian-kun!" Kaguya tugged at his sleeve with force and smiled with her whole face. "Hurry, the line's going to fill up!"
Without giving him space to react, Yukino had already taken a step ahead, her skirt swaying with the wind.
"Let's not waste time," she said, turning her face toward Damian.
"..."
Damian stood still for a few seconds, staring in disbelief as both of them moved forward with determination toward the entrance of the roller coaster.
He brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh, unable to hold back a brief, resigned laugh.
"…I'm coming, I'm coming," he finally murmured, and hurried to catch up with them.
They reached the car and took seats in the first available row. The attendant checked each seatbelt with precision, and with a firm "clack," the safety bar came down, securing them.
Kaguya, on the far left, gripped Damian's hand tightly as if anchoring her excitement to him. Her eyes, filled with a childlike sparkle, were fixed on the massive slope rising in front of them. "Damian-kun, it's going to start!"
The enthusiasm in her tone was so different from the always composed young lady that Damian couldn't help but look at her a second longer than usual.
To his right, Yukino kept her gaze fixed forward and her hands firmly wrapped around the bar, her knuckles slightly tense and pale. Her lips, pressed together with nerves, hinted at something more…
Damian glanced from one side to the other, feeling his left hand ache a little from Kaguya's eager grip, while on the right he sensed the faint tremor traveling from Yukino's fingers through the bar.
Seeing their expressions so different but equally full of "let's go already," the corner of his mouth lifted without him being able to stop it.
'Alright… even if they ruined my plan to scare them, I guess this is fine too,' he thought, amused.
The roar of the engine grew louder, vibrating beneath their feet, and the train began to move with a soft jolt before starting its climb.
________
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