SCT-Novel Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Lunch at a nice family restaurant.
Of course, from the perspective of a student living on a small allowance, the price was far from nice, but I managed to cover it with the money I’d saved up carefully.
On our way out after finishing our meal.
Rika spoke to me with a still worried expression.
“Let’s just split the bill.”
“It’s fine. Let me cover this much. You’ve been paying for everything since earlier.”
The only money I spent today was for the all-day pass when we entered.
Other than that, Rika volunteered to pay for everything, so I didn’t get a chance.
Regardless of anything else, it pricked my conscience to just keep getting treated.
If you receive, you should also give.
“If you enjoyed the meal, that’s enough for me.”
“Really...”
In the end, Rika, looking embarrassed, turned her head, seeming to give up on splitting the bill.
“Anyway, now that we’ve had lunch, let’s get back to having fun. Is there anywhere you want to go?”
Rika then took out the amusement park pamphlet from her handbag and said in an energetic voice.
“Then let’s go see the parade! It starts at 2 o’clock!”
“Shall we?”
With our next destination set, we moved to the Fantasy Land area nearby to watch the parade.
The Fantasy Land area was filled with various fairy tale symbols that come to mind when thinking of Disney, recreated as buildings.
Cinderella’s castle, the Seven Dwarfs’ cabin, Peter Pan’s pirate ship, and more.
Everywhere we looked, beautiful buildings and attractions made it feel like we had stepped into a fairy tale, so we lost track of time while moving towards the parade area.
“Wow! The parade has started!”
Looking where Rika pointed, we saw huge carriages with princesses on them, and various characters in costumes waving as they paraded down the avenue.
The sight was so unique that children holding their parents’ hands, couples, and even foreign tourists all stopped to watch the parade.
“It’s beautiful...”
And that was the same for Rika and me.
The parade had a charm that made us look on with our mouths open without realizing it.
It truly felt like a long-lost sense of wonder was being revived.
The parade seemed to last about an hour, and people followed the parade floats like children chasing after an ice cream truck.
Seeing that made me feel like we should follow too, but Rika, having seen enough, suggested we relax with a cup of tea at a nearby dessert cafe.
“Oh, since you bought lunch, it’s okay if I buy dessert, right?”
“Do as you please.”
Maybe still holding onto earlier, Rika quickly made the suggestion, and I nodded with a wry smile.
“How dare she?! Even I haven’t had a cafe date yet!”
“Calm down, miss.”
Minami, watching Kumiko chew on her handkerchief like a villainous lady from a comic, spoke calmly.
“How can I calm down in this situation?! That vixen got the upper hand first!”
“You said you would let her have today.”
When I reflexively answered and turned around, Rika, looking tense, stared at me and said.
“Can we ride just one more ride, really, really, for the last time?”
“What do you want to ride?”
When I asked that and tilted my head, Rika swallowed nervously and pointed to a ride.
“The Ferris wheel.”
The Ferris wheel.
In a way, it could be said to be one of the essential elements, the alpha and omega of romantic comedies.
And the moment Rika suggested we go on the Ferris wheel, I realized.
That Rika was about to confess to me.
Honestly, it wasn’t that I hadn’t anticipated this moment at all.
Rika had suggested going on a date first, and I had given the President a heads-up in preparation for this situation from the beginning.
But when the moment actually came, I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding.
“Then, have a great time.”
As we sat in the empty seats inside the round cabin, the staff kindly closed the Ferris wheel door with a friendly sales pitch.
Clank!
The Ferris wheel soon started moving with a vibration.
Since it takes about 15 minutes for the Ferris wheel to make one full rotation, we still had plenty of time.
As we gradually felt the floating sensation, Rika turned her head to the side.
The ground was gradually receding.
And the sky was getting closer.
It was a unique view only seen from the Ferris wheel.
As we climbed higher, we could see all the structures of the amusement park we had passed through earlier.
Since it was almost nighttime, colorful LED lights turned on, making the night view incredibly beautiful.
Rika, who had been gazing at the view outside the Ferris wheel without realizing the time, suddenly snapped out of it with a startled voice, “Ah,” and turned her head.
Sitting in front of her, I straightened my back without realizing it.
Because I instinctively realized that the moment I had been waiting for had arrived.
Soon, Rika, with a tense expression, started to speak first.
“Um, Ryu-chan, what do you think about me?”
“Huh? About you?”
“Yes.”
Afraid of hurting her with my lack of vocabulary, I chose my words as carefully as possible.
“A good friend. Someone who doesn’t judge by appearances, even if they look fierce, who just looks at people for who they are inside and approaches them warmly. Such a grateful friend.”
Yes, that’s right.
Currently, Rika and I were friends.
Unless there was a special reason for it to break, this relationship would continue even after I graduate.
But unlike me, Rika didn’t seem to want to keep this ambiguous relationship going.
After hearing my answer, Rika gulped, then looked at me straight with a face turning red and asked.
“Um, Ryu-chan, would you like to go out with me?”