Amusement Park

Shinomiya Kaguya remembered clutching the hem of her skirt.

As the Young Miss of the Shinomiya Family, it was the first time anyone had ever told her, "Do what you want." Usually, she heard things like, "That's not proper etiquette," or, "Please be mindful of your status."

"You..." She parted her lips. The wind tousled her carefully styled hair. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Chen Tian hopped down from the railing, kicking up a gust as he landed. He casually brushed the stray hair from his eyes, revealing a pair of smiling eyes. "Let's skip class."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Tian had already grabbed her wrist. It was the first time anyone had ever pulled her along as they ran.

Her leather shoes tapped briskly against the concrete. Her skirt fluttered, and her heart pounded impossibly fast.

They climbed over the school wall and left campus.

Chen Tian took her to a street stall for a bite to eat. The Octopus Balls were so hot that she kept sucking in breaths;

they played Taiko no Tatsujin at an arcade, where she lost miserably but laughed out loud;

and finally, they shared an ice cream on a park bench. When some cream got on the corner of her mouth, Chen Tian naturally wiped it away with his thumb.

In that moment, she wasn't the Young Miss of the Shinomiya Family, just an ordinary high school girl.

The memory ebbed away like the tide.

Shinomiya Kaguya blinked and realized Chen Tian was still looking at her, his gaze just like it had been back then. She suddenly noticed that he was still pinching her cheek, and the realization made the tips of her ears burn.

"I remember," she said softly, her voice a little muffled. "But now..."

"It's the same now." Chen Tian let go and ruffled her hair, leaving her once-neat hairstyle a complete mess. "So quit wearing that fake smile."

Shinomiya Kaguya froze. A Ginkgo Leaf drifted down in the wind and settled on her shoulder. She lowered her eyes, then looked up again, and the curve of her lips had finally become genuine.

"Tian Jun, you're still as selfish as ever," she grumbled under her breath, but reached out and caught Chen Tian by the sleeve.

"Let's skip class."

Those words slipped from Shinomiya Kaguya's lips with a hint of barely concealed excitement. Chen Tian's smile instantly grew wider. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her slender wrist and turned to leave.

"What do I see here? Two naughty students planning to skip class?"

A cool, even female voice abruptly cut in. They both stopped and looked toward the speaker.

A few steps away, Yukino Yukinoshita stood quietly. Her black hair fell like a waterfall, her uniform was immaculate, and her exquisitely beautiful face showed no emotion. Her ice-blue eyes, calm as a snowmelt lake, regarded them with a naturally appraising chill.

(The Yukino design used here is the third version from the anime, with blue eyes.)

Chen Tian's smile didn't fade; if anything, it grew brighter. He tugged along Shinomiya Kaguya, who had visibly tensed, and covered the few steps to Yukino.

"Hey, Yukino." Chen Tian greeted her as familiarly as an old friend. Before he'd even finished speaking, his other hand shot out like lightning and clamped around Yukino's wrist.

Yukino's expression, as unyielding as an ice sculpture, instantly shattered. She tried to pull free, but Chen Tian's fingers held her like an iron shackle. "Chen Tian!"

Her usually cool voice carried a rare note of panic. Her fair cheeks visibly flushed, the color spreading rapidly to the tips of her ears. "What do you think you're doing? This is... indecent!"

Watching Yukino try to stay composed while failing to hide her embarrassment, Kaguya's lips curled slightly, and a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes.

Seeing Yukinoshita, who was always composed and relentlessly devoted to doing what was right, flustered like this seemed to add a bit of fun to their unexpected plan to skip class.

"Indecent?" Chen Tian raised an eyebrow and shook his head with an innocent look, though his grip didn't loosen. "You've got it wrong. I'm just inviting you."

"Inviting me?" Yukino furrowed her brow and glared at him, cheeks flushed.

"Exactly." Chen Tian nodded as though it were obvious, then set off with both of them in tow. "Join us. Yukinoshita Yukino, you're not going to be an honor student today. Be one of the 'naughty students' instead."

He pulled Shinomiya Kaguya along with one hand, her expression resigned but her lips curved in a faint smile. With the other, he dragged Yukinoshita Yukino, whose face plainly read "absurd" and "I refuse," as she stumbled along because he had her by the wrist. He strode straight toward the school gates.

Three figures, each with a style of their own, moved in defiance of the rules through the November wind.

The three of them rushed to the school gates.

The university gates stood open, and the crowd was a mix of people. Tourists stopped to take pictures, while students without classes came and went. It was far more relaxed than high school.

Chen Tian pulled Shinomiya Kaguya and Yukinoshita Yukino along without slowing.

Whoosh—almost instantly, the attention around them converged.

"Hey! Look!" A girl clutching a book jabbed her friend. "Isn't that... Nero? Is he back from a concert?"

"Oh my god! It's him! And he's pulling... Student Council President Shinomiya?!" Her friend's eyes went wide. "And that one next to her... Yukinoshita from the School of Business Administration?!"

A boy nearby drew in a sharp breath. "Whoa... He's pulling both of them by himself? And running that fast? What's he up to?"

A petite girl not far away clapped both hands over her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening. "N-no... Lord Nero! How could you pull other girls along? Let them go—!"

"Heh," said a stylishly dressed boy, folding his arms and speaking with a sour edge. "So being a celebrity means you can just hold girls' hands whenever you want? And two at once?"

A boy immediately shot back, his voice heated. "What do you know? Nero does everything for a reason! It could be a mission!"

Another fan stared with shining eyes. "Exactly! Look at Lord Nero's dashing run! He's so cool!"

"Let go of Shinomiya-senpai! Let me take her place... I mean, let go of my Lord Nero!"

"Yukinoshita! Please, just look at me once!"

The whispers and assorted stares pricked at them like needles.

Yukino's cheeks heated up again, her ears turning scarlet. She tugged hard at her wrist and snapped, "Chen Tian! Let go! You're causing a scene!" She just wanted to disappear on the spot.

The faint smile on Shinomiya Kaguya's face remained perfectly in place. Instead, she met the stares with her back a little straighter, an air of pride about her, and coolly glanced toward the boy who'd made the snide remark.

Chen Tian paid no attention to the voices around them. The casual smile at the corner of his mouth didn't change. If anything, he tightened his grip on both their wrists and quickened his pace, sweeping through the crowd at the gates like a gust of wind, his destination clear.

Behind them, all that remained was a storm of chatter and the shattered hearts of lovestruck boys and girls.

"Don't mind them," he muttered casually without turning around. "Keep up. Today's plan is 'A Sunny Girl Steps Out of Her House.'"

Amusement Park

The three of them hurried clear of the commotion at the school gates. With Chen Tian leading the way, they pressed on toward the entrance to a nearby subway station.

The platform wasn't too crowded. Chen Tian stopped and, as if by magic, produced a baseball cap and a pair of understated sunglasses from who knew where. He slipped them on with practiced ease, hiding most of his conspicuous face.

"What's that?" Shinomiya Kaguya glanced at him, and Yukino looked over with mild curiosity.

"Just a precaution," Chen Tian said with a smile behind his sunglasses. "It'll save us the trouble of getting recognized on the way." His voice sounded muffled through the mask he'd somehow put on as well.

Kaguya and Yukino exchanged a glance, then nodded in understanding. With Chen Tian's fame these days, it really was necessary.

The subway's arrival chime sounded. The three of them quickly boarded and were lucky enough to find three empty seats together.

Chen Tian sat in the middle, with Kaguya and Yukino on either side.

The car swayed gently.

Yukino straightened her slightly rumpled skirt and fixed her gaze on her blurry reflection in the opposite window. She spoke in a low voice, her cool tone as sharp as ever. "This is absurd. The Student Council President and a top candidate from the School of Business Administration openly skipping class together. It makes no sense."

Chen Tian leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, seeming not to hear her biting complaint at all. The corner of his mouth even seemed to curve as if he found it amusing.

Kaguya sat upright on Chen Tian's other side, her hands elegantly folded in her lap and her back perfectly straight. But her gaze slipped past Chen Tian toward the streets rushing by outside, and a barely noticeable sparkle of excitement flashed in her eyes.

It had been so long since she'd skipped class, and now she was doing it with him... That little thrill of rebellion made her heart beat faster beneath her Young Miss's composure.

When Chen Tian didn't take the bait at all, Yukino's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She turned slightly, her ice-blue eyes fixed on the profile of his face, hidden beneath the brim of his cap and his sunglasses. Then she spoke again, a little louder this time, with a pointed edge of interrogation.

"Hey, Chen Tian." She paused. "Where are we going? You're not actually going to sell us off, are you?"

Chen Tian finally reacted. He lazily opened his eyes and glanced at Yukino through his sunglasses. Then his gaze moved to Kaguya, who was trying hard to stay calm but whose eyes were shining. His lips curved into a clear smile.

When the subway reached its stop, Chen Tian led the two still somewhat bewildered girls through several streets with practiced ease. As colorful spires, the outline of a giant Ferris wheel, and shouts of excitement from high above grew clearer, their destination was finally revealed.

"An amusement park?"

"An amusement park?!"

Yukino and Kaguya spoke almost at the same time, but their tones couldn't have been more different.

Kaguya's usually calm, elegant eyes lit up in an instant, filling with sparkling stars! She even unconsciously grabbed Chen Tian's sleeve and leaned forward slightly, like a kitten drawn to a new toy.

An amusement park! For the Young Miss of the Shinomiya Family, it wasn't an unfamiliar concept. But whenever she visited one, maids and butlers followed close behind, constantly reminding her to mind her manners, her status, and her safety.

She was like an exquisite porcelain doll in a shop window, able only to watch from a safe distance as people laughed and screamed. Now, the lively, dazzling amusement park before her, full of the bustle of everyday life, held an irresistible allure.

Yukino, meanwhile, was completely stunned. Her ice-blue eyes showed a rare hint of confusion and... disdain?

An amusement park? Of course she'd been to one—once, when she was very young, when her parents took her there as if fulfilling an obligation.

Her memories were filled with crowded people, over-the-top screams, cotton candy so sweet it made her teeth ache, and spinning rides that seemed utterly pointless to her.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand why Chen Tian had gone to such lengths to make a "plan to skip class," draw the attention of the whole school, only to end up at this... somewhat childish place, in her opinion. What was the point?

Chen Tian seemed not to notice the "That's it?" in Yukino's eyes. He took off his sunglasses and mask, revealing a pleased smile, and jerked his chin at Kaguya. "So, Kaguya, ready to experience the 'commoners'' version of fun?"

Kaguya took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement and trying to maintain the composure of a Young Miss. But the light in her eyes and the smile tugging at her lips gave her away. "Your plans have a way of making me happy, Tian Jun."

She didn't say whether she dared, but her anticipation was obvious.

Yukino's brow furrowed, and her cool voice rang out. "Chen Tian, I think your time and energy should be spent on something more meaningful. For example, going back to class." She tried one last time to resist.

"Meaningful?" Chen Tian raised an eyebrow, took one wrist in each hand again, and pulled them toward the ticket booth without giving them a choice. "The meaning is right here, right now! Yukinoshita, wouldn't it be nice to spend one day being 'meaningless' for a change? Come on!"

Yukino was dragged forward. She saw children running past, chattering as they went to buy ice cream, and vague silhouettes rushing by on a roller coaster in the distance. Her cheeks flushed as she protested under her breath, "Absurd! Childish!"

But her protests were useless. Chen Tian had already bought three all-day passes and pressed them into their hands.

"First stop, the carousel!" Ignoring Yukino's objections, Chen Tian pointed at the two-story carousel near the entrance, glittering with rainbow lights and playing a cheerful nursery rhyme. His voice brimmed with excitement and left no room for argument. "Don't tell me you don't want to ride it!"

Kaguya gazed at the dreamy carousel, her eyes softening. It was a sight she'd only ever seen on television during her girlhood. She nodded lightly, already following along without realizing it.

Yukino stayed where she was, watching the brightly colored horses rise and fall, along with the adults and children laughing without restraint on their backs. Her ice-blue eyes were full of resistance and the thought, "This is so unlike me." "Chen Tian, I think we should—"

"Scared?" Chen Tian looked back and deliberately provoked her.

Yukino immediately stiffened her neck, a trace of embarrassed indignation flashing across her face. "Of course not! I just think it's a waste of time!"

"Then stop wasting time and get on!" Chen Tian had already climbed onto a tall white horse and held out a hand, ready to help Kaguya up.

Kaguya looked at Chen Tian's outstretched hand, then at the ornate pumpkin carriage seat nearby. In the end, she chose the white horse that better matched her idea of what to ride.

She lifted her skirt and climbed aboard with graceful movements, a hint of novelty and nervousness on her face.

Yukino looked at the two of them, full of enthusiasm, then at the cheerful atmosphere around her. In the end, a faint curiosity she wouldn't even admit to herself overcame her stubbornness.

With a stiff expression, she chose a black horse as far away from Chen Tian and Kaguya as possible, one that looked the most "dignified." She sat down and gripped the cold handrails tightly, her back ramrod straight, as if she were there to carry out an important assignment rather than have fun.

The music started, the carousel began to turn, and the lights flashed. Kaguya rode the white horse in front, gently rising and falling to the rhythm. She felt the evening breeze in her hair and watched the colorful lights around her. The smile on her lips could no longer be hidden; it was as pure and genuine as freshly fallen snow melting away.

In that moment, there were no butlers, no maids, and no rules—only pure happiness that belonged to her.

Yukino rode the black horse behind them, her body stiff as she swayed with the carousel, trying hard to maintain her ice-sculpture expression. But when the carousel reached its highest point, the view suddenly opened up, revealing the Ferris wheel and castle in the distance, edged with gold by the setting sun. The lips she'd kept firmly pressed together seemed to curve upward, ever so slightly...

Then they quickly returned to their usual position, so fast it might have been an illusion. Only Yukino knew that a tightly wound string somewhere in her heart seemed to have been gently plucked by the childish music.

Chen Tian looked back and caught Kaguya's undisguised joy, along with the briefest, tiniest softening in Yukino's expression.

After the carousel, Chen Tian seemed to transform into the perfect tour guide and companion. He took the two of them to try ice cream coated in colorful sprinkles. Yukino said, "That's way too much sugar," but ate it carefully, one small bite at a time;

then he bought them some outlandishly shaped cotton candy. Kaguya imitated the children nearby and cautiously bit off a piece of cloud, so sweet that her eyes narrowed with delight.

The mood grew more and more relaxed. As they passed a stall selling accessories, Chen Tian's gaze swept over the glittering hair ornaments, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"Don't move." He suddenly stopped in front of Yukino. Before she could react, he reached out and gently undid her perfectly neat, straight black hair.

As she stared at him in surprise, his long fingers deftly divided her smooth black hair into two sections and tied them into high, neat pigtails.

"You...!" A flash of embarrassment and panic crossed Yukino's ice-blue eyes, and her cheeks quietly turned red.

It was a hairstyle she sometimes wore in private because it was convenient, but would never show in public.

She started to raise a hand to stop him, then paused halfway. In the end, she only turned her head away awkwardly and muttered, "...Childish."

Chen Tian didn't mind and turned his attention to Kaguya.

He undid the elegant bun that the Young Miss had carefully arranged, letting her smooth hair tumble down like a waterfall.

Then, under Kaguya's curious, expectant gaze, he gathered up her long hair and tied it into a lively high ponytail, letting a few loose strands fall naturally over her forehead.

"This is more comfortable." Chen Tian looked at his "work" with satisfaction.

With her stiff bun gone, Kaguya looked less formal and more bright and youthful with her hair in a high ponytail. She instinctively shook her head and felt as though her whole field of vision had opened up.

Before they knew it, both girls were gradually swept up in the relaxed atmosphere Chen Tian had created and the amusement park's noisy cheer. Yukino still didn't show much expression, but the corners of her tightly pressed lips seemed to have relaxed a little;

Kaguya's smile grew more genuine and natural, and every so often she'd point at a ride and let out a quiet gasp.

After the leisurely boat ride, Chen Tian glanced down at his watch—it was 11:30.

His warm smile instantly shifted into a sly, excited grin that showed his teeth, like a hunter who'd finally waited for his prey to let its guard down.