"Was it fun? You all look like you hated to leave..."
Smiling as he handed back the belongings he had been carrying for them, Kenji Hagiwara checked each child's things like a thoroughly responsible parent. Once he was sure nothing had been lost on the roller coaster, he asked about the ride in a friendly voice.
He had ridden roller coasters before, of course, but as far as he was concerned, driving was more fun.
It was not about which was more thrilling. It was about whether he could control his direction and speed.
Even knowing that a roller coaster had passed safety inspections and could only follow a fixed track, he could not shake the feeling of losing control once it started moving.
That felt different from the weightlessness of driving fast through a dangerous situation. Even without the lasting psychological scars Motohashi Yoji's malicious amusement park had left him, it was not the sort of experience he would enjoy.
"It was really fun!" Ayumi Yoshida took her drink from his hand, eyes shining. "The roller coaster was huge!"
"More importantly, they had seats for children under the height requirement, and we only needed one guardian." Ai Haibara took her electronic device from Kenji Hagiwara, slipped it back into her pocket, and let out a breath before explaining for the other children. "We've been to other theme parks, but Ayumi and the others have busy parents. Usually we go by ourselves, or Professor Agasa and the others take us."
Even though she was not a member of the Phantom Thief Troupe, Ai Haibara had grown used to carrying her phone and having Noah with her every day. Being without it for a while felt oddly uncomfortable.
Whatever their capacity for rebellion and troublemaking, this group of elementary schoolers—apart from