Amusement Parks Are All About Roller Coasters

[Mission: Expansion · Phase Three]

[The magical girl candidate has not received Guardian Star's recognition. Try to help her unleash her own potential.]

[Reward: 500 Divine Codex Stones]

After washing up and changing into clothes suitable for exercise, Su Tianqing specifically took out the Codex from her magic space to check the mission page.

Hmm... judging from the mission description, Hua Ling must have tried transforming after talking with her last night, but she hadn't received Guardian Star's recognition. That was probably why she had been given this mission.

But it didn't matter. Everything was going according to her plan! Especially now that she had the Heartmoon Wand!

Next came the daily mission.

Codex! Give me a slacking-off mission!

[Daily Mission 1: Slacking Time]

[Seeing how much effort you put in yesterday, I'll reward you with a full day of slacking off today.]

[Reward: 100 Divine Codex Stones]

Yes! Long live slacking off.

Su Tianqing quietly clapped her hands.

After having a simple breakfast, stuffing a power bank and a few slices of bread to tide herself over into her shoulder bag, the little fox stood before the full-length mirror and gave her outfit one final inspection.

Her hair was tied into two low braids. She wore a light, sporty shirt with an open-front cardigan over it, making it obvious that she was dressed to run and jump around outside.

As for the shorts, calf socks, and sneakers...

Su Tianqing didn't really like sneakers, because they hid Fox Fox's little feet. It was like they lacked a soul.

"Let's go!" Fox Fox clenched her fist, brimming with confidence.

When they met at the subway station entrance, Nan Jiayu's outfit was fairly similar to hers.

She was even more lightly dressed than Su Tianqing—she hadn't even brought a jacket for warmth if needed, wearing only a short top and skirted shorts. Still, she had the distinctive dashing air of a catgirl.

Rongcheng Amusement Park was in the northeastern part of the city, and the subway got them there quickly.

Probably because it was the weekend, the entrance was packed with parents and children, along with plenty of students who had come in groups. Laughter and cheerful voices filled the air.

Su Tianqing felt incredibly excited. Unable to suppress the thrill in her heart, she dragged Nan Jiayu around the entrance to look at things. Before they had even gone inside, she was already tempted to buy toys.

"Little Fish, look! Does this hat look good?"

The catgirl turned to look.

A human-style hat sat crookedly atop the Golden Fox's head. She was trying hard to press her ears flat against her head, but she still couldn't get it to fit. It looked more like it was hanging from her ears.

Nan Jiayu burst out laughing.

"Don't start buying things so early. These are souvenirs you buy after leaving the amusement park, when you're about to head home. If you buy it now, are you going to wear it around while playing?"

"Ah... that makes sense!" Su Tianqing suddenly understood.

Not to mention the former Miss Su Tianqing, even she had only been to amusement parks a handful of times in her previous life. After starting work at the hospital, she had almost completely lost any time for this sort of fun.

She simply hadn't known there was such an unspoken rule at amusement parks.

Before long, Nan Xiaofeng and Hua Ling hurried over.

"Jiayu—~"

From far away, Su Tianqing spotted the girl wearing her usual blue dress.

Nan Xiaofeng. She really did like this color scheme. Most of her usual clothes were blue, and even after transforming into Hyacinth, she was sky blue. Su Tianqing silently complained.

The instant their eyes met, Su Tianqing immediately hid behind Nan Jiayu, keeping her distance from Nan Xiaofeng, the fox-sucking monster.

After entering through the gates, they were greeted by an artificial lake.

A Ferris wheel stood on an island in the middle of the lake, and the amusement facilities were divided into all sorts of comprehensive sections. Fox Fox's eyes sparkled.

Looking at the roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and all the colorful rides of every kind, Fox Fox couldn't stop herself from wagging her tail wildly.

"Where should we start?"

Staring at the tri-fold map handed out at the entrance, Su Tianqing restrained her tail while seriously considering the question.

Of course, they should start with the roller coaster!

.

Sitting beside Nan Jiayu, Su Tianqing regretted it a little the instant her safety belt was fastened tight.

"L-L-L-Little Fish, aren't you... scared?" the golden-furred Fox Fox asked tremulously.

But when she turned to look, all she saw was Nan Jiayu staring back at her in calm confusion, as though nothing had happened.

"Hm? Tianqing, are you feeling unwell?"

"...No, I'm fine."

Su Tianqing forced herself to stay calm and took a deep breath, trying to settle her frantic heartbeat.

But fox ears and a tail couldn't lie. They faithfully reflected her feelings by fluffing up more violently than they ever had in her life.

The roller coaster set off, and a fox's scream echoed across Rongcheng's skies.

Five minutes later.

"Bleurgh!... Ugh... bleurgh..."

"Are you okay, Tianqing? Feeling better?"

"Ugh... ah... aaah..."

Fox Fox clung to the trash can and vomited rainbows.

.

"I really didn't expect you to react so strongly to roller coasters, Tianqing."

As they leisurely strolled down the grassy path in the roller coaster area, Nan Jiayu spoke with a wry smile to the little Golden Fox beside her.

Su Tianqing felt like crying without tears.

"I didn't know I'd get so motion sick either... It obviously looked super fun, so why couldn't I enjoy it...?"

Fox Fox looked up just as a roller coaster car raced past beyond the guardrail overhead. Faintly, she could hear Nan Xiaofeng's delighted laughter and Hua Ling's screams.

The two beastfolk watched the car speed away.

"...Looks like Hua Ling is pretty scared of roller coasters too," Su Tianqing remarked after a long silence.

"I think she's fine. She's probably just screaming because she's excited." Nan Jiayu shrugged.

"Ah—I'm so jealous of young people—"

"You're talking as if you're very old, Tianqing."

After that little incident, Su Tianqing came to deeply understand that she and thrilling rides were simply incompatible by nature. She could only face reality: the group split into two teams, each taking a different route through the park.

Teacup rides, bumper cars, pirate ships.

After trying these gentler rides, Su Tianqing felt that amusement parks were actually pretty fun.

In her previous life, she had thought going to an amusement park was a complete waste of time. Maybe that was because she hadn't had any friends she could truly get along with back then.

Thinking about it, perhaps she and the former "Su Tianqing" were alike in some ways.

For example, neither of them had friends, both lived monotonous lives, both struggled to make a living, and even the paths of their daily lives were similar.

The morning passed quickly.

After eating some bread and sampling the dried fish Nan Jiayu had brought, they barely managed to call it lunch.

While eating, Su Tianqing didn't forget to bring up what had happened last night with Nan Jiayu.

"Hua Ling..."

Nan Jiayu slowly chewed on a piece of dried fish, looking thoughtful.

"Xiaofeng only recently became friends with her. I only heard about her situation from Uncle yesterday too... How should I put it? It's not very optimistic."

"Is it that serious?" Su Tianqing was a little surprised.

"Yes. Hua Ling lives in a relief apartment provided by the Hero Association. Her parents died in a monster attack four years ago, leaving her all alone."

Su Tianqing's heart skipped a beat.

She had guessed many possible situations regarding Hua Ling's family last night, but she had never expected this.

"Xiaofeng heard about it too, but she didn't start seeing Hua Ling differently because of it. That's pretty good."

"Mm, what Hua Ling needs most is a friend like Xiaofeng." Su Tianqing nodded in agreement.

It seemed this magical girl candidate was far stronger inside than Su Tianqing had imagined.

An ordinary child would have suffered a complete emotional breakdown after something like that. Hua Ling had certainly been dealt a heavy blow, but outwardly, she didn't seem all that different from a normal child.

Being able to endure such a drastic change in life and work hard to adapt to it was an exceptionally admirable quality at her age.

"Both that girl and Xiaofeng like you quite a lot."

Nan Jiayu suddenly added.

"Like me?" The golden-furred Fox Fox blinked.

"Xiaofeng gets happy the moment she sees you, and Hua Ling is happy to talk with you too. Tianqing, you're very popular." Nan Jiayu answered with a smile.

"Is that so... Then what about you, Little Fish? Do you like me too?"

The little fox tilted her head, her ears perking up as she revealed an innocent smile.

"Of course I li—"

The words that had nearly slipped out froze on Nan Jiayu's lips. She seemed to realize the hidden meaning behind them, and they caught in her throat, impossible to say. A flush swiftly crept across her cheeks.

Su Tianqing suddenly laughed, laughing happily. Her laughter was as clear and pleasant as a lark's song.

The Golden Fox reached out and took the catgirl's hand, pulling her up from her seat. She pointed toward the amusement ride in the distance, surrounded by bustling crowds.

"That looks super fun! Let's go play on that!"

The little fox scampered a few steps away, then suddenly turned back to glance at Nan Jiayu, who was still standing there in a daze. She gave her a charming smile.

She really was... as dazzling as the sun on a clear day, Tianqing.