The Amusement Park That Never Closed

Yuan Shikai: "I can't believe this amusement park is still in business."

Aoko: "You're such a jinx. This place may be bizarre, but it's the only amusement park in Misaki City. People don't have many other options for fun."

Before I knew it, I'd been a teacher for two months. All that time, I'd strictly followed the three rules Aoko and I had agreed on.

At school, we were teacher and student. Outside school, we kept up that relationship whenever someone we knew was around.

When no one we knew was around, I teased Aoko like we were a couple. Sometimes I visited Alice's house, or we went shopping together.

When Aoko was in a good mood, Alice and I became the audience for her private concerts, even though Alice actually preferred classical music.

When Aoko was in a bad mood, I became her sparring partner. Mostly, I just watched her fire magical bullets at me one after another until she'd vented her frustration.

In short, I hadn't earned my promised reward even once. Whenever I asked, the answer was that I hadn't met her standards.

I would be returning to the New World soon, and I'd already told Aoko I'd be away for a while. For our last outing before I left, we'd settled on this amusement park.

Aoko had dressed casually today in tall boots, over-the-knee socks, a miniskirt, and a white jacket.

Alice wore the same spotless black winter outfit as always, topped with a wool hat. She was as reserved as ever.

And then there was our third wheel, Sajyou Manaka. She wore a yellow dress today. Apparently, the cold really didn't bother her.

Manaka wanted to look as mature as possible, but no matter how you looked at it, her chest wasn't helping.

Yustica was