Chapter 31

"Hmm. Knowing her, she'll come after us again when she wakes up, right? Better tie her up now so she can't cause any more trouble."

"Uh..." Shido had wanted to stop Lingmeng at first. But if they left Origami alone, she would definitely cause more trouble, so he said nothing.

"Oh, I should search her before tying her up, right? If she has a knife on her, she'll get free in no time."

With that thought, Lingmeng began checking Origami with a faint, wicked smile. She was doing it to prevent any accidents. Yes, that was all. It certainly wasn't because she wanted an excuse to grope her.

"Let's see what you've got on you." Lingmeng slipped a hand into Origami's pocket and, sure enough, found a Military Dagger and a Handgun.

She carries these around with her? Well, she's with AST, so I guess it's fine. Good thing I checked first, or this could've gone badly.

Lingmeng used her power to burn both weapons until not even ash remained.

"Huh? What's this..." From Origami's right pocket, Lingmeng pulled out a pill about the same size as the one that had been on the cake earlier, except this one was blue.

"A Little Blue Pill? Ahem... Don't tell me this is..." Lingmeng coughed twice, put the blue pill in her own pocket for the moment, then tied Origami up.

"Well, that's done." Lingmeng lightly clapped her hands as she looked at the bound Origami.

It was the first time she had ever tied someone up. She had only seen it done on television before; she never thought she would do it herself one day.

"Lingmeng... What am I supposed to do now?"

Hearing Shido's voice, Lingmeng turned around.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. The drug still hasn't worn off, has it, Shido?"

Seeing Shido slumped over the table, looking utterly drained, Lingmeng teased him.

"Wow, you're so weak right now. I guess we'll have to call the date off."

"!!!" Shido's eyes widened in shock.

"Haha, I'm kidding. I can actually get you moving again. Want to try?"

Lingmeng smiled as she asked.

"I... guess I'll try?"

"You said it." Lingmeng narrowed her eyes with a mischievous grin and walked over to Shido. Electricity crackled at her fingertips.

"Lingmeng, you're not thinking of..." Shido broke into a cold sweat at the sight.

"Yep. Exactly what you're thinking. ╮(￣▽￣)╭" Lingmeng placed her hand on Shido's back, and the current instantly surged through him.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Blue light filled the restaurant. Shido screamed as his arms, legs, and even his hair twitched.

Still want to go online? Lingmeng thought with a laugh. The scene looked far too much like that meme.

Lingmeng took her hand away. "How do you feel? Can you move after that shock?"

"Ah..." Shido opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of black smoke. "I can move, but I think I just saw a river. Someone on the other bank was waving at me."

"Oh, I see," Lingmeng said without a shred of guilt.

"Anyway, I found this on that girl Origami. I think she meant for you to take it. Want to give it a try?"

Lingmeng set the blue pill in front of Shido and asked with a teasing smile.

"No! Not even if it kills me!" Shido shook his head violently and refused without hesitation.

"Wow. She went to all that trouble to prepare it for you, and you won't even take it. You're cold, Shido."

Lingmeng spread her hands helplessly.

"That's emotional blackmail! If I'm so cold, why don't you take it yourself?"

Shido stared at her, speechless.

"Oh, don't sweat the details." Lingmeng glanced at Origami, who lay on the floor bound with rope. "Let's have the person who brought it here try it."

With that, Lingmeng went to Origami, pried her mouth open, and slipped the Little Blue Pill inside.

"Gulp—" Shortly after swallowing it, Origami's face flushed. Misleading little moans kept escaping her lips, and her body trembled as though some overwhelming force inside her was about to burst free.

"What is that...?"

"A computer accessory. Commonly known as Viagra. Or you can just call it an aphrodisiac."

"That's not the point! She was planning to make me take that, wasn't she?"

Shido sounded agitated.

"She probably meant to take you to a hotel, force the pill down your throat, and then seal the deal."

Lingmeng patted Shido's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.

"With such a beautiful, frustrated girl around you, it must be hard to hold on to your innocence. Should I praise your willpower, or call you impotent?"

"I'd say it's the former! Mr. Shido is a perfectly healthy boy, thank you very much!"

Shido was so worked up that he referred to himself in the third person.

"Whatever. Now that the pill's been taken, let's get going."

"Is it really okay to leave Tobiichi here like this?"

"She's with AST. Have a little faith that she can get herself out of this."

"Quit feeding me that empty reassurance."

Shido looked at Origami on the floor, his expression conflicted. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to leave her there.

I feel terrible about this, Tobiichi, but my main job right now is to date Lingmeng. Sorry!

"All right, Lingmeng. Let's go somewhere else."

After apologizing to Origami in his heart, Shido left the French Restaurant with Lingmeng.

What's So Fun About the Carousel?

"Shido, it's getting late. Let's make the Amusement Park the site of our final showdown."

Not long after they left the restaurant, Kotori gave the order through his earphone.

"Okay..." Shido nodded, then said, "Lingmeng, let's go to the Amusement Park for our last stop."

"Fine by me."

When Shido and Lingmeng arrived at the Amusement Park, the crowds streaming past stunned them as soon as they entered.

"Wow, there are a lot of people here," Lingmeng remarked.

"It is the weekend." Shido scratched his cheek.

"So what should we go on?"

"Well..."

Lingmeng's question left Shido stumped again.

"Oh, the choices are up again?" Kotori muttered helplessly, resting her chin on her hand with a Chupa Chups in her mouth.

Three options appeared on the big screen—

① "Go on a thrilling ride."

② "Go on a relaxing attraction."

③ "Don't go on anything. Just look around."

Before long, the crew's votes were in. Options ① and ② each received three votes, while ③ received none.

"Girls don't like things that intense. If they go straight onto a thrill ride, she's bound to get upset. Commander, option ② is the safer choice."

The female crew members explained their reasoning.

"That might be true for an ordinary girl, but she's a Spirit. She's faced live ammunition, so why would she be afraid of an amusement park ride? Besides, Lingmeng has acted like a tomboy from the start. We think she'd enjoy it."

The male crew members argued back.

"Commander!" the six crew members said in unison.

"Ugh." Kotori spread her hands and sighed. "Shido, pick a relaxing attraction."

"Got it..." Smiling, Shido pointed to the Carousel ahead. "Lingmeng, how about that one?"

"Yes!" The female crew members struck victory poses and cheered mockingly, while the men looked frustrated.

"Commander, why..."

"Enough. I'm the commander, so I decide!"

The male crew members seemed ready to ask why Kotori had chosen ②, but her glare shut them up.

Like I'd tell you I'm scared of roller coasters.

Kotori kept that thought to herself.

"The Carousel?" Lingmeng looked at it. Plenty of children and couples were riding it.

"How old are we? Wouldn't that be a little childish?"

"Uh... Would it?" Shido scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Look, there are lots of couples on it. It might be romantic."

Lingmeng gave him a deadpan stare. "Even if it is, riding it with you wouldn't be romantic at all."

Lingmeng had no interest in Shido's invitation. If she was going to ride it with someone, she would much rather go with a beautiful girl like Tohka or Origami than a grown man.

"Shido, let's go again." The background music stopped, and the Carousel came to a halt.

Lingmeng sat atop a white horse, speaking to Shido behind her.

You might be wondering, "Didn't she just refuse? Why did she change her mind so fast?"

Lingmeng would insist she hadn't changed her mind. She had simply realized that if she stayed on the Carousel until the date ended, she and Shido would barely interact. How could he raise her affection that way?

I'm a damn genius! (￣▽￣)

Shido was puzzled by Lingmeng's sudden smile. He had no idea why she had taken such a liking to the Carousel, but he decided to go along with it.

"Excuse me, could we ride ag—" Just as Shido was about to ask an attendant for another turn, Kotori cut in, her voice full of urgency.

"Idiot, Shido! Don't you get it? Lingmeng wants to stay there so you can't raise her affection! Hurry up and take her to another attraction!"

"Gah—" Shido covered his ears in pain. Kotori's shout had nearly burst his eardrums.

"Why are you yelling? You almost made me deaf."

"Forget that. If you keep dawdling, I'll release your embarrassing secrets!"

Shido's eyes flew wide. If everyone he knew learned about his embarrassing past, he would have to seriously consider changing his identity and transferring schools.

"Okay, I get it. Just calm down." Shido answered through his earphone in a panic, then turned to Lingmeng. "Um... Lingmeng, we've ridden this so many times. Why don't we try somewhere else?"

"Huh? The Carousel's so much fun. Why not ride it a little longer?" Lingmeng pretended to be dissatisfied, though she didn't believe a word of it. She didn't want to stay here either!

"But..." Just as Shido struggled for an answer, a voice came to his rescue.

"Could you two please try another attraction? You've ridden the Carousel more than a dozen times. We need to let the other guests have a turn."

Shido and Lingmeng looked toward the attendant. Shido couldn't place them with certainty, but he thought he had seen their face aboard Fraxinus.

Did Kotori send them?

After puzzling over it briefly, Shido quickly agreed.

"Exactly, Lingmeng. You heard the attendant. If we stay here, we'll hold up the other guests."

"Tch. Imagine turning away paying customers," Lingmeng muttered with a pout.

Shido's mouth twitched. "It's not about the money."

"Fine, fine. I'll go look somewhere else."

Lingmeng waved a hand helplessly and gave in to Shido's request. Her plan had failed, though, and she was still annoyed about it.