Let's Ride the Ferris Wheel Once More

Sera and Miss Herta stayed quietly until the afternoon, and their lunch was served in the courtyard by the Herta Puppet.

The afternoon sun was warm and bright. Sera squinted and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. Seeing this, the Herta Puppet silently erected a parasol for Sera.

Time is like a page in a book that can never be turned, eternally frozen in this moment, as if there will never be a time when the story ends.

But the countdown within Sera's core continued relentlessly, the time ticking away second by second.

"Herta."

Sera stood up from the recliner.

"We should go."

"Good."

Miss Herta responded softly, a fleeting look of melancholy in her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously stroking her clothes. But Sera's gaze was fixed on the area outside the garden, and when he turned back, Miss Herta's eyes had already changed from melancholy to her usual expression.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Sera turn to look at her, Herta spoke first, feigning nonchalance. She didn't want Sera to see her downcast state. Because in Sera's heart—she was the eternally proud and confident Herta.

"It's nothing, I just want to go with Herta."

Sera paused for a few seconds, and when Herta stood beside him, she naturally took Miss Herta's hand. From their initial awkwardness to now, both Sera and Miss Herta had become skilled at holding hands, as if it had become instinct.

"Snort."

Miss Herta broke free from Sera's grasp and took Sera's hand in her own.

"I should be leading you, not trying to lead you astray, right?"

His voice was relaxed, with a hint of teasing.

"How could this be...?"

Sera felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this; even he couldn't understand why he had gotten so lost.

"Alright, let's go, the car is already waiting for us at the door."

Miss Herta led Sera forward quickly, gradually starting to jog.

The vehicle moved slowly. Sera leaned against the window, his right hand supporting his chin as he quietly gazed at the scenery outside. It resembled the city in his Remembrance, a sight he missed dearly. Sera hadn't looked out the window before, his attention completely drawn to Miss Herta Miss Herta, but now Sera dared not look at her. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his emotions. He... truly didn't like parting.

Sera wasn't looking at Miss Herta, but Miss Herta's gaze was fixed on Sera. Sera's eyes were clearly reflected in Miss Herta's gaze through the car window. Sera could feel Miss Herta watching him, but he didn't dare turn around or even glance at her through the reflection.

The scenery outside the window was fleeting, constantly changing, like bubbles, and the car was already on the overpass.

With only three systems remaining in the core display time, the sky outside the window was already showing signs of darkness.

The car gradually slowed down and came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the amusement park, which had been reserved for the entire area. Staff members jogged over and opened the car door for the two people.

The amusement park director, beaming with smiles, waited in the back with the staff. The director was somewhat surprised, but still looked approvingly at the staff member who opened the car door.

Staff member: I really want to improve, Principal. I dream about it.

The car door on Miss Herta's side was opened, so Miss Herta got out first. She turned around first, then extended her hand, palm facing Sera. Sera understood Miss Herta's meaning: Well, it's the last little while... let Herta have her way.

Thinking this, Sera reached out and placed his hand on Miss Herta's hand, and was gently helped out of the car.

The staff member had naturally already turned his attention to the ground to the side. As someone who aspired to improve, he certainly understood the importance of doing more, talking less, and observing less.

"The first one was a roller coaster, remember?"

Miss Herta's voice carried a hint of laughter, as if she were recalling Sera's panicked expression that day.

"Remember to shout if you're scared!"

"With Miss Herta here, I have nothing to fear."

Sera smiled and stepped onto the roller coaster seat without the slightest fear. He might have been afraid and uneasy before, but at this moment he was no longer afraid.

"That's fine."

Miss Herta followed closely behind and sat down on the roller coaster, her left hand still tightly clasped with Sera's right.

The roller coaster remained unchanged from that day. But the two people sitting on it were not as relaxed as usual.

Even though Sera and Miss Herta appeared relaxed on the surface, they both felt a sense of unease inside, after all... this was a day of parting.

There are many kinds of words in the world, Sera personally believes that saying goodbye is the hardest. No matter how light and pleasant the tone is when saying goodbye, its underlying tone is still tinged with sadness.

That sadness may be shallow or deep, but you will always have that sadness with you.

But we won't say goodbye, we'll say -- see you tomorrow!

The two remained silent, yet tacitly tightened their grip on each other's hands.

The roller coaster slowly came to a stop, but the two remained unchanged, their emotions still overwhelmed by the sadness of impending separation.

It wasn't until they got off the roller coaster and sat quietly on a bench for a while that they came to their senses.

Let's go.

Miss Herta led Sera to the next attraction. Since they had less time to explore than before, Miss Herta chose to visit only those attractions that would leave a lasting impression on both of them.

But even while they were sightseeing, neither of them felt any joy. And indeed, who among Sera and Herta would focus on their fun instead of the other when parting?

The reason they chose to say goodbye at the amusement park was because it was a special place for them—a place where they could truly understand each other's inner selves.

A place where they recognized the color of love they had stained each other.

That's why, when it was time to say goodbye, both Sera and Miss Herta thought of amusement parks.

Time paid no heed to their feelings; the hands continued to turn. What Sera saw was less than half a system hour remaining.

Looking up, the sky had completely darkened. Sera had his answer, so he no longer hesitated—he flashed a bright smile, extended his hand to Miss Herta, and spoke with an indescribable complexity in his tone.

Let's ride the Ferris wheel one more time.

"Good."

Upon hearing this, Miss Herta realized that the time was approaching. In order not to leave any regrets, she tried to calm herself down, and a smile returned to her face. Her tone remained light and gentle.

"Once again, we rode the Ferris wheel together."