The Ferris Wheel Rising at Dusk

The gondola stopped at the highest point.

The world outside shimmered with color, but the atmosphere inside froze in an instant.

Dania's heart pounded as though something were about to burst out of her chest. She stared at the little goldfish in her arms without blinking. Linnai's words from earlier circled in her head-confess at the highest point, and the two people's destinies would be locked together forever.

She gripped the plastic bag tightly, making it rustle.

"Zhou Yu."

Her voice was only a little louder than the buzz of a mosquito.

"Yeah?"

He turned his head, meeting her gaze without looking away.

"Back when I was in the culture dish, I never dared to imagine what tomorrow would be like."

She lowered her eyes.

"Tomorrow was just a repeat of today, another twenty-four hours spent waiting to be scrapped."

Zhou Yu said nothing. He just watched her, as patiently as if he were listening to the Logistics Department's equipment list.

"But things are different now."

Dania raised her head, her eyes startlingly bright in the dim yellow light.

"Every night when I close my eyes, all I can think about is what you'll take me to eat tomorrow. And whether you'll still be by my side tomorrow."

Her voice began to tremble.

"Zhou Yu, I..."

A pause.

A breath.

"I like you."

She said the words in one breath, then looked away, her face burning red as her fingertips pressed into the folds of the plastic bag.

There was no echo in the gondola.

Only the ticking of the second hand and the sound of their breathing.

Zhou Yu reached over, but he didn't touch her face or do anything sappy.

He simply pulled her other hand open and took something out of his inner pocket.

The paper was a little crumpled and had been folded several times.

It was a schedule.

Dania froze.

She took the paper and slowly unfolded it.

Written clearly in black pen at the top were the words-

[Dania's meal schedule]

Below was a densely packed list of dates and menus.

The starting date wasn't today.

It was the day she first appeared in the cafeteria.

Every line after that was in his handwriting, the script as stiff and rigid as ever: egg tarts and pasture milk for breakfast, sweet-and-sour pork ribs for lunch. Nothing was written for dinner, but a line beside it had been marked in red pen: "Adjust flexibly according to the student meal card balance and the cafeteria's stock for the day."

The last line was today.

But there was nothing listed for dinner.

Only a single line outlined in bold-

[Permanent S-rank priority, no time limit.]

Dania's hands shook so badly that they crumpled the paper.

"You..."

She turned to look at him.

Zhou Yu leaned against the gondola window and took a sip of goji berry tea from his thermos, looking impossibly lazy.

"The schedule started the day you came in."

He put down the cup, his voice as flat as ever-like he was reading a supply handover list.

"So when you tell me you like me now, it sounds like you've finally noticed a fact that was already on the schedule."

His gaze swept over the paper in her hands.

"This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, Dania."

"It's a project."

He paused, as if trying to find the right words.

"A permanent contract."

Dania looked at the paper, then at him, her eyes beginning to redden.

"What about me, then..."

Her voice cracked.

"What about my schedule?"

Zhou Yu didn't answer directly.

He reached into her plastic bag, took out the little goldfish, and turned it at an angle under the light.

"Have you named this fish?"

"No..."

"Then starting today, it's called Zhou Yu No. 2."

He handed the bag with the goldfish back to her, his fingertips brushing her palm.

"Your schedule is written into every dish I buy, every place I go with you, and this fish's name."

He leaned back against the window.

"There's no need to list it separately, and you can't see it, but it has to be there."

The gondola continued to move.

The Ferris wheel was slowly descending.

Dania didn't let go of the schedule, or the goldfish in her arms-now Zhou Yu No. 2.

She sniffled and wiped her face haphazardly with the hem of her clothes.

"Zhou Yu."

"Yeah?"

"Next time, don't suddenly pull something like that out and scare me."

"I'll remember."

He unscrewed the lid of his thermos and handed it to her.

"Have some water first. The cotton candy was too sweet."

Outside the window, the lights of the city began to flow backward.

At the amusement park entrance, Linnai held up her terminal, her eyes fixed on the top of the Ferris wheel.

On the screen, two figures were close together.

She bit her lip and pressed the shutter.

Three seconds later, a message appeared in the encrypted group chat.

[Operation Codename: Take Down the Salted Fish has successfully completed its final phase. The target has officially signed a permanent contract. The Ferris Wheel Plan is complete.]

[Image attached: The Eternal Contract.jpg]

The group chat erupted.

Sigelica: Damn it (Roy Tribe slang), what's that paper? Zoom in and take a good look. How much is this going to cost me...

Aimis: Aaaaaah, my daughter (crying)

Chisaki: According to the theory of protein secretion, the oxytocin concentration in both subjects has reached its highest peak. I recommend social consolidation as the next step.

Linnai: No need for recommendations. Yaya is already one of us.

Linnai: Sisters, the Slacking Squad has officially expanded to five members.

Linnai: Next objective: get this salted fish to publicly acknowledge the relationship at the academy.

Linnai: Charge.