Chirem Act 6-12.2
BGM: 【MV】24 Hours with Camellya - A Private Record
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Act 6-12.2: Wanting to Be the One by His Side
TL :<t0/> Cnine
ED/<t0/>PF :
R1[1-3], R2[4-6], R3[7-9]
Part 4
「W-wait, wait! ‘The only one for the job’?! Wh-why’s it gotta be me…?!」
「Eeeeh? You’re telling me I got this guy?」
「Hah?! What’s that meant to mean?! Are you saying you hate the idea of being with me?!」
「N-no! That’s not what I meant! I’m just saying, with you it’s kinda… like it’s, uh… basically the same as usual…」
「Oh, for goddess’ sake! If we stay here like this, we’ll bother everyone behind us! Fine… Fine! I’ll go with you! You should feel honoured!」
Lillian’s face went bright red as she blasted the words out in one breath and plonked herself into one of the boats at the entrance. Ein let out a miserable, “You’ve gotta be joking…” and slouched into the other seat as the attendant shoved them towards the slide.
「Okaaay! Next guests, please!」
After watching Ein and the others drift away, and while the other attendants rushed around preparing the boats, the cheerful attendant turned to me at the front of the line and called out.
「Okaaay! So then~ who’s your partner going to be?」
「H-Here. It's m---」
「I'll be your partner, Rakuichi-sama.」
Before Elsie behind me could even finish speaking, Silvia stepped forward, practically nudging her out of the way.
「E-eh? S-Silvia… san…?!」
「Yes. Since Lillian-sama skipped the order as well, I thought it might be allowed… Was I… In the way?」
Silvia’s face drooped, looking genuinely sad. Honestly… Don’t make that face…
「B-But, Elsie is...」
I couldn’t abandon Silvia. Yet, I couldn’t ignore Elsie’s feelings either.
When I glanced over at Elsie, she rapidly shook both her head and hands.
「I-it’s really okay. I’ll just watch from down there.」
「Just… watching? That’s…」
「It’s really fine. I got a bit tired in the lazy river earlier… Moreover, there’s nine of us. One of us was always going to be left out, right?」
「Well… I suppose that’s true, but…」
「Are you really sure? I can swap in if you wa—」
「I’m really fine! Right, off you go, all of you, have fun!」
With a brave little smile, Elsie turned away as if shutting out our protests and calmly made her way down the stairs, walking against the line of people. Tch… She was stubborn. She’s not wrong… but it still makes my chest feel weird with guilt.
「Uhm... Rakuichi-sama?」
「Y-Yeah. Alright then. Let's pair up, Silvia-san.」
「Yes.」
Silvia watches me, anxiety flickering in her eyes. I forced a smile in response. No. That wouldn’t do. The instant I let the weight show, it would pass straight to her, and she’d take responsibility she didn’t deserve. Silvia had done nothing wrong. She’d simply reaching out, trying to experience the outside world for the very first time. There was no malice in her heart, no desire to trample on Elsie.
This was just bad timing. That’s all there was to it. The day had barely begun, and there’d be chances later to make things right. For now, I flicked the switch in my head and decide to enjoy the attraction with Sylvia.
「Well, I do feel bad for Elsie… but at least this way, the numbers finally add up.」
「Quite so. Of course, I’ll be joining Mishelle-dono!」
「Well then Bell-chan, pair with me!」
「With pleasure.」
As Silvia and I stepped into our boat, lively voices erupt behind us, pairs being decided in rapid succession.
When everything was finally ready, the attendant rests her hand lightly on the boat and calls out.
「Right then, hold on tight to the handles and be careful not to fall in. Off you go!」
After a brief word of caution, she pushed our boat out. The hull tilted sharply, caught the current beneath it, and shot forward, sliding faster and faster.
Then, in an instant, darkness swallowed everything. Soon the angle softened, and the boat drifted on at a calm, almost lazy speed through an empty void.
「What on earth is thi--- Ah?」
The sheer abruptness left me stunned, my eyes darting everywhere. That was when a light suddenly bloomed within the darkness, and our boat was drawn straight into it.
The world that greeted us was a jungle, thick with towering plants. We floated along a river cutting through it, while above, monkey-like creatures swung energetically from branch to branch.
Just when I thought I understood, the jungle vanished without warning. In its place appeared a magnificent savannah stretching to the horizon, teeming with wild animals whose lives unfolded right before our eyes.
BANG! The boat lurched like it’d just been smacked by a cosmic hammer, and every nearby animal went full-on panic mode. From the forest shadows, a dragon and a T-Rex-sized nightmare appeared, squaring off like they were auditioning for the ultimate blockbuster.
Our boat, of course, decided to join the chaos. Rising with dramatic flair, it shot straight into the battle, right into the dinosaur’s wide-open jaws as it lunged for the dragon.
「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!」
I screamed, eyes clamped shut, heart thumping like a drum solo. Even knowing it was just a recording, the scene was ridiculously intense and realistic.
But no, we weren’t about to be chewed up... Carefully opening my eyes, I found myself in a jaw-droppingly gorgeous ice world, auroras shimmering above like neon brushstrokes.
「WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!」
「Beautiful...」
The boat carried us through myriads worlds.
Through erupting volcanoes spilling rivers of molten rock. Beneath oceans teeming with fish in every colour imaginable. Across deserts that felt like the sun had personally come down to roast us. Inside massive rooms where toys ran amok, through mechanical buildings buzzing with gears, and into a candy-coated land that looked like someone’s hyperactive dream.
Finally, we blasted into space, weaving between stars streaking past like cosmic headlights. A meteor shower thundered toward us, swallowing our view in a blinding, flashing torrent of light――
――KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
「Uoooo?」
「KYAAAA!」
Suddenly, water exploded around us, and the boat lurched violently, tossing us like ragdolls. Instinctively, I ducked, bracing for the impact, and when I slowly lifted my head, there it was: the small pool at the end of the slide, calm and serene after our wild ride.
「Alrighty, good jo~b.」
The staff by the poolside waved at us, and only then did we realise… Yeah, the ride was officially over.