Volume 1 - CH 4.7

Part 7

Seiya slept all the way till afternoon the next day.

After having some pasta with Aisu, who had woken up unusually early, Seiya gazed at the golf show on TV. He’d considered playing some PC games, but he simply wasn’t in the mood.

A clear sky expanded far into the horizons in his town, bringing warmth to an otherwise chilly season.

Seiya prepared to head out just when the evening anime came on. Aisu bit into a rice cracker and asked, “Where are you going at this time of day?”

“Heading to work.”

“Right…”

He wasn’t sure if he could make it for the final bus today, so he brought out his bicycle instead. The ride wouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes, anyway.

He reached the staff entrance and greeted the usual security guard on duty.

“How’s it going?”

“Better than expected. We might have actually gotten more guests than yesterday.”

Seiya was utterly dumbfounded. He’d always had the feeling that the numbers should have decreased from yesterday. He walked into the backstage and waved at the cast members laughing happily at the end of their shift.

The 2 weeks Seiya spent here had been pretty crazy. The cast members who had once resented his guts now responded in a gleeful manner. Seiya felt like he’d found a place where he belonged, something that had never happened to him at school.

The park closed for the day soon after. A total of 12,430 guests had visited the park today. They managed to attract 10,000 guests for the second consecutive day. After hearing the announcement from the speakers, everyone clapped their hands in celebration.

Seiya shook hands with a cast member who happened to be beside him and thanked her for the hard work. And so, Seiya’s job was complete.

As he walked through the underground passage, a clapping sound coming from behind resonated throughout the stretch.

“My, my. What an amazing feat.”

Seiya turned around, only to be greeted by Kurisu Takaya from Amagi Development. Chances were that he came all the way from his office just to confirm the total visitor count of the park. He took out the visitor’s pass that was hanging on his neck.

“I never thought they’d actually succeed in getting 100,000 visitors.”

“…Neither did I. They must have worked their asses off to accomplish that, huh?”

“Not that again,” Kurisu sneered. “Perhaps you should drop the act; isn’t this all because you worked you ass off? Acting Manager Kanie Seiya-kun, or I should say, the Oracle’s chosen one.”

“…!”

He tried his best to conceal his shock, but of course he couldn’t. Kurisu should have known that he was the acting manager of the park, for the chances that there were spies among the cast was rather high. But he’d never expected him to know anything about the Oracle—

Kurisu continued after savoring Seiya’s reaction, “But that just means the park’s lifespan is extended by another year. I doubt you can sustain that hardcore campaign of yours any longer. In the end, this is nothing more than a resuscitation to a dying patient.”

“…So what are you trying to say?”

“It’s only a matter of time before this park suffers its fate. And your beloved and cursed princess shall meet her eventual demise.”

This guy knows about her curse!? Just who is this Takaya Kurisu!?

“Just who the heck are you?”

Seiya considered using his magic to read his mind, but now was not the time. And with every ounce of discipline, he suppressed the urge to activate his power.

“Aren’t you gonna use your magical power? That’s some serious self-control you’ve got there, kid.”

Seiya controlled his agitation and stopped himself from screaming out.

So he knows about my powers as well…!

“Hah! I’m sure you’re aware of her fate, given that you know about her curse. It is said that the evil magician was chased away by the heroic knights and pushed down a cliff, but nobody said he died as a result.”

Kurisu’s cunning snicker reeked of malicious intent.

“…To be honest, I actually wanted to settle this once and for all this year, but I’ve changed my mind. I guess I’ll keep your acts in the soccer field under cover and see just how this useless amusement park will fare for the next year.”

“Don’t screw with me! That girl has done nothing wrong, and yet you’re—” Seiya voiced his anger out without any further restraint.

Hearing that, Kurisu’s expression became blank and mysterious.

“Then why don’t you continue your job?”

The atmosphere inside the tunnel warped, and the lights in the ceiling became increasingly brighter.

“This place shall suffer a slow and painful defeat. They can struggle all they want, but this Argel you so dearly protect is fated to crumble. We will not stop until we see that in our eyes,” a deep voice reverberated. The man in front of him was certainly no businessman. The enigma of his grim laughter definitely suggested otherwise.

“Kanie-kun, get down.”

“Sento?”

Isuzu appeared from behind, pushing Seiya aside and pointing her musket.

She fired a shot.

But with the blinding flare of gunpowder, Kurisu Takaya vanished into thin air.

“Ugh…”

With his mind still in a mess, Seiya turned and scanned his surroundings. There was nobody apart from Isuzu in sight. Isuzu withdrew her musket but remained on high alert.

“…He ran away.”

“What was up with that?”

“No idea, but at the very least we know he’s no ordinary human.”

Soon after, perhaps after receiving news from Isuzu, Moffle came running to the scene only to realize he was late. He searched the area and flipped a nearby trash bin in anger.

“So that bastard came back, fumo!? I’ll definitely get him next time!”

*

Seiya made his way to Latifa’s sky garden shortly after the incident.

“I’m continuing.”

Latifa tilted her head, seemingly puzzled at his statement.

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ll continue being the manager of this park for another year. Well, I figured I could stick around until your problems are solved.”

Latifa must have realized that he was referring to the curse she was struck by.

“Kanie-sama…”

“Don’t worry about it. I promised you back then, didn’t I?”

“You…made a promise?”

“Indeed. Hopefully you’ll remember it one day.”

Saying that, Seiya gave her a sorrowful smile.