{Satou-san’s Theme Park Do-over (1)}

“Yamaguchi-kun, do you like theme parks?”

“I don’t hate them, but I haven’t been to many.”

When I answered, Satou-san excitedly said, “Then why don’t we go sometime? Just the two of us!”

Without needing to ask, it was clear she liked theme parks.

“I’ve always wanted to go with you, Yamaguchi-kun.”

The way her eyes sparkled when she said that made me think it wouldn’t be so bad to go along with her this time.

First off, I don’t hate theme parks. But, even though “theme park” is a broad term, when you mention one in Japan, people probably imagine either that dreamland full of cute characters in Chiba or the one based on classic movies in Kansai. These world-famous parks are known for their intricate attractions, and though they’re expensive, satisfaction is almost guaranteed. I wouldn’t mind going to a place like that once, for sure.

But both are far from where we live. It’s not the kind of place you can enjoy on a day trip. If we were to stay overnight, the cost would skyrocket. The transportation alone would cost me a whole month’s worth of part-time wages. If we were going to go, we’d need months of planning and preparation.

“We don’t need to do all that. There’s a theme park nearby,” Satou-san said with a bright smile.

Yes, there was. Technically, we did have one near our town.

“Satou-san, are you okay with the one that’s close by?”

“Of course! I’ve been wanting to go again.”

It’s a three-and-a-half-hour bus ride from the station, deep into the mountains. There’s a resort there with a ski slope, a golf course, and a huge hotel that looks like a tower. The theme park we were planning to go to is part of this vast resort, and locally, it’s the first place people think of when you mention a theme park.

Naturally, both Satou-san and I had been there before.

“We went there for the school retreat in our second year of high school, remember?”

“Yeah, that was fun too.”

For Satou-san, the high school retreat was a fond memory.

“We all went on a bunch of attractions together. There was that one where you go way up high while sitting down, then drop, and the boat ride where the water splashes on you—it was so refreshing! And at night, we stayed up chatting secretly in the hotel. It was so much fun.”

As she talked, her eyes began to sparkle again, and I couldn’t help but smile, realizing how much she had enjoyed it.

But for me, that retreat wasn’t such a great memory. Since it was a school event, we had to stick to our assigned groups for everything, and my group was the worst. I was stuck with Sasaki, the baseball team captain, and two other guys, Tonosaki and Niijima, who were constantly causing trouble, breaking the rules, and getting us in trouble with the teachers. While they weren’t bad guys, spending too much time with them got exhausting. I ended up wishing I could somehow join one of the girls’ groups instead. That’s my main memory from the retreat.

We had to stick together for the attractions too, so I didn’t really enjoy them. I mean, I would’ve preferred to ride with a girl.

“…Yamaguchi-kun, is something wrong?”

Before I realized it, Satou-san was peering at me with concern.

“N-no, nothing at all.”

I must’ve been making quite an awkward face, lost in my high school memories.

But this time, it would just be the two of us. Maybe today would overwrite those old memories with something more fun. Plus, it was a place we could go to without much planning or hassle.

This resort was originally a massive ski area, spread across three nearby mountains. It was famous for its great snow quality and facilities, and during the winter, the hotel was fully booked with skiers. However, skiing wasn’t something you could do year-round, and the golf course wasn’t enough to attract off-season guests.

That’s why they built this theme park.

“Wow… nothing has changed since three years ago!”

As soon as we passed through the entrance gate after buying our tickets, Satou-san let out a cheer.

The park is so big that walking around it could tire you out. There are all sorts of thrilling rides packed into the space, including seven different roller coasters. On top of that, there’s a free fall ride, a flying carpet, and a rubber boat that rushes down a waterway—it’s packed with attractions.

Of course, there’s also a huge Ferris wheel. Against the backdrop of lush summer mountains and the early summer sky, it was slowly spinning, almost like a lullaby.

“The weather’s perfect, isn’t it? It’s a great day for a theme park!” Satou-san said, brimming with excitement.

She opened up the park map we had just been given and began eagerly planning where to go and what to ride first.

She must have really been looking forward to today because she was fully prepared, wearing leggings under her dress. Personally, I thought it was a bit of a shame from a fashion standpoint, but I understood since we were at a theme park.

“So, Yamaguchi-kun, what do you want to ride first?”

“Anything Satou-san wants is fine. Let’s go in order.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You were really looking forward to coming here, after all.”

Trying to sound cool, I found myself getting a bit excited too.

After all, it was my first theme park visit since high school, the weather was great, and I was with Satou-san.

The student discount had also made the entrance fee cheaper, so I was planning to treat Satou-san to a nice lunch with the savings.

It was a weekend in June, just before the rainy season, and the park was quite crowded thanks to the good weather.

Every ride had a line forming, and shouts of excitement echoed from all directions.

“Well, I think I want to start with this,” Satou-san said after some thought, pointing to the bottom left of the map.

It was an area filled with amusement facilities, where the roller coaster rides ended. There was a mirror maze, a mini-theater showing musicals, and a trampoline dome for kids. Among them was what Satou-san had her sights on.

“A haunted house?”

When I asked, she nodded with a smile.

“Yep. Yamaguchi-kun, are you okay with haunted houses?”

“I’ve only been in one during the school festival, but I think I’ll be fine.”

I remembered that the high school-level haunted house wasn’t particularly scary, though it was fun in its own way.

“Didn’t you go during the retreat?”

“It wasn’t an option for us.”

Considering how much trouble my group could’ve caused in a dark, confined space, it’s no surprise we skipped it. One of the guys had wanted to go, but we ended up not going after some discussion.

Still, I had a feeling it might be fun with Satou-san. Haunted houses are best experienced with someone you like.

“Did you go in during the retreat, Satou-san?”

“Yes, my group went in.”

“Oh? Was it scary?”

“Hmm… actually, I didn’t see much of it,” she said, looking embarrassed as she tilted her head.

“What do you mean? You went in, right?”

“We did, but I was so scared that I kept my eyes closed most of the time.”

“So it was really that scary?”

“Well, I think it was more the atmosphere… I closed my eyes as soon as we went in.”

Satou-san closing her eyes because of the atmosphere seemed adorable.

But this haunted house is a typical walkthrough type. You can’t make it through with your eyes closed, and with all the other girls scared too, I wondered how they managed.

“How did you and your friends get through?”

When I teased her, she smiled shyly.

“We ended up forming a line, grabbing each other’s shoulders like a centipede, and walking together.”

“You closed your eyes the whole time?”

“Yep. The girl in front led the way, so we could all close our eyes and follow her safely.”

I could imagine the scene—one brave girl leading a group of scared high school girls, all walking like a centipede. If I had been one of the actors, I would’ve found it hard not to laugh.

“By the way, who was the brave one leading?”

I asked, barely holding back my laughter, but Satou-san frowned in confusion.

“Hmm… I remember Tomoko-chan was in front of me, and Hikari-chan was in front of her, but…”

She tried to recall, but it didn’t seem to come to her. She kept tilting her head.

“Now that you mention it, I don’t remember who was at the front. We never checked.”

It was starting to sound like a classic ghost story.

For a moment, I thought Satou-san was trying to scare me in front of the haunted house. But she genuinely seemed unable to remember, and if I mentioned the punchline I was predicting, I might end up scaring her instead, so I held back.

“Are you okay this time? Should I hold your hand?”

Instead, I offered this, and Satou-san shook her head with a smile.

“I’m fine! I’m almost twenty, so I can’t say I’m scared of ghosts.”

“Then do you think you can keep your eyes open?”

“Of course. I barely saw anything last time, so I need to make sure I see it this time.”

After confidently saying this, she suddenly grabbed my hand.

When I blinked in surprise, she shyly looked away.

“It’s okay to hold hands, right? It’s not that I’m scared or anything…”

I wondered what kind of embarrassment she was feeling in this situation.

Feeling uncertain, I squeezed her hand back to reassure her.

Once we paid the entrance fee, the amusement park offered a free pass, which was a nice perk.

It seemed the haunted house had fewer visitors than the thrill rides, so we were let inside without much of a wait.

“Let’s go, Satou-san.”

“Y-yeah…”

I heard her swallow nervously and glanced at Satou-san.

In the darkness of the haunted house, her tense expression stood out pale against the shadows. Her eyes were still open, cautiously scanning the surroundings. She was gripping my hand tightly, and oddly enough, I found myself thinking about how soft her hand felt.

The theme of this haunted house was “Abandoned Ghost Mansion.” Once, a wealthy family lived in the Western-style house. But one day, a tragedy struck, and the presence of people vanished from the mansion. What could be there, and where did the family go?—such an introduction was written at the entrance.

After passing through the narrow entrance, which was surprisingly small for the belongings of a wealthy family, we arrived at the kitchen.

“Y-Yamaguchi-kun. There’s a knife over there.”

“Well, it is the kitchen.”

“Yeah, but that knife looks a bit red, doesn’t it?”

“It was probably during a cooking mishap.”

On the island kitchen, which looked like something out of an American drama, a knife was vertically stabbed into a cutting board. Both the knife and the cutting board, as well as the floor beneath the island, were stained red with what looked like blood. Surrounding it were some ominously placed cooking ingredients, making it understandable that the girls would want to close their eyes.

Satou-san quietly leaned closer to me. When I glanced her way, she immediately looked down.

“I’m still not closing my eyes…”

It’s fine if she closes them if she’s scared. I could lead her to the exit this time.

But I didn’t want to discourage Satou-san, who was trying so hard.

So, I intentionally smiled and, taking advantage of the darkness, gently put my arm around her shoulders.

“It’s okay, I’m here with you.”

Going through a haunted house with someone you like is the best.

There are perks to this, and I can show her a cool side of myself.