"Alright," Takashi exhaled slowly as he stepped through the portal. "So… this is Celestia."
"Holy crap," Kaito shouted. "We're actually here! Look at that sky—it's so clear it makes Earth look like it's in it's stone age era."
I grinned. He had a point. The sky stretched far and wide in impossible shades of gold and blue, and even the clouds looked artificial. "Alright, first Celestia joke of the day goes to Kaito."
"Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Literally. I brought extra underwear."
Takashi gave him a weird look. "I didn't need to know that."
"Oh come on, I just like being prepared. Also… where's the food stall?"
The amusement park sprawled out in front of us—floating rides, spiral rollercoasters with glowing rails, ferris wheels that reached into the clouds, and holographic dragons flying overhead. People of every race—some with wings, some glowing, others floating—roamed around like it was just another Saturday.
"Hey guys," I said, "we're standing in the middle of magic-heaven and the first thing we talk about is food?"
"Priorities, Izumi," Takashi replied dryly. "Food first. Screaming later."
"You mean the rides?" I raised a brow.
"No. I mean the emotional trauma of watching Kaito scream like a baby on them."
"Excuse me?" Kaito scoffed. "I'm braver than all of you combined. Watch me dominate that twist-roller up there!"
Ten minutes later…
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Is that him?" I asked, squinting up at the upside-down blur that just flew over our heads.
"Yup." Takashi nodded, calmly sipping his soda. "There goes our brave warrior."
"Someone save my spinal alignment!" Kaito screamed from above.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, who's next? Takashi?"
He blinked. "Me? Uh… I mean… sure? I-I'll go on the flying serpent thingy, I guess."
"You sure?" I teased. "You look like you're about to negotiate with it instead."
"I just… I like to mentally prepare before—OH GOD WHY IS IT MOVING ALREADY?!"
I patted his shoulder and walked away while the attendants strapped him in. "Enjoy, diplomat."
Meanwhile, Yumi stayed near the map stand, arms crossed and expression calm, like she was meditating even in chaos.
"You good?" I asked her.
She nodded slightly, her voice low and smooth. "Just cultivating my aura. I'll join after the noise calms down."
"…Right. Casual."
As the boys returned, half-dizzy, I led us to a VR combat dome. "Let's try something safer."
"This is not safer," Takashi muttered, dodging a digital hammer mid-air.
Kaito ducked under a flying blade. "THIS IS AWESOME!"
We swung and spun around for what felt like hours, digital enemies swarming from every direction. At some point, Takashi accidentally elbowed a goblin and apologized to it.
"Dude, it's not real!" I shouted.
"Still! It had a family!"
By the end, all of us collapsed on a glowing bench under a neon tree. Even Kaito looked tired.
"This park is insane," he gasped, hair stuck up from static shocks.
"Totally worth dying for," I added.
"Did you guys have fun?" Mei asked, finally joining us with Yumi.
I looked at my bruised pride, my slightly sore legs, and then at my laughing friends.
"Hell yes."
The thick scent of caramel popcorn rode the wind like a parade float. Steam curled up from food stalls. Screams echoed from every direction as rollercoasters slithered along metal rails. Mei's eyes sparkled with excitement as she glanced over her shoulder at the distant chaos of Takashi, Kaito and me losing their minds in a battle over who got to ride the next coaster first.
"Those boys seem to be having a blast," Mei said, sipping on a strawberry ice slush. "Why don't you go join them?"
Yumi stood with her hands folded, her calm gaze tracing the crowd from beneath the shade of her hat. "It's kinda immature to run around an amusement park like that." She paused. "Besides, I'm more interested in observing how Takashi behaves… when he isn't being overly noble."
Mei tilted her head with a teasing smirk. "You talk like a private investigator watching her next victim."
Yumi ignored the comment, eyes drifting to the vivid Celestian sky—pale blue with soft glows of pink where the clouds thinned.
"This isn't your first time in Celestia, is it?" Mei asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Yumi kept staring upward. "No, it isn't."
A gust of wind fluttered the ribbon on her outfit as her voice grew lower. "Since you already know who I am, you should also know that traversing between worlds isn't difficult for me. I was originally planning to leave Earth… but ever since I met Takashi, I stopped thinking about it."
There was a short silence between them. Mei watched her with a rare stillness, before flashing a smile again.
"Wow," Mei said, "you're more dramatic than I thought. I'm starting to think you secretly enjoy anime monologues."
Yumi let out a breath through her nose. "I was being genuine."
"Exactly," Mei replied, her grin widening. "That's what makes it even funnier."
Yumi sighed. "...You're annoying."
"Thank you, I work hard at it."
With a swift motion, Mei grabbed Yumi by the wrist. "Come on. You're following me now."
"I didn't agree to this."
"It's an order. You are my minion"
Yumi gave a blank look. " Now that's an abuse of authority"
They walked past shimmering crystalline street lamps, down a path lined with vendors shouting about magical cotton candy that changed flavor every five seconds. The crowd thickened near the center of the park.
Yumi's pace slowed. Her body tensed.
Mei glanced sideways. "What's up?"
Yumi's voice dropped just above a whisper. "Too many people."
"Wait… are you afraid of crowds?"
"It's not fear. It's calculated discomfort."
"That's just a fancy way of saying fear."
Yumi sighed. "You're lucky I haven't incinerated your eyebrows yet."
Mei gasped. "I knew it! Even calm people break under pressure."
As they approached a spinning ride shaped like floating dragons, Mei was already walking toward the queue.
"No," Yumi said.
"Yes," Mei grinned.
"No."
"Afraid you'll scream?"
"I don't scream."
"Oh really?"
Moments later—
"—AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Mei was cackling uncontrollably beside her as the dragons whipped around in mid-air. Yumi was gripping the safety bar with such intensity that it looked like she was trying to fuse with it.
When they stepped off, Yumi staggered forward, hair a little frazzled.
"That was amazing!" Mei said, punching the air.
"I have experienced high-speed wind slicing across my face during an interdimensional battle," Yumi said coldly, "and that was worse."
Mei offered her a drink. "Water?"
"Give me blood."
"Oh my stars, you do have dark humor."
"I'm serious."
The teasing continued as they visited a haunted house. Mei was clearly the one scared, yelping at every jump scare.
Yumi walked calmly, eyeing each ghost. "They could've at least used real phantoms."
"Oh forgive them, Miss Grim Reaper."
"You know," Yumi said, stepping in front of a mirror that twisted her reflection, "I find this distorted face more human than half the people I've met."
"Dark. Very dark. I love it," Mei laughed.
At a shooting gallery, Mei missed every single shot.
"Need help?" Yumi asked.
Mei puffed her cheeks. "I was distracted."
"You blinked seventeen times during that round. I counted."
"How are you so robotic and sarcastic?"
"I have layers. Like trauma onions."
The day passed quickly with bursts of joy and tension.
Every now and then, Mei would lean close just to poke Yumi's cheek or whisper something outrageous like: "I bet you sleep with a sword under your pillow, don't you?"
Yumi would always sigh and swat her hand away. "Stop talking or I will feed you to the shadows."
Finally, as they reached a quieter part of the park—a cherry blossom grove with floating lights and soft music—Yumi allowed herself to smile, just barely.
"You're enjoying yourself," Mei pointed out.
"I'm tolerating the experience," Yumi replied.
"Your 'tolerating' includes laughter, small smiles, and sarcasm. If that's your baseline, I fear how you'd act when you're actually happy."
Yumi folded her arms. "I'd destroy the moon."
"…Okay, that's kinda romantic."
"Do you even hear yourself when you speak?"
Mei giggled. "Yup. It's a curse."
They both stood under the falling petals, quietly watching the wind swirl them.
"Thank you," Yumi said after a moment.
"Huh?"
"For dragging me around. I didn't expect… to feel normal today."
Mei softened her expression, her usual teasing tone dipping into something gen
tler.
"Anytime. You're one of us, Yumi. Whether you act like it or not."
Yumi smiled a bit hearing Mei's words
Mei then said "and don't worry you little secret will be safe with me….minion"
"I will vaporize you!"
To be continued...