Though it was supposed to be Rudolf taking Kagura out, Kagura felt the roles were entirely reversed today. Instead of being taken out by Rudolf-ojousama, it felt more like she was the one guiding Rudolf-ojousama around.
...
Maybe it was because Rudolf usually spent all day holed up in the student council office, buried in endless paperwork, but when it came to leisure activities, she genuinely had no clue. When Speed suggested taking Kagura out to play, Rudolf had jumped at the chance without thinking. But now, standing in front of the amusement park gates, she realized her mind was utterly blank—she had no idea what to do next.
"Ojou-sama?"
Noticing Rudolf spacing out at the entrance, Kagura gently tugged at her sleeve. Rudolf finally snapped back to reality, realizing she'd accidentally left Kagura hanging there awkwardly.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry, Kagura. Let's go get our tickets checked first."
"Ojou-sama… Could it be that you've never been to a place like this before?"
"…Well, I rarely got to go out and have fun. I've always been so busy with work. The former president dumped all the work on me and promptly disappeared…"
After some thought, Rudolf saw no reason to hide it, so she admitted it openly.
So the reason Ojou-sama was so swamped before was because of something like that? What kind of person was that former president, anyway—abandoning the entire student council without a proper handover…?
Kagura quietly sympathized with Rudolf. She was starting to realize just how thankless a job being student council president must be.
Despite these silent complaints, the two of them obediently queued up for ticket inspection. Kagura walked in front, handing her ticket to the staff member. The worker glanced down at the ticket, then looked at Kagura's petite figure, smiling warmly as she leaned closer:
"Little girl, children visiting the park must be accompanied by an adult, okay?"
"Eh…? I'm… I'm just a bit short—"
Just as Kagura was about to explain, Rudolf gently pressed her hand down on Kagura's head, signaling her to stay quiet. Then Rudolf handed over her own ticket to the attendant.
"We're here together."
"Oh my gosh! You… You're Rudolf-sama!"
Rudolf had left the dorm in such a rush today that she hadn't properly disguised herself. With her reputation soaring after her dominating victory in the Yayoi Sho, it was no surprise she was immediately recognized. Luckily, Rudolf swiftly gestured for the attendant to keep her voice down, averting a potential stampede given how crowded the line was.
"I… I'm sorry! It's just… I never expected to meet Rudolf-sama in person! Could… could you please sign an autograph for me? Even on my shirt is fine!"
The attendant, now clearly star-struck, excitedly handed Rudolf her own pen. Rudolf calmly took it and, after graciously confirming exactly where the attendant wanted her signature, elegantly wrote a few graceful strokes.
"Of course. Thank you for your support. I promise to repay your expectations with even more dazzling performances in the future."
"Yes… yes! Thank you so much! Um, today Rudolf-sama, you're here with…?"
"My little sister," Rudolf lied smoothly without batting an eye. "She's wanted to visit here for a while, but I've been busy with races lately, so today's my first chance to take her."
Technically speaking, Rudolf wasn't exactly lying. Even though Speed-sama hadn't formally acknowledged Kagura through any official means, she'd already started treating Kagura as if she were part of the family.
Come to think of it, if Baba really did decide to officially adopt Kagura someday, wouldn't that make her my adopted little sister…? Haha…
The thought nearly made Rudolf laugh out loud.
But anyway, at least they'd cleared ticket inspection. Kagura glanced back at the now impossibly congested line and silently thanked fate they'd arrived earlier.
Never imagined in this lifetime I'd almost be stopped at an amusement park gate because I looked underage…
After having already spent years as an adult, it was a rather surreal experience to once again be treated like a child who needed a chaperone to enter an amusement park.
Noticing Rudolf still looking around curiously, like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, Kagura realized she couldn't just follow Rudolf's clueless pace today. She had to play the role of a proper, mature older sister and guide this clueless young lady on how to enjoy herself.
"Ojou-sama, since you're not familiar with amusement parks, how about we try that attraction over there with the really long queue? If it's that popular, it must be fun, right?"
As she spoke, Kagura pointed toward an extremely long line snaking toward a distant ride. Kagura had no idea exactly what the ride was called, but from a glance, it appeared to be a roller coaster.
Generally speaking, an attraction with an enormous queue either had to be genuinely fun or at least impressive enough to warrant curiosity. Regardless, since they were already here, wasting a bit of time wasn't exactly a concern.
"Hmm? Ah… alright."
Rudolf, entirely inexperienced with amusement park rides, simply nodded and agreed without thinking.
"So, Kagura, why did you pick this one?"
After they'd almost reached the ride itself, Rudolf finally heard the screams echoing from above. Even someone as inexperienced as she was began to sense something was off. What kind of "normal" ride would cause such ear-splitting commotion?
"Well, since the line was so long, I figured it must be good, right? I actually don't know exactly what kind of ride it is."
Seeing Kagura's innocent expression, Rudolf—who also knew nothing about the ride—could only nod and keep moving forward.
Kagura wasn't sure whether Rudolf was afraid of heights or not. But she strongly believed that visiting an amusement park with a roller coaster and not riding it at least once would make the entire trip feel incomplete. As for her real motive… well, Kagura secretly thought it'd be amusing to watch Rudolf's reaction after experiencing a wild ride like this for the very first time.
Putting aside her desire to tease Rudolf a bit, Kagura felt the ride strangely familiar—like the roller coaster in that famous manga where a certain elementary-school detective witnessed someone's head literally flying off. It gave Kagura a peculiar sensation, as if she were going on a pilgrimage to a legendary site.
Just then, Rudolf felt her phone buzz again:
[Speed]:How is it? Did the tickets work out alright? I heard the park's packed today—have you two gotten inside yet?
[Rudolf]:No problems. We're already inside. Right now we're waiting in line for… um, some kind of roller coaster.
[Speed]:You? Taking a small child on a roller coaster?!
[Rudolf]:It wasn't my idea. Kagura got curious and picked it. You know I don't understand these things…
[Speed]:Watch Kagura closely. If anything happens, you must protect her. Hold her hand tightly—it's crowded, so don't let her wander off!
Reading Speed's worried, nagging message, Rudolf could practically see her grandmother's concerned expression through the screen.
Why do I suddenly feel like I really am taking my little sister out for the day…?
At least, that was how Rudolf felt before she actually got onto the ride.
---
bonus chaps
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