Chapter 362: The Sea That Touched the Sky
Chapter 362: The Sea That Touched the Sky
After getting off the bus, Himekoji sprinted all the way, arriving at the meeting spot while gasping for breath.
Had he made it in time?
Himekoji sighed in relief, then scanned the area for the other person.
Weekend crowds swarmed outside the amusement park entrance, yet Himekoji spotted Nanami immediately amid the bustle.
She stood about ten meters away by the garden edge, wearing a pale yellow long-sleeved shirt with a denim skirt and a girlish leather bag slung over her shoulder.
They noticed each other instantly.
Nanami broke into a smile and waved at Himekoji, but the next second, her cheeks flushed pink as she nervously glanced around.
She probably felt embarrassed for waving so enthusiastically.
“Sorry, did you wait long?”
Himekoji caught his breath before speaking—he didn’t want to look pathetic by panting.
“No, the meeting time hasn’t passed yet.”
Nanami showed him her phone screen.
True enough, three whole minutes remained until three o’clock.
“Himekoji, you’re very punctual.”
Though Nanami had arrived over half an hour early, she genuinely praised him without complaint.
Today was their date.
Just thinking about it made her pulse race. Nanami’s hands lightly touched her chest, feeling her heart’s frantic rhythm through her clothes.
Himekoji noticed her gesture, his gaze drifting involuntarily to her chest. He couldn’t help noticing how her curves seemed fuller lately.
But wouldn’t staring seem rude?
Flustered, he quickly looked up—only to meet her signature neat ponytail.
She seemed to sense his attention.
“I wore it like this… for the roller coaster…”
Her explanation trailed off, incomplete.
But Himekoji understood. She meant her hair wouldn’t tangle wildly during the ride, right?
“So… should you take it down?”
His eyes lingered on her ponytail, making Nanami self-conscious.
Caring so deeply about someone’s every move, word, and glance—this feeling was truly strange.
“N-No! This is fine!”
Infected by the tension, Himekoji stumbled over this simple reply, his voice tight.
“O-Oh… okay.”
Nanami fumbled too, equally flustered.
Their eyes met abruptly, then both glanced away in shared awkwardness.
What was this atmosphere?
So this was dating?
Definitely something requiring practice.
Thankfully they had a script—otherwise, these amateurs wouldn’t know what to do next.
…
“Let’s go inside.”
“Mm.”
They joined the crowd flowing into the amusement park without delay.
Fearful of being separated, they stayed close.
Their arms and fingers brushed in the tight space—each touch brief and electric.
Neither dared look at the other.
“What should we do first?”
“The roller coaster.”
Himekoji broke the silence, Nanami giving the shortest possible answer.
Exactly as their script dictated.
Who spoke what line—they’d rehearsed it endlessly at home and school.
Only now, the stage was the amusement park.
Whether by luck or misfortune, after queuing thirty minutes, they got the roller coaster’s front seats.
No one blocked their view, but Himekoji didn’t consider this good.
Sitting there, the unobstructed height felt terrifying. Security vanished without people ahead.
The ride hadn’t even started, yet his heart already hammered wildly.
No—it began pounding the moment they entered the park.
The word “date” looped in his mind like a spell.
Even though he knew this was just scripted theatre, everything proceeding step-by-step.
…
Clack-clack-clack…
The roller coaster’s climb sounded like a countdown, inching up the tracks.
Painfully slow.
Yet this leisurely ascent tested their nerves most cruelly.
They knew the peak meant speed, sharp turns, and flips—helpless to resist as the terror-point neared.
Himekoji always thought himself battle-hardened, unfazed by roller coasters. Now he realized he’d underestimated it.
“Himekoji… your face looks stiff.”
“Yours too, Aoyama.”
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
You’re the one who’s scared!”
“Wanna bet? Whoever screams first loses—”
Just scripted dialogue.
But before Nanami could name the wager, the coaster reached its peak.
Her voice vanished. The world plunged into silence—only frantic heartbeats drummed loudly.
Tension peaked.
Then—movement.
Weightlessness shot from their feet to their scalps.
Fear erupted uncontrollably.
Like flipping upside-down, plunging headfirst toward a cliff.
“WAAAAAAAAHHHH—!”
“KYAAAAAAHHHH—!”
They screamed their scripted lines simultaneously, no acting required.
The next instant, someone seized Himekoji’s hand.
Pure instinct—Nanami desperately grabbing for anchor.
Equally mindless, Himekoji clutched her small hand fiercely in return.
The grip made Nanami snap her head toward him.
Wind whipped his babbled hair across his face as he switched between wild screams and trembling silence.
Himekoji sat beside her.
Nanami suddenly remembered—their classroom seats were side-by-side too.
She’d stolen countless glances at him there, quick and secret.
But this time, she stared openly.
His palm’s warmth radiated into hers. His nearness felt achingly familiar… and longed-for.
Aoyama Nanami’s heart pounded harder than ever in her life.
Was it the roller coaster?
Or the fiercely clasped hand?
She only knew—as the coaster soared to its zenith—
Aoyama Nanami felt like she’d touched the sky itself.
…
…