I really want to go to Disney Sea! part 3
Rocked gently by the gondola gliding along the canal, I savoured the streetscape of this dreamlike city.
“Hey, Yui. I’d love to go to Italy on our next long holiday. I’d really like to ride a proper Venetian gondola too.”
“Italy, eh? That sounds lovely. It seems like fun.”
Watching Yui smile made me feel incredibly happy. I couldn’t suppress the flutter in my chest at the sight of her tucking her long black hair, rustling softly in the breeze, behind her ear.
I squeezed her hand tightly, trying not to let anyone notice.
Noticing my gesture, Yui peered into my eyes and smiled happily.
After about twenty minutes of cruising around in the gondola, I was the first to pull my smartphone from my pocket.
“Right then, Yui, shall we go? There’s a wait, and we should probably queue for the main attractions now. It’ll be lunchtime soon, you see.”
“Ah… u-uh… yeah, you’re right.”
Taking Yui’s hand, I marched confidently through the park, map in hand, as if I knew every corner.
“It’s about an hour’s wait, so I reckon we could just queue normally without paying extra. What do you think? You know, the queue itself can be quite fun too.”
Even while waiting, the numerous story-themed decorations meant it didn’t feel too tedious.
Besides, with Yui-san by my side, I could happily wait an hour or two.
“Right then, let’s queue normally. No need to rush… heh…”
“Well, that settled, let’s go!”
“Uh, yeah…”
When we reached the attraction, Yui looked up at the tower and gasped.
“It’s… bigger than I thought… isn’t it…”
“It is tall, but the actual drop is from that window over there.”
Pointing to a window high up in the building, Yui relaxed her expression as if relieved.
“Really? So maybe it’s not actually that high?”
“This is a free-fall type attraction. It goes up and down, so it feels like you’re floating the whole time. What’s more, this attraction is based on the concept of a ‘cursed hotel’, so somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s happening someone else.”
I remember the story behind this attraction was something like the hotel owner bringing back a cursed idol…
Our previous subsidiary was a hotel management company, so I felt a certain affinity for it.
“A cursed hotel, eh… Ha ha…”
I laughed at Yui’s wry smile as we joined the queue. As it was a weekday, the line wasn’t particularly long, so it looked like our turn would come around in no time.
If we’d come on a holiday, it surely wouldn’t have been this straightforward.
Amidst the incessant, unsettling background music, we moved slowly but surely along the queue.
Passing through a garden with a rather dubious statue, we entered the building. Inside was dimly lit; the orange lamps cast an atmosphere that felt far too contrived.
As we chatted about trivial things and continued forward, I noticed Yui-san was becoming increasingly quiet.
“…Yui-san, are you perhaps… not fond of scary things?”
“Eh? Ah, no… it’s not that… exactly…”
Back in university, I’d watched horror films with Yui-san.
At the time, she hadn’t shown the slightest sign of being scared; if anything, she seemed to enjoy my reactions.
The Yui-san of university days was just a tad more mischievous and playful than she is now.
Looking up, Yui-san smiled slightly, her face twitching a little, so I squeezed her hand tightly and smiled back.
“Hehe, it’s alright. It’s not like it’s a haunted house or anything. Or are you perhaps not keen on curses and that sort of thing?”
“No… not really, but I feel like I might get swept up in the atmosphere. I feel like I’m completely falling for Disney’s scheme…”
“It’s got a proper storyline, doesn’t it? Makes your heart race. This waiting time just adds to the thrill, you know? I’m starting to feel a bit nervous myself.”
While we were chatting, our turn finally came.
Entering the small room with stained glass displaying the ‘Cursed Idol’, even I — who knew what was coming — felt my heart skip a beat.
Feeling uneasy, I squeezed Yui-san’s arm tightly in the dim light. Somehow, her arm felt stiffer than usual.
“…Yui-san?”
I called her name softly. Her slender shoulders flinched, and she turned her gaze towards me.
“Wh-what?”
She was smiling, but it was a smile that could also be read as troubled, and it felt somehow off.
Huh? Yui-san, could it be that she’s not actually afraid of scary things…?
Before I could confirm this suspicion, we were finally guided to the lift.
Yui-san’s hand, clutching mine tightly, felt stronger than usual.
“Um, Yui… are you alright?”
I glanced at her profile. She was breathing deeply, huffing and puffing, staring fixedly at one point.
“……………………………………”
“…Yui? Yui?”
I waved my hand rapidly in front of her face. Then, as if startled, Yui turned back to me.
“S-sorry, I was just a bit nervous.”
Yui-san, surely not… you don’t happen to dislike scream-inducing rides…?
Just as I opened my mouth to ask, the doors in front of us slid open.
Swept along by the shuffling crowd, we were pushed into the lift.
Yui-san’s hand, clutching mine tightly, felt faintly clammy.
Before I could say anything more, we were guided to our seats and ended up sitting side by side at the very back.
As instructed by the announcement, Yui-san pulled her seatbelt tight, her hand still trembling slightly.
“Um, Yui-san, are you alright?”
“I… I think… I’m fine…”
“I think.”
That’s when my suspicion finally turned to certainty.
Yui-san’s eyes, looking at me, were glistening with unease, and my chest tightened painfully.
I’ve done it. I’ve made a huge mistake…!
Only now did I realise. I’d been far too excited about our Disney date with Yui-san, and hadn’t noticed at all that she disliked scream-inducing attractions.
I’m such an idiot. Why didn’t I ask her first?
I should have known better. If I said I wanted to go on something, no matter how much she disliked it, Yui-san would never say no.
“Yui-san, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise you didn’t like thrill rides…”
“It’s… it’s alright, really…”
Yui-san’s reaction worried me far more than the attraction’s effects, and I couldn’t help but squeeze her hand tightly.
Having come this far, there was no turning back. No retreating now. All that remained was to climb to the very top and fall…
Everything went pitch black, and soon Yui-san’s figure vanished from view. The hand I held was all I had to rely on.
I was so worried about Yui-san that the attraction’s effects didn’t register at all.
The lift surged upwards.
“Kana…?”
“Yui…! It’s alright, I’m here, I’m right beside you…!”
Hearing Yui’s voice, on the verge of tears, made me feel like crying too.
Oh, please let it go up and down fewer times than usual.
We clasped hands tightly.
Inside the lift heading towards hell, it was pitch black. All I could feel was the warmth and strength of Yui-san’s hand to my right.
Regret and self-reproach threatened to crush me. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!
The ascent slowed.
Upon reaching the top, it suddenly brightened. Light streamed in through the window, abruptly.
It was the instant I saw outside.
With a sensation of floating, my body plunged downwards in one swift motion.
My body floated up with a jolt, and the queasy feeling of my insides being pushed upwards made me stiffen involuntarily.
But before I could cry out—
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Yui-san’s piercing scream echoed through the lift, mingling with the cries of the other passengers.
“Ow ow ow ow ow ow, Yui-san, you’re breaking my hand! It hurts!!!”
Her hand clenched mine with such force it made my bones creak and groan.
Each time the lift jerked up or down, Yui-san screamed louder than anyone else, and each time, her grip tightened fiercely. I was screaming in a different sense too.
“Haah… Haah… Is… is it over…?”
When the ride stopped, Yui-san, teary-eyed and trembling, looked at me, breathing heavily.
My hand, still aching from being gripped so tightly, made a grinding sound. Feeling terribly sorry, I gently stroked her cheek.
“Yui… are you… alright?”
“Y-yeah… I think so…”
Her hand was still trembling, and my heart clenched. Without thinking, I hugged her.
“I’m sorry, Yui…! It must have been terrifying…!”
Seeing her so frightened made my own eyes well up with tears.
While this was happening, the other passengers began filing out. I hurriedly unbuckled Yui’s seatbelt, steadied her unsteady hands, and helped her out of the ride.
＊＊＊
After buying tea from a vending machine and returning to the bench, Yui-san looked awkward and averted her eyes from me.
“Yui-san? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
I sat right next to her, snuggling close, and gently rubbed her back with my palm.
Opening the plastic bottle cap and handing it to her, her moist eyes met mine.
“Thank you… Sorry, Kanata… I thought I’d be fine… I’m afraid I’ve shown you my unattractive side.”
Seeing Yui-san slump her shoulders dejectedly, I shook my head vigorously from side to side.
“I’m the one who should apologise for not checking first. I was looking forward to it, so you pushed yourself to get on, didn’t you, Yui-san…! Next time, let’s go on a much more peaceful attraction.”
“But, Kanata, will you really be able to enjoy yourself…?”
Yui-san’s feeble words made my heart skip a beat.
Why is Yui-san so kind? Seeing her devotedly willing to do anything for me, if no one had been watching, I would have thrown myself into her arms right then and there.
“Of course I can enjoy anything with you, Yui-san…! Right, Yui-san? After a little rest, let’s go to the attraction where we talk to the turtles. It’s just nearby. After a leisurely meal at the restaurant, we’ll take a boat ride… and see the show in the evening, alright?”
I placed the headband I’d taken off back onto Yui-san’s head.
When I squeezed her hand tightly, Yui-san smiled reassuringly.
＊＊＊
After thoroughly enjoying Disney Sea, night fell. We gazed at the sea reflecting the orange streetlights, me snuggling close to Yui-san.
Amidst the throng of people waiting to see the show, we held hands tightly, biding our time.
“Today was so much fun. I’d love to come back. Shall we try the Land next time?”
“…Are you sure you’ll be alright without the thrill rides?”
Yui-san said this with a wry smile, so I smiled back and nodded.
“Of course. What matters is making memories with you, Yui-san. Don’t push yourself.”
“…I wanted to look cool in front of you, Kanata. Sorry I was clutching your hand so tight.”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for trying so hard for me. That feeling meant more than anything.”
The announcement for the show to begin reached us, and we leaned close together, gazing out to sea. Squinting against the thrilling music and the dancing lights, we held hands the whole time.
“Hey, Yui-san.”
“Hmm?”
“…I love you.”
I whispered softly in her ear, lightly brushing my lips against her cheek. Everyone was surely engrossed in the show; no one would be watching.
Yui-san looked startled for a moment, then broke into a truly delighted, soft smile.
Seeing that smile, illuminated by the show’s lights, might have been the best part of the day.
Despite the mishaps, it had been a thoroughly satisfying Disney date.
While I resolved never to put her through such fright again… I’d also thought to myself that Yui-san looked utterly adorable when she was scared! I decided to keep that thought a secret from her for now.