Chapter 06: Assertiveness
�Do you want the truth or a poorly concealed lie?� Toshiro asked in response, to which he got a glare of death from Reina. �That means truth. Yeah, I am.�
�Well, don�t be! This can just be a fun time to spend with some friends. It doesn�t have to become anything else, you know. Just have fun!� Reina chirped, but secretly, she wanted�no, needed�it to go well. The night before, after her shopping spree with Rika, she did some more research on the various attractions of Superpark and decided that she wanted to ride everything, whether or not the others wanted to. Throughout the entire day, she gave an inordinate amount of mental energy to thinking about Superpark, and that afternoon, she enlisted Rika�s help in picking out what to wear.
�I personally think the cherry-patterned tank would go well with these pedal-pushers,� Rika said, laying her ideal outfit out on her bed. �You should wear sneakers, too, because waiting in line can get to your feet like no other.� She took a pair of pink sneakers, Reina�s choice, out of their box and laid them down next to the ideal outfit. �Do your hair like normal, because it�s adorable, but let�s do a little more makeup. I�ll help you with that.� Reina changed in Rika�s room to avoid any possible sightings of Toshiro. �And you�re taking that bathing suit, aren�t you?�
�Of course!� Rika was referring to Reina�s newly-purchased suit, a purple bikini made of some sort of shimmering fabric. It wasn�t a string bikini, which thankfully ruled out the possibility of any clothing-related embarrassments, but it was cute enough to flatter Reina instead of making her feel overexposed. She put the suit in a plastic bag, for when it would eventually get wet, and put it inside her purse, a messenger bag encrusted with fake jewels. �OK, now do your terrifying makeup experiments on me. I am a willing patient.�
�I�ll be a good doctor, I promise!� Rika cried dramatically while Reina seated herself in the makeup chair. Rika did the normal style, something Reina was becoming accustomed to doing first thing in the morning, but secured the wavy parts with flashier elastics this time around. She applied eyeshadow and eyeliner in addition to the normal mascara and lip gloss and admired her handiwork in the mirror. �Oh, I am a good doctor, huh?�
�The best,� Reina replied dreamily.
�Now here�s a trick for using that new perfume you bought. I read this in a magazine and have never forgotten it. Instead of spraying it onto your neck or wrist, like what�s normally recommended, you should spray it in your hair. It�s more subtle and lasts longer that way.� Rika produced a small, pink, heart-shaped bottle labeled with gold flowery script reading �Ai no Sono�. �Hm, �garden of love�. That�s cute.�
�Thanks.� Reina took the bottle and sprayed it once into each of her wavy parts. �How do I look?�
�Pretty awesome!� Rika gushed. �Not bragging on my own work or anything��
�Hey, that�s okay. You deserve it!� Reina said with a smile, standing up and walking over to retrieve her purse and shoes. �I�m going to go out into the main room and wait for Toshiro.�
�You guys don�t stay out TOO late, okay?� Rika asked in a decidedly mom-like tone. �Try to be home by midnight.�
�Will do,� Reina said, grinning, not wanting to mention how much like a mom Rika sounded for fear of opening up old scars. She went and sat on the same couch that was her bed and waited for Toshiro to emerge from his room, which he did a few minutes later, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, a spectacle Reina had never seen before. The shock inside her mind was reflected by how far her jaw dropped upon seeing him.
�Man, Reina, are you trying to get me together with Miuna or with you?� Toshiro asked, making Reina laugh nervously and shake her hand, as if to shake the compliment away. �Well, let�s go. I don�t want to be late.�
�You can only be fashionably late ten minutes after the set time!� Rika shouted from her room.
�I�ll remember that, Rika!� Toshiro shouted back. Reina went to the foyer to slip into her shoes and waited for Toshiro to do the same. He led her out and she locked the door with the key she had made the night before, putting it in her new purse and setting off in her new outfit for the bus stop, where she insisted on paying both fares using coins extracted from her new wallet. However, the bus ride to Superpark was silent, probably because both Reina and Toshiro were nervous, though for two different reasons. They arrived at the park at 6:03, still within the bounds of fashionably late, to see Miuna and Takashi waiting at the front entrance, talking and laughing about something.
�Hey, guys!� Reina called as she got off the bus. Miuna turned and ecstatically waved to her. �Hey, she looks even better than I do, huh?� Reina asked Toshiro, playfully nudging him in the ribs. He nodded, though, because Reina was telling the truth. Miuna did look better than her, though she wouldn�t say it outright. She was wearing a black shirt with a pattern of tiny pink dots, a rose-colored pleated skirt, and black sneakers with pink laces, proving that she obviously spent a lot of time configuring the outfit, but Reina wondered who she was trying to impress: Toshiro, Takashi, or both. She shook off this sour thought and approached the duo.
�As promised, I got the tickets,� Takashi said, holding four pieces of paper aloft. �Don�t worry about paying for any of them. Think of this outing as a gift from me.�
�Thanks, Takashi!� Reina exclaimed, happy that she wouldn�t have to pay anything.
�Oh, that�s really cool!� Miuna gushed. Toshiro and Takashi shared a nod instead of Toshiro verbalizing his appreciation. The quartet went through the front entrance and was then confronted by a large map of the park. The park was split up into distinct areas, all with a cohesive theme. There was the area of food and souvenirs, the one the quartet was currently in. To the left was the water park area, with street visibility. To the right was the carnival area, also with street visibility, and in the back was the kids� area, an area the quartet didn�t care about.
�I think we should go to the water park area first,� Reina suggested. �While the sun�s still up, you know.�
�You�re right, Reina,� Miuna said with a nod. �Takashi, does anything in the water park area cost any money?�
�Well, renting a locker to put your stuff in normally would cost money, but�� He produced two keys, each on a waterproof elastic chain, from his pocket. �If you two ladies can manage to fit your stuff into one locker, it�s free.� He gave one of the keys to Miuna and kept the other.
�I think we can manage,� Miuna said graciously. �Come on, Reina, let�s go! The lines will get too long!� She grabbed Reina by the wrist and ran off towards the water park area, leaving the two boys standing alone.
�Miuna looks great, doesn�t she?� Takashi asked Toshiro.
�Yeah,� Toshiro replied shyly.
�I�ll bet she looks even better in a bikini,� Takashi said, his eyes widening. Toshiro nodded in agreement. �Come on, shy guy, let�s go on to the water park area too! It�s a free chance to see two nubile young women frolicking around in the surf!�
�Why is he saying all of this? Can�t he just enjoy the night as it is without focusing on sex? What would Miuna or Reina think if they knew he was saying this filth about them?� Toshiro thought as he followed Takashi to the water park area and towards the locker rooms. Takashi made a big joke out of pretending to go into the women�s area, saying that he didn�t have his contacts and was therefore unable to read the sign that said �women� in huge block letters. Toshiro went along with it, summoning up a fake laugh and then dragging Takashi into the men�s area, evading a few girls from Second High School who were adamantly calling Takashi�and by extension, Toshiro�perverted.
�Takashi!� Toshiro yelled as soon as the duo was behind closed doors, his shout echoing off the tiled walls. �What did you do that for?� His face was red with embarrassment.
�Chill out, Toshiro. Those girls from Second were cute, weren�t they?� Takashi asked as he unlocked a locker from a bank of rust orange metal lockers. In truth, Toshiro had only noticed the anger on their faces, which detracted from any possible cuteness, but he decided to lie.
�Sure, they were cute.�
�What�s up with you and that Reina chick, huh?� Takashi asked as he removed his shirt. �Why�d you two come at the same time on the same bus?�
�We live in the same complex,� Toshiro explained. �She just moved in a little while ago. She lives down the hall from me, so I helped her carry some heavy items.�
�Well, that was chivalrous of you,� Takashi commented. �But you need to get on that! She�s cute, you know.�
�What do you mean by �get on that�?� Toshiro asked, realizing the na�vet� of that statement only after it had already exited his mouth.
�I mean get�on�that!� Takashi exclaimed, vigorously humping the air after each word, to the chagrin of a father and his young son walking by. �You know?�
�I don�t know, Takashi, I�m not really that kind of guy. You know? I�m the more�gentlemanly�no, that�s not it�chivalrous one. I�m less�blunt than you happen to be, and that�s okay! Don�t get me wrong at all! That�s just how we differ.� Toshiro turned his attention to getting his swim trunks on.
�Whatever, man. You can sugarcoat it how you need to, but the thing is that, sure, we�re different. You dream of getting the girl; I go out and get them.� Takashi closed the locker to punctuate his sentence. �And that�s that.� Toshiro jealously took notice of how buff Takashi was in comparison to his own body, which wasn�t as sharply defined. Takashi patted Toshiro on the shoulder, perhaps menacingly, and left the locker room. Toshiro sighed, feeling a sudden inadequacy, and followed a few seconds later.
�Oh, Reina, cute suit!� Miuna chirped as soon as Reina was fully changed into her purple suit. Miuna was wearing a dark pink suit with two brown bows on it, one at each hem where the strap met the rest of the suit.
�Thanks, I bought it last night,� Reina bragged.
�Where�d you get it?� Miuna asked. �Is it in pink?�
�I got it at Flower Power in the Center and it should be available in pink.� Reina paused. �Is that, like, your trademark color?�
�It is,� Miuna answered proudly.
�That�s cool.� Reina folded her pants and placed them atop her purse, arranging her items neatly in the locker so they wouldn�t wrinkle. �What do you think about the boys?�
�Which boys?� Miuna asked.
�Takashi and Toshiro. What do you think of them?� Reina queried.
�Well, you already know that I think Toshiro is very kind. Takashi is really funny. He just makes something funny out of everything. That�s pretty cool.� Miuna grinned.
�Miuna, that�s the wrong answer! You�re supposed to think Takashi is nothing compared to Toshiro! Well, I sure have my work cut out for me,� thought Reina, concealing this thought with a smile.
�I�m ready when you are. There�s a slide here that I really love. Do you like water slides, too?� Miuna asked.
�I, uh, I�ve never been on one before. I�ve been on a normal slide, but not a water one,� Reina replied.
�You�ve been deprived!� Miuna shouted immediately. �I�ll take you on every one of these slides, then, to get you liking them.� She closed the locker and led Reina back out to the main area, where Toshiro and Takashi were already waiting for them. �They got out quick, huh?� she asked Reina, who could clearly see Takashi�s eyes widening in a lecherous manner as Miuna approached.
�Great! Takashi�s a pervert. What good-natured girl like Miuna wants to get with a pervert? I�ll use that to my advantage,� Reina thought, smiling again.
�Hello, ladies!� Takashi called out. �Which slide do you want to go on first?�
�Reina�s never been on a slide before,� Miuna reported. �So, let�s start her out on the��
�Hydro Fall!� Takashi cut in.
�I was thinking Spiral Slide, but okay,� Miuna said, smiling.
�Um, what�s the Hydro Fall?� Reina asked. �If I may ask.�
�You may. It�s that slide right over there,� Toshiro said, pointing to a large, bright red slide that appeared to fall straight down into a splashdown pool.
�Aren�t slides supposed to, you know, gently curve down to the pool?� Reina said fearfully, remembering the small slide at Sunshine Tower. This made Takashi laugh outright.
�If it�s a slide for little kids!� he exclaimed. �C�mon, Reina, you�ll enjoy it. It looks scary, but if you get on it�� He shot a glance at Toshiro. �You�ll enjoy it. If it helps, you can shut your eyes.�
�Like that�s going to help!� Reina protested.
�Okay, the kid approach won�t work with this one. You�re a stiff negotiator, Reina. Here, here�s the deal. If you ride Hydro Fall, I will personally give you one thousand yen,� Takashi said. �My wallet�s back in the locker, but I do have a thousand-yen bill in it. That bill can be yours if you go on Hydro Fall.�
�Is it safe?� Reina asked, still scared.
�What, the bill?� Takashi asked.
�No, she means the ride,� Toshiro clarified.
�Sure, it�s safe! Why would they have it open at this park if it wasn�t safe?� Takashi asked. �Miuna, go on Hydro Fall with Reina.�
�I�m kind of scared, too,� Miuna confessed.
�Okay, okay, I�ll give both of you 1,000 yen each if you just go!� Takashi barked.
�Okay!� Miuna faithfully replied. �Come on, Reina, I�ll help you get through it.� She took Reina by the wrist and walked her over to where the line started for Hydro Drop. Because of the sheer height of the ride�a sign posted nearby bragged that its height was the equivalent of a nine-story building�the line was a snaking series of slippery stairs. On the way up, Reina almost fell, but Miuna caught her at the last second. During the entire waiting in line, Reina watched as other people conquered Hydro Drop, some screaming, some cheering, all splashing down and swimming away, none dead or missing limbs. Now, Reina was concerned that she would be the exception to the rule. Miuna knew of this fear and decided to go first when the two girls reached the platform. She sat down in the small entry area, crossed her arms over her body like a dead person in a coffin, and launched herself forward as soon as the lifeguard staffing the ride told her it was okay to. Miuna shrieked all the way down, but she landed in the splashdown pool and swam away, looking up and waving at Reina from the deck below.
�You going to go?� the lifeguard asked Reina, who was unsure if she would or not until she saw Toshiro standing there, a look of concern on his face.
�Yes,� she answered, sitting down in the entry area, crossing her arms, and launching when the lifeguard told her it was okay to. She screamed bloody murder on her descent, feeling the air as it hit her, the spray of water behind her, unable to open her eyes out of sheer terror. But when she hit the splashdown pool, went underwater, and realized she was still alive, her heart soared. She exited the splashdown pool and met up again with Miuna.
�What�d you think?� Miuna asked.
�Holy shit!� Reina exclaimed, forgetting about the kotodama properties of curse words. �Ah, sorry. It was great!�
�I knew you�d like it!� Miuna shouted, outright hugging Reina as the boys came back over.
�Girl on girl action,� Takashi muttered to Toshiro, chuckling and nudging him. �How�d you like it, Reina?�
�You owe me 1,000 yen!� Reina gasped. �But I loved it!�
�Great! Now we can go on some water rides that won�t require monetary bets,� Toshiro said, eliciting a smile from Reina.
CONTINUE to Chapter 07: On That Night...
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