The person who likes me is a yandere.

...Who's bothering you? You're the ones bothering me, aren't you?

"Hey, say something. What are you doing here? This isn't a place for someone like you."

Do you even care about what I do? You guys must have a lot of free time. I forcefully turned my shoulder and brushed away the Kurobe's hand.

"What else can you do besides take photo booth pictures!"

I roared back with a voice so loud it couldn't be drowned out by the noise in the game center.

"...Huh? A photo booth?"

I left the four of them stunned and strode into the store.

That's the deepest part of the photo booth area.

Let-senjoy

There's a life-size standee of a popular idol with bubble text standing here, and next to it is the photo booth where Mengmeng and I took our photos during the day. It's completely empty.

I quickly slipped into the photography area, which had transformed into a white world with a pungent, plasticky smell. I recalled the scene from a few hours earlier, when Ayase and I had been wrestling here. Back then, Momo was still laughing. If I had resisted my shyness and fully complied with Ayase's demands, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out like this, and maybe my memories would have returned…

I stared at the camera's control panel, where the strange man's reflection was staring at me with a serious expression. Damn it, what's wrong with you? Why did you have to show up in front of me like that? You're not scary at all! Who's afraid of who? Watch me regain my memories. That way, I should be able to find out where Ayase is.

The machine's whirring filled the space, the camera monitor lit up, and a voice prompt began playing. All that was left was to pose—the familiar poses of the Aragaki siblings…

"Oh, look! This guy's taking a selfie all by himself!"

Just then, the curtains of the photo area were roughly pulled back. The guy pointed at me, peering inside without a second thought. "I've got your eye on you, you're from the Kurobe. Did you follow me here? You've got a lot of free time. You should spend it on yourself. Anyway, you've come at the perfect time." I glanced around briefly, then forcefully pulled the girl who caught my eye closer to the photo area.

"What... Qianyu, what are you doing?!"

The girl's screams echoed throughout the entire floor. Okay, Ayase's substitute win is secured. Sorry, but I'll have to ask you for a little help. One person can't complete the Aragaki siblings' signature pose because the older brother needs to hug the younger sister from behind.

The entire floor erupted in chaos due to the suspicious person's bizarre behavior, but I completely shut out the noise outside, focusing intently on completing the pose and waiting for the moment when the pose would be frozen in time.

Then, a few minutes later.

"Guest, what are you doing? Don't cause trouble here!"

"Don't worry, I'm just taking a photo!"

The arcade staff came over after receiving a report from a customer. I handed the sticker to the staff as if I were showing proof, and then left the arcade with a flourish.

Hehe, after I showed this photo booth picture to the shop assistant, the assistant didn't immediately chase after me.

On the other hand, this is really satisfying. If we had done it this way from the beginning, Ayase wouldn't have had any objections. Oh well, whatever...

I don't think I'll ever come back to this store.

Chapter Thirty: I Love You, Ayase

"Too slow, you idiot!"

The phone was answered after only one ring, and immediately, Luo Tianyi's angry curses filled my ears.

"Didn't you say you were going to call every hour? What are you doing?!"

"Ah, uh... well..."

Two hours after leaving home, I leaned my exhausted body against the wall of the phone booth.

"Ugh... Time to eat parfait..."

"Go to hell!"

A call that started with angry shouting also ended with angry shouting.

Oh no, I messed up the way I was communicating. I wasn't slacking off at the café; I was looking for Ayase in my own way. But how am I supposed to explain this to her...? Ugh, my stomach feels so heavy. Climbing Mount Everest twice in one day is really asking too much. And the second time was done alone. The manager was completely dumbfounded.

I don't know if doing this will be worthwhile, but it feels like my memories are returning. Right. I came to this cafe with Ayase before. Yes, definitely. Great, remember quickly. Oh, right, we once challenged the Himalayas with passion, and then Ayase completely knocked over the snow-capped mountain, and it fell on my face!

Ah, no, that happened during the day. Ugh, my stomach's so bloated, and my brain's not working properly. Whatever, what's next? Shout in the park? Fine, who's afraid of who? Ayase, just you wait, today I'm going to surpass my previous record of 120 decibels. Huh? How do I know the record?

Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore. Ugh, my stomach feels so heavy.

The science museum after closing time is completely different from the daytime, appearing unusually gloomy.

The building was dark inside, and the glass curtain wall structure was vaguely visible in the dim park, like a ruin submerged at the bottom of a lake.

Moreover, the atmosphere changed, and so did the people who gathered there. The square in front of the science museum, which was bustling with happy young couples during the day…

—Boom boom boom boom.

Now it's completely taken over by a group of guys who make a loud rumbling sound with every step they take. There are probably a dozen or so of them. I don't know if I can actually dance, but to put it simply, they're definitely not the kind of passionate dancers who practice until dawn.

Because they were all dressed in pure white special forces uniforms, ignoring the rule that vehicles were prohibited from entering, riding modified motorcycles at high speed in the park, and smoking and drinking canned beverages that looked like beer.

At night, the area in front of the science museum transforms into a gathering place for female biker gangs that seem far removed from science and outdated.

Wow, that's amazing. I didn't know there were still people like that these days.

Masaki said this area is unsafe at night, could she be referring to this? By the way, which era were these delinquents from? If this weren't a science museum but a museum, it could be an exhibition of relics from a bygone era.

...I hope Ayase hasn't joined that group.

I gazed at the white-clad group gathered in front of the science museum from afar. Hmm, no way, no way, how could that be? Ayase joining a delinquent girl group? I just can't imagine it. Okay, forget about this place, let's move on to the next spot.

Is this really a good idea?

He stopped as soon as he took a step.

Is this really a good idea?

I hesitated, rubbing the stone pavement with the soles of my feet. I was trying to finish the date I'd missed during the day, all in search of Ayase. Was it really okay to skip this part?

Turning around, I saw the U-shaped measuring machine standing steadily in front of me. It was automatic; just insert money, and it could take measurements anytime, anywhere, whether it was late at night or early in the morning. In this large park surrounded by trees, no matter how loudly I shouted, it shouldn't disturb the people nearby.

...Even so, it wouldn't be right to do that now...

I turned my gaze from the measuring machine back to the guy in the white shirt. Without realizing it, the whole group stopped dancing and stared straight at me.

Huh? There must be a mistake, right? There must be a mistake, right? Don't be impulsive.

Ultimately, I didn't have any room for discussion. After taking photos, eating at the Himalayas restaurant, and making phone calls, I had almost no cash left. The money for the audio... wait, there's still some left.

My fingers touched a conspicuous silver object in my pants pocket. You're really something, now I have no excuse...

—Ping-ping bell.

The coin was tossed into the coin slot, and the dormant measuring machine awoke, its display lighting up and a muffled operating sound emanating from it. Well, it actually works... this 500-yen coin that had been rejected countless times during the day.

Soon after, the machine emitted a loud bang, signaling that the measurement preparation was complete. Then…

What the hell are you doing?

A powerful voice came from behind me.

...Sigh, I knew it would happen. Before I knew it, I was surrounded. Looking back, I saw a woman standing behind me, her long, bright golden hair flowing like a dragon's.

"You dare to come here even though you know this is the territory of Mimi Rasuke, the most powerful female boss in Kanto who can shut even crying children up?"

How would I know about that? Speaking of which, looking at you up close, you're really something else. What's with that costume? A Halloween zombie? Upon closer inspection, it's a real waste of your natural beauty.

"...If she were acting normally, she would be absolutely adorable."

I couldn't help but express my feelings.

"What?! What the hell do you mean?!"

The delinquent girl suddenly flew into a rage. My exclamation seemed to have escaped my lips.

"Are you underestimating me?!"

The delinquent girl kicked the measuring machine where the coins had just been inserted. It seemed she was true to her nature, the type to strike first. The tuning fork-shaped stone statue, its material seemingly turning plastic in an instant, wobbled precariously.

Hey, where does this guy get so much strength? Damn it, I should have stopped. What should I do? How can I get out of this predicament?

"...If you have nothing else to do, get lost, understand?"

Miracle! It seems she's willing to let me go. I immediately turned around. Although the machine that was supposed to measure my voice came into view out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't care less about it anymore. To escape as quickly as possible, I took a deep breath—

"I love you, Ayase!"

Then, he transformed the air filling his lungs into a shout and exhaled it.

Words of love echoed through the park shrouded in night. These were the words I couldn't bring myself to say during the day.

Oh, I did it. I did it... What am I even doing?

The sense of accomplishment was immediately replaced by regret, but the measuring machine was completely unaware of my change in mood, mechanically collecting and processing the data.

"84444"

The LCD screen displayed a 5-digit number.

...Hey, what's going on? Five digits?

The horn blared, and at the same time, the decorative lights on the stone statue flashed dazzlingly, illuminating the surroundings in a continuous, shimmering light.

A record has been set. Standing here undeterred by wind and rain, this machine, which has always transformed lovers' shouts into numerical measurements, has now, disregarding time and place, enthusiastically celebrated my new record. This is likely an eternal, unforgettable record… Wait, 80,000? Huh?

"...Hey, what are you doing?"

The delinquent girl cried out as if she had a terrible stomachache, which brought me back to my senses from staring at the LCD screen.

"...You've got some nerve."

Her eyes flashed with a fierce light like knives, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

This is terrible! I think I've completely enraged her. Look, her face is completely red, and her shoulders are shaking uncontrollably. What should I do? If I stay any longer, she'll kill me. What should I do… how can I escape? Think quickly, there must be a way, there must be some way to get me through this safely. Think, think, think…

"----sorry!"

I couldn't think of anything, so I decided to run away.

"What? Stop right there!"

No way, how could I stop? I've said it so many times, I don't have time for that now. Let's meet again in the next life.

"I told you to stop right there, hey! You bastard!"

"Hey, the Chief of Staff is being looked down upon!"

"Surround him! Surround him!"

But those delinquent girls are all loyal friends; it seems they're going to settle things with me in this lifetime. The engines of the modified motorcycles roared to life.