"Sora, please, please~"
"I beg you, I beg you~"
Anna clasped her hands over her chest, whining non-stop.
Losing the bracelet was truly an accident.
But now, a rare opportunity presented itself. She had finally managed to be alone with Sora. If they just went back like this, it would feel like a huge missed opportunity.
Anna only wanted to experience the joy of a private date for two right now.
Before they soaked in the hot spring together, 'Inmate Eight' definitely wouldn't have had the nerve to actively act spoiled. Aside from when she was tricking people into giving her food and drinks, 'Inmate Eight' was surprisingly shy and reserved when it came to romance. But things were different now.
Angel, Elf, and Kuroneko... more and more girls were appearing by Sora's side. Coupled with the daily updates of the Losing Heroine Diary, a sense of urgency quietly surged in her heart.
Compared to everyone else who had special skills, she seemed very ordinary.
So, aside from taking the initiative, there was no other way left, right?
Anna originally thought taking the initiative would be very embarrassing, but after taking the first step, she realized that proactively teasing Sora was actually quite fun...
"Let's go. We'll ride the Ferris wheel one more time."
Sora couldn't withstand 'Inmate Eight's' persistent pestering and whining, and ultimately agreed.
"Ehehe~"
A bright smile instantly blossomed on Anna's pretty face. She hugged Sora's arm with her left hand and raised her phone with her right:
"Sora, let's take a picture first."
Feeling the soft pressure transmitting from his arm, the corner of Sora's mouth twitched slightly:
"You don't need to hug my arm to take a picture."
"There's no one else around, what does it matter?" Anna's pretty face grew slightly warm, yet she remained perfectly justified.
"Memories fade, you know. I want to be able to open the photo album ten years from now, see today's photo, and still clearly recall my feelings at this moment."
"Even so, you don't need to hug my arm, right?"
"Hugging your arm makes the impression deeper... Sora is so naggy. Hurry up and let's take the picture."
"..."
Click.
The photo was captured.
"My photography skills have improved again. It looks really good." Anna put her phone away in satisfaction. Putting her hands behind her back, she walked with a brisk step, her blue hair and skirt fluttering continuously in the wind.
"Hurry, hurry, let's go ride the Ferris wheel."
Sora followed, and together with 'Inmate Eight', they stepped into the Ferris wheel cabin.
The Ferris wheel slowly rotated.
As their field of vision rose, the brilliant neon-lit city slowly appeared before their eyes, possessing a bit of a cyberpunk flavor.
Sora gazed at the neon nightscape outside the window, his thoughts drifting far away.
The game that was almost finished, his aunt's debt, Angel-sama's kiss, the tsundere Elf, and his childhood friend, 'Inmate Eight'... Life seemed to have quietly become much more exciting before he even realized it.
But Anna was different.
Compared to the scenery outside the window, her gaze landed much more on the boy beside her. Looking at Sora's profile illuminated by the interplay of light and shadow, she felt she couldn't get enough of it, no matter how much she looked.
"I feel like Sora has gotten even better-looking..."
Anna murmured to herself.
"What?"
Sora turned his head.
If it were the past, Anna would definitely have changed the subject out of shyness. But now...
"I said Sora seems even cuter." Anna leaned forward, her bright eyes staring unblinkingly at him, her voice curious.
"Did Sora secretly get beauty treatments?"
"Of course not." Sora complained. "And 'cute' isn't a word used to describe guys, right?"
After the character level increased, the charm attribute permanently increased, so naturally, I look a bit better than before.
"Cute is the highest-tier adjective." Anna crossed her arms over her chest.
"Saying a boy is cute is completely fine."
"..."
Sora silently averted his gaze, indicating he didn't want to speak.
"Hey, hey~"
Anna hid her hands behind her back, her eyes curving into crescents:
"Sora, guess which hand the bracelet is in?"
"If you guess right, there's a special reward~"
We finally got to ride the Ferris wheel alone together, are we just going to do nothing?
Of course I have to continue taking the initiative!
Sora's gaze was wary: "I feel like you're up to something."
"I am not." Anna smiled, her eyes curving beautifully. "Sora, hurry up and guess."
Sora pondered:
"What if it's in neither hand?"
"If it's not, I'll do whatever Sora asks me to do." Anna's pretty face flushed slightly, and she said in a small voice, "E-Even if it's a slightly lewd request, that's fine..."
That's enough! You're blushing before you even finish speaking, stop forcing yourself!
Sora casually said:
"I guess it's in your left hand."
"Ehh..."
Anna slightly drew out the sound. She secretly transferred the bracelet from her right hand to her left, then smilingly presented her left hand, her smile bright and radiant:
"Sora is so amazing, you actually guessed it right on the first try. You really are a genius, aren't you?"
If you don't have a good trick, don't force a compliment. A fifty percent probability has absolutely nothing to do with being a genius!
"Now it's special reward time. Sora, close your eyes..."
Anna looked over with a grin. But before she could finish her sentence, the girl's startled cry abruptly rang out.
The cabin, which had leisurely ascended to mid-air, jolted violently.
"Ah—"
Anna's hand shook, and the bracelet dropped straight to the floor.
"Sora, the cabin feels like it's going to flip?"
Anna's voice was tense.
"Don't panic, the wind is naturally stronger high up..."
Sora comforted Anna while bending down to pick up the bracelet.
However, instead of stabilizing, the cabin shook even more violently.
"Sora, watch out..."
A figure crashed into Sora. It was none other than 'Inmate Eight'.
Thud.
In the violently swaying state, Sora was already struggling to maintain his balance. With 'Inmate Eight' crashing into him, the two of them instantly tumbled together into a heap.
Sora only felt his vision go dark, followed by a sharp pain in his nose. Amidst the spinning world, a touch of softness and warmth suddenly imprinted heavily onto his lips.
"Is this..."
Not entirely the same, but an equally soft and delicate sensation fed back from his lips, making Sora subconsciously open his eyes.
The next second.
Anna's blankly wide-open azure eyes entered his vision.
Their eyes met.
He could see Anna's pretty face rapidly flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She flusteredly sat up straight and hurriedly raised her hand to cover her pink lips.
"I-I kissed Sora..."
"It wasn't a playful peck on the cheek, but a real lip-to-lip kiss..."
"If food drops on the floor for less than three seconds, you can pick it up and still eat it. That kiss just now was less than three seconds... Does it count as my first kiss?"
"..."
Just as Anna's mind was racing with chaotic thoughts, the Ferris wheel jolted violently and suddenly halted, suspended in mid-air.
Not only that.
The gale-force winds in mid-air grew increasingly fierce.
The cabin was blown back and forth, rocking side to side. The connecting joints at the top emitted a dry, creaking sound, the metallic friction exceptionally grating on the ears.
Anna couldn't even sit steadily anymore. She tumbled into Sora's embrace once more. Her shyness completely vanished, replaced by overwhelming panic and worry:
"Sora, we're not going to fall down, are we?"