322 Vol. 6 pt. 8 (2/2)

Ryouta turns to look at the men's bathroom across the paved path.

No line. Men going in and coming out just as quickly.

If there is one thing that makes Ryouta glad to be a man, it is the speed of using the bathroom. Especially in public.

”Do you feel better now?” he asks, taking his thoughts away from that and back to Serra.

Serra nods and kisses him. Again. And pulls her phone out for ease of what she is about to request.

Can I practice saying that word? I know I probably messed it up earlier, but I don't want to mess it up the next time I say it.

”What word? Bitch?”

She nods.

She has never asked for practice in expressing love with her voice nor anything else… but she wants to practice swearing.

Ryouta is absolutely alright with this.

”Alright. Watch my lips. Bitch.”

”Beech?”

”Bitch.”

”Byitch?”

”Bitch.”

”Bitch?”

”Bitch!”

”Bitch!”

”What… are you two doing?” Cassandra asks with Alice beside her, each standing behind Ryouta.

They aren't the only ones paying attention to Ryouta and Serra. Their lesson on swearing has caused several nearby parents to cover the ears of their children, and it even looks like one of them might be looking for another park staffer.

”We might need to borrow some of your wigs,” Ryouta tells Alice.

”You are welcome to wear my wigs whenever you wish, Ryouta,” Alice says.

”It's – it's weird hearing you say my actual name.”

”Alas, until you reclaim your position as my hero from my hero, you will have to deal with it.”

”It's not a bad weird. I like it. Anyways, you two good to go?”

”Yeah,” Cassandra answers, ”but I think I might have ate too much.”

Not a single person is shocked.

Not Ryouta. Not Alice. Not Serra.

Not the random guests.

Not the amusement park rides themselves.

Not the clouds nor the ground.

Not anybody from the real world to the countless virtual worlds.

Even though Ryouta, Alice, and Serra are the only ones staring at Cassandra after hearing those words from her, she can feel the weight of the universe judging her.

She can feel the weight of reality itself judging her.

”I – I'll start my diet tomorrow… a-and you're the ones who encouraged me to eat junk!”

They continued staring.

And staring.

And staring.

While, yes, they did encourage her to relax and eat… not a single being in all of existence across any number of existences that exist encouraged her to eat as much as she did.

And, to make matters even worse…

Her stomach grumbles.

”Cassandra, my dear,” Alice says, ”I believe that your stomach may be disagreeing with you. Would you like to explain to us how such a thing is possible?”

”The theory about it all going into her chest is growing even stronger,” Ryouta says.

Serra didn't hear the grumble, but she knows that Cassandra is being teased, so she playfully points a finger at Cassandra's stomach and slowly wiggles it closer through the air.

”I will eat the finger if it pokes my stomach,” Cassandra warns.

”Why – why did you have to threaten it via eating?” Ryouta asks.

”You may be farther gone than we originally believed,” Alice says.

”It's fine! I won't eat anything else for the rest of the—”

Cassandra sniffs the air.

A fresh batch of funnel cake topped with strawberries and vanilla ice cream just went by her to the nearby tables.

When she turns to look in the direction of where such a beautiful feast came from, she sees the stand producing the wonderful creations.

”I - I know what I just said… but…”

They end up eating funnel cake.

Before the group knows it, the sun has started its descent in the sky and the park is more packed than at any other point in the day. Even their fast passes cannot save them from waiting in lines now, though they only have to wait in lines that take up to thirty minutes instead of three hours.

Between it getting late and having already visited all of the tempting food places, they focus on the rides and rides only.

Each one is grander than the last as they reach the best that the park has to offer.

And that includes finally making it to the amusement park's largest and most intimidating roller coaster.

The Super Looper 9001.

Like in most cases, it is hard to tell by name whether it is a roller coaster or a water gun. But, while it may have a ridiculous name, it looks anything but to the challenger that is Serra.

It has everything made to scare inexperienced riders.

A steep climb.

An even steeper drop.

Tall loops.

Corkscrews.

Corkscrew loops.

Underground sections.

And then all of that gets repeated but in reverse.

But even though Serra watches as a couple of the latest riders get out of their seats to immediately throw in the nearby trashcans provided for such a reason, she wants to go on it.

Is she terrified? Absolutely.

Is she trying to be as brave as she can be, especially after her venting session earlier? Without a doubt.

She knows that if she can be brave enough to call a woman a bitch and to speak her love out loud while surrounded by passersby, then she can go on a roller coaster.

Even so… this does not mean that she is not the one currently treating Ryouta and Alice as her guardians. She is holding onto both of their hands and trying her hardest not to shake too much.

”Seriously, this is when you pretend to have a heart attack or whatever it was,” Cassandra tells Ryouta.

”How could I have a heart attack when I have a Serra to help?” Ryouta asks.

”Ryouta has a point! As much as I would love to record my hero's current shivering for looking back at in the future, comforting and preparing her is much more important,” Nell explains.

”Oh, and want to ride together again?” Cassandra asks Alice.

”Of course! I rode the last one with Ryouta, and my hero was before that, so now it is your turn again.”

The line progresses, forcing Serra's and Alice's hands apart as they have to stand in separated lines for their soon-to-be cars.

This just means that Serra can hold one of Ryouta's hands while holding onto the side of his shirt with her other hand.

Ryouta pokes her to get her attention before saying, ”I'll make sure that you're safe. Nothing will happen to you as long as I'm here, alright?”

Serra nods.

Not only are they riding the most intimidating ride in the park… but they are in line to sit at the very front of it.

By Serra's choice.

Meanwhile, Alice and Cassandra have decided to sit at the very back for this one.

And now it is time for them to get into their cars.

Ryouta and Serra climb in, buckle up, and bring down the bars that tightly hug against their chests. Their hands are only ever separated for a second at most.

”Ah – ah-ee wuv yew,” Serra stutters.

”I—”

Laughter.

Ryouta doesn't even need to turn his head to know that the two teenage punks who are in the car directly behind theirs are the ones laughing, and he has a good idea of what – of who they are laughing at.

”—love you too,” he says, not giving the punks any attention so that Serra doesn't get worried again.

The cars launch and proceed up the steepest climb yet.

Ryouta makes sure to position his arm around Serra's shoulders in a way that keeps her hair held down, otherwise it would be hanging back toward the annoying punks.

”Hey, bro, ah-ee wuv yewwww,” one of the boys mocks to the other.

It is at this moment that, even if he is in real life, Ryouta finds a reason to temporarily bring back the Divine Brigade as a guild of one.

Serra stuck up for Alice when she didn't even really need to.

Now, it is Ryouta's turn to stick up for Serra.

And this is extremely easy to do.

”Shit, I shouldn't have ate so much before getting on here,” Ryouta says loudly enough for the teens behind him to hear.

”I swear if this dude fucking gets anything on us,” one of the teens says.

Ryouta turns his head just enough to look back at them and catches them both glaring at him.

So, he feigns a quick vomiting inside of his mouth.

”This isn't good,” he says to himself, making use of one of the skills he randomly decided to learn but has never had a good reason to use it until now: making himself burp.

Serra, eyes forward and hand tightly gripping one of Ryouta's, has no idea what her boyfriend is up to. As for their girlfriends at the back… then can see everything that he is doing.

So can the other riders between him and his girlfriends.

”I swear if he throws up on us,” Cassandra says.

Alice tilts her head. ”I do not think he would. His behavior is rather odd at the moment, though.”

Back at the front, Ryouta opens his mouth and lurches while looking behind him.

”Bro! Fucking turn around or some shit!”

”Look out the side or something!”

The teens are practically trying to crawl away and avoid Ryouta's aim, but the ride's security features make sure that no such escape is possible.

As for Ryouta himself…

”I want to die, but this is for Serra,” he thinks.

Everybody behind him can see the ”nauseous” faces that he is making. They all get to watch as he forces himself to look sick just to screw with the two punks who dared to mock his girlfriend.

But this is all that he can do.

This isn't a game, so he can't kill them, he can't destroy nor steal their things, and while he could attack them after the ride is over, he would rather not get arrested.

Therefore, the best thing that he can think of is to make sure that the two bastards have something to really fear the entire ride, and it's not going to be the ride itself.

And it only gets worse for the two teens.

Ryouta's plan works far better than he could ever have expected it to.

He was only pretending to get sick… but he has done such a perfect job of it that he causes the two teens to actually get sick.

”Dude! Stop! Please!”

Even other riders behind the two bastards are getting upset at this point.

But since when has any Divine Brigade member cared about people being upset? As the leader of it, Ryouta is not going to let anybody get away with mocking his girlfriend, nor is he going to care if some innocents get caught up in the crossfire.

All he cares about is getting revenge.

All he cares about is winning.

No, neither of those would appropriately express how he feels. While they would perfectly describe Ryouta, the Divine Brigade leader, that is just not who he is anymore even if he has decided to temporarily bring the Divine Brigade back.

Ryouta is simply the former Divine Brigade leader and all he cares about is supporting his girlfriend who is trying her absolute best to overcome multiple fears and anxieties, and he is not going to allow anybody, no matter who they may be, to mock her.

The first teen vomits as soon as they reach the top of the hill after the long ascent, spraying onto himself and getting it all over his clothes.

The second teen gets triggered into vomiting himself after seeing his friend do it.

And then, just as an unplanned chain of vomiting starts, the roller coaster soars down the first and largest hill at incredible speed.

He can hear the screams of disgust and horror come from behind.

They are music to his ears.

And, since he is sitting at the very front, he doesn't have to worry about any of the vomit hitting him.

Meanwhile, his brave girlfriend—who has no idea what is happening behind her—has found the courage to scream and giggle and shout to her heart's extent with every heart-pounding twist and loop that the roller coaster has to offer. And, to Ryouta, the sounds escaping her are far superior to any of those coming from behind.

There is only one thing – two people, that Ryouta is worried about.

And he has decided to pretend that they are definitely not at risk of suffering the consequences of what he has caused until the ride is over.

He may or may not be killed after the ride is over.