Roller Coaster

"Why did you spank my butt?" Ye Shuang couldn't help but ask as he stared at the oversized yellow-furred rat in front of him.

"Pika." The Pikachu mascot suit simply tilted its body without further explanation.

Was this some kind of special play?

Just as Ye Shuang was lost in thought, the figure wobbled away unsteadily, looking as if it might topple over at any moment.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Whatever.

"Maybe it's some weird welcome ritual. Still feels odd, though." Ye Shuang turned to the long-haired girl beside him. Bai Yuyou nodded slightly in response. "Mm."

The amusement park was packed with attractions, but the first thing that caught their eyes was the roller coaster—screams of passengers tearing through the air as the train roared past. Bai Yuyou seemed particularly captivated, her chin lifted as she watched with keen interest.

"Wanna try it?" Ye Shuang couldn’t help but smile.

The girl nodded. "Want to..."

"Let’s go. The line’s over here." Ye Shuang led her to the back of the queue. Despite the crowd, the wait wasn’t too bad—just about ten minutes as batches of riders cycled through.

Thanks to the park’s Pokémon collaboration, even the roller coaster was shaped like a Gyarados, its blue body meticulously crafted.

When their turn came, they were seated right at the front—Ye Shuang in the middle, Bai Yuyou to his left, and a random girl to his right.

"Gyarados is about to depart. Please hold on tight to the handrails," the loudspeaker announced. Aside from the safety harnesses, passengers were also expected to grip the bars for extra security. Ye Shuang had heard rumors about amusement park rides malfunctioning recently, leaving riders stranded upside down for hours.

Thankfully, nothing like that happened here.

If those safety mechanisms failed, people would probably rain from the sky like dumplings.

As this thought crossed his mind, Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou beside him. She was curiously running her fingers over the harness, as if fascinated by it.

"Yuyou, if you get scared later, just hold my hand." Ye Shuang opened his palm.

The girl placed her slightly smaller hand in his, her cool, soft fingers lightly wrapping around his.

Just then, the roller coaster lurched forward—slowly at first, inching along the track.

"Huh?" Ye Shuang frowned, wondering if they’d boarded the wrong ride.

Then, the climb began, still at a snail’s pace—until he saw the near-vertical drop looming ahead.

That’s when he realized the gravity of the situation.

The next second, the Gyarados train plunged straight down.

"What the—?!"

Followed by three consecutive loop-de-loops!

Amid the shrieks of passengers, even Ye Shuang found himself struggling to breathe. He gave Bai Yuyou’s hand a reassuring squeeze, only to find her sitting perfectly still, her expression blank as she stared ahead.

Seriously?

A few minutes later, Ye Shuang finally staggered off the ride.

Leaning against a tree with one hand and clutching his waist with the other, he sighed inwardly.

"I’m getting old."

When he turned, he noticed Bai Yuyou still eyeing the roller coaster. "What’s up?"

Unlike Ye Shuang’s pained expression, she simply pointed. "Ye Shuang… want to ride again…"

"Again?"

"Mm…" She nodded, then tilted her head slightly when he didn’t immediately agree. "Can we…?"

Ye Shuang felt like he’d just been hit by a wave of cuteness. Patting her head, he grinned. "Let’s go!"

Another round later.

Ye Shuang braced himself against the tree, forehead slick with sweat.

Crap…

He was about to puke.

How was this roller coaster so intense? Even riding an actual Gyarados up a waterfall couldn’t be this terrifying.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou remained completely unfazed. Noticing Ye Shuang’s state, she tugged at his sleeve. "Ye Shuang… can’t go on?"

Those words instantly reignited his pride. Straightening up, he declared, "Let’s show this ride what adults are made of!"

Final round.

Ding—

Ye Shuang slumped onto a bench, his entire body drained of color like a monochrome comic. Muttering about how "a real man never backs down" and "it’s just a stupid roller coaster," he finally admitted defeat.

He was spent.

"Ye Shuang, okay?"

"Probably…"

Seeing the concern on Bai Yuyou’s face, he felt a little embarrassed. "Sorry you had to see me like this."

"Why sorry?"

"Because I couldn’t keep up with you."

Bai Yuyou shook her head, then wrapped her arms around him. "Had fun… Ye Shuang… don’t be sorry… really happy…"

Her warmth and the faint floral scent surrounding her slowly eased his tension. Smiling, he gave in.

If she was happy…

Then it was worth it.

After escaping the first attraction, they spotted an ice cream cart nearby, swarmed by kids and parents. The sign read: [Charizard Ice Cream].

A Gyarados roller coaster made sense, but Charizard and ice cream? What kind of combo was that?

Might as well offer a Groudon bungee jump—it’s not like it could fly anyway.

"Want some?"

Noticing the way Bai Yuyou’s ahoge twitched, Ye Shuang chuckled. "Let’s go."

Inside the cart was another Pikachu mascot, who waved at Ye Shuang. "Pika."

"Lots of flavors, but fifty bucks for three scoops? Highway robbery." He scanned the options—

"Strawberry, pineapple, durian, chocolate, matcha…"

"Yuyou, pick three flavors you want."

She seemed torn, her expression betraying her desire to try them all.

"Hey, can we get all of them?" Ye Shuang asked.

Stacking ice cream scoops was an art.

He expected a refusal, but the mascot nodded—or rather, wobbled forward—before grabbing a cone and a scoop.

One, two, three…

Six scoops later, the tower was complete.

"Impressive."

Bai Yuyou accepted it, studying the precarious dessert with wide eyes.

"If this melts, it’s gonna be a disaster," Ye Shuang remarked.

At that moment, she offered the ice cream back to him—the top scoop now bearing a tiny bite mark.

"Ye Shuang... so delicious..."