Lying in Kyou's arms, Ai whispered:

"I want to see if the legend you told me before is true."

"If two people who like each other kiss when the Ferris wheel reaches its highest point, they will stay together forever."

Upon hearing this, Guangyou snapped out of his reverie, and the corners of his lips, which had been covered by softness, curled up slightly, forming a genuine smile.

"It's true."

Then, with a serious expression and tone, Kōyū said to Ai, "I don't know about others, but for you, this legend is true."

"Your word doesn't count. Let time tell." After making that move, Ai felt her cheeks getting hot.

Even so, her tone remained as usual.

Nothing has changed.

"Mm," Guangyou nodded with a smile in response.

He is quite confident about this.

It has always been this way.

The Ferris wheel has already rotated to one-half its length.

Inside one of the Ferris wheel cabins, Ai lay in Kouyu's arms with her eyes closed, like a well-behaved kitten.

Her tea-colored hair, cascading down her cheeks, concealed the slight smile at the corner of her lips.

"Actually... it doesn't have to be at the highest point."

Upon hearing Ai's voice, Kōyū turned his head slightly to look at Ai lying in his arms, without saying a word, waiting for Ai to finish her sentence.

“I won’t be unhappy when you come with me into the Ferris wheel cabin.”

These words brought back the smile that Guangyou had just put away.

“Or to put it another way…” Ai’s eyes remained closed, and although her cold voice showed no emotion, her words made Kousuke’s smile widen.

"I won't be unhappy when you're by my side."

"Really?" Kōyū smiled and said, "Hearing you say that makes me really happy."

"It's always been like this..." Ai's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice finally changed for a moment.

However, it quickly returned to its original state.

The only thing that has never changed is Ai's serious tone when she speaks.

"You've been like this ever since I met you, and you still are..."

"You have always stood in front of me and protected me."

"As long as I stand behind you, it feels like I don't need to think about anything."

"Really... you're the first person to give me this feeling."

Upon hearing Ai's words, Kousuke couldn't help but ask her, "I'm the first? What about Akemi-nee?"

"I believe in my sister, but I'm also worried about her..." Ai slowly opened her eyes, revealing those eyes that were like the finest sapphires.

At this moment, those icy blue eyes were filled with tenderness.

"No matter what, my sister is still a girl. Even after training, I'm still worried about her getting into danger."

"Just like last time..."

As she spoke, Ai's voice softened a little.

Knowing that Ai was referring to the case Akemi was involved in, Kōyū recalled the scene from that time and nodded in agreement.

Indeed, Mingmei doesn't even have a code name; her combat ability relies entirely on the gun in her hand. She has close-combat skills, but they are basically negligible.

That's how it is for him.

Even if he hasn't recovered to his peak strength yet, he can still subdue Akemi without expending much effort.

but...

Isn't it a bit too heavy to talk about this kind of topic now?

Sensing that something was amiss, Kōyū quickly spoke up, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the cabin.

"So if you put it that way, you're not worried about me?"

Without thinking, Ai blurted out, "I'm worried..."

Then, Ai added, "But I believe you can handle it."

"That's true." Seeing that the topic had been successfully changed and the atmosphere had eased a bit, Guangyou smiled and said.

"No matter what happens, I'll handle it. All you need to do is trust me."

"Mmm." Ai responded simply and continued, "Besides, you've always been really good to me."

"I searched all over Tokyo's cherry blossom groves just to find those Girls' Day dolls..."

"Last time on the Ferris wheel, you saved me, but you fell off yourself... and what you shouted at me back then."

Recalling that moment on the Ferris wheel, Ai repeated it, mimicking the tone Kousuke used when he said those words.

"You should stay by my side now, and you're not allowed to go anywhere!"

"I feel like I'm being a bit chuunibyou..." Guangyou couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Did he really say something like that back then?

To be honest, I can't remember the details of that time very well.

Perhaps because he didn't want to recall the scene of falling, Guangyou selectively hid this memory deep in his mind.

If Ai hadn't brought it up today, he really wouldn't have known that was what he shouted back then.

He only remembered that he did shout something, but he couldn't recall the exact words.

I didn't expect Ai to remember it so clearly.

"So what if I'm a chuunibyou?" Ai raised her head slightly, looking at the slightly embarrassed expression on Kouyu's face, and said seriously.

"I like this kind of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur)."

"That's good." The awkwardness that Guangyou felt because of those words was mostly relieved after hearing Ai's words.

"I want to ask you one more time, did you consider yourself at the time?" Ai asked.

“No.” Guangyou shook his head without thinking and said, “At that time, I didn’t think about what would happen to me. I only had one thought.”

"That means you'll live."

His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't take the matter seriously.

"Am I... worth you doing this?"

This question had been lingering in Ai's mind for a long time.

Guangyou had answered this question before, but it keeps coming up every time I think about these things.

"It's worth it." Kōyū smiled, reached out and gently ruffled Ai's hair, speaking to her in a doting tone.

"Don't think about it too much."

“I’ve thought about all of these things before I do them, and the result is always the same.”

"I believe this girl is worth doing this for."

"You..." Ai didn't know what to say for a moment. Looking at Kōyū's serious expression, she asked.

How long do you take to think about each time?

"0.001 seconds," Guangyou replied in a serious tone.

"Heh~" Ai couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this, and said, "You didn't even consider it at all."

"Because there's no need to think about it." Kōyū put the hand that had been ruffling Ai's hair on her shoulder.

I patted it gently.

Then, he said softly, "There are some things I don't need to think about. I just need to think about how to do it, how to ensure my safety while ensuring your safety."

...