"Don't scare yourself."
Sora held Anna with one arm and tightly gripped the adjacent seat with his other hand. Due to the violent swaying of the cabin, he couldn't stand up, yet his voice remained steady:
"Encountering strong winds, swaying is a normal phenomenon. Don't panic."
If they encountered extreme weather, like a typhoon with torrential rain, the Ferris wheel cabin could even rotate 360 degrees in the air.
"Sora's heartbeat is super fast..."
Anna's voice was tense, her right hand pressed against Sora's chest:
"Even though you're super panicked yourself, you're still trying to comfort me..."
Of course my heart is beating fast! Not falling is one thing, but being nervous is another matter altogether! Unless you're a robot, anyone's heart would be racing right now!
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Anna's pretty face paled. Like a little quail trembling in a storm, she huddled nervously in Sora's embrace.
"If I hadn't asked Sora to ride the Ferris wheel again on a whim, we wouldn't be in danger... Are we really going to fall?"
Thump.
Sora decisively tilted his head forward, lightly bumping his forehead against Anna's:
"Stop letting your imagination run wild. The amusement park facilities are inspected by staff every day. Even in strong winds, it won't just fall down."
"That may be true..." Anna looked up pitifully. "But it's exactly because the safety inspection wasn't thorough that the Ferris wheel suddenly stopped moving, right?"
Sora: "..."
Although he didn't want to admit it, Anna made a very valid point.
The cabin swaying back and forth was normal; after all, the wind outside was very strong. But suddenly stopping completely? What was going on?
As the two of them quieted down.
The howling gale in mid-air became even more fierce, blowing the cabin side to side, making it feel like they were back on the roller coaster.
Not only that.
The creaking sound of metallic friction from the connection point above the cabin grew even more grating. Every time it sounded, it kept them on edge.
Although he kept comforting himself that there was no need to worry and the staff must have conducted safety inspections, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
The world is a giant makeshift stage, and news of falsification in Japan emerges endlessly: Mitsubishi Motors fuel consumption falsification, Nissan emissions data falsification, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical falsifying records for forty consecutive years... Heaven only knows if there might be quality issues with ordinary amusement park facilities.
"Sora..."
The girl's soft call suddenly echoed by his ear.
Sora turned to look at Anna. He saw a bright and resolute light clearly flashing in the girl's azure eyes.
"Don't be afraid, we'll definitely be fin—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the girl's soft, pink lips directly kissed him.
"What are you doing?"
Sora was instantly shocked.
That wasn't an accident just now; 'Inmate Eight' clearly kissed me on purpose!
"Dad always says that no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first, so you should enjoy the present..." Anna's pretty face was flushed crimson. Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, but she forced herself not to look away.
"I don't even know what kissing feels like. If my life ends just like this, it would be way too regrettable."
Don't jinx it! The cabin is just swaying, we really haven't reached the point of falling down!
Anna's pretty face was flushed, resting against Sora's chest:
"Although Sora secretly reads lewd manga, you definitely don't know what kissing feels like, right?"
Sora: "..."
I'm sorry.
The first person I kissed was Elf, although I was forced. Then it was Angel-sama today. I already know very clearly what kissing feels like.
Since the time loop had ended, Anna naturally didn't have her pre-rewind memories. Therefore, the 'Inmate Eight' of this moment was completely unaware that Sora's 'purity' was already gone.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't said I wanted to ride the Ferris wheel again, we wouldn't have encountered danger." Anna bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, her pretty face burning hot.
"So... so let me fill in Sora's regrets!"
Sora: "..."
Your method of making up for regrets is kissing me? That's way too simple and brute-force!
"Anna, don't be impulsive..."
Anna bit her lower lip, her voice aggrieved: "Does Sora hate me?"
"Of course not."
"Earlier on the train, Sora's heartbeat sped up because of me, right?"
"..."
He truly couldn't refute that point.
"Since that's the case, that's enough." Anna's eyes sparkled. She held Sora's cheeks with both hands.
"Our lives might end in the next second. Rather than letting someone else benefit, Sora might as well let me benefit."
Hurry up and stop! Stop jinxing us!
The girl's soft, pink lips kissed him once again.
Once Anna made up her mind, she was highly proactive. Plus, with Sora currently holding 'Inmate Eight' with one hand and gripping the seat with the other, he was completely unable to refuse.
This time, it wasn't just a simple touching of lips, but rather... the girl's movements were clumsy and inexperienced, yet possessed an indescribable sweetness, making him involuntarily sink into it.
Time quietly slipped away.
Even the gale outside the cabin seemed to subside.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl's rapid panting finally sounded.
"Hah... haah..."
Anna's pretty face was burning hot, her gaze hazy. While panting rapidly, she raised her hand to wipe away the stretching silver thread from the corner of her mouth. Her tender, alluring pink lips were slightly swollen:
"So this is what kissing feels like..."
Anna lowered her head, her pretty face almost ready to drip blood, yet her eyes were sparkling brightly:
"Sora, let's do it again. It feels so thrilling."
Oh no, a weird switch inside Anna has been flipped!
Sora was just about to speak when he suddenly sensed something wasn't right:
"Wait a minute... did the cabin stop swaying?"
"Eh?"
Anna blinked blankly, then quickly realized:
"It seems so."
The cabin, which had previously been shaking violently in the gale, making it impossible to even stand steadily, had at some point reduced to just gentle undulations.
"Also..." Sora looked out the window. "Has the Ferris wheel started rotating again?"
"Does that mean we can safely return to the ground?"
Anna's eyes lit up. She hurriedly pressed her hands against Sora's chest and sat up in pleasant surprise.
"Eh?"
A terrifying sensation of a foreign object caused Anna to tilt her head in confusion.
Realizing what she had sat on, Anna's body trembled as if electrified, and white steam rapidly whistled out from the top of her head:
"It was just a kiss, and you actually... Sora is so perverted!"
"..."
If I had absolutely no reaction, I should probably go to the hospital to see a doctor!
Sora raised a hand to cover his cheek:
"Stop talking, hurry up and get up."
As the danger dissipated, Anna's courage vanished like snow under the sun. She hurriedly and shyly got up and moved away.
Before long.
The Ferris wheel safely returned to the ground.
Without another word, the two quickly exited the cabin, not wanting to stay a second longer.
"We are incredibly sorry..."
The staff repeatedly bowed and apologized to the two of them. They explained that the mechanical system had suddenly malfunctioned but then inexplicably resumed operation. After inspecting it, everything was normal. Even the staff were bewildered and could only attribute it to an accident.
"Was it really just an accident?"
Anna rested her chin on her right hand, inexplicably feeling that things weren't that simple.
"Could it be... related to what I wrote in the Losing Heroine Diary?"