Chapter Text
It had been devastating for Yumi.
Terano lost the game to Yumeko and she got stabbed by a Housepet. As stressful as it sounded, a small part of her felt relief.
She was no longer in the prying hands of Kirari, who at best wanted to have a little show before winning the election all over again.
That was months ago however, and it was summer. The heat was hard to handle and the sounds of crickets chirping simply didn’t satisfy her boredom.
“Terano, can we go somewhere?” She whined. “Yumi. Where do you want us to go in this heat?” “ A pool or just anywhere cool at all.”
Terano didn’t answer her at all. The sun tanned girl stared at Terano for a while, then went back to sulking.
After a few moments, she suddenly perked up with an idea that was surely filled with embarrassment for the family.
"What if we go to a water park?" The handicapped latter slowly turned her head towards her. "Yumi, you are very dear to me. But never bring that up again."
"Why not?" She groaned, tediousness filling her tone. "It's a childish place full of useless things a child nor an adult should waste their time in.” Yumi stopped asking after that. It was nearly impossible to get Terano to change her mind if she already chose her answer.
**
The afternoon sun shined through the blinds of the window, hitting Yumi straight in the face. She turned to avoid the light and pulled out her phone. She mindlessly swiped through multiple puerile posts and videos.
Then a message came from Midari.
local masochist: heyyy yumi
hii:yumimi
local masochist: Yumeko ditched me again so like im bored
so am i. terano doesn’t want to go a water park :( :yumimi
local masochist: I’m coming in five minutes
do you even know our address :yumimi
local masochist: shhh im coming alr pipe down
should i be concerned at the fact that you know where we live :yumimi
Yumi thought that she was bluffing. Midari didn’t know where she lived, that was a something only a few people knew. She shrugged it off as another moment of her weirdness taking over her last few braincells.
A few minutes later, she had forgotten all about what happened, that is until a knock was heard on the front door. Did Terano order something? She thought. She went to the door and opened it, completely oblivious to what was outside.
Midari and Yuriko stood with a few bags in each hands, their faces already begging to be let inside. “Midari! I never thought you’d actually come!” Yumi excitedly said, embracing her in a taut hug.
While the two were busy clasping each other, this type of heat, Yuriko stared at the two with exhaustion. If they had this much energy in this type of heat, she didn't want to imagine how active they were in winter.
"Yumi? Who is that?" Terano asked, her voice a bit louder than average. "It's Midari and Yuriko!"
She could've sworn that she heard Terano sigh in disappointment. She wheeled herself into the hall where the front door was situated and gave an unreadable glare at Midari, then a soft look at Yuriko.
"Anywho, who's ready to go to a water park?" Midari exclaimed.
Nobody answered her question and instead began small talk between each other. "Just great." She muttered under her breath.
After a few minutes, most of them had agreed to go, but Terano was resolute in her answer. "C'mon Terano! It's not harmful to have some fun once in a while!" Yumi yelped. "No Yumi, I'm not interested to embarrass myself."
She pouted and turned away in an immature way, earning a few snickers from the two lovebirds.
"Alright." The sudden word turned Yumi's demeanor upside down as she went from being dejected to being cheery and merry.
The first problem came when they had to find a suitable parking space. The lot was packed with family vans and cars of the sort. "Ugh, don't people know that there other beings around them?" Midari groaned. She rubbed her temples roughly and slammed her hand on the steering wheel.
Yuriko was not impressed by her antics but kept to herself, believing that the day could make Midari a bit more calmer.
"Looks like we're going to have to park outside." She said, putting the car into reverse. Now everyone groaned simultaneously.
Parking outside was a very unsmart idea. It was a good mile away from the park and by the time they got there, they were half alive. "Never do that again, Midari." Yumi said inbetween shaky breaths.
Just then, 10 cars got out of their spots and left. The day wasn't going to get better.
They entered the park and paid their tickets individually as no one wanted to pay for everything.
Children screamed in every direction and water was splashed everywhere. "Was this meant to be calming or migraine inducing?" Terano bluntly said.
No one responded, so she took it as a yes. "I chose this park especially for you, Terano." Yumi proudly proclaimed. "It's handicapped accessible!" She clapped her hands together and flashed a smile that was big enough to be considered fake.
She wore a suitable swimsuit that was appropriate for the place she was at, but it showed the scar she got at Fascination Hall. Yumi had gotten over it, yet it bugged her in a way she couldn't describe.
It felt off.
Like her body was still adapting to the wound as if it was fresh.
"Yumi?"
She snapped out of it, quickly realizing that she had zoned out. "Uh, yeah?" "Are we going?" "Sure!"
While everyone went around their jolly ways, Terano simply observed them from a distance. It wasn't exactly entertaining to see other people have fun in ways you can't, but she had to swallow the fact that she couldn't have a normal experience like everyone else.