175 - Someday, One Day...

RAW

After parting ways with Tomoya and the others, Haruto arrived at Kids World.

Together with Ayaka and Ryota, he enjoyed the child-friendly attractions like a mini roller coaster and a treasure-hunt style game where they searched the forest for theme park characters.

*"Big bro! Big sis! I wanna play on that one next!"*

Ryota, beaming with a huge smile, excitedly tugged Haruto and Ayaka along.

"Okay, okay, but don't pull so hard," Ayaka said with a gentle smile, trying to calm her overexcited little brother.

"Are you having fun, Ryota?" Haruto asked.

"Yeah! I'm having sooo much fun!" Ryota answered, nodding so enthusiastically that his whole body moved. Shouting “Hurry, hurry!”, he kept dragging Haruto and Ayaka to the next attraction.

They ended up at a play area shaped like a castle made of air-filled cushions and balloons—a giant bouncy house.

*"Big bro, this one next!"*

Grinning at Ryota’s impatience, Haruto and Ayaka exchanged a smile.

"Ryota, why don’t we wait in line here?"

"Okay!"

"They switch people out every 10 minutes, so we should get in within about 20," Ayaka guessed, looking at the queue.

Soon after, Ryota was bouncing around like crazy inside the inflatable castle. By the time they left the attraction, even Haruto and Ayaka were a little out of breath from keeping up.

"Hey, how about we rest on that bench?"

"Good idea."

Haruto spotted an empty bench and suggested a break, and Ayaka agreed. Ryota, full of energy, ran over and plopped down on the bench immediately.

"You're really full of energy, huh, Ryota?"

"Yup! Are you tired, big bro?"

"Still going strong," Haruto replied with a smile before turning to Ayaka.

"Ayaka, I’m gonna grab some drinks. Want anything?"

"Thanks. Just tea for me."

"Got it. How about you, Ryota?"

"I want apple juice!"

"Roger that. Be right back."

Haruto waved to the siblings and headed off to a theme-park-styled vending machine. He bought tea, apple juice, and a coffee for himself, then returned to find Ryota fast asleep, leaning on Ayaka.

"Huh? Ryota fell asleep?"

"Yeah. The moment you left, he just conked out like a dead battery."

"Well, we did start early this morning, and he's been playing non-stop."

Carefully, Haruto sat down on the bench, not wanting to wake Ryota. With the boy between them, he and Ayaka took a moment to relax. Ayaka gently patted Ryota’s shoulder as he slept, his breaths slow and peaceful. Haruto smiled warmly at the sight of her looking down at her brother so lovingly.

"Totally knocked out, huh."

"Yeah. I think he had so much fun he pushed himself past the limit."

"I’m glad he enjoyed it that much."

As they chatted quietly, Ryota shifted a little. Ayaka reached out to steady him so he wouldn’t fall, but instead of leaning back on her, Ryota tilted over and used Haruto’s thigh as a pillow, continuing to sleep soundly.

"Well, looks like I’m stuck for a while."

Haruto chuckled, watching the boy sleep on him.

"Wonder what Tomoya and the others are up to."

"I messaged Saki earlier. She said she and Akagi-kun went one way, and Ishikura-kun and Saki went another. They’re all still waiting in line for attractions."

"Ah, so they split up too."

"Yeah. Sounds like both groups are still in line."

"Then… shall we just rest here a bit longer?"

"Sure."

Ayaka nodded, and gently stroked Ryota’s hair while it rested on Haruto’s lap. She looked up and smiled faintly at Haruto.

"You know… I always dreamed of going to an amusement park on a date with my boyfriend."

"Really? Then I guess your dream came true?"

"It did."

Her expression glowed with happiness.

"Since we started dating, all my little dreams keep coming true. Every day feels so bright and wonderful… I’m so happy, I even find myself praying before bed that these days never end."

"I get it… Ever since we started going out, my life’s felt really fulfilling too. Ryota, Shuichi, Ikue… they all make me feel like I’m part of a warm, loving family. It’s comforting, like my heart is full."

Haruto glanced down, and softly placed his hand over Ayaka’s as she stroked Ryota’s head. She looked up, eyes drifting between Haruto and Ryota, before blushing lightly and murmuring:

"Someday… I want to come back here again. You know… with family, maybe…"

Haruto raised his gaze and met her eyes. Embarrassed, Ayaka quickly looked away, her cheeks now bright red. Haruto stared gently at her blushing profile and nodded slowly.

"Yeah… someday, one day..."

"Y-yeah…"

Surrounded by a warm, gentle atmosphere and a touch of bashfulness, they shared a soft smile once more.

＊＊＊

After receiving messages from Tomoya and Shizuku saying they were done with their rides, Haruto carried the still-sleeping Ryota on his back and headed for the meeting spot in the plaza.

Saki was already there, and when she saw Ryota snoozing on Haruto’s back, she smiled warmly.

"Haha, Ryota’s out cold, huh?"

"Yeah, been out like a light for a while now."

"Well, we did get here early this morning."

Haruto adjusted Ryota, who had started to slide a bit.

Still sound asleep, Ryota prompted a gentle chuckle from Kazuaki.

"Sleeping kids are the cutest."

"Careful, Kazu-senpai. Ryota’s cuteness might make you evaporate."

"I will not!"

Their usual playful banter played out between Shizuku and Kazuaki.

Tomoya checked the clock in the plaza and suggested:

"Ryota’s out cold, and we’ve been on a ton of rides. Maybe we should head home?"

"Yeah, staying too late will mean a packed train ride home. Leaving now’s probably a smart move," Saki agreed.

"Ah, but—" Ayaka started to say.

"I want to check out the souvenir shop before we leave."

"Good call. That’s important."

"I want to grab a few souvenirs too."

"Alright, then souvenir shopping, then home," Tomoya concluded.

Everyone agreed, and they headed off toward the gift shop.

Since most guests were still lining up for rides, the shop wasn’t crowded. Haruto slowly browsed the items with Ryota still on his back.

"Hey, Haruto, how about this?"

Ayaka showed him a box of assorted cookies.

"Looks good. Oh right—didn’t Ikue-san love cream puffs? How about these?"

Haruto held up some cutely packaged mini cream puffs.

"Nice! Oh, what about this castella sponge cake for Kiyoko-san?"

"Perfect. I’m pretty sure Grandma loves castella."

"So many options, I can’t decide."

"Tell me about it."

As they debated which gifts to buy for Shuichi, Ikue, and Kiyoko, Ryota stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh? Where are we?"

A small, sleepy voice came from Haruto’s back.

"We’re picking out souvenirs," Haruto replied softly.

"S-sou…souvenirs?!"

Suddenly fully awake, Ryota jumped up.

"I promised Grandma I’d get her a souvenir!"

"Right, you did. Want to get down and pick something together?"

"Yeah!"

Ryota hopped down cheerfully and immediately began searching for a gift for Kiyoko. But before long, his expression darkened. He looked up at Haruto with worried eyes.

"Hm? What’s wrong, Ryota?"

"I… don’t have enough money…"

He mumbled glumly. He’d spent much of his money earlier on the heart-shaped keychains for Haruto and Ayaka, leaving little for gifts.

Though Ryota had been saving his allowance and chore money in a "wedding fund" piggy bank and was slowly learning the value of money, managing it in real-world situations was still a challenge.

He stared down at his tiny wallet, looking completely lost. Haruto smiled gently, squatted to meet Ryota’s eye level, and said:

"Hey, Ryota. I want to get Grandma a gift too. So how about we pick one out together—just the two of us?"

"Really? That’s okay?"

"Of course. What do you think would make Grandma happiest?"

With that, Ryota's face lit up and he resumed the search with a serious look.

"Um… Grandma’s souvenir should be…"

"Ryota-kun, how about this one?"

"Hmm… do you think she’ll like it?"

As Ryota thoughtfully browsed the shelves, Haruto stayed beside him, offering suggestions. Ayaka stood back and watched the two with warm eyes.

"Haruto’s totally dad material."

"Top-tier family man already," Saki added.

"And Ayaka-senpai is just staring at him like she’s in love."

"I’m honestly looking forward to seeing those two five or six years from now."

Tomoya and the others chuckled as they quietly watched the scene from a short distance away.