Loading User Commands:
[X] Something feels off...

---

His eyes carefully survey a nearby map of the amusement park. He frowns as he considers the options. While there isn't anything especially unusual about this place, he feels that something odd is happening. The truth is at the tip of his tongue as he ponders the situation, but to no avail. It is probably nothing important. He has had a little too much excitement for the day, after all.

"Hey! Is something wrong?" asks Yukari suddenly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine!" he replies. "It must just be my imagination."

"Tell me," Yukari says sternly. She looks unusually serious.

"Well.." he mutters. "I can't really describe it very well, but this place doesn't feel very real to me. It's like I know that I'm in a dream, but I don't."

Yukari doesn't reply. He laughs awkwardly and turns away. She must think that he is acting weird for no reason. Perhaps he should just drop the subject. In any case, he should consider getting his head checked and..

He gasps in surprise as Yukari puts her hand on his shoulder. She holds him firmly, then looks up straight at his face. Her expression is solemn, if not a little bit sad.

"Close your eyes," instructs Yukari. He does so obediently, idly wondering at the reason to her sudden change of mood. Without warning, he feels something sharp smack into the side of his head.

...

"G-goddamnit, Yukari!" he curses. "That hurt!"

He opens his eyes to find himself standing in the familiar darkness. No trace of the amusement park can be seen. However, he isn't alone.

"Welcome back, Wizard," says Yukari. "It is good to see you again."

Instantly, he realizes what has happened. After falling unconscious from that last spell, she must have entered his mind once again. Grimnír grits his teeth as he slowly understands.

"I wish I could say the same," he manages. "But this is becoming a very bad habit of yours, intruding into my mind like this."

"Forgive my intrusion," she says as she gives him a polite bow. "Though I certainly thought that you were expecting me, since you accepted my invitation."

"Walking inside my already messed up head right after I fall unconscious from physical and mental exhaustion isn't exactly what I had in mind, Ms. Yukari." replies Grimnír, hiding no trace of harshness in his voice.

Her eyes widen visibly, and her mouth falls agape as she gasps in surprise. The parasol she is holding wobbles dangerously as she takes in his words in full. She opens her mouth, as if to argue, but closes it after a few moments without saying a word. Slowly, she lowers her eyes.

"I-I didn't know," says Yukari. "I'm sorry."

Grimnír mumbles something in reply as he looks away to think. This is beginning to turn into something complicated. He has to stay focused.

"I'll be going now," whispers Yukari, barely audible. Slowly, she turns around to leave.

"Wait."

[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] The White Jade Buffet. It's full of restaurants and food-related attractions.

---

"Hurry up! Hurry up! It's about to start!" cries Yukari as she drags him forward.

"W-what the? I thought we were going to get something to eat at the buffet?" he says.

Yukari turns around and grins at him cheerfully. She ruffles his hair a few times, giggling to herself. Somehow, this gesture doesn't make him feel much better. This can't possibly mean anything good.

"Cut it out," he says. "Just tell me what's going on."

"Something fun, of course!" she says. "I know that you're gonna love this!"

"Could you be a little less vague, if at all possible?" he asks.

"It's related to food, and I need you to help me," she says.

He frowns at her, but Yukari simply smiles and gives him a wink.

"It's classified information~" she says.

"..."

He sighs as he lets himself get dragged into yet another mess. He thought that getting something to eat would be pretty simple and straightforward, but apparently such words do not exist in Yukari's vocabulary. He only hopes that this won't be too foolish. Or painful.

...

"So those are the rules.. any questions?" cries the shop owner.

"Yukari, can you tell me what this is again?" he asks, saying each word slowly and carefully.

"A spicy curry eating competition," replies Yukari. "It looked fun, so I signed us up!"

"It looked fun, so you signed us up," he repeats. This girl is such a pain.

"Yep! I always wanted to try one of these things," says Yukari. "But it is embarrassing to join this sort of contest alone, since I'm a girl."

"Geez, what a bother!" he cries out.

While he likes curry, a contest like this isn't his idea for a pleasant lunch at an amusement park! This girl has to realize that normal people don't do these things! He should just stand up and walk away right now.

"You don't want to?" returns Yukari.

Suddenly, Yukari looks up at him, her eyes starting to tear up. Startled by the change of atmosphere, he can't help but look away. Using a tactic like this, she really doesn't play fair, does she?

"I-I guess it's fine, since you want me to," he mumbles.

Yukari perks up almost immediately.

"Now that's much better!" she says. "Maybe I should give you a promotion."

"A promotion? Why would I want that?" he asks blandly.

"Ara? Maybe you need other motivation~" she says playfully.

Without warning she grabs his arm and pulls herself right beside him. He can feel the gentle softness of her chest pressing against his skin. His mind tells him to pull away, but his body can't move, for some reason.

"If you win, maybe I'll treat you to something special~" whispers Yukari into his ear. The sensation of her warm breath excites him more than a little. This feeling is surprisingly enjoyable. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try to win?

...

"Hey, are you alright now?" asks Yukari. She pats his back to comfort him, though he only looks back at her with vindictive eyes.

"I can'th feel meh thongue," he replies. "Thoo spithy."

He turns away from Yukari. Somehow, looking at her just makes the pain worse. During the contest, he could barely finish one and a half platefuls before giving up. Yukari, on the other hand, just kept on going. He doesn't even remember how many plates the crazy girl finished. If it weren't for that equally insane nun at the other table, she would have won first place.

"Show me your tongue," demands Yukari.

She takes a moment to examine the inside of his mouth. Upon her face is a calm and serious expression. At this moment, he suddenly remembers that Yukari is older than him. For some reason, her concern doesn't seem out of place at all.

"It doesn't look too bad," says Yukari. "I'll treat you to something cold and sweet. That should help with the swelling."

He nods weakly in reply. Yukari walks to a nearby stall, and in a few moments, she returns with two ice creams. Somehow, the ice cream helps reduce the pain. Soon, his tongue starts recovering. Yukari doesn't say another word, and neither does he. They finish their ice creams in silence, sitting side by side.

...

"What's that?" he asks, pointing at the package she is carrying. "You weren't carrying that before."

Yukari smiles as she pulls out a small plush toy from package. The toy looks like some male character from a TV show. Dressed in tight-fitting blue and silver clothes, the little guy has short blue hair. The toy seems to be carrying a long thin spear as a weapon.

"The shop owner gave it to me for getting second place," she says. "He's cute, isn't he? I think I'll name him C~"

"It doesn't look so bad," he says as he examines it closely. The doll looks pretty well-made, for a toy.

Yukari closes her eyes as she gives the plush toy a tight hug. Then, she looks up at him, her cheeks a delicate pink.

"Thanks for coming with me," whispers Yukari. "I couldn't have joined that alone."

"Err.. no problem," he mumbles. He turns away quickly, his eyes looking for some distraction. Any distraction.

After a moment, his eyes land on a nearby map of the amusement park. But somehow, he feels that there is something strange going on. Wait, what?

[ ] The East Gate Shrine. Includes several combat-related games and rides.
[ ] The Mystic Woods. Looks like it has a medieval/fantasy theme.
[ ] The Youkai Village. There are many shops that sell souvenirs and curios.
[ ] The Eternal Moon. This definitely has a space exploration theme.
[ ] The Chronicles of the Wind God. Definitely of a historical/archeological theme.
[ ] The Underground Palace. The newest wing of the amusement park.
[ ] Something feels off...

Loading User Commands:
[X] The Mansion of Red Mist. Seems to have a horror theme.

---

He points toward one of the sections near the entrance. From the crowd nearby, this area seems to be popular with small groups and couples.

"The Mansion of Red Mist? I do hope you aren't planning anything perverted~" says Yukari playfully.

"Of course not," he says.

This section just caught his eye. Somehow, it seems like a pretty good way to kill some time. While he has no interest with developing that sort of relationship with Yukari, she did order him to choose something interesting.

"Is that so? How disappointing," she says. "But I suppose that's just the way you do things."

"Huh? What's wrong with it?" he asks.

Yukari just shakes her head and gives him a cheerful smile.

"Forget about it. Anyway, I heard that this place is pretty popular for being realistic. Let's go and get a good scare!" says Yukari as she drags him toward the Mansion section of the amusement park.

Upon entering the place, he suddenly gets a bad feeling. Unfortunately, he only realizes the reason later.

...

Suddenly, a bunch of snakes drop down from the ceiling.

"Uwaaaah! Get them off me! Get them off me!"

"W-what the? Hold still! You might fall off!'

Then, a bunch of spiders begin crawling upon them.

"They're in my hair! THEY ARE IN MY HAIR!"

"Calm down, dammit! There isn't anything in your hair!"

Without warning, something begins grabbing at their legs.

"Oh my -LET GO OFF ME! AAAAAAAHHH!"

"Relax! Geez, s-stop clinging so tightly to me!"

...

"T-that was horrible!" he stammers. "People actually enjoy that sort of thing?"

"Most people do," replies Yukari. "Wow, you weren't faking any of that, were you?"

"F-faking? Those things grabbing my legs and landing on my hair were freaking me out! I can still remember the sensations." he says. "You heard me, didn't you?"

"Of course I heard you," says Yukari, frowning at him. "I'm sure that the group of high school girls giggling behind us heard your screams quite well, too."

"W-what? Sorry about that, but that ride really freaked me out!" he cries. "Especially that last part where a bunch of maids crying blood start throwing knives at you!"

"I thought that was pretty funny, actually," says Yukari, smiling at him. "It was overdone, in my opinion."

He doesn't reply as he start to calm down. After the fear and shock passes, he feels himself blushing as he remembers what he did. He was fine - for the first five seconds. Then, he started grabbing on to this girl's hands (unconsciously, of course). He probably started panicking and screaming when the spiders started crawling in. At some point, he must have grabbed Yukari tightly and hid his face in her hair. By the time the ride was over, people in line were staring at his frozen, nervous self clinging to Yukari as if his life depended on it. Good thing she had the sense to pull him away before things could get complicated.

"Are you feeling better now?" asks Yukari carefully.

"Y-yeah, I think I'm ok. I guess I wasn't acting very manly back there, was I.." he replies despondently. He must have looked like a damn kid.

"Don't worry about it," says Yukari. "If I knew that you scare easily, then I would never have agreed to coming to this place.

"E-er..." he mutters.

Yukari turns to him with a worried expression on her face.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asks.

He pauses to think. There really was only one reason he chose this place. A stupid reason too.

"I-I guess that I just chose this place because I thought you'd like it," he mutters.

"E-eh?" says Yukari. Her eyes widen, and her cheeks glow delicate pink at his words.

"I mean that I was following your orders," he adds quickly. "If I didn't choose an interesting place, you'd punish me, right?"

"Ah! O-of course," replies Yukari. She turns away a bit, seemingly interested in one of the posters. "I guess that I had some good fun this time, so don't worry about it."

She smiles enigmatically.

"It isn't every day that I see someone your age get freaked out by an amusement park ride," she says. "Oh, I will enjoy reminding you about this day for a loooong time..."

He plants his palm upon his face, hard.

"So, where should be go next?" asks Yukari. "We shouldn't waste time."

Shouldn't waste time? Somehow, those words echo in his mind. Wasn't there something else that he needed to do?

"Err..."

[ ] The White Jade Buffet. It's full of restaurants and food-related attractions.
[ ] The East Gate Shrine. Includes several combat-related games and rides.
[ ] The Mystic Woods. Looks like it has a medieval/fantasy theme.
[ ] The Youkai Village. There are many shops that sell souvenirs and curios.
[ ] The Eternal Moon. This definitely has a space exploration theme.
[ ] The Chronicles of the Wind God. Definitely of a historical/archeological theme.
[ ] The Underground Palace. The newest wing of the amusement park.
[ ] There is something wrong here...

Loading User Commands:
[X] An amusement park. A bit expensive, but you don't mind.

---

"World of Illusion and Fantasy," he reads aloud.

"Wow! You have surprisingly good taste," says Yukari. "I give you 9 out of 10."

"What? Why not the full ten?" he asks.

Yukari smiles enigmatically.

"Figure it out," she says. "You're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll understand in time."

He has seen the commercials on TV, but he has to admit that the place looks just as good up close. Unlike those cheap, filthy "Carnivals" that he visited as a kid, this amusement park looks well designed and maintained. The widescreen display up front advertises a large collection of rides and other entertainment attractions. They have several interesting rides, including the Border Coaster and the Underground River Raft. Before he can watch the whole advertisement, he feels someone tug lightly on his shirt.

"We're next," says Yukari. She looks pretty excited.

His eyes widen as he sees the entrance fee. Imagine how many manga volumes or figurines he could buy with that amount. He takes a glance back at Yukari. She only cocks her head to the side and smiles at him innocently.

Damn this girl. She isn't even his girlfriend! He will have his revenge one day (though this really is his own fault, choosing an expensive place like this). After paying the cashier, he takes one last forlorn look at his wallet (now much lighter) before replacing it in his pants.

"So, where do you want to go first?" he asks, forcing a small smile.

Yukari glances at him before turning back to the site map. She examines it closely, pacing back and forth every so often. Finally, she sighs to herself and turns back to him.

"I can't decide," she says. "Why don't you choose for us?"

He steps beside Yukari and examines the site map. The amusement park seems to be split into several themed sections.

Where should they go first?
[ ] The Mansion of Red Mist. Seems to have a horror theme.
[ ] The White Jade Buffet. It's full of restaurants and food-related attractions.
[ ] The East Gate Shrine. Includes several combat-related games and rides.
[ ] The Mystic Woods. Looks like it has a medieval/fantasy theme.
[ ] The Youkai Village. There are many shops that sell souvenirs and curios.
[ ] The Eternal Moon. This definitely has a space exploration theme.
[ ] The Chronicles of the Wind God. Definitely of a historical/archeological theme.
[ ] The Underground Palace. The newest wing of the amusement park.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" cries out a cheerful voice. "How are you feeling today?"

He only groans in reply. Yukari seems to be in a really good mood. That always means trouble for him. Why can't she just bother someone else once in a while? She treats him like some kind of servant, or perhaps even her plaything. It isn't fair.

"I do hope you remember our wager," says Yukari. "If you forgot, I would be extremely disappointed in you as a man."

"Of course I remember," he mutters. "How could I forget? You reminded me each and every lunch break last week."

...

It happened exactly three weeks ago. He was just eating his lunch alone in the cafeteria, as was usual, when suddenly this girl sat beside him. When he mentioned that there were several free seats, she just smiled, saying that she wanted to sit with him. He didn't argue any further, since it didn't really matter to him. Before he knew it, they starting eating lunch together, as if it was a habit. They would talk about anything under the sun (which was mostly what Yukari was interested in/annoyed at).

After a few days, he learned that Yukari was his senior by one year, and that she actually lived pretty nearby. He didn't mind it much at the start, since they only met during lunchtime. She was just another odd friend, nothing more. Then one day, Yukari made a bet with him. The person who could guess what kind of lunch would be served the day after would win. The loser would have to follow the instructions of the winner for one complete day.

He took the bet simply because he knew the pattern of the cafeteria lunch. The next day would be curry day (which was his betting choice), and Yukari was guessing that spaghetti would be served instead. There was no way he could lose. The school didn't have the budget for much variety.

Imagine his surprise (and irritation) when spaghetti was served the next lunch break. What the hell? When he asked the lunch lady, she simply said that there were problems with the curry supply, so they switched the dishes at the last minute. Needless to say, Yukari was overjoyed.

...

So here she was, smiling excitedly. Today, he would have to follow any and every instruction of this unpredictable girl. He sighs despondently.

"So, where are we going?" he asks, trying to mask his annoyance.

Yukari puts a finger to her lips as she pauses to think.

"Good question," she says. "Where would you like to go?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? This is your day, remember?" he replies.

"Ara? Then let me rephrase that," says Yukari. "I order you to tell me where you would like to go."

".. what?" he mutters.

"It better be something interesting and within your budget," she declares. "If it isn't, I'll have to punish you~"

He plants his palm over his face. This is going to be a long day.

[ ] A family restaurant. There is a good place near the station.
[ ] An amusement park. A bit expensive, but you don't really mind.
[ ] A museum. She doesn't seem that picky.
[ ] A theater. Maybe she will enjoy a good movie?
[ ] A mall. Lots to do there.
[ ] A love hotel. What?
[ ] Custom

"..ake up.. ther," says a voice. It seems strangely familiar.

He mumbles something incoherent. Too sleepy. Just go away.

"Wake up, please wake up," says the voice.

"Mrrmgh.. sshleepy.." he mumbles.

He can hear someone stamping her foot on the ground. No more tantrums. I need rest.

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to pull off your pants and take pictures!" the voice cries.

"Fine, fine.. just.. what? What the hell?" he cries.

He gets up quickly to see a familiar face. There is no mistaking that short green hair and that childish body. The pair of antennae on her head twitch slightly as he looks up at her.

"Wriggle?" he asks drowsily. "Why are you waking me up? It's a weekend, isn't it?"

The firefly girl steps close to him. Dangerously close. She is only inches from his face. He feels himself blushing furiously. Slowly, he pushes her off him as he sits himself up.

"Get off me," he mutters. This girl is such a headache. "How many times have I told you not to get so close?"

"Eh? But there isn't anything wrong with being close to my big brother, is it?" she asks innocently. Without warning, she sits herself on his lap. She starts stroking his leg suggestively.

"I-I mean that," she whispers. "I only want to get to know my brother a little better.."

Forget inappropriate, this is getting far too weird for him. Cute little sisters are fine, but this is going too far. He carefully lifts her up and drops her roughly on the bed.

"You're too heavy," he says. "Are you gaining weight again?"

"W-what are you saying?" cries Wriggle. "I've been cutting down on the sweets! Don't say things like that!"

He mutters something in reply as he glances out the window. The newspaper girl rides past on her bike as he watches. Damn. It really is too early. There aren't any good TV programs on at this time. He should be enjoying his dream right now. This is a weekend - he should be allowed to sleep in!

"I know why you've been ignoring me lately," says Wriggle. She seems to be pouting. That is never a good sign.

"And why is that?" he replies lazily. He tries to stifle a yawn, but fails miserably.

"T-that's because you already have a girlfriend!" she shouts. Pretending to cry, she continues, "S-so mean. And I was saving myself especially for you."

"W-what? Don't say things that will cause misunderstandings!" he cries.

Wriggle giggles as she steps playfully towards the door.

"Anyway, your 'girlfriend' is waiting downstairs for you," she says as she leaves. "Big sister is nice, isn't she? You shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Yeah, tell her I'll be down in a few," he mutters. Why the heck would that girl be visiting now? And for the record, they aren't a couple. He just got caught up in something troublesome. But then again, that isn't any surprise to him. When that girl is involved, strange and unusual things always happen.

Suddenly, Wriggle pokes her head back inside.

"Just remember," she whispers seductively. "You can always come to me after she dumps you. You will always be my favorite~"

"G-get out of here!" he cries out.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Sharpen your perception. Think out of the box.
[X] Yukari

---

"Scarlet Sign, 「Red-Haired Dutch Dolls」" cries Alice. Several dolls begin appearing before the Puppeteer. Their eyes glare at him ominously.

Grimnír shudders as he watches the dolls raise their arms toward him. For a moment, each of their miniature hands start glowing like candles. Then, dozens of energy bolts begin flying in his direction. He wonders idly how something so beautiful could be so dangerous.

He blinks. This isn't time to get distracted. If those hit him, he is going to end up in a body bag (hopefully Dr. Yagokoro won't experiment on his corpse in the name of science). Focus your mind. Sharpen your perception. Think out of the box.

"Oh yeah!" he mutters aloud. He almost forgot that he had this option. Carefully, Grimnír pulls out a spell card from his robes. Instinctively, he knows what to do next.

"Logos Sign, 「Calculated Risk」" he cries aloud.

Time slows down before his eyes. The shots slow down to a crawl as they make their way toward him. The dolls move at a snail's pace back and forth. Alice doesn't even look like she is moving at all.

He blinks. Slowly, he analyzes the direction and angle of the dolls and the shots they are firing. He gasps as he realizes that he can see it. The different possible angles of attack are becoming visible to his mind. The pattern of the spell card isn't difficult. Carefully, he inscribes this knowledge and insight into his mind.

Grimnír tries to raise his arms, but finds that he can barely move. Then, he understands. The spell card only reveals patterns and improves his analysis. The world isn't slowing down, it is his own mind that is thinking at a greatly improved pace. The different possibilities are running through his brain more quickly than he can move. However, his own abilities aren't actually enhanced.

The spell card won't last much longer. He closes his eyes and quickly calculates the most likely locations of the energy bolts in the next few minutes. He can almost grasp the essence of the algorithm that her spell card uses. Carefully, he comes up with a plan to survive the attack.

The spell card trance breaks. It is time to put the plan into action.

Grimnír weaves in and out of the attacks seamlessly. He does not even bother putting up a barrier. His strength is limited, but he manages to dodge each of Alice's attacks. The pattern is clear. There is no way that she can hit him now.

"Is this all you can do, dollmaker of the forest?" cries Grimnír. He can't resist showing off. The tables have turned.

"W-what? H-how are you dodging my attacks?" says Alice. She doesn't slow down her offensive, but none of the bolts are landing.

"Spell card patterns are easy, ~ze!" he replies mockingly. "My staff not even drop!"

Alice looks at him thoughtfully. She smiles at him, clearly impressed.

"Very good! Much better than I expected!" she says. "Let's see if you can handle this, then.."

The magician pauses to chant her spell.

"White Sign, 「Chalk-White Russian Dolls」" she cries out.

Suddenly, the air is filled with energy bolts. Even if he can see the basis of the pattern, this looks grim. There are too many. He can't escape this. He is going to die.

No, there must be another way! Think. There is always another path. Focus. There are countless possibilities in this world. Analyze. The solutions are endless.

"..."

Grimnír pauses as he remembers the first time he used magic. When he was attacked by fairies, he used a unique skill to drive them off. It was a powerful, dangerous spell that he did not fully understand. To him, it seemed that it was an extremely primordial class of magic. A power that was the basis of magic, and perhaps the world itself.

He raises his head and calmly watches the hundreds of bolts flying toward him. Sighing, he resigns himself to this foolishness. He isn't supposed to use this here. He isn't supposed to use this yet. It is too early.

But now, he has no choice.

"Endless, 「The Unravelling」" cries Grimnír.

The space between Alice and himself blurs violently, transforming into an indescribable miasma of color and shape. Then, it begins to collapse into itself, swallowing up the energy bolts, the trees, part of the ground, and several of Alice's dolls. A deep, unearthly rumble spreads from its center, but the ground is not the only thing that shakes. He feels the very fabric of reality ripple with the force of the magic.

By the time he completes the spell, the space between himself and the magician has completely vanished. There is no trace of any battle, as if all was devoured by the void. Nothing lies between them.

Alice looks at him with mouth agape. She holds a spell card limply in her left hand. Her battle aura has vanished, and she looks completely shocked.

Grimnír's vision blurs. He loses control of his body and begins plummeting to the ground. Alice shouts something, but he doesn't understand. This is his limit.

All turns to black.