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

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"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...