Go to the Amusement Park and Encounter Five Lost Individuals

Upon returning to the grassy field with food in hand, Rizu sighed in relief when she saw the other two. Proudly, she declared that she had successfully maintained her position.

Afterward, the three of them chatted while having lunch. Fumino didn't inform Rizu about what had just happened but happily planned where to go next.

Passing by the zoo area, there was a beautiful scenic spot and an amusement park behind it, giving visitors the option to choose either.

They three had no disagreements and decisively chose to go to the amusement park to redeem the regrets from the last time.

During the summer vacation, the three of them had never been "alone" like this. Shinichi spent more time with Rui, letting her have fun with everyone. In the end, he ran off to look for Rui. From start to finish, Fumino and Rizu never played on any amusement park rides with him.

Rizu was looking forward to it. She swore to conquer the roller coaster completely; last time, she lost consciousness in the first third of the ride, but this time, she had to make it at least two-thirds!

Now that they had made a decision, the three of them naturally took swift action. After quickly finishing lunch, they returned the rented picnic cloth and briskly walked towards the amusement park.

Shinichi's hand wasn't held like before.

They walked side by side with smiles on their faces, chatting casually.

"I wonder if I can go through all the facilities in the remaining time. Especially the legendary Black Dragon. I heard those who can go down without changing expression after riding it will succeed in any career they pursue in the future. I have to challenge it!"

"(Trembling) Fumino, why do you have such bad thoughts..."

"Well, better not be the first one to sit there... Otherwise, you might not be able to finish the rest of the journey..."

"Huh? I'm fine?"

"We have a problem!"

"Ah, haha, right~ But I didn't expect Asada-san to be weaker than Ricchan! She's actually scared of rides. How funny~"

"...Rizu, hold her."

"Understood."

"Eh? Ricchan, what are you doing... Asada-san, what are you going to do?! It's a big crowd, no, don't come!"

"It's nothing, just doing something that will leave you breathless and speechless."

"Shinichi-san, your words are a bit suggestive."

"I did it on purpose."

"It's okay."

"...Wait, don't come closer, I'm just apologizing... Hey, Ricchan, quickly let go of me, let's face that lewd Asada-san together, okay? Now–"

"Sorry, Fumino. In the long journey of learning, I've learned many things, one of which is, everything needs to be prioritized before anything else."

"Your speech is too long!"

"Accept your fate; no one will come to save you even if you scream until your throat breaks... Move your jaw!"

"No... Ahahahahaha! Don't tickle, my waist is so sensitive... Hahahahahaha! No, don't go up..."

"Don't worry, I'm not tickling your chest."

"..."

"..."

"Fumino, I won't participate in the next step. Please do as you wish."

"That's not what I mean. Listen to me, Fumino... Fumino-san? Fumino Onee-sama? Cute little Fumino-chan? Your expression is really scary..."

"Hmph, sing, sing, sing, sing~~"

"Heaven☆Death."

Under the distant autumn sky, the sound of hitting flesh spread far, far away...

△

In the natural park.

"Now it's noon, they should be in the dining area, but when we get there, they might already be gone..."

Itsuki pulled out the map, pushed the red-framed glasses up her nose, and spoke seriously.

"True." Nino closed her phone and spoke calmly and coldly, "My friend said she saw them. The three of them had lunch together on the grass and are now ready to leave."

"Let's look for them." Miku wore headphones, her dark blue eyes calm but like a deep sea with hidden currents, concealing dangers difficult to perceive.

"I'll run. There should be no problem stopping them." Yotsuba began to move, her usual energetic smile visible at the corner of her mouth, her eyes serious and focused.

"Don't worry; it's better to know where they're going next and then take action~"

Ichika looked around at everyone and showed a mature and gentle smile.

"The five of us will work together to put pressure on them... If this is the 'war' declared by Fumino, then from now on, there will be no room for any mistakes."

She held her hand, and then she remembered that this wasn't Seisho Music Academy, there were no omnipotent stage devices, and there was no way to summon her favorite equipment: a giant scythe that could cut anything.

Ichika sighed with regret, then raised her fist toward the sky and said with a smile:

"The first thing is to take back Shinichi-kun's body and mind from their hands. Everyone, are you ready?"

"Um!"

Nino, Miku, and Yotsuba nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's decide the route." Itsuki raised her head, tapped the red pen on the map, and said calmly, "They will only go to the two places next: one is the scenic area, and the other is the amusement park. It will take too much time to search both at once. I did a little analysis, and we have to choose one of them and conduct a thorough search."

"Is this necessary?" Nino asked.

"Unless we split our forces into two groups, the accuracy of finding people will be reduced... Moreover, they will also hide."

The atmosphere felt dull for a few seconds.

"Just do what Itsuki says." Nino said.

"Although Itsuki doesn't want to admit it, she is the one who understands Shi-kun the most among us. No matter how strong Fumino will do, in the end, the one who makes decisions must be Shi-kun... As long as I know where Shi-kun is, I don't believe the five of us can't find him!"

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Itsuki laughed softly, and with her understanding of Shinichi, her trust in him, and her inexplicable thoughts, she began to speak.

"First of all, although the scenic area is a favorite place for many couples, it's quieter and more atmospheric. It's very suitable for Fumino and the others to strategize. It is said that more than ten couples successfully confessed their love there every year..."

"But I don't think they'll be there."

The four of them nodded, thinking while listening to Itsuki's words.

Many tourists and students passed by, curious about the solemn atmosphere, but the five of them ignored it and focused on the issue in front of them.

"The reason is very simple. We went to the amusement park with Asada-kun last time. It's known that he should have been with Rui-chan at that time. Until we gathered, and the nine of us separated after playing, Fumino and Rizu didn't go to the amusement park with Asada-kun. Finally, Asada-kun went to search for the missing Rui alone... In short, the three of them have never played on any rides together."

"In this case, considering Asada-kun's temperament and the habits of Fumino and Rizu, they will never prioritize less interesting landscape areas. Instead, they will redeem past regrets and create new memories at the amusement park... During this period, many opportunities can tempt them, such as haunted houses and roller coasters."

With her middle finger on the frame and her eyes shining with wisdom, Itsuki showed a confident smile.

"So, their destination must be the amusement park!"

After drawing this conclusion, some other sisters looked at her in admiration and disbelief. She unexpectedly enjoyed this view.

"Just now, I really had a bad thought that [Itsuki has a good mind]..." Miku folded her hands and muttered coldly.

Hiding her pride entirely within her heart, Itsuki shrugged.

"From now on, you'll get used to it, Miku."

Seeing Itsuki's hidden and secretly happy expression, Ichika smiled and teased her.

"Everything becomes so clever when you meet Shinichi-kun... Itsuki, no matter how Shinichi-kun might cheat from now on, it seems like he can't hide it from your eyes."

Itsuki lifted her chin.

"Of course... Eh, wait, it's not my concern if he cheats!"

"Everyone, now that we've set our goal, let's go quickly!"

Interrupting their conversation, Yotsuba couldn't wait, but her eyes looked ahead very seriously.

"I want to talk nicely with Fumino, Rizu... and Shinichi-san."

"They are all my friends and very important to me."

"..."

The four of them fell silent for a moment, then exchanged glances several times and nodded in unison.

"Let's go!"

At that moment, two students passed by, and the content of their conversation was clearly heard by the five of them.

"Hey, did you know? Someone saw the student council president dating there, in the beautiful area."

"Really? Does President Asada have a girlfriend?"

"I don't know... But I heard he, Furuhashi-san, and Ogata-san from Class D walked very closely, and they even held hands with the president in the middle."

"Isn't that too much?! The student council president is actually riding two boats..."

"I'm not sure yet, don't argue... But there's a photo. Look, isn't the scenery of falling maple leaves beautiful? Two girls, maybe they'll be fine in the school magazine..."

"Haha, is this loaded in the school magazine with a scandalous title? I think the second one... President Asada is a bit dangerous..."

In the midst of the conversation and gossip, the quintuplets looked at each other in silence, their eyes silently exchanging thoughts.

Itsuki slowly took off her glasses and put them in the glasses case.

The feeling of something solid breaking in her heart was not pleasant.

She sighed but also seemed silently regretful and unwilling.

"...Don't say anything, let's go."

Her long hair covered her blushing face. Itsuki bit her lip and bowed her head. Under the comforting whispers from her sister, she moved forward with heavy steps. The map in her hand had long been crumpled into a ball.

No one knew how important this matter was to her, and no one knew that she had made a crucial decision at this moment.

The five of them just walked quietly towards the scenic area, with the goal of finding the three who were on a date and preventing Fumino's plan from succeeding.

As for the gossip duo who had just chatted leisurely, when they saw the five turning into another path, their facial expressions immediately dimmed. They raised their hands to cover their ears and uttered cold and calm words.

"The mission is complete; the quintuplets have gone to the scenic area."

"Alright, please move. Someone will take your place."

"Understood."

They put down their hands, looked at each other, smiled, and enthusiastically discussed the places they wanted to visit next.

Amidst their hair, the thorn pattern on the earphones shone with a cold blue light.