Chapter 63: A Day at the Theme Park

Sunday, often dubbed “Sadday” (TL Note: A playful pun on ‘Sunday’ and ‘sad day’ in Chinese, reflecting the melancholy feeling), typically finds people caught in a melancholic limbo—grieving the imminent end of their weekend reprieve while simultaneously dreading the onset of a new work week. The carefree abandon of Saturday often translates into an equal measure of reluctance on Sunday, making one yearn for an endless holiday, much like that spirited girl who once declared her intention to gather aliens, espers, future travelers, and visitors from other worlds as her companions.

Meanwhile, on the east side of Jingping City, Star Circle Theme Park welcomed yet another weekend of overwhelming crowds. Before nine in the morning, the queue outside the main gate already snaked through two-thirds of the plaza. In the scorching summer air, people bustled, pressing close together. The cacophony of vendors’ cries, broadcast announcements, and children’s laughter intertwined, weaving a vibrant and boisterous world.

On the side where visitors scanned their tickets for entry, a girl with an exquisitely delicate appearance and attire was effortlessly waved through. She seemed to be eighteen or nineteen, her shoulder-length hair dyed a silvery-white with subtle pink tips, perfectly framing her ears and curling outwards at the ends.

Her skin was remarkably fair, yet not sickly pale; instead, it possessed an ethereal cleanliness, as if untouched by the mundane world. Her beautiful features were delicate and soft, her large, expressive eyes subtly upturned at the corners, imbued with an innate playfulness and slyness. Dressed in a beige spaghetti-strap dress paired with a loose sun-protective cardigan, she was undeniably captivating, drawing lingering glances from passersby.

Slinging a charming, small cross-body bag over her shoulder, and wearing white knee-high socks with lace-up platform shoes, she stepped lightly, blending into the stream of people entering the park. However, upon entering, she did not immediately seek out the nearest attractions, but instead headed straight for the closest restroom.

The air conditioning in the restroom was set quite high, offering a significant reprieve from the stifling heat of waiting in line under the sun. Strangely, though, the girl appeared barely to have sweated. Her expression was serene, her complexion rosy, as if the sweltering weather had not affected her in the slightest.

Idly pushing down the pink-and-blue sunglasses perched on her forehead, and seeing herself alone in the restroom, she gave the small bag on her shoulder a few playful shakes. In a lighthearted tone, she announced, “Alright, no one’s here. You can safely come out now, you know.”

A faint ripple appeared on the decorative miniature mirror hanging from her bag, and a slender figure quietly materialized from the shadows. Dressed in simple dark attire and a black beret, she seemed like a ghost emerging from a forgotten corner, appearing in a flash beside Rainbow.

Although the day had barely begun, Black Mirror’s expression already betrayed a hint of weariness. The reason was simple: if asked to choose three places she least wanted to visit, a theme park would always, without fail, be among them.

Exorbitant prices, sweltering weather, and queues that stretched for hours—this was no enjoyment. For a homebody like her, who usually only ever stayed indoors, it was nothing short of torture.

Fortunately, most of these past grievances would be perfectly resolved today, yet a new vexation had simultaneously emerged: her companion for the day.

“What’s wrong, Little Mirror? Why the glum face? Is the mirror I brought too small, making you feel cramped?”

While the girl before her was undeniably cute and pleasing to the eye, Black Mirror had no desire to appreciate it. After all, this person was the most mysterious and dangerous pleasure criminal lurking within the city.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Let’s go, Rainbow.” She subtly adjusted her clothing, ensuring that the outfit she had copied from a random passerby wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

“Yay! Let’s go, let’s go! Today, we’re going to play every single thing!”

Black Mirror’s arm was quite naturally linked by the other girl, their bodies pressed close like intimate friends. Under Rainbow’s guidance, Black Mirror could only follow passively, pulled along.

‘If I were to pull my arm away now, it would only provoke a more intense reaction from her,’ Black Mirror mused. ‘It’s better to just let her have her way.’

Previously, Black Mirror could never have imagined spending a weekend day with Rainbow at a theme park.

As for how things had escalated to this point, it all stemmed from a favor Black Mirror owed Rainbow.

Initially, to confirm a rumor she’d overheard from a magical girl—that the Magic Surveillance Department (TL Note: A government body overseeing magical beings) would seize all records of magical girl crimes and falsify them as accidents—she had, with a mix of desperate hope and lingering suspicion, asked Rainbow to procure accident reports from the city spanning the past three years. Within those records, she had indeed found no mention of her mother’s accidental death, which ignited her genuine suspicion that magical girls were directly connected to the tragedy that had occurred on the road that night.

At the time, to enlist the aid of this Thousand-Faced Witch, Black Mirror had promised to grant her one wish upon the successful completion of the task. Rainbow’s wish had been simple: “Then give me one of your days, Little Mirror.”

Black Mirror had initially expected a far more outrageous demand, or perhaps that Rainbow intended to do something much more eccentric to her. It was entirely unexpected that the wish was merely to visit a theme park together. This seemed too simple, which, ironically, only made Black Mirror wonder if Rainbow was plotting something else entirely.

“What should we play first?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head as she pointed to a map she’d picked up from the information booth.

Gazing at the nearly forty attractions scattered throughout the park, Black Mirror began to recall the guide she had hastily researched the previous night. Make no mistake, she harbored no personal excitement for today’s outing; it was simply a matter of adhering to the “since we’re already here” principle, ensuring that the day, at the very least, wouldn’t be utterly terrible.

So, pointing to a particular area on the map, she said, “Let’s go here first.”

Star Circle Theme Park, one of the city’s most popular amusement parks, was primarily distinguished by its themed zones, which integrated numerous movie and cultural IPs. The area Black Mirror had indicated was named “Xinluti Fairy Tale Kingdom.”

Xinluti, a mascot character from a classic magical girl anime created many years ago in a neighboring island nation, told the story of an ordinary heroine who one day encountered Xinluti, a guardian fairy from the Magical Fairy Kingdom. To protect her friends, the heroine formed a contract with Xinluti, becoming a magical girl and battling evil monsters. To this day, the series had released its seventh installment, with both the protagonist and her team having gone through several generations of changes. It was even rumored that this year, a story depicting the adult life of the original protagonist had been released.

This work had initially only garnered a certain level of discussion within niche circles. However, a few years before Zhang Qingwei’s birth, the world’s first magical girl truly emerged in reality. Consequently, the series gained enduring popularity, was dubbed a classic, and gradually became an foundational work for many fans, shaping their understanding of the magical girl concept.

Interestingly, despite the neighboring island nation, Hezhou, being considered the birthplace of the magical girl cultural concept, the world’s first officially recognized magical girl did not originate there. Instead, she appeared on the distant West Coast. Moreover, in reality, people had never witnessed the existence of fantastical magical fairies like Xinluti, a fact that remained a small regret for some fans.

The décor of this area largely consisted of a light, whimsical fairy tale style, with vibrant, childlike colors. From time to time, staff in mascot costumes could be seen posing for photos with visitors, even in the scorching heat. The attractions within the zone were also relatively “gentle”; even the roller coaster was designed to be enjoyed with a lighthearted and pleasant mood.

After accepting two dreamily colored cotton candies from a swaying mascot who waved its hand, Rainbow offered one to Black Mirror. Gazing at the fluffy “cloud” before her, Black Mirror took a delicate bite.

“It’s a bit too sweet.”

“The flavor is a little bland.”

They both offered their assessments in unison, then instinctively exchanged glances, a clear flicker of suspicion reflected in each other’s eyes.

Seizing the moment Black Mirror was distracted, Rainbow suddenly leaned in and took a bite from Black Mirror’s cotton candy.

“Hey!”

“It really *is* too sweet, you know,” she mused, savoring the taste. Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck her, she looked at Black Mirror with a mischievous grin. “Oh dear, I completely forgot, Little Mirror’s tastes have always been just like a child’s! No wonder we had to come to a place like this first. How about it? If you praise your big sister a little, I’ll go buy you a balloon, okay?”

In response, Black Mirror let out a soft, dismissive ‘Hmph.’

“The park just opened, so this area shouldn’t have many people yet. Since we’ll have to queue anyway, it’s better to start with something quick and simple—”

Black Mirror’s words trailed off as her gaze drifted into the distance. Before the carousel attraction ahead, she saw a queue stretching from the inside out, seemingly without end.

It appeared she wasn’t alone in her thinking, and she had gravely underestimated the number of people in the theme park. Once the gates opened, every corner became a frantic battlefield.

The next moment, Rainbow took her hand and began walking towards the queue.

“That one first? Come on, let’s go!”

“Wait, that queue is far too long. Perhaps we should look for something else…”

“Don’t be scared! That has nothing to do with us. It’s rare for Little Mirror and me to go out and play, so why would I waste time on meaningless queues? I bought a ‘Fast Pass’ service in advance!” With that, Rainbow pulled an exceptionally ornate phone from her small bag, tapped the screen, and ostentatiously displayed its contents to Black Mirror. Truth be told, she shook it so quickly that Black Mirror couldn’t discern anything.

“Of course, Little Mirror, you don’t need one! After all, you even skipped the entrance ticket. And even if I had successfully forged your identity and bought a ticket in advance, face verification wouldn’t recognize you anyway.”

This reminded Black Mirror that ordinary human thinking could sometimes constrain her own. Since she had sneaked in without a ticket, all she needed to do was continue being the “invisible person” blending into the theme park.

So, after turning a corner, their two figures merged into one again. Rainbow swiftly walked past the lengthy queue, arriving at the Fast Pass service channel. She smoothly passed the automated verification using her forged identity. As for how this fake identity managed to pass, Black Mirror wasn’t concerned.

‘This one, thirty years ago, would definitely have been making and selling fake IDs,’ Black Mirror thought.

Rainbow constantly kept an eye on passersby, blending into the crowd and gradually retreating to the end of queues to create opportunities for Black Mirror to reappear. Although theme parks were bustling and full of diverse people, everyone’s attention was generally fixed on the attractions, price tags of merchandise, and their companions. Therefore, they didn’t have to worry about anyone noticing a “person” suddenly materializing.

Bolstered by the power of money (TL Note: A slang term referring to the influential capabilities afforded by wealth), all the anticipated hardships vanished. The two swiftly boarded the carousel attraction under the guidance of a staff member. As the melodious, soothing music began, the cartoon ponies beneath them started to move rhythmically, swaying up and down with the entire mechanism.

Black Mirror had initially assumed that only children would ride such attractions, yet she found numerous adults who appeared older than them. A theme park, however, was precisely such a place: regardless of age, anyone could find childlike joy here, unabashedly shouting and laughing while seated on these simple moving mechanical devices.

“Little Mirror, catch!” A soft call accompanied something suddenly being tossed her way. Black Mirror subtly turned and reached out, catching Rainbow’s phone.

“Take two photos for me, and make sure they’re pretty, okay~”

The girl in the frame smiled radiantly, like a blooming flower. With one hand gripping the horse’s neck beneath her, she turned and waved, appearing utterly immersed in the joyful, relaxed atmosphere, just like the other tourists around them.

No matter how Black Mirror looked at her, she seemed like nothing more than an ordinary girl. Yet, it was precisely this effortless ability to convey such an impression that intensified Black Mirror’s unease.

Furthermore, was Rainbow truly as happy as she appeared? Why had she invited Black Mirror here? Black Mirror couldn’t fathom it. She felt that dedicating her time and energy to Rainbow would only lead her further into the other girl’s schemes.

Despite having collaborated with Rainbow multiple times, Black Mirror had never engaged in any deeper conversation with this seemingly easygoing Negative Corroder (TL Note: A type of supernatural entity with corrosive abilities). This was not only due to Rainbow’s ability to assume a thousand faces and bodies, constantly prompting suspicion, but also because Rainbow’s usual demeanor and personality were precisely the type Black Mirror was least adept at handling.

Always proactive, always mysterious, always impenetrable in her thoughts—her beauty carried a fatal sense of oppression. If she were a delicate flower, she would certainly not be one to be cradled in someone’s palm. She was a controller, an anomaly capable of easily cutting others, even capable of sucking the blood that flowed from their wounds.

As the device slowly came to a halt, Rainbow swiftly unfastened her harness and leaned closer, her face alight with anticipation as she looked at the photos Black Mirror had taken.

“Let me see, let me see!”

It was then that Black Mirror confirmed she was wearing perfume again today, a scent like citrus, with a fresh, honeyed sweetness.

“Hmm, they’re well-shot, but why do I look so serious? Little Mirror, your camera angle is a bit too rigid.”

‘Serious? Rigid? That’s right,’ Black Mirror thought. ‘After all, for someone like me, who has no habit of taking selfies and rarely goes out with friends to take photos, the only opportunities to practice and use a camera are for taking pictures of leaders at the company.’

“It’s your problem, constantly swaying around.”

“Eh—”

“Come on, let’s go to the next one.”

Whether anticipated or not, this day had only just begun.