Chapter 110: As Long As Long As You’re Here, Anywhere Is Heaven

When people talk about amusement parks, the carousel is practically mandatory.

It’s not thrilling or heart-pounding in the slightest, but that gentle up-and-down motion, the slow spinning, it gives you a cozy, safe kind of comfort.

The two decided to kick off their park day right here.

The line for the carousel was short; you only had to wait a minute or two.

“Two student tickets, please~”

“Sure, please show your student IDs.”

“I’ve got mine, but… what about Xiaoxiao?”

At the ticket window, Su Xiao Zi pulled her student ID from her bag and handed it over, but Su Xiaoxiao’s fake one still hadn’t come through.

She’d already put in the request through the research society’s headquarters (using her sister’s authority just a tiny bit) under the pretext of “special staff identity.” Once school started again, she’d have a brand-new ID. Still high school, thankfully; no demotion to middle school.

The ticket lady glanced down at the little silver-haired loli and smiled kindly.

“You can buy a child ticket! It’s even cheaper than the student price.”

…She just got carded as a grade-schooler.

“That’s perfect then~ Child ticket it is.”

Su Xiaoxiao had actually been worried whether Su Xiao Zi could get away with buying her a child ticket, but apparently it wasn’t a problem at all.

In everyone’s eyes, Su Xiaoxiao was 100 % a small child.

After getting the tickets, Su Xiao Zi leaned in with a huge grin and whispered,

“Child tickets are half price, you know~ So you have to stay a good little kid, okay? That’s the only way the nice ticket lady will let you have the discount♪”

“Get lost, stop treating me like an actual child!”

Su Xiaoxiao waved her off, her baby face somehow radiating the dignity of someone twice her apparent age.

They quietly picked their horses; two mini ones right behind each other.

The seat was too high for Su Xiaoxiao, so Su Xiao Zi had to lift her up with both hands.

‘Damn it… so humiliating… I can’t even climb onto a carousel by myself…!’

Even after buckling the safety belt, Su Xiaoxiao was still sulking about it.

Su Xiao Zi just watched her with the indulgent smile of a gentle big sister.

With a soft mechanical whir, the platform began to turn.

The horses slowly rose and fell; the scenery drifted past in a comfortable blur.

Su Xiaoxiao gripped the pole in front of her with both tiny hands.

“Ah! Mommy, that silver-haired girl is so pretty! Is she a foreigner? And she’s wearing different-colored stockings! I love her! Can I ask her name?”

A little girl on the viewing platform suddenly piped up in a childish voice, looking up at her mother with sparkling eyes.

The mother smiled brightly and answered,

“Not yet, sweetie. She’s still riding right now. When it stops you can try asking, but she might be shy and not want to keep it secret.”

“Okay! I’ll ask when it stops!”

Su Xiaoxiao overheard the mother-daughter conversation and panicked a little.

Silver hair… they’re definitely talking about me. No one else here has silver hair.

She’d almost forgotten: compared to the black-and-white stockings, her silver hair stood out way more.

But unlike her pupils, she couldn’t freely change or hide her hair color yet. If there was a way, Evran hadn’t taught her.

“Hey, hey, Xiaoxiao, you hear that? A super little girl wants to hit on you~”

Su Xiao Zi, seated right behind, had obviously heard everything and teased playfully.

“That’s not hitting on me! She’s tiny; she probably just… wants to make a new friend…”

Su Xiao Zi gave an awkward half-smile.

“Aww, you’re such an innocent kid too. Unfortunately, Big Sis won’t let any other girl steal you away♪”

“I keep telling you, she’s a child, not a woman!”

“In my eyes she’s already a potential love rival, hmph.”

Watching the warm mother-daughter pair on the platform, Su Xiao Zi felt a soft glow in her chest.

They must have come because the little girl wanted to play; her kind mommy agreed to accompany her.

It reminded Su Xiao Zi of her own childhood; those precious days when Mom and Dad were still around, taking her out together.

Scenes like this always filled her heart with gentle warmth.

This was what family felt like.

When they stepped off the carousel, Su Xiaoxiao looked a little dazed.

Su Xiao Zi folded her arms and pondered.

“Oh… right. Something this mild is probably super boring for you, huh? Next we need a ride that’ll make Xiaoxiao let out cute screams.”

“No, no, that’s not it at all. I actually really liked the carousel.”

She meant it; it wasn’t just to spare Su Xiao Zi’s feelings.

Su Xiao Zi lifted her bag, pulled out the park map they got at the entrance, and started scanning for thrilling rides.

“Really? You’re not bored just going around in circles?”

Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head, clenched her small fists against her chest, and murmured with quiet sincerity,

“Mmm. Because Xiao Zi is right beside me. I don’t need to look for anything especially fun. Anywhere is fine; as long as Xiao Zi is with me, that place becomes the most fun, happiest place in the whole world.”

It felt like seeing that mother and daughter together had stirred something inside her.

Coming to an amusement park with family might not be the most romantic thing, but it was the warmest, most heart-melting thing.

Su Xiao Zi’s hand trembled for a moment while holding the map. She quickly folded it in half, stuffed it back into her bag, and took the initiative to grab Su Xiaoxiao’s hand.

“If you feel that way, then it’s the same for me. Let’s just wander wherever and play whatever we feel like.”

“Yep. As long as Xiao Zi is here, everywhere is paradise.”

“Kyaa—! Stop dropping flashbangs!”

A group of students around their age standing nearby suddenly felt like they’d been force-fed dog food; two cute girls flirting right in their faces. They fled with dark lines on their foreheads.

“Why do those two feel like they’re surrounded by cake-scented cake aura?!”

“Alright! Next stop; whatever catches our eye! Oh, I see the roller coaster already!”

“You’d have to be blind to miss it; it’s literally the most eye-catching thing in the park. But… isn’t it a little scary?”

But Su Xiao Zi’s face was already flushed, breathing a little fast as she started walking.

For just a second there… she’d actually been flustered by Xiaoxiao’s line!

Her heart was still going doki-doki; she couldn’t calm down at all.