Amagi Brilliant Park: Volume 6

by Shouji Gatou

  Should he call it off and return to Maple Castle? But just as the thought occurred to him, he saw a change in her shadow. The light of her enjoyment dimmed, and a gray light (if you could call it that) enveloped her. Anxiety, fear, regret, guilt... A plethora of negative emotions latched on to her shadow and merged with it.

  What the... Even though it was only yesterday, Seiya couldn’t remember what could have caused that. Had he said something to hurt her? Nothing came to mind.

  He knew he tended to act arrogantly to keep people at arm’s length, but around her, he always tried to be considerate and kind. He couldn’t imagine saying anything that would upset her so deeply, even by accident—if he had, he surely would have remembered.

  They had just bought some drinks and were taking a short rest next to a stall in Wild Valley. They must have been talking about something, but it was probably trivialities... “It sure is hot” and “where should we go next?” and the like.

  After a rest, the two shadows resumed walking again. As they walked, the gray light receded and the happy light from before took prominence again. She must have forced herself to forget whatever was bothering her, to enjoy herself in the moment.

  This certainly is... concerning... Seiya decided to stick with it, and continued following her shadow. The phenomenon repeated itself a few more times after that. Once right after they left an attraction, once when they were just walking down the street, once when he was picking up a fast pass... There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. But there was one thing he was sure of: She wasn’t wholeheartedly enjoying their “date.”

  Why not? he wondered. Of course, he could imagine plenty of reasons... She had her own inner life, after all. Maybe it was her sadness about being blind, or her guilt about having fun while everyone was working. But that alone, he felt, wasn’t enough to explain the darkness there. Why? Why did that “dark light” envelop her from time to time? He was starting to feel annoyed.

  I’ve been working my ass off, tearing my hair out to give this park a future, to make you smile... he thought angrily. So why aren’t you happy? Is that smile of yours all a put-on? What more do you want from me? Of course, Seiya knew that he was being unreasonable. Latifah wasn’t a puppet to perform on his command; her feelings were her own. But why...

  Dammit... Seiya shook his head. He couldn’t afford to fall into self-absorption. The key to the mystery was right here in front of him; he just had to stay calm enough to see it. He continued to follow her.

  They entered Moffle’s House of Sweets, battled the naughty mice, and in the end, took their photo with Moffle. (Though it was the middle of the night, Seiya’s manager ID let him enter any attraction he wanted.) Time and again, that gray light enveloped her. It was starting to happen with such frequency now that it was weakening the light of joy she had started with.

  At last they reached the endpoint of their date: the merry-go-round. The previous attractions had all glowed brightly through the Umbra Glasses: the House of Sweets burned the fiery colors of battle; the Music Theater was a passionate orange; the Flower Adventure was pink, for some reason. This merry-go-round shone with a color just like Latifah’s own when she was enjoying herself—a white light, comprised of all the colors of joy. Its radiance might be the most beautiful thing in the park.

  It was the exact same color as Latifah. In paint, mixing many colors together results in a muddy mess, but in light, it’s the opposite: more colors just produces a purer and purer white. This was the nature of the merry-go-round’s color: a white light, made from all types of joy. But... that ratty, ill-maintained, unpopular merry-go-round?

  The two shadows got into their carriage and the ride began to spin. Her shadow seemed to be enjoying itself at first, but eventually, its light began to dim, and the dull gray consumed it once more. Then came the accident. Her shadow toppled, Seiya’s helped her up, the revolution of the wooden horses stopped... And then, so did everything.

  This should be the part where Seiya carried her off to the infirmary, but that didn’t happen here. Her shadow stood up. Still a hazy silhouette, it moved leisurely towards Seiya, step after step.

  《Is that you... Kanie-sama?》 her shadow asked.

  “Yeah...” Seiya answered hesitantly. “Well... not the me you were on a date with... um... Look, I don’t really understand this myself...”

  《I see... Have I caused trouble for you again?》

  “Um... I don’t really know,” he replied once more. She had said ‘again;’ he thought. The Latifah from this morning wouldn’t have put it that way. “Let me check something... Do you remember meeting Mackey?”

  《Yes. I welcomed him and served him tea.》

  “What about before then? The night parade... hiring Rubrum and the Mogutes...”

  《I remember. ...In fact, I remember everything from the first time we met.》

  “I see,” Seiya said thoughtfully. “In April?”

  《No, further back. Our reunion in March, my giving you magic...》

  “What?” Seiya was dumbstruck. Her memory reset at the start of April every year. She shouldn’t be able to remember what happened in March.

  《I remember when you were a child as well. The person I am in this moment... appears to remember everything.》

  What’s going on? How can she remember everything?

  《I cannot say why. I do not know why I am here, talking to you. It does not appear to be “me” truly speaking...》

  Seiya wracked his meager knowledge in an attempt to draw a conclusion. “Ah... I think the real you is asleep in bed. Does that mean you’re something else?”

  《Yes. The one to whom you are speaking is not I, but a composite of my memories. “I” have no will of my own... I believe I am borrowing some of yours in order to speak with you.》

  “So... hmm. So it’s like my mind is running a simulation of what you’d say?”

  《I believe that to be the case.》

  He was shocked to learn that all of Latifah’s memories were accumulated (preserved? stored?) here, but the fact that he could actually talk to her based on those memories was even more shocking. “Ahh,” he manged to say. “So basically, I’m imagining a conversation with you?”

  《More or less, it seems. But you must not consider it a baseless fantasy... I believe it to be a very accurate simulation indeed.》

  “Hm...”

  《But as it is not my true self having this conversation, she will not remember anything that is said here.》

  Natural enough. This was all in his own head, after all. “There’s something I’d like to ask you, then. It’s about how you got the way you are now.”

  《Do you refer to the curse? I fear there is little I can tell you about it... Forgive me.》

  “No,” Seiya clarified. “I mean about why your memory reset today. I’m sure the curse plays a part, but Dr. Obiza thought you might be having some kind of personal problem.”

  《A... personal problem?》

  “Why is your animus so low? The park is doing amazing business compared to before. It doesn’t make sense.”

  《You are correct...》

  “Do you have any idea what it could be?” he begged. “Anything can help, no matter how small... Please tell me.”

  《Yes. Let me see...》 Her shadow looked out over the park. The real Latifah was blind, but that didn’t seem to be the case in the shadow world; perhaps because it wasn’t a world of visible light. 《This park... It has many colors, does it not?》

  “Yeah.”

  《Where I come from, we assume that all animus is the same color... But perhaps that is not so. There are many different kinds... many different forms of joy, are there not? It seems absurd to think otherwise, when one considers it carefully...》

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  《In which case... perhaps I am lacking something more important, separate and apart from guest animus...》

  “Something more important? What is it?”
<
br />   《I believe that you already know.》

  Her shadow smiled sadly. At least, it seemed to him that it had—he couldn’t really see her expression. Something more important? he wondered. All of their customers were happy. What could they be lacking? “Sorry, I don’t know what it could be,” he admitted. Seiya wasn’t just being stubborn; he genuinely didn’t know.

  《Then allow me to tell you. You are... suffering, are you not? Since the moment of our reunion in March, you have been torturing yourself. About me, about the park...》

  “Well... of course I have!”

  《I understand. It is a tremendous responsibility that you bear upon your shoulders. But I always see you so depleted, so exhausted... You are not enjoying yourself in the slightest, and... you are constantly haunted by regret.》

  “I don’t regret anything.”

  《The fire in the stadium... did you think I would not realize that you were involved?》

  “......” Seiya didn’t have a good reply to that question.

  《I hope that you will forgive my candor... but even during our date yesterday, you spent every minute worrying, wondering what to do about the park, how best to solve things... And every time I realized that, I began wishing myself to disappear.》

  Those must have been the moments when the gray overtook her. He now knew the reason: It was him. He’d been trying to conceal his true feelings, but she had seen through him. And every time it happened, she sank into depression. “I... It isn’t your fault,” he insisted. “It really isn’t. Maybe I do torture myself, but I don’t blame you... I don’t.”

  《Yes... I believe you when you say that that is the case. Kanie-sama, you are a truly strong person. And yet...》 She hesitated.

  “And yet?” he asked.

  《And yet... I still cannot bear it. How could I? You aren’t happy! The one in the world most precious and dear to me...》

  His heart thumped. His face flushed. He couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear voice trembling in sadness. “What...”

  《Yes, it is true. I adore you... Kanie-sama.》

  Silver drops of light fell from her hazy silhouette. They were almost like tears. But even without that, he knew that she was crying.

  《I... I love you. You are in my thoughts at all times. What else can I do? Every time I meet you, my chest tightens, my heart beats faster, and I feel so happy that I burst with joy. So...》

  “So... is that why?” Seiya asked, bewildered. “Because... I’ve lost my joy in your presence? That’s why you...”

  《Yes...》 Her form receded. Perhaps she had slumped over, or she had gone down on her knees. She looked terribly pitiable. 《How can I feel any joy when I see you suffering so?》

  She was right. It made sense. But if that was the case... “But if that’s the case... what do you want me to do?”

  《I... I do not have an answer. I can ask you for nothing...》

  “......”

  《I am a terribly cruel woman, always asking the impossible of you. I... I am a selfish coward, yet I feign the behavior of royalty... I am a devil. ...If you would only hate me, then perhaps hope might remain. But you continue to show kindness, even to one as wicked as I. Yes... I am an object of pity for you. And that is... it is so painful, so sad...》

  It was an impossible dilemma. All this time, Seiya had been focused on strategies, tactics, routes to victory. His policy was to evaluate a situation, form a plan, and do whatever it took to execute it. He’d assumed that was the only way to resolve things. He’d even told himself that if he couldn’t do that, he’d be better off dead. But right now—being in this situation with her, he realized that was no longer enough.

  To smile while grappling with an unsolvable problem, while suffering all that he could stand? I can perform the act of a smile... Would that be enough?

  《Please, that is not what I want. There is no need for you to continue to sacrifice yourself for us... You must stop.》

  I can’t do that. Seiya didn’t know why, but that was one thing he considered off the table. An formless urge began to well up from within him.

  《Why not? Why are you so determined to...》

  I wish I knew. I don’t. But all the cells in my body are telling me one thing: Fight. Which means that fighting is all I can do. I’m not trapped. I’m not motivated by pity. It’s not about you, it’s about me. I’m doing this because I want to... In spite of what you, or anybody else, wants.

  《Then, does that make me... your trophy?》

  Maybe it does.

  《This park, too?》

  Yeah, maybe so.

  《I... I see. It frightens me a bit... but perhaps such is the character of one worthy to be king.》

  King?

  《You are a king. ...The only kind of person, perhaps, who could face that magician...》

  I don’t know... I don’t know much about it.

  《Yes. Neither do I...》

  The umbra began to break apart. At first it was like pops of static, but before long, larger cracks formed, the discordance increased, and her image began to fade. Was he running out of mana, or was there some other reason? Their connection in the umbra was coming to an end.

  Seeming to realize what was happening, her shadow said, 《It seems time for us to say goodbye.》

  No, wait. There’s so much more I want to talk to you about...

  《I am sure. But I fear I am incapable of stopping this...》

  You’ve told me how you feel. But I haven’t given my response.

  《I do wish to hear it. But my true self will never learn of what happens in this place...》 In the end, she smiled, just like always. 《If you would, though... tell me one day.》

  Yeah, I will, he told her. But then, he reconsidered. Still, this conversation is still all in my own head... if I say something to her based on this, will the real her just respond, “Oh, I don’t feel the same way... this is complicated...”? And could I ever recover if she did? He directed his thoughts back to her. Actually, for my own piece of mind, I’d like to ask more advice on—

  《You may not. Good luck!》

  No, wait—

  《Goodbye! Take care!》

  His vision cracked. No... it was the lenses of the Umbra Glasses that had cracked. Suddenly, Seiya couldn’t see anything. He took the glasses off and found himself in the pitch-black park, after hours. The cornucopia of light that had surrounded him was no more. He stood alone in front of the dingy merry-go-round. At last, his exhaustion overtook him. Just before he passed out, he heard Sento Isuzu somewhere nearby, calling his name.

  When he opened his eyes, it was morning the next day. He was on the leather sofa in his air conditioned office. Isuzu was sleeping behind the reception desk, but she awoke the moment Seiya stirred. He asked her what had happened.

  She explained that she had found him passed out in front of the merry-go-round, and brought him back to the office. She had stayed up all night, it seemed, to look after him. Apparently it was just exhaustion, but—

  “How’s Latifah doing now?” he asked.

  “Her condition is unchanged,” Isuzu told him. “As expected, her memory hasn’t returned...”

  “I see...” Isuzu was despondent, but Seiya wasn’t rattled by the news. He hadn’t really expected anything else. He was starting to get a vague idea about what he should do; it wasn’t fully clear yet, but he felt like there was an answer somewhere.

  Perhaps owing to Seiya’s tight-lipped nature about the incident, Isuzu didn’t pry regarding what had happened at the merry-go-round. She explained that Obiza and Moffle were taking shifts watching Latifah.

  Seiya washed up, had a cup of coffee, and returned to the office. Isuzu was just checking her email; she squinted at the monitor, then gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Seiya asked.

  “I don’t believe it,” she said. “Cosmic Studios is requesting a business partnership...”

  “Oh.” He was expecting that, too. Now it wo
uld come down to negotiations— depressing negotiations about how best to keep the park on life support. Digimaland or Cosmic Studios: Neither partnership could lead to anything good.

  That night, they decided on a place to meet and discuss unofficially. The idea was that Digima and Cosmic would both make their proposals, and AmaBri would offer their own opinion. No individual negotiations; the parties involved would put it all on the table, as if they were at an auction. Those involved would be kept to a bare minimum, and to keep things simple, mortals who didn’t know about the broader situation would be forbidden to attend.

  The meeting was Seiya’s idea. Isuzu had worried about whether they would accept, but Seiya knew that they would— and in fact, he was right.

  Just before the meeting, Seiya went to the rooftop garden and found Moffle waiting there. He was staying with Latifah today, leaving most of his park work to a person in a costume. “Latifah’s resting, fumo. Her memory hasn’t changed.”

  “I see...” Seiya wanted to talk to her before the meeting, but... Nothing to be done about that. Besides, in her current condition, explaining the situation would likely just frighten and confuse her.

  “Moffu... Pitting Digima and Cosmic against each other, eh? I’m not sure that’s one I’d have come up with, fumo.” Isuzu must have explained the situation to Moffle, who seemed surprisingly accepting of it.

  “I wonder,” Seiya replied. “Well... it seemed like a way to get us slightly better conditions, at least.”

  “Only slightly better, fumo?”

  “Yeah. It’s a lesser-of-two-evils kind of situation.”

  “Moffu...”

  They were both feeling drained. It was hard to be cheerful when they were about to hold a bidding war for AmaBri, itself.

  “There are rumors going around the cast already, fumo.”

  “About the offer?” Seiya clarified.

  “Moffu. The only ones who know about it are you, me, and Isuzu, so I don’t think it leaked out from our side. If I had to guess...”