Literature Club: Return to their reality

Chapter 14: Roller coasters

We spend the rest of the evening configuring it. It's one of those tycoon games, however this save file was kind of sandbox (that is, starting with a ton of money and everything unlocked) where I just made something cool, not bothering about profitability in half-finished condition.

Well, it takes some work to fully connect, but at least this game is 3-d, and I've even found HD textures and models for most assets, so the visualization isn't a problem at all. It doesn't take too long to set everything up, and we even briefly test a couple rides – but decide to leave the fun for tomorrow, when we go here with the entire Literature Club.

In the morning, we end up just teleporting everybody straight from their homes (except for MC, who went to wake Sayori up – although she didn't need help finding motivation for this occasion), and meet right at the gates. I distribute five gold tickets, and we go straight to the VIP entrance.

"And what about yourself?" Sayori realizes that there are six of us.

"I'm the owner," I reply, pulling out a platinum card.

"Wow, you own the place?!" Sayori exclaims. "How cool!"

"Come on!" Monika sighs. "It's just a game where you build such a place. Or, technically, design and administer it."

"Well, at least it looks cool," Natsuki says as we enter. "But don't expect to get away from thorough critique."

"I'd like to hear it – maybe we could even try improving it together," I reply. "Anyway, gold tickets mean everything's included for the day, no limits. Have fun!"

As the girls approach the park map, I bump into MC, pushing him slightly away.

"Hey, careful!" he objects.

I slid a small box into his pocket. "If she asks, at least pretend you asked me to make it," I whisper in his ear as quietly as I can in such a noisy place.

He gives me a confused look.

"Your Sunshine should like it," I whisper notably louder, so the girls could overhear this part in case they decide to eavesdrop.

We all start walking together, but the lovebirds soon split from us. And the moment Sayori leaves, it becomes kind of awkward, so Natsuki, after exchanging a few glances with Yuri, trails off in the other direction. Yuri follows her, but they drift apart after like 15 steps.

And thus, I'm left with just Monika. We've basically got the day for ourselves to enjoy the place in each other's company. Being a bit familiar with the layout, we start with something romantic. Which in our case is a mini-zoo with an aviary of colorful exotic birds (no her favorite bird though – but it doesn't live in captivity) and an aquarium with a slice of coral reef ecosystem. We spend quite a while in there, just observing various creatures and discussing plenty of random facts about wildlife. Next time I'll probably need to invite her to a zoo tycoon game. Or maybe actually play it together.

It's almost deafening to emerge from a sound-insulated pavilion back into the noisy amusement park. Looking around, I contemplate riding the Ferris wheel next and choosing the next destinations from up there, but as a roller coaster train speeds above us, Monika gets a different idea.

"Up for express tour of the park?" She winks.

Right, this scenic line goes all around the place: it's so long that there are multiple powered climbs along the way, and multiple boarding stations – so it also doubles as a high-speed transportation system. Not a very intense design, even if there are a few sharp turns and spiraling descents – but one of the breath-taking features is it being synchronized with other rides so that the trains actually pass mere meters from each other at high speed (although I don't think this game has ever appreciated that).