Amagi Brilliant Park's
V1 - Chapter 1 Part 2
The next place they visited was the diagonal direction building opposite to the music theater, ‘Home Sweet Moffle.’ As with ‘Adventure Bunga’ before, this is an indoor attraction. It's more like a gingerbread house than the fabled Grimm, decorated with pancakes, whipped cream, oranges, and other sweets.
“Welcome..”
As they entered, the employees glazed over (or ‘perman’ because Isuzu insisted) gave them a water gun. No, it's not a water gun. It's a laser pointer designed to look like a water gun. You pull the trigger, and this thing shoots a laser.
In the entrance hall hangs a large screen, which plays an explanatory video of how the attraction works:
“Welcome to Moffle store, The Sweet Fairy! Unfortunately, the bakery has been invaded by rogue rats! Use your water gun and teach the rats a lesson!”
The video was followed by detailed safety instructions:
Don't look into the barrel of his gun (because of the laser).
Do not be rude to the gun (because the manufacture is fragile).
Please return the gun in the box at the exit (due to cost).
“If you shoot a lot of rats, Moffle will take pictures with you as a souvenir! Spirit, everyone!”
Ahh, thought. He already understood the point: They would shoot a laser pointer at something like animatronics before, competing points. Unlike previous attractions, this attraction seems to have a game-like attraction.
“OK! Battle begins!”
The double door at the back of the room opens automatically. It seems that this is an attraction where the visitors have to proceed on foot. It would be a problem if there was a large crowd here, he thought, but there was no need to worry about it—even on Sunday, this place was completely deserted.
“Go.” Isuzu urged her, and Seiya walked in.
It was in a hallway designed to look like a kitchen: there was a luxury sink, oven, grill, and more. Animatronic rats come out here and there at random.
He shoots.
He pointed a water gun-shaped pointer laser at a mouse and shot it.
Be exposed. Fumble. Fumble. Fumble. Be exposed. “Faster than I expected..” More rats appeared, one after another.
Fumble. Fumble. Fumble. Fumble. And finally hit…
“They're too fast,” critic Seiya.
“We go to storage space.” Isuzu said in reply. “Beware.”
“Hah?” They move from the kitchen to the storage room, where rogue mice start popping up faster.
Fumble. Fumble. Fumble. Fumble. Fumble.
“Wait a minute! It's a little too hard, right?!”
“You wasted a lot of ammunition.”
“What do you hope—”
“You also wasted a lot of breath.”
Not all are animatronics, some are holograms. They appear, move left or right, then disappear without even giving you time to aim. It was impossible for ordinary human eyes to follow them.
They reached the final room without accumulating many points.
Then came another announcement: “Honey once! You didn't kill much! But, great experiment!”
“K-We killed them?” Seiya. “You think we ‘gave them a lesson!’”
Why is the premise so cruel? Wouldn't hearing the word ‘kill’ in a family-friendly atmosphere be surprising to most people?
Despite Seiya's objections, his announcement continued. “Moffle is so grateful to you! Go and get a souvenir photo with him in the next room!” The back door was opened for them.
Since just standing there would produce nothing, he and Isuzu walked towards it in a gloomy silence. They put their rifles into boxes, then down the hallway that led them to the last room.
“You can have a photo of your souvenir with Moffle now.” Isuzu.
“You mean ‘That Sweetener’?”
“Ya,” answer. “He head mascot in AmaBuri.”
“...I'm not too interested in taking pictures with people in costume.” Seiya acknowledged.
“Just meet him. It will be fun.” he said, in a tone that is completely lost.
With resignation, Seiya followed Isuzu.
The corridor led them to a small photo studio. Half the room was arranged like a bakery, full of donuts and cookies propped up, and there was an old registration tool on the counter.
I think it's the background for this photo with Moffle, he thought, but the mascot wasn't anywhere. There were no shop staff present. The studio is completely uninhabited.
“Why is this?” Seiya wondered.
“We very rarely get guests here.” Isuzu apologizes. “He may rest in the back.”
“……”
“Press service bell next to registration place. She's coming.”
Seiya did as he was told. The bell makes a nice-to-heard ‘ding’ sound. He waits.
Finally, from the back of the booth, the mascot—hadn't come. He pressed the bell again, this time with a little more force. But no one came.
“...It looks like he doesn't exist,” Seiya ended. “Come go only.”
“No. Let's wait a little longer.”
“Why? I am under no obligation to wait for the arrival of an insignificant mascot at this half-way attraction. I mean—“ Sentence severed by clack sound.
The special iron door of waktor—behind the counter—open, and the mascot being talked about goes into view.
“Moffu.” It was about 2.5 heads tall, its silhouette was soft and it looked easy to cuddle.
Should he be a mouse? Seiya wondered. His appearance was undoubtedly like that of a rodent, but his body was fat and round, somewhat similar to a wombat or marmot. Strange creature, of course.
She has large button eyes and soft-fat sleeves, and and wears a white costume and chef hat. All her markings were as in the book, but she had to give them an award for getting that much right.
“...This is the head of the garden mascot, Moffle, The Sweet Fairy,” said Isuzu, introducing. “Height: 144 centimeters. Weight: Highly confidential. Running speed: 35 km per hour. Special skills: Making cakes and playing football. Favorite Food: Anything sweet, especially donuts. In addition to her bakery supplies, she also has a suit kit for official events.”
“What's with that explanatory style?” Seiya asked.
Moffle stepped forward towards Seiya and Isuzu, his legs squeaking as he stepped.
“Moffu.”
“I want a souvenir photo along with him,” Isuzu said to the rodent. “Can?”
“.....” Moffle responded with a firm nod in response to Isuzu's question. He prepared a smartphone that came out from under his apron, played it skillfully using his soft hands, then held it in place and took pictures of Seiya and Isuzu. He then showed them the picture, like saying, “Tuh, I've already photographed.”
“Wait, wait... Why are you taking pictures of us?!” Seiya.
“Moffu..” Moffle frowned—quite impressive costume design.
“Don't look at me! We are customers, you know!”
“Relax, Kanie-kun.” Isuzu.
“Shut up! I'm calm!”
But Seiya felt there was something of this mascot creature that was hard to describe in words: something like destiny. Not the kind of good destiny, of course. More like a deep hunch—like meeting a mortal enemy, or a bad guy who keeps coming back.
“L... After all,” Seiya is nervous, “I'm fed up with all this. Why would I want a souvenir photo of this little, useless, pretentious mascot? Never mind, let's get out of here.”
But when Seiya started walking to the exit—”Moffu!” Suddenly, Moffle kicked his ass.
“A-What are you doing?!” Seiya shouted as he stood up and turned around.
But Moffle's response was far from regretful - she actually tilted her head to the floor and made a spit-like gesture.
Of course, the attitude of the pretentious.
“The things you said about him made him angry.” Isuzu.
“To me, what kind of mascot kicks a customer?! Look, now he's luring me like a boxer!”
Moffle had done a bit of leg warm-up, taunting through his teeth while performing rhythmic jab blows into the air.
“Basic you..!”
So a jerk in this costume wants to fight me, huh? All righty! I don't want to get tangled in the bill for the damage to the costume, but I can't allow this. I can't get out of here until I throw this guy out, just once. New Seiya will step forward to do just that when—
“Moffu!” Moffle. He closed the distance between them in an instant. His animal hand tore through the air and hit Seiya right in the heart. Ker-MOFFS!
“Hnngh!” Seiya's breath in the throat.
Seiya knelt down, doubled.
Looking down on her, Moffle beckoned her with his animal hand.
“Fucking basis..”.
But Seiya was not finished. His dignity couldn't bear to not get a single clean punch to this cuddly mouse-like strange object. The weak point...what is the weak point of a rat?
“It's enough.” Isuzu's musket slipped in between them. He must have pulled her out again. “More than this will cause one of you to be killed. I will not let a place of hopes and dreams like the Manisan House be stained with blood. I want you two to stop, now.”
“When exactly does this place contain hopes and dreams?” Seiya underestimated.
“Moffu..”.
“If you guys insist on continuing,” Isuzu warns, “You two will deal with me.” Another musket appeared from under her skirt. One in every hand, right now, he poked her mercilessly into Seiya and Moffle.
“Ugh..”
So he has more than one? He also looked serious about this.Fearing for his safety, he decided to give up.
Seiya retreated reluctantly. Moffle lowered his fists (well, animal hands) simultaneously. For some reason, he did not seem surprised when he saw Isuzu's weapon.
He turned to Seiya. “So, Kanie-kun? Did you enjoy interacting with Moffle through your fists?”
“Uh, it feels more like he just beat me up..” He confessed.
“Do you think you can be friends now?”
“Wait a minute,” later. “Why do I want to be friends with this killer rodent?”
“Moffu.” Moffle's vocalization gave the impression of dissatisfaction with his idea. Seiya was once again taken aback by the many emotions he could convey through the loudspeakers in costume.
“...Well, forget it now,” said Isuzu calming the two. “I've already taken your souvenir photos, so let's go somewhere else.”
“Photo souvenirs?” seiya said, somewhat doubtful.
Isuzu pulled out his smartphone. He has captured the moment when Moffle slammed his animal hand on him.
“I'm not sure this can be called a souvenir photo..” his tirade.
“Come go.” Isuzu walked towards the exit. With no other choice, Seiya followed after him.
Moffle spat once more, then returned to the back of the counter.
What the fuck?! He was the worst mascot ever! He's just a villain rat dressed like a chef! Seiya sneered, then spoke loudly. “What kind of lowly humans did they put in that thing?”
“No one is in it.” said Isuzu without attention.
“What?”
“Moffle is Moffle. There's no one in there.”
“Huh? Oh..”
Also true. He's heard this before. To keep a sense of children's wonder, amusement parks generally won't admit actors in their mascot costumes. High-end amusement parks are very serious even make the actors in them follow strict rules about confidentiality. Besides, it would be a big deal if one of them accidentally listened on the train saying something like “Today I was in a shitty costume. Let me tell you about the little boy I met..” Maybe that's what Isuzu meant by “ nobody in.”.
“...Sure. That's what we say to everyone.” His reply sounded sarcastic, but he nodded his head in return.
“Not that I mean,” he insisted. “I mean really no one inside.”
“Ya, yes. That's exactly what we say to everyone.”
Leaving ‘The ominous Moffle’ Sweet Home, Seiya and Isuzu went around to some other attractions. Most are closed, although it's Sunday, and the open places aren't very attractive. In conclusion, it was an unpleasant experience. Even the snack shop they visited when he started kapar—which is called ‘Kapur Maple’—only provides curry, yakisoba, and croquettes. When he asked yakisoba, he was told, “We can make it, but it will take an hour.”
“Why one hour?” He demands to know.
“Well, we have to go buy the ingredients. That means a trip to the local supermarket.” reply a shopkeeper who is obviously only there part-time.
Too horrible!
It has reached its limit. Scattering the table, Seiya leaned close to Isuzu. “What does all this mean, Sento? How much longer are you gonna hold me on this horrible date?!”
“Are you angry?” he wants to know.
“Of course! All of these suspicious attractions, these snack shops are all dedicated to looks that make a local love hotel look good, and its employees treat customers like trash! How can one have fun in a place like this?!”
It's over. Let him threaten her with a musket if you want.
“This place has an insulted amusement park concept!” He continued. “This park is like thinking ‘Hey, they are just kids, who cares?’ But kids aren't stupid! You need the precision to face them! You need to work your way up to the smallest detail! You can't do it if you don't care! You need passion and confidence, and I don't see it here! If you want to make people's dreams come true, first, you have to believe in that dream! And if you can't even convince the kids, then what's the point? Me...”
“……”
“I... ahh..” his voice shrinks.
Isuzu's eyes widened. He seemed to disbelieve the words that came out of Seiya's mouth.
(Now I'm really done.) thought Seiya, immediately filled with regret. He was careful not to say something like that in front of others.
‘‘If you want to realize people's dreams, first, you have to believe in the dream.. It hurts to be heard.” he admits.
Seiya said nothing.
“I don't think ordinary High School students can say something like that.”
“Do not praise me. I just read it from the book.” He looked out the window, pretending not to care.
But Isuzu won't let go. “I think you're angry about being threatened by a girl you barely know to drive around the theme park aimlessly,” he mused. “But you're angry for a completely different reason. You're kind of mad at the amusement park itself. Pulling.”
“What is this? It's almost like you realize how troublesome you are.” His voice was filled with sarcasm, but he did not look hurt by it.
“I said it wasn't to make you angry,” Isuzu said. “I'm just impressed with your knowledge of ‘monster’ called entertainment.”
“So, what do you mean?” He wants to know. “What do you want from me?”
“...‘Kodama Seiya.’” As those words came out from Isuzu's lips, Seiya's face stiffened. “Say he was a brilliant child playwright a few years ago. He has talent and charm, he plays the piano like an expert, and he has a beautiful singing voice. He may be a little naughty, but he always means it when things matter, and he can even play perfectly beyond veteran players. He is the perfect kid that everyone craves, and he is highly sought after by all the commercials and dramas.”
Seiya remained silent in front.
“But five years ago, Kodama Seiya suddenly retired from show business. The talent agency and all the companies that he canceled are losing big money because of it, I'm sure. The reason he gave was ‘I want to focus on school and family,’ but no one knows the truth. After that Kodama Seiya began to be forgotten.” Isuzu turned his gaze out the window, looking at Amagi Brilliant Park. “He must be sitting on the bench of SMA now. I wonder what he would say if he saw an amusement park like this.”.
“Now I understand...” A completely new kind of anger is starting to rise in Seiya's chest. “...You know everything. That's why you brought me here.”
“Who would want to date an egomania like you?” Isuzu replied without smiling one bit.
“I don't know what you want, but Kodama Seiya is long dead. Removed from the face of the earth. If you think you can ask a stupid child actor to do something for you, you're wrong.” Seiya stand. “I want to go. Just threaten me with your weird gun if you want.”
“...Alright,” close it. “But before that, eat this croquet.” Instead of taking out his weapon, he offered the croquet on the table to Seiya. He was forced to buy it because they had no yakisoba.
“Hmm?”
“Most good to eat while still hot.”
“Who cares about stupid croquettes?”
“Try it.” For some reason, his voice was very firm.
Seiya gave up, took one croquet, and brought it closer to his mouth. It was just a cheap item from a cheap snack shop. It won't feel good.
That's what he thought when the first bite, but—
“...Muh.”
What the fuck? Marvelous. Really delicious.
The bread mixture is not too thick, very crunchy, and inside it is juicy and soft. Mincemeat is widely combined with potatoes, which have been pounded with difficulty, to create a perfect balance of taste. To be honest, he had never felt this kind of croquet.
“Enak, right?”
“Mm... yes,” he said seriously. “This is delicious.”
“They made this here,” he told her. “You can't get it anywhere else.”
“Do you make it?” tanyakanya. Based on the way he spoke all along, it somehow seemed like he was connected to AmaBuri. Which means—
“Not,” reply, “others made it. Do you want to meet him before you leave?”
“Meet him? I don't understand.”
“Do not worry,” Isuzu suggests, “Eat only.”
“.....” Driven by its fitting taste, Seiya quietly spent the rest of her croquettes. It's delicious. It's an amusement park that lacks dreams and hope, but this croquet is, at least, unusual.
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