The Mage of Primordial Chaos

Damn it, I was played like a fool…!

I immediately moved to rush back into the bank to demand a proper answer to my question, but then suddenly received a telepathic message from none other than Lorelei.

"Master, friendly reminder: ten minutes until your date starts."

U-Ugh… dammit, getting back home from here will take at least 10 minutes… agh, whatever!

Turning tail, I began calmly walking in the direction of the Long Family residency. Magic was forbidden from being used inside Fragment, as there was some sort of anti-mana enchantment in the air that prevented magic from being used. I could still use it if I really wanted, but that would take effort, and effort equals sweating, which would yield the same results as if I just ran back. As such, if I wanted to not make it look like I had forgotten about the date's start time, I had to walk. At least this gave me some time to look over the brochure.

By the time I finally got back, the clock just hit 8 o'clock. Qing Yue was already waiting by the door, and seemed to have changed into something I've never seen her wear before—a white dress paired with white stockings and white shoes. Her entire getup was white, just like her back-length hair. She looked quite cute, standing there and holding her dark brown bag that contrasted with her outfit with her two hands.

"Oh, there you are, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" She giggled upon seeing me, and rushed over happily, diving into my arms. I smiled and patted her head, which I knew she loved receiving from me.

"Are you all ready?" I asked. "If so, let's go."

"Yep!" She exclaimed, twirling around in a circle. "How do I look?"

"As you always look," I said with a grin. "Cute as hell."

"Hehe~ I'm not sure that's the best comparison, but I'll take it as a compliment," she said with a wink, clasping my hand with hers. "Now then, you lead the way, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"

I nodded, and the two of us set off to the first destination I had in mind—the amusement park.

*****

"Alright, they should be out of earshot now… let's follow!" Feng Mian whispered sharply, setting down her binoculars and emerging from the corner where they had been hiding behind.

"Um… should we really be doing this?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly. "Isn't this kind of wrong…?"

"Oh, come on, you say that, but didn't you came along too?" Yu An Yan said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, we're not going to interfere or anything. All we're doing this for is entertainment!"

"Yeah… besides, Qing Yue said it herself that we were allowed to do this," Feng Mian added with a shrug.

"That's only because she wants to spy on the other dates as well…" Lin Luo muttered, folding her arms. "Though I guess, if we're here, we can help with any trouble that might occur."

"They are, leaving," Zhao Xiuying pointed out casually, pointing in the distance.

"Oh, you're right- let's hurry!" Feng Mian called out, and together, the group of girls began their secretive mission: follow Xuan Kai and Qing Yue on their date.

*****

"Woah… this place is huge…" Qing Yue mused in awe, looking around at all the different rides and arcades in the amusement park, still holding my hand. "I don't think we'll be able to even do everything in one day…"

"That's fine," I replied with a smile. "If you enjoy this place, I'll take you back here again sometime in the future, maybe even with the other girls."

"Really?!" She looked at me in excitement, eyes sparkling in wonder. Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but give a light chuckle.

"Mhm. But for now, let's not waste any more time just talking. Which ride do you want to go on first?"

Since we had already purchased our tickets to enter, we were free to do as we wished inside this place until it closed at 6 PM. I already thought of a place to go after 6, so there was no worries there, and there should be more than enough activities in this amusement park to keep us busy until that time came.

"Hm… let's go on that one!" Qing Yue said after a while of thinking, pointing at the enormous roller coaster tracks in the distance, coiling around like a dragon. It was the biggest one in the park, and by the looks of what is written on the guide I picked up at the entrance…

"… Heh. Going for the big guns right away, huh?" I snickered. "As expected of you, Qing Yue. Very well. Let's go on the Dragon's Shadow."

"Ooh, what an ominous name…" Qing Yue smirked. She's into horror as well.

"C'mon. The park just opened, so there aren't many people yet. We should be able to secure ourselves a seat on the ride without waiting for too long," I said, then pulled her by the hand and began running over to where the ride was, following the map on the guide.

*****

My guess was correct.

We didn't need to wait long at all, and it was only a matter of a few minutes before it was our turn to head on the ride. Each row of seats could only hold two people, so Qing Yue and I sat side-by-side as the U-shaped over-the-shoulder restraints slowly descended from above and safely locked us in place.

"Ready?" I asked Qing Yue, who shot back a wry grin at me.

"Yep~ are you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"

I gave a decisive snort. "Hmph, who do you think I am? Something like this won't be enough to shake m- w-woah-!"

The roller coaster suddenly began moving without warning, and we edged forward at a snail's pace. That was… embarrassing. I gave a light cough, then averted my gaze.

"So, you were saying…?" Qing Yue giggled cutely as I gulped.

"I-I'll be fine. Probably."

"Hehe~ we'll see about that."

As the roller coaster made a left turn and began climbing a hill, I felt my heart get tighter and tighter. I turned to see Qing Yue perfectly fine, smiling happily in anticipation at what was to come. Me, I was not so perfectly fine. As we neared the top of the climb, the roller coaster stopped for a moment, as if building up tension, and allowed us to get a glimpse at the dark cave that we were about to zoom into down below.

No wonder it's called the Dragon's Shadow.

"Oh boy… here we g- AHHHH!"

*****

"Ugh…" I stumbled off and hit the brick wall of a building after exiting the roller coaster, feeling empty and like I was about to die. It was like I had left my soul up there before the drop happened, and now I would never get it back again. Needless to say, it was a horrible experience. By some miracle, however, I didn't throw up or even get an urge to throw up—it might have something to do with the air being enchanted.

"Hehe~ are you okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, patting me gently on the back. She seemed to have had fun with that ride, which was really all that mattered.

I rolled my eyes and straightened up. "What does it look like, my dear little sister?"

Qing Yue snickered. "That was your first time riding a roller coaster, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah… wait, is that why you chose the most terrifying one…?!"

"Mayyybe~" She giggled, so cutely that I couldn't bring myself to even glare at her. With a sigh, I waved her off.

"So? Where to next? Oh, but… please not another roller coaster, I don't think my body can handle it…"

"Well… first, I need to use the washroom real quick, then we can decide. Can you take me there?"

She didn't know where to go in this place as she didn't have the guide, so I nodded and began leading her towards the bathroom.

*****

"Here we are," I said, pointing my chin towards the hallway of bathrooms, lined up neatly on either side of the corridor. They were all unisex and spacious, the type meant for only one person to use at a time. 

Since this was Fragment, these kinds of washrooms were possible with the small population. Not many people were here, so naturally not as many washrooms were as needed. The extra space allowed for the construction of these single-person but more luxurious private rooms that could fit ten or more people without a problem. They were also very clean, enchanted with special magic that automatically rewinded time after someone used it and left.

Qing Yue, seeing these spacious and private bathrooms, shut one eye as if contemplating something, then glanced up at the walls of the corridor in search of any cameras. Once satisfied she didn't locate any, her lips slowly turned up into a smile.

"Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai… do you want to use the washroom as well?"