Steve and Pulchra followed the flow of participants moving toward the first game area. In front of them was a long line of hunter pairs waiting for their turn to enter the arena. Colorful lights from the surrounding attractions reflected off the transparent ice floor, making the atmosphere feel lively and festive.
Pulchra stood stiffly beside Steve. Her hands were clasped together in front of her black skirt, and she occasionally glanced at Steve from the corner of her eyes.
"J-Junior Steve… what do you think the first game will be like?" she asked softly, trying to distract herself from her nervousness.
"No idea," Steve replied casually while looking at the brochure in his hand. "But it seems to have something to do with slippery stuff. Don't worry though, Senior. We'll definitely manage!"
Pulchra let out a small laugh, though her cheeks were still red.
Suddenly, a very familiar voice came from behind them.
"Eh… Steve?"
Steve turned his head. His eyes immediately widened.
"Shiro?!"
Behind them stood a white-haired man he knew very well. Shiro was standing casually with his hands in his pockets, while beside him Gampler was holding a pink cotton candy almost as big as her head.
Gampler chewed on the cotton candy while looking Steve up and down. Her gaze then shifted to Pulchra… and a mischievous smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Ohooo~" she hummed.
Steve instantly felt a bad premonition.
Gampler grinned widely.
"So the kid came too… and even brought a partner. Fufufu~"
Pulchra froze like a statue.
"P-p-p-partner?!" Her face turned red all the way to her ears. "N-no! That's not—!"
Shiro covered his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress a small laugh.
"Don't be like that, Gampler," he said casually. "Don't tease them right away like that."
"Eh?~ I'm just being honest," Gampler replied while nudging Shiro's arm. "Besides, they look cute together. Steve, who's usually alone, now comes to a festival with a partner."
Steve scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well… something like that, haha."
Pulchra beside him looked like steam was about to come out of her head from embarrassment.
Inside his mind, Unknown simply scoffed.
(Hah… what kind of relationship is this.)
Meanwhile, Gampler kept staring at Pulchra with sparkling eyes.
"So you're Steve's partner today, right? Come on, say something! Why are you acting like that in front of the number two hunter in this world~?" she said while stepping a little closer.
Pulchra immediately stood straight like a soldier being inspected by a superior.
"Y-yes! I-I'm Pulchra! Rank A hunter, Miss Gampler!" she said nervously.
Gampler chuckled.
"What a Cutie~. Shiro, it looks like this tournament will be much more interesting than I thought."
Shiro nodded slowly while glancing at Steve.
"Seems like it."
At that moment, the host's voice echoed again through the loudspeakers.
"Alright, all participants! The first game will begin shortly! All pairs please prepare to enter the arena!"
Steve looked toward the arena, then back at Shiro and Gampler.
"Looks like we'll be competing too."
Gampler grinned widely.
"Hope you don't lose in the first game right away, Steve~."
Pulchra, standing beside Steve, could only lower her head in embarrassment, still recovering from Gampler's teasing.
Shiro shrugged casually.
"Hopefully we won't get separated in the first game."
Steve chuckled.
"See you in the arena then."
They separated, following their respective staff toward the arena entrance. The colorful lights of the amusement park grew brighter, and the sounds of the rides could be heard in the distance.
A few minutes later, all the participants had gathered in a large arena filled with winding ice paths that looked like a racing track.
The host stood atop a watchtower, raising a microphone.
"Our first attraction is… the ICE BOAT OF DEATH RACE! Uh, I mean… the Ice Boat Fun Race!" the host corrected awkwardly while laughing. "Please choose your boats and prepare at the starting line!"
Steve and Pulchra walked toward the row of wooden boats provided. Because the boat was quite small for two people, they were forced to sit very close to each other.
"S-Senior in the front or the back?" Steve asked awkwardly while looking at the narrow space.
"I-I'll sit in the back! That way I can watch the surroundings!" Pulchra replied quickly. She sat down with her knees bent, her hands hesitantly searching for something to hold onto.
Steve sat in the front and took control of the steering. When he leaned back slightly, his back immediately touched Pulchra's knees. Pulchra held her breath, her body stiff like an ice statue.
"THREE… TWO… ONE… START!!!"
WUSSHHH!
Hundreds of boats shot forward across the extremely slippery ice track. With almost no friction, their speed skyrocketed within seconds.
"Waaah!" Steve shouted excitedly, his gamer instincts instantly awakening. He steered the wooden boat aggressively, weaving around other hunters' boats and crashing into ice blocks to gain speed. "This is awesome, Senior!"
"S-STEEEVEEE! T-THIS IS TOO FAST! KYAAAA!"
Pulchra, who was usually elegant and calm, now screamed hysterically. When their boat made a sharp 90-degree turn, gravity seemed to disappear. In panic, Pulchra reflexively closed her eyes and tightly hugged Steve's waist from behind.
Thud!
Pulchra's face buried into Steve's broad back.
Steve flinched slightly when he felt the tight hug and his senior's racing heartbeat against his back. But since he had to focus on steering to avoid flying off the track, he could only smile faintly.
The other participants following behind Steve began losing their balance and falling off the ice track.
Soon, only a few skilled pairs remained.
Steve kept moving forward until a massive ice ramp appeared ahead. The other participants took the safe route, but Steve kept charging straight ahead.
"Hold tight, Senior! There's a huge jump ahead!" Steve shouted over the wind.
"NOOOO!" Pulchra screamed, tightening her grip around Steve's waist until she nearly crushed his stomach.
Steve rowed with all his strength until reaching maximum speed, launching the boat into the air before it slammed back onto the ice with even greater velocity.
"Whoa, tons of hunters already fell! Only five pairs left, Senior!" Steve shouted.
"Y-yes! Hurry!" Pulchra yelled while squeezing her eyes shut and hugging him even tighter.
"Hold on, Senior! I can see the finish line!" Steve shouted excitedly.
Ahead of them, two other boats were competing fiercely.
They were Shiro with Gampler… and Togil with Envy, pushing each other aggressively.
However, thanks to the momentum from their airborne landing earlier, Steve's boat now had insane speed.
WUUUSSSHHH!!!
The small wooden boat shot past the two boats ahead in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a spray of ice shards flying through the air and shocking Togil and Shiro, who had been arguing.
"WE MADE IT!" Steve cheered.
BAM! CRASH!
Since there were no brakes, their boat crashed into a huge pile of snow prepared by the organizers at the finish line as a safety cushion. The snow exploded like a white firework, covering both of them completely.
"AND THE WINNERS ARE… STEVE AND PULCHRA!!!"
The host's voice echoed as the audience erupted into cheers after witnessing Steve's insane maneuver.
In the middle of the snow cloud, Steve laughed loudly while brushing ice fragments from his hair.
"Hahaha! That was amazing, right, Senior?!"
Silence.
No response.
Steve looked down slightly. He realized Pulchra was still hugging his waist tightly, her face still buried in his back, her body trembling.
"U-uh… Senior Pulchra? We're already at the finish line. We even won," Steve said gently while lightly tapping Pulchra's puffed cheek. Her arms were still wrapped around his stomach.
Feeling the touch, Pulchra slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times, looked at the pile of snow around them… then realized where her hands were.
And that her chest had been pressed firmly against her junior's back the entire time.
Time seemed to stop for Pulchra.
"KYAAAAA!"
Pulchra let out a muffled scream, immediately releasing her hug and jumping backward in panic. Unfortunately, the boat floor was still extremely slippery.
Her foot slipped.
"Hey, careful!"
Steve quickly turned and caught Pulchra by the waist before she could fall out of the boat.
Now their faces were only centimeters apart. Pulchra's red eyes widened as she stared at Steve's. Both of them were still breathing heavily from the intense race.
Pulchra's smooth pale face, which had been pale from fear, now turned completely red… like a boiled crab. Imaginary steam seemed to rise from her head.
"I-I-I… s-s-sorry! I… e-earlier… that… uhh…" Pulchra stammered, her tongue completely tied.
Meanwhile, Gampler and Shiro had just arrived and stepped off their boat. Seeing the scene on the giant screen, Gampler whistled loudly.
"Eh~ you're so weak, Shiro… you lost to Steve, ugh~" Gampler said while nudging Shiro, who had just finished the race in second place.
In third place, Envy scolded Togil for focusing too much on Shiro.
"Togil, I told you not to take the bait! But you still did!"
"Yeah yeah, sorry! Next time I'll focus!" Togil replied.
Steve helped Pulchra stand up with an awkward smile, pretending not to notice how red her face was.
"Come on, Senior! The next attraction is waiting for us!"
Steve grabbed Pulchra's hand, who was still mentally frozen, and pulled her out of the boat, preparing for the next challenge.