After the carousel, we rode several rides until lunchtime.
If it were just me and the boss, I would have taken us to a simple restaurant, but for today James gave us a special pass.
"Buffet, right?"
As expected from the largest theme park, there was a restaurant aimed at the upper class.
The food was light since we were inside an amusement park, but the size and interior decoration were incomparable to the family restaurant we visited the day before.
The ingredients were high quality and the dishes were prepared by a first-class chef... ...It was all thanks to having good connections that I was able to come to this luxurious place.
"Now I will serve you gentlemen."
"Thank you!"
When I handed her the plate of food, Nella nodded and ran to her seat.
Nella also said that it was the first time she had been to a place like this, I hope you enjoy today, I turn to the boss.
"If you want to eat something, please let me know."
Compared to Nella's excitement…
The boss didn't seem as interested and excited, sometimes skipping some side dishes.
It was strange. Until now, she had never skipped a meal, even if it was a mediocre meal.
"Anything I can eat is fine."
Even her belated reply was short, and her gaze on the surroundings was extremely cold.
"But I think you have a preference…"
"If I have to be more specific, I liked the meal you prepared the most."
"Huh?"
A thoughtful exclamation at the worried answer.
She looked around indifferently and explained to me that she was in doubt.
"When I was in the organization, everyone used to provide me with dinner. But back then, all I got were expensive and rare delicacies from the mountains and the sea… It was definitely not food made for me."
"…Isn't that good?"
"Personally, I think a simple meal made for just one person is better than a dinner for an indeterminate number of people like this."
Ah, I see.
In short, she values a meal made with consideration for herself more than simply offering something valuable.
It wasn't completely incomprehensible.
To a transcendent being, fried eggs or a fancy steak might seem similar.
"Don't be so comforting."
But didn't the chefs in the organization also cook with her in mind?
What I made was, at best, ordinary home-cooked food.
It was impossible to think that their food was any less valuable than the food I made.
"...If that's what you think, then that's what it must be."
When I expressed this opinion honestly, she made a sour face and left the table with the plate I had given her.
Oh, damn.
Did I step on a landmine again?
***
Anyway, I unintentionally indulged myself in a quick stroll around the zoo while I digested my thoughts.
The zoo.
A place where one could see all kinds of rare animals would be a unique experience for the boss, who had only experienced human society.
"The zoo was really fun. It was especially amazing to throw the bread for the bears to eat..."
But for a 7-year-old child, it was a rare experience too.
After leaving the zoo area, Nella calmed her excited heart and began to tell the boss about her impressions.
Judging by the fact that she didn't hesitate to speak, it seemed that she now thought of the boss as a friend.
Of course, the Boss didn't find Nella annoying and treated her well.
"Which animal impressed you the most, Moa?"
"The unicorn."
"Huh? A unicorn?"
"a unicorn, a horse with a horn growing out of its head..."
"...Ahaha. What Moa said probably wasn't a unicorn, but a giraffe."
"Hmm? Are giraffes and unicorns different?"
"Well, unicorns are creatures that don't even exist."
"Unicorns don't exist?"
Nella immediately explained to her boss, who was in doubt.
Unicorns are creatures that only appear in fairy tales and that don't actually exist... ...Wait a minute, isn't she about to enter the first grade of elementary school?
I believed in Santa Claus until the third grade, but a girl with more dreams than a boy denies the existence of unicorns.
Is this also the disadvantage of growing up too fast? For a moment, I felt a little bitter.
"There are horses with necks over 3 meters long, but there are no horses with horns. Is that really true?"
"Huh?"
"Isn't it strange? If we were to choose the one that doesn't seem to exist, it would be that giraffe instead of a horse with horns."
"Yeah, that's..."
Nella was perplexed by the question her boss asked.
After that, she seemed to think about it in her own way, but as if she couldn't find the answer, she started looking at me precariously.
"Do you know why, Mr. Brad?"
"...No, I don't know either."
"So, unicorns might actually exist!?"
"They haven't been seen, but the possibility can't be denied. There are creatures called giraffes, so it's quite possible that there are unicorns somewhere in the world."
"Oh, oh...!"
Nella's eyes began to shine at the boss's words.
There are animals with necks that are almost 2 meters long, so how can there be horses with horns? ...
This obvious question was gradually reviving the girl's lost innocence.
... ... Ah, but this is really strange.
There are giraffes, so why are there no unicorns?
There are astronauts among the superpowers, but why are there no unicorns?
"Gyaaaaaaah!!"
We finally arrived at the Extreme Zone without finding an answer.
It was full of thrilling rides, Nella began to tremble as she heard the screams coming from the roller coaster.
"Ugh, it looks scary. But I still want to ride it. I want to ride it... Uh, what should I do?"
Yes, yes. I understand that feeling.
Adults tend to be reluctant to do anything that could harm them, but for children who don't have these kinds of boundaries, curiosity is more powerful than fear.
"Okay, I'll go with you this time."
"Are you sure!?"
"Yeah, if you're scared, you can hold my hand."
It's definitely hard to take pictures of roller coasters, unlike the carousel.
Since it had come to this, I thought it wouldn't hurt to help out, and I got on the roller coaster with the two girls.
"Then let's go!"
We sat in the empty seats in the front row.
I sat in the middle of them and held the hands of the two girls sitting on either side.
"Don't let go of me."
"Okay."
"Don't let go of me, seriously!"
"I said I got it."
Nella was holding my hand so tightly I was afraid her bones would break.
As much as she wanted to walk, I wondered if she was trying too hard, but even that kind of effort seemed childish, and I smiled happily.
-Kwak.
That smile didn't last long, because the girl sitting on the other side was also holding my hand tightly.
When I turned my head, I saw a red-haired girl holding my hand with both of her hands.
"Sorry. I guess I remembered the old days."
A shadow fell over her usually stoic expression.
It was the first time I had seen her expression since I served the boss.
Could she be scared?
Is the boss of Evil Corps scared of a roller coaster?
"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!"
A scream echoed as the roller coaster plummeted.
Nella closed her eyes and clung to me, and the people behind her probably reacted the same way.
But even so, my gaze was still fixed on the boss.
A dry gaze that seemed to be looking straight ahead, not at me, beyond the empty sky.
There was no sign of fear there.
Of course. For her, who was appreciating the universe, a vertically falling machine would not even be a joke.
But… ….
And this small hand that is holding me so tightly now?
-Gyaaaaaaah!
Yes, maybe she is afraid of something she has experienced before, not now.
But I don't understand what it is.
All I could do at that moment was not to shake off her hand that was tightly gripped, but to hold it.
Like this.
After enjoying the amusement park until sunset.
"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit!"
"Is it okay to go alone?"
"I'm fine!"
Nella ran towards the bathroom with an excited voice.
At first, the mood was somber, but now she showed the innocence of children her age.
I'm glad you had fun.
At that moment, I felt relieved that I had complied with James' request.
A faint smile appeared on the Chief's lips as she stared at Nella, who was leaving.
"Is this the kind of mood most girls have?"
"Well, that's right."
Curious, playful, and hot-blooded.
No matter what villain I was, I also had these kinds of moments, which was why I tended to treat children separately from heroes.
Because I didn't know anything yet and hadn't gotten hurt.
"Having to live with these children too, being a hero is pretty tough."
The Chief, who was laughing, looked at the park in front, where Nella was waiting.
In the theater, a hero play was in full swing.
Five people in colorful jumpsuits and men in masks and knight costumes...
"The number one in the Sentai World is our Super Rangers!"
"No, it's our Masked Knights! We ceded the top spot to you in the previous generation,
but don't think we'll do the same this time!"
Super Rangers and Masked Knights.
Who is the best among the Sentai heroes in the entire series who have built their traditions over generations?
It has always been a topic of interest to many children.
It's called the VS game.
From my perspective as a villain, I wish they both would die... Well, there's no point in fighting each other in a death match here, that's just a show.
"Argh, that villain is too much for us alone."
"There's nothing we can do. This is a temporary alliance for now!"
"Ouch! I'll join forces with you for now!"
"We'll defeat the villain, quantum dinosaur!"
"Kuoooo~"
The dinosaur-costumed actor, wearing a doll costume, is exposed to the joint attack of the Mask Rider and the Super Ranger.
Then, he was thrown to the ground and kicked by more than ten people, and enthusiastic applause began to echo from the audience.
"Cowardly Super Ranger!!"
"Pushing with numbers, I've never seen Mask Rider like that, they're disgusting!"
"Cheer up, Quantum Dinosaur!"
"Defeat Quantum Dinosaur!!"
"Isn't Quantum Dinosaur a villain? Why is everyone rooting for Quantum Dinosaur?"
"It's a dinosaur, so what's the problem!"
… … Of course.
It's easier to admire a fantasy creature like a dinosaur than a real-life hero.
"Boss."
Even watching such a ridiculous scene, I couldn't erase from my mind the face I saw back then.
The gloomy expression on Boss's face, the one I had never seen before when I rode the roller coaster before.
"When I rode the roller coaster earlier..."
"I remembered an uncountable amount of time."
"...what?"
"The time it took me to be born in that distant galaxy and fall to this Earth."
What is she talking about?
The boss's gaze, having noticed beforehand, soon fixed on the table.
And then she asked.
"Brad."
Calling my name.
"Do you know why a cataclysm occurred in this land and why people gained the ability they call gifts?"