The sound of birds chirping in the morning was so loud that it almost made it impossible to sleep. Saya rubbed her eyes and turned back and forth to try and shake off the drowsiness, but her headache was killing her. She must be hungover from last night.
Slowly, she propped herself up from the sofa and looked around, noticing a blanket covering her and a pillow she had no idea how it got there.
Ding~
The phone in the room rang, grabbing Saya's attention. She walked over to pick up the phone. "Hello?"
[There's someone waiting for you at the reception.]
"Who is it?"
[It's the miscellaneous job shop.]
Hearing that, her brows furrowed. She was sure she recognized the name, but couldn't quite place it.
[Can we talk? Hello, Saya, it's me.] The familiar voice came through the phone, accompanied by the sounds of chatter from others.
"Is this you, Gintoki?" [Yeah.]
"So, what's up?"
[Let's go to the amusement park.]
"Huh?" Saya raised an eyebrow, confused by Gintoki's invitation. "Now?"
[Yeah. I'm giving you five minutes. And... dress nicely, okay?]
Suddenly, the line cut off, leaving Saya standing there in confusion. What was that about? He called to order her and then just hung up. But despite the confusion, she went ahead and took a shower and changed her clothes anyway.
It's fine, right? It's not like it would hurt.
It took her about five minutes to get ready. When she got to the lobby, she found Gintoki and the others waiting for her.
"I'm slow, huh?"
"Sorry."
Saya glanced at the two younger kids standing there and smiling friendly. "Hi, I'm Kagura, and this here is Glasses Guy."
"It's Shinpachi, not Glasses Guy!!"
"Oh." She smiled faintly. They were so friendly that it made her feel a bit awkward.
"Alright, let's go," Gintoki said.
As they walked, Saya glanced around at the scenery. During the walk, it was mostly Kagura and Shinpachi who were chatting with Saya, but she didn't really respond much. Probably because she wasn't used to it and didn't want to get them involved too much.
Suddenly, Gintoki stopped walking, making the others stop as well. His red eyes fixed on the person in front of him before he sighed deeply, causing the younger ones behind to lean in to see what was going on.
The purple-haired woman with red glasses, dressed in a beautiful kimono, slightly exposed her shoulder and said, "I've been waiting for you, Gintoki. I've been waiting all this time. That's why I tried to heal myself..."
"Let's go."
"Wait a minute!!!" Sarutobi lunged and clung to his leg when she saw Gintoki about to walk away. "You can't leave me like this! I've been trying so hard to heal myself for you, but now you're going to do this and go to that woman!!!"
"What are you doing? Let go!" Gintoki struggled to pull Sarutobi off, but she held onto his leg so tightly that it took more effort to get her off.
"Who's that?" Saya leaned forward, looking at the purple-haired woman who was sitting on the ground.
"Azacchan is Gintoki's stalker."
"Huh? Shouldn't the police arrest her?"
Saya's question made Shinpachi and Kagura glance at each other. How were they supposed to explain this? Since she was their friend, they let it slide? Would she be shocked?
"Never mind, Saya. Let's just go. Let Gintoki handle this." Shinpachi gently pushed Saya forward to walk, with Kagura following behind.
"Hey, wait! Help me out first!! Hey!!"
Upon arriving at the amusement park, Saya scanned the surroundings. The amusement park wasn't much different from the one back in her hometown. Although it wasn't as big as the one in Detroit, it was probably better than being alone and lonely.
Gintoki stood panting while waiting in line for a ride. Saya reached out and gently tapped his arm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It's nothing." He tried to act tough, but it was obvious he wasn't feeling great. "To be honest, it's tiring, but I can handle it."
The loud shrieks from people on the ride filled the air, making it impossible to tell who was screaming. After the ride stopped, everyone climbed off with various expressions.
"Ugh!!!"
As soon as Gintoki got off, he ran straight to the trash can and vomited. He didn't know how the others were doing, but he couldn't take it. Maybe because he was getting closer to his thirties, his body wasn't as resilient as when he was younger, or maybe he wasn't used to rides like this.
"Water?" He looked up at the person next to him, who was holding out a bottle. He reached for it. "Thanks."
He opened the bottle and took a gulp. It helped clear his throat. He then offered it to Saya. "Do you want some?"
Saya looked at the bottle, took it, and drank it all.
"I'm still hungry." Gintoki smiled, chuckling lightly. "Sorry, I overdid it with the water."
They continued riding more attractions, with Kagura and Shinpachi pulling them along. As they kept going, Gintoki started feeling exhausted. He leaned against a backrest and took a deep breath to get some oxygen into his lungs.
They had only been on a few rides, and yet he was already out of breath. He placed his hand on his forehead and realized he was also feeling dizzy.
"Want to rest for a bit?" Saya asked, sitting next to him.
"How am I supposed to rest?" Gintoki tapped his own lap. He thought for a moment before lying down on her lap, placing his hand on his forehead.
"Just for a little while."
Seeing that he had closed his eyes, Saya took out the handheld fan she had just bought and held it to cool him down.
She gently ran her fingers along his sharp nose while observing his face. Upon closer inspection, Gintoki had a strikingly handsome face – a sharp nose, a perfect jawline, and charming dead fish eyes. Overall, he was quite good-looking.
But there was one thing that bothered her – his lazy personality, his nose-picking habits, and his sharp tongue. But it wasn't that bad.
"You know, it's not nice to touch someone else like this while they're asleep." Gintoki spoke with his eyes still closed.
"Well, you're handsome."
"Are you being that direct?"
"Why? Is it wrong?"
"No, never mind. I'm going to sleep. And don't get up to mischief, or you'll regret it." Without saying more, Gintoki reached out and placed Saya's hand on his chest to keep her from moving around.
"Hmph," she said, helpless. She decided to just sit still.
"Hey, is Gintoki already knocked out?" Kagura, who had just returned from the restroom, asked, and Shinpachi joined them.
"Yeah, looks like he's out."
"That's how old people are. They play a little, and then they're done for."
"I'm not old! I'm in my late teens!"
"Old is old, old man."
"So, what should we do? We haven't finished riding yet."
"You guys go ahead. I'll stay with Gintoki."
"Aren't you going to play, Saya? There are still so many rides left."
Saya shook her head lightly. She wasn't feeling great either. She was starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded. If she played any more, she'd probably end up like the guy lying on her lap.
"Oh, right." She turned and took some money from her bag before handing it to the kids. "Here, go buy some snacks."
"It's okay," Shinpachi said, feeling a little awkward, but Kagura was excited and almost grabbed the money. However, Shinpachi stopped her by locking her arm.
"Just take it. And buy me a burger too."
"Hey, Shinpachi. Saya's giving it to us, so just accept it. Besides, she asked us to get her a burger too — it's not like we're spending it just for ourselves."
"You're right."
In the end, he accepted the money and gave a polite bow. "Alright then, we'll be off. And please take care of Gintoki for us."
Saya nodded in response before the kids walked off.
Saya tilted her head up to the sky and closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze brush against her face.
Japan is amazing. It feels like my heart is being healed... I don't want to leave. I just want to stay here.
The sound of stretching pulled her attention. Gintoki sat up, rolling his shoulders and arms to relieve the stiffness.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah, kinda. Are those guys still not done playing around?"
"Guess not."
Gintoki glanced around until his eyes landed on a clock—it was 1 PM.
"Anything you wanna ride?"
"There's one thing. Will you ride it with me?"
"If you're in, I'm in."
"You sure? This one's scarier than all the others."
"How scary can it really be? Rides are all the same."
"You sure? It's really scary."
"Positive. Let's go."
Positive, my ass! Whatever he said earlier—he wanted to take it back.
He thought it would be a roller coaster or something, but no... this was a haunted house!
"You okay?" Saya turned back, noticing Gintoki's face had gone pale.
"Y-Yeah. Totally fine..." (He was definitely not fine. He wanted to cry.)
"You don't look fine. Want to back out?"
"No, no, no!" he quickly stopped her as she started to move.
"I'm just a bit excited, that's all. Nothing serious."
"You sure?"
"Sure! C'mon, it's our turn!" He gently nudged her forward. Deep down, he wanted to bail, but he didn't want to disappoint her—or lose face. Gintoki Sakata could lose money, but never pride.
They stepped into the darkness. The gloomy atmosphere was suffocating. He instinctively grabbed her shoulder tight, prompting her to pull his hand to walk beside her instead.
"Better like this?"
"Y-Yeah... much better." His eyes scanned the dim space nervously.
"If you can't handle it, just say so."
"A-AHH!" A loud bang as the door slammed shut made him jump and cling to her arm.
She didn't pull away—only stroked his arm gently to calm him down.
They pressed on until they reached a large room lined with rows of beds, each with a "corpse" covered in a white sheet.
Saya picked up a note on the nearby table. It was the room's mission: Solve the puzzle to get out.
"What's that?"
"A task. We have to solve it before we can leave."
"Oh, come on! They're making us do stuff now? I'm already freaking—AHH!" Something fell to the floor mid-sentence, making him jump again.
"I'll go find the clues. You coming?"
"Y-Yep…"
Together, they searched the room, both jumping at every noise.
Gintoki was glad he wasn't alone—it helped ease his nerves a little.
His amber-red eyes scanned every corner until he spotted a piece of paper wedged under a desk.
"Found it, Saya! I got the last clu—"
But as he looked up, his face froze.
Saya was gone.
"Saya… where are you?"
Gintoki scanned the room, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.
He forced himself to move, every step filled with dread and hesitation.
"Saya! Come on out! Don't play around like this!"
The banging noises only got louder, and now he was getting annoyed.
"What the hell is all that banging? That you, Saya? Say something!"
No reply.
And worse—the "corpses" on the beds started to shake.
His feet instinctively backed up until his back hit the wall. His heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting out of his chest.
And then—the corpses sat up all at once and charged at him!
His legs gave out as he dropped into a crouch, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut in pure terror.
"Holy Mary, full of grace—please let me live! I'll never skip school again—AHHHHH!!!!"
"Gintoki! Gintoki!!"
Saya's voice cut through the chaos as she pushed past the ghosts and rushed to his side, shaking him urgently.
"I'm here! I'm here now! You don't have to be scared anymore!"
Tears streamed down Gintoki's face as he slowly lifted his head, removing his hands from his ears.
"You idiot… where the hell did you go?"
"I'm sorry… I'm here now. You're safe."
She wrapped her arms around him and gently rubbed his back, offering him comfort he didn't know he needed.
Warmth—genuine and unfamiliar—radiated from her embrace. It melted the fear away like morning light chasing off a nightmare.
He finally hugged her back, burying his face in her shoulder.
Normally, he would have brushed it off, claimed he wasn't scared, played it cool.
But with this girl… he just accepted it. He let himself be vulnerable without shame.
"Let's get out of here."
Saya pulled out a cap from her bag and gently placed it on his head, shielding him from the horrors around them.
"Don't let go, okay? Or the ghosts might come after you again."
"You don't let go either. Don't leave me behind again, got it?"
Saya turned to him with a soft smile. "Got it."
The young girl stood there, casually licking her ice cream while watching the seductive ninja woman in a full red outfit.
Meanwhile, Shinpachi was desperately trying to explain things to her—but it clearly wasn't working. At this point, he was on the verge of giving up.
"Azacchi, just let Gin-chan go already. He's not getting any younger. Let him have a girlfriend for once."
"Kagura, let me tell you something—I am Gintoki's real girlfriend! That woman is just a pretty-faced con artist trying to leech off of him!"
"I really doubt that..." Shinpachi muttered.
"You seriously don't know anything, you stupid glasses! That's why you're still just a pair of frames nobody wants to wear!"
"What does that even mean!? And I'm not a pair of glasses!"
"I agree with Glasses-man, na~" Kagura chimed in, finishing her ice cream in one slurp and ignoring Shinpachi's protests.
"Gin-chan and us—we don't even have money for Saya to scam, you know?
If anything, we're the ones scamming Saya~"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means Saya's super rich! She paid for everything today and even gave us money for snacks, na~"
Hearing that, Sarutobi was momentarily stunned.
"S-So what if she's rich! That doesn't mean she's nice! You guys just met her—what if she's using her money to manipulate you all!?"
"I don't know..." Shinpachi shrugged. "But from what I've seen, Saya hasn't done anything shady.
And if she was up to something, there's no way Gintoki would let it slide."
Everyone knew that Gintoki wasn't the kind of guy who got tricked easily.
If he had been, he wouldn't have survived this long.
"Oh look, Gin-chan and Saya are coming out now~!"
"Gin—!" Sarutobi prepared to charge over, but then froze.
Gintoki and Saya were holding hands as they walked out. They were smiling and talking—genuinely happy together.
It was like a knife through the heart.
She couldn't handle it. Sarutobi Ayame could not accept this.
"Oh great... you're here again?" Gintoki raised an eyebrow, but quickly frowned as he noticed her teary-eyed expression—just like some heartbroken heroine in a daytime soap opera.
"What the hell's with her now...?"
"It seems... our love ends here, doesn't it...?"
"Huh?"
"I worked so hard to recover, even dressed up nicely just to see you… and this is how you treat me? Hic!"
"Uh, what's wrong with her?" Gintoki asked, staring at Sarutobi who had dramatically collapsed onto the floor, looking as heartbroken as a soap opera heroine.
"You really love this woman, don't you? Fine! If you want to leave me that badly, I won't stop you! Go ahead—do whatever you want! And you!"
"Huh?" Saya raised her eyebrow and pointed at herself, wondering if she was the one being addressed.
"If you ever make him cry, I swear I'll kill you!" Sarutobi shouted, then dramatically leapt away, leaving the other four completely confused.
"So now I'm the bad guy? I'm not even that woman's husband, why do I get treated like I cheated on her or something?" Gintoki grumbled while Kagura patted his shoulder.
"You'll get used to it, nya~"
"Is everyone in this town crazy or what?!"
After that chaotic scene, the Odd Jobs gang and Saya went to grab dinner, which Saya generously paid for.
"Hey hey, wanna ride the Ferris wheel?" Kagura pointed to the large wheel in the distance.
"Sure. We're here already, might as well get our money's worth," Gintoki said, scooping parfait into his mouth. Truthfully, he'd rather be home reading Jump, but since Saya was footing the bill, he couldn't exactly refuse.
"Let's go before it gets dark," said Shinpachi.
"Yeah, let's go."
At the Ferris wheel, Kagura immediately split them into pairs—she rode with Shinpachi, leaving Gintoki with Saya. Gintoki didn't object; he figured Saya wanted to ride anyway.
Inside the Ferris wheel, silence lingered. Gintoki's amber eyes subtly glanced at the girl sitting across. The warm sunset lit her face, making her look almost ethereal—like time had stopped just for her.
"What are you staring at?" Saya finally asked, noticing his gaze.
"You're really beautiful, you know that?"
"Huh?" His straightforward words caught her completely off guard.
"I said, you're beautiful."
"W-Why say something like that out of the blue… I don't know how to react!"
"What, are you shy or something?"
"N-No! I mean… maybe a little," she admitted, biting her lip. "Throughout my whole life, besides my family… you're the only one who's ever told me I'm beautiful."
The Ferris wheel slowly ascended to its peak, then suddenly jolted to a stop—Saya flinched.
"Are you okay? You look pale."
"…You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"
She nodded quickly. Even two-story buildings made her legs shake.
"But wait, how do you do your job then?"
"That's… work mode. Totally different."
The cabin shook slightly again, making her grip the bar tightly. Gintoki noticed her trembling and pulled her over to sit beside him, then reached out and held her hand.
"Feeling better?"
"It feels even more tilted now…"
"It's fine. Just a little wobble."
"Really?"
"Really."
Saya closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to steady herself. The sound of his voice calmed her a bit.
She peeked at his hand still wrapped around hers and smiled faintly, squeezing back.
"Are you holding my hand 'cause you've fallen for me?"
"Maybe."
His casual answer made Gintoki chuckle softly. "Man… now I'm the one getting flustered."
Despite his words, his expression remained flat—with only a tiny smile playing on his lips. Saya wasn't sure if he was truly embarrassed or just pretending.
"Hey, Gin-san…"
"Hmm?"
"If I were kidnapped… would you come find me?"
"Would you want me to?"
She turned to him and nodded. "Of course I would."
"Then I'd find you—no matter where. Even if you were taken all the way to America, I'd come get you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Saya smiled and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Today… was the happiest day of her life.