Mira accepted it with a mischievous glint in her eyes, smiling at the ice cream as if plotting something. Adrian caught the expression, his brow lifting slightly in wary amusement, sensing that whatever was coming next might not be good for his dignity.
"What is that now, Mira? Is your head still filled with poops?"
She couldn’t answer — she was laughing too hard, clutching the ice cream cone desperately so it wouldn’t fall.
And Adrian, the ever-composed genius, just sat there beside her on a sun-washed afternoon in Tokyo Bay, laughing without holding back, no schedule pulling him away, no summit demanding his attention — only this absurd moment and the girl who somehow made it feel like the best part of the whole trip.
After the laughter finally faded, leaving only a few breathless chuckles between them, Adrian leaned back against the bench.
He turned his head slightly toward Mira, voice dry but warm:
"Are you satisfied?"
Mira didn't even hesitate. She beamed at him, still clutching the last bit of her soft-serve, and said brightly:
"Cannot be better. Japan is definitely the funniest!"
Adrian's lips twitched again into a small, amused smile. He picked up his water bottle, taking a measured sip this time, before asking curiously:
"Why do you love Japan so much, by the way?"
Mira paused, tapping her cone lightly with her finger, her eyes drifting to the wide sky above them. For a rare moment, she wasn’t so quick to answer.
"I’m... not so sure," she admitted with a little laugh. "But, you know, my hometown is near a Japanese town. Growing up, we’d sometimes cross over for festivals. The people were kind. Everything was... small, and colorful, and cute."
Her voice softened as she spoke, a little nostalgic, a little uncertain — as if the memory was both vivid and blurry at once.
"Anyway! Japan just feels warm to me. Like a hug. Even if it's made of poops sometimes."
Mira fell silent for a long moment. She looked at Adrian, her playfulness replaced by a sudden, nervous hesitation.
"Uhm, Adrian... about what I said the other day... I..."
She trailed off, the words catching in her throat. She wasn't sure if this was the right time to bring it up. For the last few hours, she’d been enjoying herself like a kid again, letting the crushing weight of her studies, the stress of the conference, and the mask she wore on campus simply blow away in the Tokyo breeze. Here, with just the two of them, she felt like she could finally breathe.
Adrian didn't let her spiral. "Don't think too much," he said softly, his voice cutting through her anxiety. "Leave that behind for now. We’ll deal with it later."
Mira looked up at him. "Aren't you... angry?"
"I’m fine," he replied. "As long as you are okay."
Mira’s eyes widened, and a blush warmed her cheeks. She hadn't expected such a gentle answer. Before she could find her voice, he looked down at her arm.
"Does your wrist still hurt?"
Mira shook her head quickly, a wave of relief washing over her. The tension that had been coiled in her chest for days finally began to unfurl.
He glanced down at his watch, then back at her with a look that was uncharacteristically patient. "Ready to move on?"
Mira felt a flush creep up her neck. After all the anger she’d carried toward him, she was surprised by how easily he had calmly handled everything and even followed her to the "poop museum" detour, making her believe it was okay to just exist in the moment without performing for anyone. Could she really trust him and let the rest of the world fade away?
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
A genuine smile broke across her face as her confidence returned.
"Yep! Next stop—Yokohama, right?"
Adrian nodded. He stood up and, without a second thought, offered his hand to her. Mira reached out and grabbed it, her smaller fingers fitting naturally into his palm as he pulled her to her feet.
As they started walking toward the train station again, a fresh energy buzzed between them — lighter, freer, as if the laughter they'd shared had stripped away something unseen, leaving only the simple joy of being together.
?
The train began to slow as the cityscape unfolded beyond the window—Yokohama bathed in late afternoon light, all glass and sea breeze and motion. The skyline rose with clean lines and soft curves, the Landmark Tower slicing the sky beside the glinting coils of the InterContinental’s sail-shaped silhouette. Below, the harbour stretched wide and silver-blue, crisscrossed by ferries and backlit with golden haze.
And there—spinning gently in the distance—the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel turned like the slow tick of a dream. It stood at the edge of Yokohama Cosmo World, nestled between open plazas and neon-lit arcades, with roller coasters weaving above the streets and laughter spilling from the waterfront. The air seemed brighter here, the wind salted and playful.
Her eyes drifted to the roller coaster, its sleek curves beckoning from a distance. The roller coaster twisted and turned like a wave, riders screaming and laughing as they dropped and swerved through the air. Mira's face glowed brightly, and without hesitation, she seized Adrian's arm and dragged him towards the roller coaster.
Adrian, ever the composed one, tried to protest. He had a strict policy against roller coasters, especially ones that looked like they were designed to break every law of physics. He had no time for thrills—his mind was always preoccupied with more important matters, like quantum theories or the latest scientific journal. The thought of being whipped around by gravity was about as appealing as doing calculus in a wind tunnel. His brain was already calculating the odds of surviving the ride. He had heard somewhere that roller coasters were scientifically engineered to be safe, but that didn’t make the impending drop any less terrifying.
But Mira wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. She was practically vibrating with excitement, hopping from foot to foot like a child in a candy store. She was grinning ear to ear as she dragged Adrian along. He, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. He tried to act like he wasn’t scared, but the nervous twitch of his eyebrow said otherwise.
The closer they got to the front of the line, the more Adrian’s face changed into a picture of reluctance. The coaster cars whizzed past with alarming speed, sending a rush of wind and screams through the air. The high-pitched screeching of the riders only seemed to intensify Adrian’s nerves.
The moment the ride started, Adrian’s worst fears were realized. The coaster shot forward with a jolt, sending them straight up into the air. Mira screamed in pure exhilaration, but Adrian was silent. It wasn’t a scream of terror—no, that would have been too much. Instead, it was more like a high-pitched gasp that somehow managed to sound both dignified and utterly terrified at the same time.
The coaster twisted and turned, whipping them around at high speeds. Mira was in her element, laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face, while Adrian, poor Adrian, was trying to hold on to the semblance of control. His hair was wild, his face a picture of distress, but his grip on the safety bar never wavered.
When they hit the first major drop, Adrian’s face contorted into a grimace, but he was silent. Completely silent. Except for the brief moment when the coaster tipped over the edge, and his face cracked into an expression of utter disbelief, his eyes wide as if he had just realized that physics were very real and very, very unforgiving.
Mira, meanwhile, was enjoying every second of it. She threw her arms in the air like a kid on a swing, whooping with joy at the chaos unfolding around them. She couldn’t get enough of the adrenaline, each twist and turn sending her into fits of laughter. Adrian, on the other hand, was hanging on for dear life, his face now an amusing mix of concentration and silent horror.
By the time the ride finally came to a halt, Adrian’s face was pale, his hair askew, and his eyes wide like he had just come face-to-face with an alien invasion. He could barely form a sentence as they exited the ride, his knees a little wobbly.
Mira, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear, practically bouncing on her feet with excitement. “See? That wasn’t so bad! You did great!”
At the photo booth near the exit, a large screen displayed snapshots from the ride—one image in particular stopped Mira in her tracks.
Her eyes widened. Then she burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Oh no. No, no, no—Adrian, come look at this!”
He blinked at her. “What now?”
Mira pointed at the screen, nearly in tears.
There it was. Immortalized forever. Her hair wild with wind and joy—
And Adrian.
Jaw clenched, eyes wide with terror, one hand gripping the safety bar like his entire future depended on it.
Mira snorted. “You look like a professor who got tricked into a prank show.”
Adrian crossed his arms, staring up at the screen like it had personally offended him. “They have no concept of consent, do they?”
Mira was still laughing, holding her phone close like it was sacred.
“Should I just crash their system and pretend this day never existed?” he asked with a frustrated tone.
She wheezed. “You’re going to hack Cosmo World just because you look like a terrified scientist?”
“They violated my privacy.”
“They violated your ego,” she said, one hand gripping the rail as if trying not to collapse from laughter.
He gave her a long look, the kind that promised vengeance in the form of precise, calculated payback—then said nothing.
Mira grinned wider. “Go ahead. But I’m taking a picture of this. For scientific record.”
He was still trying to figure out how he had survived the ordeal, but deep down, he couldn’t help but admit... it wasn’t all bad. At least, not once it was over.