Philip ran through the crowd while dodging obstacles and bystanders while carrying Natsume on his arms. The crowd saw Philip dashing through the pavement and they thought that he was crazy and foolish because he might bump into someone and injure them
They were then surprised because Philip moved flexibly that he didn't touch anyone, even thought he was carrying Natsume
It was because Philip is using both of his Supreme Sense of Measurement and Extreme Self-awareness. He could see the distance relative to others when carrying Natsume. He could make minute changes on his movements so that Natsume's feet couldn't even touch a hair
As Philip was running through, his hood is almost being taken off by the wind and his wide movements. Philip struggled to keep the hood on his face in one way or another because his hands are occupied
He looked down and tried to keep the hood on his face but it slowly slipped away. He saw Natsume's stomach and thought about pressing his head down to keep his hood on his face and to hide it. But he disregarded the idea because it would inappropriate for Natsume. Especially after looking at her slightly more than decent sized chest. He blushed and frowned as he immediately erased his lingering thoughts
If the hood would be taken off and everyone would see his face, then so be it, as long as he won't take advantage of Natsume
Just then, as Natsume has her arms wrapped around Philip's neck for support, she was staring at Philip with glistening eyes. It was then that she noticed that his hood is slowly slipping away from his face
She knows how important the hood is to hide Philip's face from the others. So, she grabbed the edge of the with her left hand and pulled it down. For some reason, that made her more flustered as her hand is touching Philip's mouth. It's as if Philip is giving her hand a kiss
Then, a clothing shop passed Natsume's eyes
"Philip! There's a clothing shop!"
Philip nodded and looked around. He quickly ran towards the clothing store and entered. The store clerks and a few customers were surprised and looked at him
He looked around inside the store while his hood is pulled down by Natsume, who is on his arms
"Do you need something, sir?"
A store clerk that exudes professionalism came to them and asked. Philip looked at her, thinking that he got lucky. He read that the store clerk seemed like someone who can pick up on small suspicious clues and she's neutral
"We need a change if clothes"
Philip casually replied while his face is covered. Natsume looked at the store clerk with worried eyes
The store clerk looked at the two with wide eyes. She then smirked and raised her hand
"This way sir"
The store clerk lead Philip to the dressing room, not on the dressing room right in front of them, but the dressing room at the backroom. Two other store clerks also moved after seeing her raise her hand and grabbed different kinds of clothes and followed them
Philip and Natsume entered the backroom and put Natsume down. Philip pulled his hood off as the store clerk were preparing the curtains for them to change
"Sorry about that"
Philip apologized to Natsume when he carried her through the crowds
"Nah, it's fine. It was thrilling and exciting! It was fun!"
Natsume smiled and giggled as she covered her mouth with her knuckle. Philip found it cute that she did that
"Alright, the dressing room is ready. We also have prepared an array of clothing for you to choo- aba ba ba ba?!!"
After the store clerk prepared the dressing room, she turned around and mumbled jargon as she was shocked at what she saw. Her knees also became weak and she fell on the floor
Natsume smiled wryly and Philip sighed and shook his head after seeing the store clerks behavior
The other two store clerks were confused as to why the first one was on the floor. They haven't seen Philip's face because his back is facing them
The store clerk then immediately stood up and came close to Philip
"Hello there, my name is Ashlynn. Ashlynn Kate. May I know you're name, sir?"
"My name is Philip"
Philip answered honestly. There's no way he would lie here now since they are at the backroom, deep in the store. Plus, there's no hurting to tell her because he knows that she's somehow trustworthy. He don't know about the other two behind him though
"Nice to meet you. I know why you're here and I'm willing to help you... Under one condition"
'Here we go..."
Philip sighed as he thought to himself
"But first, you two, place the outfits on the rack right there then leave immediately"
Ashlynn pointed next to where the store clerks are standing. The two shrugged and placed it to where she pointed and left without asking any more questions
"I'm going to give you any outfits that you chose for free"
"What's the catch?"
"You gotta take a selfie with me!"
Philip and Natsume looked at him with dead eyes
"Uh... Yeah, sure!"
Philip agreed to it anyways. If the outfits are free, then he should take opportunity. If Ashlynn will upload the selfie for the world to see, then so be it, the world will see his face eventually anyways
"Perfect! Let's do it now!"
Ashlynn quickly went next to him and raised his phone to take a selfie. Natsume stood on the side and let them do their thing
Philip smiled, like how he usually did in front of cameras, even though he doesn't smile usually and his eyes never smiled before since several years ago
Ashlynn took several photos, some were intimate and some were clingy to Philip. He didn't mind though and let her do her own thing. Natsume looked at them with jealous eyes which Philip could clearly feel from her
Ashlynn also felt it and called out to Natsume
"Miss, come over too! You're so pretty, so I would also like one too"
Natsume's jealousy disappeared and felt flattered by Ashlynn's words. She then went and stood beside Ashlynn, where Ashlynn is in the middle of them
Natsume gave a bright smile and Philip gave a cool and composed smile but with the absence of happiness if one where to deeply examine the photo
"Thank you so much! I wouldn't hog sir Philip all by myself when you're his girlfriend, wouldn't I?"
"W-w-wha~?!"
Natsume's face became extremely red and covered her face with her hands. She then ran to the clothes rack and clumsily picked her new outfits
Ashlynn was giggling while covering her mouth. She knew that they weren't a couple and teased them. She thought that this is a cliché situation and love story that they might be a couple eventually, like how manga and movies go
She looked at Philip and expected at least a slightly flushed face but she was surprised by his reaction
Philip was unfazed at all and he was just slightly smiling. He found the situation amusing. He then ignored the teasing and went to the other clothing rack to choose an outfit for himself
Ashlynn scratched her head, confused about Philip as she couldn't read him at all. She then went forwards and tried to help her
~~~
"Goodbye! Come back next time!"
Several minutes later, Philip and Natsume left the clothing shop with their new outfits. Both of them waved back at Ashlynn with her phone in her hand. Of course, Ashlynn didn't forget to ask for Philip's number
He didn't gave it, but Ashlynn understood why and she just shoot her shot. It was a good try
Natsume was wearing the same clip on her hair that emphasized her glossy blonde hair. She wore a plain black shirt with a white hoodie jacket on top that has a zipper and two pockets at the bottom. She also wore the short denim short and a simple rubber shoes that are expensive in the eyes of other people. She also got a black shoulder bag and shades that is hanging on her collar. She got a gold chain necklace that Philip picked out for her and white pearl bracelet
Philip, however, also went for a plain black shirt with no jackets or hoodie whatsoever, denim jeans, silver necklace with a ruby dragon pendant, and an intricately woven leather bracelet. He wore a white medical mask, shades, and a blue cap to hide his entire face and hair
Both Philip and Natsume are in a disguise and looks like a gangster of some kind
The then looked around and saw some people loitering about. Some are casually walking and minding their own business while there are others that are stampeding and marching around, probably to search for him. He also caught a glimpse of the girls and the group of men from earlier
"So, shall we continue our fun?"
Philip asked Natsume to which she nodded
"Where should we go?"
"Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm with you"
"Hmmm..."
Philip was a little troubled. He didn't expect that Natsume would be this bold. It was also because they currently don't have a plan on where to go
"How about food? Are you hungry?"
Philip asked
"Yeah, a little bit"
"Then, let's go over there!"
Philip pointed at the part of the amusement park where there is a continuous rows of food stalls, souvenirs, mini-games, and bars. Philip walked forward only to be stopped when Natsume grabbed the sleeve of his shirt
"Can I cling on your arm?"
Natsume asked boldly, even though she has been doing it since earlier
Philip was very troubled. Now he knows that Natsume is madly in love, probably... If he still has a heart, it would be beating fast, but he doesn't so his mind is playing tricks on him. He acknowledge the feeling though because he knows that it is right
"Yeah, sure"
Philip just agreed to it. Natsume then clung on his arm which became stiff the moment she wrapped her arms around it. It was because his arm can feel two mounds touching him. Nastume couldn't feel the stiffness though
A few minutes later, they arrived at the food stalls. As they were going to this place, there were many eyes that are following them. Even though Philip used Fate Control earlier and made it so that everyone in Los Angeles will see Natsuki and Natsume as not too attractive that they would fall for them so that they won't encounter any problems from suspicious people, some still couldn't help but look at her direction because of her beauty
They saw the two as a very sweet couple, even though they are just friends for now
"Wow! There are so many food!"
Natsume exclaimed
"Yeah! They all looked delicious. What do you want to eat?"
"Oooh! That! I always wanted to try that!"
"Crepes? Yeah! Let's go, I'm also interested"
Philip and Natsume then went to the crepes stall and ordered one for each of them. Strawberry Banana Crepe for Philip and Chocolate Caramel Crepe for Natsume
They sat down on the bench on the side and ate their own crepes and they smiled from the taste. Natsume licked her lips and Philip's lips crumpled because of how good it is. He never tasted anything like this since he never tried it once in his life
He smiled a little and felt good
"What are you smiling about?"
Natsume noticed his smile and asked
"Oh, nothing... The crepe is just delicious"
"Really? Let me taste!"
Natsume then took a bite out of his crepe after he twisted his wrist to place the crepe near Natsume so that she would have an easier bite
"Mmm! This is tasty too!! Here! Have some of mine too!"
Natsume reached out her crepe and Philip took a bite out of it
"Oh god! It's also delicious!"
Philip's eyes sparkled. Natsume looked down on her crepe where Philip just bit. She only smiled, she didn't get flustered or anything because it would be an indirect kiss if Natsume would bite where Philip bit. This is the real world
She bit onto it and enjoyed every flavor of the crepe. Same goes as for Philip as he looked at Natsume, aware of the indirect kiss trope, expecting that she would get flustered
They then talked to each other for a little bit to digest the food and then they walked through the stalls while having an idle talk as they looked through the food options. Natsume also clung to Philip's arm, like always
After a while, they arrived at a very interesting carnival game called the Strength Tester. It's the machine that uses a hammer to smash a button and there's a meter that measures how strong the button was smashed. The meter goes up to a set milestones and whichever the meter riches up to, that will be the prize. The game is also given three tries to hit the highest reward
Philip smirked after seeing the machine
"I want to try that"
Philip pointed at the Strength Tester machine. There was a line but it's not too long
"Okay!"
Natsume nodded then they went in line
As the people in line tried to get the highest reward, most of them has only gotten to the middle reward which gives a burger. It was then a man in a black suit's turn
Philip widened his eyes upon seeing the man. He then whispered to Natsume
"Natsume, that man's an ability user"
Natsume's eyes widened
"Really? How'd you know?"
"Just a hunch. The way he moves, tells that he has an ability involving his arms"
Philip tried to explain to Natsume with logic. But of course, Philip knew because of Body Language Translator
Just then, the man held the handle of the wooden hammer and raised it above his head. He then slammed it on the button
The meter went up only to the first reward, which is a handkerchief bandana
"Boo~!"
"That was it?'
"You're weak!"
"You only have two tries left"
The crowd looked down on the man after showing a weak show. He didn't let it bother him and he lifted the hammer once more. This time, the hammer went towards the level of his central spine
His muscles then bulged a little than it will almost tear his sleeves and veins popped on his wrists and backhands. Philip was intrigued upon seeing this spectacle
The man then slammed the button and it released a contained loud sound that's almost deafening
"...?"
"...?"
The bar only reached halfway the meter, even though the man slammed the button with power. The people that were watching became confused as to why the man could only reach halfway despite hitting it with force. They had a suspicion if the machine is rigged and it will only reach halway
"You only have one try left. If you don't get a higher bar, you'll win a burger"
The park staff told the man with a straight face
The man wasn't annoyed or fazed by the park staff's obvious mockery. He just nodded calmly and lifted the hammer once more
He pulled the hammer far to his back that his chest muscles and arm muscles flexed to gain momentum. The tip of the hammer almost touched the ground behind him and the fabric on his sleeves are starting to tear. The fabric on his chest also starts to stretch and impends to tear
Just then, he jumped and swung the hammer down to the button. The hammer was swung in a blur that the people saw the afterimage. Upon hitting the button, it released a deafening sound that reverberated within 50 meters in radius
The bar shot up the meter equivalent to the speed of the hammer, but it only reached 75% of the way through
The people that are watching clapped upon seeing the result. They didn't want to question whether the machine is rigged or not but it's acceptable
"Congratulations! You won a life-sized teddy bear! Claim your prize"
The park staff announced and reached out the teddy bear. The man breathed out and went to happily grab the teddy bear
The man then left with a stern look on his face. It was quite a sight for the most because a strict looking man is holding an adorable life-sized teddy bear
"That's moe gap, if I understand it right"
Philip commented and Natsume nodded. She was also impressed that Philip somehow knew that the man is an ability user. She confirmed it by the strength display of the man. No ordinary person could produce that kind of sound when hitting the button
It was then that the man exited next to the line and passed the crowd. The man suddenly panned his eyes towards Philip and Natsume as he walked past through
Philop caught the man's gaze and also looked at his eyes. Natsume was unaware and kept looking forward
Just like that, Philip and the man engaged eye cotnact that lasted for one second as the man finally exited
Philip turned his head around and followed the man. He saw a little girl jumping in joy as she waited for the man. The man gave the teddy bear to the little girl and the girl hugged it entirely. The teddy bear is almost bigger than the little girl, so she had a hard time carrying it but she wanted to
The man then ruffled her hair and pulled her to his side as he walked away
Philip shrugged his shoulders as he slightly smiled. It looks like Philip found another potential ally in the future, if fate decides it
A few minutes later, it's already Philip's turn. He picked up the hammer and examined it. He activated Supreme Sense of Measurement and analyzed everything
The weight of the hammer, the centripetal force needed to be used for the hammer, angle, transfer of energy from the button to the meter, the elasticity of the springs, the potential energy, resistance, friction, durability, speed needed, and more
Philip went out of his way to do this because he saw the reward for hitting the bell with the bar and he wanted it
The highest reward it is a question mark. It's a mystery prize and Philip wants it. He likes when the prize is a mystery
'The highest and mysterious prize wouldn't be so bad, right?'
Philip thought to himself as he raised the hammer with only his right arm. He then casually slammed it on the button
"...?"
The people were confused as to why Philip only used one arm. Usually, everyone uses two arms. Maybe Philip was showing off? The hammer and the button made a loud strong thud after he smashed the button. The bar went up to the second prize, which is a water bottle
"Hahahaha!"
"What is this joke?"
"Are you even trying?"
"Show off!"
The people mocked Philip by his actions. They thought that he wanted to try to show off to his girlfriend that was with him
But to the park staff's eyes, Philip was trying to do something. He squinted his eyes at him and crossed his arms, waiting for what's about to happen. He is also expecting Philip to be the first one to hit the jackpot
"I'm just limit testing"
Philip said out loud to shut up the people
"Yeah yeah!"
"Reasons!"
"Show off to your girlfriend!"
Natsume blushed and hid her face with her hands from the people's words. She ignored most of them but she couldn't help but keep hearing it
Meanwhile, the man from earlier turned around completely with the little girl to watch after feeling something odd
Then, Philip raised the hammer once again. He flexed his arm and clenched the handle of the hammer and prepared to smash the button
It was then that he became surprised and shocked after feeling a tingling sensation around his arms
The white lines started to grow and crawl around his arm. He immediately stopped flexing his arm and swung the hammer down on the button in panic. He did this so that no one would be able to see the white lines
The ground slightly rumbled from hitting the button. Only a few people felt it but they thought it was from the rumbling of the rollercoaster tracks
It was then that all of them heard a long ding from the machine. The bar hit the bell with force that it jogged the brains of everyone near it. The button almost broke as it cracked in the edge, as well as the bell
The people became speechless, the park staff stared at Philip with a discerning eye, and the man from earlier had his eyes widened
Philip then released his grip from the hammer and the white lines crawled back to his skin. He looked around if anyone saw the white lines on his arm and can only see the surprised look of the man from earlier. Philip could only smile wryly
The park staff clapped and called out to Philip
"Congratulations! You won yhe mysterious prize!"
"Yay!"
Natsume was the one who got excited and hugged Philip's arm. The men that are watching became jealous that Philip was being hugged by a beauty. Meanwhile, Philip was excited as he maintained his calm. The only thing that is running in his mind is the mysterious prize
"Follow me, mister"
The park staff called out to Philip and made him follow him into the back, where there is a tent