"Kuromori-kun declined our invitation, so what's he doing here?"
Ichika tilted her head slightly and smiled playfully.
Haruto's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt that if his answer wasn't satisfying, the girl might get very angry.
But why should he explain himself to her?
Haruto calmly replied, "I have something to do today, and I don't have any free time."
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening."
Ichika covered her ears with her hands and said pitifully, "Kuromori-kun, if you're tired of me, I can quietly walk away, but you can't just toss me aside."
"Be quiet!"
It sounded like a girlfriend scolding her unfaithful boyfriend!
Realizing that people around them were staring, Haruto looked disgusted and, without hesitation, shoved the grilled ham sausage in his hand into the girl's mouth.
"Hmm~"
Ichika unconsciously bit down, then looked up: "Kuromori-kun's ham sausage tastes great."
'Delicious, huh? Believe it or not, next time I'll give you ham that doesn't taste so good!' Haruto thought mischievously.
"I still want more."
"NO."
"Woo~"
Haruto ignored the pitiful Ichika and turned to the Nishimiya sisters who were watching. After a moment of thought, he introduced them: "Shoko, this is Ichika, Nakano Ichika."
No reason to feel guilty.
He hadn't done anything that would make him feel like he owed anyone an apology, and even if he did, as long as he shamelessly acted like he didn't, everything would be fine.
In fact, Haruto had already anticipated running into the quintuplets. After all, Ichika had also invited him.
But he didn't expect such a coincidence—shortly after arriving at the amusement park, he was caught by this Ichika.
He just didn't know if the other idiots were aware of it too.
"This is our first time meeting. I'm Nishimiya Shoko. This is my younger sister, Nishimiya Yuzuru. Just call me Shoko."
Shoko didn't seem upset, but instead smiled warmly and gently.
"Then I'll call you Shoko~" Ichika smiled and said gracefully, "I'm sorry for coming uninvited because I saw Kuromori-kun. I hope I'm not bothering you?"
At the last part, Ichika clasped her hands together with a very anxious expression.
Keep pretending, just keep pretending.
Haruto glanced at Ichika. If worried about disturbing others, don't come!
Ichika glanced back at him with her eyes: "Kuromori-kun, don't speak."
Shoko pressed her lips together and smiled, then took the initiative to invite her: "Ichika, we're going on a treasure hunt, would you like to come with us?"
Ichika's eyes lit up with hope: "Is that okay?"
"Yes."
And so, Ichika joined the team.
As a thick-skinned and sly girl, Ichika confessed that she wouldn't feel embarrassed at all.
The pirate shipwreck treasure hunt project here didn't allow tourists to experience sailing on a pirate ship.
But the theme was treasure hunting at a shipwreck.
There were generally two ways to hunt for treasure. The first was using a treasure map, and the second was by solving riddles.
Soon, it was Haruto's turn in line.
Noticing the three girls staring at him, Haruto remained calm. He ignored Yuzuru's disdainful and scornful gaze and said directly, "Choose to solve the riddles for the treasure hunt. Hunting with a treasure map is too crude and really boring."
Treasure hunting with a map was the easiest option. After all, the shipwreck was huge. Even a fool could easily find the so-called treasure chest as long as they could read the map.
It could be said to be the least challenging.
The riddle-based treasure hunt, on the other hand, was different. If you weren't careful or quick enough to think, it would definitely be harder to find the treasure chest within the given time.
Though not by much. After all, this was a place for kids. Did you think it would be as hard as an Escape Room?
"Woo~"
Ichika pouted: "I just saw the treasure map. It looks really crude."
Haruto wasn't particularly interested in this sunken treasure hunt.
He pulled out his phone and gave the three girls the choice.
After a short discussion, the three girls firmly chose the riddle-based treasure hunt.
Solving puzzles and collecting clues, then following them to find the hidden treasure chest on the pirate ship.
Guessing riddles and finding the treasure chest through one's own efforts was indeed quite satisfying. Hence, there weren't many people in line for the pirate shipwreck.
That said, the puzzle-based treasure hunt wasn't difficult. Even kids could pass and find the treasure!
"Choose the riddle-based treasure hunt."
"Agreed."
"I agree too."
Then, the three girls turned to look at Haruto.
*STARE—*
Feeling the gazes of the three girls, Haruto put away his phone and walked toward the sunken pirate ship with an indifferent expression.
"Kuromori-kun, slow down."
"Onee-chan, be careful and follow me closely."
"Mm."
The three girls followed behind.
The setting of the Pirate Shipwreck was a pirate ship sailing on the sea, then encountering a storm, causing the ship to break apart and everyone on board to perish. Eventually, the pirate ship was stranded on a deserted island.
Haruto and the others played the role of treasure hunters who happened to pass by.
The pirate ship was leaning and had fallen to the ground. At the edge of the ship's bottom, there was an irregular dark hole. The hole was the entrance to the sunken ship.
As soon as the lights dimmed, Haruto stepped into the pirate ship.
Sunlight streamed through holes in the hull, creating beams of light.
Haruto glanced at the sunken ship. It was a very messy room with oak barrels, wooden shelves, and other items scattered everywhere.
If one looked closely, they would notice that the oak barrels, shelves, and other dangerous objects had actually been secured.
In other words, there wouldn't be any real danger.
Ichika's voice came from behind: "Kuromori-kun, how is it inside?"
"Hm?"
Hearing her voice, Haruto turned around, and several black lines appeared on his forehead.
"What are you still doing here?"
Ichika blinked excitedly: "Because we need Kuromori-kun to take the lead."
Shoko's face flushed, and she said shyly: "It seems a little scary since it's so dark inside."
Yuzuru snapped a photo with her camera. Seeing Haruto staring at her, she calmly said, "I'm just taking pictures."