by Shouji Gatou
Darn it, Seiya thought angrily, Macaron, you idiot! He would have liked to lay into him for what he’d done, but he knew that wouldn’t be fair. Macaron hadn’t known Eiko’s family circumstances— If he had, he might have responded in a more mature fashion. (Well... actually, he probably wouldn’t have, but still.)
“Hmmmmmmm...” Seiya pondered. I’m in high school. Why do I have to work out all this messy grown-up stuff? I hate this. You people. can all go to hell! part of him thought.
But at times like these, Seiya always took a deep breath and conjured a particular face in his mind. It was the smiling face of the park’s original manager, Latifah Fleuranza. What am I doing this for? he asked. That’s my answer.
Another deep breath. Okay. We’re okay. Let’s think.
“...Let’s see,” he said out loud. “We should probably try to speak with him as an organization—humbly.”
“I agree,” said Isuzu. “An attempt to resolve this through traditional channels is advisable.”
“While we do that, let’s dig up some blackmail material,” Seiya suggested. “See if there’s anything about Adachi’s father, or his hospital, that we can hold over his head.”
“All right,” Isuzu agreed. “Having such information would strengthen our hand in discussions.”
Seiya gazed hard at Eiko. “Adachi. Will you help us?”
“Y-Yes, of course. It’s the least that I can do to make up for what I’ve done. But...” Eiko dissembled. “The truth is... er... well, most likely... I do not think that my father’s anger will be so easily allayed.”
“...? What do you mean?” Seiya questioned. “Is there more to this than you’ve told us?”
“I... I’m so sorry!” Eiko collapsed over the desk, breaking down in tears. “I don’t know what came over me. I was arguing with him... about my fiancé... and then, without thinking...”
“Hey... what did you do?” he asked her, steeling himself for even worse news.
“I told him... that I was in love with someone else... And that... I wanted him to call off the engagement...” Eiko’s voice was choked with sobs. “I lied and told him... that I was in a relationship with my superior at work... And then... he began questioning me about who it was... and I knew it would cause trouble, but I...”
“Don’t tell me...” Seiya groaned. Is it me? Did she tell him she’s in a relationship with me? That’s not good... I mean, I know I’m so hot I turn heads in the street, so I can see how it would be your go-to in a moment of stress, but... Dammit! How could she do this?!
“Let’s just get it out there, then,” he said, his voice filled with resignation. “Who did you say it was?”
Eiko looked up at Seiya with tear-filled eyes and confessed. “I told him... that I was seeing Macaron-san...”
“......” Seiya froze up as his mind churned over the concept. What? Macaron? Even if she did just make it up on the spot, couldn’t she have picked a better partner? That woolly sheep? That once-divorced former delinquent?!
Isuzu leaned over and whispered to him, “Seiya-kun. Did you think she was going to say it was you?”
“Sh-Shut up!” he hissed back at her.
That day, after the park closed...
Macaron finished an email exchange with his ex, then skipped his way to the general affairs building. They’d worked out the day when his daughter Lalapa would visit: next Thursday, at one o’clock in the afternoon. She’d arrive at Yokohama Station, on the Maple Dentetsu, so they would have to arrange for someone from the park to pick her up. Now all he had to do was give the schedule to Seiya or Isuzu and get permission to take the time off in the early afternoon. Thursdays were relatively slow days, so it probably wouldn’t be any trouble.
I’m waiting for you, Lalapa! Eyes shining, he entered the acting manager’s office. “Ron! Kanie-kun, I worked the schedule out for my daughter’s visit! Please stamp it!”
A cloud seemed to hang over the office where Seiya, Isuzu, and Moffle were waiting.
“There he is...”
“He’s on cloud nine...”
“Lucky him, fumo...”
They looked utterly exhausted. They must have been having a long debate about something.
“Huh?” said Macaron. “What is it, ron? It’s like a funeral in here... What happened?”
“Go ahead and sit down.”
“Ron... C’mon, everyone looks so serious... Let’s all cheer up, ron!”
“Just sit down!” Seiya ordered.
“Ron...?” He did as he was told, sitting down on the sofa in the reception area. The trio immediately took the seats across from him and, leaning forward, explained the circumstances.
It was about his fight with Adachi Eiko and her fiancé the night before. As they explained, Eiko’s father had been furious when he learned about the quarrel yesterday, and they had been expecting him to request Macaron’s firing.
“...And so, with all that in mind,” Seiya continued, “Sento and I went this afternoon to negotiate.”
“Negotiate? With who?”
“With Adachi’s father, of course. The hospital is right nearby.”
They had visited under the pretense of an eagerness to apologize, obscuring the fact that Eiko had warned them.
Ah, we heard that one of our employees has caused you a great deal of trouble. We can’t apologize enough. He’s also extremely sorry about what he’s done. He’s written a formal apology and accepted a pay cut as well as other forms of atonement. Eventually, we’d like to have him come here to offer a personal apology, but we wanted to convey our sincere regrets as quickly as possible. Could we perhaps settle this amicably, just between us?
......Was more or less how it went.
“That was very humble of you, fumo.” Moffle whispered, upon hearing the story.
“Well, that’s my job. It’s no blow to my pride,” Seiya explained. “Anyway... I was all prepared for him to yell at us, but he turned out to be quite a gentleman. His reaction was extremely mature.”
The swift apology seemed to have done its job; he’d seemed genuinely surprised by it.
“But he’s still gonna put on pressure to have me fired, ron?! Fucking politicians, ron!”
“Wait a minute,” Seiya stopped him, annoyed. “He did request your firing in a roundabout way. An extremely roundabout way. You deflowered his daughter, after all. He’s not about to forgive you.”
“Wh-What, ron? When did I deflower Adachi? What are you saying?!”
“Apparently, Eiko made it up on the spot during an argument with her father. She said she was dating her superior at work—in other words, you.”
“What the hell?!” Macaron fumed. “I know I’m a highly desirable specimen of manhood, but I’m not some scumbag who goes after college part-timers! That’s Tiramii’s thing, ron!”
“Look, no one’s saying you actually made a pass at her—”
“They basically are, ron!” Macaron argued, his plush wool standing on end. “I’ve never made a pass at any woman in the park! I’ve played it completely straight! I mean, I’m a man, I have urges, but I also have self-control, ron! A real sheep cries his tears inside—that’s my life’s motto! This... this is slander, ron!”
“What are you talking about?” Seiya wanted to know.
“Calm down, fumo,” Moffle said. “No one’s said that you and Adachi Eiko are really fooling around, fumo.”
“Moffle!” Macaron objected.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t fought with Adachi’s fiancé in the first place. Take a little responsibility, fumo.”
“Ron...” Even so, Eiko... Macaron thought. How could you be so cruel? I don’t know what you two were arguing about, but it’s not right to bring my name into it! I’ve lost respect for you!
“Your anger at Adachi-san is perfectly understandable. But she’s also very sorry about what she did. The only reason she’s not here now is because she’s too ashamed to face you.” Noticing the anger in Macaron’s e
yes, Isuzu quietly advocated for her. It was unusual behavior from her; was it sympathy for a fellow woman?
“Let’s get back to the subject,” said Seiya, clearing his throat. “Anyway, Mr. Adachi wants Macaron fired, and he wants his daughter to quit working here. I kept at him, hoping to get him to ease off a bit... And I used a somewhat underhanded method to get the truth out of him.”
“What method is that? Did you use a druth nut, ron?”
“Something like that,” Seiya said shortly. “It’s a trade secret.”
“Ahh.”
“Apparently, Mr. Adachi doesn’t actually like her fiancé. Even while he was arguing with his daughter, he was feeling a lot of guilt about it. And he seems to have suspected that the fiancé might have been partly at fault for the fight.”
“Ron. So?”
“So I decided to change up my strategy,” Seiya said, suddenly puffing up with pride. He looked positively triumphant. “Mr. Adachi was only angry because you were a totally unknown quantity. But if that changes, the problem resolves itself. In other words, Macaron, you just need to get Mr. Adachi to approve of you—as Adachi Eiko’s wonderful boyfriend!”
“......Er?”
“Don’t you see? If you present yourself as an unobjectionable match for Eiko, no one can possibly complain. ...Well, the fiancé might complain, but that’s a problem for the Adachi household, not for us.”
“Ron. Erm... you mean... you want me to act like I’m really dating Adachi?”
“Yes,” Seiya confirmed.
“Er, but...”
“Don’t worry, it’ll just be a temporary performance. We can ride out the current problem, buy ourselves some time, then worm our way out of it later.”
“Hrm...”
“I worked hard to convince him of your character, you know. To the point where I got a little disgusted with myself.”
Seiya had described Macaron a very fine young man: His consideration towards children and the elderly! His single-minded passion and constant dedication! The admiration he receives from everyone he works with! Even when a young lady is as refined as Adachi Eiko, how could she help but fall for such a man?
You must understand that we were shocked when we heard about the fight last night. To think of that warm, personable Macaron losing his temper... Not to shift the blame, of course, but is it possible that her fiancé’s attitude might have contributed to the problem? (Not outside the realm of possibility, is it?) Would you consider visiting the park some time and having a look at our Macaron at work? If you’re still not satisfied then, then of course, we’ll be forced to let him go. We urge you to consider it!
“...That’s basically how I did it,” he told them. “And the man seemed to buy it.”
“Moffu. That’s one amazing line of BS you strung out, fumo.”
“It’s not as if I was happy about it,” Seiya admitted. “Lavishing all that praise on Macaron really made my skin crawl.”
“This is mean, you two...” Macaron slumped over.
“Anyway, annoying as that was, he was open to the proposal. He seems like a good man.”
“Moffu. I wonder about that... Bigwigs like him really like to play the nice guy, fumo.” Moffle’s tone was dubious. He probably had bad experiences from his days in the military; even after getting his commission, he still had his superiors he took orders from. Macaron, a sergeant at the time, had seen General Moffle return to base time and again after the Maple Land Army Officers’ Conference with a look of disgust on his face.
“Anyway, Macaron,” Seiya said. “We need you to do this.”
Complaining about it now wouldn’t get him anywhere. If he refused, he’d just be fired. If he lost his source of income, he’d never see his daughter again.
Left without a choice, Macaron nodded. “Ron... What, concretely, should I do?”
“Adachi Eizo is coming to inspect the park. You’re going to show him around. And you’re going to make him like you.”
“Making him like me is easier said than done, ron... but I’ll try my best.” The idea of playing Eiko’s boyfriend, even temporarily, somehow made his back itch. Even more so because... well, he wasn’t blind to the girl’s charms.
“I’ll tell everyone else to cover for you,” Seiya promised. “Just do your best, all right?”
“Got it, ron. So when’s the old jackass coming by, ron?”
“Thursday. He’ll meet us by the employee gate at 12:00 in the afternoon,” Isuzu said.
“Thursday?!” Macaron looked up at the ceiling. “Th-That’s the day that my daughter... that Lalapa is coming! I can’t do it! Pick another day!”
“I can’t,” Seiya said flatly. “He’s a busy man. He had to rearrange his schedule for this once already.”
“No!” Macaron wailed.
“Just change the day of your daughter’s visit,” Seiya ordered him.
“No way, ron! My ex and her lawyer aren’t exactly flexible! And my daughter has her own schedule too, ron!”
“Enough! Just do it! End of conversation!”
“Rooooon!”
In the end, Macaron was forced to email his daughter and ex-wife, apologizing and asking if they could change the time. He got her arrival time changed from 1:00 in the afternoon to 3:00 in the afternoon.
Adachi Eiko’s father was set to show up at 12:00 noon. That only left them with three hours, but he figured he could finish up the tour by then.
It’ll be a real tightrope, but you can make it work! Macaron told himself. Just suck it up and butter up that old man like nobody’s business. Just get him to like you! It’ll be easy! Probably! Then that’ll all be behind us, and you’ll be free and clear to meet Lalapa! You’ll go around and see all the attractions together! Then you’ll take her to dinner at that nice Italian restaurant near Amagi Station! You’ll give her the best day ever!
“Lalapa... I can’t wait to see you!” he whispered.
And so, the day of destiny arrived.
Macaron came to work that morning, fired up and ready to go. Backstage, he ran into Adachi Eiko, who was dressed in casual clothing. She had taken the last few days off because of everything that had happened, and had been expected to take off today too, but...
“Er, Macaron-san.” She must have been waiting for him, as she ran up to him immediately. “I’m so sorry about all the trouble I’ve caused you. Truly, truly sorry.” She bowed to him deeply. Even at times like these, her mannerisms were extremely refined.
“Mm. Well... that’s all right, ron. It’s fine...” he stammered out awkwardly. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t angry at Eiko. Still, he could understand why she’d done what she had, and he knew that his own behavior had been extremely careless.
She was a good girl with such a fine upbringing, and she was clearly ashamed about how her family issues were causing problems for her workplace.
Hmm... Has she lost weight, ron? Macaron wondered. Maybe she’d been having trouble eating. She’d probably never faced a dilemma of this scale before, and it overshadowed her usual leisurely calm. He now felt entirely sorry for her.
“I know that things must seem terrible right now... but I won’t let you be fired, Macaron-san. No matter what happens, I will stop my father.”
“Hmm. I’m glad to have you on my side,” he admitted, “but how are you going to do it?”
“If I have to, I’ll kill my father and then take my own life!” Eiko promised ardently.
“Hey, now!” He wasn’t expecting something so drastic. Maybe it just showed how desperate she was.
“I’ve tried to speak to him several times since then, but he simply won’t listen to me.”
“About our ‘relationship,’ you mean?” Macaron questioned.
“I told him that I had lied—that you were completely innocent. But he wouldn’t believe me. He said that I was just trying to protect you...”
“Hmm...”
“...I never knew that he could be so cruel. I’m so... disappointed in him.
” Her voice was gloomy and hollow. Eiko, who usually shone like the sun, now seemed to glow the quiet anguish of the crescent moon.
Hmm, Macaron reflected. I could imagine her really stabbing her father if things came to it. I didn’t know she had that sort of... passion, would you call it? Knowing she had this sordid side to her actually made Macaron like her more. He was always a bit suspicious of women who were nothing but smiles and cheer all the time.
Despite this surprising revelation about her character, Macaron forced himself to take on a breezy tone. “Hey, c’mon. No need to get so worked up about it, ron.”
“But...”
“It’s all right, ron. We can ad-lib our way through. Besides—” Macaron puffed out his chest. “I’m still the Fairy of Music! Improvisation is my specialty, ron!”
“...All right,” she agreed. Still, Eiko’s mood remained clouded.
Just then, Moffle and Tiramii arrived.
“Hey, young lovers,” Moffle sniggered. “Sorry to bother you while you’re... engaged, fumo.”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt the pillow talk, mii. Heh heh heh...”
They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Had they been eavesdropping, too?
“You bastards!” Macaron glowered. “Did you come here just to make fun of us, ron?”
“Sorry about that, fumo. We’re here on orders from Seiya, actually.”
“Orders?”
“There’s gonna be trouble if you try to interact with the old man with just a Lalapatch Charm. They’re usually meant for use outside the park, mii.”
“Oh, that’s right, ron.”
The Lalapatch Charm was a magical item that fairies put on to make the humans around them see them as ordinary people. It was what allowed the denizens of magical realms to leave the park and go out drinking or playing pachinko without attracting undue attention. But wearing them inside the park could lead to trouble.
