Amagi Brilliant Park: Volume 6 Read online

  “Why can’t you just be happy?” he asked, sounding exasperated. “The renovation’s going great. Stop being so suspicious.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” Isuzu admitted.

  “What, do you have a problem with it?”

  “No, I don’t... but...”

  “......” Seiya couldn’t imagine what Isuzu was thinking. Was she worried? Concerned? Regretful? He didn’t even know what she thought of him.

  He probably should have just let it go, but in that moment, Seiya wanted to know what she was feeling. He focused on Isuzu’s melancholy profile. He wasn’t really trying to use his magic— he’d heard that the magic Latifah had given him, the ability to read minds, could only be used once per person. He’d read Isuzu’s mind already, the day after he’d gotten the magic, so he couldn’t use it on her again. Or so he thought. But...

  «...Of course I don’t have a problem with it. But I rely on him all the time... and I’m ashamed of myself. I wish I could be more help to him...» Seiya heard her thoughts.

  “...Seiya-kun?” she asked him, looking puzzled. He just stared at her, too shocked for words. “What’s the matter?” she prompted further.

  “Mm? Ah... well...” he stammered, trying to keep up appearances. Seiya couldn’t figure out what had just happened. He had definitely read her mind with his magic. He’d used it countless of times before, on a variety of people, after all— he knew just what it felt like. Yes, it definitely wasn’t his imagination... But wasn’t the magic one use per person?

  She peered a bit closer at him, looking more confused than concerned. “Are you feeling ill?”

  “No. I’m just... fine.” It must be a mistake, he thought. He gazed at her and used his magic once more, this time, more consciously.

  «...I wonder what’s wrong. He was in full-steam arrogance mode a minute ago. Now, suddenly he seems despondent... He really must be tired from working so hard every day. I’m worried...»

  “......!” There was no question that time; his magic had worked. He’d been told he could only use it once on each person, but that no longer appeared to be the case, as he’d just used it a second and a third time on Isuzu. Could the limitations have simply come from his initial lack of experience with magic? Of course, the only reason he’d assumed it was one use per person was because that was what she had told him, based on precedent.

  Seiya waffled on whether he should tell her about it immediately or not. What would Isuzu think if she found out that he could use his mind-reading magic more than once? It would put her on her guard, wouldn’t it? Of course it would, and he didn’t want that. It would be a lie to say that selfish thoughts didn’t still linger in a corner of his mind— the desire to know what she really thought of him, for example. Besides, he was still confused about the situation, and he wanted some time to work out his feelings.

  “Ah, ahem.” Seiya cleared his throat and forced a cheerful expression onto his face. “Nothing, it’s nothing. ...At any rate, the renovation was clearly a success, so just calm down and follow my lead. All right?”

  “...Really?” Isuzu asked.

  “Yes! Listen to me, er... Er...” With a jolt, Seiya realized it. The girl in front of him— This girl with the ponytail, dressed in the red sleeveless royal guard uniform that hugged her curves. The girl he knew so well, who had supported him as his secretary for so many months... He knew so many things about her, and yet... he couldn’t remember her name.

  He remembered all kinds of things they’d done together. He even remembered the sight of her bare butt when he’d accidentally caught her changing early on in their relationship. He remembered all the times they’d butted heads trying to save the park since then. And yet... for some reason, despite her importance to him, her name escaped him. This wasn’t just a momentary lapse; he genuinely didn’t know her name.

  And it wasn’t just her name; there was another memory he was missing. He remembered that the time he caught her changing was shortly after they’d first met, but he couldn’t remember how the first meeting had happened. He was sure it must have had a lot of impact, but... It was in a classroom, right? And then there was a date... no, what was it? He didn’t know.

  What he did know was that there were two things he couldn’t remember—that he’d forgotten—about her. Two. Exactly the number of times he’d used his magic on her just now.

  “Seiya-kun?” Isuzu said. “Are you all right?”

  “Y-Yeah...” As he answered, he felt disoriented. He even remembered the context in which she had first called him Seiya-kun, yet he couldn’t remember her name or how they had met. “Just a minute...” he told her.

  Seiya took out his phone and checked his email. She was his secretary, after all, and they corresponded daily, so it came up right away. Sento Isuzu: that was her name. But he felt no sense of recognition from seeing those words on the screen. It was more like... I see. So it’s Sento Isuzu, is it? He wasn’t recalling the name; he was learning brand new information.

  So when he said her name, the words hung unnaturally on his lips: “I’m fine, Sento Isuzu. I’m... I’m just fine. So don’t look at me like that...” Seiya repeated, trying to force down his own anxieties. “...Sento Isuzu.”

  “......? You’re acting very strangely,” she commented. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Sento...” he trailed off.

  “......?” Isuzu waited for him to continue.

  “...Nothing. I’m just feeling a little light-headed.” Seiya turned away from her and walked up to the window. The glass was both polarized and smoked, so the guests below couldn’t see him.

  “Seiya-kun. Maybe you should take some time to—” Just then, Isuzu’s smartphone rang. “It’s Tricen.”

  “Ahh. Go on,” he told her, “answer it.”

  She did so. The call was from their head of administration, Tricen; he’d been head of PR before, but recently they’d promoted him to head of administration. His duties hadn’t changed in practice, but this job title seemed to fit him better. It was true that what he did was more like admin than PR. Seiya was hoping to find someone to be the new PR chief so he could reduce Tricen’s burden soon.

  “He wants us to come to the parking lot,” Sento Isuzu said after a short phone conversation.

  “The parking lot?” Seiya questioned.

  “We have a visitor,” she answered. “From the sky.”

  When Sento Isuzu had said “from the sky,” Seiya had assumed it was a dragon from a magical realm, like Rubrum, or something similar.

  But they were actually arriving in a helicopter. It was a Bell 429; a kind of business helicopter that went for 500 or 600 million yen apiece. It had a showy flower pattern, punctuated by a picture of a mouse mascot near the door.

  It wasn’t a mouse like Moffle, though. It was three heads tall, done up in white, red, and blue, with spindly arms and legs like pipe cleaners. One of his large eyes was winking, and he was smiling the most cheerful smile in the world. Yes, it was a champion smile— This was the headliner mascot of Digimaland, Mackey Brown.

  There was no one on the planet who didn’t know Mackey’s name. He was the world’s greatest mascot. He was also the wealthiest resident of any magical realm, raking in billions of dollars per year. He had luxurious mansions all around the world and hopped from country to country on a private jet. It was said that his personal assets rivaled those of Bill Gates. He’d even been interviewed by Forbes multiple times.

  The turboshaft engine of Mackey’s private business helicopter roared as it set down in AmaBri’s parking lot.

  “Is... Is Mackey on that thing?”

  “What?!”

  “Mackey! He’s on that thing, right?!”

  “I can’t hear you!”

  Seiya and Isuzu shouted to each other. The booming engine and rushing air currents made it impossible to have a conversation.

  This wasn’t a heliport; it was an employee parking lot. Was it even legal to land a helicopter in a plac
e like this? Didn’t it violate air traffic laws?

  The helicopter touched down neatly. The door opened, and Tricen got out first. His expression was stiff with anxiety.

  The helicopter’s engine must have shut off, as the turbine sound died down immediately. Soon, it was quiet enough to have a proper conversation.

  “K-Kanie-san!!”

  “Tricen,” Seiya greeted his employee. “What’s going on here?”

  “I’m sorry. I was at a TV station in the city—you know, about the late night commercial? I’d gone to take care of arrangements but...” Tricen spoke, wiping sweat off his brow.

  “And?”

  “And... I ran into him in the hallway. He said he wanted a look at AmaBri... I, the unworthy Tricen, told him that it would be difficult to arrange without an appointment, but...”

  “Hey, there! I’ll explain the rest myself! Haha!” said a high-pitched voice. The great star of Digimaland, Mackey Brown, stepped out of the helicopter. He had a body in the colors of the French flag, and a smile that radiated (perhaps excessive) charm.

  He looked just like the picture on the door. And that presence! He was bursting with the vitality of life! This was the air of a superstar! Like Moffle and the others, he was clearly a “real fairy.”

  “Ladiiies aaand gentlemeeen! Haha! Thanks for comin’ out to see me today! Haha!” Mackey proclaimed. He spun around and snapped his fingers.

  Seiya heard the sound of applause echoing from all around them, as paper confetti and ticker tape fell. This must be Mackey’s magic in action, he thought.

  “Well hey, I see a pretty girl!” Mackey immediately homed in on Isuzu, produced a red rose and offered it to her.

  “Th-Thank you...” she stammered.

  “Haha! Just my way of sayin’ hello!” Mackey told her. “Now listen up, fellas! It’s time for that famous song, I Feel Good! Hit it!”

  Before anyone could object, a funky melody began to play:

  Waaaaoh!

  I feel good! (Pa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)

  I knew that I would (Pa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)

  I feel good! (Pa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)

  I knew that I would (Pa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)

  So good! (Cha, cha!)

  So good! (Cha, cha!)

  I got you! (Cha, cha, cha, cha!)

  Waaaaoh!

  There was a brass and drum stinger, and then the music stopped. The applause rang out again. Mackey stood among multicolored spotlights with a disco ball glimmering over his head.

  He was also surrounded by dancers who had appeared out of nowhere. They were standing in a parking lot in broad daylight, yet somehow, the whole place had been transformed into a stage for Mackey. Was this also Mackey’s magic at work?

  “...Whew! Not bad, if I do say so myself! Thanks for listenin’!” Mackey gave them a sweeping bow, while Seiya and Isuzu just stood there, dumbfounded. At some point, the dancers and the disco ball had disappeared. “Haha! You must be Kanie Seiya, huh? I’ve heard all about ya!”

  “Ah. I’m flattered...”

  “I was appearin’ as a guest at the station today! It was a pretty typical variety show segment! It was all boring and the other entertainers were waaay too casual with me, but what can ya do! Keepin’ your name out there is important, even for a big star like me! Plus I got the anchor with the big rack to agree to dinner with me!” Mackey winked. “Haha!”

  “More of this...” Seiya found himself muttering as he slumped over. Why is everyone I meet like this? he wondered with irritation. What kind of places are those magical realms?!

  “By the way, I was filmin’ in studio two! It’s got that old-fashioned air conditioner and gets real hot this time of year! I bet you remember that, huh, Kanie-kun? Haha!”

  “Yes. Well... erm... so studio two is still like that, is it?” He’d been in that studio a lot as a child actor. It would be easy for a man with Mackey’s connections to find that out with a little digging.

  Seiya found himself feeling a little nostalgic about it all. But the moment after the thought left his lips, he realized Isuzu and Tricen were looking at him, and he snapped back to attention. Oh, no! I thought I hated talking about my child star days... The mouse’s damned charisma caught me off guard! he realized. That ability to infiltrate a person’s mind like this... Mackey is indeed formidable. The world’s most popular man is formidable!

  Ignoring Seiya’s fear and alarm (if he’d even noticed it), Mackey continued. “So after I got out, I ran into this guy in the hall! Um, your name was... Um... er...”

  “Ah! I am AmaBri’s head of administration, Tricen!” Tricen responded, rubbing his hands together.

  Mackey clapped and pointed at Tricen. “Yeah, what you just said! And I was like, wow, how often do ya see someone from Rexland in a Japanese TV station? So I said, ‘hey!’”

  “Hahh... I was forced to hunch over from the thrill!” Tricen gushed. “I’ll be telling this story all my life!” Rexland was Tricen’s home country— As the name suggested, it was a land of dinosaurs. Apparently the people born there were particularly popular in America.

  “Then I asked him why he was here, and wow! It turned out he worked at AmaBri! And suddenly I thought, I oughta have a look at the place! Haha! So I dragged him onto my helicopter and we flew on down! Haha!”

  “Ah... excuse me for a moment.” Seiya said cautiously, preserving his formal speech as he prepared to ask his next question. He hated having this fishy rat parking his helicopter on his turf, but he was still a top star; he had to pay him his due respect. Besides, someone with Mackey’s means could have his whole park torn down on a whim. “Mackey-san,” he continued, “I know a great deal about you as well. You’re by far the most talented person in our industry.”

  “Yeah! Wow, you know your stuff! Haha! I’m honored!”

  “But... why visit a nothing park like ours? Surely we’re far beneath your notice...”

  “Aw, c’mon!” Mackey twisted that big mouth of his into an abashed smile. Seiya had seen a lot of superstars in a lot of media in his time, but he’d never seen an expression like that. “You were s’posed to close up this March, but you managed to pull through! It even caught me by surprise, so I wanna know your secret! Haha!”

  “Well... We got lucky, that’s all,” Seiya told him.

  “Haha! What’s that, humility?”

  “No, it’s the truth.” It was indeed; Seiya truly believed that they’d only made it this far because of luck. Despite his frequent expressions of arrogance, that was one thing he couldn’t deny. They’d had any number of close shaves up to now. If the cards had fallen just a little bit differently, the park would be an abandoned ruin by now. (Although he could take solace in knowing that if some ordinary fool had been here in his place, they’d have been dead before they even came to the table!)

  “Haha! What an interesting choice of words! Though I don’t think you really mean ’em!”

  “Ah,” Seiya replied delicately.

  “By the way, where’s that headliner of yours?”

  “Er... are you referring to Moffle?”

  “I sure am! Haha!” Mackey spread his arms wide. “What, ya didn’t know? I’m Moffle’s best friend! Of course, I’ve got 100 best friends all around the world! He’s the only best friend who makes less than $30,000 a year, though! Haha!”

  “Mackey. What do you want, fumo?”

  Seiya heard the new voice, turned, and saw that Moffle had just arrived in the parking lot. He must have heard the commotion over the helicopter and come running. He didn’t look at all like a man happy to see an old friend, though.

  “Hey, General Moffle! I missed ya! Haha!”

  “I didn’t miss you, fumo.”

  “Aw shucks, don’t be that way! I send you a Christmas card every year! But since ya never reply, I thought I’d better come by personally! Haha!” Mackey’s disposition remained sunny and cheerful.

  Moffle clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Moffu. Darn it... Hey, Tricen.”

/>   “Y-Yes?!”

  “Show that fatcat rat whatever he wants to see, fumo. I need to talk to Seiya.”

  “Y-Yes sir!”

  “He’s got a powerful Lalapatch Charm (Celebrity Version), so it should be fine to let him onstage. But send Isuzu with him just to be safe, fumo.”

  Isuzu’s brow furrowed at Moffle’s comment. “...? But I...”

  “Haha! Sounds great to me! I love me some big-tiddy girls! How about it, Miss Secretary? Wanna spend the night with me? Oh, but don’t tell Munnie!” Munnie was Mackey’s official girlfriend. In reality, they were married; nobody knew about his other relationships. It was a sensitive enough subject that even the Western paparazzi refrained from prying.

  Still feeling slightly dazed, Isuzu bowed courteously. “Allow me to show you around, Lord Mackey. Although I’ll pass on spending the night...”

  “Aw, too bad. Haha! But that’s life! Let’s go!”

  “All right. Right this way...”

  “See you later, Moffle, Kanie-kun! Haha!”

  Tricen, Isuzu, and several black-clad bodyguards led Mackey onstage.

  “Best friend? What a crock, fumo.” Moffle spat as they were en route from the parking lot to the general affairs building.

  “What was he talking about?”

  “It’s from when I was part of the Maple Land special forces, fumo. Before my promotion to general.”

  Seiya had heard the story of Moffle being a general in the magical realm of Maple Land, and that he’d been a captain in their special forces before then. That must be the time period they were talking about.

  “...There was a terrorist attack, see, fumo. A group of Communist radicals opposed to the Maple Land monarchy—”

  “You guys have radicals?” Seiya interrupted.

  “Moffu (affirmative). So these radicals occupied the USD embassy, fumo.”

  “The USD” referred to the United States of Digima, the magical realm from which most of the Digimaland cast, including Mackey, hailed. Perhaps the term “magical superpower” was more appropriate; Maple Land was a large realm in its own right, but it was dwarfed by the USD in terms of power and influence.