Chapter 5 - The Path I Chose

Say...... do you think something happened to Emu-chan?

Yeah.

She's been on that bench for awhile, looking really spaced out.

I’m a little worried.

Should we try talking to her—oh?

—There you are, Emu-chan.

Kaito-oniisan......

Why are you here?

I was looking for you.

I was a little worried about what happened after the other day.

I’ve been checking on you through your phone.......

Ah.........

Can I sit here with you?

Yeah, go ahead!

Forgive me for listening in on your conversation with Byakkomachi-san.

No, it’s okay.

Thank you for worrying about me.

…Are you alright?

..........

Suzu-chan said she was scared.

I... I feel like I kind of understand how Suzu-chan feels.

It was the same for me back at Phoenix Wonderland.

..............

The old attractions were torn down, and more and more new ones were added.......

The people whose memories were tied to those rides......

They all looked heartbroken.

The thought of making those who were such loyal supporters...... it really scared me.

..........I understand.

I believe both changing and preserving things can be frightening in their own ways.

........Yeah.

…...Emu-chan.

In times like this, maybe you could talk to someone who’s had a similar experience?

Someone who's had a similar experience?

Thar's right.

About the Phoenix Wonderland situation—

There were those who made the first move to change things, right?

You mean......

And they——

I think they also overcame the same fear that Byakkomachi-san is facing right now.

Ah..........

When we were rebuilding Phoenix Wonderland, what was going through our mind?

Yeah...!

I'd really like to hear how you felt at the time!

Weren't you scared about making all those changes?

Didn't you ever worry, like...... what if changing things made people sad, or if you were even doing the right thing?

Huh? Why’re you asking that outta nowhere—

......Well, yeah.

We got a lotta pushback from the people around us.

It’s not like I didn’t have doubts, or wasn’t scared.

.......I see........

Yeah.

Some people were saying we should just rebuild it as a completely different kind of place, not even a theme park.

Phoenix Wonderland had a long history built over the years.

Trying to attract a new audience, when the place had an image so deeply rooted over the years, was really difficult.

In other words, it would've been way simpler to toss it all out and start from scratch.

.............

But we didn’t want to lose it.

Even if everything else changed, we were determined to protect "Phoenix Wonderland" as a theme park——

We made the best decisions we could, with everything we had.

How were you able to keep moving, even when you were afraid?

Even if you're scared or anxious, you have no choice but to force yourself to make a choice and move forward.

The real world won’t sit around waiting for you to get everything perfect.

Yeah.

There wasn’t any time to waste, really.

In the short time we had, we explored every option we could...... and kept making choices.

No one can tell if the path they picked was the right one. Even so—

In the end, we had to turn the path we chose into the right answer ourselves.

Turning the path you chose... into the right answer........

That said......

Thanks to you guys finding a different path along the way, things ended up heading somewhere completely different from what we expected.

That's right.

But even if we had gone ahead with the partnership with the Riley Company.......

We were ready to make that decision the right one as well.

Ah...........

Having that kind of resolve lets you move forward, no matter how scared you are—

It all comes down to whether you can truly commit yourself to that resolve.

.......I get it now.......

........Not like we know what you're struggling with, anyway.

Still, if there's one thing I can tell you—

Emu. You’ll find a way, I'm sure of it.

Huh?

—Yeah, I agree.

I believe it's thanks to you guys that Phoenix Wonderland is still here today.

I'm sure you’ll be able to find a path where everyone can smile.

..........!

Keisuke-onii-chan, Shosuke-onii-chan....…

Thank you!

—What do you think of this?

I see.......

Certainly, with that method, we could solve the problems of ticket pricing, staffing, and stage quality all at once.

Really?!

Yeah.

It's definitely bold, but if we flesh out the realistic details, it’ll be ready to be presented at the board meeting.

Yippeee!!

...There’s just one thing.......

We still can’t say if Morinomiya’s fans will be on board. It might cause even more backlash than we've seen so far.......

I understand how Suzu-chan feels.

I think it's terrifying to hurt the people who've loved and supported you all this time.

But—

If you keep standing still just to avoid changing...... someday, you’ll lose even the things you want to protect the most.

That's why...... even when they're scared, people still try to move forward, right?

I don’t know which way is the right one, but—

It’s up to you to make the path you choose into the right answer.

...........

"Making the path you chose the right answrer", huh.....

That's a good way to put it.

Yep!

My brothers taught me that.

—Thank you, Ootori-san.

Could you stay with me a bit longer?

Huh?

We’ll need the chairman’s approval before we can submit that proposal at the management meeting.

I want us to fine-tune the plan so I can convince my Grandfather.

Yeah, sure thing!