"Hello~!"

"........."

"Earth to Leo, is anyone there...?!"

"......"

Alright... He's worse than I thought. He doesn't even react when I talk to him or wave my hand...

"........."

Yep, he's totally gone!

What is Leo doing for me to say that?

Well, that's the thing, dear reader, he's doing absolutely nothing but staring at the blue sky, lying there with an expression of total tranquility.

...... To be honest, his expression is like that of someone who has escaped hell or a battlefield and is finally able to rest in peace to reflect... Okay... Why?!

First of all, it wasn't a date, but a very "manly" friends' outing!!

Besides, even with that, I don't think it could have been so stressful as to leave someone in this state!

I mean... look at him.

HE'S TOTALLY GONE!

It's impossible to reach a level of stress or pressure so high that someone ends up like that!

Huh...? You want me to carefully remember the events of the "date"...?

Hey, it wasn't a date!! Why is that so hard for you to understand?!

Hahhh... But fine... Remembering what it was like... Mmmm...?

Let's see... we ate some ice cream, a few desserts, and had a quiet walk. Then we arrived at the fun amusement park called "The Park of Lamentations," riding at full speed on the roller coaster known as "Abyss of the Leviathan," on which we enjoyed a thrilling ride.

Why the hell did we go there?

Obviously, because I had the tickets. Isn't that obvious...?

How is it not?! Of course, it is! I mean, think about it carefully and remember what my goal is!

You don't remember...?

...Okay... Then I'll remind you... ¡¡I will live a (relatively) normal life in this absurd world!!

What does that have to do with the amusement park?!

Listen to me closely, dear readers. If you've been following me so far, you'll notice that, despite my best efforts, this damn world somehow tries to drag me into something as soon as it gets the chance. And I'm not just saying that, because every time I go down to the lair, something ends up happening, and even when I literally do nothing, something happens!

Do you know how much I have to train and prepare for what this world might throw at me?

Do you know?!

The worst part is that, as a result of all the training, work, school, and a long "etcetera" that I do daily, my body has gotten used to constant adrenaline!

Haaaa... Hahh... Haa... Do you understand what I mean...?

...I... I'm not.... ¡¡I am not satisfied with a common amusement park...!!

Common amusement parks can no longer satisfy me in the slightest!

Ugh... Sniff... I-it just... Sniff... No matter how much I try... They just can't!

(Slap!)

"Ouch!"

"Control yourself!"

"Huh...? Echidna?!"

"I leave for a few moments and you're already crying over someone on the floor looking at the sky... hahh."

However, as I was immersing myself in the complicated feelings, trying to deny that I had fallen into an addiction for adrenaline, Echidna suddenly reappeared, having fled after I chased her with my faithful Antonio (the frying pan), which finally made its reappearance... giving me a slap in the process.

"Where were you?! You would normally have accepted the beating with honor!"

"I certainly would have, however, there was something I had to do at that moment."

"...Was it something interesting?"

"Wow, how did you guess."

"......"

...Every time something piques Echidna's interest, I end up having a bad feeling, and I'm already quite tired from getting almost no sleep. So there's only one thing I can do!

"Whatever it was that caught your interest isn't problematic, is it...?"

"I can assure you that it's not."

"Then it's fine!"

What...?

Don't look at me like that! I'm tired, and frankly, I need to sleep after everything that has happened!

And as long as I don't know anything or it doesn't concern me, I won't intervene!!

So, with that... let's consider this a problem solved!

"Hey, Companion, before you continue with your internal monologue staring into space, shouldn't you do something about the human who's having an existential crisis?"

"......"

"...."

Damn it, I keep forgetting about Leo!!

(SLAP!!)

Uuuff... ALRIGHT!... I need to calm down and focus... Remember, I... what happened after the roller coaster?... Let's see... We went on more rides... We ate... The time came to go to the temple... And then... then...

(Slap!)

"I REMEMBERED!!"

After that, we entered the temple and I started bombing everything I saw after resonating with Brownie, forgetting that Leo was there!

"Damn it, now I feel even more guilty!"

"....."

"Please react, Leo!"

"....."

"Stop shaking him, he seems to have no strength left."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"...."

(Boom!)

...You know, I just realized that I'm a terrible friend... Should I practice more? Yep... I probably should...

In that state, I don't think he can go home by himself.

...Which means... I have to carry him...?

"Hey, Echidna."

"What?"

"Do you think I can carry him to his house...?"

"¡IMPOSSIBLE!"

"I thought the same thing, me too..."

Well, that confirms it... Time for Plan B!

"Brownie, it's your turn!"

("¡Clink, clank!")

In this situation, with my sense of direction, taking Leo home would take more time and effort than I can handle right now, so with the help of Brownie, who returned to her normal form as a technological mass similar to a slime with her resonant gear sounds, I'll borrow Leo's phone!

"Do your thing, Brownie!"

("¡Clink, clank!")

What is Brownie doing, you ask?

Well, you see, Brownie is capable of assimilating, manipulating, and controlling all technology she comes into contact with, which means she can easily hack Leo's phone!

But before you ask, why ask her to hack Leo's phone?

I'll answer you!!

You see, the answer is quite simple, really: who better to pick up Leo than his own family in a time of need...? Well, no one! And for that reason, I'll call them to take care of it using Leo's phone... Although... it looks like it broke at some point... W-well, Brownie will restore it in the process, so there's no problem!

"Wow... he has a lot of missed calls..."

Apparently, Leo was called hundreds of times during the night by someone named... Cedro...?

"I don't know him, so maybe it wasn't relevant. Besides, I'm not a gossip (unless it's necessary)!"

So, in that way, I calmly called Leo's mother and had a brief conversation... You wanted to hear it...? Well... I don't think it was necessary. I mean, there was nothing interesting in it, so I'll save you the time. After all, she was a normal mother... She spoke kindly while panting from masturbating, according to her. You know, things that happen in every normal family!

How do I know she was masturbating?

Well... she told me herself, while saying she was in a lesbian relationship with her daughter, to which, after I told her I was her son's friend, she uncomfortably stopped to agree to come pick him up after I gave her the address... See...? I told you it was a normal conversation.

So, with that, I know Leo will be in good hands!

...But still, I feel like I should give him something for the trouble caused... But the question is, what to give...?

"Mmmm... money...?"

So, while considering how much money to give as compensation, thinking that about a billion should be enough, I saw the car in which Leo's mother seemed to be coming... Hahhh... Finally, with this, I complete my first step to restore the ship of my romantic comedy... It was exhausting... And it took a lot of effort (psychological), but one is down and one is to go to get my romantic comedy back!

I CAN DO IT!!