Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 87

However, he, too, had a limit to riding rides, so after a few attempts, he came out and changed his direction to cheering Pete on. Chase, who had waved a bright smile at Pete when he returned again, said.

“It’s my first time too.”

“What?”

A surprised Josh unconsciously looked back at him. Chase, with his gaze fixed on the receding Pete, replied.

“It’s my first time at an amusement park.”

But his movements when riding the rides seemed familiar. When Josh pointed that out, Chase replied indifferently.

“I’ve ridden rides before. I had most of them in my garden.”

Josh didn’t bother to ask how big his garden was. Just then, the ride slowed down, and they went to pick up Pete.

“What else do you want to ride? …Should we eat lunch first?”

Josh checked the time and asked. Josh, who habitually held one of the child’s hands, glanced at Chase. It was a sign for him to take the other hand, but he didn’t understand. Pete also naturally clung to Josh’s leg, so Josh silently picked up the child in one arm and walked, holding Chase’s other hand.

All the facilities in the park were operating as usual. At the soft-serve ice cream shop Pete liked, Chase bought a strawberry ice cream for the child and handed a vanilla one to Josh. When Chase was about to leave without paying, Pete stomped his foot and asked.

“Aren’t you paying?”

Chase paused at the child’s question. The child clearly didn’t understand the situation. Chase, like Josh, bent down to meet Pete’s gaze.

“Pete, I bought this whole park today. So you don’t have to pay.”

“Bought? All of this?”

Pete tilted his head. It was clearly too difficult for him to understand yet. Chase calmly added an explanation.

“Everything here today is yours.”

Pete looked up at Josh with a bewildered expression. Josh smiled and said, “That’s right.” The child still tilted his head and asked again.

“Then, can I have another ice cream?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Pete had a tower of strawberry ice cream in each hand.

After giving the child a hot dog, Josh and Chase each took a bite of a hamburger. Josh admired Chase, who ate without spilling any contents or even getting anything in his mouth.

Pete, on the other hand, like a child, got ketchup stains not only on his chin but also on his new shirt bought the day before. Josh roughly wiped the ketchup with a napkin and gave the child a drink.

Chase, who had been quietly watching his skilled movements, opened his mouth.

“…Have you been raising him alone for a long time?”

Josh paused, but he instinctively knew that this was the time to tell the truth. After confirming that Pete was engrossed in eating, he lowered his voice and replied.

“I’ve been raising him alone all this time. So… Pete’s papa doesn’t know Pete exists.”

“Doesn’t know?”

Josh diligently recalled the words he had prepared since the day before. But he couldn’t easily get the words out, as if something had gotten tangled. While he hesitated, Pete turned his head.

“Daddy.”

“Ah, juice?”

Josh, who was getting a drink for the child, paused. There was a bug in it. Josh clicked his tongue briefly and stood up.

“I’ll get another one, can you wait a moment?”

Josh smiled at Pete and asked.

“Daddy will get this refilled.”

Pete turned his head from Josh to Chase. The child’s face was full of awkwardness, but Josh pretended not to notice.

“Then please.”

“Joshua, wait…”

Chase called him belatedly, but he had already walked away with long strides.

An awkward silence fell between the remaining Chase and Pete. The child started eating his hot dog again, but his chewing speed slowed as if he was choking. Chase, who was watching, offered him his drink.

“It’s a milkshake, want some?”

The child hesitated, looking alternately at Chase and the drink. Chase offered it again, as if to say it was okay. Pete quietly said, “Thank you,” and then sucked on the straw. Chase’s heart swelled with emotion at the fact that the child had accepted his favor. Only then did he realize why Josh had left them alone.

He must want me to build a rapport with him.

Chase made up his mind and looked at the child’s round head. The blond child, who looked exactly like Josh, made his affection boil over just by looking at him, but he couldn’t easily approach him.

Um, um, Chase kept hesitating, then finally brought up a topic.

“What do you like? I mean, animations?”

As he tried to recall children’s preferences and asked, Pete mentioned a famous train character.

“I like it! Choo-choo!”

Did he like the train, or the character? Chase faced a dilemma, but at least the child’s face brightened, so he felt hopeful. He pressed on and asked one more thing.

“Don’t you like Earth Taker?”

Is the age range a bit high for a child?

When he mentioned the title of the animated version of the movie he was currently filming, Pete blinked. He must not know it, he thought, when Pete replied.

“I know that.”

“Really? Who do you like best among them? Do you know Doctor Flame?”

He asked excitedly, without realizing it. Pete seemed to think for a moment, then hesitated and replied.

“I don’t like Doctor Flame. I’m sorry.”

Chase was disappointed, but seeing him even bow, he had no choice but to compose himself somehow.

“Then who do you like?”

As he forced a smile and asked, Pete tilted his head, then brightened up and said, “Ah!”

“I like Glacier Man.”

“…”

Kids like the protagonist.

Chase understood. It was an obvious truth.

“Haaah.”

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, thinking. Why did I meekly take on something like Doctor Flame, just because Keith told me to?

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Pete’s eyes widened, and he began to run off in a hurry somewhere. Chase, who had been momentarily lost in thought, belatedly came to his senses and chased after him. What he found was a large signboard, which was about a theme park made with the train character he said he liked.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

Pete anxiously looked around. His face was full of the wish that Josh would come quickly and take him to this paradise. Of course, Chase also had tickets to that place. But he didn’t readily pick up the child and instead spoke.

“Shall we go? We can just tell Daddy to come this way.”

“Can we really?”

The child asked with an excited expression. “Yes,” Chase nodded, and suddenly Pete held out his hand. For a moment, Chase didn’t understand what it meant. Seeing the vigorously extended hand waving, he belatedly realized, “Ah!”

When he gently took his hand, a sticky hand covered in ice cream came into his grasp. His heart almost stopped for a moment at the tiny, soft hand. He wanted to pick up the child like Josh, but fearing he might drop him, he slowly walked towards the theme park, matching the child’s pace.

It was then that an impossible sound was heard. At the sudden barking of a dog, Chase froze in place. Pete was startled, turned his head, and his eyes widened.

“Oh? It’s Jason!”

He shouted cheerfully.

“Look, Jason! He looks just like Jason!”

Pete shook the puppy doll he was holding and chattered excitedly. But Chase couldn’t hear a single word. Even after Pete talked for a long time and then let go of his hand and ran off, Chase remained disoriented for a while. The team leader among the bodyguards, noticing his strange state, quickly approached.

“Mr. Miller, are you alright? You don’t look well.”

“…”

“Mr. Miller, snap out of it!”

The team leader lightly shook his shoulder and shouted loudly. Chase flinched and blinked. It took him a little longer to grasp reality. The bodyguards were looking at him with serious expressions. One by one, the amusement park facilities came into view, and he remembered why he was here.

Pete.

He belatedly realized and quickly looked down; his hand was empty. His face immediately turned pale.

“Where’s Pete?”

Hearing that, the team leader looked around. The bodyguards, who had been focused on Chase, looked around in confusion, but Pete was already out of sight. Chase’s mind went blank for a different reason than before.

“Find him immediately…!”

At his shout, the bodyguards scattered in a hurry.

“Please go inside and rest for a bit, Mr. Miller. You look like you’re about to collap…”

The team leader said worriedly, but Chase ignored him and frantically set out to find Pete.

It can’t be.

He thought in a panic. Just a few minutes, no, a few seconds? It was truly an instant, how could he disappear so quickly? Is it possible that all these people couldn’t keep an eye on one child? How, why.

They were watching me, not Pete.

He barely managed to suppress the urge to shout and scream. First, he had to find Pete. The distance a child could walk would be limited. I have to think, I have to think…!

Jason.

Suddenly, something flashed through Chase’s mind. The puppy doll Pete carried around. He said he saw a dog that looked just like it.

Again, the sound of a dog barking was heard. Chase, who had momentarily frozen, suppressed his quickening breath and asked.

“…Is there a dog kennel nearby?”