Light Novel Chapter 22

幻想メリーゴーランド (Gensou Merii Goorando, lit: Illusion Merry-Go-Round) is the twenty-second chapter of the light novel series of The "Hentai" Prince and the Stony Cat.
==Plot==
After the Italian school incident, Azuki Azusa swore to be the one approaching Yokodera. Since then, Youto has been receiving a phone call from Azusa every night at 10:30. Each call would last aroumd 15 seconds, where Azusa makes a short report of her day, and there's not much else they'd talk about. When Youto suggests one day that they talk a little longer, she says that she is still in rehabilitation, telling him to wait as she's working hard.
However, the idea of waiting doesn't sit well with Youto, so one day after another 15-second call, he proposes a date. The location doesn't matter, as long as they can spend some time together. An awkward silence ensues. Eventually, as Youto is about to change his mind, Azusa stops him and agrees to go, deciding she won't make Youto wait forever.
As suggested by Azusa, they meet up at a theme park called the "Giant's Daily Life Land," a world where the visitors are small people, with giant houses and furnitures. Lining up at the ticket stand, Youto senses something strange about Azusa but can't quite pinpoint it. When it is their turn, Azusa points at a flyer that says "today is couples day." She then begins acting oddly fidgety and speaking somewhat incoherently, seemingly incredibly excited for the discount deal. Youto points out a condition for the couple's discount, which is to have signed up for their mailing service, but Azusa reveals that she already "accidentally" signed up. Thus, they end up buying the couple's ticket.
Azusa takes Youto's hand like it's completely natural. He notices Azusa acting strangely normal, unlike how she used to easily get panicked or flustered. Right now, she radiates the aura of an impeccable beauty just like when they first met, despite her no longer having Youto's facade.
Azusa is not at all a rollercoaster person, so they decide to go for a relaxed ride to start — a bumper cars course. The goal of the ride is to avoid the obstacles and make it to the finish line in time, but Azusa doesn't seem to understand. As soon as they start, Azusa begins aggressively crashing into Youto. As someone who almost never gets a chance to play like this, Azusa has so much fun that they keep going for 3 rounds, until the people around them start growing impatient.
They head over to the merry-go-round for a break. Sitting together, Youto holds out his hand, and Azusa happily nods and takes it, the wordless communication making Youto exceeding happy. Azusa seems lost in thought when the ride comes to an end. When asked what's wrong, she remarks that holding hands like this makes them feel like prince and princess.
They sit down at a nearby bench. Youto contemplates their next steps, his arm still crossed with Azusa's and their bodies practically glued to each other. However, this intimate moment would soon be interrupted: a cat-like, expressionless figure approaches — Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko soon appears in front of them.
After some awkward greetings, Tsukiko explains that she's here for children's welfare club activities. But before Youto can use this as an excuse to split up, Tsukiko quickly grabs Youto's clothes, latching onto him with an ominous air, despite insisting that she is perfectly calm.
Seeing this, Azusa invites Tsukiko to play together. They arrive at a restaurant, where Tsukiko learns that they bought the couple's ticket. Youto explains that it is a form of rebellion against societal trends, and Azusa says it's only to save money with no deeper meaning. However, Tsukiko mutters quietly to herself, clearly unsatisfied.
Youto sits down in a corner seat, and Tsukiko immediately moves to claim the seat next to him with inhuman speed, but then hesitates before sitting down. Azusa, noticing the hesitation, insists that Tsukiko takes the seat, masking her control. After some back and forth, Tsukiko reluctantly accepts. Azusa then treats Tsukiko with a teasing affection, poking her cheeks and calling out her reluctance. Only now does Youto finally understand the mysterious aura that Azusa has been emitting — she is as confident as can be, fully aware of the dominance she holds.
Tsukiko asks Azusa if something good happened, prompting her to cryptically share that she had a dream where she had her first kiss, though avoiding any further details. Despite Tsukiko maintaining an outward facade of calm, Youto senses her growing irritation.
When Azusa leaves the table to get everyone's salad, Tsukiko seizes the moment to confront Youto directly. She sits on Youto's lap, her hands gripping his shirt and tugging at his bangs like a form of punishment, as she quietly asserts that she has known him the longest and their bond is the most significant.
==Characters==
==Navigation==