Chapter 60: Hisui Kamishiro (The Beginning of the Hot Springs Date)
"A one-night, two-day hot springs trip!?"
One day after school, Hisui showed up at my house and told me she’d finalized our date plans—with that completely outrageous announcement.
Apparently, she wanted the two of us to visit the hot spring inn her relatives ran, the same one we’d gone to back in middle school for our graduation trip.
She’d asked me to tell her all the days I was free, and I’d given her the full list, but I hadn’t expected her to plan a full overnight trip.
“Staying overnight alone with a girl... That’s seriously not gonna work.”
Even if we are childhood friends, going on a trip with just Hisui is… a bit much in many ways.
“Oh? But we’re both girls now, aren’t we?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t think my parents would see it that way…”
Her dad might be fine with it, since we’re “both girls.” But my parents know I used to be a boy. It’s perfectly normal for them to worry about their teenage daughter going on an overnight trip with someone like that.
“It’s fine. I already got your mom’s permission when I visited the other day. I also got Yuna’s approval, just in case.”
“W-Wait, seriously…?”
Wait a second. My parents aren’t normal!?
…Or am I just overthinking this? I mean, yeah, we’re both girls now, so there’s no risk of anything happening, but still.
More importantly—when the heck did Hisui pull all this off behind my back?
“B-But… still, it’s not possible. I don’t have enough money for an overnight trip.”
I don’t have a part-time job, so my only income is the allowance I get from my parents. I really didn’t think I had enough to cover the cost of a trip like this.
“Don’t worry. This trip is purely my selfish idea, so let me cover the expenses.”
“I can’t let you do that. I agreed to go on this date too. And I used to be a guy—having a girl pay for the whole date would just be pathetic.”
She’d clearly predicted how I’d respond—because she already had a counter ready.
“I figured you’d say that. So, when I got your mom’s permission, I also asked her to let us use your savings account.”
I have an account in my name where I stash birthday and New Year’s money. Normally I’m not allowed to touch that money without my mom’s permission. Apparently, Hisui had already secured that too. Her behind-the-scenes maneuvering was honestly kind of scary.
“…So, is there any other issue left?”
“…N-No, I guess not.”
“Great. Then let’s move forward with the plan. I’m really looking forward to it.”
…Was this really okay?
I had this lingering feeling I’d just agreed to something I couldn’t undo. It was just a date—or at least, it was supposed to be…
And then, on the day of the trip.
I was waiting for Hisui in front of the station.
For some reason, Yuna was with me. She insisted on coming to see us off.
Yuna had mostly gotten over the bad mood she’d been in during the cultural festival, but even now, I sometimes caught her giving me these complicated looks. I asked her about it, but she wouldn’t tell me the reason.
Was she holding something against Hisui? But she never acted that way during club activities…
While I was turning that over in my head, Yuna suddenly turned to me with a determined expression.
“I’ve got a lot I could say, but this is something you, Hisui-nee, and Alicia need to decide. So I’m not going to interfere.”
She still wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but it seemed like she’d finally come to terms with it on her own.
"I'm Alice's big sister, so no matter what choice you make, just remember—I’ll always be on your side."
"...Got it. Thank you."
I didn’t really understand why, but Yuna looked so serious that I simply expressed my gratitude honestly.
"Alicia… I think of you as another little sister. So if anything ever comes up, feel free to talk to me, okay?"
『Yuna… thank you very much.』
After saying just that, Yuna gave us a refreshed, content smile.
“…Looks like she’s here.”
Following Yuna’s gaze, I saw Hisui approaching us.
She wore a stylish pair of pants, and with her wavy ponytail, she gave off a kind of cool, confident vibe.
"Good morning, Alice. And Yuna too?"
"Good morning, Hisui-nee. I’m just here to see you off, so don’t mind me."
"I see. You surprised me for a moment. It reminded me of our middle school graduation trip."
"Yeah, that one was my fault, so can you not bring it up again…?"
Back then, Yuna had a bit of a track record—she forced her way into joining our graduation trip. That’s what Hisui was referring to.
"Alright then, I’ll be off now. I’m counting on you to take care of the two of you, okay?"
"…Of course. I will."
The two of them exchanged smiles before Yuna turned and walked away.
She wasn’t heading toward home, so maybe she planned to wander around town a bit.
Hisui turned to watch Yuna go, her ponytail tracing a smooth arc behind her.
“Well then, Alice. Let’s begin our date.”
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