Chapter 45: Brand-New Power - part 4

In the end—

Michelle slept all the way until we reached the airport.

Even when the bus stopped and everyone started getting off, she was still asleep.

I tried calling to her softly, but she didn’t wake up. I thought about tapping her shoulder to wake her up... but no, in this situation, touching her might be a bad idea—while I was hesitating, Gwen went ahead and woke her up.

The moment Michelle woke up… she was all limp and groggy, getting led away just like that.

The look Gwen shot me was seriously harsh.

It felt like her eyes were saying, "Pathetic."

...Even though it’s summer, I felt a chill down my spine.

Now then.

From a New York City airport to Miami International Airport, it’s about a three-hour flight.

The seats were assigned, so unfortunately, I was stuck next to Ned.

Michelle sat next to Gwen.

By the time we boarded the plane, it was almost noon, and Michelle was already awake.

I still remember how she ate the in-flight meal with a look of disgust.

If she disliked it that much, she could’ve just left it, but instead, she made a sour face the whole time and finished it all.

I communicated with Ned using notes, making sure Michelle couldn’t hear, as we discussed our plans.

This evening, we’d get a chance to visit a large commercial facility in downtown Miami: the Miami Bayside Marketplace.

Of course, this is a school summer trip, so individual wandering is prohibited.

But during free time, we’re allowed to move in our groups. In other words, if it’s the four of us—me, Ned, Gwen, and Michelle—we’re allowed to act together.

Dinner is scheduled early at the hotel arranged by the school, so after we eat, we’ll move right away... and there, I plan to buy a present for Michelle.

...Naturally, I’ve already chosen the store and done my research.

But since this is a group activity, Michelle will be tagging along.

I don’t mind that at all—really, I don’t—but I don’t want her to see me actually buying the present.

I’ll have Ned keep her distracted.

...Might need to loop Gwen in about it later, too.

As we finalized our plan and got excited about watching movies on the plane, the flight arrived in Miami.

Florida—Miami.

White sandy beaches, blue ocean.

The scorching sunlight beating down on us.

...It’s ridiculously hot.

I was fine since I was dressed light to begin with, but Ned was sweating, so he took off his shirt and ended up in a tank top.

Gwen had also taken off her jacket and was holding it in her hands.

Michelle... yeah, she was wearing a short-length shirt too.

She was fanning the hem of it in the heat—

And got scolded by Gwen.

Stuff like, “That’s unseemly,” or “Have some modesty.”

Yeah, she was getting lectured.

...Nothing new.

For some reason, she doesn’t really seem to register that she’s a teenage girl.

She only recently started wearing skirts, but even then, her sense of modesty is a little concerning.

...If you’re asking whether I want to see under it, then yes, of course I do—it’s the girl I like, after all. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to.

But it only has meaning if she shows me willingly. I’m not trying to peek or catch her off-guard or anything like that—

Anyway, moving on.

From the airport, we took another bus to the hotel where we’d be staying.

Determined not to mess up again, I psyched myself up—then Michelle silently sat down next to me.

As the bus started moving and I was stressing over how to start a conversation...

“P-Peter?”

Michelle suddenly spoke to me.

“Yeah? What’s up, Michelle?”

I tried my best to respond calmly.

“Gwen told me... apparently, I was using you as a pillow on the ride over. I’m sorry. For hours, even. I must’ve been a bother.”

...Michelle is a little shorter than me.

Probably just under 160 cm or so.

Because of that, her seated height is also lower.

When she sits and talks to me at close range, she naturally ends up looking up at me.

...So basically, she looks at me with upturned eyes.

And here she was, apologizing all meekly with those upturned eyes.

It was devastatingly effective... I felt my cheeks get a little warm.

“It’s totally fine. Honestly, you can use me as a pillow anytime...”

Ah, crap.

I said something weird again—and Michelle just laughed, not the least bit exasperated.

“Thanks. You really are kind, Peter.”

Hearing that made me feel like I was floating.

...But still.

The way Michelle casually drops comments in conversation that make me think “Wait, does she like me?”—it’s almost criminal.

She probably doesn’t mean anything complicated by it, she’s just... careless.

Just like Gwen is concerned for her, I also can’t help but feel like I need to protect her.

If she’s doing this all intentionally to mess with me, that would make her a serious femme fatale, but...

There she was, munching on some caramel-and-peanut chocolate she bought at the airport.

She’s got a small mouth, so she looked just like a squirrel as she ate.

From that alone, she didn’t seem to have even a millimeter of femme fatale energy in her.

“...Hm?”

She tilted her head at my stare while still munching away at the chocolate.

...When I eat those, I end up making loud chewing noises, but she was completely silent.

Is there a trick to it? Mysterious.

---

Miami Epic Hotel.

It’s a hotel with an ocean view… well, kind of. Another building’s in the way, so you can’t really see it clearly.

From the window, half the view is ocean, and the other half is just the side of a building.

Honestly, you couldn’t really call this a good hotel.

This summer trip is funded by money the students pooled together… and support from the government.

We can’t afford to be too picky.

“There’s nothing but water in here!”

Ned’s rummaging through the mini fridge and complaining.

All of us students—including the teachers—are sharing rooms in pairs.

It’s either a shared room or what they call a twin.

My roommate is Ned.

Michelle is with Gwen.

Room assignments were fairly free, so most of us decided among friends.

…Thinking about it, someone probably got left out, and that kind of stings to imagine.

Ned cracks open a bottle and starts drinking.

There were four bottles of mineral water in the fridge.

Some label from a company I’ve never seen before.

Cheap stuff, no doubt.

After checking in at the hotel and grabbing dinner, we came back to our rooms.

It’s 7 p.m. now.

We’ve got free time until 10.

At 10, we’re supposed to report to the hotel lobby for roll call.

Only three hours of freedom.

I message Michelle on my phone, and we agree to meet in the lobby.

The girls’ rooms are on a different floor from the boys’.

Incidentally, girls are allowed on the boys’ floor, but boys aren’t allowed on the girls’ floor.

We meet up with Michelle and Gwen, who came down in the elevator, and head over to Bayside Marketplace.

Thankfully, our hotel is close to where we’re going.

I’d already done some research, so I hand Gwen a pamphlet.

Seeing her light up and say things like “Let’s go here! Oh, and there too!” made me think… I’m glad she’s doing better.

At least, that’s what I thought at the time.

Yes—at the time.

Gwen drags Michelle straight into a women’s clothing store.

Ned and I chase after them.

Gwen starts buying things and ends up with more and more shopping bags.

Naturally, she hands them off to me and Ned.

Eventually, I get annoyed and speak up.

Then Michelle says—

“Sorry. That one’s mine, so I’ll carry it…”

And with that, neither Ned nor I could push back, so we ended up carrying the rest anyway.

Apparently, Gwen’s picking out clothes for Michelle.

And Michelle’s just going along with it, buying whatever she says.

It’s probably because they’ve been apart for a whole month—Gwen’s desire to dress her up has gone completely wild, and there’s no way we can stop her.

She’s way too energetic.

So energetic, in fact, it’s kind of a problem for us.

Ned and I just sighed and followed Gwen around.

Two hours passed like that.

At that point, I finally started to panic and handed my bags off to Ned before rushing over to Gwen.

If I didn’t act soon, I wouldn’t be able to go through with the plan.

Luckily, Michelle was in a fitting room.

Now’s my chance.

“G-Gwen. Can I talk to you for a sec…?”

“Hm? What is it, Peter?”

She turned toward me without the slightest trace of guilt.

“Um, it’s about Michelle…”

That’s when I explained my plan.

The gift plan.

“Ohhh, I see. So, what kind of accessory are you thinking?”

“Uh, a necklace, I guess.”

That advice came from Mr. Stark.

Clothes, rings, and bracelets can be tricky with sizing, so it’s best to have the person try them on first—which makes them a bad choice for a surprise gift.

I left out who told me that, though…

“Hm? Not bad for a nerd. Alright, I’ll help you out.”

Gwen nodded.

“I’ll keep Michelle busy here, so why don’t you and Ned go now? …I’ll hold onto Ned’s bags for you.”

And just like that, she yanked the bags out of Ned’s hands.

…Even if they were originally bought for Michelle, those are still Gwen’s shopping bags, aren’t they?
Not that I’d ever say that out loud.

Anyway, Ned and I left the clothing store.

As we walked off a little briskly, Ned turned to me with a question.

“So, Peter. Got a shop in mind?”

Of course. I’d already done my research.

It was a pretty well-known accessories store in Miami, popular with teenagers.

“Ah, uh, according to the pamphlet… it’s this one—”

Temporarily Closed.

That’s what the sign says.

The shutters are down too.

“…Well, yeah. That’s what it says.”

“Dude, you blew it.”

I collapsed to my knees.

“It’s over…”

“What’re we gonna do now?”

Even Ned’s exasperated voice sounded distant.

“…Let’s just go back to the girls…”

“Peter, man, you’re giving up way too fast…”

But—but I mean…

I don’t know anything about what makes a good gift for a girl.

I just thought, hey, this shop has a good rep, she’ll probably like something from here.

I didn’t have a backup plan.
It’s pathetic, but I guess this is where the plan ends.

Dragging my feet, I start heading back toward Gwen and Michelle.

“…Hey, kid. You having trouble ‘cause that shop’s closed?”

The voice came from an older woman running a street stall.

She was sitting on a rug in front of a wooden booth, set up right on the ground.

“Uh, sorry… we’re in kind of a hurry.”

She didn’t seem exactly shady, but still… she’s not as easy to trust as a proper storefront.

She must have a permit to sell here in Bayside Marketplace though.

Without one, security would’ve shut her down already.

“C’mon now… You were headed there to get something for a girl you like, right? Am I wrong?”

“…You could tell?”

She hit the mark so cleanly that I ended up walking over, just out of curiosity.

Ned followed behind, still looking a little suspicious.

“Only guys with no experience go into a place like that alone.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m guessing you came here just ‘cause you heard it was popular, right? Not a bad instinct. But if it were really a present for your girlfriend, you’d have brought her with you.”

She nailed it again. I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

“…I’ve got accessories for girls here, too.”

“…You do?”

Turns out, this stall actually sold accessories.

…No, it’s not just luck.

The regular accessory shop is usually crowded—so she probably set up near it on purpose to draw in customers. Smart move.

The older shopkeeper began laying out some accessories from the booth.

“Ah, but I, uh… don’t have that much money…”

I hesitated, considering my budget.

“It’s fun, you know—cheering on youngsters in love. You start enjoying that kind of thing when you get to my age.”

She chuckled brightly as she said it.

…Kind of a shady-sounding laugh, but… well, she must have a proper vendor’s license, so it’s probably not a scam… right?

“…Here, this one’s an acrylic glass accessory. Not too pricey either.”

What she brought out was a beautiful, transparent glasswork necklace shaped like a rose.

“…That might be nice.”

“Right?”

She then pulled out two differently colored necklaces from the box.

A red rose and a blue rose.

“Roses have meanings, you know… Red stands for ‘love’ or ‘romance.’”

“…Love, romance.”

I repeated the words, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, looking away.

“My, my, such a shy one. But if it’s a gift for a girl you like, something that passionate is just right.”

“R-Right. Then I’ll go with the red—”

“Hold it. Impulsive guys aren’t popular. At least hear what the blue one means.”

“O-Okay…”

I was completely caught in her rhythm now, so I listened as she continued.

“Blue means ‘miracle.’”

“…Miracle?”

“Yup, ‘miracle.’ But back in the day, it actually meant ‘impossible.’”

“…Huh? That’s the exact opposite.”

I asked again, confused.

“Exactly. See, blue roses didn’t exist in nature. That’s why they symbolized ‘impossible.’ But then, a while ago, people managed to create them through genetic modification… people who didn’t believe in ‘impossible’ made it happen.”

She held up the blue rose accessory.

The acrylic rose shimmered as it scattered the light.

“…That’s why it means ‘miracle.’ It’s about the human power to make the impossible possible.”

“…That’s actually… kind of amazing.”

“Right?”

I nodded.

…It really did feel amazing.

A miracle, huh…

“Then I’ll take the blue one…”

Besides, Michelle’s eyes are a beautiful blue too.

That makes it feel just right for her.

“Thanks for your business. This is the price.”

She held out the receipt.

…Ugh. I’m just short of my budget.

“…Ned?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

When I called out, Ned came over from behind.

He saw me frozen with my wallet open, seemed to get the picture, and let out a sigh.

“One favor, alright?”

He handed me a hundred-dollar bill.

“Th-Thanks! I’ll definitely pay you back…”

“You better. I’m counting on it. New Death Star drops in two months, remember?”

Nodding, I handed the money to the vendor and bought the accessory.

It came in a small wooden box… yeah, it really had a nice feel to it.

I thanked the vendor, and we hurried back to meet up with Gwen and Michelle.

…We were a bit behind schedule, so we picked up the pace and returned to where they were.

But—

“Huh? Where are those two?”

They were gone.

Feeling a bit concerned, I pulled out my phone...

We’re just going to check out another store~! 😊

...said the message from Michelle.

No, come on, Gwen definitely typed this.

Michelle’s messages are usually shorter and more formal… Ugh, just saying that makes me feel kind of sad.

The timestamp was twenty minutes ago.

...Right after we headed toward the food stalls.

Well, I guess I’m partly to blame for suggesting we split up. Even though the school explicitly told us to stick to group activities.

Panicking a little, I called Michelle. I knew Gwen had recently switched to a new phone, but we’d forgotten to exchange contact info.

That probably explains why Gwen used Michelle’s phone to send the message in the first place.

After two rings, someone picked up.

“’Hahh—mofumofu—”

...She had something in her mouth.

“Uh, Michelle?”

“...gulp Yes?”

She swallowed something—then responded.

“Um, where are you right now?”

“Uhh... we came to this accessories shop... but it was closed...”

I held my head in my hands.

...We completely missed each other.

Sounds like they’re at the place we were just at a little while ago.

“Is Gwen with you?”

“Mm-hmm, she is. Want me to hand her the phone?”

“...No, it’s fine. You don’t have to.”

With a sigh, I turned around and started heading back.

...Gwen was holding a few shopping bags.

So was Michelle.

They’d both set their paper bags down and were sitting on a bench.

Michelle was eating some kind of colorful ice cream.

It had an almost aggressively bright rainbow hue to it.

Gwen was just watching her from across the bench, not eating anything.

“Y-You two…”

“Hm? Oh, sorry, sorry! We got bored of the clothing shops and wandered off.”

“...Haaah.”

Seeing Gwen laugh like she was genuinely having fun, I could only sigh.

There’s no way I could scold her.

After all, she’d only just gotten out of the hospital yesterday after a whole month.

This was probably her first taste of freedom in a while, and it made her a little careless.

I get it.

Gwen showed no signs of remorse and just kept smiling.

Michelle, on the other hand… looked a bit guilty—but that didn’t stop her from eating her ice cream.

...Well, I mean, yeah. Ice cream melts.

Since we were running out of time, we decided to head back to the hotel.

...Actually, I felt kinda bad for Ned, who basically got dragged into this whole mess.

Gwen had dumped her bags on him, and he was now carrying them.

...He did say something like, “If she ever gets hurt, I’ll be there to help her!”

So I guess this counts…? Sort of?

He was being useful, even if it’s in a weird way.

I took Michelle’s bags too.

“Real men don’t make girls carry stuff”—or so Stark-san always says.

Even if he hadn’t, I probably would’ve carried them anyway.

Michelle, unlike Gwen, actually looked concerned, like she was wondering if I was really okay with it. But when she realized I wanted to help, she just gave me a soft look and didn’t say anything more.

Led by Gwen, the four of us returned to the hotel.

...For the record, we really cut it close to the check-in, and ended up rushing at the last minute.

Thanks to that, I was so exhausted I slept like a log that night.