Chapter 42: Beautiful Girl, To the Sea (Part 2)

We arrived at the inn and checked in before heading to our room to relax.

…Well, “relax” might be overstating it. We’d only ridden a bus and eaten parfaits—hardly enough to be tired. Honestly, we just didn’t have anything else to do. It was raining, after all. Can’t really help that.

Our room was a spacious twelve-and-a-half tatami mat room, clean and neatly arranged. In the center sat a large table surrounded by five floor chairs. Normally, the window at the back would offer a stunning ocean view, but thanks to the gloomy weather, that magnificent sight was rather dull today.

Apparently, the inn’s main attraction was its ocean-view bathhouse and open-air hot spring. The room had a private bath, but from what I’d heard, guests rarely used it.

I considered reading one of the manga volumes I’d bought, but reading manga while on a trip didn’t feel quite right.

Hmm…

Alright, let’s go explore the inn!

When I suggested it, Moeka-chan and Aika-chan both said they wanted to come too, so the three of us set off together, wandering down the halls.

“Hey, there’s a ping-pong table! A ping-pong table!”

“My sister can’t even serve properly. Why are you so excited about this…?”

Aika-chan gave her sister a look of exasperation as Moeka practically lunged toward the table.

Heh. Even I can serve, you know. Maybe I could actually win this one. But wait—would a match that ends just with serves even be fun…?

We continued walking, passing the large bath area.

“Look, Ayu-chan! The big bath! Let’s go in together later!”

Aika-chan’s eyes sparkled like gemstones as she looked down at me—literally, since she was taller.

Honestly, I really wanted to say, “I must respectfully decline,” but imagining her disappointed face made it hard to speak. After some internal struggle, what came out was:

“U-um… sure. If the timing works out.”

What nonsense. Of course the timing would work out—we’re literally staying in the same room.

“Then I’ll join too!”

Now Moeka-chan was looking at me with the same puppy-dog eyes.

Seriously, these sisters are way too similar—it’s almost scary. Sometimes I wonder if they’re twins.

But really, bathing together sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

Sure, I’ve gotten used to wearing swimsuits. I can handle seeing other girls in theirs, and I’m fine with changing rooms now too. But the bath… that’s crossing a line!

If I still had a guy’s body, I’d probably have been arrested dozens of times by now just for being in this situation—and that thought alone was enough to terrify me.

Besides, with swimsuits there’s still fabric between you, and even when changing, you’re not exactly staring at anyone. But a bath? There’s no escape! Seeing is bad enough, but being seen? That’s mortifying!

“You don’t want to bathe with us, Ayu-chan?”

“Ayumi-chan, do you hate the idea?”

Ugh… there it was again. Those eyes. That heart-crushing, abandoned-puppy gaze.

“…Understood. Let’s… bathe together.”

I managed a strained smile. The two of them responded with radiant, angelic grins.

Ah well. Whatever happens, happens.

“Oh! That reminds me!”

Moeka-chan clapped her hands, as if struck by a sudden idea.

Both Aika-chan and I tilted our heads in unison.

“We don’t have any snacks or drinks for tonight’s group hangout!”

“Oh! You’re right. Nice catch, sis! Let’s go buy some!”

Now that she mentioned it, our room only had tea. None of us had brought snacks—we didn’t want to carry too much.

“Should we call the others too?”

I pulled out my phone.

“Hmm, it’s probably fine with just us three. If everyone leaves, we’d have to deal with returning the keys and all that,” Moeka said.

She had a point, so I put my phone away.

There were five of us girls total, so we wouldn’t need much anyway. If everyone went together, we’d probably overbuy and end up with too much.

At the convenience store, we filled a basket with chips, tea, juice, and paper cups.

“By the way, Sakurako-chan loves spicy chips! And so does Yoshino-san. Those two have really similar tastes.”

“Got it. Then let’s grab these Tabasco-flavored ones for them.”

Everyone’s preferences were surprisingly different.

They all liked sweets, but when it came to snacks, their tastes diverged a lot. Sakurako-chan and Yoshino-san liked spicy ones, Aika-chan preferred lightly salted, and Moeka-chan went for barbecue flavor.

As for me—I didn’t have a strong favorite, so I figured I’d just nibble from whatever they picked.

I did want some mizuyōkan (sweet red bean jelly), but that’s not something you can really share, so I decided to skip it this time…

“Huh? Ayumi-chan, you’re not getting any mizuyōkan?”

“Well, it’s not really something everyone can eat together.”

“Don’t worry about that! If seeing you happy makes everyone else happy, that’s good enough.”

Unable to resist, I added one pack to the basket.

I didn’t really like eating in front of others, but if enduring that meant I could enjoy some mizuyōkan, then so be it.

After paying, I carried the plastic bag out of the store.

Ah… shoot. I picked the one with bottled drinks in it. It’s heavier than I thought. I couldn’t exactly ask someone else to carry it—they were girls too.

“Are you okay, Ayumi-chan? Want me to hold that?”

Moeka-chan noticed me setting the bag down inside the store.

I quickly shook my head. I-it’s fine! It’s not like I can’t lift five kilos! It’s just… when I think about carrying it all the way back to the inn, I start feeling faint.

But still, I had to carry it myself. No getting around that.

I took a deep breath and braced myself.

“You okay there?”

“Eh?”

Just as I was psyching myself up, a voice called from behind, making me squeak in surprise.

When I turned around, I saw a vaguely familiar face.

“Weren’t you at the bookstore near the station earlier today?”

Ah—right! That’s when it clicked. He was the guy who handed me that manga volume I couldn’t reach. What’s he doing here?

“Oh, right! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first.”

“Haha, it’d be weird if you did just from that. But hey, since fate brought us together again, let me carry that for you.”

What should I do, Ayumi-chan…?

An emergency meeting started inside my head.

Most of my inner voices were shouting, Let him carry it! Clearly, they’d already abandoned the “carry your own stuff” principle.

But wait a second! Handing off your luggage to a guy you just met? That’s kind of bad, isn’t it? Even if it’s heavy and I’m wobbling, I should still carry my own things!

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s my luggage, so I’ll take it myself to the inn!”

“The inn? Around here, that’d be Aoi Inn, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, that’s right.”

“That’s my mom’s inn.”

What were the odds? The coincidence was so wild that I just stood there, completely speechless.

As I froze in place, Moeka-chan and Aika-chan suddenly burst onto the scene.

“Ayumi-chan! You okay!? Is this guy hitting on you!?”

Moeka-chan glared sharply at the man—so sharp it could cut glass. Wait, she’s not about to throw him, is she!?

Easy to forget, but Moeka-chan used to do judo. She’s small, sure, but apparently really good at throwing people. Terrifying thought.

“N-no, that’s not it! He just offered to help carry our stuff, but I said no since he’s a stranger—and then it turns out he’s actually related to the people who run our inn?”

The sisters nodded along as I rambled my explanation at lightning speed. They might not have caught every word, but they seemed to get the gist.

And once the guy wheeled out his bicycle—with a big banner that clearly said Aoi Inn—they were completely convinced.

“Oh man, I really thought he was trying to hit on you. Ayumi-chan, you seem like the type who’d get hit on right away if left alone.”

“Totally. You worry me, Ayu-chan.”

The sisters walking ahead turned back to look at me as they teased.

Hey, I don’t get hit on that often, okay? Just that one time at the pool!

And being pitied by the younger sister on top of that—ouch. I could cry.

“Haha, well, I doubt anyone would try to pick someone up inside a convenience store,” the man said with a grin.

His name was Naoki Aoi, the son of Aoi Inn’s owner.

In the end, he insisted on carrying our things. “If I let a guest carry their own stuff, my mom would chew me out,” he said with a laugh.

My bag went into the bike’s basket, while he held the others’ bags in one hand along with the handlebars. There was even a case of bottled oolong tea strapped to the back, and he somehow managed to balance all that while holding an umbrella. The guy was surprisingly dexterous.

Apparently, “Aoi” in Aoi Inn came from his family name.

“So, you girls from the Sakura group are staying with us starting today?”

Walking beside him, I nodded.

Since it would’ve been dangerous to walk four across on the road, the Aika–Moeka pair went ahead while Naoki and I followed behind.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh, and no need to use formal speech with me. But man, too bad about the weather today. Tomorrow’s supposed to clear up, though—you’ll probably have a great time.”

“Really? That’s good to hear!”

I smiled brightly at him.

Ah, right—he said not to use formal speech. But switching to casual talk so suddenly feels weird… and he seems older than me anyway.

As I smiled, he just… froze.

“What’s wrong? We should get going.”

“Ah—uh, it’s nothing.”

He scratched his cheek and quickly looked away.

Hmm. Did I say something wrong?

Fortunately, the convenience store wasn’t far from the inn, so we arrived within minutes.

“Sorry, I’m just gonna go park my bike real quick. Wait here, okay?”

He started wheeling the bike around to the back.

Come to think of it, there were three plastic bags total. The one with the bottles was heavy, but the others weren’t too bad. Still, carrying three at once was a handful. Maybe I should help. It didn’t feel right letting him do everything.

I told Moeka-chan what I was doing and followed him around the back. She looked a little surprised but gave me an odd little cheer—“You got this!”—for some reason. Not sure what I was supposed to be “getting,” since it was just carrying snacks.

By the time we reached the inn, the rain had stopped. I closed my umbrella and hurried after him. Since he was pushing the bike, I easily caught up.

“I’ll help with the bags.”

“Huh!? It’s fine, really.”

“No, no, it’s not right to make you carry all three.”

I fell into step beside him as we walked. Behind the inn was his family home, and apparently, he’d only been at the convenience store for a quick grocery run.

“Once I get our stuff into the entrance, I’ll carry yours, Sakura-san. So wait here, okay?”

I nodded silently.

Naoki set his bike on the stand, brought our bags to the entrance, and then carried the case of oolong tea inside. Four two-liter bottles, and yet he moved like it was nothing. That would be tough even for most guys. He’s strong.

“Oh? Naoki’s back already?”

A slightly high-pitched voice called from somewhere deeper inside.

Soon, the owner of the voice appeared at the entrance. When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my, oh my! Naoki brought such a cute girlfriend! I’m so sorry—I haven’t even properly welcomed you yet.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” I replied politely.

“Naoki, I’m heading to the main building, so make sure you take care of your girlfriend properly!”

“Mom, that’s not—!”

But his protest fell on deaf ears; she had already retreated inside.

Naoki looked at me, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry, my mom gets a little carried away sometimes. Misunderstanding, I guess.”

“Ahaha, no worries. It’s fine.”

I took one of the plastic bags filled with snacks from him. Then the two of us walked side by side back along the same path we’d come.

“By the way, you’re heading to the beach tomorrow, right? Around this time of year, there are small cafés along the bathing area. If you want, you can come by for lunch or something—I’ll throw in a little bonus.”

“Really? I’ll tell everyone, then. Can’t promise we’ll go, though.”

I smiled at him again.

He looked away quickly this time. Ah, I see. He’s like me—probably the type who gets nervous when making eye contact with a girl. I kind of relate; I’ve always found it a bit hard to look girls in the eye.

But unlike me, he’s the kind of shy, easily flustered guy who still goes out of his way to be nice. Why, I wonder…?

Well, it’s okay. Being kind to people is a virtue, after all.

Back at the inn’s front entrance, Moeka-chan and Aika-chan were waiting for us.

Naoki helped carry the bags up to the door. Since he couldn’t go inside the guest room, we received the luggage there and parted ways.

“Hey, Ayu-chan! What do you think about him!?”

“Huh? Think about… what?”

I tilted my head in confusion. Aika-chan dropped her shoulders dramatically.

“…Sis, Ayu-chan doesn’t seem interested at all.”

“Eh… that’s boring. …Though, I kind of feel relieved too.”

Completely puzzled, I returned to the room.

Inside, the Sakurako sisters were watching TV together, cozy and relaxed.

“Oh, welcome back. You were out late.”

“And you even did some shopping! I’ll make some tea.”

Yoshino-san brewed tea in a teapot. Once we set the bags in the corner, the three of us enjoyed the steaming cups together.

Ah… finally, a moment to breathe.

Looking out the window, I could see a faint sunset glowing through the clouds after the rain.

Today really felt like a chain of coincidences—an unusual, almost magical experience.

As I sipped my tea, I thought about it all… Naoki Aoi…