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Chapter 174 – Just the Two of Us (1)
I felt bad about Riku-san’s awkward parting with Shizuku-san, but it was about time for us to check in at Shimizu Inn, so we had to leave soon.
“See you later, Grandma.”
“See you, Riku. You’re an adult now, so take a good care of Umi-chan, you hear me?”
“Thanks for the lunch today, Grandma. It was tasty!”
“Ah, glad to hear that, Umi-chan. Come back whenever you want to, okay? You too, Maehara-kun, you’re always welcome here.”
“
Thank you.”
Even though we’d eaten the 1m soft-serve, Shimizu’s food was so tasty that Umi and I managed to devour not only the sushi and appetizers, but also the watermelon that Mizore-san prepared for us as dessert.
Tomorrow’s memorial service would be the gathering of the Asanagis, so I wouldn’t be able to attend, but I would drop by here again the day after to thank Mizore-san for her hospitality.
After saying goodbye to Sora-san who would stay at Mizore-san’s place, the three of us went to Shimizu. We drove back through the mountain path we came on.
As we got closer to where Shimizu was located, the pungent odor of sulfur became stronger.
“I’m going to park the car, so you guys should go ahead and wait for me inside. Don’t wander around until I get there, okay?”
“I know! Stop treating me like a kid!”
“You ARE a kid, young lady. I’ll leave her to you, Maki.”
“Yes.”
After Riku-san dropped us at the entrance, we entered the building first.
The exterior of the building looked quite old, but when we got inside, everything was pretty much brand new. They probably renovated the place recently. The door was automatic and the entire lobby was well lit. As I took a step inside, the smell of wood combined with the unique scent of the hot spring greeted me.
“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Then, Shizuku-san, who was standing near the counter, ran up to us.
“Hello, you two! I was thinking of this when I saw you two before, but you two get along really well, huh?~ You two look so passionate and it’s enviable!”
“R-Really? You haven’t seen anything yet, though
 Ei~”
Umi immediately held me even closer as she wrapped her arms around mine. It was the first time she’d shown off how lovey-dovey we were in front of  a stranger. Well, Shizuku-san was Riku-san’s childhood friend, but this was our first time meeting her.
I took a glance at Shizuku-san while dealing with Umi’s antics. Shizuku-san’s smiling face froze after seeing us.
“Ah, youth~ Anyway, your room is ready! I’ll show you around when Rikkun arrives. Also, since you two are precious guests of our inn
 Welcome to our inn, Asanagi-sama.”
After saying that, she slowly lowered her head. Currently, she was wearing a kimono, the proper attire for a ryokan attendant. Unlike the previously cheerful atmosphere, she had a serene aura now.
Her workload was quite something, huh? Not only did she have to handle the food delivery, but she had to serve guests staying at the inn as well.
The three of us chatted for a bit and Riku-san arrived shortly after.
“Yo. You listened to me properly this ti– Huh?”
“Welcome to our inn, Asanagi-sama. Thank you for visiting us today
 Just kidding~ Hehe, did I surprise you?”
“I-I thought it was someone else for a moment
 It was you, huh, Shizuku?”
“Of course! I’m already an adult, so I can do things like this too, you know? So, how do I look?”
“Uh, you look normal?”
“
You never change, huh, Rikkun?”
Riku-san looked away as Shizuku-san smiled kindly at him.
It had been a long time since they’d seen each other and there was still an awkward air between them, but both of them seemed to be content with the situation.
Especially Riku-san.
“Maki, don’t you think those two have something going on between them?”
“Kinda, yeah.”
I knew that they were childhood friends, but there was probably something more there, or they wouldn’t be creating such a warm and fuzzy atmosphere.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they told us that they were dating. Though, I didn’t know for sure if Shizuku-san was currently single or not.
The atmosphere between them was calm. Both of them were trying to be considerate toward each other.
Especially Shizuku-san.
“Well, I’d really love to let you meet the proprietress, but she’s a little busy right now, so that has to wait until dinner. Speaking of which, when will you have your dinner?”
“Around 8pm would be fine for me, what about you guys?”
“Anytime is fine.”
“Same.”
“Got it. 8pm then, Shizuku.”
“Alright~ I’ll let my father know.”
After finishing all the check-in procedures, we went to our room.
Shizuku-san led us through the sliding door to a spacious room. This room was originally supposed to be for four people, but since the inn didn’t have many guests and the Asanagis were regulars here, they let us stay here on a discount.
“Maki, look! The scenery outside looks so beautiful!”
“T-This
”
Umi beckoned me to look out of the window and I did.
There was a small waterfall that  cascaded down like white threads. If I looked a little further, I could see the mountain path we took to get here. The breeze that came through the window felt pleasant to the touch.
This room was probably one of the best rooms they had. I left my accommodation expenses to Sora-san, but I doubt it was enough to pay for this room
 Well, let’s not think about that for now.
“Hehe, please enjoy your stay. I’ll be at the front desk, so just call me with the phone there if you need anything.”
After a brief explanation about stuff like meal times and bath hours, Shizuku-san left the room and we could finally settle down.
It was a little after 4pm, so it would be fine if we were to stay inside, but that would be a waste of time.
“Umi.”
“Hm? What’s up? Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Well, yeah
 Do you want to walk around with me? There seems to be a trail nearby.”
There was a simple map on the small table in front of us that showed the way to the spring in this area.
If we were to walk slowly, we could go there and back in about an hour, just enough time to soak ourselves in the hot spring afterwards.
“
I’m going to take a nap, so go on without me. That way I wouldn’t be annoyed looking at you guys.”
“You sure you won’t bring Shizuku-san into the room instead? She’s still on the clock, so don’t do anything stupid, okay?~”
“As if! Hurry up, I’ll tell the front desk that you’ll be out! Also, Maki, keep this idiot on a tight leash so she won’t get lost in the mountain.”
“Haha
 I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s go, Umi.”
“Mm.”
We walked out for our date while holding hands. Our distance was closer than usual this time.
The relationship between Riku-san and Shizuku-san made me feel concerned, but I was here to spend more time with Umi, not to pry about those two.
This was a rare occasion, so I would definitely spend as much time as I could together with my lovely girlfriend.