A few days after the winter break, after getting through the mountain of final exams. A few days after the winter break, Karen and I went on a trip to a hot spring. It is a famous tourist destination, so it is crowded with people, and all the stores are attractive.
「You are excited, aren’t you, Senpai?」
「Of course I am! I’m so happy to be here on this trip with Karen.」
「I’m glad to hear you say that, too. So, what shall we do now? I don’t think it’s too early to get into the hot springs… In the meantime, would you like to go around the area?」
「We’ll do that. There are a lot of different stores, let’s go around.」
So we decided to hit the sights before going to the hot springs.
「Uwah… totally unsuccessful.」
「Senpai, try lending it to me.」
「Whoa, Karen, you’re great!」
If I shoot at a target, I don’t hit anything at all, but Karen easily hits the mato all over the place. I was curious as to why they were so good at shooting, but when I asked Karen, she said,「Don’t tell anyone.」When she says that, it makes me even more curious, but I don’t want to make her hate me by asking persistently, so I won’t do it.
「Ah, this onsen manjuu is delicious.」
「You’re right about that. Shall we buy a box and eat it in the club room?」
I bought some hot spring buns, which I was suddenly drawn to by their delicious aroma, and ate them with Karen. I won’t tell her that I couldn’t stop staring at her, because she looked so adorable as she munched on her delicious food.
「Since we’re here, let’s take some pictures, shall we? Senpai, please come here.」
「Nhn, okay.」
「Okay, I’ll take a picture– Good.」
Then I took a picture with Karen at a scenic spot. Looking a bit unfamiliar, Karen holds up her phone to take a picture, but it is a bit blurry at first. I said one more time and took the next shot, and this time I got a good picture.
「I got some good pictures. I, for one, will keep these as heirlooms.」
「Y–You’re overreacting, Karen.」
「That’s not true, Senpai. I am very happy to be able to be with my Senpai in this way, and to have this proof that we are enjoying our days together.」
「…Thank you.」
「Same for me. So, shall we go to the inn soon? I’d like to take a hot spring bath.」
「Yeah, let’s do that.」
So we went back to the inn after a quick tour. It’s a really nice inn, and I’m sure we can relax here.
「Hmm— such a coincidence!」
「…Hah?」
Or so I thought. It seems that we can’t slow down so easily.
「Akihiko and Fukuhara-san! What a coincidence that we share the same lodging!」
For some reason, Mai, who was supposed to be in the hospital, came to the inn. From the way she was talking, it seemed that Mai was also staying at the inn. Don’t screw me, I would tell her to go home now, but people are coming and going and I am not allowed to speak out of turn.
「…Uwah, yuck…」
「Hey, Karen, your voice is leaking.」
「That’s a very bad thing to say, Fukuhara-san! But I don’t care about that! Come on Akihiko, I’ll show you my room!」
「…Nope, because I want to leave my stuff in my room.」
「Eh, Hold it— Wait a second!」
I wanted as little to do with it as possible, so we quickly fled the scene. But there was no way Mai would give up so easily… This trip was going to be a bit messy.