Boarding the plane and settling into his first-class seat, Ichin opened his phone and looked at the photos again. Even though he had already laughed at them for two days straight, seeing them now still made him chuckle.
Utaha, watching him, shook her head helplessly.
"Ichin, those two poor little guys are already like that, and you're still laughing."
"Can't help it, it's just too funny."
Ichin shrugged, then turned to the opposite seat where Yukino was adjusting her seat, and showed her his phone.
"Yukino, look at this."
She glanced over—and immediately saw the photo of Peppa with his tongue lolling out. Her expression nearly cracked.
Forcing back her laughter, she said, "Senpai, please don't just show me things like that out of nowhere!"
Haruno leaned over with a grin.
"Exactly, exactly. Making Yukino laugh is supposed to be my job as the big sister, Ichin. You're stealing my role!"
At that, Yukino's smile instantly vanished. She shot her sister a glare, shut off her phone, and pulled out her MP3 player and noise-canceling headphones. Clearly, she intended to rest once the plane took off.
Haruno knew Yukino had stayed up last night preparing things for the cats being left at Ichin's place, and that she hadn't rested well, so she didn't push further. She sat back quietly.
Ichin also powered down his phone and stretched.
"Still a little while until takeoff. By the time we land it'll be about lunchtime. Utaha, anything you want to eat?"
Leaning against his shoulder, Utaha thought for a moment.
"Nothing specific. I'm fine with whatever. Ask them."
So she turned to the two sisters.
"Haruno, Yukino—any preference for lunch once we reach Shanghai?"
The sisters exchanged a glance before Yukino replied,
"Something local?"
Haruno nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good. I've been before, but I'm not very familiar with food here. Ichin, why don't you decide?"
"Local specialties? Sure, leave it to me."
That was easy enough. Shanghai had restaurants from all over the world, but its own native dishes and snacks were excellent—scallion oil noodles, soup dumplings, wontons.
He knew several small traditional shops he'd gone to since childhood. Just thinking about it made him hungry. The plan was set, though he didn't say it out loud yet—he'd just take them there directly.
Before takeoff, Ichin messaged his father to confirm that a car would be waiting at the airport. Only then did he switch off his phone.
He already had his driver's license, having gotten it during New Year's. With a car waiting, he could drive himself and save his parents the trouble of coming all the way to the airport.
Soon, with the in-flight announcement, the plane took off.
After climbing into the sky, Ichin and Utaha stopped chatting. They had woken up early, so they both used the flight as a chance to nap.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. By the time they woke up, the plane was preparing to land.
The landing was smooth. After collecting their luggage, the four of them left the airport.
Ichin quickly called his dad's contact, found the arranged driver, and picked up the car keys.
It wasn't an expensive car, just something his father had prepared for him to use in China—perfectly adequate for daily driving, especially since Ichin wasn't planning to stay long-term. At least not until after university graduation.
"Alright, load up the luggage."
He opened the trunk, and the three suitcases went in: one each for Haruno and Yukino, and one shared by Ichin and Utaha.
Most of the suitcase was Utaha's clothes, a few cosmetics and skincare items, plus a laptop and two Switch consoles. Nothing more. After all, Ichin was going home—he didn't need to pack clothes.
Strictly speaking, Utaha didn't need to either, since Ichin's mother had already planned to take her shopping. But Utaha still packed some, just as Ichin had bought a car: not strictly necessary, but practical.
They got in the car, with Haruno and Yukino in the backseat. Haruno looked out the window at the scenery and sighed.
"It looks completely different from the last time I came. So, where are we having lunch?"
"A little shop I've been eating at since I was a kid. Scallion oil noodles, soup dumplings, wontons—they're all delicious. And if you want stir-fry, they've got that too. We'll order when we get there."
With that, Ichin started the car and headed off.
As he drove, he added, "After lunch, Haruno, I'll take you to my place to settle in. Then in the afternoon, do you want to see the studio? Or if you're tired, we can go tomorrow instead."
Haruno tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"It's fine, I'm not tired. I don't take naps anyway. Let's visit this afternoon—then I'll have time to sightsee the next few days."
"Got it." Ichin nodded. That fixed the schedule.
Looking into the rearview mirror, he asked Yukino,
"And you? If you're tired, you can stay home with Utaha. Haruno and I will go to the studio—it won't take long."
Yukino really was tired, so she didn't object.
"Yes, I'll stay home this afternoon."
Utaha smiled back at her.
"Good idea. Rest first. After a nap, we can go check out the mall near Ichin's house."
Half an hour later, the four of them arrived at the small restaurant Ichin had chosen.
It wasn't a grand establishment, but it was bustling and very clean.
Each of them ordered a bowl of scallion oil noodles, along with two baskets of soup dumplings and two bowls of wontons. That was their first meal in Shanghai.
Simple as it was, Haruno and Yukino both ate happily.
After finishing, Haruno took a sip of cola and sighed in satisfaction.
"Small shop or not, that was delicious. No wonder Ichin brought us here."
Yukino dabbed her mouth carefully with a napkin. She'd eaten more than usual—enough to make her stomach feel full.
"Yes, the flavor was very good."
Having often gone to Ichin's house for meals with Eriri, Yukino had gotten used to all kinds of Chinese food. This place wasn't the best she'd ever had, but the homestyle taste was excellent.
As soon as they finished eating, she pulled out her phone and immediately connected to the cameras at Ichin's Tokyo apartment—checking in on the cats.
*
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