Chie Morinaga said with a smile.
"Ms. Morinaga, me too!"
Sonoko Suzuki grinned, stepping forward with a cheerful greeting.
"Morning, Sonoko! Are you all out for a group trip?"
Chie Morinaga smiled back, returning the hello and asking.
"Yeah, are you teachers here for the same?"
Ran Mouri nodded, asking in turn.
"Yep, taking the weekend to unwind a bit, relax the mind." Chie Morinaga said, pulling her best friend over to introduce her. "Let me introduce you—this is Shizuka Marukawa, the new doctor set to join our school's infirmary next week. She's my good buddy!"
"Hi, everyone!"
Shizuka Marukawa greeted them with a bright smile.
Shizuka Marukawa had long, golden blonde hair and matching golden eyes that sparkled with a hint of innocence and simplicity. Her stunning figure complemented Chie Morinaga's beside her perfectly.
Both had enviable bodies that'd make any woman jealous, though Shizuka's stood out as particularly striking!
"Hi, Ms. Morinaga. I'm Azuma Shoyo, in the same class as Ran and Sonoko."
Azuma Shoyo gave them both a quick once-over, thinking to himself—another world crashing into the mix.
Chie Morinaga was fine—same world as Miko Yotsuya. He hadn't expected not just Miko and Hana Yurikawa to transfer to Teitan High, but Chie Morinaga too.
As for Shizuka Marukawa, she was from Highschool of the Dead.
One of the more popular female characters there.
From what Chie Morinaga said, Shizuka was transferring to Teitan High next week?
Would Rei Miyamoto, Saeko Busujima, and Saya Takagi end up transferring too?
"Hi, Azuma Shoyo!"
Chie Morinaga smiled and greeted him, sneaking a few extra glances at the young, handsome guy.
"Hi, I'm Shizuka Marukawa."
Shizuka Marukawa gave him a slightly airheaded hello.
That was her thing—natural ditziness was her trademark, right up there with her figure.
"Hi, Ms. Marukawa."
Azuma Shoyo flashed her a small smile, asking, "I saw you two looking for seats just now. Mind if I check your ferry tickets?"
"Sure, here."
Shizuka Marukawa handed over her ticket without a second thought.
Azuma Shoyo took it and glanced.
Their seats were on the second deck, not the third.
No wonder they couldn't find spots up here!
"Uh, your seats are actually one deck down, not here."
Azuma Shoyo handed the ticket back, explaining.
"I knew it!"
Chie Morinaga smacked her forehead helplessly. "Shizuka, I shouldn't have let you handle the seats."
"Huh?"
Shizuka Marukawa looked at her, totally clueless.
"No worries," Sonoko said with a laugh. "There are still plenty of empty seats up here. We've got two right next to us—why don't you teachers take those?"
The ferry's third deck was for VIPs, sure, but it was just better positioned—layout was the same as the lower decks.
When picking seats, Sonoko had grabbed two extras—one for Ran's mom, Eri Kisaki, and one for that idiot Shinichi Kudo.
Ran had said Shinichi might show up.
But neither did.
So the seats stayed empty.
"Really okay?"
Chie Morinaga asked. "Won't it inconvenience you?"
"No trouble, Ms. Morinaga," Sonoko grinned. "I bought tickets for those seats too—they just bailed last minute."
"Yeah, teachers, sit with us!"
Ran chimed in.
"Alright then." Chie Morinaga nodded, tugging her still-staring-at-Azuma-Shoyo bestie over to sit.
Four beauties—two older, two younger—lined up together. Quite the sight.
Too bad!
Only Azuma Shoyo got to enjoy it.
No one else would get the chance.
"Why were you staring at Azuma Shoyo just now?"
After sitting, Chie Morinaga whispered to her friend.
"Huh? Was I? I was just spacing out."
Shizuka Marukawa blinked, looking innocent.
Chie Morinaga, "…"
You win!
"Next time you space out, pick a spot with no one around, okay?"
Chie Morinaga said helplessly.
It's way too easy to misunderstand!
But—
Azuma Shoyo didn't misunderstand. He knew Shizuka's ditzy nature. Her eyes had been totally unfocused—she was just zoning out.
The ferry set off from Tokyo Bay, heading east for 120 kilometers—about an hour and a half—finally docking at Kosai Island, a whopping 3,000 square kilometers.
It pulled into one of the island's piers.
Passengers disembarked, chatting and laughing as they moved forward.
"Teachers, got a place to stay lined up?"
Sonoko asked Chie Morinaga and Shizuka.
"Shizuka, what's the name of our hotel?"
Chie Morinaga turned to her.
"???"
Shizuka Marukawa stared back, head full of question marks.
"Did I book it?"
She pointed at herself.
Chie Morinaga, "…"
I'm such an idiot! Why'd I let her handle the hotel?
"Did you forget to book it?"
She asked, resigned.
Shizuka shook her head. "No, I don't know."
Forget it—no point asking. If she didn't even know if she booked, it's definitely not booked!
"Guess we'll have to find a hotel last minute. Hope there's still a room."
Chie Morinaga sighed.
"Teachers, why not stay with us?" Sonoko grinned. "We've got tons of spare rooms. This time of day, you'll probably strike out on hotels."
"Well…"
Chie Morinaga hesitated. They'd already bummed seats—now rooms too? Was that okay?
"No biggie, Ms. Morinaga," Sonoko pressed. "The rooms are just sitting empty anyway. Plus, more people, more fun! After lunch, we can hit the theme park together!"
"Chie, I'm hungry."
Shizuka tugged Chie's arm, rubbing her stomach.
"Didn't you just eat breakfast?" Chie sighed helplessly. "Fine—but Sonoko, seriously, thank you so much!"
"You're too polite, Ms. Morinaga!"
Sonoko giggled.
Soon, the group reached the pier's exit, piling into a stretched limo arranged by the Suzuki family to take them to their villa.
The car was a long one—seven people fit inside, chatting and laughing. Sonoko popped a bottle of champagne, and they all had some.
Except Conan—he couldn't drink.
Sonoko handed him a milk bottle with a grin.
He shot her a glare.
From the pier to the villa, the car cruised at 70 kph for over half an hour.
By now, they'd entered a villa district.
Massive estates sprawled everywhere.
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