"That's right, Ajitani-chan. If you all agree, we can leave this afternoon!" Shouko, who had fully recovered, echoed.
"And staying at Tsuna's grandfather's place won't delay our plans for tomorrow and the day after."
"Hmm…" Ajitani was tempted but hesitated.
"But with so many of us, will Nanase-sensei agree?" Takagi asked, voicing her doubt.
"She should, right? Once we reach our destination, a video call to Nanase-sensei on LINE to report should be fine…"
On this point, Shouko was also a bit unsure. Logically speaking, the probability of her agreeing was not high.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Ajitani also changed her mind, and the group unanimously decided to depart that afternoon.
They completely forgot the main purpose of their school trip.
Lunch break flew by amid the girls' chattering discussions.
The conversation revolved tightly around a "plan to tour the Osaka map." By the time they finally settled on a rough outline, they realized that most of the people in the cafeteria had already dispersed.
Tsuna had planned to go back to his assigned room for a nap, but Shouko dragged him by the arm toward Nanase-sensei's room.
Ajitani also wanted to pull him along, but feared being choked to death by Shouko, so she gave up that idea.
Meanwhile, Takagi and Nishikata strolled around the hot spring inn to aid digestion.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
"Nanase-sensei, are you free now?"
Ajitani knocked on the doorframe, while Shouko was responsible for calling out.
"Come in, the door isn't locked."
After receiving Nanase-sensei's response from inside, Tsuna finally raised his hand and pulled open the traditional Japanese wooden door in front of him.
"You all are…" Nanase-sensei looked at the three who walked in, greeted her, and sat down. Then she hesitated. "Reporting that you're going out to play?"
"More… more or less." Ajitani smiled awkwardly. She suddenly felt it was quite difficult to speak.
Finally, after a lot of poking and prodding each other, Tsuna couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to tell Nanase-sensei about their plan to stay out for a few days.
---
Standing in front of the closed door, Takagi tapped her fingertip on the door panel, turned back with a smile, and deliberately lowered her voice, making it soft and gentle, dragging out the end of her words slightly.
"Just to the doorway is enou—gh—, Nishikata-kun. One more step forward from here…"
She paused intentionally, the smile in her eyes deepening. "That would probably be 'paid content.'"
She was indeed right about that. If Rinko and the other girls inside weren't dressed, then it really would be paid content.
As for whether Shouko and her friends had returned, he didn't know.
"Oh… oh, oh…"
Nishikata was flustered by the direct teasing. His hand nearly got stuck in his hair as he scratched his head, and he could only utter a few meaningless syllables.
He almost froze in place, watching Takagi push the door open and disappear, before belatedly turning around and practically running down the corridor.
"Miyamura, how was it? What did Nanase-sensei say?"
As soon as Nishikata returned to the dorm, he saw only Miyamura sprawled out on the tatami mat in a classic "Ge You Slouch" pose. As for everyone else, not a single one was in sight.
"Meet up and depart at 2:30 PM." Tsuna looked up at him by the door, then continued reading the manga placed on the tatami mat.
"Alright, I'll take a nap first then."
Tsuna waved his hand, indicating he understood.
Seeing this, Nishikata said nothing more. He neatly turned around, opened the cupboard, pulled out the spare mattress and bedding, and then tossed the pillow onto the tatami mat.
Almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, a heavy drowsiness enveloped him, pulling him into dreamland.
He slept soundly until the agreed-upon meeting time approached, and his eyelids finally opened under Tsuna's shaking.
"Where are the others? Why haven't they returned yet?" Nishikata rubbed his still-groggy eyes and sat up, his gaze sweeping the room.
"Not sure," Tsuna said, slinging on his already packed backpack. "They went to the cafeteria for lunch and haven't been back since."
"They probably made plans to go out with friends."
This topic was quickly forgotten by the two of them.
Nishikata shook his head to dispel the last bit of sleepiness, then quickly rolled up the scattered mattress and bedding in one smooth motion, stuffing them back into the closet.
As the closet door clicked shut, he had already turned and strode toward the meeting point.
"Are you all ready?" As soon as Tsuna and Nishikata exited the hot spring inn, they saw Shouko and the others standing in the shade of a maple tree.
"Mhm."
Tsuna and Nishikata also took shelter in the shade, waiting for the bus.
The bus arrived amid the heatwave, and the five of them immediately squeezed into the mobile "air-conditioned room."
For the next two hours, Tsuna became the team's "live navigator," his finger constantly sliding across his phone screen to plan the route.
With repeated calls of "Get off, transfer to Line X" and "Take this bus, X more stops," the group hustled through the city's transportation network.
By the time the final leg of the journey ended and they reached their destination, more than two hours had passed.
This transfer-heavy journey made Tsuna think about why, in Japanese anime from his previous life, the female protagonist always ran toward her lover instead of taking a taxi.
Because taxis in Japan are really expensive, so you can only run.
"Are we really here…?"
"Miyamura, are you sure your navigation isn't wrong?"
"Did we really not just go in a circle?"
As soon as the group of five got off the bus, Tsuna was met with questioning gazes from Ajitani and the others as they surveyed his grandfather's hot spring inn.
It made him a little unsure, so he checked the navigation on his phone again. After confirming there were no errors, he nodded.
"No mistake. We're here."
"But this…"
"This also…"
"It looks way too much like the hot spring inn we just left, doesn't it?"
This hot spring inn was quietly nestled in the embrace of lush green trees. From the outside, the wooden walls showed the steady patina of age, even bearing traces of time's erosion.
However, the constant flow of guests coming and going at the entrance silently spoke a truth: its charm was definitely not superficial.
"Let's go. We've traveled for so long, let's go in and rest first."
Tsuna called out, taking the lead and pushing open the rustic, warmly lit main door of the hot spring inn.
As the five stepped into the bright, welcoming entrance hall, before they could properly look around, a young female attendant dressed in an indigo yukata approached to greet them.
She stood at a perfect distance, bowed slightly, and asked in a gentle, clear voice:
"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"
"Reservation? Wait a moment, Cousin-sister. I'll ask Grandfather if we need a reservation first."
Mito Junko, who had recognized Tsuna long ago, instantly froze her signature professional smile and shot him a speechless glare.
Then, as if changing faces, her gaze seamlessly shifted to Shouko, who was holding Tsuna's hand, and she broke into a warm, genuine smile to greet her.