"Okinawa!!! We're here!!"
The moment they arrived in Okinawa, feeling the pleasantly salty sea breeze, Kamishiro couldn't help shouting with joy.
He looked nothing like someone who had been coerced.
More like a husky that had just broken free from its leash.
"Stop making a scene. Weren't you the one who said you didn't plan on coming?"
Next to him, Hanabi adjusted her windblown hair and smiled.
The process hadn't exactly gone the way she'd planned, but whatever — the result was the same!
They had travelled to Okinawa!
Forget the process!
"Ah, Hanabi, you were practically snuggling in my arms and begging me to come, so of course I—mmph!!"
Smack!
Kamishiro's words were cut off by a pair of small hands clamping his mouth shut.
"Hmm? Did that really happen? I don't recall that at all. Pigeon, I'm giving you one more chance — if you keep spouting nonsense, you might need to learn how to talk like Donald Duck."
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
He looked at the smiling-but-deadly Hanabi in horror. What had he said? Wasn't it just the truth?!
Why had the cool goddess suddenly become a yandere?!
And if he really had to learn to talk like Donald Duck… could he at least meet that legendary Scrooge McDuck? He'd love to experience losing ten billion dollars a minute and going bankrupt 600 years later!
But for now—
Survival first!
Kamishiro quickly nodded. He didn't know why, but for the sake of his life, he decided to completely forget what happened that night!
Seeing the obedient Pigeon, Hanabi relaxed a little inside.
Phew…
She had considered making him forget physically, but in the end, she didn't trust her strength — what if she overdid it?
After all, they were here to travel. It wouldn't be good if he landed in the ICU on the first day.
Yup, things like that could wait until after the trip!
"So… what do we do now?"
Surrounded by unfamiliar sights, Hanabi suddenly froze.
It wasn't that she hadn't been to unfamiliar cities before, but those were always for work.
As for vacationing… this was actually her first time, and she was totally lost.
That cool expression of hers revealed a trace of helplessness.
Because it was such a spur-of-the-moment idea, she didn't think Kamishiro had made any plans — everything had been too rushed.
Crap!
Was their first stop in Okinawa really just a coffee shop?!
If so, this trip would be tragic right from the beginning!!!
Dammit, how could she discreetly pull out her phone and look up travel guides?
Emergency!
Kamishiro, seeing her tense expression, smiled.
So cute~
Smack!
Kamishiro threw an arm around Hanabi's shoulders. "Relax — just leave everything to me!"
Hanabi's body stiffened, and she looked at Kamishiro in confusion.
What she saw…was a warm, sunny smile.
In that moment, Hanabi couldn't look away. This dumb pigeon… was seriously charming.
She nodded slightly, not rejecting his touch, still keeping up her cool act.
But her flushed cheeks and awkward hands betrayed her inner tension.
A few minutes later—
"Pigeon."
"Mm? What is it? About to confess? I mean, I am okay with older women, but you have to promise not to nag me about deadlines!"
"...Not even close. I just wanted to remind you — your hand is in the wrong place."
Hanabi glared at Kamishiro with icy eyes and forcefully slapped away the hand that had slipped onto her waist.
This damned pigeon!
She could tolerate the arm around her shoulder, but why was it sliding down?! If she hadn't stopped him, his hand would've reached her butt!
"Ahaha… sorry, sorry, force of habit…"
Kamishiro scratched his head awkwardly. It really was a habit, he hadn't noticed.
He was the type to slide his hand lower during dates. That was just how he rolled.
Thankfully, Hanabi didn't seem too bothered. Maybe because she had come to terms with her feelings that night, she didn't mind his physical contact as much anymore.
She still didn't know what kind of spell this pigeon had cast But she couldn't help thinking about him…
Like this trip — the first person that came to her mind had been Kamishiro.
At first, she planned to scope things out and, if she saw him with another girl, maybe she'd get mad and sulk at home.
But who knew… that very night, she somehow got drunk.
That bar was definitely a scam! Who serves such strong alcohol?!
The rest… well, she ended up blurting out her true feelings.
Just thinking about it made her blush all over again.
Ugh!!
That night's events must never be remembered!
Ever since entering the workforce, she'd resolved to be a cool, aloof career woman. That image could not be broken!
Faced with Kamishiro's excuse, Hanabi merely rolled her eyes. "So… what's next?"
She'd already decided to rely on Kamishiro for now. No way was she gonna start googling travel tips on the spot…
A plan crafted by Pigeon… Just thinking it might be something only for the two of them, Hanabi felt a little excited.
"Right now? Of course, we're going for a drive to take in the sights!"
"A drive?"
"This way!"
Kamishiro didn't answer her directly. Instead, he waved to a middle-aged man nearby.
That wealthy, unreliable boss…
Kamishiro was the stubborn type.
He didn't believe the boss could cause trouble this time — there were only two of them!
Thanks to Kamishiro's "money power," the boss personally delivered the car keys.
"Here you go, young man. This is the car you reserved. Here are the keys."
Looking at the boss's beaming face, Kamishiro felt uneasy. Was this guy really not planning any pranks?
Kamishiro asked cautiously, "Boss, there's nothing wrong this time, right? This is the car I ordered, right?"
"Of course! No issues at all — it's a convertible, just like you asked!"
"A real convertible, right? Not a minitruck?!"
"Of course not! I've got a spotless reputation in this business!"
"..."
If Kamishiro didn't remember wrong, he left a bad review last time, didn't he?
Whatever!
This time it was just the two of them—there wouldn't be any unexpected incidents!
Kamishiro took the keys with a bright smile and extended his hand to Hanabi.
"Let's go for a drive!"
Under the sunlight, the boy seemed to be glowing with a golden aura.
"Mm!"
A drive!
________________
"Wahoo!"
On a coastal highway, a red Porsche 718 was speeding along.
Kamishiro wore sunglasses, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting casually on the window.
His arrogant appearance was like a textbook rich second-generation villain from some urban fantasy novel.
Luxury car? Check.
Beautiful woman? Check.
Unsafe driving posture? Check.
He had all the classic elements lined up!
"This is exactly the kind of car you should drive along the coast!"
Kamishiro smirked. With the car's looks plus his own charm, wasn't it possible he'd have to stuff the trunk full [of girls] on the way back?
Too bad he already had Hanabi with him this time, so it wasn't exactly the right situation to run that experiment.
Next time he'd try it alone!
Hanabi looked around the car with curiosity and teased,
"As expected from a best-selling light novel author. Even the rental car has to be a convertible."
"And red, too."
She gave Kamishiro a glance. Honestly, the red kind of matched his vibe.
So flashy~
"Of course a convertible has to be red!"
Kamishiro didn't think the color was a problem at all. If you're driving a convertible, then obviously you've got to show off a little.
That's how you catch the attention of all the girls!
Though... Kamishiro gave a glance at Hanabi's smooth legs.
"Actually, I think you'd look even better driving this car."
A big-sis type in a Porsche?
That's unbeatable!
But Hanabi wasn't interested. She already drove enough for work. Even a Porsche didn't excite her anymore.
After all… if she worked hard enough, she could afford one.
"You just want to drink, don't you?"
(¬_¬")
If she hadn't been watching him earlier, this guy would've already popped the bottle!
Having his little scheme exposed, Kamishiro didn't feel awkward at all. He just laughed,
"Well, it can't be helped! Sunshine, beach, a beautiful woman in a convertible—who wouldn't want a drink?"
"Mmh, the way you're saying it is actually making me want a drink too."
"No! You can't drink right now!"
"Why?"
Hanabi looked at Kamishiro, confused. She had just said that casually—why was he reacting so strongly?
Was there something deeper going on?
Kamishiro answered with a dead-serious face,
"Because if you drink right now, I'll be jealous!"
"..."
Fists—tightened Hanabi gave him a saintly smile.
"You should be grateful you're the one driving~"
Safety first!
(;￢_￢)
Kamishiro silently wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was just telling the truth, wasn't he?
Just then—
A few drops of water landed on the windshield.
The two of them blinked in confusion.
It was raining?
But it was sunny out?!
At first Kamishiro thought it was just random splashes from somewhere…
Then he felt drops on his head too.
"..."
"Must be a sunshower. Let's close the roof," Hanabi said. Clearly, she felt the rain as well.
"Damn it," Kamishiro pouted.
What kind of timing was this? A sunshower right when he was out flaunting in a convertible?
Well, too late now. He couldn't fly into the sky and force it to stop.
Luckily, sunshowers don't usually last long. Maybe it'd be over in a few minutes.
As he was about to close the convertible roof…
Nothing happened.
Kamishiro was stunned. He checked the button—he hadn't pressed the wrong one, so why wasn't it working?
He tried a few more times.
Still no response.
Suddenly, Kamishiro had a vivid memory of the rental guy…
No way. Was this another scam?!
Both times he'd rented from this guy, the car had issues?!
Did the guy even own a properly functioning car?!
He probably owned the entire road but wouldn't spend a dime on maintenance!
Kamishiro twitched at the corner of his mouth. Now he finally understood why the rental price had been cheaper than usual.
He thought it was a "return customer discount." Nope—this was where they got you!
Convertible? Sure.
But only convertible. No roof for you!
"What's wrong?" Hanabi asked when he didn't move.
"Weren't you going to close the roof?"
"..."
Kamishiro was silent for a moment and slowly pulled his arm back from the window.
"Hanabi, don't you think... humans should live a little more freely?"
???
{{(°△°;)}}!
Hanabi froze. She immediately grabbed her seatbelt.
Her normally cool expression completely collapsed. Now she looked like a bunny about to be slaughtered—panic written all over her face!
Things were totally fine just a moment ago—why was he asking something like that all of a sudden?!
Is that even the kind of thing you ask while driving?!
How had she not known that this guy got all emo when it rained?
She was just here for a trip!
"Pi—Pigeon—I mean, darling Kamishiro, what's going on? It's just a sunshower, it'll pass soon, you're gonna be fine, please don't do anything crazy..."
She was terrified he'd ask that question next—
"What's the meaning of life?"
AAAHHHHH!!!
If he did ask, what was she supposed to say?
"Go grab fries at the pier"?
________________
Seeing her instinctive reaction, Kamishiro realized she misunderstood.
He quickly clarified,
"Uh… I didn't mean it that way. I just meant… driving in the rain with the top down—it's kind of a unique experience, right?"
Hanabi blinked.
"So what you really meant is that… you just don't want to close the roof?"
(¬_¬")
Kamishiro gave an awkward smile.
"Well, it's not that I don't want to. It's just… the roof seems to be broken…"
As he spoke, he pressed the button again to show her. Still nothing.
"See? That rental guy's a total scammer!He deserves a one star review, absolutely!"
Hanabi didn't respond. This wasn't even about the car anymore.
She'd almost had a heart attack!
She glared at Kamishiro furiously.
"I'll deal with you later."
If she acted now, she feared they wouldn't even make it to the pier—let alone get fries.
Kamishiro felt wronged. It was her misunderstanding, wasn't it?
But this wasn't the time to argue.
What mattered now was—
What do we do?!
The rain was getting heavier!
Kamishiro immediately called the rental guy.
After a full minute of talking, Kamishiro hung up with a strange expression.
Hanabi asked, "Well?"
"That scammer said he'll give us a discount. Even if we get soaked, he won't charge us—he didn't expect a sunshower either.
As for what to do… he said there's some emergency rain gear on the passenger side."
"Huh? Really?"
Hanabi looked around. The seat wasn't exactly huge, and she had already...
________________
Wait a minute!
Hanabi seemed to realize what it was.
Under Kamishiro's stunned gaze, Hanabi silently picked up—a parasol?!!
What the hell???
Boss, you're really something else!!!