Episode 175: At the Hotel

「Haa… dinner was so good~」

「I might have eaten a bit too much…」

「Heheh, pfft, a total victory for me for pacing myself in preparation for the fun time later!」

Victory… I wonder what kind of competition they think they’re in.

Dinner was over, and since we still had a bit of time before our bath, we’d returned to our room. Naturally, these three had come crashing into our room along with us.

Since it’s a three person room, the group inevitably has to split into two at the hotel, so those three ended up in this room after all.

「What should I do? Should I start getting ready so the party can start the second we’re out of the bath?」

「Good idea. Let’s get the snacks ready now.」

They started saying these impatient things while the TV played in the background like BGM.

Honestly, are they really looking forward to it that much?

Actually, it feels like I’ve been made a target alongside Sara, so I have to dodge this skillfully. She really had to go and say something unnecessary…

But… ugh, why on earth did I go and buy a「fulfillment of love」charm?

There’s no deep meaning behind it. It was just the mood of the moment, or rather, I just found myself reaching for it.

It’s just that Sara brought up Tachibana-kun’s name, so I happened to remember our talk about souvenirs last night.

Click…

The sound of the door opening was followed by a sigh as Sara walked into the room.

Naturally, everyone’s eyes were fixed on her.

「You’re late, aren’t you?」

「My apologies. I was forced to waste my time…」

Sara looked completely fed up, or rather, totally exhausted.

Hmm? Wasted time?

Aha… I bet…

「Satsukawa-san, Miyama-kun was calling out to you earlier. Was it a confession after all?」

「Ugh… I’m so jealous that you get confessed to by a hottie even when you stay quiet.」

「It was not a joke. He said he had something to ask about tomorrow’s schedule, so I had no choice but to listen… but it made me so angry that I ended up shouting at him to never speak to me again.」

Looks like I was right.

Sara seemed to be in a really foul mood, making no effort to hide her irritation.

The guy probably tried to mix in other topics to avoid being shot down instantly. It’s common knowledge that once Sara realizes it’s a confession, she’ll cut you off without a second thought, but I guess he didn’t realize that little tricks like that just make her hate you more.

「Shouting to reject a confession is pretty intense…」

「Yeah, never heard of that one.」

「Usually in manga people say they’re happy about the feelings even if they won’t date, but what’s it really like?」

True, I’ve heard stuff like that too.

Though from Sara’s perspective, it’s beyond a nuisance; it’s pure disgust.

「I do not know about others, but for me, it is a massive nuisance. If that is their reason, I would prefer they do not speak to me at all.」

「Whoa, talk about an iron wall.」

「You really hate it, don’t you? Doesn’t it even pique your interest a little when it’s a hottie like that?」

「It does not interest me in the slightest. I have no interest in any man other than Kazunari-san.」

「HERE IT IS!!!」

「We’ve been waiting for this!! Come on, come on, come on!」

「S, Satsukawa-san, is that person really that first year Takanashi-kun that everyone’s been gossiping about in class?」

It looks like the conversation has flowed exactly where the three of them wanted it to go. They started prying into Sara with total excitement.

Back when Sara was wiping Takanashi-kun’s shirt in the classroom, we’d let the class know they were strictly friends… but obviously, things are going to connect now.

「There were rumors? I was not aware, but it is true that Takanashi Kazunari-san is my precious person.」

Sara didn’t know about it, so that was probably news to her… but she finally admitted it clearly.

「Wooooow, that’s amazing. What’s amazing is how she’s not embarrassed or flustered at all.」

「She’s so open about it that there’s no opening to tease her.」

「That’s weird, I thought she’d be more bashful about it.」

Since Sara has no intention of hiding it, she’s naturally very dignified about the Takanashi-kun situation.

And now I have to go and do the extra work of keeping everyone quiet… since Sara is indifferent to her own influence, she doesn’t think about what will happen if this spreads through the school. Sigh… why do I have to be the one to suffer?

Knock, knock…

The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Looking around at everyone’s faces, all eyes landed on the person closest to the door, signaling that she should be the one to answer. That meant Yuri.

「Fine, fine, I’ll get it~」

Understanding the meaning of those gazes, she reluctantly headed to the door and unlocked it.

「Hey there~… oh, it’s Rika. What’s up?」

「The bath is free now~」

Looks like this conversation is ending for now. As I started getting ready for the bath, Sara started her preparations too.

「Tch~ on hold again~」

「But it’s fine since we can talk while eating snacks and stuff later.」

「I’m looking forward to the big bath~」

The three of them seemed to give up on the talk for now once they saw us getting ready, and they quietly headed back to their own room next door.

Haa… looks like I’m going to have a hard time after the bath too…

「Ah~ that was refreshing.」

「That’s fine, but why do you have to keep touching people’s bodies?」

「Seriously. What if she can’t get married because of you?」

These three really seem to have fun anywhere.

To think they’d even play around in the bath…

「But we couldn’t touch Satsukawa-san…」

「No way, she’d definitely get mad.」

「Her figure is incredible, though~ I’m so jealous of her chest.」

It’s true that Sara has a great figure.

It had been a while since I took a bath with Sara too, but… ugh… to think the gap has widened this much.

That’s definitely inherited from Mayumi-san’s genes. Sara usually wears clothes that don’t show off her body lines much, but you can’t really hide that chest size, so even I was curious.

But seeing it again like that… when did she even…

Wait!? Could it be because of Takanashi-kun!?

No, no, there’s no way… wait, come to think of it, Sara is late…

Click…

The sound of the door opening brought Sara into the room.

She looked fed up, or rather, completely exhausted… wait, she looks exactly like she did earlier. Does that mean the same thing happened?

「Good work~… ah, let me guess, you got confessed to again?」

「Yes… well.」

Looks like I was right. She was radiating that same aura of extreme displeasure.

「Everyone’s so desperate.」

「Maybe they think they have a chance just because of the school trip atmosphere?」

「Sigh… I wish I’d gone to an all girls’ school instead… no, but then my time with Kazunari-san would…」

Sara muttered to herself while opening her bag and efficiently tidying up her bath things.

It’s true that people might get swept up in the mood. Both boys and girls might feel bolder in an unusual situation like a school trip.

If that’s the case, there’s a chance more boys will see it as an opportunity and take action. If it’s like this on the first day, it might stay the same from tomorrow onward.

Maybe I shouldn’t leave Sara alone if I can help it…

「Hey, Satsukawa-san, who was it this time?」

Yuri asked, sounding full of curiosity.

She really isn’t afraid of anything, or maybe she just moves at her own pace.

「Who knows?」

「What do you mean ‘who knows’… like, their name.」

「I do not know. He started saying something about being the ace of the basketball club and other completely irrelevant things, so I told him he was a nuisance and left the area immediately.」

「The basketball club ace…」

「That’s Shiotani-kun, isn’t it?」

「Ugh, I’m so jealous.」

Without showing a shred of interest in the topic, Sara picked up her tidied bag and moved it somewhere it wouldn’t be in the way, then returned to her bed and unplugged her charging phone.

「It does not matter who it is. As long as Kazunari-san is by my side, that is enough for me.」

Sara is consistent about that part.

Even if her sociability has improved slightly, the part of her that doesn’t spare a single glance for anyone other than Takanashi-kun is the same. I guess you could call it being devoted to an exasperating degree.

「That’s incredible.」

「Satsukawa-san is just like she looks, or rather, just like her image. She’s really serious about romance after all.」

「But you know, looking at the current Satsukawa-san, I can’t imagine what kind of vibe she has when she’s alone with her boyfriend.」

「She’s probably strict with her boyfriend too!」

「I can totally see that!」

Even though she was right in front of them, those three were having fun letting their imaginations run wild.

Well, from the perspective of someone who only sees the usual Sara, it’s not strange to think that way.

From my perspective as someone who knows the truth, it’s full of things to point out. I wonder how these three would react if they saw the totally sweet Sara…

Sara was holding her phone and checking the time. She was probably thinking about the timing for her call.

Come to think of it, I wonder what happened with Takanashi-kun’s part-time job?

I’ll ask Tachibana-kun when I RAIN him later.

Cheers!

I didn’t want to be too loud and have other people come in, so we did a relatively quiet toast.

The table was crowded with potato chips, chocolate snacks including my favorite Choco Pie, rice crackers, and juice. Man, they really brought a lot.

「Alright, here it is, the Night Party!」

「I’ve been waiting for this… for this very moment.」

「Yuri-chan, your face is scary, you know?」

Haa… I have to skillfully lead them away so the topic doesn’t turn to me.

Everyone reached for the table in their own way, putting snacks into their mouths.

Just as I was thinking about eating, Sara stood up abruptly with her phone.

「My apologies, I am going to make a call now.」

She probably intended to call from the lobby or somewhere similar, as she started walking toward the door. But I decided to say something, since she definitely shouldn’t do that.

「Sara, if you’re going to call from the lobby, you’d better stop. You might get interrupted by other boys right in the middle of your call with Takanashi-kun.」

「She’s right. We don’t mind, so why not just call from here?」

Yuri added onto my comment.

Since those three already know, there’s no point in hiding it anymore, so I guess it’s fine.

「…True. Well then, excuse me, I shall call from here.」

She must have imagined the scene, because Sara wore a slightly displeased expression and agreed with Yuri’s suggestion.

「But man, he must be really different from other guys, huh? You must really love Takanashi-kun.」

「Yes. As long as I am with Kazunari-san, I am happy.」

「「「…………」」」

When Sara talks about Takanashi-kun, she wears a beaming smile that looks truly happy and joyful from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing that, I can totally understand why they’ve lost their words.

That’s how happy she looks; the gap from her usual self is just that extreme.

「Well then, excuse me, I am going to call now.」

Unusually for Sara, she looked quite giddy as she operated her phone.

She must be so happy.

After a moment, I heard the ringing tone from Sara’s phone.

Wait?

Is it on speaker?

「Ah, it connected! Good evening, Kazunari-san!!」

Apparently she’d made it a video call, and Sara started talking while looking at the screen.

Her voice is in a much higher gear than usual.

「Good evening, Sara-san.」

「Yes! …Fufu, this feels a bit mysterious. Is it because it is our first time talking through a screen like this?」

From my perspective, this is the usual Sara, but for the three who have only seen her treat boys like absolute garbage…

「…Huh?」

「…Eh?」

「…What?」

They were staring at Sara with expressions that perfectly fit the description of their jaws hitting the floor.

Yeah, I totally get how you feel. I felt the same shock when I first saw how close Sara and Takanashi-kun were.