Chapter 76:

Volume 3: Chapter 2: To Okinawa We Go! - Part 3

Nephalem


After disembarking from the plane at Iejima Airport, the students of class 2A from Saitama Private Academy took a short ride on a bus to a port, where they were then loaded onto a fairy that would take them to the mainland.

I had a lot of fun. Sure, the real vacation hadn’t started yet, but spending time with Alicia and Yūgure, talking to them, and even watching them bicker, it had been more fun than I thought it would be.

The ferry wasn’t very large, though despite that, the other students avoided going near us. I was sitting on a bench out on the deck. There was an inside part, too, but I would rather enjoy the sunlight. Alicia and Yūgure were sitting next to me. While Alicia was looking out at the ocean, Yūgure had fallen asleep.

… On top of me.

“She’s like a cat,” I muttered as Yūgure slept with her head on my lap. She was still wearing her cap. When I felt the triangle-shaped protrusions, I realized that her ears were there. She must have worn this hat knowing what would happen, or at least expecting it.

“She does look awfully comfortable,” Alicia groused, having turned back to them.

She was glaring at Yūgure.

“You really don’t like her, do you?” I asked.

“It’s not that I dislike her,” Alicia said. “It’s just that I don’t think it’s… appropriate how she always clings to you.”

“It’s definitely odd,” I admitted. Despite myself, I reached up and began rubbing her ears through the hat. A purr emitted from her mouth. “I mean, all of the people I’ve come across except for you and… well, except for you, have always expressed a fear and hatred of me. No one has ever been this affectionate to me before.”

Yūgure had mentioned, albeit without talking, that she was from the yōkai village, which I had visited several years ago. While I was there, they fell under attack from the Catholic Church.

I don’t remember ever meeting a dark skinned nekomata girl. That said, I’ll admit that I was preoccupied at the time. That attack was the first time in my life where I had consciously used my power to fight against other people. I had done everything I could to rescue the yōkai who’d fallen under attack.

I was almost killed as a result.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Azazel coming when he did, I wouldn’t still be alive.

“Do you… like it when people are affectionate?” asked Alicia.

My face heated up as I tried not to look at Alicia. “I, um, well, that is to say… I don’t hate it.”

“Oh…”

An awkward silence stifled the air between us, though it didn’t last since, fortunately, the ferry ride wasn’t that long, about fifteen minutes total.

“All right, everyone!” Ms. Kanzaki said as we all disembarked. “Make sure you have your luggage! Don’t forget to grab your luggage! Otherwise, you’ll never find it again!”

After waking up Yūgure, the three of us walked off the ferry with all the other students. I’m not sure why, but I found myself trying to find the foreigners as Ms. Kanzaki directed us to the bus that would take us to the spa resort. They weren’t that hard to find. Their blond hair was even more distinctive than my own.

The girl looked like she was berating the boy for something. The boy simply looked annoyed. He was glaring at the girl.

I looked away before they could catch me looking.

The spa resort, otherwise known as Hotel Orion Motobu Resort and Spa, was a massive complex that consisted of numerous large, white buildings and other facilities. The main building was long, multi-storied, and looked like it used solar panel for energy. As we were directed inside, the ground shifted from concrete to white tiles.

There weren’t too many people inside of the hotel. Most of them looked like staff. Ms. Kanzaki spoke with the attendant at the front desk, who nodded several times before, saying something that I couldn’t hear, she typed into a computer, and then handed her several sets of keys.

Ms. Kanzaki came back. “Okay. Here’s how this is going to work. There are thirty-five of you, nineteen boys and sixteen girls. The girls are going to be divided into four rooms, while the boys will be divided into five rooms. Listen to me as I call your name. This will be how we decide who will be in which room.”

As Ms. Kanzaki began calling off names, I listened primarily for mine, Alicia’s, and Yūgure’s. I hoped they would be together. Yūgure still wasn’t used to being around humans in human form, and even if they didn’t get along, I thought it would be nice for Alicia to be with someone who knew her.

“Alicia, Leonora, Kaoru, and Yūgure. You four are going to be in the same room.”

Huh… what were the chances of that happening? Not only were Alicia and Yūgure together, but judging from how the blonde girl had walked up with them, they were also with the foreigner. The galgirl with fake blonde hair was also with them.

“This is, like, so great,” Kaoru said with a squeal. “I’ve always wanted to talk to you two, and I get the new girl. Like, we’re totes gonna have so much fun together!”

“I’m sure,” Alicia said, her hand twitching as though tempted to raise it and rub her head.

This blows. Was what Yūgure’s notepad said.

“Donatello, Jacob, and Mihikaze,” Ms. Kanzaki called my name. “You three are rooming together.”

“What?!” the boy who must have been Mihikaze groaned. I recognized him as one of my tormentors. “You telling me I have to be with the yankee and the new foreigner. This completely blows!”

“Would you rather I have you sleep outside?” asked Ms. Kanzaki. Mihikaze said nothing. “Good, then shut up.”

After Ms. Kanzaki finished grouping everyone up, several bellhops proceeded to show them to their room, but not before Ms. Kanzaki reminded us that we needed to be downstairs at this place within fifteen minutes.

Our room was on the second floor. Each of us was given a cardkey that would let us enter.

The room was fairly spacious and came with four twin beds lined up on one side of the room. A window near the back showed us a great view of the beach that we’d no doubt be enjoying soon. Outside of the beds, there were two dressers and four nightstands for each bed. There was also a flat screen TV.

“Well,” I started as I put my bag by the bed that I would be using, “it looks like we’re all rooming together. I know there are better people to be with than me, but let’s do our best to get along.”

“Shut the fuck, Yankee,” Mihikaze snarled as he threw his luggage on the bed farthest from the one I’d chosen. “Don’t fucking talk to me like we’re friends, or I’ll dunk your head in the toilet. You got that?!”

I clenched my fists. This was one of those times where I needed to be firm, where I needed to stand up for myself. I had promised Alicia. I couldn’t break that promise now.

“No, you won’t,” I said.

Mihikaze narrowed his eyes. “The fuck you say to me, dipshit?!”

“I said you won’t be dunking my head into the toilet.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m through letting you bully me around.”

“Oh, you think you’re hot shit now that you’ve got that redheaded bitch on your side, don’t you?” Mihikaze walked up until he was staring his nose down at me. Mihikaze was a lot taller than myself, and he had dark black hair with narrowed black eyes. Combined with his slovenly appearance, and he looked like a thug. “You think you can talk back to me now that you’ve got that bitch on your side?”

“Alicia has nothing to do with this,” I said. I tried not to let my voice shake. “I’m simply sick of being your doormat.”

Mihikaze narrowed his eyes further, giving him a truly thuggish appearance. I wouldn’t have been surprised to discover that he had yakuza blood in him.

“You two are sickening,” Donatello cut into our argument before it could begin. He had chosen the bed in the middle, closer to Mihikaze than to me. “Acting like a couple of children. You should both grow up.”

“Who the hell asked you, foreigner?!” Mihikaze snarled. “Why the hell would some pretty boy foreigner even come to this place anyway?! Can’t you see we don’t like you fuckers?!”

“Don’t swear so much,” Donatello spat. “You sinful createn.”

“I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like you’re picking a fight.”

As Mihikaze argued with both Donatello and myself, I could do nothing but release a breath.

I could already tell that rooming with these two was going to be a blast.

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And here is another chapter come and gone. Some drama is happening, but I think it's the good kind. Jacob is finally learning to stick up for himself. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to vote for it and let me know what you think. Next chapter will be up tomorrow. I hope you are looking forward to that. Ja ne! (^-^)