Chapter 7

Rin jogged up to Yuto, carrying two coffees, just as he was putting his phone away.

“Did you manage to reach the teachers?” she asked, passing him a coffee.

“Yeah,” he responded, taking the cup from her and blowing on the spiralling steam.

“What did they say?”

Yuto leaned back on the bench and stared up at the skyline.

“Mr Yamamoto is going to head up tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? So, what do we do in the meantime?”

Yuto shrugged.

“They said to book a place to stay and not to get into any trouble.”

“What did he mean by that?” Rin asked, her face peachy and not just from the cold.

“I have no idea,” Yuto replied, fully knowing what Mr Yamamoto meant, and how Rin was interpreting it. He could practically see Mr Yamamoto’s eyebrows arching as he said this. Yuto decided it was best to just refuse to even acknowledge it. He didn’t want to encourage Rin’s fantasy any more than he already had to during this trip.

“Alright, then what should we do about accommodation?”

You’d think Yuto would have planned his accommodation ahead of time, but that would have been foolish. That could be tracked; it would be proof he intentionally did this. He wanted to cover his tracks, make it seem like an accident. That’s why he hadn’t bothered booking anywhere.

In hindsight, he probably should have considered what would have happened if he couldn’t find a place to stay.

“I guess we should look for a place,” he replied, standing up.

“But what if we can’t find one?” Rin asked, already beginning to spiral. His everyday interactions with Rin were draining enough, but when she panicked, it became a hundred times more of a hassle.

“Well, there is only one way to find out,” Yuto responded, grabbing her hand. They asked several hotels, but they were completely booked out. Yuto was beginning to realise how badly his plan had backfired.

Finally, they had exhausted all the hotels in the town. All that was left were the traditional-style inns.

Yuto wanted to avoid these because he knew it would be far more costly. He already expected he would be forced to pay for his trip, but this exceeded that significantly. It was going to break the bank.

But he didn’t really have an option. It was this or a karaoke bar, and whilst Yuto was prepared to sleep rough for a night, he didn’t think it would be appropriate to leave Rin in potential harm’s way.

They entered the front door of the inn, and a female clerk hastily paced over.

“Hello, do you have a booking with us?” she asked.

“No, we were hoping you would have a room for us,” Rin replied.

The clerk motioned for them to follow, then went behind the counter and frantically typed on their computer.

“How many rooms were you looking at booking?” she asked without looking up from the screen.

“Could we get two rooms?” Rin asked, leaning her entire weight on the counter, kicking her legs as they dangled in the air. Yuto watched on, horrified that he would have to babysit Rin the entire day.

The clerk’s brow furrowed as she glanced up at Rin. “I’m so sorry, we only have one room remaining. If you would like, I could book it for you, but you will have to share.”

Absolutely not! Yuto shouted in his mind. But before he could reply, Rin nodded.

“Alright, we will share.”

Wait a minute! I didn’t agree to that! Yuto thought, but before he could protest, the receptionist handed them a set of keys.

As the clerk went off to prepare, Yuto turned to Rin and whispered to her.

“What the hell are you thinking?”

“What?”

“Sharing a room?”

“Well, Mr Yamamoto said to get a room. This is the only option.”

Yuto sighed; he knew full well what sorts of rumours would spread once the other students found out about this. It would make it all the more difficult to break up with her.

If he broke up after this, he predicted that people would spread the rumour that he was a player. Someone who used girls and discarded them once he was done.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it. At least it meant he would only have to pay for a single room. His heart cursed Rin, but his wallet blessed her as a saint.

Rin and Yuto found their room on the second floor, and immediately, Yuto gravitated to the massage chair as if it was beckoning him over with its perfectly pleathered curves and its seductive window position.

Yuto sat in it and realised how badly he needed this moment in his life. Forget all the failed break-up attempts. As long as he had this chair, the world didn’t seem so cruel.

“Hey, Yuto,” Rin called.

Yuto turned his head to see Rin roll along the tatami mat.

“Aren’t you a bit old for that?” Yuto replied, having already resigned himself to his fate of sharing a room with Rin. The massage chair began to press into the tension that had been clearly building for several months.

“You should try it,” she replied with a playful smile.

Yuto wouldn’t be caught dead doing that. He’d be too ashamed to face his sisters if he did.

“You can do that, but I won’t.”

Rin looked disappointed, but she agreed not to push this matter further. Although she did perform several more rolls to make up for it. After she was bored with rolling, she sat up.

“So what should we do?” Rin asked, rocking back and forth.

“I am very happy where I am,” Yuto replied, his leg twitching uncontrollably as a point of tension released.

“Hmmm, is that so?” Rin mused, looking somewhat disappointed. “Well, I guess I could go and get some snacks from the shops. Is there anything you want?”

“This chair,” Yuto replied as his whole body vibrated from the movements of the chair.

With that, Rin went out to get food, whilst Yuto melted into the massage chair as he drifted off to sleep.

“Hey, dear, it’s time to wake up.”

Yuto heard a whispering voice, which was completely contradictory to the sharp jabbing feeling of a finger ramming into his cheek.

Yuto yawned as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was how dark it had gotten. How long had he been asleep? He must have needed the rest. He turned to look at the person who was still poking his cheek.

Rin was wearing a red yukata, her hair tied in a ponytail resting over her shoulder.

“How do I look?” Rin asked, performing a slight turn in her yukata.

“With your eyes, silly,” Yuto replied, hoping to shut down any further attempts at flirting.

She looked down nervously, her hands gripping the long sleeves.

“Don’t tease me, how do I look?”

Yuto knew he would go around in circles if he didn’t wrap this conversation up quickly. That was always how this happened. He scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh.

“You look very pretty,” he admitted.

“Really?”

Yuto began to regret his decision.

“Yes, now that’s enough of that.”

Rin paced up to him and leaned over.

“But I want to hear you compliment me more.”

And I want you to get the fuck out of my life. Yuto thought but didn’t dare say out loud.

“Why don’t you appreciate the beauty outside?” he replied, glancing out the window. Something caught his eye, and a moment later, a large explosion of colour filled the night sky.

Then another… and another.

A fireworks display.

“How beautiful,” Rin replied, interlocking her fingers with his as she gazed out of their window. “It may not have gone according to plan, but I am glad I got to spend the entire day with you.”

As another firework exploded in the sky, Yuto thought about how he would have been much happier if he had just gone on the field trip to Kyoto.

❤︎ --- ୨୧ --- ❤︎

End of Chapter 7