An Honoured Guest

“How do you think things are going with those two?”

It had already been about a quarter of an hour since Iwasaki, Ayane and myself had left the girls room. Shinohara's sudden confession and Inaba's subsequent outburst were still lingering on our minds.

“I don’t know,” Ayane responded, “it didn't seem like Inaba-senpai was all too happy when we left.”

“I hope they can work things out,” Iwasaki added.

I hoped everything was going to be okay too, but I had my doubts. The way she had reacted, it didn't seem likely that they'd be able to move past it.

A sigh escaped my lips.

There was no use dwelling on it. There wasn't much more any of us could do. We didn't want to just hover outside of the room, so we took off down the corridor. We had no specific destination in mind though, so we just wandered wherever our feet took us. It was a bit after ten at night by now, so most of the other guests were either asleep or already back in their rooms. So it was a surprise when Furukawa bounded round the corner and bumped Into us.

“Oh, it's Miyu-chan's friends!”

She stopped to greet us, though she seemed flustered. It looked like she was even panting a little.

“Are you okay? You seem like you're busy,” Ayane asked her.

“Oh, no. No need to worry about me,” she waved us off with a smile, “but what about you three? You all look a little down, is something the matter?”

“Uh… ah, no, it's nothing!” Iwasaki reassured her.

Furukawa eyed us all curiously. It didn't look like she was buying it.

“It's not Miyu-chan, is it?”

Her guess had been right on the money. The three of us looked awkwardly between us, wondering just how much we should reveal.

“Whatever's going on, I wont pry. Though I'd suggest that you have faith in her. Miyu-chan has always been mature beyond her years. If something is bothering her, I know that she will figure things out.”

Deep down we knew that she was right, and I think we all managed to relax a little after that.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Oh, don't worry about it. It's my job to make sure each of my guests are happy. Speaking of which, I should really be getting back to it.”

“Is a guest causing trouble?” asked Ayane.

“Not quite,” Furukawa smiled, “I just have to prepare for one of our regulars who is arriving tomorrow morning. They're something of a celebrity, so I have to make sure everything's perfect for their arrival.”

“You have someone famous coming?”

“My, my. Quite the gossip are we?”

I didn't quite know how I felt being labelled as a ‘gossip’, but I couldn't deny that she had piqued my interest.

“Well, if you are curious, she's an author. Kawaguchi Hina, if you've heard of her before?”

Had I? I'd read more than enough of her books to know her name when I heard it. Though, there was someone else present who I knew was even more of a fan than I was.

I turned to the girl beside me, and just as I had expected, Ayane's eyes had already lit up.

“Kawaguchi-sensei?! Really?”

Furukawa nodded and leaned in close, lowering her voice as if she was wary of any spies that may be listening in.

“She often books a day or two here when she's struggling with her next novel. She says it helps to clear her mind. Well, I should really be off if I want to finish up in time. Be seeing you!”

Furukawa turned to leave, but not before looking back over her shoulder and sending a smirk Ayane's way.

“If you're lucky, you may even bump into her tomorrow,” she added, before heading off back down the hallway.

Ayane was practically hopping on the spot after she had left.

“Can you imagine if we got to meet Kawaguchi-sensei, Ren? Wouldn't it be amazing? She's notorious for avoiding public appearances. Being able to meet her would be such a rare opportunity!”

Ayane's excitement was infectious. I had just about forgotten the reason why we were standing about in the corridors in the first place. But then, as if to remind us, Shinohara and Inaba appeared.

“Oh, this is where you guys were hiding?”

Neither of them seemed to be all that upset. Surely that was a good sign, right? They must have been able to talk things out.

It was strange, though. They didn't feel like they were back to their usual selves either. If anything, they looked like they were acting a little coy. Shinohara was shuffling his feet while Inaba was doing her best to look anywhere except directly at him.

Were they…?

Before I could finish my line of thought, Shinohara butted in, gleefully.

“So, um, we're a thing now!”

He had a big grin plastered all over his face. Inaba, who was now blushing, looked like she wanted nothing more than to punch him for making such a bold statement. But it was obvious that she was struggling to suppress a smile that was almost as big as his.

“Huh? Since when?!” Ayane and Iwasaki shouted in unison.

"Uhh, right after you guys left, I think?”

“Couldn't you have let us know sooner,” Iwasaki pouted, “we were worried sick!”

“Ehehehe….” Shinohara rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Is all this true?” Iwasaki continued, turning her attention to Inaba now.

Inaba gave her a small nod in return, with a little mumble of “yeah.”

Iwasaki squealed in delight, leaping on Inaba and pulling her into a hug.

"Woah, easy! I can't breathe!" Inaba cried.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy for you guys!"

***

The next morning, I woke up with a loud yawn. Stretching my muscles, I glanced over at Shinohara, who was still snoozing in his futon. After everything that had happened last night, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had laid awake all night, too thrilled to sleep. I know that I was like that after Ayane and I got together at least. But I guess Shinohara was different, or perhaps he was just so worn out after it all that it knocked him out. Either way, he was still asleep and knowing him, it'd probably still be some time before he managed to drag himself out of bed. As I had some time to kill, I figured I might as well get up and go for a walk around the Inn.

When I reached the main lobby, I found Ayane. She had plopped herself down on one of the seats by the entrance. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know why she was waiting here.

“Morning!” I called out to her.

“O-oh, hey.”

She seemed surprised to see me. Or rather, she was expecting to see someone else.

“Are you really camping out just so that you can ‘accidentally’ meet Kawaguchi-sensei when she arrives?” I chuckled.

She frowned, scrunching her face up into a pout.

“Well, aren't you here doing the same?”

“I guess you got me there,” I grinned.

It wasn't like I had planned it or anything, but it was no use denying it. It had been on my mind since Furukawa had mentioned it last night. And with all the free time I had before everyone else awoke, I figured there was no harm in trying my luck at stealing a glimpse of the author who had written some of my favourite books.

“Want to wait together?”

I nodded and settled down next to her. The moment I was seated, she shifted over and nuzzled up against me, her head resting on my shoulder.

This was nice. We didn't say a whole lot while we waited, but it was a comfortable silence. I wasn't even sure just how much time had passed since we had been like this. It could have been minutes or hours. I wouldn't have minded either way.

But eventually, the sound of the door opening drew our attention. Ayane quickly sprang to her feet. She was practically bouncing as she rushed over to the woman who had just stepped inside. Ayane introduced herself to the woman, or at least, I think that's what she said. I was barely registering any of the conversation they were having. Instead, I couldn't take my eyes away from the woman's face.

Was this….some kind of joke?

Ayane motioned towards me, and the woman looked me straight in the eyes. There was no mistaking it.

“Mom?”

The face of Kawaguchi Hina - no, Tachibana Ami - was just as shocked to see me.