Arriving in Hawaii

Kiyoko was on her bed in her room, looking a bit troubled at the pile of clothes. Although she had asked Hayato if he had packed everything, she hadn't actually finished preparing all the things she needed to bring.

"Maybe I'll wear one set today and pack two more," she mused.

She held up the white and blue color-blocked underwear she had shown Hayato before to the mirror, made her decision, and then packed the remaining two sets into her bag. Her travel preparations were finally complete.

Today was Thursday, and she had an extra class in the afternoon, which significantly reduced their club activity time. Furthermore, there were no direct flights from Miyagi Prefecture to Hawaii. Their tickets were from Haneda Airport in Tokyo directly to Honolulu International Airport. The plane was scheduled to depart at 9:55 PM. Subtracting the 1 hour and 35 minutes needed for the Shinkansen to Tokyo, and accounting for travel time, they had agreed to leave at 6:30 PM.

This meant they would have to leave club activities early. Fortunately, it was easy to get leave from Coach Ukai. Upon learning about their situation, the coach had approved their leave, telling them to enjoy their weekend.

Kiyoko, who had already arrived home by a little past 6 PM, finally finished packing her luggage after changing into the most important items. Seeing that it was almost time, she grabbed a small suitcase and went downstairs. She happened to meet her mother and Hayato, who had come to pick her up.

"Oh my, Kiyoko is going abroad for the first time. Please take good care of her while you're out," her mother said, looking kindly at Hayato.

Hayato nodded earnestly, assuring her he would definitely take good care of Kiyoko-senpai. This made her mother even more pleased. Looking him over from head to toe, she was practically starting to see him as a son-in-law. Seeing her daughter approach, Kiyoko's mother wisely gave the youngsters some space.

"Alright then, I still need to clean the bathtub. I'll leave the rest of the time to you young people. Kiyoko, remember to be safe when you're out. Contact us when you get there."

After Kiyoko's mother left the living room with her characteristic middle-aged woman's "ohoho" laugh, Kiyoko began to explain with some embarrassment.

"My mother is always like that. You probably know that, right? She used to nag a lot when I was little."

"Your mother is just worried about you. Didn't she say the same things when we went bug hunting as kids? The only difference is that you were the one taking care of me back then." Hayato smiled as he brought up their childhood memories.

"Heh, that's true."

Thinking about their childhood, Kiyoko relaxed considerably.

Hayato then complimented Kiyoko on her casual outfit, saying it suited her very well.

She wore blue jeans with a white tank top, a lightweight long-sleeved plaid jacket over it, and white flat shoes. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, swaying behind her head as she moved.

He then took the small suitcase from Kiyoko's hand, and they set off together, chatting and laughing.

After a series of transfers involving the local train, the Shinkansen, and an airport bus, they finally arrived at Haneda Airport ahead of schedule. After completing the check-in procedures, they waited for a while longer at the airport before finally boarding the plane.

Finding their seats, both of them let out a sigh of relief as they sat down.

"Phew~ Traveling abroad is really troublesome, isn't it?" Hayato leaned back in his chair, finally relaxing.

After fastening his seatbelt and listening to the captain's announcement, the plane smoothly took to the sky. Once they were fully on the flight path, Hayato took out an eye mask from his bag. The flight to Hawaii would take 8 hours, and sleeping was the best way to pass the time on such a long journey.

However, there was no rush. They took out the volleyball magazines from their bags, and Hayato decided to read them first. Kiyoko, on the other side, took out some snacks – mushroom chocolates, potato chips, and more. She placed them on the small tray table and opened them one by one.

"Help yourself if you want some. I brought plenty," she said.

They spent some leisurely time like this. Late at night, Hayato asked the flight attendant for a blanket and took out his prepared earplugs and neck pillow, ready to sleep. Kiyoko did the same beside him. Fortunately, neither of them felt airsick, so the motion sickness medication wasn't needed.

When Hayato woke up, the plane was already nearing its landing. He glanced at his watch; it was only 5:55 AM. Of course, this was Tokyo time. Converting for the time difference, it was still 10:00 AM yesterday in Hawaii.

He woke up Kiyoko, who was still asleep, and they both took a moment to clear their heads. As the plane landed, bright sunlight streamed in through the windows.

"It's so strange. It's early morning back home, but it's noon here."

"Hehe, time differences are amazing," Hayato chuckled.

After retrieving Kiyoko's suitcase, they walked out of the airport hand in hand. A wave of heat washed over them. Hawaii has an island climate, regulated by trade winds year-round, with temperatures typically ranging from 26°C to 31°C. The temperature variation throughout the year is minimal, with no distinct seasons. It was currently the hottest part of the day.

"It's so hot. Oh, Kiyoko-senpai, here you go."

Using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Hayato squinted as he looked around, trying to find a taxi. Given the weather and being in an unfamiliar place, they couldn't possibly get to the hotel on their own.

Afraid of the sun affecting Kiyoko, Hayato took a wide-brimmed straw hat with a black ribbon from his bag. Kiyoko accepted it without hesitation and put it on.

"Thanks, but it really is hot here." Kiyoko felt the temperature and regretted not applying sunscreen before getting off the plane.

Fortunately, it was still morning, and they were at the airport, so there were plenty of taxis. They found one with Japanese signage. Hayato first helped Kiyoko put her luggage in the trunk, and then they both got into the back seat.

Although there were many Japanese people in Hawaii, Hayato, fearing the driver might not understand Japanese, repeated the hotel address in English after stating it. The driver, hearing Hayato, immediately started the car.

The driver was a black-haired man around thirty years old, with a kind face. Hearing a familiar language, he asked with some surprise, "Oh, are you two Japanese? Are you here on vacation?"

"We won the grand prize at a shopping street event, and since it's free, we decided to come visit." Hayato smiled and explained, as the driver also spoke Japanese, making communication smooth.

"The grand prize, that's amazing! But your wife here is really beautiful. It's perfect for a honeymoon." The driver, seeing Hayato's height and demeanor, which didn't suggest he was a student, naturally assumed they were a married couple.

Kiyoko was about to retort when Hayato held her hand, stopping her.

"Yes, we just got married, and we were wondering where to go for our honeymoon. We had originally planned to go to Osaka, but now we've saved the money we would have spent on that trip." Hayato gave Kiyoko a look and casually chatted with the driver.

Soon, they reached their destination. After getting the driver's business card and arranging for him to drive them back, the driver waved goodbye cheerfully.

"What are you talking about? What wife, what honeymoon, and going to Osaka?"

Kiyoko, who had been waiting to "deal with" Hayato for a while, immediately reached out and grabbed his ear. It looked like she had been holding back on the car ride.

"My bad, my bad, Kiyoko-senpai, I was wrong."

Hayato quickly begged Kiyoko for mercy, explaining that the driver treating them as adults had its benefits. Otherwise, if they knew they were high school students, they would have been ripped off severely. Although they were still being ripped off as adults, it wouldn't be as bad.

Besides, it wasn't wrong. It was something that would happen in the future anyway.

Hearing Hayato's final words, Kiyoko blushed and didn't say anything else.

After taking their luggage into the hotel and checking in, the two confirmed their room.

"Wow, what a beautiful room."

The ocean-view king room on the eighth floor of the hotel was even better than Hayato had imagined. It had a huge chandelier on the ceiling, European-style decor, a sea-blue carpet, and a massive floor-to-ceiling window with a balcony. Not only could they see the ocean from inside, but they could also sunbathe on the balcony's rocking chair.

The bathroom was just as impressive, with a large bathtub equipped with bubble bath and massage functions, which was a pleasant surprise.

"Wh-what, there's only one bed!"

Seeing the large bed in the room, Kiyoko exclaimed somewhat loudly.

"How about I go downstairs and ask if we can switch to a room with two beds?"

Seeing Kiyoko like this, Hayato wanted to go ask downstairs. However, after hesitating for a long time, Kiyoko stopped him.

"Let's, let's just leave it. Just don't cross the line tonight."

After saying this, Kiyoko couldn't even lift her head. Hayato took the opportunity to promise that he would absolutely not make any moves on Kiyoko-senpai.

Turning her blushing face away, Kiyoko muttered to herself, "Definitely not," but her voice was too quiet for Hayato to hear.

After putting their luggage away, although there was a time difference, the two young people had rested quite a bit on the plane and were still energetic. They decided to go for a walk around the area and try the local cuisine. After Kiyoko applied sunscreen, grabbed a parasol, and took her wallet and room key, the two set off to find some delicious food.