On the bed in her room, Kiyoko looked troubledly at the pile of clothes. Although she had asked Hayato whether he had packed everything, she had not actually prepared all the things she needed to bring.
"Maybe I'll wear one set today and bring two more."
She held the white-and-teal color-blocked underwear she had once shown Hayato against herself and looked in the mirror, then made her choice. After packing the other two sets into her bag, she had everything she needed for the trip.
It was Thursday. They had an extra class in the afternoon, leaving much less time for club activities. On top of that, there were no direct flights from Miyagi Prefecture to Hawaii. Their tickets were for a direct flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Honolulu International Airport, departing at 9:55 p.m. Factoring in the hour and thirty-five minutes on the Shinkansen to Tokyo, plus travel time, they had agreed to leave at 6:30.
That meant they would have to leave club early. Fortunately, it was easy to ask Coach Ukai for leave. After learning what was going on, he approved their request and told them to enjoy their weekend.
Kiyoko had gotten home shortly after six. After changing into the most important item, she finally finished packing. Seeing that it was almost time, she carried a small suitcase downstairs and happened to run into her mother and Hayato, who had come to pick her up.
"Oh my, this is Kiyoko's first time leaving the country too. You need to take good care of her out there."
Kiyoko's kind-looking mother reminded Hayato, and he nodded seriously, saying that he would definitely take good care of Kiyoko-senpai. This made her mother even more satisfied. She looked him over from every angle, practically treating him like a son-in-law. When she saw her daughter coming over, Kiyoko's mother tactfully gave the young people some space.
"Then that's that. I still need to clean the bathtub, so I'll leave the rest of the time to you young people. Kiyoko, remember to stay safe while you're out, and contact home once you get there."
After Kiyoko's mother left the living room with the distinctive ohohoho laughter of a middle-aged woman, Kiyoko awkwardly began to explain.
"My mother has always been like that. You know that, right? She's loved nagging ever since we were little."
"Auntie is worried about you too. Didn't she give us the same reminders whenever we went out to catch bugs as kids? The difference was that Kiyoko-senpai was the one taking care of me back then."
With a smile, Hayato brought up their childhood.
"Hehe, that's true."
Thinking about those childhood memories relaxed Kiyoko considerably.
Hayato then complimented Kiyoko on her casual outfit, saying it suited her very well.
She wore blue jeans with a white tank top, layered beneath a light, long-sleeved plaid shirt and white flats. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that swayed behind her as she turned her head.
Hayato then took the small suitcase from Kiyoko's hand, and the two set off together, chatting and laughing.
After the ordeal of taking the train, the Shinkansen, and the airport bus, they finally arrived at Haneda Airport early. Once they had checked in, they waited at the airport for quite a while before finally boarding.
After finding their seats, they both sat down and let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew... Traveling abroad really is a hassle when you think about it."
Leaning back in his seat, Hayato finally relaxed.
After fastening their seat belts and listening to the captain's announcement, the plane steadily rose into the sky. Once it had fully entered its flight path, Hayato took an eye mask out of his bag. The flight to Hawaii would take eight hours, and sleeping was the best way to pass such a long journey.
There was no need to hurry yet, though. They took out the volleyball magazines from their bags together, and Hayato planned to read one first.
Kiyoko took out some snacks beside him: mushroom-shaped chocolates, potato chips, and more. She placed them on the tray table and opened them one by one.
"If you want some, just help yourself. I brought plenty."
The two spent some time relaxing like that. Late at night, they asked a flight attendant for blankets. Hayato took out the earplugs and neck pillow he had prepared and got ready to sleep, while Kiyoko did the same. Luckily, neither of them got airsick, so the motion sickness medicine went unused.
By the time Hayato woke up, they were about to land. He looked at his watch. It was only 5:55 in the morning, though that was Tokyo time. After accounting for the time difference, it was still 10:00 a.m. the previous day in Hawaii.
He woke Kiyoko, who was still asleep, and they took a moment to clear their heads. As the plane landed, brilliant sunlight streamed in through the windows.
"It's so strange. It's clearly the middle of the night where we came from, but it's noon here."
"Hehe, time differences are amazing."
After retrieving Kiyoko's suitcase, they walked out of the airport hand in hand. A wave of heat hit them head-on. Hawaii had an island climate, tempered by monsoons throughout the year, with annual temperatures around 26°C to 31°C. The temperature barely changed over the year, with no real seasons. It was currently the hottest time.
"It's so hot. Oh, right, Kiyoko-senpai, here."
Using his hand as a visor against the sunlight, Hayato squinted and looked around for a taxi. In this weather, and in a place unfamiliar to them, there was no way they could get to the hotel on their own.
Worried that Kiyoko would get sunburned, Hayato took a wide-brimmed straw hat with a black ribbon from his bag. Kiyoko did not stand on ceremony and put it on as soon as she took it.
"Thanks, but it really is hot here."
Feeling the temperature, Kiyoko regretted not putting on sunscreen before getting off the plane.
Fortunately, it was still morning, and since they were at the airport, there were plenty of taxis around. After finding one with Japanese writing on it, Hayato helped Kiyoko put her luggage in the trunk, and they both climbed into the back seat.
Although there were quite a few Japanese people in Hawaii, Hayato was worried the driver might not understand Japanese, so after giving the hotel address, he repeated it in English. Upon hearing him, the driver immediately started the car.
The driver was a black-haired man around thirty years old with a fairly gentle appearance. Hearing a familiar language, he asked in surprise.
"Oh, are you two Japanese? Are you here on vacation?"
"We won the grand prize in a shopping street lottery. Since it was free anyway, we came here to have some fun."
It seemed the driver could speak Japanese too, so there was no barrier to communication. Hayato smiled as he explained.
"The grand prize? That's amazing. And your wife is really beautiful, sir. This is perfect for bringing her here on your honeymoon."
Hayato's height and manner of speaking did not make him seem like a student, so the driver naturally assumed they were married.
When she heard that, Kiyoko was about to object, but Hayato grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Yes, we just got married and were worrying about where to go for our honeymoon. We had originally planned to go to Osaka, but now we've even saved the money for Osaka."
Giving Kiyoko a look, Hayato casually continued chatting with the driver.
They soon arrived at their destination. After getting a business card from the driver and arranging to take his taxi again when they returned, the driver happily waved goodbye to Hayato.
"What are you saying? What wife? What honeymoon? And what was that about Osaka?"
Kiyoko, who had been waiting to deal with Hayato, immediately reached out and pinched his ear. It looked like she had been holding herself back in the car for quite some time.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Kiyoko-senpai, I'm sorry."
Hayato hurriedly begged for mercy and explained that it was better for the driver to think they were adults. Otherwise, if he knew they were two high school students, wouldn't he fleece them badly? They might still get overcharged if they were seen as adults, but it would not be as severe.
Besides, it wasn't wrong. They definitely would be someday.
Hearing Hayato's last words, Kiyoko's face turned red, and she did not 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 room with a king-sized bed on the eighth floor was even better than Hayato had imagined. There was a huge chandelier on the ceiling, European-style decor, an ocean-blue carpet, and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows leading to a balcony. Not only could they look out at the sea from inside, they could also sunbathe in the rocking chairs on the balcony.
The bathroom was no less impressive. The huge bathtub, complete with bubble bath and massage functions, was enough to delight anyone.
"Th-There's only one bed!"
Looking at the large bed in the room, Kiyoko cried out rather loudly.
"How about I go downstairs and ask whether we can switch to a twin room?"
Seeing her like this, Hayato wanted to go downstairs and ask, but after struggling with herself for a while, Kiyoko stopped him.
"J-Just leave it like this. Don't cross the line tonight."
After saying that, Kiyoko could not even lift her head. Hayato immediately took the opportunity to promise that he would absolutely not try anything with Kiyoko-senpai.
Turning her flushed face aside, Kiyoko muttered that it was not absolutely forbidden, but she spoke too softly for Hayato to hear.
After putting away their luggage, although there was the time difference to consider, the two young people had rested quite a bit on the plane. Still full of energy, they decided to explore the area first and try some local food. Once Kiyoko had applied sunscreen, brought a parasol, and taken her wallet and room key, the two set off in search of something to eat.
Before you continue