Short Story: At The Hotel In Okinawa.

Now that the prep school study camp was over, I was sitting by myself on a sofa in the hotel lobby.

I’m planning to head over to the villa where Yuu-san is staying, but…

I pondered the thought while munching on a pork and egg onigiri I had just bought at a convenience store.

Pork and egg onigiri is an Okinawa-exclusive item. It’s a slightly unusual rice ball with luncheon meat and an omelet sandwiched inside.

But it’s delicious.

When Yuu-san was tutoring me and I asked about his summer plans, he had been evasive.

His shifty demeanor instantly triggered my suspicions.

He claimed Toko-san was going with him, but that vibe was absolutely not for some circle training camp.

It was something much more private.

I immediately probed for info from my brother.

My brother belongs to the same university circle as Yuu-san and Toko-san.

If it were an official circle camp, my brother would definitely be going along.

Sure enough, I overheard him asking our mother, “What do you want for an Okinawa souvenir?”

If my brother is going too, is it actually a circle camp?

My relief was short-lived. I heard my mother call out, “You’re already going to a training camp, but you’re going to Okinawa separately on top of that? Do you even have the money?”

To this, my brother replied, “It’s fine. We’re staying at Kazumi-san’s villa.”

Kazumi-san is Toko-san’s best friend.

In other words, was this a vacation for a double couple—Yuu-san and Toko-san, along with my brother and Kazumi-san?

Bad. That was very bad.

Yuu-san and Toko-san shouldn’t have reached a definitive stage as lovers yet.

But if they were traveling with their respective best friends, it wouldn’t be surprising if they let their guard down in an open, vacation environment.

If that happened, the distance between them would undoubtedly close in the blink of an eye.

Is there any way I can block their relationship from progressing?

Right then, a spark flashed in my mind.

It was the brochure for my prep school’s summer study camp.

I was certain that one of the destinations offered was Okinawa.

I successfully managed to extract the four-person travel itinerary and lodging details from my mother under the guise of casual curiosity: “When is big brother heading to Okinawa? Where did he say he’s staying?”

As luck would have it, the day Yuu-san and the others were arriving in Okinawa aligned perfectly with the final day of my study camp.

And so, I told my prep school instructor, “My brother is in Okinawa on the final day, so I’ll be meeting up with him there,” and remained behind alone at the hotel.

Yuu-san is gentle, and my brother softens up to me when all is said and done, so they wouldn’t kick me out even if I turned up unannounced.

Though having said that, barging into a villa all by myself completely out of the blue takes a lot of courage.

Just as I swallowed the last bite of the onigiri with that thought in mind and took a sip of green tea from my plastic bottle, a girl caught my eye.

She possessed a somewhat flashy cuteness and was walking right across the lobby.

She’s the runner-up from the university festival’s Miss Muse contest!

I recognized her instantly.

If I recall correctly, her name was Karen Mitsumoto.

She was certainly cute, but there was a somewhat manufactured feel to her look. Her makeup and fashion felt like a mix of gal-style and a loose, fluffy aesthetic, which made her stick out vividly in my memory.

When the Miss Muse finals ended, she was talking with Yuu-san and Toko-san. Does that mean she came to Okinawa with them too?

If so, I was in luck.

If I went with her, I could naturally gain entry to Yuu-san and the others’ villa.

I stood up from the sofa and approached her.

“Excuse me~ you’re Karen Mitsumoto-san, right?”

She looked at me with a bewildered expression. She seemed to be in a bit of a foul mood.

“Yeah, I am. And you are?”

Her tone carried a distinctly annoyed ring to it.

Wow, her vibe is completely different from when she was greeting people at Miss Muse.

Was she just being wary because a total stranger had suddenly called out to her?

“My name is Asuka Ishida. My older brother goes to the same university as you, Karen-san… Joto University.”

“Asuka Ishida? Your brother goes to Joto?”

She paused for a brief second, adopting a contemplative stance.

“Are you Ishida-kun’s little sister?”

“Yes, I am. And well, I was hoping to head over to where my brother is…”

Even after hearing that, she didn’t seem particularly interested. I decided to keep pressing the conversation.

“I saw you with Yuu-san and Toko-san at the Miss Muse finals, Karen-san. So I figured you were friends with my brother and Yuu-san. I thought that maybe you had come to Okinawa together with them too.”

For the first time, her expression shifted. She seemed to take a genuine interest in what I was saying.

“Ah~ well, I am in the same circle as them.”

So she really was a part of the trip. If that was the case, if I just tagged along with her…

“My prep school camp officially wraps up today. So I want to go to where my brother and Yuu-san are staying now. If it’s alright with you, could you take me along?”

“I see. It’s definitely better to go together as a pair than traveling all alone. By the way, do you know which hotel your brother is staying at?”

Karen-san’s amiability suddenly skyrocketed, but did she not know that Yuu-san and the others were staying at a private villa?

“Do you not know where they’re staying?”

“I had some separate business to attend to over here first. I figured I’d just message them later to ask about the lodgings. But when you mentioned you wanted to go to your brother’s place right now, Asuka-chan, I just thought it’d be nice if we went together.”

She gave the answer smoothly, acting as if it were no big deal.

Ah, I see. Karen-san was traveling separately and was planning to meet up with them now.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I was doubting you.”

I pulled out my smartphone and opened a bookmarked web page.

“Supposedly, they’re staying at a villa located in a place called Onna Village.”

“Ah~ this villa, huh. If it’s Onna Village, we can get there from Naha in a little over an hour by bus. Let’s get moving while the buses are still running.”

Glancing at the screen, she spoke in a thoroughly cheerful tone and placed a hand on my shoulder, urging me to hurry along.

Looking at Karen-san, a wave of relief washed over me, but it was accompanied by a sudden, faint surge of anxiety.

For some reason, she gave off the distinct aura of a con artist.