All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 125: Departure! Summer Trip! Hokkaido!

Laplace Corporation.

Yukima Azuma handed the first draft of the light novel to Yukino and then asked:

"Are you really not going? You should take a little time to relax!"

Yukino shook her head calmly.

"It's fine, Azuma-kun. You go ahead, don't worry about me. This is my decision."

Hearing this, Yukima Azuma could only nod.

Yukino silently sighed in her heart.

The boy in front of her was the one who had invited her on this trip to Hokkaido.

Moreover, it wasn't a sudden invitation; it was something he had mentioned before.

How could Yukinoshita Yukino not want to go on a trip with the person she liked?

During her high school years, except for the graduation trip, she had turned down all outings and group vacations.

Her entire youth lacked even a hint of the vibrancy of being young.

Thus, the boy's invitation moved her even more.

But Yukino also understood.

Right now, instead of spending time with the boy she secretly liked, she should stay at Laplace Corporation.

Laplace Corporation was still rapidly expanding.

The boy's passion and her freedom were both tied to the name Laplace.

One day, if Laplace could bring its works into every household…

At that time, she could truly act on her feelings, free from any constraints, to pursue the boy she cherished and the vast blue sky.

Moreover, this was also Yukima Azuma's expectation.

She couldn't betray that expectation.

Looking at Yukinoshita Yukino sitting silently, saying nothing.

Yukima Azuma extended his hand, using two fingers to lightly press on Yukinoshita's cheeks.

"Talking big and noble, but in the end, still wearing that melancholy expression."

"If you've decided to stay, then endure it for a while, Yukino."

"When winter comes, we'll still have a chance. We can visit the hot springs then."

"If by winter Laplace Corporation still can't give Yukino some time off…"

"Well, then Laplace Corporation might as well shut down!"

Yukino's mouth was lifted into a strange smile by Yukima Azuma's fingers.

Hearing his words, she couldn't help but glare at him.

Such nonsense.

Talking as if Laplace Corporation wasn't his company.

Saying things like shutting it down—what bad luck!

However, Yukima Azuma's words truly moved Yukino.

Hot springs in the winter sounded wonderful.

And so, the genius yet silly employee was once again enchanted by the sweet words of her heartless boss.

.....

The storm passed.

Laplace Bunko began preparing for the release of the second volume of the "Youth" series.

In fact, the first volume of the light novel was still selling incredibly well.

Releasing the second volume now, under normal circumstances, wouldn't be the most opportune timing.

However, the situation required flexibility.

This could only be seen as a special case for a special situation.

Work at the company was bustling.

As for Yukima Azuma, after a long time, he finally returned to the Yukima residence.

Before he even reached the door—

From afar—

Yukima Azuma saw a figure with blonde twin-tails.

Today, Eriri was dressed entirely for travel.

She wore a short t-shirt with a sheer, semi-transparent sun-protective shawl over it, her fair skin faintly visible beneath the fabric.

Below, she had on fitted black capri pants that highlighted her slender legs.

With this outfit, if her legs weren't long enough or if she were even slightly chubby, it would undoubtedly look quite ordinary.

But when Eriri wore it, it exuded a youthful beauty that made it impossible to look away.

On her twin-tails, she wore a wide-brimmed hat.

How cute.

The Sawamura family car was parked nearby.

Beside the car, Sayuri saw Yukima Azuma and waved at him.

Yukima Azuma nodded in response before pointing towards Eriri, who stood by the door.

Sayuri lifted her chin slightly, signaling for Yukima Azuma to go over himself.

So, Yukima Azuma walked closer.

As he got nearer, he heard Eriri muttering to herself.

"Azuma, that guy… what is he even doing? He didn't reply to my Line message this morning. We're clearly about to leave for a trip."

Yukima Azuma glanced at his phone.

Sure enough, there was a message from Eriri. He just hadn't noticed it all morning because he'd been so busy.

"Seriously, it's so rare to get a date, and I'm dying of excitement! Azuma wouldn't stand me up, right… no, no way."

Eriri kept muttering.

Hearing this, Yukima Azuma couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Eriri jolted in surprise and quickly turned around.

She discovered Yukima Azuma standing right behind her.

Her pale face immediately turned red.

"Eh! Azuma! W-when did you get here!?"

"When Eriri said something about a date and being so excited you could die."

"Forget it! Just forget it already! I didn't say anything like that!"

Eriri was so flustered that her hands and feet were all over the place.

She completely lost her usual oujou-sama demeanor.

Her wide-brimmed hat was even accidentally knocked off by her own hand.

Yukima Azuma reached out, catching the cream-colored hat and gently placing it back on Eriri's head.

This made Eriri's face flush so red it seemed like it might catch fire.

He lightly patted her head.

Yukima Azuma smiled and said, "Wait for me a bit. I'll call senpai and Megumi, and then we'll head to the airport."

Eriri reflexively nodded.

But then she realized something was wrong.

She immediately grabbed the corner of Yukima Azuma's shirt.

"Hold on!" Eriri widened her eyes at him. "Wait! That fat woman is coming too? Why didn't I hear about this?!"

Hearing that, Yukima Azuma showed a hint of confusion.

"You didn't know, Eriri? But I told you a few days ago on Line."

At this, Eriri hastily pulled out her phone.

She scrolled back through their Line chat history.

After skimming through dozens of messages, Eriri was shocked to discover that Yukima Azuma really had told her.

But she had absolutely no recollection of it.

Upon carefully checking the timestamp—

Eriri felt like her head was spinning.

It was sent at past 11 PM a few days ago.

At that time, Eriri had been rushing to meet a manuscript deadline, trying to finish all her work.

She had poured all her energy into drawing.

To the point that every night, her mind was hazy, unable to think straight.

That night, she had chatted with Yukima Azuma for a bit and then promptly passed out.

In their Line chat history, right after Yukima Azuma's message, all her replies were nonsense phrases.

That message had slipped right past her.

So the next morning, she hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Eriri: "Uwaaahhh! No way! I'm not okay with this!"

Yukima Azuma stood beside her, the corners of his mouth lifting in a subtle, amused smile.

Yukima Azuma knew Eriri far too well.

As soon as her response times on Line became erratic—sometimes short, sometimes long—it was a sure sign that this twin-tailed blonde girl was dozing off.

"Don't be ridiculous! Who are you calling 'that fat woman,' huh?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped out of the front door, her tone calm yet slightly provocative.

She had heard the commotion outside for quite some time.

Eriri shot Utaha a glare but refrained from engaging in their usual verbal sparring for now.

Yukima Azuma glanced inside the house, looking a bit surprised.

Because Kato Megumi was also there.

At the moment, Megumi was carrying a pet carrier containing Shiratamaru, following behind Utaha.

When Shiratamaru saw his owner, whom he hadn't seen in days, he raised a paw and scratched at the transparent panel of the carrier, as if to greet him.

On the other hand, Hogyokumaru, whom Utaha was holding, reacted much more enthusiastically.

Its tail wagged wildly like a blazing red flame, reaching toward Yukima Azuma.

The travel group was now complete.

Yukinoshita Yukino had to stay behind to handle work at Laplace Corporation.

As for Kirisu Mafuyu…

Ever since the start of the vacation, Kirisu-sensei hadn't made an appearance.

With the special training system of the three major private academies, teachers were required to participate in one intensive training session annually.

They could choose between the summer or winter break.

Kirisu Mafuyu had chosen to train during the summer break and was currently at the Shuchiin area, having not returned home for some time.

And Bocchi…

There was no need to even mention it. Between Gotoh Hitori being busy with Kessoku Band's performances during summer break and the idea of traveling with Yukima Azuma and three other girls, it was more than enough to overwhelm her. Sparing Bocchi from this was definitely for the best.

"Sayuri oba-san, good morning!" *x2

The two girls bowed politely to Sayuri, Eriri's mother.

Although Kasumigaoka Utaha often teased Eriri, she always remained courteous in front of elders.

"Good morning, girls. These must be Shiratamaru and Hogyokumaru? They're adorable," Sayuri greeted with a smile before quickly shifting the topic to the cats.

Sayuri used pet-related small talk to ease the atmosphere when interacting with others. At the same time, Shiratamaru and Hogyokumaru would be entrusted to her care during the trip.

As the conversation continued, everyone began boarding the Sawamura family car.

The vehicle was spacious, and even with five people and two cats, it didn't feel crowded at all.

"Sayuri oba-san, we're counting on you to take care of these two little ones. As a thank-you, I've prepared a gift."

"Around this afternoon, someone will deliver it to your house. Don't mistake them for a scammer and send them away," Yukima Azuma said with a smile.

"You… Fine, I'll look forward to Yukima-kun's gift!" Sayuri replied cheerfully.

Sayuri smiled gently, her hand resting lightly on her cheek.

In truth, she was curious about the gift Yukima Azuma had prepared.

If it were just a simple, polite gift, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to mention it.

But since he had brought it up, it must be something he had put a lot of thought and effort into.

A gift from a young man like him naturally piqued Sayuri's curiosity and expectations.

Eriri leaned in close to Yukima Azuma, lowering her voice as she questioned him:

"Hey, what's the gift? Why don't I know anything about it?"

Yukima Azuma motioned for her to come even closer.

When Eriri leaned in further, he tilted his head, whispering the details of the gift into her ear.

The gift itself didn't surprise Eriri too much.

But the intimate gesture in front of everyone…

Especially when his warm breath brushed against her ear…

Eriri's body stiffened involuntarily, her pale cheeks instantly turning as red as Hogyokumaru.

"Ara, ara," Sayuri chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

After dropping everyone off at the airport, Sayuri drove back home with Shiratamaru and Hogyokumaru.

Just as Yukima Azuma had said, someone knocked on the door that afternoon.

When Sayuri opened it, she saw a large delivery truck parked in the driveway.

On the side of the truck was a prominent logo—a pictographic design of a name:

Laplace Corporation

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Sawamura? Here's the shipping invoice; please review and confirm."

The delivery staff, dressed in a crisp white shirt, handed Sayuri a paper invoice.

Sayuri glanced at it, noticing a long list of furniture items.

"Once confirmed, our team will assist with installation," the staff continued.

"This is a tablet preloaded with a dedicated app for the furniture. If needed, we can also install the app on your phone."

The staff member pulled out a standard tablet, opened the app interface, and handed it over.

Sayuri took it, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she scanned the sleek interface filled with neatly arranged functions.

"Alright, go ahead and start the installation."

She guided the staff into the living room and other designated rooms to begin setting up the furniture.

"Yukima-kun is truly thoughtful. This is such an impressive gift."

Watching her home gradually transform with the addition of the specially designed furniture, Sayuri couldn't help but admire the young man's attentiveness and effort.