Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Eriri: Why Are You So Familiar with This?!
Chapter 126: Eriri: Why Are You So Familiar with This?!
It didn't take long in the airport waiting room before the flight Yukima Azuma had booked was ready for an on-time departure.
Using the first-class boarding gate, the group quickly boarded the plane.
The first-class seats were incredibly spacious, allowing each person to have their own space.
There were even partitions that could be lowered to create a private area.
However, the group didn't use them and instead chose to sit together.
After saying goodbye to her mother, Eriri turned off her phone.
Kato Megumi took a camera out of her backpack.
"Kato-san, you're so well-prepared. I completely forgot about this."
Seeing the camera in Megumi's hand, Eriri couldn't help but regret.
If she had brought her own camera, she could have taken tons of photos without worry.
"My sister stuffed it into my bag," Megumi explained.
This camera belonged to Kato Hiromi.
When she heard that her little sister was going on a trip to Hokkaido with her club friends, Hiromi gave her a mischievous smile before running to her room.
Not long after, she returned with a camera fitted with a new memory card and shoved it into Megumi's hands.
Hiromi even said to take plenty of photos in Hokkaido as inspiration for her honeymoon destination later.
She also added something about snapping a few portraits along the way.
Although she was used to her sister teasing her, Kato Megumi still felt a little shy.
But bringing the camera along turned out to be a good idea.
At this moment, Yukima Azuma was sitting by the window, resting his cheek against his palm, with one hand on the windowsill.
The plane had taken off, and the scene behind the young man was nothing but a vast blue sky and brilliant golden sunlight.
Kato Megumi turned on the camera, focused on Yukima Azuma's profile, and pressed the shutter.
A virtual exclamation mark appeared over Eriri's head as she regretted her carelessness even more.
Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned closer to Kato Megumi, looking at the photo on the camera's screen.
After viewing it, she tilted her head to Megumi's ear and whispered:
"Could you send me the photo after we land?"
Kato Megumi gave an "OK" hand gesture.
As the altitude continued to climb, the view outside the window transitioned from clear skies to thick layers of clouds.
Once the plane rose above the clouds, it stabilized.
A flight attendant approached, offering everyone a menu of complimentary food and drinks with a polite smile.
The most premium drink available in first class was top-tier champagne.
However, unfortunately…
None of the four passengers here were over 20 years old.
In Japan, drinking alcohol is prohibited for those under 20.
Thus, Yukima Azuma ordered iced tea, Kato Megumi chose orange juice, and Kasumigaoka opted for black tea.
As for Eriri?
It felt unnecessary to mention her drink choice specifically.
Regarding food…
Given the short flight time, none of the four felt hungry or thought about making the most of their first-class fare.
Instead, they only ordered some sweet, fruit-filled mochi.
"Are we going out tonight?" Kato Megumi asked curiously about the plans ahead.
"Of course! Tanuki Koji Shopping Street is famous as a shopping paradise. Exploring it at night will definitely be fun."
"And we can eat ramen too. Hokkaido is the birthplace of miso ramen, and the taste must be amazing."
Before boarding the plane, Eriri had been sulking about not being able to go on a private date.
But now, she was entirely in the mood of an elementary schooler on a field trip.
She grabbed Kato Megumi and chattered non-stop.
If Kasumigaoka didn't always tease her, she might have been chattering endlessly with her too.
Sitting across from Yukima Azuma, Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out and lightly touched his cheek.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yukima Azuma tilted his chin slightly, gesturing toward the window.
"I'm thinking about comets. If one flew by here, the scene would be stunning."
Above the clouds, aside from the radiant sunlight, there was only the endless expanse of the blue sky.
The clouds below, refracting the sunlight, shimmered with a mystical white glow.
Kasumigaoka imagined a comet streaking across this setting with its vibrant colors.
Umu, it would indeed be beautiful.
"Cough, cough, cough! It's so bitter!"
At that moment, Eriri choked and started coughing violently.
A small puff of light green powder escaped from her mouth, and her tiny tongue, now sticking out, had turned green.
Yukima Azuma glanced at the matcha mochi on the table.
Hmm, found the culprit!
The culprit was none other than the matcha mochi!
"Baka," Kasumigaoka said as she pulled a tissue from the side.
"Cough, cough." Eriri was still coughing uncontrollably, even showing signs of matcha powder spewing from her nose.
Yukima Azuma reached out and gently patted her back.
When Eriri felt a bit better, Kato Megumi handed her own lemon tea to Eriri.
After taking a sip of lemon tea, Eriri finally felt much more comfortable.
While her body recovered, she was thoroughly embarrassed.
Covering her little nose with her hand, Eriri hurried to the restroom to fix her makeup.
The remaining three exchanged glances and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
When Eriri returned from the restroom, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, she resumed her challenge with the remaining half of the matcha mochi.
This time, while she didn't choke to the point of creating a meme-worthy expression, it was clear that the matcha coating on the surface was indeed very bitter.
Her dainty nose wrinkled completely in response.
"Is it… tasty?"
After taking a large sip of lemon tea, Eriri looked at the strawberry mochi in Kato Megumi's hand and curiously asked.
Kato Megumi nodded.
Although it couldn't compare to the desserts in Yukima Azuma's fridge, it was still quite delicious.
So, Eriri grabbed another strawberry mochi and happily began eating.
Hearing the girls' conversation, Yukima Azuma also became a bit intrigued by the strawberry mochi.
He instinctively rested his chin on one of the girl arms and let out a soft "Ah."
This action made Kato Megumi pause momentarily.
Then, she took her remaining strawberry mochi and held it to Yukima Azuma's mouth.
Yukima Azuma took a bite.
"Umu umu, not bad, not bad," he murmured as he evaluated it.
The result?
Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha were left staring in shock.
The fork in Eriri's hand dropped into her bowl.
"F-Feeding each other like an indirect kiss... How are you all so familiar with this?!"
Eriri was so stunned that she stuttered.
Yukima Azuma froze for a moment, then quickly realized something was off.
Recently, he'd gotten used to being cared for by Kurokawa Akane—meals brought directly to him, clothes prepared in advance.
He'd forgotten to recalibrate his behavior.
'Damn it, have I fallen this far?'
'Am I about to be spoiled into uselessness by Guardian?'
Yukima Azuma let out a soft cough.
"Ahem, isn't this just normal?"
Eriri's eyes widened, her small mouth slightly agape. "What's so normal about—"
Before she could finish her sentence, he quickly poked the remaining mochi from her bowl into her mouth.
Eriri's words were blocked by the mochi, leaving her to mumble as she chewed.
Yukima Azuma raised his hand.
"See? I told you it's perfectly normal."
At this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha handed her mochi, along with her bowl, directly to Yukima Azuma.
Then, with one hand, she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, leaned forward slightly, and parted her rosy lips.
Yukima Azuma, of course, didn't hesitate. He picked up a perfectly sized piece of mochi and brought it to Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth.
Kasumigaoka Utaha took a bite.
When no one else was paying attention, her tongue briefly licked Yukima Azuma's thumb.
Yukima Azuma withdrew his hand and gently rubbed his thumb.
The feeding game gradually calmed down.
"Megumi, what's wrong? Do you want a piece too?"
Noticing Kato Megumi staring at him intently, Yukima Azuma picked up the last piece of mochi from his bowl and offered it to her mouth.
Kato Megumi flinched, then bit into the mochi.
She murmured softly, "It's fine."
So, what is Kato Megumi thinking?
Others only think Kato Megumi is very skilled at feeding him.
But Kato Megumi knows well that she can only truly understand Yukima Azuma's intentions.
After all, she understands this young man quite deeply.
Just like how, with a single glance, Yukima Azuma can understand her thoughts.
She also knows exactly how to coordinate with his actions.
Even so, she can't help but wonder—where did Yukima Azuma's habit of being fed come from?
Judging by his reactions, it doesn't seem to be from Kasumigaoka-Senpai or Sawamura-san.
Kirisu-sensei is still training at Shuchiin, and Yukinoshita-san spends her days at the company.
Could it be from Shimokitazawa? But Kita-san mentioned that Azuma-san hasn't been to live house STARRY these past few days.
So, who could it be? These days, Azuma-san doesn't even seem to be home. It's strange.
Kato Megumi pondered these things in her mind.
"Megumi, your gaze... looks a little scary."
"Eh? Really? But there's nothing I can do; after all, I'm an Assassin."
She said this while putting on a serious face.
The other three couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Kato-san, have you read the Fate series?"
"Umu, I have a bit of interest in light novels, so I asked Azuma-san to recommend some famous ones for me to try."
"That's great! We share the same hobby now! Megumi-san, what have you read so far? Let me suggest some books girls would enjoy!"
"How realistic of you—seeing signs of someone 'entering the field' and immediately changing your way of addressing them. You really live up to your title, otaku Eriri."
"AHH! You rough brute! What's wrong with being an otaku? Did I eat your family's rice or what?"
Clearly, in modern life, living without the internet would be quite uncomfortable.
However, for these people here, even without the internet, they laughed and joked throughout the entire flight.
Until the moment they felt a slight bump.
That's when everyone realized the plane had landed.
Yukima Azuma pulled out his phone and turned it on.
"Let's go; the person picking us up is already here."
Hearing that, the three girls were a bit curious.
"Azuma, do you have a friend in Hokkaido?"
Eriri asked, curious.
Yukima Azuma shook his head and replied.
"No, but I found a local university student with a driver's license and hired them as a guide and driver."
"This time in Hokkaido, I've booked a seaside villa instead of a hotel in the city."
"That way, it's convenient for beach activities, though getting to the city center will be a bit harder."
"Since none of us have a driver's license yet, I thought of this solution—it's convenient, isn't it?"
Hearing this, the three girls were amazed.
This arrangement was quite thoughtful, truly providing a sense of safety and maturity.
After all, the young man before them was the same age as they were (except for Utaha), yet he seemed so mature and considerate.
Meanwhile, some of their peers might still have a touch of chunnibyou and remain quite naive.