bookbashuk Page 74
Page 74
……
At 8 p.m., Yuto Itsuka bid farewell and left.
"Yuto, be careful on the road." Kotori and Shido saw him to the door.
"I will, Uncle, goodbye, Kotori-mama."
Yuto Itsuka turned and left.
Walking down the street, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Dealing with Aunt Qinli's enthusiasm was more tiring than finishing his manuscript.
He looked up at the sky; the moon was very round.
Just then, he saw a familiar figure.
Nishimiya Shoko was standing at her own front door, quietly looking in his direction.
Seeing him approach, Shoko's eyes lit up, and she waved to him.
Yuto Itsuka stepped forward and asked in sign language, "Why are you still standing outside so late?"
Shoko smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you, Yuto-kun."
"Wait for me?" Itsuka Yuto was somewhat surprised.
"Hmm, I'd like to know how you get along with Aunt Kotori and Uncle Shido."
"Aunt Kotori...is she very happy?"
Shoko has already learned from her mother and Yuzuru that Aunt Kotori is going to adopt Yuto as her godson.
Yuto Itsuka nodded and replied, "She and Uncle Shido are both very gentle people."
Shoko gave a relieved smile.
"That's great. Aunt Kotori has been very sad. If Yuto-kun can keep her company, she will definitely get better."
Looking at the pure smile on her face, Yuto Itsuka smiled back: "Thank you, Shoko."
"Eh?"
The two stood under the streetlight, communicating quietly in sign language.
"Oh, right." Yuto Itsuka thought for a moment and said in sign language, "I'm going to a training camp in Izu with my club members this week, and I probably won't be back until next week."
When Shoko saw this sentence, her eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly smiled again.
"Izu? That's a nice place. Have a great time."
Yi Ling yowled; covered his mouth, opened his mouth, thinking of inviting her to go together, but swallowed the words back.
This training camp is a club activity, and it's also supported by the bookstore. The main purpose is to do field research, so it's not appropriate to bring Shoko, an "outsider," along.
Moreover, with Eriri and Kasumigaoka-senpai both there, he was worried that Shoko would feel uncomfortable if she went.
“Yes, I will bring back a gift,” Yuto Itsuka finally said.
Shoko nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescents.
"I'll wait for you to come back."
"Alright, it's getting late, you should go in and get some rest."
Shoko nodded, waved to him, and turned to walk into her house.
Yuto Itsuka stood there, watching her figure disappear behind the door, before turning and leaving.
……
Volume 1: Chapter 96: What's the difference between soaking in a hot spring and taking a sauna in summer?
Wednesday morning, Toyonosaki Academy.
Several days have passed since I finished the hellish deadline, but the aftereffects seem to be lingering.
Yuto Itsuka sat in the classroom. Although his dark circles had faded considerably, he was still somewhat listless, which made him seem less attentive in class this week.
He rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the clear sky outside the window, but his thoughts drifted to the upcoming training camp in Izu.
Today is the last day of classes before summer vacation. Tomorrow is the official start of the vacation, and on Friday, their club will set off for Izu.
"Kato-kun, how's your luggage packing for the training camp coming along?" During break, Yuto Itsuka asked the student sitting next to him.
Kato Megumi looked up. "Hmm, everything's almost ready. Where's Itsuka-kun?"
"I haven't started packing yet." Itsuka Yuto rubbed his temples. "I need to buy some things after school today."
"Really? Then we'd better hurry." Kato Megumi nodded, then added, "The temperature difference between day and night in Izu can be quite large, so remember to bring a jacket."
"Okay, thanks for reminding me."
……
During lunch break, Yuto Itsuka went to the cafeteria alone and ran into Eriri on the way.
Compared to a few days ago, Eriri's complexion has improved considerably. Her golden twin tails shimmered in the sunlight, and she has regained her image as the popular young lady at school.
"Hey, partner," he greeted.
Eriri blushed slightly when she saw him, but still managed a nonchalant snort: "What partner? Don't call me that."
"You've already submitted the manuscript, and now you're disowning me?"
"I-I didn't!" Eriri immediately retorted, "It's just that at school, you should be mindful of your behavior."
She looked around and saw that her classmates were indeed secretly glancing in her direction.
“Okay, Sawamura-senpai,” Itsuka Yuto readily agreed. “Want to go eat together?”
"I don't want to be with you, it's too conspicuous," Eriri refused, but she didn't stop walking beside him.
"Speaking of which, are you ready for the training camp?"
"Of course, I've already packed up," Eriri said smugly. "But you, you're not ready yet, are you?"
"How could that be? I'll go prepare it today."
The two walked and talked, and although it was all about trivial daily matters, the atmosphere was much more harmonious than before. After a week of working side by side, the barrier between them seemed to have completely disappeared.
……
Afternoon club activities.
Yuto Itsuka arrived at the clubroom with Eriri, but Megumi Kato said she had something to do and would be there later.
Pushing open the door, the two saw Kasumigaoka Utaha holding a paperback book and reading it.
"Oh, you two busy people have finally arrived." Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her book upon seeing the two of them and gave them a meaningful smile. "You've been working hard on your manuscripts. It seems your 'cohabitation' is quite fulfilling, isn't it?"
Eriri's face instantly turned red: "Kasumigaoka Utaha! Don't talk nonsense! We're just doing this for work!"
"Oh? Is it just work?" Shiyu covered half her face with a book, her eyes scanning back and forth between the two. "But I see that Sawamura-kun and his junior are much closer than before."
"No!"
Yuto Itsuka sighed and changed the subject, saying, "Senpai, let's talk about the training camp."
"Training camp? It doesn't really matter what kind of camp it is." Utaha put down her book, leaned forward, and stared at Itsuka Yuuto. "What I'm more concerned about is, once we get to Izu, can we have some 'in-depth exchanges' like when you were rushing to finish your manuscripts, beautiful teacher?"
"Cough cough..." Yuto Itsuka almost choked on his saliva.
"You scheming woman! Saying such shameless things again!" Eriri jumped up and down in anger.
"I was just discussing work with my 'partner'," Kasumigaoka Utaha retorted with a smile. "Sawamura-kun, are you getting the wrong idea?"
"you……!"
"Alright, alright," Itsuka Yuto smoothed things over. "Senior, the main purpose of this collaboration is to gather inspiration and discuss the planning of our new work. We have serious business to attend to."
"Discussing new project plans?" Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow. "I think a hot spring inn would be a better place to do things that... inspire creativity."
She deliberately emphasized the last few words.
At that moment, the classroom door was opened, and Kato Megumi walked in.
"Good afternoon, everyone." She greeted everyone calmly, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere in the classroom.
"Kato-kun, you're here." Itsuka Yuto breathed a sigh of relief.
Kato Megumi walked to her seat and sat down, then asked, "Itsuka-kun, have you finished planning the training camp itinerary and any other important notes?"
"Ah."
Yuto Itsuki took out a stack of printed materials from his bag, which detailed the daily activity schedule, transportation methods, accommodation information, and even the day's weather forecast and recommended attractions.
"Itsuka-kun, you've prepared very thoroughly!" Kato Megumi exclaimed.
"Because I'm in charge of planning."
Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at the information, then pouted, "This detailed plan feels like a school trip; there's no surprise at all."
Before Yuto Itsuka could speak, Megumi Kato responded, "If you want a surprise, you can arrange it yourself."
These words prompted Yuuto to glance at her.
"Hmph." Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't say anything more.
The four of them then began discussing the details of the training camp.
"The guesthouse we booked, right?" Shiyu asked.
“Yes, it’s not too far from Atami Station,” Yuto Itsuka replied.
"I heard there are many hot springs in Atami, right?" Shiyu's eyes narrowed. "Does that mean we can soak in the hot springs with our junior?"
"How could that be! The boys and girls must be separated!" Eriri immediately retorted.
"Oh dear, Sawamura-kun is such a spoilsport," Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed. "But sneaking into the men's bath at night can be quite fun, too."
"You, you shameless woman!"
Sneaking into the men's bathhouse at night...
To be honest, although Yuto Itsuka is not a fan of that kind of book and comic, he has read a few of them.
This sentence reminded him of a work by a certain author, Anjian, called "Down-to-earth Girl".
All I can say is, this is something I can't afford to mess with...
"Spare me the idea of soaking in hot springs in the summer," said Yuto Itsuka.
"Itsuka-kun, how were the rooms assigned?" asked Kato Megumi, the only reliable person among them.
"The hotel rooms are all Japanese style. I booked one large room and one small room. I will sleep in the small one."
"Wait! There are three girls, but only one boy, Yuuto?" Eriri noticed the problem.
"Yes."
"Wouldn't that mean Yuto would have a room all to himself? That's such a waste!"
Just as Yuto Itsuka was about to explain, Utaha Kasumigaoka seized the opportunity and said, "What else? Does Sawamura-kun want to share a room with his junior?"
"I didn't!" Eriri's face turned bright red again. "What I meant was, we could book one or two more rooms..."
"I checked, the hotel doesn't have any single rooms left," Kato Megumi said, shattering her illusions. "Besides, when traveling, it's probably better for us girls to stay together, right?"
Eriri was speechless.
"Oh dear, that's such a shame," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, feigning regret. "But Japanese-style rooms usually don't have very good soundproofing."
Her gaze drifted toward Itsuka Yuto.
Yuto pretended not to see it.
……
After the club activities ended, Yuto Itsuka went to a shopping mall near the apartment to buy some daily necessities needed for the training camp.
After returning to the apartment, I started unpacking my luggage.
Toiletries, clothes, sunglasses, swim trunks... and the jacket that Kato reminded me to get.
After he finished organizing everything, he thought for a moment and sent Shoko a LINE message.
"Who's more handsome than me: Shoko, I'm leaving for a training camp the day after tomorrow and will probably be back next week."