Chapter 15 “Out with the two”

                5:30 the next day, Miki had just woken up and she became aware that she was lying on bed. She also noticed that Yuto was sitting on a chair with his head resting on the bed. He was fast asleep. She sat on bed and wondered when she got back inside the hotel. Then she remembered that Yuto was with her last night and realized that he was probably the one who brought her back. She also saw that she wasn’t in her room but was in Yuto’s room. She his hair and said, “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble in bringing me back inside. Then, she whispered on his ear, Dai suki.”

                She got up from bed and got the red travelling blanket and placed it over Yuto. Then she said, “I’ll come back in a while. I’ll also get some food before I return.”

So she quietly left the room. After taking a bath and getting ready, Miki went down to get some food. She returned to Yuto’s room and saw that he was still asleep.

She sat beside the bed and said, “I wonder what time did you bring me back into the hotel. It must’ve been really cold and the blanket wasn’t enough to provide warmth so you brought me back inside.” Then, she brought out her laptop and started to play games. After an hour, Yuto slowly woke up.

Miki funnily brushed his hair while saying, “Good morning sleepy head! Thanks for bringing me inside last night.”

Yuto yawned and stood up while saying, “I didn’t want to wake you up from your sleep so I just carried you inside.”

Miki put down her laptop then replied, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to wake up. You must’ve had some difficulty for carrying me because I was heavy.”

Yuto: “That’s no problem. You were just right.”

Miki: “No way. You must be joking.”

Yuto: “Seriously. I didn’t have difficulty in carrying you.”

Miki got off the bed and walked to the other room. Then, she returned with food and tea. “Well, if you say so. Here I brought in some food after I went to out a while ago. You must be hungry.”

Yuto cleared the coffee table and Miki placed the food there.

After breakfast:

Miki: “So, I’ll be going out first since you should be changing for today. In addition to that, I’ll be returning the utensils we’ve used.”

Yuto: “Uh... You’re right. I’ll see you later then.”

Miki: “Likewise with you.”

                After Miki returned the eating utensils that they have used she went to the living room to rest for a while. Inoo then entered and saw that Miki was on her own. He approached her, sat on the other chair and greeted her good morning.

Inoo: “You’re up early as always. What’s up?”

Miki: “Uhm nothing. I just came from Yuto’s room since he is going to change.”

Inoo: “Oh... Where’d the two of you go last night? And what happened to you?”

Miki: “Ha?! Last night? Uhm... Nowhere... Nothing happened to me. How are you supposed to say so?”

Inoo: “Well, that’s because we saw him carry you inside the hotel and he wasn’t able to answer our question on why he did so.”

Miki: “Oh... Well... I went down to the pond to hang out for a while because the evening sky was beautiful and I didn’t know that he followed me. So he asked me if he can hang out too and I said that it was fine. We conversed for a bit then I told him that I would rest for a while. I guess during the time that I was asleep, the air started to get colder and since he thought that the blanket I brought wasn’t enough, he carried me back into the hotel.”

Inoo: “Oh, okay.”

Miki: “Although, when I woke up, I saw myself sleeping on his bed.”

Inoo: “Ha?! The two of you slept together?!”

Miki: “Oh no, no, no... We didn’t sleep together. He was sitting on a chair with his head resting on the side of the bed. I guess I’d say that he had a hard time sleeping.”

Inoo: “Okay. I’m sorry if I reacted frantically. It’s just that you’re a girl so... I mean I have a little sister so I would say that as a big brother, I would react anxiously if my younger sister slept with a guy just like that. It’s like a protective response.”

Miki: “Well, you don’t have to worry since nothing happened. And Yuto wouldn’t probably have that kind of thinking.”

Inoo: “I guess you can say so. What did you do after you woke up?”

Miki: “Yuto was still asleep so I went back to my room to change. Then I came down to get some food and returned to his room. We ate breakfast after he woke up.”

Inoo: “Ah... Okay.”

Miki: “How about you, have you finished eating breakfast? If you haven’t, then I’d be happy to accompany you.”

Inoo: “No, not yet. Then, if you could, I’d be glad if you joined me.”

                So Miki accompanied Inoo so he would eat breakfast.

                Just as Yuto was able to take a bath and change, he went down to the living room to look for Miki. He wondered why she wasn’t there so he looked around. As he was walking, he heard laughing voices coming from the kitchen. He peeked from the kitchen door‘s small window and saw Miki wearing an apron, with her hair tied up and laughing. He was about to push the door when he saw Inoo with her. White powder was scattered over the counter. Inoo was mixing the batter while Miki was handing him the other ingredients. He watched as Miki rubbed some of the powder on Inoo’s face while Inoo got some the batter and smeared it on her. The two continued to laugh at each other so ridiculously. He continued to watch as they began to cook pancakes with the batter that they prepared. Miki was laughing and clapping her hands while Inoo tried to toss the pancakes into the air. After cooking, Inoo asked the chef where the fruits and syrup were. He returned with different fruits and syrup. Miki made a selection and began to slice the strawberries and place it on top of the 2 layered pancakes. For the finishing touch, Inoo topped it off with some syrup. Miki grabbed a fork and gave it to Inoo. Inoo sliced a small piece and offered it to Miki. Although Miki refused because the pancake was for Inoo, Inoo told her to get the first taste. After seeing this, Yuto began to feel sharp, piercing pain over his chest so he turned around and returned to his room.

                After Inoo ate breakfast, Miki was wondering why Yuto hasn’t come down from his room. Inoo thought of the same so the two of them went up to his room.

*Knock* *Knock*

Yuto was lying on his bed thinking of Miki when he heard someone knocking on the door. He got up and went to open it.

Miki: “Yuto, are you done changing yet?”

Yuto looked at her and immediately shifted his glance at Inoo. In a flash, there was an exchange of electrifying expressions between the two.

Inoo: “She’s right. She’s been waiting for you to come down for an hour already.”

Yuto: “Oh, I’m sorry. After I got changed, I was lying on my bed and unknowingly dozed off.”

Miki: “Is that so. I guess it’s my fault. Because of what happened last night, you weren’t able to sleep properly. Sorry.”

Yuto: “No... No... That’s not it. Don’t worry about it. So, are you guys going anywhere?”

                Inoo and Miki looked at one another and said no.

Miki: “Although I was thinking of going out today.”

Inoo: “Really? Where do you want to go? If you like, I can accompany you. ”

Yuto didn’t want to lose so he replied, “I’d be happy to accompany you wherever you want to go to.”

Miki looked at both of them and said, “I don’t really know. But since the two of you want to come, I guess we could go to SM.”

Inoo: “That’s a great idea. I like it! Let’s go then.”

                As soon as they arrived in SM mall, Yuto asked Miki where she wanted to go.

Miki: “Uhm... If you like, we can start with 4D Max Rider.”

Yuto: “Oh. You mean the one you and Daiki went to? I’d like to try that.”

Inoo: “Me too. I want to try it out too.”

So the three went to the last floor of SM and was at the entrance of Max Rider.

Miki: “Feel free to choose one that you want to ride on.”

Inoo: “Ooh... I like the one with zombies and ghosts.”

Yuto: “No. No. Pick the one with the dinosaurs.”

                The two continued to argue about which 4D ride they would go to but later, Inoo said, “This is going nowhere. Miki, you be the one to pick instead of us.”

Yuto: “Yes. You should be the one to pick.”

Miki: “Uhm... Uhm... Any is fine actually. But... I guess I would pick the one with zombies.”

Inoo: “Ha! I told you that we should pick that one.”

Yuto: “Okay. Okay fine. You win.”

                So the three picked number 19 and entered the 4D ride. The three of them were seated at front and Miki was at the center. As the ride went on, Miki would scream from time to time and at times, she would think who’s arm she would hold on to but then again, she would just hold on to the rail.

At the end of the ride, Inoo asked the same question of where Miki wanted to go next. They were facing Quantum, which was a game center so they headed towards it. They bought tokens and started to look around of where they would go to first. Miki saw that no one was playing air hockey so she asked the two if they wanted to play. After a few minutes of playing with the two, Inoo challenged Yuto on air hockey.

Yuto: “I don’t want to.”

Inoo: “What if I said the one who loses will leave and the one who wins will stay and have fun with Miki here at the game center.”

Yuto didn’t want to leave so he was forced to take the challenge.

After a few rounds of playing,

Miki: “Wow, nice. The game turned out as a draw.”

Inoo: “Well, that’s because I was going easy on Yuto.”

Yuto: “What? No way. You weren’t even much of a challenge during the game that’s why you couldn’t beat me.”

Inoo: “It’s not yet the end. This time, I won’t go easy on you. You just wait and see.”

Yuto: “I’ll be right here waiting to defeat you anytime.”

Miki on the other hand was quietly laughing to herself as she listened to the conversation. They continued to walk around and soon, Yuto tapped Inoo on the shoulder, pointing at the Dance game.

Inoo: “Miki, want to play here?”

Miki: “Ha? Me? Oh no. I’ll pass on this one. If you guys like to try it then go. I’ll watch the two of you from the side.”

Yuto: “Do you accept my challenge?”

Inoo: “I won’t back down that easily.”

Once again, the two went on with the dance game to see who will win. And yet, in the end, none of them won. *sigh*

Yuto: “That was close. Good thing I was able to win the last round so now it’s still a tie.”

Inoo: “But I’m not quitting yet.”

                Miki remembered that there was a drum game so she pulled Yuto to play it. Yuto didn’t think twice whether he would play or not, because he knew that when he plays, Miki’s happy. So, for a few tokens, he played the game. Miki, as always, was totally impressed by his talent. After playing other games, the three were finally exhausted. Just before they were going to leave the game center, Miki spotted a cute medium sized stuffed toy.

                The two suddenly stopped walking and turned around. Then Yuto asked, “Miki, what’s wrong?”

Miki pointed at the stuffed toy booth with the mechanical hand.

The two guys looked as two other girls attempted to get a stuffed toy from the toy booth but were unlucky. As soon as the two girls left, Miki approached the booth and pointed at the stuffed toy.

Inoo: “Miki, do you like stuffed toys?”

Miki: “Well, I wouldn’t use the word stuffed toy. I like to use the word plushie.”

Yuto: “What’s that?”

Miki: “Well, in my understanding, it’s probably a word used instead of saying stuffed toy.”

Yuto: “Oh. Is that so? Well do you like that plushie?”

Miki nodded her head eagerly.

Yuto: “Okay then, I’ll get it for you. Just wait here and I’ll go get some tokens.”

Miki: “Ha?! No no. You don’t have to.”

Yuto: “You said you like it right? Then I’ll get it for you. So don’t worry about it.”

                After buying tokens, Yuto attempted to get the plushie. Miki was at his side waiting anxiously, hoping that he was able to get it. As Miki waited anxiously, she was muttering, “Yuto, you can do it! Surely, you’ll be able to get that plushie.” After some attempts, Yuto still wasn’t able to get the plushie. Then Inoo asked, “Why won’t I give it a try?”

Yuto didn’t want to give up but he had to give way for Inoo to try.

After a few tries, Inoo was finally able to get the plushie. Inoo got it out of the receiving compartment and handed it over to Miki. Miki was jumping with joy after she received it from Inoo. Then, she happily hugged Kei while continuously saying thank you. But other than that, she thanked Yuto for his effort.

Yuto just smiled and said, “I’m glad that you’re now happy even though it was Inoo who was able to get the plushie for you.”

  Miki: “No. No. It wouldn’t have been possible without your unfailing effort. And probably, if you didn’t say that you would try to get it, then Kei wouldn’t have been able to get it also. So thank you so so much!”

                So after hours of staying at the game center, the three went out to eat lunch. After eating, they thought of where they would go to next. Then Miki suggested, “Kazumi said that there is a zip line somewhere in Camp John Hay. Do you guys want to check it out? I really want to try it.”

Yuto: “Okay, sure why not. Let’s go look for it. Or probably, the driver might know where it is.”

                So the three of them left and returned to the car. They then asked the driver if he could take them to where the zip line is. Good thing the driver knows so they headed there. The three then went up to try out the zip line. The three of them were all ready to go but on second thought, Miki didn’t want to go because she was afraid of heights.

Inoo: “You’re afraid of heights?”

Miki: “Y... Y... Yes. I’m usually okay with high places but at this rate, I don’t think that I can do it,” she said as she closed her eyes.

Yuto: “Why didn’t you tell us before we came here?”

Miki: “I thought that it would probably be okay but then I guess it doesn’t.”

Yuto: “Then, if you want, we can call off everything.”

Miki: “No. No. I don’t want to. We’ve gone this far already. I don’t want to turn back.”

Inoo: “But what if something would happen to you?”

Miki: “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. The two of you go ahead and wait for me down there.”

Yuto: “Are you sure you want to continue?”

Miki: “Yes. Now go on first. There are still other people who are waiting for their turn.”

Yuto: “Well, okay then. You make sure to arrive down safely.”

Yuto looked at Inoo and so the both of them lined up first. After Yuto left, Inoo said, “We’ll be waiting for you.”

                Miki was now left alone at the top, together with the other coordinators. Then, one coordinator said, “You can do this. Just relax. The more you think about it, the more you’ll feel nervous.”

So Miki tried to calm herself and said, “Okay, I’m going.”

                Yuto and Inoo were waiting anxiously at the other end of the zip line.

Yuto: “I hope she is able to get over it.”

Inoo: “She probably will. There she is!”

Just as soon as Miki arrived, the two guys supported her.

Yuto: “How was it? Are you okay?”

Miki: “Th... Th... That was fun. I think I’ll go again.”

Inoo: “Okay. That’s enough for you. Once is okay already.”

Yuto: “I’ll have to agree with him.”

                So, after the zip line, the three returned to the hotel.

At the living room:

Yabu: “Where have you guys been?”

Yuto: “We went out for a little fun at SM with Miki.”

Yabu: “Oh. Okay then.”

Miki: “Well, I’ll go back to my room to rest. See you guys later or maybe tomorrow.”

Inoo: “Okay. Have a good rest.”

After Miki had left, Yabu asked Yuto and Inoo to call the other members so they can talk about what they would do on Christmas Eve. A few hours later, they were able to discuss everything and said that they would invite Miki and Kazumi.

After the meeting, Yuto returned to his room. He fell back on his bed and began thinking of what happened last morning. Then, after a long reflection, he had come to conclusion.

What was Yuto thinking of? And what conclusion did he have in mind after a long reflection?