Chapter 22 “Resort and fun”

                It was 6 in the morning when Miki woke up. She got her phone and texted “Good Morning!” to Kei. After that, she texted Kazumi so that they would meet up in town and go to the Hotel together. She connected her phone to the charger and left it on her bed. After packing, she received a text from Kei saying, “I’ll come pick you up.” She immediately replied back saying that he didn’t have to since she will be meeting up with Kazumi in the town.

                She took her camera with her and left the house. She met up with Kazumi at the Melvin Jones Grandstand and they went straight to the Manor Hotel. Just as they arrived, the guys had just finished packing their things into the van that they will be using.

“Ohayoo Miki! Are you ready to go?”

Miki: “Yup. I’m very excited to go swimming again!”

Inoo : “Then let’s have lots of fun today, together, you and me.”

Miki placed her hand on his cheek and answered, “Of course we will.”

Hikaru happened to pass by them and said, “Are you two lovebirds just going to stand there and talk or are you coming?”

Inoo and Miki laughed and they both entered the vehicle.

                2 hours later, they arrived at the resort. The guys asked for a room to utilize during their little stay. As they arrived in the room, the guys left their things in one area and excitedly told Miki and Kazumi to get going while it was still early. Everyone was about to leave when Kazumi said that she would stay behind. The others asked why then tried to persuade her to join them. Kazumi insisted not to since she wasn’t a fan of the hot weather. Miki tried to pull her to go but she didn’t budge. After a few minutes of persuading, Yabu decided to stay with Kazumi for the mean time. The others gave in to her decision and so, Inoo seized Miki by the hand and they quickly left the room first.

Hikaru: “There goes the couple! See you guys later then! It’s time to have some fun! Yahoo!”

                Hikaru left and the others followed.

Just as they got out of the room, Inoo asked Miki to show him around. The first place that they saw was the Children’s pool. It had mini slides and water coming out from the sides.

After that they crossed a bridge that led to the adult pool. Below the bridge Miki described it to Inoo as the “Lazy River” because it didn’t flow.

Just as Inoo saw the large pool that extended to a curve, he asked how deep it was.

“One part is approximately about 6 feet. On the other side, it goes to about waist length probably, 4 feet,” Miki replied.

During the whole tour, Miki never noticed that she was holding tightly onto Inoo’s hand. They continued the tour as they crossed another bridge which later on led them to the diner of the Resort. Close to the diner was the Wave pool. During the tour, the water was very still and no one was there swimming. Inoo wondered why and Miki explained to him that it only gets very crowded when the waves start. The personnel of the resort have a certain schedule as to when the waves will appear.

Lastly, Miki took Inoo up a tall building.

At the top, Miki showed Inoo that one way to go down is through the slide. There were three colors, Blue, Yellow and Red. Inoo looked down and Miki said that she’s tried it before. It really was frightening most especially when it was her first time. Inoo told her to try it but Miki didn’t want to. Then the personnel said that they can go together on the blue. Miki remembered that it was the very first one that she rode on when they got there a long time ago. Inoo held out his hand and Miki sat on the mat that was provided for safety. After that, the personnel told Inoo to sit behind her. Miki gulped and Inoo told her to hold on tight and not be afraid. Even though Inoo knew that he was a bit nervous himself. The personnel pushed the mat and the two went down the slide. It had several turns and Miki screamed with panic. There was a big splash when they reached the bottom. Because of the screaming, Miki aspirated some water when they arrived below. She panicked as she stood up and quickly coughed out the water. Inoo was also in shock but he put that aside and patted Miki on the back to help her expel the water.

Inoo: “Are you okay?”

Miki: “Daijoubu. I’m okay now. I just got a bit of a shock that’s why. *cough*”

Inoo: “Are you afraid of slides?”

Miki: “At some point, yes.”

                The two got out of the pool and they were able to run into Hikaru and the others.

Hikaru: “Where’d the two of you go?”

Inoo: “We went out to try the slide.”

                The guys observed as they watched people arrive down the slide. But other than observing, Yuto looked at the couple who were holding hands as they pointed at the people who were about to slide down.

                His staring broke when Yamada and Keito pulled him to go up to the slides with them. He had one last look at Miki as he was dragged away. But Miki didn’t notice him one bit since she was with Inoo.

                The two of them left and headed walked to the bridge coming from the diner to the adult pool. Miki climbed to the edge of the bridge and Inoo quickly told her to get back. But Miki was having too much fun that she told him to join her. She smiled and jumped off. Inoo climbed to the edge and jumped off also.  Yuto was up on the building and saw the whole thing. Miki was laughing and splashed water at Inoo. They were laughing and having so much fun.

Inoo: “Why’d you jump off the bridge?”

Miki: “I find it enjoyable that’s all. We used to do it also during the past.”

                After having fun together, they went off to look for the others. Kazumi and Keito had just come back with several balloons on hand. Everyone gathered around and Kazumi gave out the instructions for a balloon fight.

                After filling the balloons with water, the group was divided into two teams. Kazumi teamed up with Keito, Chinen, Yamada, Daiki and Takaki. As for Miki, she pulled Inoo to her group. The other side already had 6 members so Hikaru and Yuto joined in. The two teams went to both ends of the pool and Yuto gave out instructions but Miki didn’t listen to him. She wanted to do things her own way. As for Inoo and Hikaru, they just went along with the two so they can have fun.

                Yabu gave the start signal and Miki immediately hit Keito and Chinen even before Yuto’s signal. Yuto argued with her but Miki continued to play the game. Kazumi threw a balloon but it missed Miki by a few feet. Yuto was going to say something again when Miki told him, “We’re having a game right now. I don’t want to listen to your instructions. So what if there are six of them. We can take them on. And besides, don’t expect the other team to wait until you finish and then start throwing water balloons again. Give out instructions if you want but expect to get eliminated because of it.” Just as she finished her statement, she threw one at Kazumi but ended up hitting Yamada.

Miki: “Yes! This is where instructions come in. Okay everybody, four on three. I’ll get Takaki. You guys go for Daiki and Kazumi.”

                                And the four of them ran to the other side. Then Yabu loudly declared that it will be a game of survival. Inoo pulled Miki and the two of them joined forces. Yuto and Hikaru chased each other and eventually, Hikaru got hit by Daiki instead. Miki and Inoo chased Kazumi and Daiki while throwing balloons at them. But Yuto was right behind them. Miki turned around and glared at Yuto.

 “I’m still angry at you. But since we’re in a game, might as well grab the chance to beat you. *evil laugh*” Were the words that came into Miki’s mind as she faced Yuto.

Miki: “Are you still busy giving out instructions? Because while you’re at it, I’ll make sure to hit you before you finish. And don’t think that I’ll go easy on you.”

Yuto: “Is that really how you play?”

Miki: “In games like this, I do things my own way. It’s up to the others to follow or not.”

Yuto: “Alright then. You may be a girl, but I won’t go easy on you either.”

Miki: “Bring it on! Make sure not to cry after I defeat you.”

Yuto: “Enough talk.”

                Miki threw a balloon at him and ran off. Yuto tailed her as he threw water balloons.

Miki shouted, “What a crack shot you have! You can’t even hit a girl.”

                This got Yuto hyped up and chased her all throughout the resort. But suddenly, she disappeared.

Yuto: “Oh, I see, you’re scared and now you’re hiding. Does that mean you’ll just come out and surrender now?”

                Yuto continued to brag when suddenly, he got hit by 3 balloons. He wondered where it came from and looked up at the stairs of the building going to the slides. No one was there. Out of the blue, Miki came and said, “I wasn’t hiding at all. I was just waiting for the perfect moment so that you would fall into my trap. And that’s what I call, Death from above.”

Then she ran off to re-join Inoo.

Inoo: “Where have you been?”

Miki: “I had some business to attend to. So who else is left?”

Inoo: “Yuto and Takaki.”

Miki: “You don’t have to worry about Yuto, I finished him off already. So that means, only Takaki is left. We can do this.”

 The two charged and tried to get Takaki. But Takaki dodged every hit. Just as Miki threw a shot, Takaki dodged and threw two balloons. Miki blocked her face but quickly, Inoo grabbed Miki and covered for her.

                Those who were watching were astounded. Miki slowly put down her hands and saw Inoo.

Inoo: “Are you okay?”

Miki: “Kei. Why did you…”

Inoo: “I don’t want you to leave the game.”

Miki: “That doesn’t matter. You really didn’t have to block for me.”

Inoo ran his hand over her hair and said, “I know that you’ll be the one who can defeat Yuya.”

Miki: “Kei… But we’re a team.”

Inoo: “Don’t worry about me. You can do this even though you’re by yourself. I’m sure you can. Now go finish what we started.”

Miki: “I promise I won’t let your effort go to waste.”

Inoo patted her head and went to sit with the others.

Miki: “Invincible or not, I’ll make sure to defeat you Takaki.”

                They went at it for a few minutes until they were almost out of balloons. They threw all of it at once when suddenly, they heard someone scream. The others rushed to the see what happened and so did Miki and Takaki.

                Kazumi was unconscious. She had fallen into the pool. Miki positioned herself beside Kazumi and started to give CPR. Just after 20 chest pumps, Kazumi coughed out the water she took in. Miki turned her to her side as to prevent aspiration.

Kazumi asked what happened just now and Yabu told her that she fell into the pool. “Good thing Yuto rescued you immediately when he saw you drowning.”

                Just as Miki heard this, she felt a stabbing sensation in her chest. She clenched her shirt and immediately ran away from the scene.

“I guess you guys will be able to handle this.” Inoo comprehended and left.

                He rejoined Miki who was lying on the wave pool. Then he began to splash water at her. Miki regained her composure and smiled at Inoo. She went behind their old base and got 5 balloons that she had hidden. She threw one at him and Inoo chased her for the other balloons.

                After a while, Inoo told Miki that he’ll go get something in his bag. Miki walked across the bridge and jumped off again. After she resurfaced, she floated until she reached the center of the adult pool. It got her thinking about the rescue thing.

                “Why do I feel this way? I’ve moved on. Kei’s the one I’m with. I’m already happy being with him. But why is it like this?”

 Miki placed her hand on her chest and felt another stabbing sensation. She didn’t notice that she was slowly sinking. She tried to stand up but her feet couldn’t reach the bottom of the pool. She took one last breath and let herself sink to the bottom instead.

                She closed her eyes and thought hard.

                “I have Kei now. He’s the one who cares about me. I love him. And there’s no way that I would want that to change.”

Miki began to feel tired. She was losing oxygen. But it felt as though she was falling asleep rather than drowning.

                She didn’t notice the splash of water from a distance. Someone had pulled her to the side of the pool. Miki regained her awareness and began to gasp for air.

Inoo: “What were you doing? Were you trying to drown yourself?”

Miki coughed and tried to breathe slowly, “N… No I wasn’t. I was practicing trying to hold my breath for a long time.”

 Inoo: “I don’t believe you. No one would think of doing that kind of thing at the center of the pool where they can’t hold on to anything.”

Miki got out of the pool and sat on the edge: “Okay, you caught me. I was actually trying to think. I was floating at first but I didn’t notice that I had already begun to sink to the bottom of the pool.”

Inoo: “What you did was crazy. What if I didn’t return immediately? What if no one saw you? You didn’t even resurface after staying at the bottom for a long time.”

 Miki: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Then Inoo hugged her and said, “Please, just don’t do that ever again.”

Miki: “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

                During lunch, Miki went to get her camera and began taking pictures of the group. Everyone enjoyed lunch as they conversed and took photos together.

The group enjoyed the rest of the afternoon while Inoo accompanied Miki in taking photos.

Every time Miki took a group picture, she always avoided Yuto’s glance and Kazumi’s questions.

                At the end of swimming, Miki and the others returned to the room to prepare themselves to go back to the Hotel.

The guys went out to the shower rooms while Kazumi and Miki used the bathroom in the guest room.

                After taking a bath first, Miki packed her things. As soon as she went out to the living room, she saw the others.

She brought out her camera and took a picture of the three guys who finished first.

Miki giggled: “Kawaii! Kei looks so cute! This is the second time that I’ve seen him sleeping like this.”

The group arrived at the city and they thought of taking the girls home first. After arriving, Miki got out of the vehicle and so did Inoo. He took her bag and said “Let me accompany you to your door.”

Miki smiled and bade everyone good bye as she walked with Inoo. The group gathered at the window and watched the two.

                The pathway was dark as usual. Miki opened the door and the light inside the house. The others observed with much interest waiting for what was going to happen next.

Keito tried to look out the window but the others were blocking the view: “What’s happening? What’s happening now?”

Yamada: “Sshh. Will you just wait for a sec?”

                Inoo disappeared from view when he entered the gate. He stood by the door as he gave Miki her bag.

“So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

Miki nodded her head.

“Okay then, sleep well! You’ll need your energy for tomorrow’s fun.”

“Where are we going tomorrow?” Miki asked.

“I’m not sure with the others. But they were planning on going out for ‘Paint ball Game’ somewhere within the hotel’s premises.”

“That’d be great! I would really want to join in! But what if it won’t happen?”

“Then I’ll take you out if you want.”

“Okay then. As long as I’m with you then I’m happy.”

“Good Night!” and Inoo walked out the gate.

Yamada: “Inoo just got out. Eh? Miki came out again.”

                Miki called out Inoo’s name and ran towards him.

“Doua?” Inoo said as he turned to face her.

                For a quick moment, Miki’s kiss landed with just very small distance away from his lips.

“Love you! Oyasumi!” Miki added. And she walked back into the house.

                Just as they left, Hikaru was teasing Inoo once again.

Hikaru: “Ne, ne... How was it? You must be pretty happy right now, aren’t you? You got to the second base. That was fast.”

Inoo laughed at his statement. “Nah, I don’t think I reached second base yet. But that was a surprise.”

Kazumi and Yuto listened as the two conversed about the whole thing.

Yuto saw it with his own eyes.

Kazumi couldn’t believe what she saw. Her friend was in love with Yuto but why was it that Inoo’s the one in the picture. She saw that Miki was always with Inoo, but she never expected things would turn out this way.

                It was hard for the two to believe it. Kazumi glanced at Yuto. It had been too late for him.

After taking the girls home, the group had finally arrived in the Hotel after a long day although they had to finalize the next activity for tomorrow. Later, they had come to a decision. They will be going out for a paintball game. The members informed the two but Kazumi was unable to go. As for Miki, Inoo had already told the others that she will be joining them.