Bath taken, properly dressed, hair combed, everything in its proper place.
No, we are not jumping straight into the trip. These are just the preparations for the planning call.
This overpreparation has a good reason, though. After all, Vektor is about to talk with longtime friends for the first time in years, making a good impression is essential on occasions like this.
"Alright, all set."
After opening the app, Vektor joins the call first and turns on his camera. Sincerely, the difference from his default appearance is almost unnoticeable, it's safe to say his design remains quite consistent.
It doesn't take long for Sych to also join the call with his camera on. Unlike Vektor, he didn't took any special measures, simply ensuring he'd show up at the scheduled time. Even so, his appearance also isn't out of character, putting him on par with Vektor without half the effort.
"You're early, Vektor. We won't begin until 10 minutes from now."
"Yeah, I wanted to make sure nothing would go wrong at the time, so I decided to stop by first."
"I didn't think you'd be that nervous. They're our friends, there's nothing to worry about."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about! I can't just reunite with friends I haven't seen in years like I was away only for a few days!"
"Well, the most important thing is that today we're finally going to program the long-awaited trip. How many people are going in total?"
"Let's see, including the two of us, there'll be 6 people. At first I was disappointed that I could only call 2 of the apprentices, but then I saw that our party is quite big already."
"Yes, we still need to see how much this will cost..."
Without any warning, another person joins the call before the scheduled time. A young man with almost pale skin, indifferent-looking black eyes, and short black hair. All of these characteristics are individually considered as common, but when combined, they give off the impression of an intimidating person.
"Hello, can you hear me? I didn't expect you to start this so soon."
The reality, however, is that behind this appearance lies a calm and friendly lad, and his childhood friends knew this very well.
While Vektor is still surprised by his sudden appearance, Sych greets him on behalf of both of them:
"Oh, hi Kurono! It's amazing how you're just like in the past."
"I say the same to both of you. Especially you, Vektor."
Vektor is taken aback by the words directed at him, forcing him to confront reality:
"Me? Yeah, I haven't changed much, haha... Anyway, it's nice to see you again, Kurono."
"What's wrong, you nervous?"
Sych decides to butt in, unafraid of embarrassing Vektor:
"To the point of getting on the call early just to make sure nothing would go wrong, he's that level of nervous."
"Hahaha, I can't even judge him. Shiromi and I were also very nervous with the idea of all of us reuniting again, I even had no idea what to say before getting here."
"Speaking of her, what about Shiromi? Will she show up here later?"
"Ah, well, she said she wanted to wait until we meet in person to show her face. That's why she asked me to speak to you both for myself and for her."
Vektor instantly loses his nervousness upon hearing this:
"Yeah, that's really like something she would do."
"Well, since we're here, how about we start planning the trip then?"
"Sure. First, we need to decide on a day."
The conversation then continues with details being discussed. Considering Vektor's urgency and Kurono and Shiromi's tight schedules, it is decided that the trip would take place in December, between Christmas and New Year. The furniture assembly for Vektor's house, however, is scheduled for after Christmas, specifically December 26th, and the presence of everyone in the household will be essential to determine where each piece of furniture will be placed once assembled.
Which means they must leave between the 27th and 30th. Since this is officially a vacation, Kurono and Shiromi will use their savings to pay for a 2-day, 2-night package, booking two triple rooms in a 3-star hotel in the urban area of the island.
Vektor shows surprise upon hearing this information:
"Wait, where are you going to get all this money from?! Do your new jobs pay that well?"
"Well, we've been saving this money since our first paychecks. The plan was to just spend on the basics and let the money accumulate until we had a certain amount, but when we heard from Sych about us being able to see each other on a group trip, Shiromi got all excited and we started thinking about the expenses then came to this consensus."
"If those savings are so important, you don't need to spend it on this. It's okay, Sych and I can figure it out with our parents' help.
(Besides, now I have a way to get there without having to pay for a plane ticket, so it shouldn't be that expensive...)"
This idea is quickly shot down throughout the conversation, as following standard procedure is necessary for everyone to be legally recognized as tourists. Considering that Vektor and Sych are now considered citizens of Netern Island, illegal entry could lead to serious consequences not only for them but also for the other Etykiran families. And as Kder said this morning, Netern Island's defenses are severely weakened, a new crisis must be avoided at all costs.
For this reason, the travel plan for 6 people will be paid, even if only 2 of the group will actually board the plane. With everyone's information registered, the 6 will be able to roam freely around the island, regardless of how they physically arrive.
With all of the above in mind, departure date options are limited to December 27th and 28th. However, given the amount of time everyone will need to prepare, the 28th is the most advisable date.
"Not on the 28th."
Vektor suddenly shows resistance, to Sych's surprise:
"Eh? Why?"
"I got something to do that day. It's a very important appointment."
"Can't you just postpone it? This is a unique opportunity!"
"I can't. It's something I've been waiting for weeks."
Vektor's strangely firm stance leads Kurono to think of a solution of his own:
"Is what you need to do in person? Or can you do it online from within the island?"
"It's online, but there's a set time, so I would need to be isolated somewhere with stable internet."
"Well, that being the case, there's no problem at all. We can go on the 28th and drop you off at the hotel so you can take care of that appointment of yours. You'll still have another day to enjoy with us, so you can have the best of both worlds."
"...Seems reasonable.
(But honestly, it's going to be much more uncomfortable than planned, not to mention the chance of it going wrong, which isn't zero...)"
With the basics of planning complete, the three discuss the finer details of how everyone will get to the island and the exact locations of the tour's main spots.
While the friends are distracted by the conversation, the afternoon passes and they only say goodbye after nightfall.
The days then pass naturally, without any alarming events...
Christmas Eve. With Sych's move completed faster than expected, everyone's preparations proceed as usual, with all the Etykiran families gathering food. Distant from the rest of civilization, Vektor calmly observes Etykiran City on the horizon in the middle of the night, its lights even brighter than usual.
Christmas. Vektor's first on Netern Island. Despite this, it's not a very different experience from his old home, the only difference being a quieter setting. His routine consists of spending the day eating holiday food and chatting with Sych online while his mother watches Christmas specials on television. However, with the move still incomplete, there wasn't time to arrange the decorations that are present in all the other houses.
December 26th. With everyday life temporarily back to normal, while every other household goes through the process of putting away their Christmas decorations and beginning preparations for the New Year, Vektor and his mother finally complete the move by calling in the assemblers hired by Master Kageki.
The procedure is as simple as planned, with Vektor once again rushing to the Arsenal of Shadow and acting as his mother's spokesperson, while Master Kageki uses his teleportation to take three furniture assemblers to the Wind Hills house, one by one. As an adult with years of experience using his own power, the time between each teleportation is considerably shorter than that of his daughter.
After the assemblers arrive, Master Kageki teleports himself and Vektor back home so that the assembly and positioning work can be perfected to the fullest. Once the work is complete, the assemblers are teleported back to the Arsenal of Shadow the same way they came, and are then dismissed.
With the move finally complete, there are no more pending issues on the way...
December 27th. Just one day to prepare and confirm schedules. Vektor packs some clothes a little more expensive and sophisticated than what he usually wears, a rare but appropriate occurrence for his first non-emergencial trip.
...
Morning of December 28th.
After a long night of sleep, Vektor awakens ready to finally begin his journey to Lightning Island. Concluding his daily routine, he heads toward the Great Noogard Hill, his initial rendezvous point, where Mitsuko is waiting for him.
This is the beginning of the busy and long last 4 days of the year.