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"Shinjuku Ward, arrived."
Amamiya Natsuki and Marin got off the crowded train and saw a dense crowd of pedestrians.
"So many people." Kitagawa Marin raised her hand to her forehead and muttered, "It feels like half of Tokyo is in Shinjuku."
"Half is too much." Amamiya Natsuki carried his backpack and walked side by side with Kitagawa Marin, "One-third is about right."
Shinjuku Ward, as one of Tokyo's most prosperous districts, was also a transportation hub. There were indeed so many people that it was no exaggeration to describe it as shoulder-to-shoulder. It only became quiet late at night.
Amamiya Natsuki and Marin walked forward and soon arrived at a crossroads.
It was a red light.
The pedestrians from the four directions of the intersection were a dense mass, at least hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
As the green light appeared, the pedestrians at the crossroads surged forward like a tide.
"Natsuki, have you ever come to Shinjuku to play?"
Kitagawa Marin turned her head and asked.
"No." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head, "The last time I came was the last time."
"Hmph, I knew it." Kitagawa Marin lifted her chin, a triumphant smile gracing her pretty face, and extended her fair, delicate hand. "Give me your hand. There are so many people, it'll be troublesome if we get separated."
Amamiya Natsuki: "…"
At times like this, the boy should be the one taking the initiative, not the girl!
"Let's go, let's go." Kitagawa Marin urged, naturally taking Amamiya Natsuki's right hand. "Don't block the path for the people behind us."
The two crossed the intersection and continued walking, soon arriving at Shinjuku Station.
"The train departs in twenty minutes." Amamiya Natsuki retrieved the pre-booked tickets and said to Marin, "We'll arrive in Osaka around 8 PM. We have an hour and a half reserved in between to get off, rest, walk around, and have dinner. Then we'll transfer again. There's no rush to get there; we'll take a slower Shinkansen and sleep on the train. We should arrive in Kagoshima around 5 AM tomorrow morning, just as the sky begins to lighten."
"We'll be on the train all night." The two sat down on chairs in the waiting area. Kitagawa Marin turned to look at him, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Natsuki, you've worked hard."
Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly:
"We've just started. If we're talking about hard work, let's talk about it when we get back."
"I've decided!"
Kitagawa Marin suddenly raised her voice.
"What?"
"When I help you with the foot massage tonight, I'll take full responsibility and stomp a few extra times!"
"Please, definitely don't stomp hard."
"…"
A moment later.
The two boarded the train, found their seats, and the journey began.
As the Shinkansen slowly started moving, the scenery outside the window began to accelerate backward.
Amamiya Natsuki looked out the window for a while, then averted his gaze and started playing on his phone.
Scenery is simply not as interesting as a phone!
"Natsuki-kun, have you boarded the train yet?"
Fujiwara Chika sent a message.
"Just boarded."
"I just finished my club activities and am about to go home." Fujiwara Chika sent a photo of the quiet campus under the setting sun. "I really want to go to Kagoshima too. As the birthplace, the flowing somen there must be delicious, right?"
When traveling, don't think about eating first!
Amamiya Natsuki: "I'll bring you back some flowing somen."
Fujiwara Chika: "No, it'll be on the road for so long, it'll be spoiled and inedible by the time you bring it back."
Amamiya Natsuki continued to message: "Speaking of which, there's a very important matter I've been hesitating to tell you, but now I've finally made up my mind. I should really tell you."
"Wh-what is it?"
School gate.
Fujiwara Chika, who received the message, suddenly stopped, her heart involuntarily quickening.
Such a serious tone, and words like 'hesitated for a long time and made up my mind,' could it be that he wants to confess?
No way?
When Natsuki-kun confesses later, should I accept or reject him?
As a normal girl, Fujiwara Chika certainly wanted to experience the feeling of being in love.
Especially now that she had unfortunately become a player, with an unpredictable future, she could better understand the urgency of time.
However…
Who confesses via text message!
Such important words should at least be said in person!
Amamiya Natsuki continued:
"I think it's necessary to tell you, otherwise, if you find out later, you'll definitely be angry."
"Eh, wait." Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but widen her eyes. "What do you mean 'if I find out'? What are you going to say?"
Amamiya Natsuki: "Moeha invited me to go to karaoke to sing together."
Fujiwara Chika: "…Reject! One hundred percent reject! You actually want to go on a date with Moeha behind my back!"
"I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up."
"You just said you hesitated!"
"…"
After messaging Chika for a while, Amamiya Natsuki also sent a message to Miko. Miko was probably working, and the message remained unread.
Amamiya Natsuki then immediately sent a message to Juju.
"Marin and I are already on the Shinkansen. Have you arrived home yet?"
"Hmph."
Juju only replied with a concise single word.
"What does 'hmph' mean?"
"You know yourself."
"I don't know."
"Hmph."
"If you hmph again, I'll tell Marin."
"Don't, don't say it!"
Juju's small face flushed, and she quickly replied.
Aside from her sister, she had few friends in real life. Marin was now a very important best friend. If Marin found out, their friendship might directly shatter.
"Wait—"
Juju suddenly realized, biting her silver teeth in vexation.
It was that guy who bullied her behind Marin's back, not her who was cheating. Why should she feel guilty!
After exchanging a few words with Juju, Komi was directly skipped; he didn't know what to say in a message to her.
Next was the Sheltered Ojou-sama.
"Kaguya-san, Marin and I are already on the Shinkansen."
Shinomiya Kaguya was practicing flower arrangement. Upon seeing the message, her eyes widened happily, but then she immediately became unhappy again.
Why?
Why did the first message he sent her today contain another girl's name!
Traveling with someone, she had never experienced it before. She really wanted to experience it too. Why did she have to stay home and arrange flowers!
Shinomiya Kaguya picked up a flower, hesitantly plucking off a petal.
So, how should she reply to this message?
If she replied instantly, would she seem too eager?
As if she had been guarding her phone, waiting for him to send a message.
No, no!
That would be too embarrassing!
After an unknown amount of time, Shinomiya Kaguya was about to continue plucking petals when she suddenly realized that only a bare stem remained in the vase, and a small mountain of colorful petals had accumulated on the table.
"Eh, eh, eh? How did half an hour pass so quickly!"
"…"
"Natsuki, open your mouth."
A clear, pleasant girl's voice suddenly rang in his ears. Kitagawa Marin held a piece of seafood rice cracker, offering it to Amamiya Natsuki, leaning over, ready to feed him.
Amamiya Natsuki opened his mouth.
Kitagawa Marin directly fed the seafood rice cracker into Amamiya Natsuki's mouth, looking at him expectantly: "Natsuki, isn't it delicious?"
Crunch, crunch.
Amamiya Natsuki gave a satisfied evaluation: "It's indeed delicious, full of fresh flavor."
"Hmph, I knew you'd like it, because I absolutely love it too. Ever since I first tasted it, I can't forget it." Kitagawa Marin lifted her chin proudly, picking up another seafood rice cracker. "Here, have another one."
"…"
After finishing the snacks, the Succubus Girl was probably a bit sleepy, her small head bobbing as she started to doze off.
"If you're tired, sleep for a while." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Marin and said softly, "It's still early to Osaka."
"I was too excited last night, so I went to bed late. I'm really sleepy now." Kitagawa Marin rubbed her eyes, her voice muffled, and rested her head on Amamiya Natsuki's shoulder. "I'll sleep for a bit."
"Okay, I'll call you when we get off the train."
"…"
The girl's breathing soon became steady, and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
However, the air conditioning on the Shinkansen was quite cold, and sleeping was clearly a bit chilly. Kitagawa Marin initially only leaned on Amamiya Natsuki's shoulder, but soon, she instinctively hugged Amamiya Natsuki's arm, and finally, her entire body was nestled in Natsuki's embrace.
Indeed, girls never sleep quietly.
The journey continued without a word.
At 8:10 PM, the Shinkansen arrived in Osaka.
Amamiya Natsuki and Marin got off the train, preparing to transfer.
"It's raining."
Stepping out of the Shinkansen, a damp, cold mist enveloped them.
The drizzling rain blurred the countless neon lights in the night.
"I used to come to Osaka with friends, back when I was in junior high third year. It's almost been a year in the blink of an eye." Kitagawa Marin turned to look at him. "Natsuki, hold the umbrella."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at her speechlessly: "Where's your umbrella?"
"In my backpack." Kitagawa Marin said self-righteously, "One of my hands is carrying things, and the other hand needs to take photos with my phone. I don't have time to hold an umbrella."
How do you not have time? Your backpack could totally be stored in a locker at the station!
Amamiya Natsuki silently took out his umbrella and opened it.
"Heh-ho~"
Kitagawa Marin stepped under the umbrella, took out her phone, and happily took photos.
"Last time I came to visit, it was daytime, and the feeling is completely different at night, even though the station hasn't changed at all." Kitagawa Marin took a few photos, then put away her phone and started telling Amamiya Natsuki about what she saw and heard during her previous trip. "I remember there was a conveyor belt sushi place that was super delicious, not far, right near the station. I still remember the way. How about we walk there?"
"You ate so many snacks on the train, you can't eat sushi now, can you?"
"It's fine." Kitagawa Marin gave a thumbs up, placing her right hand on her hip. "Snacks are snacks, sushi is sushi. Girls have several stomachs, specifically for different things."
Amamiya Natsuki retorted:
"The most common creature with several stomachs is usually a cow."
"Ugh—"
The Succubus Girl's pink cheeks puffed up, her tone resentful, "Natsuki, are you implying I eat too much?"
"I'm not." Amamiya Natsuki held the Succubus Girl's right hand. "Let's go eat conveyor belt sushi."
"…"
On a cool, rainy night, in an unfamiliar city interwoven with neon lights, two people sharing an umbrella, leaning on each other, walking through the streets and alleys, was undoubtedly a very happy thing.
It would be best if there weren't so many wandering evil spirits.
After eating conveyor belt sushi, the rain still hadn't stopped, the night deepened, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the streets.
Amamiya Natsuki was still holding the umbrella, and Marin walked beside him as they slowly made their way to the station.
Along the way, they passed a bubble tea shop, and Kitagawa Marin remembered buying bubble tea there last year, so she went to buy another cup.
"Hmm... I forgot what last year's bubble tea tasted like," Kitagawa Marin took a sip of the bubble tea, then her expression suddenly changed. "Oh no, sushi is so high in calories, and bubble tea is super high in calories too. I'm going to get fat, aren't I?"
You only just remembered you're going to get fat now? When you were eating sushi just now, you didn't stop for a second!
"It's fine, at most you'll gain two pounds," Amamiya Natsuki comforted her. "You'll lose it quickly."
"Two pounds is too terrifying!" Kitagawa Marin quickly handed over the bubble tea. "Here, you drink it."
"No, I won't drink it. A true man does not eat food given in contempt."
"You must drink a sip."
"..."
After getting their tickets, the two boarded the Shinkansen from Osaka to Kagoshima and found their seats. Just as they were about to put away their things and sit down, two elementary school students suddenly ran past, chasing and playing, and one of them happened to bump into Marin.
"Hey, hey."
Marin couldn't stand steadily, and the half-finished bubble tea in her hand accidentally spilled a little, landing right on the seat.
"Sorry!"
The two elementary school students were startled and quickly stopped, bowing nervously to apologize.
Kitagawa Marin naturally wouldn't bother with elementary school students, but education was still necessary. She put her right hand on her hip and said, "The train car, just like the school corridor, is not a place for chasing and playing. Remember that?"
"We remember."
The two elementary school students answered in unison.
"Go on," Kitagawa Marin waved her hand, letting the two elementary school students leave, then pouted. "The seat can't be used now."
Amamiya Natsuki pulled out two tissues and wiped the bubble tea off the seat. "It won't dry in a short while. Let's ask the attendant to change seats."
"If we change seats, we won't be able to sit together," Kitagawa Marin pursed her pink lips, shook her head gently, and lifted her hand to tuck the golden hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear. "Let's just sit like this for now, just a little bit, it should dry soon."
As she spoke, the Shinkansen slowly started moving.
Kitagawa Marin leaned over, "Natsuki, move in a bit, let's squeeze."
"Okay."
The Succubus Girl sat down, pressing close to Amamiya Natsuki.
"No, it's too cramped."
In less than two minutes, Kitagawa Marin wanted to get up.
The seats on the Shinkansen were originally single seats; two people squeezing together was simply too uncomfortable.
"I have an idea," Amamiya Natsuki suddenly held down the Succubus Girl.
"Eh, what idea?"
"It's simple..."
Amamiya Natsuki reached out, wrapped his arms around the Succubus Girl's soft, slender waist, then gently exerted force, lifting her onto his lap. "It's not cramped now."
"Wait, wait!" Kitagawa Marin's pretty face quickly flushed, and she whispered in a low voice, "This pose is too embarrassing! Won't I be too ashamed to face anyone if someone sees us?"
"It's almost eleven at night," Amamiya Natsuki embraced the Succubus Girl and whispered, "Everyone only cares about being sleepy and tired and wanting to sleep; no one cares what we're doing."
"Even if you say that..." Kitagawa Marin looked up with a red face and glanced around. The train car was quiet, and the passenger sitting behind them was already asleep. "It seems like no one is paying attention to us."
If it were Mrs. Shimizu, she definitely wouldn't sit on his lap, but the Succubus Girl was different. She was full of curiosity and dared to try new things. She quickly extended her arms, wrapped them around Amamiya Natsuki's neck, and said in a low voice with a flushed face:
"Then I'll sit for a while."
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