"Is this the villa?"
"Un." Shishio looked at them and asked, "I chose the lakeside villa, or do you want to stay at a mountainside villa?
"....."
"...No, this one is alright."
"By the way, do you have another villa?"
"There is."
The villa he mentioned was the place where his laboratory was located.
His laboratory was located inside the mountain with a villa on top of it as a guise.
"No, this place is good."
Ayaka must admit that one thing was for sure, this villa was massive.
While the size of the building wasn't that big, it was enough for one family. However, in Tokyo, it could be called a mansion.
Yet the largest part of this villa was the area around it, which was surrounded by a wall, so no one could enter it.
Unlike his usual Japanese-style villa, it had a European style, which gave a new experience for all of them except for Roberta.
Roberta watched this villa in silence and felt nostalgic somehow. After all, she wasn't born in this country.
Aside from the villa, there was a large lake on the side, connected to the river near the mountain.
In the surroundings, there were many birches and larches.
There was even a flower garden planted with various flowers and herbs.
It was simply a beautiful place for one to escape from the summer heat.
"If you want, we can play in the lake later," Shishio said.
"That's great!"
Everyone was somehow excited when they thought they could play on the lake. They might have forgotten their age and returned to their youth, feeling the excitement they hadn't felt for a while.
"But let's buy some necessities first. I have asked all the servants to leave, so we're the only ones here."
Leaving having fun aside, it would be terrible if they didn't have anything to eat.
"Is the market nearby?"
"It's quite close, but let's ride on a bicycle."
"Bicycle?"
Shishio didn't say much and led them to the garage, where there were five new bicycles placed inside.
"By the way, you all can ride a bicycle, right?"
Shisho forgot that some of them might not be able to ride it.
"Don't underestimate me, alright? I can ride most of the vehicle." Hiratsuka wanted to add Shishio to the list of his vehicle since she often rode on him, but she knew she shouldn't say something perverted.
Still, she was the first to take the bicycle since she was eager to ride it.
"I can ride on it too."
Ayaka also nodded since she had experience riding a bicycle and even taught Nana in the past.
As for Roberta, she could ride most things in the world, even a ship or airplane.
"Um... I can't ride one..." Hina said weakly.
".........."
They weren't sure what to say.
However, Hina was also helpless since, in the past, she lived in an apartment, so she didn't have a chance to learn to ride one. She also didn't have the interest to learn it either since it would be better to ride a motorcycle or drive a car, considering those vehicles were more comfortable.
"Even though you can ride a motorcycle?" Shishio was speechless.
"Motorcycles and bicycles are different, okay?" Hina rolled her eyes.
"Then, you can sit on my back seat."
Shishio, who was already on his bicycle, tapped the backseat on his back.
"Okay~!"
Hina was happy and sat behind him while hugging his waist.
"........"
Hiratsuka, Ayaka, and Roberta only realized that being unable to ride on a bicycle was a good thing.
"By the way, let's buy a hat first. It's summer, after all, so it is better for us to prepare."
He was afraid that they might be sensitive to the heat, so he wanted to buy them a hat at the Karuizawa prince shopping plaza.
While they felt reluctant to spend his money, considering he had prepared a lot for this trip. However, under his insistence, they could only agree.
However, Shishio could only roll his eyes since this was how a woman was.
Even though their mouth might say, "Yamete! Yamete!" their bodies were honest and would say, "Iku! Iku!" soon.
After deciding their destination, they went out together on the bicycle toward the shopping mall while enjoying the scenery.
Karuizawa was different from Tokyo, which was a metropolitan city. It was also quite different from other cities since the influence of the West in this city was massive.
Most of the streets, buildings, and many others in this city were designed in the Western style, which made this city one of the cities that embraced the influence of the West the most.
Still, most importantly, the air was fresh, and the scenery of the mountain was picturesque, which made them smile whenever they rode their bicycle.
Hina, who sat on the back seat of his bicycle, was like a child, looking around curiously while asking him many things.
However, it was also his first time here, so he was also quite curious.
"Shishio-kun, is it my imagination, or is that tennis court quite familiar?" Ayaka suddenly asked.
"Tennis court?"
Everyone turned their heads and looked at the tennis court, which was pointed at by Ayaka.
"Oh, that should be the tennis court where the Empress usually plays," Shishio said calmly without any fluctuation on his face. After all, many wealthy people built their second homes in Karuizawa, including the Emperor and the Empress. His villa was naturally located in a neighborhood of people with a lot of influence.
If he wasn't wrong, Tokugawa Mitsunari, that crazy old man who was addicted to watching a fight, was his neighbor in Karuizawa.
"Em-Empress?!"
"That Empress?"
Ayaka and Hina were dumbfounded, but Hiratsuka nodded calmly. "Yes, if I am not wrong, the Empress and Emperor should have met each other in Karuizawa."
Karuizawa was the favorite place of the Empress, and this was also where they met her husband, who was the Emperor, which was kind of romantic.
Still their destination was still far, so they only stopped for a moment before they continued their journey.
Shishio brought them to buy a summer hat.
As expected, even though they were reluctant at first, they became excited when they arrived at the shop, thinking about which hats they should get.
On the other hand, after Shishio praised them, he sat on the nearby chair and watched them choose which summer hats they should choose. However, someone suddenly sat next to him. "You're not going to choose?"
"I am okay with this."
Hiratsuka showed the baseball cap she chose among the hat in the shop.
"...are you sure? Don't you want to choose the cuter one?" Shishio was speechless by Hiratsuka's choice since he felt this woman might be a man trapped on a woman's body.
"It's okay. A cute thing isn't that suitable for me after all." Hiratsuka blushed since, unlike Ayaka and Hina, she lacked feminity.
"That's not true. You're cute, Shizuka."
Hiratsuka's face was even redder, and she lightly pushed him. "This is public, alright? Don't be too intimate here." However, she still maintained a close distance from him and wrapped her hand around his waist.
"......."
Shishio rolled his eyes while looking at the hand that held his waist speechlessly. While they were dating each other, Hiratsuka had always wanted to be in the dominant position, which made him speechless.
'Even though I have defeated you many times.'
Even though Hiratsuka had always been defeated by him, she had never given up and wanted to take him down.
"Or will this cap make me look bad?"
Hiratsuka asked worriedly, wondering whether the baseball cap would make her ugly.
"Well, it's okay. It suits your style."
"Thanks."
Hiratsuka kissed his cheek.
"......."
'Who said we can't take intimate action in public?'
Shishio wondered whether this woman had short-term memory loss, but he didn't bother to say much since her question made his heart almost jump out.
"Why didn't you invite Chihiro too?" Hiratsuka asked.
'Chihiro...'
Suddenly, he thought about the time when she kissed his lips that night. She was drunk at that time, and when she woke up, she pretended nothing had happened, even though he knew she clearly remembered everything.
'Sure enough, an adult is dirty...'
He sighed inwardly, wondering what that woman wanted to do.
Chihiro had tried to push him, but when he gave up, she wanted to get even closer, crossing the line between an aunt and a nephew.
Still, from that kiss, he got a reward.
He got a horse stable in Karuizawa and thought he would bring everyone there tomorrow since it would also be his first experience riding on a horse.
"I did invite her, but she rejected it."
"Huh? Why?" Hiratsuka was confused.
"Maybe... she'll feel that it will be awkward? I am not sure since I didn't press her at that time."
"Hmm..."
Hiratsuka was in deep thought.
"Say."
"Hmm?"
"Do you like Chihiro?"
Shishio turned to Hiratsuka, who looked at him straight before he nodded. "I like her."
"That's not what I mean." Hiratsuka was rarely serious and said, "The "like," I mean, is one that is similar to our relationship."
"Even if I have such emotion, we're an aunt and a nephew. I am no longer a child who can pester her, saying, "Chihiro-nee, I am going to marry you in the future." If I really do that, I am afraid that I might be disowned." Shishio suddenly looked at Hiratsuka and asked, "Or do you want me to like her?"
"......"
Hiratsuka didn't say anything for a while, but she somehow wanted to smoke. However, she thought for a moment and said, "...I shouldn't be the one who decides for that. It's your choice. However, whatever your choice is, I will support you. I am your woman, after all."
Shishio stared at Hiratsuka for a moment before he kissed her cheek.
"Thank you. I am glad to have you."
"You should!"
The two laughed before the voice of Hina and Ayaka interrupted them.
"What do you think of these hats?" 2x
"It looks good."
Shishio smiled and thought this trip would be something he would remember in his life.