I knew Maru and Yoshida were quick to get up after what had happened yesterday. And the fact that they'd immediately embark on their adventure, too. Though that only involved going to the convenience store here on the hotel grounds. I knew I'd be left alone in the room, which was why I set an alarm—And yet it didn't ring. When my eyes opened, I glanced at the clock on the table… and realized it was 7 am. But when I realized that it was time for breakfast, I panicked.
Already 7 am?! My head still felt a bit drowsy as I frantically looked for my phone. And because the curtains were closed, probably something the other two did to not wake me up, the room was dark, and even as I ran my hand along the table where I thought I placed my phone, I couldn't find it. Weird. I turned on the lights in the room and eventually found my phone on the ground together with my charger.
Maybe I happened to push it off in my sleep, or maybe an earthquake moved it while I was… No, there shouldn't be many earthquakes in Singapore. That means it must have been an accident. I tried to turn on the screen, but it remained black. I'm guessing I didn't charge it and I now had a solid 0% battery. I started panicking even more. That means that, even if I get a message or something like that, I won't see it. And if Ayase-san responded, then I had no idea either—Okay, calm down. I connected my phone to the charger and waited for it to boot. A familiar logo appeared on the screen, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that I had a message.
"…Just Maru, huh."
He let me know that it was time for breakfast, but that was the only message I got. Just to make sure, I checked if LINE had updated since yesterday and then left the room. Since my phone was out of juice, I had to leave it on the charger for now.
"Yo, Asamura. Late bird today, aren't we?"
"My phone ran outta battery," I responded as I began working my way through the buffet.
While eating my breakfast, I started thinking. I don't think it'll finish charging during this small timeframe. That being said, I can't wait in my room until it's fully charged. Granted, we were given pretty much free rein within our groups, but if I just stay in my room the entire time, people will think I'm sick.
"Maru, do you think we've got time to stop at the convenience store after this?"
"We're not too stressed on time today, so should be fine. What's wrong? Is your stomach acting up?"
Even if it was, I really wish he wouldn't just blurt that out.
"I've got some bitter pills if you need any."
"No, I'm fine. I need a portable charger. I was wondering if they sold one there."
"Time won't be an issue. There's plenty of ways to and from Sentosa Island, so as long as we're not late to the meeting point, it'll be fine."
"Got it."
"I have some batteries on reserve. Wanna use them?" Maru offered, but I declined.
He'll probably need them in an emergency.
"By the way, where are the girls?"
Yesterday, the six of us definitely ate breakfast together. Maru motioned with his chin and told me to look to my side. When I did, I spotted a large gathering of girls sitting at three tables joined together, holding some sort of meeting. They were from various classes, too. Not just ours alone.
"They're gonna walk around together?"
"Seems like it."
"That's nice."
It's always great to have plans.
"Well, Shinjou's as popular as always, too."
"Shinjou?"
Maru's comment made me look at the group once more, and then I spotted several boys mixed in, too. In the midst of them was Shinjou from the class next to ours. When he raised his head, his gaze met mine, and he waved at me. I did the polite thing and waved back.
"Hold on… You two know each other?" Yoshida stared at me in shock.
"Well, somewhat."
"Seriously, I wonder how he can just fit into a group of girls so easily. I'm jealous."
"Really?"
Isn't it because they're on good terms? Well, being part of such a large group would just be more exhausting for me.
"Don't give me that. Why the heck are you so relaxed? You're acting like you have a girlfriend or something!"
"Huh? I can't?"
"It's not that you can't. That'd leave me with fewer rivals. But Asamura… Why are you keeping such a calm viewpoint? Or… do you actually have a girlfriend, you bastard?!"
I panicked and shook my head several times. What's he being so angsty about? We're still having breakfast right now.
"I swear… All I wanted was to hang out and have fun with a girl myself… But my youth is ashen-grey. I wanna run around in the world of dreams and chase after a mouse while holding hands."
Don't chase that poor mouse around. She did nothing wrong.
"Hey, Maru. Can't you draw upon your vast knowledge to tell me a good curse or two? Something that'll make him go bald in twenty years, or that he'll get fat. Anything goes."
Those are very specific curses.
"I don't know about any curses… But maybe something like Eko Eko Azarak1, Elohim Essaim2, or "I shall exact and accomplish my resentment!"3 maybe? Anyway, I think you should quit it while you can."
"Why?"
"Think about it. You never know what could happen. What if we run into another group like yesterday? Are you just gonna curse them?"
"That… is true!"
Yoshida's expression lit up instantly like he felt much more at peace. I guess that worked.
"Asamura, he's just grumbling normie nonsense. Ignore him."
"Really?"
He sure seemed to resent them, though.
"Remember: Those who freely speak their mind and desires are what you call normies. Those who live in the darkness like us don't have the courage to speak our minds."
Right. Somehow that makes sense, but also not really.
"…The same goes for you then, Maru?"
"No comment."
After we finished eating our breakfast, Maru and Yoshida returned to the room and I headed to the convenience store and bought a portable charger. It works just fine and takes batteries, too. And since I bought a few of those, it should keep me steady for the rest of the day. I went back to my room and checked my phone, which had just made it past 20% charge. As I thought, I don't see this finishing by the time we leave. And I hadn't gotten any messages from Ayase-san, either. I imagine she's busy this morning, too.
Our bus was heading for Sentosa Island right now. On the way there, I got another message from Ayase-san.
'Let me know when you can make some time.'
She probably wants me to contact her when I find a chance to slip out of the group. If I had to guess, they're probably also crossing the bridge to head to Sentosa Island right about now. She might even be in one of the buses ahead of or behind us. Public transport like this has the free wifi, after all. She should get a response right away, right? And will she be in a state where she can look at it?
"Asamura," Maru, who was seated next to me on the bus, suddenly called out to me, which startled me enough to make me almost drop my phone.
"What?"
"I did say we were free to move around today, but what are your plans?"
"Huh? Didn't we already decide?"
"Oh, right. Hm, hmmm," Maru mumbled as he looked down at his phone, swiping on his screen.
"Did you already buy your souvenirs?"
"Huh? I was thinking of doing that tomorrow."
Our schedule for tomorrow was pretty loose, since we just had to go home. However, we were given some extra time at the airport so we could buy souvenirs. I was thinking of buying something for my parents, but since I don't really see any of my relatives too much, I won't have to buy too many. Though I'll have to buy something for my work colleagues. Such as my senior who carefully (?) looks after me.
"Not that," Maru lowered his voice as he continued. "I mean for your sister."
…Huh? To be perfectly honest, that thought hadn't even crossed my mind. At first, he only knew about me having a new little sister, who I thought was a lot younger. But by now he should know that this sister in question is Ayase-san.
"Why would you buy souvenirs from the place you both end up visiting…?"
Souvenirs are to grant the other person a fragment of an experience for something they haven't experienced. I don't see the reason for buying any souvenirs for Ayase-san, who's on the exact same trip to Singapore as me.
"I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. I'm asking if you're gonna buy anything for her. I'm sure it'll turn be a great memory."
"Ah."
That's what he meant. I get where he's coming from. Back in middle school, you'd buy each other wooden swords or pennants or something. Thinking back on it now, I probably bought those in the heat of the moment. However, each time I look at the pennant in my room, it reminds me of my classmates back then. And it makes me smile about how stupid we were. Memories of this trip, huh? I think that's something we should both buy together. Or I could give it to her as a present. It sounded fun, at least.
"Do you have any recommendations?" I asked Maru.
"Good question. Yoshida and I are gonna head to the USS now and there's a lot of stores inside and outside of that."
USS referred to 'Universal Studios Singapore.' It probably tops the list of things to see on Sentosa Island. There are going to be a lot of students who'll head there immediately. In fact, the girls in our group said they would be, too. Maybe Ayase-san will be there, too. If so, slipping out and meeting her should prove easy.
Based on our current rate of travel, we should get to the island around noon. I don't know where she'll be eating lunch, but it's probably a good idea for me to finish mine before we meet. And getting a present for her would probably be best if it's a surprise, so I won't tell her anything until then. With all of that decided, I sent Ayase-san a message.
'Sorry for the late reply! I'll make sure to slip out this afternoon, so we can meet then!'
She immediately read my message and responded.
'You don't have to force yourself to make time. Just let me know when it's best for you.'
After reading that, I turned towards Maru and said I'd join them on their trip to USS.
At the entrance, I split up from Maru and Yoshida. I went to the shopping mall to grab a bite and then walked around the inside to look for a present. I wonder what Ayase-san would be happy to get. A plush toy? Some jewelry? Maybe some stylish perfume? No, that's not it. The keyword for this time should be 'Memory.' Namely, something that will remind her of the time we came to Singapore together (technically) when we were 17. If I bought her anything too directly related to USS, she might just mistake it for some kind of Osaka merch. Meaning that it should also be something unique to this country…
I looked around and spotted a keychain of the Merlion4. It really feels like the perfect souvenir to bring from Singapore, but… it also feels no different from the pennant I got in middle school. In the end, I decided to buy two of them anyway. Better have something in case I walk around and come back empty-handed. I finished the payment and decided to make my way out to do some genuine present-hunting when my phone vibrated. When I took it out, I saw that I had a message from Maru. Not to mention a phone call. I figured it must be something urgent.
"Yes, this is—"
Before I could even finish my sentence, Maru spoke up.
'Can you come back to the entrance?'
"—I can."
I immediately stormed out of the store and rushed back through the mall.
'Then please do. Someone collapsed from anemia.'
"Who?"
'I don't know their name. Hm?'
Someone must be speaking to Maru.
'—Makihara. A girl from a neighboring class' group. I saw a group of people and asked what happened when—'
"Got it. I don't need the details right now. Is she okay?"
'Yeah. It's nothing majo—'
Maru's words were cut off. I looked at the phone and saw that the call had dropped. Either because Maru walked somewhere or because I ran out of range. I got the gist and that was enough. I looked up at the translucent ceiling above us. Supposedly, Singapore should be in the rainy season. However, the sky couldn't be any bluer. And the temperature was dangerously high. It was even making my throat hurt a bit. Definitely a case of heatstroke. I looked at my phone, but no follow-up message came from Maru. After around ten minutes, I reached the place we initially split up. I could see Maru's large body across the gate, with the girls having worried expressions and Yoshida carrying someone on his back. That must be the girl that collapsed. I went for a final jog for the last few meters, as Maru spotted me and spoke up.
"Sorry about this, Asamura."
"No worries. So, what's happening?"
"We got her to rest in a cooled room for a while. An employee came to check up on her, but she's back with us, and she's feeling a lot better. They just called the homeroom teacher."
The girls nodded to that.
"The same thing happened elsewhere, so Tsuji-sensei went there first…"
According to what I was told, Makihara-san has never been too good with hot weather. She seemed to have recovered a lot, but they decided to bring her back to the hotel.
"I'm sorry…" The girl apologized with a weak voice.
I figured out why Maru called me over here and nodded.
"So you want me to make sure she gets back to the hotel safely?"
One of the girls spoke up. "…No, we should be the ones doing that. Yuka's part of our group, and we can't bother you with this."
So the problem is about who's going with them, huh? Going back to the hotel now means that you probably won't make it outside again. That being said, the teachers are busy elsewhere, and we can't just make her go home by herself in her weakened state.
"I knew you had other plans so I wanted to avoid asking you for help, but…"
"I get it. You're the group leader."
Today, our group is at USS. Maru should stay back in case anything else happens. And it'd be a waste to force someone to leave after they paid for the tickets. Luckily, I'd only checked out the shopping mall next to the studio, so I didn't have to pay the entrance fee. And there's also the concern of paying for a hefty taxi fare. I understand why he called me for this.
"Yeah… Can I ask you for help here? I'll repay you later."
"Don't worry about it."
"I'll carry her the rest of the way back. Asamura, you grab her belongings."
"Huh? Ah, Yoshida!"
Before I could even say anything, Yoshida walked through the ticket gate without hesitation. The one who was flustered the most was the girl he was carrying.
"Um! I can walk, so…"
"No worries, no worries. I'm well-trained for this stuff. And I left already, too. Sorry to leave you behind, Maru."
"I don't mind… Oh, well. Asamura, here's Yoshida's belongings. And what stuff belongs to her?"
One of the girls handed me the backpack which presumably belonged to her. Inside were a few bottles of water and regular household medicine. The group leader for the girls said she'd tag along, too.
"I can carry her if it gets too tough, you know?"
"I can handle this no problem. You should focus on getting us back home."
"Ahhh."
Right, English. Yoshida wasn't too good at speaking English. Compared to him, I should at least be able to communicate well enough. And the girls' group leader didn't seem too confident in her English skills, either. For starters, we searched for the taxi area, which wasn't too far from the front ticket gate. As you'd expect from a popular tourist spot. I remembered that the taxi doors here in Singapore don't open automatically, so I opened the door in the back first and then sat inside with the other three. As the cold air from the AC blew against my skin, I found myself sighing in relief. I heard a faint apologetic voice, followed by Yoshida trying to cheer the girl up.
I spoke to the taxi driver and gave him directions to our hotel, and we quickly set out down the same road we initially came from. Throughout the entire taxi ride, the girl who had collapsed apologized again and again, but Yoshida just said that we have to help each other in times of need. After a while, we reached the hotel. Thanks to Maru contacting the hotel beforehand, a teacher was already waiting for us and accepted the girl. Understandably so, as the floor the girls stayed on was off-limits for us boys. When we separated, the girl called Makihara Yuka-san, whose face was still a bit pale, and the group leader of the girls apologized once more and thanked us. The teacher and the group leader then took the girl to her room.
"It should've been fine for me to carry her to the room, at least."
"I can smell the disappointment and ulterior motive from over here."
"Well, I'm not gonna lie."
"How obvious."
"Anyway, I'm just glad we got her back safely," Yoshida smiled and I nodded. "What are you gonna do now, Asamura?"
Yoshida said that he was tired, so he wanted to take a nap. After all, he had been carrying the girl the whole time except for our taxi ride. He did a great job. But as for me… I realized I'd forgotten something and took out my smartphone. I had two new messages. They were both from Ayase-san.
'We're heading to Palawan Beach right now.'
'I'll be waiting there, and I'll let you know if we move.'
Oh, crap. How many minutes has it been since then?
"I've gotta go."
"Huh?"
"I'm going back to the island. I'll contact you later, so let Maru know!"
"…What? Hey, Asamura?!"
I heard Yoshida call after me, but I just sprinted out of the hotel.
I opened my map app and checked to find the shortest route to Palawan Beach. Walking the whole way would take me two hours and ten minutes—That's out of the question. Using the underground railroad and monorail… Would also be an hour.
"Getting a taxi would be fastest, no?"
I looked it up, and it said it would take me around thirty minutes. So when I left the hotel, I hailed the next taxi I saw, asking them to bring me to Palawan Beach on Sentosa Island. I don't know where exactly she was waiting, but this was probably my best shot. Thankfully, I hadn't bought a present for Ayase-san yet, so I had enough money leftover for—Ah. I'd only bought the keychain! I grit my teeth in regret and gave up on the present.
What's more important right now is that Ayase-san was waiting for me. While glaring down at my phone, I periodically glanced out of the window. No wifi, after all… Ever since Ayase-san sent me the message that she's at Palawan Beach, I haven't gotten any update. Maybe she's still there, or maybe she's moved already? I don't know, but I had to hurry.
Time felt like it was passing much quicker than usual, but the car felt so slow. Was the bridge to Sentosa Island this long before? Finally, we got on the island, and I could see the USS to my right as the taxi kept driving. Then, the driver suddenly asked me something. I tried to translate his words directly, just as Ayase-san would. I didn't think that our practice would pay off here. If I had to guess, he wanted to ask where to drop me off at the beach…probably.
'Drive until you can see the beach.'
'We already can.'
Huh? I looked where the driver pointed. To the left and right, I could see the blue sky a bit ahead of us, and the color of where it hit the ground slowly started to grow thicker. It's the sea.
'Then right down this road. Until you can see it.'
The driver nodded. Slowly but steadily, the sea in sight grew bigger. We reached the terminal and I was let off the taxi. After paying the fee, I stood on the pedestrian walkway. Not knowing where to go, I checked my phone and saw that I had wifi. Which was good, but no more messages had come in since.
For starters, I opted to explain to Maru where I was heading. He probably didn't know that I came back to the island. And since he didn't know I was off to meet Ayase-san, he might start worrying about me. While I fought my desire to just start running around randomly, I finished telling him and then checked Ayase-san's messages. If she had moved already, then I had to catch up to her once more. But at that moment, a new message popped up.
'I'm waiting on the suspension bridge at Palawan Beach. Please come.'
I panicked and responded.
'Sorry to make you wait. I'm on my way right now.'
And then I started running. A single Japanese high school boy was frantically running along the street towards the sea, wanting to meet a fellow classmate; If people saw this, I wonder what thoughts would fill their minds? I just felt bad that this might negatively impact the good name of Suisei High. The phone in my pocket vibrated and I took it out while I kept running. It was from Maru. Yoshida probably let him know. He just wrote me a single line.
'All people in relationships do this, so don't worry. In fact, sorry for asking you for help.'
He mentioned a relationship, which caused me to gasp for a moment, but I didn't have time to ask Maru for an explanation. I just stuffed the phone back into my pocket and kept running. I remembered Ayase-san's message. She directly asked me to come. I've never seen her be this direct about a request before. When I thought of how she must have felt when sending this message, I couldn't stop running.
All couples do this—I don't know if that's true. But at the very least, I can't make Ayase-san feel this lonely and sad just to try to look cool. I kept running towards Palawan Beach, and the closer I got, the more people I could see. Each time I passed the locals, other tourists, or even couples, they turned around to look at me. I could feel their gazes as I passed them by. But all of that didn't matter. Maybe some of the people I passed could have been my classmates… But so what? Let them have their doubts. I don't care if our relationship gets found out. What matters the most—is that I made a promise to Saki.
Since the temperature had cooled down a bit, I managed to run all the way there. When I reached the beach, the sun had already started setting beneath the western horizon. So where is the suspension bridge? I looked left and right and spotted a narrow line that connected the main island to a smaller one in the distance, barely hanging above the water. As I made my way closer, I could tell that it was less of a line and actually a suspension bridge, and I saw a familiar girl's silhouette standing in the dead center of it.
The vicinity of the bridge was covered by trees, which covered up the bridge for a brief moment. Some tourists had gathered in front of these, but none of them tried to cross the bridge. Only the employee standing next to a billboard marking the starting point of the bridge remained. They greeted me and asked me to be careful… I think. I gave them my thanks and continued further. Finally, I stood at the start of the bridge.
The girl who stood in the center, watching the setting sun, now turned towards me. Her short but bright-colored hair shone brightly against the green of the small island behind her. She was looking at me, and our gazes met. I wanted to run to her side, but when I stepped on the bridge, I could feel the shock and vibration. I didn't want to scare her off, but I also couldn't take it slow, either. With each rhythmic step, I could feel the faint vibration beneath my soles as the bridge shook. Saki's facial expression changed from surprise to joy in a moment, only for her to look away. And then I reached her.
"Sorry… It took me so long…" I said between breaths.
She raised her head and looked at me.
"I waited a long time," she said as she looked at me with her eyes flashing.
She's angry. I get it. The eyes speak more than the mouth does, as they say. No translation software in the world could have conveyed her emotions more accurately than what I could perceive right now. Narasaka-san was right, after all. Even back then, her expressions spoke for themselves. Much more than any words could. However, her angered gaze immediately disappeared as she averted her gaze once again.
"It's not fair of me to just force all my feelings on you, huh?"
"No, I'm happy you're being honest with me," I said and approached her.
I could see her small shoulders quivering slightly, allowing me to directly feel how lonely she must have been.
"Sorry," I whispered as I placed my hands on her shoulders, and she shook her head.
"You came for me, so…" She said as she also walked a step toward me—wrapping her arms around my back. "I'm happy that we get to see each other."
She buried her face in my chest, making it impossible for me to know what expression she was making. I also embraced her and pulled her closer. She raised her head, looking up at me from only a small distance apart. We nodded, and then stopped thinking. Other than her earring glowing a faint red from the setting sun, I don't remember a thing. I simply focused on our lips overlapping as we shared a long kiss.