She walked over gently, and when she was about ten meters away, Masashi suddenly turned around and looked at her.
"So it's Ms. Naoko."
"I didn't expect you to be hiding here. I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Looking for me? Is there something you need?"
"Do I need a reason to find you?"
Masashi smiled, "Want to try? The fish I just caught tastes pretty good." He picked up a fish from the fire and handed it to her.
"Can this really be eaten?" Naoko had never tried this way of eating.
"This is the most authentic beach style," Masashi said, taking a bite of his fish.
Naoko politely took a bite, and surprisingly, it tasted quite good.
"You brought alcohol?" She saw Masashi take a few bites and then, out of nowhere, produce a bottle of white liquor.
"Can't have meat without alcohol," Masashi said, taking a swig.
Chinese white liquor was definitely more authentic; compared to the diluted Japanese sake, it was incomparable.
"Where did you get this alcohol?"
"I bought it at the hotel. Teach, would you like to have a sip?"
"You're too much. You're just a high school student. How can you drink alcohol? And white liquor, no less." She had already forgotten the time when she had treated him to a meal.
Masashi laughed. "Nowadays, high school students don't care about small things like drinking. Do you know how many high school students frequent red-light districts or engage in compensated dating around Shibuya? Tokyo is undoubtedly a highly developed place, but it's also a very easy place to fall into decadence. Don't forget, Yamamoto and the others are also high school students."
Naoko had no response. After a while, she said, "Not everyone is like that. At least there are still many good people in the world."
"Forget it, let's not talk about such depressing things. We should enjoy such beautiful scenery. Besides, this isn't school. You can just pretend you didn't see anything. Want to have another sip?"
"You disobedient child." Naoko said helplessly.
Whether it was the alcohol or not, looking at Naoko's radiant face, Masashi suddenly felt a strange impulse. He couldn't help but curse himself for being crazy.
Naoko didn't stop him, just watching him with a satisfied look while drinking.
"Sensei, there are some sea urchins here. Would you like to try them?" Masashi took out a few black, spiny objects.
"Uh, okay." Naoko snapped out of her reverie.
Masashi opened the sea urchins, adding a little seawater, and handed them to her.
"We eat them like this? Don't we cook them?" Naoko asked, confused.
"This is the best way to eat them. Try it."
Naoko hesitated but tried it. At first, it had a faint fishy taste, but soon, a refreshing fragrance rose, and suddenly, her mouth was filled with a wonderful flavor.
Looking at her expression, Masashi smiled, "I wasn't wrong, right? Want another one?"
Naoko nodded gently, her expression surprisingly cute.
Then, the two of them went to a shallow part of the beach to pick more sea urchins, with Masashi teaching her how to catch fish. Naoko felt like she was back in her childhood, and her mood was more relaxed than ever.
Finally, at Masashi's reminder, Naoko reluctantly returned to the hotel.
After dinner, the students went out in small groups to shop, with the girls especially excited to go on a shopping spree at the local malls and shops.
Masashi didn't have a habit of shopping, so he returned to his room early to practice his skills. But not long after, he heard someone knocking on his door.
Slightly helpless, he opened it to find Naoko standing at the door, smiling broadly.
"Sensei, is there something you need?"
"Would you walk with me outside for a bit?"
"But I'm about to sleep." Masashi deliberately yawned.
"It's only just past seven. What do you mean sleep? Young people shouldn't be so lazy. Get up quickly."
"But I'm really tired. Can I not go?"
"Well then, I'll walk alone in the dark streets as a single woman. Anyway, I heard that in Okinawa, aside from occasional petty crimes like robberies or murders, the security is still pretty good. Masashi, you just sleep well. If something happens to me, don't worry about it. I won't blame you."
"Sensei, can you wait for me? I need to change my clothes." Masashi sighed.
"Why do you need to change? Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"
"Sensei, if you keep saying that, I really will go to sleep."
Naoko giggled, looking quite pleased with herself.
The two of them walked to the busiest and most bustling area of Naha City, Kokusai Street. Along the nearly two-kilometer road, there were department stores, souvenir shops, cinemas, restaurants, and coffee houses, rivaling the most prosperous areas in Tokyo, like Ginza. Okinawa's palm trees, betel nut trees, and Ryukyu pines were all around here too.
"Hey, there seems to be a performance up ahead. Let's go take a look." Without waiting for a response, Naoko eagerly pulled Masashi towards the performance.
On a makeshift stage, a dozen people wearing unusual clothes and holding strange instruments were singing and dancing, while the audience clapped along to the rhythm. The scene was very lively.
Naoko listened closely but couldn't understand the lyrics. She turned to Masashi and asked, "Can you understand what they're singing?"
"They're singing in the local dialect. I can't understand it either."
"Are they performing 'Rinzen'? I've heard of Okinawa's traditional song and dance before, but this is the first time I've seen it." *
"It's definitely 'Rinzen'. See that instrument with only three strings? That's a shamisen. And the big drum-like instrument is probably a taiko."
"How do you know all this?"
"I had a friend who told me about it before."
"Is your friend also from Okinawa?"
"No, he's from Hokkaido. He just likes to travel around, so he's seen this kind of performance."
For some reason, Naoko thought she detected a hint of sadness in Masashi's expression when he spoke about this friend.
"Let's go. I'll treat you to coffee."
"Coffee can be found anywhere. Let's go check out the local craft shops instead."
"Okay, let's go." Naoko agreed, thinking this suggestion was great.
* I don't know what this rinzen is. I searched about it but didn't come up with anything.