Chapter 150: Hiratsuka Shizuka Joins Last Minute

When Haruno picked up her phone, she immediately broke into a smile.

"Hey, good morning, Shizuka! You awake?"

Shizuka? Hiratsuka Shizuka?

Ichin quickly realized it was the same Hiratsuka-sensei who, like the Yukinoshita sisters, hailed from Chiba. Given how familiar Hiratsuka was with Yukino, it wasn't surprising she also knew Haruno.

Noticing Ichin's curious glance, Haruno gave him a playful smile before continuing, "Oh, I see. No worries, Shizuka. Some people just don't understand your charm. That's their loss. Us? Yeah, we've already left. Want to join us? It'll be a nice break for you. Sure, I'll send you the location and reserve a room. We can share one."

After ending the call, Haruno turned to Ichin. "No need to assign me a roommate, Ichin-kun. Shizuka will be joining us around noon, and we'll room together."

"Hiratsuka-sensei is back from her academic exchange trip?"

After summer break, Hiratsuka had gone with several teachers from the school to China for an educational exchange. Ichin wasn't aware of her exact return date.

Haruno nodded. "Yup, she got back over a week ago. So I invited her to join us for fun. She knows everyone from your studio, too. She's mentioned it before. Don't worry about the cost—Shizuka's loaded."

That was true. She drove a sports car to work, and from the looks of it, her family had connections with the wealthy Yukinoshita household.

"Judging from your conversation just now, did Hiratsuka-sensei go on another matchmaking date?"

The moment Ichin asked that, Yukino, Utaha, and even Hazuki from across the aisle turned their curious gazes toward him.

Haruno, not the least bit inclined to keep Hiratsuka's affairs secret, chuckled. "Yup, yesterday. The match was arranged by my mom. But once the guy found out that Shizuka drinks, smokes, and wants to stay a teacher instead of becoming a housewife, he ghosted her. She was pretty upset and drank alone at home until midnight. That's why she didn't reply to me until today."

Ichin found himself at a loss for words. Hiratsuka-sensei was a great person—competent at teaching and friendly with everyone. Yet somehow, she remained single to this day.

"Well, I hope she finds her true love soon. For now, it'll be good for her to come and relax with us before the new school term starts. But now we have an uneven number of rooms."

Hazuki leaned over and suggested, "Ichin-kun, I remember checking that hotel's layout. They have triple rooms. Why not call the hotel and swap one of the doubles? I can room with Haruno and Hiratsuka-sensei. I think we'll have plenty to talk about."

Ichin glanced at Haruno for confirmation.

"I'm fine with that!"

With Haruno's agreement, Ichin called the hotel, added Hiratsuka Shizuka's name to the reservation, and smoothly switched one of the rooms to a triple. Problem solved.

After everything was arranged, Ichin sat back down and put on the headphones Utaha handed him. The two leaned against each other for a quick nap.

From her seat behind them, Haruno glanced at Ichin and Utaha, then leaned closer to her sister. "Yukino, seeing those two like that—doesn't it make you feel like falling in love?"

"You said it yourself—it's just an impulse. I wouldn't act on something like that," Yukino replied, opening her eyes briefly to give her sister a calm look. "Instead of worrying about me, you should focus more on your own future. Don't end up like Hiratsuka-sensei."

"Geez, Yukino, saying stuff like that! If I tell Shizuka what you said, she'd be in tears!"

"She's not as fragile as you make her sound."

"Maybe not, but she might punch you."

"…"

That made Yukino pause. She had witnessed Hiratsuka's "iron fist" firsthand when a few unruly boys at school had learned the hard way not to misbehave.

That kind of strength wasn't something a single woman of Hiratsuka's age should have.

While Yukino was confident Hiratsuka wouldn't actually hit her, she figured she'd likely be roped into some bothersome tasks if things escalated.

Thinking it through, Yukino chose to remain silent, letting her quiet demeanor make her stance clear.

Haruno, seeing her sister's reaction, beamed brightly, pulled out her phone, and put on her headphones to watch some videos.

About half an hour into the bus ride, the previously chatty group settled down. Since everyone had been excited about the trip, they'd all had trouble sleeping the night before. Now, without needing any reminders, they took advantage of the time to catch up on rest.

Better to sleep now than arrive at Izu too tired to enjoy anything.

After a two-hour, fifteen-minute ride, the bus pulled up to a luxurious seaside resort.

Ichin had Yagami wake up Aoba, Nene, and Shinoda, who were still napping. Then he led the group off the bus.

Yawning, Aoba was the last to disembark. But as soon as she saw the resort, her eyes widened, fully awake.

"Wow! This place is so fancy! Are we really staying here for the next three days?"

While unloading everyone's luggage from the bus, Ichin chuckled. "Of course! I told you the name of the resort, didn't I? Didn't you look it up?"

Aoba scratched her head sheepishly. "Nope. I figured it wouldn't be anything this extravagant."

"It's not that big a deal," Eriri chimed in, dragging her suitcase over. She gave the hotel's façade a quick once-over. "My family has a beachside villa. If it were in Tokyo, you wouldn't have to pay for a hotel."

"What? That's the same thing, right? As long as it's by the beach," Shinoda Hajime asked curiously. "I've never stayed at a beachside villa. Where's your family's villa, Eriri?"

"England. Want to come?"

"…"

Shinoda counted on her fingers before sighing. "Never mind. Plane tickets are too expensive, and my English is terrible. I'll stick with this place."

Once everyone had their belongings and nothing was left behind, Ichin exchanged a few words with the bus driver, confirming the pickup time for their return trip. Then he led the group into the hotel.

The seaside resort's lobby was filled with vacationers dressed in light T-shirts, beach shorts, or airy summer dresses.

After confirming their identities at the front desk and collecting the room keys, Ichin led the excited group into the elevator and toward their assigned rooms.

...

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