Chikage Tomizawa bit her lower lip. "I know... but seeing how cute he is, I just can't help myself..."
"That 'urge' might end up hurting him." Hayashi Shuichi's voice was grave as his gaze swept across every girl present. "If this leads to gender identity confusion, the consequences will be severe."
After giving the girls a piece of his mind, Shuichi headed toward the bathroom.
He pushed the door open to find Narumi standing on tiptoe atop a small stool, brushing his teeth with intense focus. The boy's face was scrunched up from the effort, and a dollop of white toothpaste foam clung to the corner of his mouth.
"Shuichi-gege!"
Upon seeing Shuichi, Narumi immediately broke into a brilliant smile, accidentally splattering a bit of foam onto the mirror in the process. He hurriedly tried to wipe it away with his small hand, only to end up getting foam all over himself.
Shuichi couldn't help but chuckle. He took a towel down and helped wipe the foam from the boy's hands.
"Thank you, Shuichi-gege!" Narumi chirped sweetly, his eyes brimming with trust.
Once they finished washing up, Shuichi led Narumi toward the room shared by Kogoro Mouri and Rei Furuya. Before they even reached the door, they could hear thunderous snoring coming from inside—rhythmic and competitive, as if the two were in a match.
Shuichi knocked, but there was no response. He reached out and twisted the doorknob; surprisingly, it wasn't locked.
As he pushed the door open, the sight before him was both ridiculous and pitiable. Kogoro Mouri was splayed across his bed in the shape of a giant "X," a suspicious trail of transparent liquid dangling from the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, Rei was curled up on the other bed, clutching a pillow tightly. Both were dead to the world.
"Wake up, the sun's already burning your backsides." Shuichi gave the edge of his friend's bed a light kick.
Kogoro groaned and rolled over, mumbling incoherently, "Five more minutes..." before burying his face back into the pillow.
Seeing this, Narumi tiptoed over to the bed, leaned in close to Kogoro's ear, and suddenly shouted, "Kogoro-niichan! Ruri-san is looking for you!"
"Ruri?!"
Kogoro practically somersaulted into a sitting position. His eyes weren't even fully open yet, and his hair looked like a disheveled bird's nest. He looked around wildly in a daze, only to see Shuichi stifling a laugh and Narumi wearing a mischievous grin. He finally realized he'd been played.
"Alright, you two! Teaming up to trick me, huh?"
Kogoro feigned outrage and reached out to tickle Narumi. The little boy giggled and immediately scrambled to hide behind Shuichi.
The commotion finally woke Rei. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and asking sleepily, "What time is it?"
"If you don't get up now, breakfast is gone," Shuichi said flatly.
At those words, Rei scrambled to pull on his T-shirt. In his rush, he didn't even notice he'd put it on backward until Narumi pointed it out, helping him fix it.
After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, the group purchased a detailed tourist map at the hotel's front desk.
Eri Kisaki unfolded the map and studied the route with Ruri. "First the Shonan coast, then over to Enoshima..."
"The weather is great today," Kogoro said, looking up at the cloudless, sapphire sky and stretching his arms. "Not a cloud in sight. It definitely won't rain."
"Don't jinx it," Ruri said, giving him a playful shove. "Last summer when we went out, you said the exact same thing. It ended up pouring cats and dogs in the afternoon and we all got soaked like drowned rats."
"You can't blame me for that," Kogoro grumbled, pouting. "Blame the weather forecast for being wrong."
Just then, Chikage Tomizawa quietly approached Narumi. She pulled a delicate navy-style hat from her bag. "Narumi, wear this. The sun at the beach can be quite harsh."
Narumi took the hat curiously. Just as he was about to put it on, Shuichi cleared his throat. Chikage immediately pulled her neck in like a child caught doing something wrong.
However, Shuichi didn't stop her this time. He simply nodded. "The sun is indeed strong today. Wearing a hat for sun protection is a good idea."
Chikage's eyes lit up. She immediately helped Narumi put on the hat, carefully adjusting the angle. Under the brim, Narumi looked even cuter, like a miniature little sailor.
"So cute!" Yukiko couldn't resist pulling out her phone to snap photos. The other girls swarmed around him as well. Flustered by the sudden attention, Narumi quickly ducked behind Shuichi.
"Alright, that's enough," Shuichi said, shielding Narumi as they headed toward the tour bus parked at the hotel entrance.
Reiko, Eri, and Yukiko were the first to board. Once inside, they all simultaneously turned to look at Shuichi, their eyes filled with clear expectation—each obviously hoping he would sit next to them.
Shuichi pretended not to notice. With lightning-fast reflexes, he grabbed Kogoro, who had been trying to sneak over to sit by Ruri. "You and I are sitting together."
"Hey! I'm supposed to spend today with my girlfriend!" Kogoro grumbled, looking dejectedly at Ruri, who was giggling behind her hand.
"Are we brothers or not?" Shuichi played the 'loyalty' card, leaving Kogoro with no choice but to sit grumpily beside him.
Ruri took the opportunity to sit next to Eri. She lowered her voice and teased, "You really have a lot of rivals. I'm glad I didn't fall for Shuichi back then."
Eri smirked. "Ungrateful. If it weren't for me, who knows how long you and Kogoro would have kept dragging your feet?"
"Fine, fine, my mistake," Ruri laughed, hooking her arm into her best friend's as the two girls shared a laugh.
"Tch." Yukiko glanced at the intimate pair and curled her lip before turning to wave at her young cousin. "Reiko, come sit over here."
Midori Orikasa sat with Akane Koizumi. She felt a deep sense of gratitude toward this senior who had helped her save her friend.
Narumi and Rei sat together, with the former excitedly pointing at the scenery outside, his face nearly pressed against the glass.
In the end, only Chikage Tomizawa was left without a partner. She didn't seem to mind; she found a window seat in front of Shuichi and closed her eyes, preparing to squeeze in another nap.
Just then, there was movement at the bus door as more passengers boarded. Shuichi, who was also about to close his eyes for a rest, was nudged by Kogoro.
"Shuichi, look. It's the girls we met at the elevator last night."
Shuichi opened his eyes curiously. Sure enough, Tomoko and her long-haired friend were walking onto the bus.
Tomoko was wearing a pale blue sundress today, which made her skin look exceptionally fair. The hem of her skirt swayed gently with her steps, like the ripples of a wave. Her friend was dressed casually in a beige knit top and jeans, looking soft and approachable.
The two also spotted Kogoro and Shuichi.
The long-haired girl nodded politely with a faint smile. Tomoko, however, gave Shuichi a direct glare. Her small nose crinkled and her red lips pressed into a thin line, clearly remembering the events of the previous night.
"Looks like she's holding a grudge," Kogoro whispered with a touch of schadenfreude.
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