Third person POV
Finally, at 3:20 p.m., the bus arrived in San Jose De Buenavista's big bus terminal in Funda Dalipe in that town, and as the bus opened its doors, Hoshi and his group grabbed their belongings and got off, finally stretching out their legs and arms from being seated for 3 hours on the bus. Taro and Reo were equally eager to explore the sleepy, seemingly minor town, but all of them had to find a hotel to have their accommodations for two days.
And so, they managed to find one in the Centillion building at 1,200 pesos per night, basically cheap, but the rooms are nice and decent. After unloading their belongings, they went out for their exploration time across town. They mostly travelled on foot across San Jose's traffic (quite odd for a town this modestly sized). They marvelled at the town's little charms, like the EBJ Plaza and the new Capitol (Provincial Capitol) south of the plaza.
But the biggest shocker was the three malls: Gaisano Grand Mall Antique, Robinsons Antique, and CityMall San Jose. According to what Hoshi and Bokuto had searched in the internet, Gaisano Grand Mall Antique was the first mall and the oldest in town (it burned down in 2021, and it was rebuilt in September 2024), followed by Robinsons Antique in around 2017, and the CityMall San Jose in 2024. They entered the CityMall by 5 p.m. to do some browsing and exploring. They had a mixed dinner in its food court, which featured outlets of Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Mang Inasal.
They will try the Robinsons Antique and Gaisano Grand Mall Antique by tomorrow morning and dedicate that first day in this town purely to their within-town adventure.
And as they ate their mixed dinner, Saki commented on how she felt lucky to be part of the "Decoy Team" against the corrupt cops during the LRT Case in Metro Manila. "I felt being spared from being potentially raped by them," she commented while moving her spoon across her half-eaten plate of Greenwich lasagna.
That realisation struck them with luck.
"You're right…" Hoshi let out his breath.
Kuro within him nodded with honour of luck.
"That would be scary if you joined the depot…" Taro added.
Saki nodded.
After a little budget shopping spree at the mall's limited shops, they took a jeepney ride to the hotel in the Centillion building. There they were, exhausted for the day. In the morning, they had left Boracay Island, rode a bus from morning to afternoon, and dedicated the rest of it to the adventure until dinnertime.