Still, lounging around a hotel felt like sloth. Knowing their movements were being watched, Yugen figured they might as well stir the pot. Just then, a notification chimed on his terminal. It was an invitation from Shizuku, who had arrived in Okinawa the previous day. Tatsuya and the others had no objections, so they decided to join her.
"The flight is at 8:30—coincidentally the same time as Shizuku and the others. Bringing CADs shouldn't be an issue."
For public servants, carrying a CAD was usually permitted upon application to the police. Students of the National Magic University, the National Defense Academy, and Magic High Schools were granted similar privileges, though it came with the legal obligation to assist in rescue efforts during emergencies.
Upon arriving at the Naha Airport lobby, a familiar voice called out.
"Tatsuya-san! Wait, Lina is here too?"
"Oh, good morning, Honoka," Lina replied. "I'm here accompanying them on some family business."
"...Good morning, Yugen," Shizuku added, her voice dropping slightly. "It looks like you had quite a bit of 'fun' yesterday."
Though both girls were technically Tatsuya's fiancées, Shizuku seemed slightly suspicious of Lina's composed demeanor. She turned a sharp, pointed gaze toward Yugen, who merely shrugged with a strained expression.
"Shizuku, please. I'll make it up to you later, so let this one slide."
"It was just a joke. Although, in your case, Yugen, the 'favors' you owe are piled so high it'll be hard to pay them back."
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
Yugen hadn't intended to let his debts to the girls accumulate, but his remark made Shizuku, Miyuki, Honoka, and even Lina break into small smiles. Turning his attention to the larger group, Yugen addressed the others.
"President Nakajou, good morning."
"Good morning! Are you and the others heading to Kumejima as well, Kagurazaka-kun?"
"Yes, we are."
He had spotted Azusa and the other graduates at the Higan service earlier. Knowing they were headed to Kumejima, he wasn't surprised. After chatting with Azusa, he exchanged greetings with Hattori, Isori, Kanon, Kirihara, Sayaka, and Sawaki. Since Yugen maintained friendly relations with everyone in Tatsuya's circle, he naturally became the group's spokesperson.
While they expected their schedules to overlap by a day or two, meeting down to the exact hour was a stroke of luck—or perhaps, in the flow of their lives, an inevitability.
"We were just talking with Mitsui-san and the others," Azusa suggested. "Would you like to join us?"
"Sure, we'd be happy to."
Shizuku's email had mentioned the graduates, so Tatsuya and the rest were already aware of the situation. Including Yugen's group of five, Honoka and Shizuku, and the seven graduates, the party of fourteen felt more like a guided tour.
Once the First High students and alumni arrived at Kumejima, they decided to take a glass-bottom boat tour around the island. Shizuku had originally planned to join a public tour, but with a group this size, she simply chartered the entire vessel.
Yugen had offered to handle the arrangements, but Shizuku insisted. "Please, let me do at least this much." Requesting a charter just before leaving Naha and having it ready upon arrival at Kumejima was a testament to the sheer power of the Kitayama family, one of Japan's wealthiest.
One deviation from the original plan: Yugen took the helm of the glass-bottom boat. While there were typically age restrictions, Yugen held a national mariner's certification, ostensibly for work related to the Kamizumi and Kagurazaka families.
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