Chapter 102: The typhoon is coming as scheduled

Happy times always seem to fly by too quickly.
I’d thoroughly enjoyed seeing Aya and Mizuki in their swimsuits, exploring Okinawa…
We’d even shared secrets with Sena-senpai…
And it was reassuring to see Reina-senpai looking so healthy.

The five of us had truly enjoyed this past week.

And so, a week passed…
I woke up to the sound of the windows rattling. The first thing I heard was the fierce wind howling outside and the sound of rain pelting against the glass.

‘Huh…?’

There was no mention of a typhoon in the forecast yesterday.
Alarmed, I quickly got out of bed and checked my phone.
I was shocked by the emergency alert displayed on the screen.

It was the same kind of alert that would blare loudly in Korea.

[Emergency Alert]
Typhoon Airi, the ninth typhoon of the season, has abruptly changed course and is heading towards Okinawa. Residents and tourists are advised to refrain from going outside and stay indoors.

“Ugh… It’s finally here.”

The typhoon from the novel had arrived, and it was approaching much faster than expected. I’d thought the wind sounded unusually strong this morning…

‘There’s no way the flights are still running…’

I opened the airline’s website, and the word “Cancelled” was displayed in bright red.

“Ugh…!”

Perhaps awakened by the noise outside, Mizuki mumbled sleepily,

“What’s with all the noise so early in the morning…”
“A typhoon…! There’s a typhoon!”
“Huh…? A typhoon…?”

Mizuki rubbed her eyes, walked over, and looked at my phone screen.
Her face paled, just like mine.

“Does this mean… we can’t go back today?”
“Probably…”

We stared out the window for a while.
The wind and rain were already fierce, and the sight of the trees swaying violently was unsettling.
Then, we heard Aya and Reina-senpai’s voices from the living room.

“Rina, Mizuki! Are you awake? Come out to the living room!”
“Yes, we’re coming!”

We got out of bed and went to the living room.
Sena-senpai was already sitting on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, looking calm and composed. Aya and Reina-senpai were watching the typhoon news on TV with serious expressions.

“The typhoon suddenly changed course and is rapidly approaching Okinawa. It looks like it’ll be difficult to go back today.”
“Oh…”

Unlike the three of us, whose faces had paled, Sena-senpai looked completely at ease.

“Don’t worry, everyone. Everything will be alright if we stay calm.”

How did Sena-senpai develop such a detached, almost otherworldly perspective? I couldn’t understand how she could remain so calm with the wind and rain battering against the windows.

Then it happened.

Bang—!

The entire villa shook, and we heard a loud crashing sound from somewhere outside. We all instinctively ducked our heads.

“Kyaa!”
“Is everyone alright?”

Reina-senpai, calming us down, stood up and looked out the window.

“The wind has gotten much stronger. Everyone, stay inside the villa today. Don’t go outside.”
“Okay…”

“And everyone, close the curtains so that if the windows break, the glass shards will fly inwards!”
“Okay!”

We followed Reina-senpai’s instructions and scattered to close all the curtains in the villa.
In Korea, we would put tape in an “X” shape on the windows, but it seemed like that wasn’t a custom in Japan…

After taking all the necessary precautions, we gathered back in the living room and decided to wait until the storm passed.
The rain and wind grew even stronger as the typhoon drew closer.

Then it happened.

Crackle—Pop!

Suddenly, everything went dark. The power went out.

“Huh…?”
“Another power outage?”
“Ugh… I’m scared.”
“Everyone, calm down. This villa has a backup generator, remember?”

As soon as she said that, the lights flickered back on, accompanied by the whirring sound of the generator. But the flickering fluorescent lights created an eerie atmosphere.

“Wow, this is a real typhoon…”

Mizuki’s face was completely pale, and Aya huddled close to me.

“Aya… Are you okay?”
“Yes… Are you alright, Rina?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Aya smiled faintly at my words, but I could feel her hands trembling slightly. She was pretending to be calm, but she was scared.
In situations like these, I had to be the strong one.

I took Aya’s hand, and her trembling subsided.

Just then, we heard another clap of thunder.

Crash!

“Kyaa!”
“Rina!”

Although there had been several thunderclaps already, this one was much closer and louder. Startled, Aya and I hugged each other tightly.
Our racing hearts wouldn’t calm down.

The wind intensified, shaking the entire villa as if a giant hand was gripping it. The sight of a palm tree outside being uprooted and swept away by the wind sent shivers down my spine.

‘There’s no way… the villa is going to blow away, right?’

No, even in the novel, it wasn’t that bad.
But reality was different from fiction… and right now, anything felt possible.

“Is… Is that house going to fly away?”
“N-N-No way… It won’t be that bad, right…?”

Even Mizuki’s voice was trembling.
I tried to suppress my anxiety and calm myself down.

After some time, as we huddled together in silence, sharing warmth, Reina-senpai quietly asked,

“Is everyone… okay?”

The others started to talk cautiously.

“This is… the scariest typhoon I’ve ever experienced.”

At Sena-senpai’s words, Reina-senpai nodded, recalling an old memory.

“Sena-chan, remember that time we were on vacation and a huge typhoon hit?”
“Ah, I remember. Mizuki-chan was there too, right? Come to think of it, Mizuki-chan was so quiet and reserved back then.”
“Oh, right. She was!”

Sena-senpai reminisced.

“Mizuki-chan was so cold when she was younger. She barely spoke, a total ice princess.”
“Right. She wasn’t interested in people at all. She came here with Aya, and when I checked on them, they were just quietly reading books in their room.”
“When did Mizuki-chan become so lively?”
“I think it was after her younger sister became more reserved.”
“Ah, right, right. That’s when it was.”

As the two senpais chatted about the past, Mizuki’s face turned increasingly red.

“Ugh… No, I wasn’t! Stop talking nonsense!”

Mizuki puffed out her cheeks in protest, but Sena-senpai and Reina-senpai just smiled fondly at her, amused by her reaction.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Sena-senpai,

“What was Mizuki like as a child?”
“Ah~ Mizuki, well…”

Just as Sena-senpai was about to answer, Mizuki rushed over and covered her mouth.

“Mmm…!”
“Mizuki, don’t cover Sena-chan’s mouth~”

Reina-senpai tried to stop her, but Mizuki desperately clamped her hand over Sena-senpai’s mouth, determined to prevent her from speaking. Then Reina-senpai tried to speak.

“Ah, when Mizuki was young…!”

But Mizuki quickly turned and, still covering Sena-senpai’s mouth with one hand, used her other hand to cover Reina-senpai’s mouth as well.

“Ugh… Both of you, stop ittt!”

Aya, who had been sitting quietly beside me, chuckled softly and spoke.

“Mizuki… was an ice princess.”

Mizuki froze, stuck in an awkward position.

“Aya, too…!”

Betrayed by Aya, Mizuki looked defeated as she released the senpais and slumped to the floor.

“Mizuki, I’m sorry. But it’s true.”

At Aya’s casual apology, we all burst out laughing.

“Ugh… I hate you all…!”

Mizuki continued to pout, staring at the floor.

Mizuki’s sacrifice had lightened the mood. Reina-senpai, smiling, looked at Aya.

“You’ve changed a lot too, Aya. Especially this year.”
“Eh… Onee-chan, is it my turn now?”
“Yes, you’ve become much softer since you met Rina-chan.”

With the attention now on Aya, she blushed slightly and smiled awkwardly.

“Well, I feel comfortable around Rina.”

Aya’s words, which sounded suspiciously like a confession, drew everyone’s attention to us.

“Ooh~ Aya, that’s a confession, isn’t it?”
“Well, I suppose it is.”

Aya’s nonchalant reply made my face flush.

“Aya… Don’t just say things like that out of the blue…!”

I whispered, nudging Aya’s shoulder, and she smiled.
“It’s alright. Everyone already knows.”

Sena-senpai chuckled, looking at us.

“I never imagined Aya-chan would become so adorable. It must be Rina-chan’s influence.”
“I’ve been drawn to Rina ever since we first met. My eyes just kept following her, for some reason.”

Aya pulled me closer and hugged me tightly. I was suddenly enveloped in her soft embrace, and it wasn’t unpleasant.

And so, we spent the entire night in the living room, waiting for the typhoon to pass.