Chapter 100: Tourism

After showering, I was fiddling with my phone on the sofa when I glanced out the window. The blue sky was gradually darkening.
Of course, it was natural for the sky to darken as evening approached, but… the problem was that the sky was becoming overcast with a grayish hue.

The weather forecast hadn’t mentioned any rain…

“Mizuki, I think it’s going to rain.”
“Huh? The sky really is getting dark. Didn’t they say it would be clear today?”

Mizuki looked up from drying her hair.
Dark clouds gathered in the suddenly gloomy sky. The wind began to howl, rattling the windows, and the ocean waves grew increasingly choppy.

I nervously checked the weather forecast on my phone again.
But it still said sunny. No mention of a typhoon either.

Aya, noticing our unease, walked over to us.
That’s when it happened.

Rumble—Crash!
“Kyaa!”
“Whoa?!”

We all screamed at the sudden flash of lightning and the deafening clap of thunder.
Then, the entire villa plunged into darkness.

Mizuki cried out in alarm, and I instinctively grabbed Aya’s hand. Aya squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“Rina, it’s okay. It’s just a power outage. This villa has a backup generator, so it’ll be fine soon.”

Aya’s voice calmed my nerves.
Her hand felt so reassuring… Well, it always did.

“…You think so?”

‘This is strange… It’s different from the novel. Is it because I solved the ghost incident too quickly?’

The typhoon wasn’t supposed to arrive for a few more days, and there was no mention of a sudden power outage in the novel. Then, the wind picked up, and we heard the sound of rain lashing against the windows.

Crash!

“Aya!”
“Kyaa!”

Another clap of thunder, closer this time. I was so scared that I buried my face in Aya’s embrace.
Aya must have been scared too, but she calmly put her arms around me.

Then, we heard Reina-senpai’s cheerful voice from down the hallway.

“Everyone~! I brought emergency flashlights!”

The two senpais appeared, holding flashlights.
“Don’t worry. The lights will be back on soon~”

Just as Reina-senpai said, a moment later, we heard a click, and the lights flickered back on.
We all breathed a sigh of relief.

The lightning and thunder continued, but thankfully, the backup generator held.
“Alright, shall we have dinner? Aren’t you all hungry?”

Reina-senpai’s calm voice, as if the thunderstorm was nothing, eased our lingering fears.

‘Huh…? This doesn’t smell like Japanese food.’

A familiar instant noodle scent wafted through the air, a scent etched in my soul.
But it was a scent I’d never experienced in Rina’s body, a scent with a hint of spice.

Ah… It was Nongshim Ramyun.

“Tonight’s dinner is Korean ramyun~”

Reina-senpai placed the steaming pot of ramyun on the table with a smile.

“Ooh, that looks spicy.”
“Yes, Sena-chan brought it! It’s not too spicy, is it?”
“Right, I chose the mild flavor.”
Sena-senpai skillfully stirred the noodles with chopsticks.

I stared at the unopened package on the table.
A yellow background with a smiling raccoon and the brand name ‘Nongshim’.
Looking at the thick noodles in the pot, I could almost taste their chewy texture.

“Wow~ Korean ramyun! It’s been a while!”
Mizuki, beaming, already filled her bowl.
“Mizuki! Don’t be so greedy.”
“Hehe~ First come, first served!”
“Ah, I have to hurry!”

Once everyone had their bowls of ramyun, Reina-senpai clapped her hands and said,
“Alright, everyone, let’s eat before the ramyun gets cold~”
“Yes~! Thank you for the food!”

We all picked up our chopsticks, and I took a large bite of the bouncy noodles.
And…
“Aaaah! Spicy…!”
I closed my eyes tightly and gulped down water to extinguish the fire in my mouth. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the ramyun, blowing on it gently, but… why was it so spicy for me?
Aya, who was quietly eating her ramyun, looked at me with a gentle smile.
“Rina, is it too spicy?”

“Uh… huh…”

Mizuki slurped up her noodles and glanced at me playfully.
“Rina-tan~ Your taste buds are so childish~”
“N-No, they’re not! It’s just really spicy…!”

Sena-senpai smiled at me.
Was she eating it so well because she was Korean?! I was Korean too, in my past life!

No matter how many times I looked at the package, it clearly said ‘mild flavor,’ but I couldn’t understand why it was so spicy.
With tears welling up in my eyes, I continued eating the fiery noodles, washing them down with the milk Aya brought me.

I just hoped my stomach wouldn’t hurt in the morning.

****

The next morning.

The power outage had been resolved quickly, with workers bustling around the villa since early morning. We decided to visit some tourist spots near the villa.

“Ah~ Today’s sightseeing day?”
Mizuki was excited, like a student on a field trip.

“Right, Okinawa has a lot of tourist attractions and things to see. Aya, where do you want to go?”
Reina-senpai, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, asked Aya.

“The American Village in Chatan Town is nice!”
“Okay, let’s go there.”

We’d taken a taxi on the way here, but this time, we used the villa’s multi-passenger vehicle.
The driver was the same man who’d driven the van before, now wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

Arriving at the American Village, we saw rows of brightly colored shops and bustling tourists.

“Wow…!”
It was so colorful that it felt a little tacky, but the exotic atmosphere was fascinating.
It felt like we were in America! The palm trees lining the streets instead of the usual trees were especially striking.

“There used to be a Ferris wheel here when I last visited.”
“Hmm… I heard they dismantled it a while ago. It was probably unsafe.”
“Aw, that’s too bad.”
“I rode it with Aya once, holding hands.”

“Onee-chan…!”

To see Aya acting so spoiled with Reina-senpai…
Ah, it was heartwarming to see them reconcile.

The streets were filled with interesting sights. While I was captivated by the unique scenery, Aya bought a churro and offered it to me.

“Rina, let’s eat this.”
“Thanks, Aya!”

Mizuki, seeing this, pestered Aya for one too, so Aya bought another churro for her.
The two senpais, walking a little behind us, smiled as they watched us.

Munching on our churros, we arrived at a café and restaurant with a peculiar name: Christmas Village.

Despite it being summer, the inside of the café was decked out in Christmas decorations. The cool air conditioning and the faint Christmas carols playing in the background created a relaxing atmosphere.

“Wow~ It’s like Christmas!”
Mizuki grinned and entered the café first.
“Christmas in summer… That’s a novel experience. I heard Christmas is in summer in Australia.”
“Yeah, that’s why I thought this place would be worth visiting.”

“Ooh, the food here looks delicious~ I want pasta!”
“I’ll have the same.”

Reina-senpai and Sena-senpai both chose pasta dishes, while Aya and I looked at the menu together.
“Rina, what do you want to eat?”
“Hmm… How about omurice? It looks good.”
“Really? Then I’ll have the same as Rina.”

Aya smiled gently at my words.
Just looking at her made my heart flutter, so I hid my face behind the menu.

Mizuki excitedly pointed at the menu and called the waiter.

“I’ll have the steak set, french fries, onion rings… and an ade!…..Hey~! We’re on vacation, so we have to indulge!”

The waiter smiled and took our orders.

A short while later, our food arrived.
The omurice I ordered had a cute Santa Claus drawn on it with ketchup.

“Aw, it’s cute!”
“It’s so Christmassy~”

We enjoyed our lunch in a cheerful atmosphere.

After lunch, as we were strolling down the street, a poster caught my eye. It was on almost every shop.

[Okinawa Summer Fireworks Festival! Tonight at 8 PM!]

“Oh… There’s a festival tonight?”

“Looks like it. We’re lucky.”
“Fireworks! The fireworks were visible from Aya’s villa, right?”
“Yes.”

Wow… So we could relax at the villa and watch the fireworks too!
I was already looking forward to the evening.