'Didn't you want to hide our relationship from Bocchi?'
Kaito continued to give her a meaningful look with his eyes, 'Aren't you afraid she'll find out?'
As expected, Yumiko hesitated a little.
But people always tend to be hopeful, especially when the little head controls the big head.
'Anyway, Bocchi looked super busy right now. If I move fast enough, there's no way she'd notice~'
'Besides, this kind of sneaky, secretive thrill, gotta admit, it is kinda exciting...'
That feeling, it's just like in the movies, where the oblivious husband invites his boss over for a drink, completely unaware that after getting dead drunk, his virtuous and gentle wife had already.
'No, no! I'm the real girlfriend here!'
'Even if there's competition, it shouldn't be Bocchi-chan, okay!'
Yumiko shook her head like a rattle drum, finally shaking off those dangerous fantasies.
Still, with the mood broken, she gave up on her original idea.
'Anyway, there's plenty of time ahead, no need to rush it,' so she switched to another topic that had piqued her interest, "Speaking of which, Golden Week is just around the corner."
It was the last day of April, just a step away from the arrival of May.
For students, the most important things were two: grades and holidays.
Golden Week referred to the stretch from late April to early May in Japan, when several holidays lined up one after another, so most companies would shut down during this period, giving employees a whole week off.
Many Japanese people would deliberately choose to travel during Golden Week, making this period a booming time for the tourism industry.
Shuka Academy had already announced the holiday in advance: starting from May 1st until May 10th, a full ten days. Of course, one had to take advantage of this opportunity to fully enjoy youth.
Normally, Yumiko would make plans with her friends to go shopping, watch movies, visit amusement parks and zoos, and have fun together.
As for now...
She had a boyfriend, she didn't feel like talking to her still-single girlfriends anymore.
"A rare ten-day break. Kurumizaka-kun, Bocchi, do you two have any places you want to visit?", Yumiko had a bright, excited expression, though she actually already had a plan in mind.
There was a small town a bit outside Tokyo called "Hoori," and it was said the shrine there was very effective in granting love fortunes. Many couples would visit it specifically, praying that the gods would bless them to grow old together with their loved one.
Girls, after all, loved these kinds of romantic, mysterious rituals. Whether the shrine was effective or not didn't matter, what mattered was who you went with.
'Besides, the hot spring inns in Hoori are also quite famous. After visiting the shrine, we can naturally stay the night. Soaking in the hot spring together at night and then doing those fun and intimate things, won't that be just perfect?'
Kaito used to be a bit of a homebody.
In his last life, he was picked up by his master right after entering the cultivation world, and as the only disciple of a peak-level elder, he never lacked resources. So unlike rogue cultivators, he didn't need to fight other cultivators over opportunities and treasures.
Though he had gone out for training, every time it would attract countless witches and demonesses who tried to knock him out and drag him back to their caves for dual cultivation.
Although Kaito wasn't afraid of these threats, he had both lightning and fire spiritual roots, plus a peerless sword technique. When it came to fighting power, he could take on ten people of the same level.
He wasn't afraid, but it was still seriously annoying.
Beat the younger ones, the older ones would come. Beat the old ones, even older ones would show up.
If the cultivation world lacked anything, it definitely didn't lack ten-thousand-year-old baby-faced seniors.
When Kaito had just entered the Golden Core stage, he was once targeted by a Nascent Soul stage demoness during a training journey. She wanted to make him her cultivation partner. If his master hadn't happened to pass by and stepped in to help, he probably would've already been knocked out and dragged into a wedding ceremony.
Situations like that happened a few more times later too. But those ill-intentioned female cultivators were always chased away by his conveniently passing master. Eventually, his master outright strongly suggested that he stop going out randomly, to avoid attracting more butterflies.
Because of those experiences, even after Kaito broke through to the Soul Transformation stage and became stronger than his master, earning himself a fearsome reputation across the cultivation world, he still couldn't shake off his stay-at-home habits.
'But that was all in the past. Now I am not in the cultivation world anymore, going out with Yumiko for a little trip can be a rare and pleasant experience.'
'As for little Bocchi… though it might be a bit tough. Forcing a socially anxious person to reject an invitation was basically more painful than stabbing her.'
Luckily, Yumiko noticed her inner struggle and asked curiously, "Bocchi-chan, is there something you want to say?"
"U-um... it's just, Niji... Niji and the others…"
The little introvert looked like she had done something wrong, stammering, "After the band ended... we all agreed to go on a trip together…"
Though Japanese students had many holidays, Golden Week was the first small long break after the start of the school year, and its value was self-evident.
Nijika had planned a camping trip at Lake Kawaguchi. As one of the Fuji Five Lakes, it was a great photography spot where you could capture the reflection of Mt. Fuji on the water.
The lakeside was full of maple trees, about five thousand of them. Actually, autumn was a better time to go, since that's when tourists came in droves. Spring didn't have the pretty red leaves, but it did offer some peace and quiet.
"I see…", Miura Yumiko thought for a moment. She knew Bocchi-chan had a band, though she'd never seen the other members.
So she suggested, "Why don't we just all go together? It's more fun with more people anyway."
Bocchi was very tempted by the idea, but she still wanted to check with the band first.
She called Nijika, the big angel hesitated at first, worrying they'd inconvenience others, but when she heard that Kaito from their school would be joining too, she immediately agreed.
As for Ryou and Kita, the former didn't mind going anywhere as long as it wasn't part-time work, and the latter wanted to take some nice scenic shots for promotional photos, maybe even use them as background pages for the band's account.
Everyone agreed instantly.
Since the members of the band were technically guests, they followed the host's plan. And the trip destination was finalized as Hoori Town.
Kaito was a man of action. Since they already had a plan, he just went online and booked the rooms at a hot spring inn. He wasn't short on money, so he went ahead and booked out the whole place.
"Ah... now that I think of it, maybe I should buy a new yukata?", Yumiko raised a delicate finger and lightly tapped her soft lips.
'After soaking in the hot spring, I will definitely have to change into something fresh. Too bad summer is still two to three months away. Won't wearing yukata and attending a fireworks festival with Kaito-kun be way more romantic?'
"Y-Yukata, huh…", Little Bocchi also looked forward to it. All her life, she'd never attended a fireworks festival or any kind of lively event. She'd never even traveled before. This would be her first time going on a trip far away with friends. Nervous? Sure. But even more so—excited.
'I-if I could dress up a little prettier too…'
The young girl cautiously glanced at the beautiful boy not far away. A certain thought planted by her mother was quietly taking root and sprouting.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y