The summer sun beat down like it had a personal vendetta, even through the airport glass. I trudged forward, dragging two suitcases—one mine, the other unmistakably Ai's, pink-trimmed and unnecessarily heavy.
I wore a loud Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts, sweat clinging to my back like a second skin. I pretended not to notice. Dignity mattered, even if it was melting.
Ai walked beside me, composed as ever. A plain white shirt tucked neatly into frayed denim shorts, a blue sunhat casting shadows over her eyes. Her ponytail swayed behind her, catching the light with every step.
"First time at an airport?" I asked.
Ai nodded with bright-eyed energy. "Uh-huh! Never been on a plane before. This'll be the longest trip I've ever taken!"
I grinned at her enthusiasm. "Good thing we scored those discount tickets. Makes the experience feel more… authentic."
She tilted her head, unsure. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
"If I booked first class, it'd ruin the charm."
"I don't get it," she said, shrugging. "But you paid, so I won't complain."
As we neared the boarding gate, a familiar voice called out. "You made it!"
Miyuki stood waiting, radiant in a white summer dress and a round-brimmed hat that matched her soft expression. Ai lit up instantly.
"Miyuki-chan! That dress is super cute!"
"Thank you," Miyuki replied, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
I smiled at their exchange, but then—movement caught my eye.
She appeared from the crowd like a shadow given shape. Black dress, wide-brimmed hat, lace veil trailing like smoke. The terminal seemed to hush as she passed, as if her presence rewrote the atmosphere.
"Oh my…" Her voice was silk wrapped in mystery, classic ara-ara energy down to the breathy pause. "These must be the friends Miyuki-san mentioned."
"M-Mother!" Miyuki squeaked, regaining composure. "Ahem. This is Hoshino Ai, and this is Yamada Sasaki. Everyone—this is my mother, Shiba Miya."
"Hello, Mom!" Ai chirped like they were lifelong friends.
I gave a small bow. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I wouldn't have guessed you were Miyuki's mother. You look more like her sister."
Ai nodded rapidly. "Totally! Super young vibes!"
Miya giggled behind her fan. "Hoho~ Such charm. It's lovely to meet you both. Thank you for being kind to my daughter."
"She's a great friend," Ai said warmly.
"Our pleasure," I added.
Miyuki looked like she wanted to melt into the floor. Her embarrassment was almost audible.
Then, a young man approached and bowed. "Madam, first-class boarding has begun."
Miya didn't even glance at him. "Leave us. I'm in the middle of something."
"Of course, Madam." He vanished.
Even Ai straightened her posture after that.
"I apologize," Miya said gently. "Judging by your tickets, you're seated in economy?"
She nodded toward the edge of my shirt, where the ticket peeked out like an exposed secret.
"Why not join us in first class? It would be more comfortable—and easier to continue our conversation."
That level of generosity came so casually it was almost surreal.
Ai looked at me. I kept my smile polite. "That's very kind of you, but we'd feel bad accepting something so extravagant. Still—thank you."
"What a shame," Miya said, serene as always. "Then we'll see you again in Okinawa."
With a soft rustle of fabric and command of the air around her, she turned and walked off. Miyuki hurried after her, giving us a small, apologetic wave.
Ai let out a breath. "She's terrifying."
I nodded. "Let's board."
.
.
.
.
We found our seats near the back. And—just our luck—the same guy from before sat next to us.
"Ah, you're him," Ai said.
"Hello," he replied, "I don't think we've met, but I recognize you. You're the freshman rep, right? Yamada Sasaki?"
"That's me. And you are?"
"Shiba Tatsuya," he said with a polite nod. "Just call me Tatsuya."
"Cool. Sasaki, then."
From the window seat, Ai leaned in with a dramatic pout. "Wow, just gonna leave me out of the conversation like that?"
We stayed mostly quiet the rest of the flight. Three hours later, the plane touched down in Okinawa.
As we stepped onto the sunlit tarmac, Ai inhaled deeply.
"Whoooaaa! Okinawa ya~!" she shouted. "This is so cool, Sasaki! What do we do first?"
Her excitement was contagious. I smirked. "First? Find lodging. We didn't book a place."
"Oh right!" Then she paused. "Wait… where's Tatsuya?"
"He said he had somewhere to be. Work stuff, probably."
Ai sniffled dramatically. "Working hard at such a young age… he's just like me."
"…That was random."
"Shut up, rich boy. You wouldn't get it."
I wisely kept my mouth shut.
At the airport exit, a sleek black car rolled up. Miyuki and her mother were already there, framed like they belonged on a postcard.
"There you are!" Miyuki called, hurrying toward us. "Do you have a place to stay?"
"We were just about to start looking," Ai admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "But we'll manage!"
"You should stay with us," Miyuki said brightly. "Mother said there are plenty of rooms at the villa."
"That's really kind, but we wouldn't want to impose," I replied.
"Nonsense," Miya said, stepping forward with a graceful smile. "Okinawa is best enjoyed in good company. It would please me to host you both."
Ai and I exchanged a look.
---
We arrived at a luxurious beachfront villa.
"We've arrived."
"Wow!" Ai gasped. "This is just for vacation?"
"That's right, Ai-san," Miya said with a smile. "If you'd like, you can have your own room—unless you'd prefer to share one with your boyfriend."
Ai blinked, confused. Miyuki's eye twitched.
"Ahaha~ Thanks, Ma'am! But I'll be staying with Miyuki-chan!" Ai said, throwing her arms around Miyuki.
"Eh? Why?"
"What kind of reaction is that? Obviously, girls should bunk together!" Ai grinned.
I stood off to the side, gazing up at the villa in quiet awe.
"What do you think, Sasaki-san?" Miya asked.
"It's beautiful," I replied honestly.
She chuckled. "Hoho~ Quite the charmer, aren't you? Let's head inside."
Just as I moved to follow, I heard a sound behind me—Tatsuya, lugging all the suitcases alone. Without a word, I went over to help.
"Sasaki-san, you can leave that to Tatsuya," Miya said, glancing back.
"It's alright, Ma'am. I'm a man too, after all."
Her smile widened. "Very well. Just be careful."
But I didn't miss the subtle shift in her expression when she looked at Tatsuya. Cold. Distant.
'To think his own mother would treat him like that…'
After settling into my room, I sat on the bed with a soft sigh. A knock at the door interrupted the quiet.
"Yamada-sama, my apologies," came a soft voice. "Miyuki-sama and Ai-sama are waiting for you in the living room."
It was Sakurai, the maid.
"Thank you, Sakurai-san," I said, standing up.
Downstairs, the girls were already gathered.
"What took you so long?" Ai pouted.
"Sorry about that. So—what's the plan?"
Miyuki cleared her throat. "Now's the perfect time for a walk on the beach."
"Let's go!"
"Yeah! I wanna see sharks!"
"Ai, this isn't Florida," I said, laughing.
Then Miya spoke. "Bring Tatsuya with you."
"Eh?" Miyuki flinched.
"He is your guardian. If something happens, he'll be useful." She glanced at me. "Though it seems I don't have to worry too much, right?"
I nodded calmly. "Alright, everyone—let's go."
---
the sky above us blazed orange, casting everything in a warm, golden light. A soft breeze drifted in from the nearby beach, ruffling Ai's hair as we strolled down the sidewalk. For a moment, it actually felt like a normal summer day.
"Damn! I really want to post this on Twitter, but I can't use my phone here! Sasaki, do you know how to get it connected?" Ai grumbled, hugging her retro-style phone like it was a dying pet.
I let out a sigh. "You forgot? We're in a different Okinawa. You're outside the dormitory system, too."
She blinked, paused mid-step, then smacked her forehead. "Ah! Right. I forgot this is a different world."
Miyuki tilted her head, confused. Tatsuya glanced at her phone like it was some strange artifact. I could practically see the question marks floating over their heads.
"What's… Twitter?" Tatsuya muttered under his breath.
"Ai-san, are you having trouble with your phone?" Miyuki asked, peering at the chunky plastic slab in Ai's hands.
Ai's guilty expression only made them more curious.
"It's okay, Miyuki-chan," Ai said quickly, waving it off. "I'll just take pictures and upload them later—kyaa!"
She suddenly crashed into me, bouncing off my chest like a startled cat. I grabbed her arm before she could fall.
"Hey! What was that fo—"
"Oi, oi!"
A voice snapped through the air.
We turned to see a bald guy with dark skin, dressed in a military uniform. His build screamed combat veteran.
Judging by the looks he got, this must be one of the infamous men known by the nickname "Left Blood"—a term used for American WWIII veterans who decided to stay in Okinawa after the U.S. pulled out its military bases.
It's not a racial slur, just a nickname—they're famous for stirring up trouble.
"Watch where you're going, girl," he growled. "You almost walked into me. What're you gonna do about it?"
Behind him, two equally thuggish friends chuckled.
"Oi, scared to talk, chicken?"
Miyuki and Ai instinctively stepped back. Tatsuya and I stayed put.
Then one of the guys pointed at Tatsuya. "Whoa, boy in the back—why you lookin' so tense? Wanna fight?"
I smiled. The one who'd started this didn't like that.
"I wouldn't recommend fighting him," I said calmly. "We're sorry, okay? Uh… Lieutenant Joseph, was it? Can I call you Joe?"
That made him pause, a smirk forming.
"You say sorry, but you're telling me not to fight him? What about you? You weaker than him?"
"Who knows," I said with a shrug. "But I'm sure you're weaker than me."
Miyuki and Ai's jaws dropped. I could almost hear the internal screaming.
"Sasaki! Stop!" Ai hissed, grabbing my sleeve. "Let's just go back, okay?" Her voice trembled slightly. She wasn't wrong—the guy looked like he could punch through a brick wall.
Joe laughed, loud and ugly. "Did you hear that? What kinda man lets his girl talk for him? AHAHA—"
"At least I'm not some lowlife picking fights with kids in public," I muttered with a grin. "Get a life, bitch. Let's go, Tatsuya."
We turned and walked off, backs exposed.
Joe stood still, his pride wounded. But his friend—big, square-jawed, and unfortunately named Dick—wasn't as composed.
"Oi! That's not how you talk to adults! Come back and apologize!"
I stopped, glancing over my shoulder. "Who are you?"
His face twitched. He charged forward, surprisingly fast for his size.
I saw the palm coming.
Slap!
His hand connected with my cheek.
"Hmph. That's what happens when you mouth off to adults, kid."
I didn't flinch. I smiled instead. This is what I've been waiting for!
"Interesting. Since I was just assaulted, I guess that means I'm allowed to defend myself now."
Dick looked confused—until he noticed his hand.
Ice had spread from his palm to his wrist. He dropped to his knees, shivering as the freezing pain kicked in.
"Dick!" one of the guys yelled. "Oi, using magic's unfair! Undo it!"
I tilted my head. "Unfair? That's rich. Don't worry, it's harmless. Just a little frostbite simulator. Should wear off in about… three hours."
I turned back to Ai, who looked both impressed and horrified.
"Sorry for ruining the mood," I said, rubbing my cheek.
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. What about your face? That slap looked serious."
I glanced away. "Nah, I've had worse." Then looked to Miyuki. "You okay?"
She nodded slowly. "Y-Yes…"
Tatsuya, silent as always, stared at my hand. His thoughts were probably louder than anything spoken.
He didn't chant. I didn't feel a single mana fluctuation. That wasn't normal ice…
Yeah, I knew what he was thinking.