CHAPTER 31: IS THERE GOING TO BE ENOUGH FOOD. ƪ⁠(⁠˘⁠⌣⁠˘⁠)⁠Ʃ

Everyone in the room stared back at her like she’d just suggested robbing a bank...

The blue-haired girl, whose name Leo still didn’t know, lifted her head from a pillow... "Rika... It’s three in the afternoon," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the plush fabric. "And we’re on the top floor of a hotel. I’m too tired to get down the elevator."

Sarah, who had been resting against Leo’s shoulder, sat up with a groan... "Yamamoto, what are you even talking about?"

She exclaimed, her voice laced with exhaustion. "Fishing? Right now? We’re not doing that. When we were ready for it this morning, you didn’t want to go."

Rika just grinned, completely unfazed by the lack of enthusiasm. "Oh, come on! It’s a sleepover, isn’t it? You can’t have a proper sleepover without a little adventure. Besides," she added, wiggling her eyebrows upwards, "it’s already been planned."

Leo, who was about as tired as a person could be, finally spoke up. "Rika, the last time you said something was ’planned,’ we ended up in a different situation...for example, this unexpected sleepover you announced out of nowhere."

The other guy, who had been snoring softly, stirred and rubbed his eyes. "Fishing?" he mumbled, still half-asleep. "Is there food involved?"

Rika put her hands on her waist and gave him a confident nod. "Of course, Yuto. More than you can finish." She grinned like she’d just promised them a buffet...

"Yuto..." Leo repeated softly, his eyes widening as the name slipped out. He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but he did anyway.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Rika clapped her hands together, then scratched the back of her head. "Oh, right... I completely forgot they haven’t introduced themselves yet." She sighed dramatically, as if it were a huge burden. "Come on, guys."

The blue-haired girl stood up first. She adjusted her clothes and gave a short, polite nod. "I’m Himari Suzuki."

Yuto, still lying flat on the floor, lifted one hand lazily. "Name’s Yuto Nakamura ... obviously," he mumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.

Just then, Rika’s phone started buzzing. She glanced at the screen and picked it up. "Hello?" she said casually. She nodded a few times as she listened, murmured a quick "Got it," then hung up...

Turning back to them, Rika flashed a mischievous smile. "The SUV’s ready."

Leo blinked. "Wait...but what about fishing gear? None of us here brought anything."

Rika raised a brow as if it were a dumb question. "You think I’d plan a fishing trip and forget the actual fishing stuff?"

Himari tilted her head. "Honestly? Yes... Sometimes you can be stupid."

Rika rolled her eyes. "Wow. Zero faith. It’s all in the trunk...rods, bait, even a cooler for drinks."

Yuto stretched with a loud yawn. "Snacks?, If there’s no snacks in that cooler, I’m staying here."

"Yes, there is." Rika pointed at him. "But If You touch the snacks before we catch anything, I’ll push you into the lake."

Yuto raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. No fish, no chips. Got it."

Leo laughed. "This is going to be tiring," he thought to himself... a sense of weary excitement growing within him...

"Everyone get up, let’s get going," Rika exclaimed, already heading for the door. "Now let’s go be unreasonably competitive over who catches the smallest fish."

Leo blinked at her. "Wait, that’s what we’re doing? Competing over the smallest one?"

Her objective sounded stupid, but if you thought about it, it actually made sense. Smaller fish are much harder to hook with a standard fishing rod...

Rika looked over her shoulder and grinned. "That’s right. Anyone can catch a big one. But the tiniest fish? That takes real skill."

Yuto groaned from the back of the room. "I just wanted breakfast..."

"Then catch one and eat it," Himari uttered, already slipping on her shoes. She sounded more awake now, tying her long blue hair up in a messy ponytail.

She glanced at Yuto, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. "If you catch any, maybe I’ll cook it for you."

Yuto sat up properly, his eyes wide. "That’s enough motivation, thanks."

Sarah grabbed Leo’s hand without saying anything and gave it a small squeeze. He looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Babe, let’s go?" she asked with a little smile.

He nodded in agreement.

They made their way downstairs, where a dark black SUV was waiting just outside the hotel entrance...

Rika jumped into the front seat like she’d done it countless of times, claiming the front seat first before anyone could even try...

Yuto flopped in beside Himari, already yawning again. "Wake me up when we get there," he mumbled, his head hitting the window.

Sarah glanced at Leo. "Babe, let’s sit in the back."

He nodded, following her lead. They both settled into the third row of seats...

Leo looked out the window, holding Sarah in his arms as the driver started the engine. The hotel building began to fade as they pulled away from the parking lot...

After a while, Rika turned halfway in her seat and held up her phone. "GPS says there’s a quiet lake about thirty minutes out. It’s not a tourist spot, so we’ll have some privacy."

"I still can’t believe you had a whole karaoke system installed in the wall," Yuto uttered while still half-asleep.

"I didn’t install it," Rika shrugged. "I just picked the room with the coolest gadgets."

Leo and Sarah stayed quiet while they talked. It wasn’t really something they could comment on...it sounded like a rich people problem...

Then the SUV rolled down the road, the afternoon sun just starting to warm up the atmosphere... The city slowly faded into open fields and small roads lined with trees...

Nobody said much for a while. Yuto was at the back to napping. Himari scrolled on her phone, earbuds in.

Sarah leaned her head lightly on Leo’s shoulder. He didn’t move, just let it happen, enjoying the peaceful scenery while the car was moving...

"You’re quiet," Sarah said after a few minutes, her tone was low.

"I’m just... taking it in," Leo replied. "It’s been a weird morning."

"Yeah," she said. "But a fun one."

"I agree."

She lifted her head and looked at him. "You’re smiling."

Leo looked away, trying not to make it obvious. "Shut up."

Sarah laughed, a warm and comforting sound that made him smile even more...

Thirty minutes later, the SUV pulled off the main road and onto a narrow dirt path surrounded by trees...

It wasn’t that bumpy, but it was quiet. The kind of quiet that meant the lake wasn’t far. The atmosphere grew fresher, tinged with the scent of pine and damp earth.

A natural sense of calm settled over them as the sounds of the city disappeared completely.

The SUV tires groaned to a halt, its engine turning off. It was replaced by a different source of noise...the rustle of leaves as a warm breeze blows...