CHAPTER 33: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU ^⁠_⁠^

With Rika’s announcement that the fishing competition was officially over, the peaceful mood of the evening shifted. The quiet contentment was replaced by the noise of activity as they began the process of packing up...

Yuto, in a moment of thoughtless cleanup, picked up the slimy, and algae shoe he’d somehow managed to hook while fishing and chucked it back into the lake. It landed with a light splash...

"Are you kidding me, Yuto?" Rika shouted with her hands on her hips.

She stopped wrapping some of their gear in a plastic bag and glared at him. "That’s littering! It’s not going to help the ecosystem!"

Yuto just shrugged it off, unconcerned, before walking over to the cooler to finally collect the bag of chips he’d been eyeing for hours...

Rika rolled her eyes and went back to carefully placing the wrapped gears in the trunk of the SUV, her movements surprisingly meticulous...

Nearby, Himari quietly helped the driver load the fishing rods and the cooler, her motions efficient and practical, a stark contrast to Yuto’s lazy indifference...

Leo and Sarah watched them, hand in hand. The remnants of their firewood glowed softly, a final punctuation mark on their fishing time by the lake...

"Babe, I’d love to come back here again...just the two of us," Sarah murmured, squeezing his hand as she leaned her head on his shoulder...

"Nah," Leo responded, shaking his head with a straight face...

Sarah pulled back, her eyes widening, suddenly becoming watery... "What? Why not?"

The sight of her genuine and hurtful expression made Leo’s playful acts stop...

He burst out laughing, pulling her into his arms tightly... "Babe, I’m joking. I’m sorry."

He tucked her head under his chin. "Of course, babe, I’d come back here with you. I promise, I didn’t mean it."

Sarah sniffled, then lightly smacked his chest. "You jerk. Don’t joke about stuff like that!"

He grinned, still holding her close. "Noted. No jokes when you’re being serious.... promise."

She smiled against his shirt, her sadness briefly fading away. "Good. Because I really meant it."

They settled back into the same seats in the SUV...

The journey back was noticeably quieter than the trip there. The chaotic energy of the afternoon had been replaced by a comfortable, drowsy silence...

Yuto, his stomach finally full of sandwiches and chips, was already snoring softly in the seat ahead of them. Himari had her phone out again, but this time she was leaning her head against the window, with a smile on her face as she watched a video on TikTok...

Rika, surprisingly, was quiet too. She wasn’t on her phone or trying to start a different conversation. She just stared out the window, watching the rising moonlight pass the trees in shades of silver and gray...

Leo watched her reflection in the glass, seeing a different side of the girl who had orchestrated their entire day. In repose, her face held a thoughtful, almost serene expression that he hadn’t seen before...

After a long while, Sarah broke the silence. "Rika, I had fun today," she said softly. "Thank you for inviting us."

Rika turned, and just like that, her vibrant energy returned. She grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Of course! I told you it would be fun."

Leo smiled to himself. He knew it was more than just fun; it had been an escape. A chance to forget about everything else and just exist in this strange, temporary bubble called Earth, with people he was quickly growing to appreciate...

As the SUV pulled into the hotel’s brightly lit parking lot, the imposing noises of the hotel and the distant sounds of the city brought them all crashing back to reality...

They got out, stretched their stiff arms, and retrieved their bags from the trunk.

"So, another sleepover tomorrow?" Yuto mumbled, his eyes still half-closed as he leaned against the vehicle...

"Maybe," Rika said with a laugh. "But let’s sleep on it first."

Sarah smiled softly, then glanced at Leo before turning back to Rika. "Um... Rika, I think we’ll be heading back." There was a hint of hesitation in her voice, as if part of her wasn’t ready for it to end just yet...

Rika’s smile faded slightly. She nodded, her gaze moving towards Leo. "Yeah... that makes sense. His new job."

Sarah nodded in agreement...

"But, you guys should at least stay for the night?" Rika added, her voice a little shaky while she smiled.

Sarah looked at Leo, her eyes asking for his opinion on the matter... He saw the conflict in her expression...

The desire to stay versus the pull of their normal lives. He felt it too. He let out a long sigh. "Alright. For tonight."

Rika nodded and started walking forward...

They made their way toward the entrance of the hotel, tired but content. Leo and Sarah walked side by side, their shoulders brushing. A sense of happiness settled in his mind...but as they stepped into the brightly lit lobby...

"Well, look what we have here."

A group of men...clearly older, maybe in their late twenties or early thirties, were lounging on the couches near the entrance. One of them called out, his tone overly casual, but the way his eyes scanned over Himari and the other girls felt predatory...

Himari glanced in their direction but said nothing...

The attendants at the reception desk looked up, sensing the change in atmosphere...

The men didn’t take the hint. Two of them stood up and started walking over, their hands shoved in their pockets, smug grins on their faces...

Leo slowed his pace, his senses on high alert. He looked at Sarah, then at Rika and Himari. "Do you know them?" he asked quietly.

Rika shook her head, her expression hardening. "No."

Himari came to a stop as the men blocked their path. Her expression remained impassive. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice flat and cold.

One of the men stepped forward, his grin widening. "Just saying hi. You girls are cute, and you looked familiar."

"We’re not," Himari replied, her eyes narrowing.

He chuckled, undeterred. "No need to be cold. We’re staying here too. Just thought we’d talk."

Yuto took a small step closer, positioning himself just behind Himari, his earlier laziness gone. He was awake now, his body tense and ready...

"We’re tired," Rika added, her voice firm. "It’s been a long day, and we don’t have time for this."

The man finally seemed to get it, holding his hands up in a mock surrender. "Alright, alright. No problem."

Leo stayed quiet through the entire exchange, his eyes tracking their every move. But just as they turned to continue walking, one of the guys who had remained silent suddenly reached out and slapped Sarah on the ass...