Tsunagari

Chapter XXXIV.

'Ah, Hime, here you are!' Shunsui exclaimed, the moment I entered through the door of the living room.

The reddish-brown-haired young man had given me a phone call just a short while ago to inform me that he was back to Kokubunji and to ask me to bring myself to his home rapidly.

'Are you alright?' I asked him, anxiously, hurrying up to where he was standing with Gōjun in the middle of the room. The matter had appeared quite urgent.

'Yes, I couldn't feel any better!' he exclaimed, cheerily. 'In fact, I have an announcement to make to you!'

'Yes, what is it?' I asked, holding my breath in anticipation.

'Well, as you already know, today marks the official beginning of the Golden Week, and I have decided that you and I, together with Gōjun, will be leaving on a vacation together!'

'On va-vacation?!' I stammered, astounded.

'Yes! We're going to make a small tour around the country and visit several different places! It's going to be so much fun!'

'But- But I can't come!' I told him. 'My grand-parents will never allow me to!'

'You don't have to worry about that!' declared a familiar, female voice, abruptly, and we all turned around to look at the blonde woman who was entering the living room through the window.

'Tsubasa-sama!' I gasped, surprised to see her, while Gōjun asked to himself, in puzzlement, 'Why is she entering through the window?'

'I have already talked to your grand-father. He has given his consent,' the woman informed me, with a pleasant smile.

'Huh? What do you mean you've already talked to her grand-father?' Shunsui demanded at her, with a small flinch. 'How do you know about our plan to begin with?!'

Scratching her cheek and giggling in embarrassment, she answered, 'Well, well! The thing is that, when I came around the house earlier, with the intention to visit you, I heard you speaking to Gōjun; you were telling him about the trip that you're planning. I didn't wait around to run to ask Hime's grand-father for his consent!' Clapping her hands once, then, she exclaimed, happily, 'Oh, I'm so excited about it! I'm sure that we're going to have a lot of fun together!'

'W- We?' Shunsui repeated, before he exclaimed at her, with severity, 'You're not coming with us, are you?! No, you're not coming!'

At this, Tsubasa-sama's face scrunched up at him and pulling him downward by his arm, she reached up to pull at his ear, groaning, 'Eh?! I hope that you do realize that if Hime's grand-father has given his consent, it's only because I've told him that I'll be accompanying you on the trip, ne! But, you do realize that, don't you?!'

'Ah! Let go! It hurts! It hurts!' Shunsui squalled, but the blonde woman didn't release him until he had cried, 'I give in! I give in!'

Letting go of his ear only then with a triumphant smile, she sent both her arms around his to pull him downward again and rub her cheek against his shoulder affectionately, telling him that he was really cute.

Shunsui made a cynical face.

'I'm sorry, but I still can't come!' I informed them, apologetically. 'I can't leave Kokubunji because of my mother!'

Who would visit her if I were to leave? And the simple thought of going a little far away from her filled me with agitation.

'Hime,' Tsubasa-sama told me, softly, as she approached me, 'please, come with us! I promise you that we won't be gone for too long. You have my word that we'll be back by Friday.'