Chapter 341: Roommates
“We’re here!!” “We’re finally here…” “It’s the sea, get off quickly, get off quickly.” “I want to swim!”
The smoothly traveling bus gradually slowed down and stopped by the platform. The black-haired girl’s focus on the game console in her hand was broken by the sudden clamor of a new round of noise in her ears. She reached out and paused the game, then looked out the window at the blue sea surface that gleamed faintly under the sunlight.
[The sea, huh…]
Kazumi shook her head with a sense of detachment. She couldn’t really empathize with the excitement of the young boys and girls around her who were thrilled to see the sea.
Perhaps it was because at over thirty years old, combining both lives, she had long passed the age of emotional outbursts. But more than that, the girl herself wasn’t very enthusiastic about going out to play in the first place.
This was how Kazumi Shimizu was in this life, and how Su Jun was in her previous life.
When it came to traveling, the girl in her previous life probably only had painful memories: following her parents to queue for half a morning just to see scenery she completely didn’t understand; traveling with classmates in college turned into going to another city to surf the internet; and later, the time and money consumed by going out to play were beyond the reach of an ordinary office worker, so she naturally lost any interest in traveling.
Actually, for this class reunion, Kazumi had intended to find some excuse to decline. Because whether it was going out to play or playing with a bunch of fifteen or sixteen-year-old brats, it was clearly not something of any value.
But the result was…
Thinking of this, the girl quietly shifted her gaze to the other side. The boy who had been sitting beside her was now squeezed in with a group of boys, jumping around as he looked at the sea view visible from the other side of the car window.
The boy was playing and joking with his classmates, his words full of longing for the seaside, and the clear blue in his eyes was filled with expectant brilliance. The overwhelming youthful aura made the girl’s stiff lips unconsciously curve into a slight smile.
“You all, sit properly in your seats. We’re about to get off. Line up in order to get off!!”
The roar of the homeroom teacher, Teacher Ishiryu, came from the front of the bus. But even after being driven back to his seat by the teacher, the boy was still prepared, holding both their backpacks and giving the girl a “yes” gesture.
Kazumi rolled her eyes at the boy with a hint of annoyance, handed him the game console, and then turned her head back to the car window. Her slender, fair hands propped up her chin, and her not-so-delicate face was gazing absent-mindedly at the small grove of trees outside the window. Finally, she let out a soft sigh.
[Just let it be a relaxation…]
…
“Ahem, everyone, allow me to introduce Mr. Aoyama, the person in charge of this resort. If you need any help here, you can come to me or Mr. Aoyama at any time.”
In the villa by the sea, thirty or so boys and girls stood in the hall with expressions of disbelief. The exquisite decoration around them exceeded everyone’s expectations: the luxurious European-style decoration, the incredibly spacious interior, coupled with various elegant and ancient decorative items, it was hard to imagine that such a high-class seaside villa would be found in such a remote place.
Teacher Ishiryu, standing at the front, clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention away from the surrounding decor. He cleared his throat and introduced the man beside him.
“Hello everyone, classmates. I hope you all have a great time here. Feel free to approach me with anything. The beach is a public beach, and there will be other tourists. However, it’s not the peak season yet, so it shouldn’t be too crowded. The back mountain is open for access, but don’t sneak in alone at night, as it’s very easy to get lost.”
“For food, there’s a food court on the west side of the beach. You can also ask me to arrange meals in the dormitories, but the price will be a bit higher. If you need to buy other ingredients, you can come to me. I’ll drive you to the nearby supermarket to purchase them.”
The person in charge, Mr. Aoyama, was a very young middle-aged uncle, with dark skin, floral beach shorts, and cheap flip-flops, making it difficult to associate him with the owner of this villa. His dark skin and casual attire gave off a slightly frivolous air, but he was surprisingly easy to talk to.
“Does anyone have any other questions? If not, you can go to your rooms and put away your things.”
After listening to Aoyama’s basic introduction of the resort, Teacher Ishiryu nodded and asked the final question.
“Teacher Ishiryu, is the class fund sufficient for the expenses?”
The black-haired girl, tied in a ponytail, raised her right hand. It could only be said that she was indeed the highly responsible class representative, Reiko Takeda, to ask such a mood-spoiling question even when they were out to have fun.
“Reiko, don’t worry about the expenses. Mr. Aoyama has given us a discount.”
“Hahahaha, I’m an old friend of your Teacher Ishiryu, so I’ve given you the biggest discount. You youngsters can play with peace of mind.”
After resolving a series of issues, the students, having received the dismissal order, eagerly rushed into the rooms, intending to put their belongings away and then explore the surroundings.
Just as Kazumi took the bag from Shinichi Sato and was about to follow the crowd to her room, Teacher Ishiryu suddenly called out to the girl from beside her.
“Kazumi Shimizu, please come here for a moment.”
Teacher Ishiryu’s call surprised Kazumi a little, but she had a good impression of this serious and responsible homeroom teacher. She obediently stopped and walked to Teacher Ishiryu’s side, asking.
“Is there something, Teacher Ishiryu?”
Seeing the girl’s well-behaved manner, Teacher Ishiryu paused awkwardly for a few seconds, but still touched the back of his neck with a troubled expression and spoke with embarrassment.
“Kazumi, I must apologize in advance. Because of the difference between the number of rooms and people, there will be some rooms that are under-occupied, and the other students all signed up together, so…”
This situation made Teacher Ishiryu, as the homeroom teacher, quite troubled. He wanted to put Kazumi in a room with her friends, but the girl didn’t seem to have any close friends in the class.
He couldn’t possibly arrange for Shinichi Sato to room with her, right?
“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Ishiryu.”
Under the circumstances, Kazumi wasn’t too surprised. She was the type who kept to herself in class, so it was normal not to find anyone to play with in group activities. Or rather, for a girl with life experiences different from her appearance, not playing with those brats was also a kind of peace.
“Ah, but your room will have better conditions. It will be more comfortable for two people than sleeping in a large dormitory room. Remember to tell me immediately if there’s anything you’re not used to.”
Sighing helplessly, the girl’s well-behaved and even heartbreaking demeanor was precisely what made Teacher Ishiryu unable to do anything. He could only urge her not to keep any problems to herself.
“Yes, thank you, Teacher.”
…
“Two people sharing…”
Carrying her small handbag, Kazumi walked past the students playing and fooling around in the hallway and entered a small room at the end of the hallway.
The simple and elegant design style, the thick tatami mats, and the soft bedding were as Teacher Ishiryu had said. However, in terms of environment, it was much more comfortable than the other large rooms where seven or eight people were crammed together.
What surprised the girl even more was that there was even an independent bathroom in this room, so she wouldn’t have to compete with those unfamiliar girls for the toilet and washroom at night.
One corner of the other bedding in the room was slightly lifted, indicating that it already had its owner. And the familiar small bag placed on the chair to the left made the girl’s eyebrows twitch uncontrollably.
But before Kazumi could figure out whose small bag it was, a tall and slender figure walked in from outside the door, and a gentle and surprised voice came from behind the girl.
“Kazumi Shimizu, it turns out we’re roommates!”
(PS: Damn it, Yugan seems to have a special ability to write exactly 2k characters when aiming for 2k, often overshooting to 2k5.)