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Having parted ways with Senpai, I returned to my hotel.
After taking a shower and relaxing, there was a knock at my door.
It seemed Kaoru-san had come, so I opened the door and invited her in.

“Sorry for dropping by so suddenly, Yuki-kun.”
“It’s no problem at all! Did you need something?”

“Well, are you free tomorrow?”
“Mhm! I don’t have any plans!”

“Great! The thing is, Yura and I were talking about sightseeing in Tokyo. We were thinking of going to places like Asakusa. If you’re interested, would you like to join us?”
“I’ve never been, so I’d love to!”

“Hehe, then let’s head out early tomorrow morning. See you!”
“Okay!”
Kaoru-san gives a shy smile as she leaves my room.

“Asakusa, huh… The only thing I know is that it’s famous for the Kaminarimon. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like.”
I felt a little excited in my room, but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep due to the day’s fatigue.

When morning came, I woke up, took a shower, and got ready.

That’s when I realized a devastating truth.

“I don’t have any men’s clothes.”
Indeed, this trip to Tokyo was originally planned for five days.
To avoid packing too much, I didn’t bring extra clothes.
I should have washed my clothes yesterday, but I was too sleepy and ended up going to bed without doing so.
Now, I am left with only one choice.

For some reason, I have women’s clothes.
“But… this is a little…”
Just as I was conflicted, there was a knock on my door.

It’s Yura-san. I opened the door while wearing the hotel clothes.

“Huh? Yuki-kun, why are you still in your hotel clothes?”
“Good morning, Yura-san. Actually…”
After explaining the situation to Yura-san, she replied with a broad smile.

“That’s fine, that’s fine! Leave it to me!!! I’ll make you look suuuper cute!”
My escape route has been cut off.
I have no choice but to brace myself.

At the same time, I vowed to start the washing machine in my room as soon as possible.
I need to wear regular clothes tomorrow…

With Yura-san’s help, I got ready.

The outfit was a white dress with a black camisole underneath.

“Okay, you’re all set! Since you already have long hair, shall we go without a wig today?”
“Huh?! No wig?!”

“Honestly, with your hair quality, you’ll look better without a wig. It’s quite smooth.”
“Mmh, as long as it doesn’t look weird…”

“It won’t look weird at all! Look in the mirror.”
“Uhh, I guess it doesn’t…”

“Right? Now, let’s go. Onee-chan is waiting for us.”
“Okay…”
It was embarrassing, but it was my fault for forgetting to wash my clothes. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

“I’m okay, let’s go!”
“All right, let’s!”

As Yura-san and I went down to the first floor via the elevator, a more stunning than usual Kaoru-san was waiting near the entrance.

“S-Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Onee-chan, sorry to keep you waiting!”
“I haven’t been waiting that long, so it’s okay.”

“That outfit looks cute on you, Yuki-kun.”
“Ah, thank you v-very m-maf!”
In my nervousness, I bit my tongue.
This only added to my embarrassment.

“?!”

Just when I thought I heard the sound of deep breaths,
“Yuki-kun, how about me? Do I look good too?”
Kaoru-san, dressed in a color close to her hair’s, had completely changed from her usual mature atmosphere.
She looks beautiful, but if anything, I think she looks cute.

“It suits you very well.”
“I’m glad. Thank you for your help, Yura.”
“No problem! You look even cuter than usual, onee-chan!”
Perhaps it’s because they’re sisters that they can easily say ‘cute.’
I’m a little envious.

“Shall we go then?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go!”

And so, we arrived in Asakusa.
As expected of a tourist spot, it was bustling with people.

First, we visited the famous Kaminarimon and were overwhelmed by its size.
“It’s different from the temples around here…”
“It’s ginormous.”
“Isn’t the lantern too big?”

After passing through Kaminarimon, we entered Nakamise, full of shops and people.

“Something smells good!”
The savory scent of burning soy sauce began to attract me.
“True, maybe it’s senbei?”
“Asakusa is famous for its senbei! Let’s go check it out!”

“Yes!”
“Yeah, let’s go!”

After visiting a few shops, we found a store that was baking senbei in front of the shop, and it looked like we could buy freshly baked ones.

We ordered one each and looked around the shop while waiting.
There were many different types of senbei that could be purchased individually, so we decided to buy some as souvenirs.

“I’m going to buy some senbei as souvenirs!”
“That’s a good idea. I might buy a few myself.”
“I want some for myself, too. I feel like having some tea with it.”

“For yourself, huh… that’s a good idea.”
I chose some sweet and salty senbei like zaramame and bought a few assorted sets.
I’ll give some to Yuuto and my classmates, who always talk to me.
The rest I’ll take home to my family when I go back for a visit!

Just as we finished buying the senbei, the ones we had ordered were ready.
We received them and started to nibble on them as we walked.

“This is delicious!”
Crunching on the senbei, I enjoyed the taste of soy sauce and rice spreading in my mouth.

“You’re right. It really is.”
“It’s so good I could have a second one! But if I do, I won’t be able to eat anything else, so I gotta hold back!”

After that, we visited a Japanese confectionery shop and had some light snacks, and then we arrived at a place called Hozomon, commonly known as the Niomon gate.

I snapped a photo of the Nio statue with my phone, and we walked through the gate.

Then, after many people had left, they looked back.
Curious about what they were looking at, I also turned around to find a giant straw sandal.

“They’re massive. I feel like everything here is generally big.”
“They apparently ward off evil. It seems like demons would flee thinking – ‘who would dare to challenge this place guarded by someone wearing such huge sandals?’“ explains Kaoru-san to me.

“I see. I’d indeed be surprised if I saw something like this.”
“Hehe, yeah.”
“Onee-chan, the main hall is next!”
Yura-san urged us on, and we headed towards the main hall.

In the main hall, the principal object of worship was the holy Kannon Bodhisattva.

Inside was an incense burner with smoke rising from it.
There was a belief that it would heal if you wafted the smoke towards a part of your ailing body.

We paid our respects and left the main hall, and walked through the shopping area.

“Kaoru-san, it’s still before noon. Where are we heading next?”
“I actually have a place I want to go. It’s a shrine next to this place. We’ll have to walk a bit, though. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine!”
“I’m fine too, onee-chan!”

“Then, follow me this way.”
“Okay!”

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at a large shrine.
We stepped inside and first cleansed our hands in preparation for our prayers.
Then we prayed together.
I wished in my heart for these happy, peaceful times to continue.

Sure, there have been plenty of embarrassing moments, but I’m also experiencing an abundance of new things I’ve never faced before. Right now, life is incredibly fun and fulfilling.
I can’t help but wish, and indeed hope, that these times could continue even longer.

After receiving an amulet at the shrine, we left.
Then I asked Kaoru-san a question out of curiosity.

“What kind of blessings does this shrine offer?”
“It’s said that this shrine helps fulfill heartfelt wishes, that if you wish strongly for something, it will come true.”

“So, the fact that you went out of your way to come here means you have a strong wish you want to be fulfilled?”

“…That’s a secret.”
Saying this, Kaoru-san put her finger to her lips, and I was involuntarily captivated by her.

Afterward, we visited the so-called tourist spots, and by evening, we were all tired and returned to the hotel.

The next morning, we returned to Nagoya.

Thus, my long, long trip came to an end.