Date Her Instead Vol. 4

Chapter Twelve: The Night Brings Strong Feelings

When all of the second-years reunited at the hotel, they were abuzz with all sorts of stories to tell one another. In the end, they had all seen the same sights, but plenty of them seemed to have interesting stories to share nonetheless. For as excited as they were though, it was the teachers' job to guide them to the next item on the schedule. All that remained was dinner, which was next, and then bath times. With food being first, the teachers sent students up to their rooms to drop off any souvenirs they bought, along with changing their clothes if they so desired.

Considering they had made their own purchases, Kanako, Haruna, Chiyo and Hinami made their way up to their room. "Today was so much fun!" Chiyo commented as soon as the door opened. "I'm exhausted," Haruna said. "I-I'm pretty tired too," Kanako added, to which Hinami nodded along. "Yeah, I guess I'm beat too," Chiyo said. "A nice meal and a warm bath sounds totally perfect."

Once the girls finished, they headed back to the lobby. For the most part, hardly anyone changed out of their school uniforms, as it felt rather pointless to change when they were going to be taking a bath soon. After everyone was gathered again, the group made their way to the restaurant portion of the inn.

Compared to the lobby, the space they entered felt more simplistic in nature. The floors were a gleaning wooden surface, and while the walls still held true to the mismatching of designs, the lighting above made a big difference, making the whole room look bright. The table and chairs were basic enough, and once students had claimed their seats, they began to make their way to the main feature: the buffet.

Served in several sections, the counters were lined with a variety of foods. From left to right, there was a section dedicated to Japanese dishes, followed by a section for more Western foods. Then there was one for different cuts of meat that could be grilled upon request. Rounding it out was a salad bar, and of course a dessert bar.

"This all looks soooo good!" Chiyo drooled. "You look like a panting dog like that," a voice commented from behind. "Oh, hey Jas-chin- hey, I look like what?!" Chiyo said, greeting her fellow gal before catching the insult. "Yo," she said back with a quick wave. "Jas-chin, why do you have to be so mean to me?" Chiyo said with fake tears. "Oh hey, they have udon," Jasmine said, beginning to walk away. "And now you're ignoring me!" Chiyo whined, but she recovered quickly. "Wait a minute. If you're hear, then..."

Looking all around, Chiyo glanced at the many faces in the room. "Who're ya lookin' for?" Jasmine asked, her tone suggesting she had her own guess. "Mi-chan," Chiyo answered simply. "Figures," Jasmine said. "I mean, we're all here, so she should be... ah!" Chiyo said, suddenly exclaiming when she spotted the girl she was looking for. Immediately she began making her way through the crowd.

"Where is she going?" Haruna asked. She, Kanako and Hinami had been standing off to the side, taking in the sight of all the food that was being offered. "Apparently she spotted Fukuhara-san," Jasmine said, sounding a bit bitter. "Oh," Haruna said. Hearing that brought her back to her previous thoughts. Deciding to watch, Haruna's eyes followed Chiyo.

When Chiyo reached Michi, they appeared to talk for a minute. Or, more accurately, Chiyo tried to talk while Michi tried to push her away. At first, it looked like a normal interaction between the two, but as the seconds ticked by, Haruna began getting the feeling that something was going on. Michi seemed more annoyed than usual with Chiyo, and the gal herself was starting to look a little desperate. Before things could escalate any further though, Michi walked away, putting an end to whatever conversation they were having.

"What was that about?" Haruna muttered. "Who knows?" Jasmine shrugged. "I'm going to get some food." As Jasmine walked away, Haruna couldn't help but notice that Jasmine seemed bothered by something. "She's usually so calm and cool. I wonder if it has something to do with Chiyo?" Haruna thought. Before she could go any further, she felt a tug on her hand. "H-Haruna, come on. We don't want all the good stuff to get taken," Kanako said. "Right..." Haruna said, following Kanako's lead as she continued to worry about her friends.