Date Her Instead Vol. 4

Chapter Thirteen: The Second Time She Asks

The next morning, all of the students awoke to find a continental spread waiting for them downstairs. Various Western foods like waffles, french toast and sausages were laid out on a table to one side. Following it was another one, and it contained more traditional Japanese breakfast items such as miso soup, grilled fish and steaming white rice. Among all of the selections were world-wide classics as well, such as toast, eggs made up in several different ways, and bowls of fruit.

"Oh my God, look at all this!" Chiyo shouted with glee. "I wanna try it all!" "I'm not sure where to start," Haruna said. "I-It all l-looks so good," Hinami added with nervous anticipation. "Well, let's not hang around! Time to eat!" Chiyo announced, then took off for the Western table. Just as Haruna was about to do the same, she noticed the last member of their group standing back.

"Kanako, you coming?" she asked. "O-Oh, sorry. I got distracted," Kanako said. "Distracted?" Haruna repeated. Kanako nodded. "There are a few foods here that I don't see often. I was studying them a bit to see if I could figure out how they made them." "Studying?" Haruna said. "You could probably just ask the chef here if you really want to know." "T-True, but what if it's like some super secret family recipe?" Kanako said. "Only someone thinking of becoming a chef would ever think of something like that," Haruna said.

In the end, Haruna managed to pull Kanako away from her "studying" so she could actually get and try the food instead of stare at it. Grabbing a variety, Kanako joined her other group members at the table before giving it all a taste. "This is good," she said simply. "That review sounded a little lackluster," Haruna pointed out. "Well," Kanako said. "The flavor is good, but it's not amazing or anything." "You'd probably only get amazing from a hotel if it was five stars," Haruna said. "Yeah, you're probably right," Kanako agreed. The Sapporo Comfort Hot Spring Inn was certainly comfortable and provided nice amenities, but it definitely wasn't five stars.

Through breakfast, Chiyo did most of the talking as usual. "So what's everybody doing today?" "I was thinking of checking out Tanukikoji," Haruna said. "You wanna come with me Kanako?" Looking at her, Kanako gave a happy nod. Internally, Haruna was about to celebrate when a small voice stopped her. "U-Um, I was actually p-planning to go there too, s-so if it wouldn't be t-too much trouble, I'd a-appreciate it if I could come with you Endo-san."

Voicing the request was Hinami. Haruna had really wanted to go with just Kanako, but she also didn't have the heart to turn Hinami down. She was sweet, nice, and, most importantly, her fan. How would it look to Hinami if Haruna just turned her down? She had never been one for fame before, but now that she had someone looking up to her, Haruna had to admit that she wanted to live up to any expectations the girl may have. So, after a moment of consideration, Haruna said yes. Next to her, though she didn't see it, Kanako scowled.

"How about you Chiyo?" Haruna asked. "Mmm, you could say I have plans," the gal answered cryptically. "You won't even say where you're going?" Haruna asked, more out of annoyance than curiosity. Surprisingly sheepishly, Chiyo looked at Haruna. "Mount Moiwa," she said. "That's where I'm goin'." Not knowing much about Sapporo or the surrounding area, Haruna had to assume based on Chiyo's reaction alone that something about that place was special.

"Hello everyone," a girl suddenly greeted the others. Standing beside the table were Mayu, Itsuki and Jasmine. "Have you enjoyed breakfast?" "It was seriously delish," Chiyo said, satisfied and with a couple of empty plates in front of her. Taking a look at the dishes, Jasmine looked back at Chiyo. "You're totally gonna get fat." "How rude!" Chiyo cried. "And how many plates did you have, huh?!" "Less than you," Jasmine retorted.

Ignoring them, Mayu continued the conversation. "It sounds like you're all going to interesting places." "Where are you going Mayu-chan?" Kanako asked. "We're going to Otaru!" Itsuki chimed in. "Otaru?!" Kanako repeated. "Isn't that far?" "No, not particularly. In local guides, they said that Otaru makes for a good day trip, so the three of us thought we'd go," Mayu explained. "Huh? You're going too Jas-chin?" Chiyo asked. "Yeah. What, is that weird?" Jasmine said. "Nope, not at all," Chiyo said back, although it seemed like she had more to say.