Rent A Girlfriend: The Past Hurts

Part Fifteen: Kyoto~Day 1

"Welcome to Tokyo Flights. Before we take off, please shift your focus over to us as we go over a few safety procedures. First, if you..."
Drowning out the voice of the flight attendant, Kazuya sent a quick text to his grandmother to tell her that the plane was about to take off. When he was done, he turned on airplane mode before placing it back into his pocket.
The seats on the plane were aligned to allow up to 350 seats per side, with two seats per aisle. Their seats were located near the entrance, and Kazuya took the one next to the aisle so Mizuhara could sit next to the window. Even though Mizuhara argued that it was originally his seat and that he could take it, Kazuya had refused.
" That's all. Sit back and enjoy your flight with us here at Tokyo Flights."
Once the flight attendant took a seat, the plane slowly started to roll out to the designated "take-off" path. Kazuya glanced to the side a little and he could see that Mizuhara was staring out the window. He was about to turn away when he saw that she appeared to be gripping the arms of the seat.
"Chizuru?" He asked, and when he did she flinched a little. "..Are you okay?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't- Eep!"
Due to the lights turning off, Chizuru yelped as she closed her eyes. Even though it was a bit dark, Kazuya could see that she was trembling a little bit as she gripped the arm tighter.
"Chizuru..are you afraid of planes?" he whispered.
"...Yes." she admitted.
'Oh yeah. Now that I think about it, she had stayed in Tokyo her whole life. This is her first time flying.'
Kazuya started to remember how he too was scared of planes as a child, and how his grandmother had helped him whenever they traveled. Understanding what he was about to do, he gulped before gradually placing his hand on top of hers. Albeit the silence, Kazuya was positive that she was glaring at him, and he clenched his teeth as he waited for the impeded yelling.
"..What are you doing?" She asked him in a much calmer tone than he expected. Confused, he turned his head and saw that she was now staring at him.
" Uhm..I-"
Kazuya was caught off guard when the plane started to speed, pushing his head back a little. Indicating that the plane was about to lift up, he positioned himself straight and was about to move his hand when Mizuhara took a hold of it. " C-Chizuru?"
Not even looking at him, she lifted the arm that divided the two seats before scooting closer. She wrapped her around him as she laid her forehead on his shoulder, interlocking her fingers with his as she continued to hold Kazuya's hand. When she spoke, he had to lean closer to hear. ".Sorry..I'm just..I've never flown before.."
'I have never seen her like this...' He thought as she held on tighter. 'Just like when she cries, she's so small when she's scared.'
Kazuya looked out the window and could see that the plane was a few seconds away from rising.
'5...'
Kazuya took a deep breath as his heart started to beat quickly.
'4...'
Scooting closer to her, he slowly lifted his other arm.
'3...'
He laid his hand on her shoulder, and he pulled her towards him.
'2...'
Now in a sideway hug, Kazuya lowered his head and gently rested it on top of hers.
'1...'
As the plane rose from the ground, the slight pressure pushed them back, and the the two held onto each other until the plane was at the point where seatbelts weren't required. Mizuhara continued to hold his hand while she slept on his shoulder, and Kazuya's rapidly beating heart kept him awake throughout the whole flight.

1 hour later...

Passing through security, Kazuya led Mizuhara to the exit, and soon they found themselves standing outside of the airport. He then walked up to the sidewalk and held out his hand in hopes of signaling a taxi.
"C'mon.." he said to himself, his arm starting to feel numb. After a while, he was successfully able to catch the attention of a passing car. He grabbed his suitcase and waved to Mizuhra, who was sitting down on one of the benches. " Chizuru!"
Helping her with her suitcase, Kazuya closed the trunk before getting inside the taxi. He pulled out his phone and showed the driver where to go. When they reached their destination, the two thanked the driver as they stepped out onto the sidewalk, and Kazuya pulled out their suitcases before the car drove away.
" Welp, here it is. Welcome to tropical inns." He said as they walked up to a small building.
" This is where we'll be staying?" Mizuhara asked.
" Yep. This is where me and my grandma stay every year. It may not be the best, but at least we have a roof over our heads."
Kazuya was about to pull the door open when she stopped him. Pulling out her phone, Mizuhra showed it to him and he saw that she had made reservations for some other hotel. " No. This is where we'll be staying!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face.
" Wait, what? You got us rooms at a luxury hotel? ..You didn't have to do that. We can just stay here." he explained, and hesitated a little when she started to glare at him. Grabbing him by the arm, she started to pull him away.
" Hurry." she said as they crossed the street.
Reluctantly, he followed her through the streets of Kyoto. He glanced around him and could see that it had been previously raining; the roads were wet and the leaves on the trees were leaking with water, and he had to watch his step on the muddy sidewalk.
Ten minutes in, Kazuya started to get tired, and he was about to ask how much longer when he could see a large, white building just a few meters away. They continued to walk until they were standing at the entrance, and Kazuya was now able to see the building in all its glory. It was huge in width, the various windows indicating the amount of rooms available, and there were flowers placed alongside the rim of the walls.
' Wow. This is something in comparison to the other hotel. But I wonder..'
" Chizuru. How much did it cost to get us a room?" he asked.
" Uhm..like around  50, 000 yen."
" Oh.. wait, what!" He yelled before walking up to her. " Listen, I appreciate the offer and all, but I don't want you to spend that much on just a hotel!"
She started to glare at him once more as they looked at one another straight in the eyes. " Kazuya, do you remember how I told you that I received a huge check? The hotel just made a small dent into that amount."
" B-But you could've spent it on something-"
" Kazuya. It's fine. " She said, easing up on her tone and backing down. " You know that I wanted to come, right? I was the one who bought the ticket, and you didn't ask me to rent us a room here. It was all my decision."
After hearing her words, he too backed up and gave a small sigh as he responded, " I guess you're right... But please don't feel forced to spend money just for my good, okay?"
Mizuhara gave him a nod and he smiled as he followed her through the doors. They made their way to the front check, and then proceeded to their designated rooms.
Unlocking the door, Mizuhra led him to their room, and Kazuya looked around the room in awe. Of course, he had expected that it would be big and all, but the many features were still enough to leave him in admiration: The room was painted white, and a balcony which allowed them to see the beach. There was a desk in the corner, a 4k television hanging on the wall, and one king sized bed clothed with white blankets.
'Wow. This place is amazing. Although I shouldn't be, I'm glad that she was able to rent us each a room. Which reminds me..'
Grabbing the handle of his suitcase, Kazuya cleared his throat and said, " Uhm..which room is mine?"
Mizuhara, who was previously checking out the view from the balcony, walked back inside and stared at him in confusion. " Your room?"
"Yeah. I'm sure that you wouldn't want someone like me sleeping in the same room as you." He explained as he rubbed his arm. " So you must've rented two, right?"
" Oh. I just got us one."
"What!?"