Date Her Instead Vol. 2

Chapter Fifteen: This Is Luxury?

When the two cars pulled into the area, they parked as close to the cabin as they could. Truthfully, they ended up somewhat far from it because of the surroundings. The grass was still pretty high and the ground looked rather bumpy. So, to stay on the safe side, the drivers both decided to keep their distance.

"Wow..." Kanako said as she got out of the car. "This is amazing." Her comment came as she got a good look at the area. The first thing that caught Kanako's eye were the mountains that were hazy in the background. They weren't extremely tall like the ranges one would see in pictures, but the scene of the couple of peaks flowing together certainly made for a picturesque skyline. Coming down from that was a lot of forest, as far as the eye could see. In fact, it surrounded nearly the entire area, leaving only one path in that vehicles could take. The trees varied in size, but no matter where you looked, each one towered above.

Accompanying the forest was plenty of tall grass, filling in the circular clearing that the cabin sat in. Within that space was also a small river (closer to a creek really) that steadily ran along its path, creating a soothing sound of flowing water.

Finally there was the cabin itself. It was tall, easily indicating it had two stories. The design was an old-fashioned log cabin type, with large logs making up the exterior walls. But, even though they had been taken directly from trees, the logs had been sanded down and finished, creating a smooth and deep-brown look. Attached to the front was a porch with well-designed rails, and all of the walls were spotted with windows here and there.

"Whoa, check out that cabin! It's huge! It's like a house!" Itsuki said excitedly. "Looks just like the pictures my boss showed me," Chitose commented. "Well what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Chiyo said, rushing off with Itsuki as they ran over to their lodgings. "Hey! Come back and grab your stuff!" Chitose called, but it was useless. However, as the two girls ran, they began to slow down before suddenly coming to a halt. "They do know that the door is closer than that right?" Haruna said. "I think they're looking at something," Kanako said. "Shall we join them?" Mayu asked. The others agreed, so everyone else made their way through the tall grass to see what was going on.

Once they were all close enough, the rest of them stopped as well. "U-Um... this... doesn't seem as nice now..." Kanako said. "Maybe it's just... well aged?" Mayu said, not even believing herself. "No, this is just..." Haruna trailed off. "It's like, kinda a dump right?" Jasmine said what everyone else was thinking.

Upon closer inspection, the glamorous view that they had all gotten had turned out to be a façade. The logs that made up the walls were chipped and weather-beaten, with some even having moss growing on them. The windows were cloudy, with a couple having major spider webs spun across the glass. The porch's floor had one or two holes in it and parts of the railing were broken.

"So... this place isn't h-haunted or something, is it?" Itsuki asked, turning back fearfully to Chitose. "Huh? Of course not. Come on girls, it's probably fine on the inside. No one expects a cabin in the middle of nowhere to be shiny and new!" Chitose's comment was met with silence, having the effect of creating more worries instead of lessening them. Really, being reminded that no one else was around only made things worse. They had all been told that they'd be near a camp ground, but the closest one was 20 minutes back by car. Combining those feelings with the ones the group got from seeing the cabin up close made them all wonder if they had made a mistake.

"H-Hey, y'know, my big sis is right!" Chiyo said, attempting to lighten the mood. "It may look all shabby, but I bet it's nice and cozy on the inside!" Looks of doubt and uncertainty were exchanged, but ultimately, the group decided to proceed forward. Slowly following behind Chitose and Chiyo, they made their way up the stairs and onto the porch.