kRISTEN OH MY GOD. I still remember when we were writer fetuses on Quizilla and our photo editing skills weren't exactly the best but we still made banners anyways (bANNERS. OMG, THE ERA OF STORY BANNERS). good times good times. I hope you're doing well m'dear.
— Chapter 25 —
Tranquility in Karuizawa
Mom rummaged through my suitcase at least five times, just like she's always done whenever I'd be going on a trip without her. In the past, I've always insisted that I was completely fine; that I've already triple-checked my luggage beforehand. She never really listened to me, of course, so I decided to merely stand by quietly this time around.
My phone began to vibrate in my pocket. "I'll be outside," I said quickly.
Once I was out on the balcony, I flipped my phone open in such a way that the Totoro charm swung and made a clicking noise. I held it to the side of my face. "Haruhi?" I asked, leaning on the railing. "Ready for Karuizawa?"
"Fresh air and peace and quiet? Of course," she sighed happily.
"Right," I smiled, already envisioning the tranquil countryside and the quaint architecture. "Just need to wait for Mom to finish triple-checking my luggage," I laughed.
Haruhi yawned. "Oh right, I already went through that whole process with my dad this morning. He kept trying to sneak a few dresses into my bags. Sheesh, it's not like I'm going to Karuizawa to be fancy."
I shrugged and peeked through the window to see that the clothes in my suitcase weren't smoothed out any longer. "Better to have a hundred thorough checks than forget something important, I guess."
The summer had been rather eventful. From the opportunity of a lifetime for an internship at Yuzuha Hitachiin's design studio to Kyouya's almost-marriage to a university student in Spain, I was looking forward to spending an entire month enjoying the tranquility of the countryside with Haruhi. Without a doubt (and regardless of whether or not it was my preference), the other hosts were practically my second family, but a break from them once in awhile wouldn't do the two of us any harm.
After saying my momentary goodbyes to Haruhi and flipping my phone shut again, I went back inside to zip my suitcase and to check over everything in my other smaller bags again just to reassure both myself and my mother. I tried to pack lightly, seeing as toiletries and extra clothing were things that Misuzu-chi had already prepared for us there at the inn. It wasn't like Haruhi wouldn't be willing to share a towel or some soap if necessary, anyways.
It took my mother quite a while to say goodbye to me. As expected, she smothered me with tight embraces and kisses on my cheeks as if I were still the tiny six-year-old that was anxious to begin my first day in grade school. Haruhi giggled, as she did each time Mom insisted on showing such affection. It was understandable in this case; I guess it hardly seemed fair to her that I'd practically spent the majority of the summer away from home.
"Have fun, and take pictures of the scenery, okay, dear?" she smiled. "Call every day just to check in."
I smiled. "I will, I will."
With a few last kisses on the cheek and a smile and a wave, Haruhi and I were off to the station.
"What do you think we should do in Karuizawa, Hiroshi?"
"We should spend time outside; it's supposed to be sunny all throughout this week."
"Well I hope so," she tried to reply casually. She let out a nervous laugh.
I exhaled and put my arm around her as we continued on our way. "You could stay in my room if there's any sign of a storm, you know."
She nodded her head lightly. "Thanks, Hiroshi."
The four-hour trip to Karuizawa mainly consisted of sleep and occasional snacking. We wanted to be well-rested so that we could spend the afternoon getting settled before our first day of work. The thought of such tranquility was sinking in, and Haruhi and I looked towards each other with sleepy smiles on our faces every once in awhile, knowing that the much-needed relaxation would be ours in less than a few hours.
The bed-and-breakfast inn that we'd be working at wasn't too far from the station one Karuizawa; we were easily able to walk without too much exhaustion. It was nearly impossible to become tired, anyways; the countryside and the scenery were so gorgeous that it was almost uncomfortable to not sit down and sketch on the spot. I settled for capturing a few pictures with my cell phone, as Mom had asked me to.
And at last, we arrived at the warm and welcoming place that would be our home for the next few weeks. Outside stood Misuzu-chi, calling our names out and waving his arms in the air with a huge smile on his face. Misuzu-chi was a very close friend to Haruhi's father who worked at the same transvestite bar years ago. As you may have guessed, Misuzu-chi was also dressed in drag, with a wig, makeup, dress, bonnet, and anything else one could imagine on a motherly old lady.
He wasn't nearly as young as Ranka; the wrinkles on his face were very visible. He still managed to look much like a woman, however. He spoke in a tone of voice that made the customers genuinely question his gender.
"Haruhi! Hiroshi! Oh my, how you've grown; what beautiful young women you are!" he squealed, pinching our cheeks and embracing us. "Haruhi, how has your father been? Still the sassy Ranka I met all those years ago, right? Please do tell me!" he giggled.
Haruhi laughed. "He hasn't changed a bit, Misuzu-chi."
"I figured as much! Why don't the two of you get settled in your rooms? Here, let me show you!" he exclaimed excitedly. After giving his long hair a toss and letting out a feminine sigh, he grabbed a few of our bags for us and walked gracefully in the direction of the staircase. Haruhi and I followed.
Misuzu-chi set our bags down in front of two doorways and placed his hands on his hips proudly. "Well, girls, go ahead and unpack! Come downstairs after the two of you have settled, okay?" he smiled cheekily, lifting his poofy ankle-length dress and swiftly making his way down the staircase again.
"Let's go," I smiled excitedly at Haruhi, who returned the expression.
We opened our doors and stepped into our rooms.
An overwhelming sense of tranquility that seemed too good to be true rushed over me as I'd taken in the scent of fresh, clean linen. The twin-sized bed was definitely larger than I'd imagined it would be. The comforter, sheets, and pillows were arranged so nicely that I briefly imagined spending all my time sleeping in Karuizawa. Sunshine poured through the window. The carpeting beneath my feet was soft; I may have not even needed a pair of slippers to walk around.
Like Haruhi, I was provided with a small bathroom within my room which contained a stand-up shower. We were provided with small desks and chairs as well as small closet spaces. Such coziness was beyond perfection to me, and the fact that we were provided with such an opportunity was difficult to let sink in for a few minutes.
After Haruhi and I chatted animatedly and eagerly about our circumstances, we unpacked all of our belongings and stored our luggage to the side. We washed our faces and freshened up before heading back downstairs.
"I certainly hope the accommodations are to your liking, girls!" Misuzu-chi giggled. "Tomorrow's your first day of work, as you know. You can spend the rest of today getting comfortable, but keep in mind that you'll be waking up early in the morning!" he reminded us with much enthusiasm.
"Hm, could we possibly help with anything right now?" I asked.
"Right, it would do us good to get into the swing of things," Haruhi smiled.
Misuzu-chi beamed. "Two beautiful young ladies who are also diligent and hardworking! Ah, how refreshing," he sighed happily, tossing his long hair once again and placing his forefinger to his pink lips. "I suppose I could use a little bit of help. Are you two up for some dish washing?"
Even the kitchen in the back was almost as neat and well-kept as the bedrooms themselves. Misuzu-chi sure knew how to run the perfect inn. No wonder it was so popular and the guests always seemed to have smiles on their faces.
Haruhi and I were able to finish in a quick and efficient manner. The dishes, sparkly and clean, were neatly stacked in their appropriate storage compartments. Instead of exploring the area like we thought we would, we actually enjoyed keeping the place neat. We worked for the rest of the day until the sun was setting, washing and drying laundry and sweeping until Misuzu-chi insisted that we shower and get lots of rest. "You have done enough work! You'll wear yourselves out if you continue."
And so, after eating dinner, Haruhi and I headed back upstairs with Misuzu-chi eyeing us, as though there were a possibility of us coming back down to do more chores.
The hot water felt great, washing me clean so that I'd feel fresh as soon as I got dressed. I stepped out, dried off, and ruffled my hair with a towel before slipping into my pajamas and putting my slippers on. I felt right at home.
I sat down at the little desk on the side of the room, turned on the lamp, and pulled my cell phone out. I looked at the picture I'd taken of the countryside earlier and clicked a few buttons here and there to insert it in a text message I'd be sending to my mom.
Look at how beautiful the countryside is. I wish you could have seen it in person, but I took a picture of it. Today, we mostly helped Misuzu-chi with chores so that we could warm up to how things are going to be tomorrow. Haruhi and I love it here already. Everything's great and Misuzu-chi treats us like his own children. Take care of yourself and have sweet dreams. I love you lots, Mom! Goodnight.
I still had about an hour before I needed to sleep, so I figured a little sketching would be a nice, relaxing conclusion to my day. I pulled out my colored pencils and set my drawing pad down on my desk, flipping to a blank page. The foreground, middleground, and background were relatively easy to plan out, given that it was the countryside. I tried to add whatever detail I could to the drawing, like the texture of the clouds in the blue sky and the grass of varying shades in the fields.
As I was finishing up, I could have sworn I hear Haruhi muttering something loudly and irritably on the other side of the wall. I wondered if she was talking to someone on her phone. It could have possibly been Ranka. She's never used such an agitated tone of voice with her own father before, though.
Soon enough, I heard a soft knock on my door. I answered to find Haruhi standing in front of me with her own pajamas and slippers on and an annoyed expression. "Tamaki-senpai's at it again," she yawned.
"What's wrong?"
The two of us lied on our stomachs side by side on my bed. "He's wondering where we've been," she stated blankly. "He wouldn't stop talking for five minutes straight. I just decided to hang up."
I laughed. "That must have given him a heart attack."
My cell phone began to ring loudly again, and Tamaki's face appeared on the front of my little phone screen. It was one that he'd taken himself during one of the club's after school meetings last year. "Anyone who receives my calls should be able to see my face, of course!" he'd exclaimed flamboyantly at that point in time, posing dramatically while holding my phone up in front of him.
I flipped it open. "Tamaki-senpai?"
"Hiroshi?! My second-favorite daughter! How are you doing?! You're not being held in captivity, are you?!" he screamed so loudly that I needed to hold the phone away from my ear.
"What now?"
"Where are you and Haruhi?!" he hyperventilated. "Have you been kidnapped?!"
"Could you calm down?!" I huffed in agitation.
I couldn't even fit a word in before he began to persist in asking one question after another for minutes straight. I decided I'd have to do what Haruhi did and end the one-sided conversation.
I shut my phone again. "What is he so worked up about?"
"I'm just speechless," Haruhi said, yawning again and resting her head on my arm. She struggled to keep her eyes open. "Well, at least we get to spend some quality time together, right?"
I smiled. "We've got a month full of relaxation and tranquility ahead of us. Maybe we'll have some free time to walk around town tomorrow."
"Yeah," she replied.
"You should go ahead and get some sleep," I laughed. "We've still got work to do in the morning."
"True," she smiled. We embraced each other with one arm, and she stood up and stretched. " 'night, Hiroshi."
"Sweet dreams," I replied as she headed back in the direction of her own room.
Tamaki continued to call, but Haruhi and I tried to steer clear of contact from them for an entire week by turning our phones off. Haruhi and I enjoyed the housekeeping and interacting with the friendly customers, but we enjoyed having to go to the outdoor shopping center to get groceries even more. The sunshine and fresh air made things seem like much more of a vacation than a summer job. We watched spent mornings serving breakfast, afternoons cleaning, sunsets watching children laugh and play from the patio, and nights talking about anything and everything until we became too sleepy to even think properly.
Today, like all other days this week, we needed to hang the washed sheets out on a clothesline to dry out in the natural sunlight. The weather was particularly nice today, which, again, made this kind of work more of an enjoyable activity. The sun shone brightly and the sky was cloudless.
An easy breeze made it slightly more tricky to pin the damp sheets on the clotheslines, but it was only manageable up to a certain point. Suddenly, the breeze turned into strong gusts of wind. The sheets had nearly blown away, and tree leaves wildly flew in the air.
Haruhi and I looked at each other with confused expressions on our faces, and then we looked up to see that there was a reason for all of the commotion. A helicopter was hovering over the area, seemingly trying to land gently in a spot in the vicinity of the inn.
"Don't tell me..." Haruhi began. Her voice trailed off as soon as the helicopter was close enough.
I saw the faces of the six people inside, and so my expression matched Haruhi's.
"Don't you worryyyyyyy!" a flamboyant voice shouted across the skies. "DESPAIR NOT! DADDY'S COME TO SAVE YOU!"
Well, I guess our little vacation from the hosts was going to be cut short.
Author's Note
Sorry that Kyouya-kun wasn't really in this chapter, guys! Thank you for being so incredibly patient, good lawd. I know that I haven't updated in over a year. Thank you so much for reading!