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The group left the beach as the evening settled in, each heading to their respective rooms to freshen up. The girls—Mizuha, Elly, and Shimizu—relaxed after their baths, tidying up and chatting casually.
As Mizuha was brushing her hair, her phone buzzed with a message from Hikaru.
"Hey, Mizuha, let's go to dinner after time with all of us—it's included in the vacation package," the message read.
"Huh, really?" Mizuha said suddenly, attracting Shimizu and Elly's attention.
"What is it, Mizuha-chan?" Elly asked. "Yeah, you suddenly started talking out of nowhere," Shimizu added.
"Hikaru said the resort is preparing a dinner buffet for all of us, and it's included in the vacation package," Mizuha told them.
"Wow, that's really nice," Elly said happily. "Perfect timing. I'm starving," Shimizu replied, stretching her arms.
Hikaru then sent another message to Mizuha: "Meet us in front of our room in ten minutes. We're going together, okay?"
"Understood, I'll meet you in 10 minutes," Mizuha replied.
The girl trio then finished tidying themselves up and prepared to go to dinner.
"Come on, guys. I'm really hungry now," Shimizu said impatiently.
"Yes, I know. Please wait a moment," Mizuha replied. "Okay, I'm done," Mizuha added.
"Let's go then," Elly said, smoothing her dress before heading to the door.
The girls left their room and walked down the hallway to the boys' door, where Hikaru and Zul were waiting.
"You girls took forever!" Hikaru teased as they approached.
"Well, you guys were late before, so this time it's our turn. It's only fair, right?" Mizuha chuckled.
"Yeah, we had to look presentable, unlike you two," Shimizu added.
"Then, what are we waiting for? We're all here already, let's just get to the food," Shimizu interjected, stepping ahead eagerly.
After arriving at the resort dining hall, they were all impressed. The buffet spread was as impressive as they'd hoped. The aroma of freshly cooked dishes filled the air, and the sight of colorful plates of food made Shimizu's eyes widen.
"Wow, they weren't kidding. This is a feast!" Shimizu said, grabbing a plate and heading straight for the grilled seafood.
Elly followed with a polite nod. "It all looks so delicious."
The group filled their plates and found a table near the large windows. The gentle glow of lanterns lit up the dining hall as they chatted and enjoyed the meal.
After they had finished eating, Shimizu leaned back in her chair with a mischievous grin. "Okay, everyone, I've got an idea for our next activity."
Mizuha raised an eyebrow. "What are you plotting now, Shimizu?"
"You'll see!" Shimizu said, standing up. "Let's go to the back of the resort."
The group followed her out, their curiosity piqued. Behind the resort, the jungle loomed in the moonlight, its shadows deep and mysterious.
Shimizu turned to face them with an excited expression. "It's time for a test of courage!"
"A test of courage?" Mizuha repeated, tilting her head. "You came up with this just now, didn't you?"
"Of course! It's too early to sleep, and this place is perfect," Shimizu said confidently.
"Oh, it looks nice. I'm interested in it. What do you think, Mizuha?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, it's fine for me, so count me in too," Mizuha replied.
Meanwhile, Zul comforted Elly, who looked a bit scared about doing it. "Elly, are you okay with this?"
"It looked a bit scary, but I will try my best," she said, her voice shaking.
"Don't push yourself," Zul said calmly. "You can decline if you don't want to do it."
"It's okay, Zul. You don't need to worry about me," Elly responded.
"Well, if you're fine with it, then it can't be helped. Anyway, if you're scared, just stay with me, okay?" Zul said.
After hearing what Zul said, Elly felt a bit calmer and said she was ready to do it as well. Excitement filled their hearts as they prepared for the challenge.
Shimizu volunteered to go first and said, "This is so easy. I have nothing to be scared of inside this forest," before disappearing into the forest with confident steps.
After 5 minutes, it was Zul and Elly's turn to follow in Shimizu's footsteps. Zul then said to Elly, "Elly, hold my hand and don't let go." They went forward, their voices echoing through the trees as they navigated the unknown.
Finally, after another 5 minutes, it was Mizuha and Hikaru's turn. Hikaru said to Mizuha, "Let's go, Mizuha," and Mizuha nodded and smiled in response. "Yes, let's go," she replied. They mustered their courage and ventured into the forest.
"Umm, Mizuha, are you okay with this kind of thing?" said Hikaru.
"Do you mean, like ghosts, spirits, and stuff?" Mizuha replied.
"Yeah, I was just thinking, you seem really calm," Hikaru said.
"Ah, umm, sometimes I get scared too, I guess," Mizuha replied. "But if I look calm, I'm sure it's because you're by my side." Hikaru blushed when he heard that from Mizuha. Then he realized it was just his imagination.
"It's because there are horror movies that are scarier than anything in reality," Mizuha said.
"O-oh?" Hikaru replied, not expecting that response, which was actually different from his imagination just now.
What the hell was I thinking earlier? Hikaru thought with a sigh about his thoughts on Mizuha.
"Should we go?" Mizuha said.
"Y-yeah," Hikaru replied.
Suddenly, they were shocked by a piercing scream that shattered the silence. "Kyaa...!!!" Hikaru stopped after hearing that scream. "Huh!?"
"What's wrong?" Mizuha asked him.
"I think I heard something..." said Hikaru. Suddenly, the wind blew from in front of them, and both of them looked at each other. They heard the scream again.
"That was..." said Hikaru.
"Yes, that was Elly-chan's voice. Something must have happened to her," said Mizuha. Hikaru then said, "Let's go after her," and he grabbed Mizuha's hand, running towards the sound, fueled by their concern for their friend.
They arrived at an open ground and found a small lake with Elly in tears, shaken by Shimizu's prank. Zul comforted her with soothing words, offering solace to her troubled spirit. Shimizu, realizing the impact of her actions, felt a tinge of remorse.
Zul's stern voice cut through the tension as he reprimanded Shimizu for her thoughtlessness.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAJiNWoHN4
Zul yelled at Shimizu, saying, "Don't pull something like this, Shimizu. Look what you've done."
Shimizu suddenly jumped in front of them and snarled earlier, which shocked and scared Elly.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5mdKIO5eF
Shimizu chuckled and said, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't realize my pranks could scare people."
Elly shouted, "Shimizu-chan, you idiot!" while clinging to Zul. Shimizu bowed her head and apologized to Elly, saying, "I'm sorry. I won't do that again."
Hikaru and Mizuha laughed after witnessing Shimizu's antics.
"Geez, I thought something happened to you guys. It was just Shimizu's prank, apparently," Hikaru said.
"Wow, Zul was really upset just now," said Mizuha.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen him upset like that," replied Hikaru.
Suddenly, Hikaru noticed the small lake in front of them. "Wow, I never thought there was a lake around this area," Hikaru said.
Amidst the gentle glow of fireflies illuminating the forest, the group found solace and tranquility. The fireflies danced in the night, casting a magical spell over their surroundings.
"Mizuha, look, the fireflies are surrounding us," said Hikaru.
"Yeah, it's so beautiful," Mizuha said, looking at the fireflies.
Mizuha, captivated by the ethereal scene, captured the moment in a photograph, preserving the memory.
"Wow, there are so many of them," said Elly.
"Yeah, you're right. They're everywhere," said Zul.
"Look, Zul, one of them is flying on your shoulder," said Elly, pointing at Zul's shoulder.
"Ah, I didn't realize about it," Zul replied.
In that moment, with fireflies flickering and the forest whispering its secrets, Shimizu looked at Mizuha and Hikaru and noticed that they were still holding hands from their sudden approach earlier.
I see, this happened too earlier today, thought Shimizu.
"Oh, we have some interesting things happening here," she said and grinned.
Hikaru turned to Shimizu and said, "Huh, what is it, Shimizu? What are you grinning about?"
"Mmm, it's nothing," she replied with a smile. "I'll keep quiet about this one until you realize it too," she added.
"Huh!?" Hikaru was still confused by Shimizu's words. Mizuha, captivated by the ethereal scene, did not realize that she was still holding Hikaru's hand. Hikaru was equally unaware.
After they finished watching the fireflies, Mizuha suddenly noticed her hand was still holding Hikaru's, and she awkwardly spoke to him. "Hikaru, our hands, they're still..." Mizuha and Hikaru blushed and let go of each other's hands. Hikaru apologized, saying, "Sorry, I held your hand for too long. Did it hurt?"
Mizuha replied with blushing, "No, it's okay. It didn't hurt at all."
"Shimizu, is this what you were grinning about earlier?" said Hikaru.
"Who knows? I didn't see anything," Shimizu said while pretending not to have seen anything earlier.
Geez, this girl… thought Hikaru.
After watching the fireflies and the tranquil lake, Hikaru suggested, "Shall we head back to the hotel now?" The rest of the group nodded in assent.
As they walked back, they took a detour along the side of the sea. The moonlight cast a gentle glow on the waves, creating a shimmering path beneath their feet. The sea breeze was refreshing, carrying the salty scent of the ocean and making their hair dance lightly.
"Wow, it's so beautiful," Elly remarked, her earlier fright forgotten as she took in the serene nightscape.
"I love the sound of the waves," Zul added, his voice calm and content.
As they continued along the shore, they noticed other people and tourists enjoying the night as well. Some were strolling along the beach like they were, while others had set up small barbecues, the scent of grilled food wafting through the air. The scene was lively yet peaceful, a perfect ending to their adventurous day.
They walked on, occasionally exchanging friendly greetings with other beachgoers. The atmosphere was filled with laughter and the soft hum of conversations, making them feel part of a larger, joyous community.
As they neared the resort, the lights from the hotel grew brighter, contrasting with the moonlit beach. Mizuha looked around at her friends, feeling a deep sense of contentment. The day had been full of surprises and excitement, and the night was the perfect calm ending to it all.
"Today was really great," Mizuha said softly, more to herself than anyone else.
Hikaru, walking beside her, heard her and nodded. "Yeah, it was. Let's make the most of the rest of our vacation too."
After arriving in front of their respective room doors, everyone paused briefly.
"Okay, see you guys tomorrow," said Hikaru before entering his room with Zul.
"See you tomorrow," Mizuha replied, echoing the sentiment. The girls entered their room as well.
"Ah, I'm so tired," Shimizu exclaimed, immediately jumping onto the sofa.
"Of course you're tired, especially after you almost gave me a heart attack earlier!" Elly replied, upset and pouting.
"Elly, are you still angry at me about that?" Shimizu asked, her tone apologetic.
"Of course I am! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Shimizu-chan, you dunce," Elly said, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, once again, I'm really sorry about that," Shimizu apologized sincerely, sitting up to face Elly.
"Well, so much happened today; of course, it made all of us tired," said Mizuha, sitting on another sofa.
"Yes, you're right about that," said Shimizu.
"By the way, this somehow reminds me of when we had a sleepover at my house back then," said Elly.
"Yes, that was when our sensei here was teaching us our weakest subject," said Shimizu, pointing to Mizuha.
"Who was your sensei?" said Mizuha, chuckling.
"That's right. If not for Mizuha-chan teaching us earlier, we might not have gotten good results in our exam back then. Thanks for that, Mizuha-chan."
"Why are you bringing that up suddenly? Both of you are making me embarrassed," said Mizuha with a red face.
"Look, she's blushing hearing that," said Shimizu, chuckling.
"Geez, both of you, enough with it," said Mizuha. They all laughed together about that.
Suddenly, Elly was yawning. Mizuha said, "Feeling sleepy already?"
“Yes, I already out of my energy already” Elly replied.
“Then let's go to sleep” replied Mizuha. Three of them change into their pajamas and tidy themselves before going to sleep.
Mizuha asked Shimizu to close the door and pull the curtain. “Shimizu, can you pull that curtain?”
“Understood” said her immediately pull the curtain.
Shimizu did it, and said “Okay, I done, then let go to sleep” but when after she pulled the curtain, both Mizuha and Elly suddenly shocked, said, "Erk—"
Shimizu looked at them, confused and alarmed. "What's wrong, both of you?" she asked, noticing how pale they had become, looking like they had seen a ghost. "Shii—Shimizu, behind you," Mizuha whispered, her voice trembling.
"What is it, behind me?" Shimizu asked, turning around in confusion.
"It, it is on the curtain," Elly replied, her eyes wide with fear.
Shimizu turned back and saw a single cockroach stuck on the curtain behind her. Her composure instantly shattered. "Wargh, it's a cockroach!!! When did it get inside here?" she screamed, her voice filled with terror.
Panicking, she turned to Mizuha. "Mi...mizuha, do something," she pleaded desperately.
Mizuha, however, offered no comfort. "No way, I'm not good with bugs too, especially this one," she replied, just as frightened.
Suddenly, the cockroach took flight, zigzagging around the room. "Wargh, it's flying! This is not good!" said Shimizu. The three girls immediately went into full-blown panic mode, running and screaming in different directions.
The cockroach then flew into Shimizu, and she shouted, "Wargh, why is it flying over me?" while running away from it.
She then hid behind the closet to avoid it. "Is this cockroach in Kamikaze mode or something?" Shimizu exclaimed as she started to imagine they were in a war zone, with the cockroach as an enemy plane.
"Everyone get your head down!" said Shimizu.
The cockroach continued flying around the room like military plane before moving toward Mizuha.
"Private Mizuha, the enemy plane is flying toward you!" said Shimizu.
"What?" replied Mizuha.
"No! It's flying toward me now!" Mizuha cried, protecting herself with the pillow beside her. The cockroach hit the pillow and ricocheted, flying toward Elly.
"Elly-chan, be careful , it's flying toward you!" Mizuha warned.
"Kyaa! Get it away from me!" Elly shouted, scared of it, closed her eyes, before she accidentally knocked the flying cockroach with the smartphone she had been holding to protect herself.
"Punch!" The cockroach took a direct hit from Elly's smartphone. It fell down and stopped moving after being hit.
"Eh...?" Said Mizuha and Shimizu in unison, looking at it.
"What is it you two? Why did you turn silent all of a sudden?" said Elly, confused and slowly opening her eyes.
"Elly-chan, look at that," said Mizuha, pointing at the motionless cockroach on the floor.
"Huh!? What is it?" said Elly, looking in the direction.
"Eh, when did it fall down like that?" said Elly, shocked.
"You did it. You took down that cockroach with just one hit," said Shimizu.
Mizuha and Shimizu celebrated their victory over the cockroach by hugging Elly. "Yeah, thanks Elly-chan. You're our hero!" they said. "You managed to end this war," said Shimizu.
"Eh...? Did I hit it?" said Elly, still confused.
Shimizu then stood up and looked at the cockroach and said, "Hahaha, take that you stupid bug, how dare you make all of us scared earlier. We have our heroes with us, tonight."
"You're just brave talking like that after it's not moving anymore," said Mizuha.
“Who care, it our victory right?” said Shimizu.
"Then, Shimizu, what are you waiting for? Take it and throw it outside," Mizuha added.
"Eh, why me?" said Shimizu, declining. "Well, you're the nearest one to it," said Mizuha.
"No, no, even if it's not moving anymore, I don't want to touch it," said Shimizu. "You handle it, okay."
"No, never. I'm scared of it too. What if it's still alive and moves suddenly?" Mizuha replied.
"Geez, not you too," said Shimizu.
"Then how about you, Elly, Elly-chan?" said Mizuha and Shimizu, turning to Elly.
"I don't want to do it... I don't want to do it," said Elly, shaking while covering her head with a blanket.
Even our heroes don't even want to do it too, they thought in unison.
"Then what should we do now about it?" said Mizuha.
Suddenly, they heard someone knock at the door. "Huh, what now!?" said Shimizu.
"Who could be coming at this time?" said Elly.
"You guys, open the door. It's us," said Hikaru, knocking.
"Huh!? Is that Hikaru?" said Mizuha before immediately approaching the door and opening it.
Standing in front of her were Hikaru and Zul, their faces showing concern. "Hikaru, Zul, what's wrong? Why are you here at this time?" asked Mizuha.
"We heard some noise from your room earlier. Did something bad happen?" asked Hikaru.
"Well, actually..." Mizuha began telling them about the situation that had occurred earlier.
"Hahaha, seriously, you guys were having a war with a cockroach earlier," said Hikaru, laughing.
"What's so funny, Hikaru? You don't understand how scared we were. What if the same thing happened to you?" replied Shimizu.
"That's right. It was even more terrifying when it started flying around inside the room," Mizuha added.
Meanwhile, Zul sat beside Elly, petting her head to comfort her after the cockroach incident. "It was so scary earlier," said Elly still shaking traumatize from then.
"Don't worry, Elly. It was just a cockroach. It wasn't going to hurt you," replied Zul.
If this had been the old her, I'm sure she would have hit it with something and killed it herself, Zul thought, smiling.
"So where's the cockroach from earlier?" asked Hikaru.
"Over there," said Mizuha, pointing at the dead cockroach.
"Hikaru, please get rid of it. We don't even want to touch it because it's disgusting," said Shimizu.
"Geez, you guys are hopeless," said Hikaru. He then took the dead cockroach with his bare hand by holding it antennae, opened the window, and threw it out. "See, it wasn't that hard," he said, closing the window.
Both Mizuha and Shimizu clapped their hands for Hikaru. "Oh, so typical of Hikaru," replied Mizuha. "Yes, you even picked it up with your bare hands without feeling anything," Shimizu added.
"Well, it was already dead. No need to be scared," Hikaru replied.
"I can't believe someone like you was scared of it. I thought you were never scared of anything," Hikaru chuckled at Shimizu. "Sorry about that, but I really can't handle bugs," Shimizu replied.
"By the way, how did you kill it if you were so scared?" asked Hikaru.
"Well, Elly-chan accidentally knocked and killed it with her smartphone earlier," said Mizuha, chuckling.
"Really!? I can't believe you're the one who knocked it out," said Zul.
"Well, it was just an accidental hit," replied Elly, chuckling. They all laughed together as they continued talking about it afterward.
Suddenly, Hikaru yawned, feeling sleepy. "Ahhhh... I feel sleepy. Maybe I'm too tired from today. Let's go, Zul. Back to our room," he said.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm also feeling sleepy now. Let's go," said Zul.
"Then, Elly, see you tomorrow," said Zul.
"See you later," replied Elly.
"Thanks for checking on us, Hikaru," said Mizuha, standing in the doorway as Hikaru and Zul left the girls' room.
"It was just a small matter, nothing special," said Hikaru, continuing to yawn. "Okay, Mizuha. See you tomorrow. I really want to sleep right now," he said, chuckling, waving his hand, and moving to his room.
"See you tomorrow too," said Mizuha, waving back and closing the door.
After that, they all went to sleep, exhausted from the first day of their vacation. The day ended with so many activities and events that had kept them busy and entertained.
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To be continue…..Part 4
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