AN: Welcome back, dear readers! I know this chapter took ages to come out, but I've got a reason for that: Exam week. It started around the time I began writing this, and as studying took up most of what little free time I had, I didn't have that much time to write. It didn't help that I took ages on updating one my other stories as well (Changing Fate), since I'm struggling with it a little, which obviously pushed back this story as well. But, my other two stories are slowly nearing their conclusions, so I'll have more time to commit to this story (and the ones I'm working on in the future). Still, I do owe an apology for making you all wait for three weeks for this. Three stories to write + exams don't mix well, it seems.
Another thing is that a helpful reviewer (RoarkCats) mentioned to me the possibility spoilers for including cross-over characters from other series. I will admit, the possibility of spoilers didn't even occur to me when writing, so I do apologise for that as well. To somewhat ease the situation, the backstories of the characters I've included have been modified (whether it's my own "headcanon" for that particular series, my own ideas for a planned fanfiction which I mentioned in the previous chapter's AN, or that I've just simply altered them to remove any supernatural elements, as both Clannad and Death Note feature them), so any spoilers should hopefully be miniscule. But, I will avoid letting anything important slip, although with my plans on integrating the Okazakis more into the lives of the twins, some reveals are inevitable.
Before I start rambling, let's get this chapter on the road!
Chapter 9 – Sightseeing
After spending the evening babysitting Ushio, and the night tangled in each other's bodies, Sora and I awoke early today, as was requested by Harri during our little meeting yesterday. All of us in our "tourist group", with the exception of Miura Yumiko, were present then, as Harri explained to us in detail about the things he had planned for us. As we knew beforehand, we were allowed to stay at Hotel Pohjanhovi for as long as we helped Harri with his project, which involved various things, all of which we discussed about yesterday.
Firstly, Harri's job was to make the experience that tourists coming here had better, and more memorable, so that they would come a second time or recommend the place for their friends. A marketing trick, essentially, although Harri did say that at least he personally does care for what he called the "comfort and enjoyment factor" of the tourists themselves. Which brings us to our job here. For now, Harri will have us provide him with feedback on things such as tourist attractions and public transport, as well as general information about these things given to tourists, and how it could be improved. While our group is relatively small, we still represent different age groups, interests as well as a different socio-economic status, which gives him important insight so things can be modified with the best interests of the tourist in mind. The oldest in our group, Mikami, is a single lawyer who has very little time for vacations, and so wants to make the most out of the trip. After that, there's the Okazakis. A family of three with a young child, who will need to be accommodated accordingly. Hikigaya and Yukinoshita are a young adult couple who go to University, and so their budget is limited. And finally, Sora and I, who, according to Harri, are the "teen-aged siblings wanting to see the world". And so, here we are now, getting ready for a sightseeing trip in Rovaniemi.
"Hmph. Took you two long enough." Mikami said and looked at his watch impatiently as Sora and I walked over to him in the lobby. "I was hoping we could depart five minutes early so we could have a little more time for the first couple of attractions, but no matter. At least you aren't late."
"Well, you did make a point about being punctual, and the whole 'time is money and as such should not be wasted' thing yesterday, so when Harri told us we'd be grouped up with you, I figured we'd be as quick as possible." I replied to him, and we began to make our way outside. "I will say that Sora doesn't have the best… physique, so we might need to take some breaks every now and then." Mikami let out a sigh and glanced at his watch again as we exited the building, Mikami's rental car waiting just outside.
"Yes, I am aware of that fact. I believe that is why Harri adjusted our schedule so we could have time for those breaks. While it does annoy me a little, I'm not as heartless as my outwards demeanour might suggest. Besides… I appreciate that you kids are respecting my wishes, and actually being on time. Helps me reinstate hope for your generation a little bit." Mikami said and let a smile appear on his face for a brief moment as we arrived at his car. "Well, let's get going then. Our first stop isn't massively far away, but we don't want to tire your sister out too much right away."
I nodded to him as a reply and we climbed into the backseat of his car. Unlike Japan, Finland uses a right-hand traffic system, meaning that for us Japanese people, everything relating to traffic seems to be flipped. However, Mikami is familiar with the right-hand traffic system, as he has experienced it before in the United States, so there were no problems with him driving a car here. I was a little afraid of Mikami-san first, but he does seem like a good guy.
"Haru." Sora said and pulled on my sleeve slightly to bring my attention to her. "Where are we going first?" She then asked me, but before I could answer, Mikami spoke from the front seat.
"Harri arranged our two groups to go to different locations, before we meet up for lunch and change the groups around. The three of us will be visiting two museums today, Arktikum and Korundi. While the exhibitions at Arktikum are more about life this far north, Korundi is more of a standard art museum. We've got approximately three hours of time before we all meet up for lunch, and I'd like to make the most out of it." Mikami explained to Sora.
"Museums? Really? Isn't there any fun tourist attractions here, like that one science centre back in Oulu?" Sora grumbled and crossed her arms while turning her gaze to look outside the window.
"Well… I think Harri said something about Arktikum being kind of a science centre, and I remember something about another science centre with a focus on forests here as well. And museums aren't that bad, Sora. You just have to learn to appreciate them." I said to my sister.
"Depending on how the groups get shuffled around, you might get a chance to go there as well. The place Harri mentioned was Pilke, and it's right next to Arktikum. But, we have to remember that aren't here just to have fun. I don't know about you two, but I'll be thoroughly examining the quality of the service we get as tourists and providing him with a full report on everything by the end of the day." Mikami said from the front seat.
The rest of the trip we spent making small talk, though most of it was Mikami explaining the various things he was expecting, and how certain aspects of things like customer service would affect his final report. While Sora was visibly getting bored of his ramblings, I did find his spirit and commitment to the whole thing a little admirable. It didn't take long for us to arrive at the museum, and after finding a place to park Mikami's rental car, we found ourselves walking down the stairs towards the entrance to the museum. Most of the museum, and to my knowledge, all of the exhibits, were actually underground, with the most prominent feature that could be seen above ground being a nearly 200-metre long glass tube that acts as the roof for the main part of the museum. Harri had already reserved tickets for us, so we pretty much just walked into the exhibit zone, where Mikami took out a brochure before we began our tour.
"Right, Korundi opens at 11, so we've got about an hour of time before that. We can either try to spend approximately the same amount of time in both museums before lunch, or we can spend more time at one of them. I would personally prefer to spend more time here, as I've planned out a one-and-a-half-hour-long tour, but I will ask for your preference beforehand." Mikami said and turned to look at the two of us as he held up the brochure.
"I think this place might be more interesting than Korundi, so I'm up for it. How about you, Sora?" I replied and looked at my sister, whose gaze was currently fixated on what looked to be a stuffed reindeer just off to the right.
"Huh? Oh, right. I don't really care, but this place sounded more interesting than the other museum." Sora said and briefly looked at the two of us, before resuming her staring contest with the stuffed reindeer. Sora… I can tell you're excited and curious, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I thought to myself and smiled at my sister's antics.
"Alright, let's get going then." Mikami said and pulled out a black notebook and a matching ball-point pen from his pocket. For whatever reason, a chill went down my spine as soon as he did, and I shivered a little. Is there a draft? It felt a little cold just then. "We'll go along the exhibits in order, and I'll be writing down certain things along the way for Harri. Coincidentally, the exhibit about the reindeer-focused economy of the aboriginal people of Finland – the Sami, they're called – is the first part of our tour." Mikami continued and pointed his pen towards a sign next to the reindeer Sora was looking at. He must have done some research before coming here. I thought as we made our way to the exhibit, and I read the sign, which had text in multiple different languages. Wait… he said the exact thing written here..? Is that just a coincidence, or..?
"Mikami-san..." I said to bring his attention to me for a moment. "Did you… just read what it said on this sign to us from that distance?" I asked and looked at the black-haired man, currently engrossed in writing something in his notebook.
"Hm?" Mikami paused his writing for a moment and glanced at both me and the sign. "Oh, I have an eyesight of 3.0, so I can easily discern small details even from far away. If that's all, I'd like for us to get going." Mikami said to me and returned to his notebook.
"That's… very impressive, Mikami-san. But, yes, we should get going. Sorry, I know you can be impatient." I replied to him, and Mikami gave me a quick nod of acknowledgement, before we started our tour of the exhibit.
As Mikami had told us (and as I had read on the sign), the exhibit was focused entirely around the Sami people, and we learned a great deal about them. One thing I found interesting was that the Sami don't have a single language, but rather ten different ones, six of which have their own written standards, and that all of them are considered endangered languages, given the small amount of people that still speak them. Sora on the other hand wasn't that interested in the Sami themselves, but their culture seemed to pique her interest somewhat. At the very least, she spent a good deal of time looking at the traditional attire of the Sami people, which even I thought looked good with its blue, red and yellow colour scheme. Hmmm…. I wonder what Sora would look like wearing one of those? I wonder if they sell clothes like that somewhere… I thought to myself as we made our way to the next part of the exhibition, where we saw another, larger group of tourists ahead of us. I could quickly count around a dozen people, all Japanese like us. With the group, there was a Finnish tour guide giving an explanation to them. By the looks of it, they began their guided tour a little before we got here, and now we've stumbled upon their group in the middle of it.
"...and because of this, the tools that the Sami people used were utilitarian in nature and made to endure the long journeys they would make." The tour guide explained in English to the group of people while gesturing towards some knives seemingly made out of bone that were on display, while next to them a peculiar-looking cup made of wood hung from an antler on the wall. I will say, they've absolutely nailed the atmosphere here in the museum. I thought as we walked up behind the tourist group.
"Hmm… we should go ahead of the large group. We'll only be slowed down if we attempt to follow behind them." Mikami said and closed his notebook, then glanced towards me while raising an eyebrow, and I simply nodded to him in response. "Let's go then. The next part of the exhibit is just around the corner." I took Sora's hand as we began to make our way past the larger group of people.
Some of the tourists turned to look at us upon hearing Mikami speak Japanese, and we smiled to each other as our eyes met. Most of the group was too preoccupied with listening to the tour guide, though, so they didn't notice us. It was for this exact reason that one of them bumped into Mikami as we were trying to get past them, causing him to stagger and drop his notebook.
"Oh, sorry!" The man who had bumped into Mikami said and knelt down to pick up his notebook. "Here, you dropped it." He said and handed the notebook to Mikami, who snatched it from his hands quickly and glared at him.
"I am very much capable of taking care of my own things, thank you." Mikami said coldly, then turned to look at the two of us. "Come on, let's go." Sora and I glanced at each other, then followed after Mikami, leaving the man who had bumped into him in a state of confusion. It seems he doesn't like other people touching his notebook, then. Is it that important to him? I thought he was just using it to write down his report for Harri…
I decided not to question Mikami's sour attitude, and we continued on with our tour. After the Sami exhibition, the next large exhibit was more focused on the nature of the north, and life here. It was quite fascinating to learn not only of all the wildlife here, but also the natural phenomena that occurred. The pictures about the aurora borealis – or the northern lights, as they're also called – were quite pretty, and made me want to come back here in winter so we could see them. Sora on the other hand wished we could come earlier in the summer, as she found the midnight sun to be quite romantic, and I was honestly a little surprised that she could think that way. Although, she was confused by the prospect of the sun never setting, but Mikami explained that it was caused because the Earth had a considerable amount of axial tilt, so when it rotated around its axis during summer solstice, the angle made it appear as if the sun never went down for an extended period of time. The same phenomenon occurred in the southern hemisphere as well, but six months later, when it would be winter in the northern hemisphere. While Mikami was explaining this, I could tell most of the words went into Sora's ear and came straight out the other, but she seemed to understand the gist of it.
Another exhibition that caught my eye was focused on the history of the city, Rovaniemi. As it turns out, during the second World War, Finland had initially been allied with Germany (which technically made them our allies as well, since Japan fought against the Allied forces back then), but after a treaty they signed with the Soviet Union, all of the German forces were forced to retreat from the country. As part of this retreat, the German soldiers practiced scorched earth, destroying most of the city and the surrounding countryside, with the weapons and mines they left behind to hinder rebuilding still taking the lives of people years later. While Sora wasn't that interested, Mikami on the other hand was very intrigued by the history of the city, and the war itself. I had guessed that he was interested in history, and his job as a lawyer probably meant that he had at least some interest in politics, and thus, the conflicts between different nations.
Before we knew it, we had completed a full tour of the place. Neither I or Sora had expected that a trip to a museum could be so fun and engaging that we wouldn't even notice time pass, but we were proven wrong. Mikami seemed satisfied as well, even as he hurried us to his car so we could move on to the second museum before lunch.
"Korundi is an art museum, and it's slightly smaller when compared to Arktikum, so we should be more than able to have a proper tour of it, and still make it in time for lunch. I believe it also only opened earlier this year, so we'll be among the first to get to see it. On the other hand, this will probably mean that it doesn't have as much to it as Arktikum does." Mikami explained as we left the parking lot outside Arktikum and began to make our way towards the art museum.
"Harri said we'd be having lunch at that one restaurant around the city centre, right? The one named after a mountain in Switzerland?" I asked from Mikami, since I couldn't remember the name of the restaurant myself. I knew Harri mentioned that it was named after a Swiss mountain, though, but I can't remember which one.
"Yes, Monte Rosa, is the name you're thinking of. Although technically it's a mountain massif and not just a singular mountain. In any case, it's quite a fancy restaurant in a very central location in the city, and Harri has made a reservation for us today. Normally, it wouldn't even be open at this time of day on a Sunday." Mikami explained from the front seat.
It didn't take long for us to arrive at the museum. Compared to Arktikum, Korundi was quite a bland building. It was made of red brick, and I got the feeling that it was quite an old building. Hmm… I learned about the destruction of the city back in Arktikum… Could this have been one of the buildings that survived? I think Harri did say that the museum was made after the old building was renovated, so it's possible. I thought as I looked at the building as we made our way to the main entrance, marked by four large stone pillars. Four pillars, huh? Heh, at least when they're outside like this, they're exposed to sunlight. Although I guess the Pillar Men would awaken when night falls… I hope the museum has a Hamon user at hand… I thought and chuckled to myself as we arrived at the entrance. Sora, seemingly intrigued by the pillars, laid her hand on the surface of one of them. Well, her hand didn't sink into it, so I guess they're just normal pillars.
"They're made of granite, in case you're wondering." Mikami said from behind me as Sora and I looked at the four pillars. "Granite is very abundant here in Finland, and it's also the national stone of the country. Now, if you're done marvelling at the stonework, shall we head in?" I nodded to Mikami and took Sora's hand again as we entered.
"You seem to very informed about everything here, Mikami-san." I said as we made our way inside and proceeded to purchase tickets to the art exhibition.
"I do my research. It seems the only other person in our group who has done so is that Yukinoshita girl. In fact, she seems to have done even more research than I have, which is commendable. Even I didn't know that granite was Finland's national stone until I heard her mentioning it." Mikami replied as we arrived at the counter. "Three tickets to the art exhibition, please." He said in English to the lady at the counter and took out his wallet.
"Certainly! Let's se… for three adults, that would be twenty-seven euros in total. Unless, the two of them are under sixteen years of age, in which case it would be one adult and two children for a total of nineteen euros." The lady replied and glanced at Sora and I.
"Two adult tickets, please." I said to her in English and took out my own wallet. "Hideki gave us some money before we came here, I can pay for mine and Sora's tickets." I briefly said to Mikami, who nodded in response, before turning back to the lady at the counter. "You said three tickets were twenty-seven in total, so would two tickets be… eighteen?" I asked her in English, and she replied with a nod.
"That's correct, as it's nine euros for a single ticket." She said as she took the money Mikami and I offered to her. "Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy the exhibition!" She said in a cheerful manner after handing us our tickets.
After receiving our tickets, the three of us made our way inside the exhibition itself. Mikami was already writing something down in his notebook, most likely about the performance of the woman who sold us our tickets. The exhibition itself was what one could normally expect at an art museum, nothing too fancy. Most of the pieces of art were from artists who lived here in the northern parts of Finland, and these artists seemed to be the focus of the exhibit. While Sora wasn't really that interested in the whole thing, one of the exhibits caught her eye. The exhibit featured gold as its main focus, and explored the subject from different angles, such as the metal's origins and uses, as well as history. It felt slightly out of place in an art museum, but it was very intriguing, and a welcome surprise. Mikami spent almost as much time writing in his notebook as he did examining the various pieces of art at the exhibition. I was curious as to what he was writing down in it, but after seeing how agitated Mikami got after someone other than him touched the notebook, I decided it was best that I didn't try to have peek at it.
As Mikami had said, Korundi was much smaller when compared to Arktikum, so we soon found ourselves finishing our tour of the various art exhibits. Sora was getting a bit tired of all the walking, and since we were a little ahead of our schedule, we decided to have a little break. Sora and I sat down at a bench in the lobby of the art museum while Mikami went back to the car to fetch a bottle of water for us. Some of the visitors gave us odd looks, as we no doubt stood out. Soon enough, Mikami returned inside with a bottle of water, which he handed to Sora.
"Arigatou, Mikami-san." Sora thanked Mikami, who simply nodded in response and glanced around the lobby as he stood in front of us.
"You know, Mikami-san..." I said, and he turned to look back at me, raising an eyebrow. "...You're actually quite a nice guy. At least, compared to my initial impression of you." I said to him with a smile, while Mikami seemed to be surprised by my statement.
"Huh? Well… I wouldn't call myself exactly a 'nice guy', but I guess I'm not horrible either. I do know that I can be quite intimidating, and I don't deny that I don't exactly act friendly with others. Still, I do have my manners, even if I do appear quite rude sometimes." Mikami said and glanced at his watch, while Sora had a drink from the water bottle.
We spent a couple more minutes in silence as Sora rested, and Mikami took the time review his notes. When Sora felt like she had rested enough, and after our grumbling stomachs told us that sustenance was required, we left Korundi behind, and Mikami drove us to the restaurant. We were still a little early, but we didn't have to wait long until Harri and the rest of our group arrived.
"Ah, you're already here. Great! Let's head inside, then. I've made a reservation for two tables, so we can split into two groups again." Harri said to all of us in English as we gathered out side the entrance to the restaurant.
"I will assume that we will dine with our current group, yes?" Yukinoshita asked Harri and briefly glanced in our direction.
"Oh, I was actually thinking that we could change around the groups now, since we're a bit ahead of our schedule. That way, we won't need to waste any time afterwards." Harri replied to her and began to make his way inside, gesturing for us to follow.
"Sounds reasonable." Yukinoshita said as we all made our way inside. Monte Rosa was dimly-lit inside, and multiple tables were scattered around the place, with dividers between them to offer privacy. Immediately upon entering, I could spot what looked like a buffet table, though it was empty. A young woman greeted us upon entering, and talked with Harri for a little while before leaving us, going through what I guessed was an 'employees only' door.
"Alright. I've reserved these two tables on your left. As we had planned, the groups you will be in for the afternoon portion of today's activities will be changed around. Let's see… Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, you will be grouped with the Kasugano twins, and Mikami will accompany the Okazakis. This way, we'll have two evenly-sized groups." Harri explained to us in English. I glanced towards Yukinoshita and Hikigaya as Harri finished, and my eyes met with Hikigaya's for a brief moment, before I felt a tug on my sleeve. Turning around, Sora leaned closer to me and whispered into my ear.
"Did I… understand him correctly? We'll be paired with them?" I nodded to Sora briefly, who let out a sigh. At the same time, I heard a sigh come from Yukinoshita as well, and saw her rubbing her temple with her fingers with an exasperated look on her face. I looked towards Hikigaya, who met my gaze and shrugged his shoulders, a small smile of amusement appearing briefly on his face.
"Come on, Yuki. You heard him. Let's just sit down, okay?" Hikigaya said and grabbed Yukinoshita by the hand, guiding her towards the table nearest to us. As they passed by us, Yukinoshita's gaze met mine, and I could feel the animosity she had towards me from her cold glare. Well… I guess Hikigaya's nickname for her is fitting…
"We should sit down too, Haru." Sora said and started to drag me towards the table as well, and we sat down opposite of Yukinoshita and Hikigaya. "We're going to be grouped together, so we might as well get along." She then continued and shot a glance towards Yukinoshita, and – to mine, and most likely her surprise as well – smiled at her. I'm not sure if what Sora is saying is truthful, or if she's just messing with her…
"Kasugano-san is quite correct. While I feel extremely uncomfortable with just being around these two to the point of possibly losing my appetite, I will do my best to endure it and triumph." Yukinoshita replied sharply, and I saw Sora's eye twitch, but she kept her cool.
"Oi, Yuki. I don't think you need to be that harsh with..." Hikigaya started, but stopped in his tracks once Yukinoshita turned her gaze to him.
"What was that you were about to say, my dear Hachi?" Yukinoshita's tone of voice made me feel uneasy, and Hikigaya felt it too, as he flinched and looked away. We made eye contact for a brief moment, and I was reminded of what Hikigaya had told me yesterday. He said he didn't have a problem with us, but he doesn't want to go against Yukinoshita-san. Or rather, he's too afraid to go against her.
"Uh, n-nothing, Yuki. Let's… um… order?" Hikigaya said and started to look around, as if searching for something, while Yukinoshita let out a sigh and pinched her nose.
"There has to be something wrong with your ears. Either that or you have the attention span of a fruit fly, which suit you quite well, Hiki-insect-kun." Yukinoshita said, and for a split second I swear I saw a smirk on her face. "Harri already informed us earlier that we would be eating Finnish cuisine here today, already prepared for us. We simply have to wait patiently, though I'm not sure if someone like you is capable of being patient." That's right, Harri did say something like that. But those are some harsh words to hear from someone who is supposedly one's girlfriend…
"Oi, don't just casually call me an insect. And what do you mean I'm not patient? Being patient is one of my 108 skills, and I could argue that I'm the most patient man on the planet. I mean, waiting around for Yumi… err..." Hikigaya stopped as Yukinoshita shot a glare towards him, then cleared his throat. "And I've also got a great attention span. I can stay focused on a task expertly, as long as the task isn't meaningless."
"Oh, so you're saying that you have problems with your hearing, then? I had hoped that the problem was psychological and not physical, because then I could have at least attempted to fix your problems. Oh well, nothing to be done for old Hiki-bad-hearing-kun." I chuckled a little, as I found their conversation quite amusing, and as I glanced to my left, I could see Sora was also holding in her laughter. I thought that getting paired with them might have been awkward, but it seems things are going smoothly, so far.
"Could you stop with the names? I know I put up with you daily, but some of the things you say can be hurtful, you know? And my hearing's fine. In fact, as a loner, I'd say my hearing is even better than everyone else's." Hikigaya's and Yukinoshita's banter was interrupted when Sora couldn't hold in her laughter any more, and burst out.
"Aahhh… You… two..." Sora managed to say once her laughter had subsided a little. "It's too fun… watching you two… You really are suited for each other perfectly." Sora said and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still giggling, and I felt a smile forming on my face as well. It's… been so long since I've last heard her laugh like that, I can't even remember when it last happened. I brought a hand to rest on her right thigh and lightly squeezed it, while Sora glanced at me and raised an eyebrow briefly, before bringing her own hand atop mine. I want to hear her laugh more often.
"Ah… well..." Hikigaya said and turned his head away while rubbing the back of his neck, a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Y-yes, we… got a little carried away with our banter. Apologies." Yukinoshita said quite timidly, and I could see that her cheeks were flushed as well as she glanced between Sora and I. Then, as if suddenly remembering the animosity she had towards us, she cleared her throat and shot some glares to both of us, although after seeing her 'moment of weakness', the glare didn't feel as intimidating as before, and I got the feeling that she might have 'reduced the intensity' of it herself. "In any case, as I was saying, our food should arrive soon. Harri should know more about it." I could suddenly feel Sora's hand grip mine a little tighter, before she let go of it and leaned forward in her seat.
"You know, Yukinoshita-san..." She said, and the raven-haired girl turned to face her with an inquisitive look on her face. Sora's eyes met mine for a brief moment before she continued. "I can tell you hate the two of us, but… what's the reasoning for that? Because honestly, Yukinoshita-san… I think I could get along with you, judging by how easily you shot jabs at your boyfriend." Sora said with a slight grin. What is she planning..? I don't know much about Yukinoshita-san, but from what I've seen so far, I don't think they'd get along that well…
"What do you..?" Yukinoshita glanced around the room, and I did the same. The divider between our table and the table where the Okazakis were muffled some of the conversation, and Harri was talking with one of the restaurant employees off to the side. If we were quiet, no-one would hear us. "It's obviously because of your… immoral relationship with your brother." Yukinoshita said and glanced towards me.
"What do you mean by that? I don't understand what you're getting at, Yukinoshita-san." She's feigning ignorance, just like I did with Hikigaya initially. "Do you have any back to your claim?" Sora continued in an annoyed tone. Hikigaya's eyes flicked to me for a second, and I could see him raise and eyebrow. I wasn't completely sure with what Sora was trying to do, so I shrugged a little in response.
"You've… admitted it, haven't you? And back in Oulu, Hachi saw you two…" Yukinoshita frantically glanced between the two of us, then continued in a lower tone. "I was so sure… have I been hostile for nothing..?" She then turned back to Hikigaya. "Hachi. You remember it, right? You told me that you saw the two of them kiss, right? Right?" Yukinoshita placed a hand on Hikigaya's shoulder and gripped it.
"I… uhh..." Hikigaya glanced between Yukinoshita and I, but there wasn't really anything I could do in this situation to help him. He can either support her claim, or try to avoid or deny it somehow. He knows the truth about mine and Sora's relationship but is okay with it, while Yukinoshita-san thinks she knows the truth, and isn't okay with it. How we handle this situation is entirely in his hands, now. "Well… I think… I'm the one to blame, here. I… I think it's a misunderstanding. Back then, what I saw may have looked like a kiss, but..." Hikigaya glanced at me again, and I gave him a slight nod with a smile. "I talked with Kasugano...kun yesterday, and… We… set any misunderstandings straight." Yukinoshita turned to look me in the eyes, waiting for me to say something.
"Hikigaya's right, this has been a really big misunderstanding." I said and glanced at Sora. "Sora and I… we are very close, I will admit that. But that's because of everything that's happened in our lives. I've told Hikigaya a little about our past, but the main point is… Sora and I only have each other. And we've promised to stay together from now on, after being separated during our childhood." Yukinoshita's gaze lowered as I finished my explanation, and I could suddenly feel Sora grabbing onto my arm.
"What Haru said is right. We, and I especially, have no-one else to turn to. Haru takes care of me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, he is my brother, and I love him." Sora said with a smile and squeezed my arm. Sora is playing a dangerous game right now, but at the very least, we aren't lying. Just not telling the whole truth, is all. "As Haru said, we promised we'd stay together, since we're happy with just the two of us. And with me being so weak physically… I need Haru to support me." Yukinoshita stayed quiet, her gaze directed downwards, and Hikigaya placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
"I… don't mean this in a harmful way, Yuki, but… Given your own relationship with your own sister… I don't think you'd be able to fully understand. I'm sure they've been through a lot, and those things have lead to their current situation." Hikigaya looked towards me again, and a small smile formed on his lips, and I could just about spot him giving a thumbs-up with his other hand, so I returned the gesture. As I thought, Hikigaya is actually a nice guy. I'll have to thank him for helping us out like this and keeping our relationship a secret. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a chair moving, as Yukinoshita stood up suddenly.
"I… I…" Yukinoshita's gaze was still on floor, but she took a deep breath and raised it to first meet Sora's eyes, then mine "Kasugano-san, Kasugano...kun?" She then said hesitantly, seemingly asking for my approval of the use of the honorific with her eyes, so I simply nodded to her, after which Yukinoshita bowed deeply, her head nearly coming in contact with the table. "I am deeply sorry for the way I've treated you two. After our initial meeting, I rushed to conclusions about you two, and made assumptions without knowing anything about you two or your circumstances. I hope that I can make amends, so that we might at least get along during our time here." Yukinoshita slowly raised her head as she finished, and glanced at the two of us on this side of the table.
"Don't worry, Yukinoshita-san. We haven't taken any offense to your words. And… I can understand somewhat as to how you reached your conclusions, but don't worry. We are but human, and as such, subject to error." I said to her with a smile, and after releasing a sigh of relief, she sat back down next to Hikigaya.
"May I have everyone's attention?" Harri called out to all of us. "The food is about to arrive, so I hope all of you will enjoy it. The reservation is for an hour, so we'll resume our activities at two. Please make sure to discuss where you want to go with your groups." Harri said and clapped his hands together.
As Harri said, it didn't take long until waiters and waitresses came in to the room carrying various platters and plates with them, taking the empty plates and cutlery to our tables, and the platters with food onto the empty buffet table just a little ways away from us. More and more food and drinks were brought out, until the buffet table was filled nearly completely. Since our table was closer to the buffet table, we decided that we'd go and get our food first. The first course consisted of various breads, rillette made of reindeer, and two different kinds of soup: smoked reindeer and salmon. I hadn't gotten the chance to try reindeer yet, so I decided to go for the reindeer rillette, while Sora went for the safe choice of salmon soup. Yukinoshita seemed to be on the same wavelength as I was, as she took both a plate of the rillette and a bowl of smoked reindeer soup, though only a small amount of both of them. Hikigaya was suspicious of all the foods at first, but after some persuasive words from Yukinoshita, he decided to try the reindeer soup. And, by persuasive, I mean that she sent some hurtful jabs at how his rotten personality must be linked to his extremely unvaried diet.
"Itadakimasu." All of us said in unison and began to eat. The reindeer rillette was quite tasty, and judging by the reactions of Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, the soup wasn't too bad either. Yukinoshita finished the soup first, and cleared her throat afterwards, bringing our attention her.
"Kasugano-san, Kasugano-kun." Yukinoshita said, and the two of us looked up from our meals towards her. "I… I want to apologize again, and… I do have one question as well, relating to our previous conversation."
"Go ahead." I replied to her and took a sip of water.
"When I confronted you two back in Oulu after making my assumptions about your relationship, your sister's reaction was quite interesting, as she was quite defensive about the whole thing. That was one of the reasons as to why I… believed that your relationship was… you know. Care to explain?" I looked towards Sora, who finished swallowing whatever she had in her mouth and let out a little sigh.
"I guess I owe an apology for that, too, as it must have only fed your misunderstanding. As was said previously, Haru and I promised that we would stick together due to everything that happened in our lives when we were young. Because of this… well… I'll admit it, I don't like the idea of Haru… dating anyone. I fear that… the relationship would take away time from the two of us being together. And since I've become reliant on Haru… Anyway, I thought that since you asked about us being siblings… I thought you… might have… had your eye on Haru, so to speak." Sora explained. "But now that I've seen you interact with Hikigaya-san, I don't have that fear any more."
"I… see. But… that does seem like you're restricting his freedom, doesn't it?" For a brief moment, Yukinoshita's gaze flickered to Hikagaya, who had stopped midway through in putting a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "Ah… but… I do understand you. I'm sure you two have your circumstances, so I won't dwell on the matter. And looking at it from the perspective of someone who… i-is in a r-romantic relationship… I wouldn't want Hachi interacting with other women too much." Yukinoshita finished with a slight blush on her cheeks, and I could see Hikigaya visibly flinch at the mention of 'interacting with other women'. That's right… Miura Yumiko is here with them on this trip.
"I'm glad that you understand. But, I don't personally see it as Sora restricting my freedom. Sure, I might not be able to date anyone, but I'm content with just living with Sora, right now. She's my precious sister, and as the only one she has to rely on, I need to take care of her." I turned towards my sister and smiled at her, and she smiled back at me, a slight blush making its way onto her cheeks.
"Haru..." Sora said quietly.
"Ah, but speaking of Hikigaya interacting with other women..." I said and turned back to face Yukinoshita. "How about Miura Yumiko? She's with you on this trip, right? I… met her for the first time yesterday, and she seemed to be quite close with Hikigaya." Now it was Yukinoshita's turn to flinch, and she quickly stood up from her seat, placing a hand onto Hikigaya's shoulder as she did so.
"Hachi, I think it might be time for the main course, don't you think?" Yukinoshita said coldly, and Hikigaya quickly stood up from his seat as well.
"Ah, s-sure. W-we'll be right back." Hikigaya said and the two of them left for the buffet table once more, leaving Sora and I dumbfounded. I looked towards my sister, who leaned closer to me and whispered into my ear.
"I talked with Miura-san yesterday as well, when she was looking for Hikigaya-san. Long story short, I got the feeling there seems to be more to their relationship than meets the eye. At the very least, I think Miura-san might harbour feelings towards Hikigaya-san." I looked towards the couple as they picked out food for the main course and conversed about something at the same time. More than meets the eye, huh? Yukinoshita-san told us that it was Miura-san's idea to take this trip, but so far Yukinoshita-san has avoided talking about her, and seems to dislike the idea of her being here. There definitely is something more going on here…
Shortly, Yukinoshita and Hikigaya returned, and after Sora and I finished our plates, we moved on to the main course as well. The dishes for the main course consisted of a choice between sautéed reindeer with a side of mashed potatoes, pickles, and some sort of red berry mash, and grilled salmon with a side of warm potato salad and some sauce, which – according to Harri – was apparently made of crab. Sora was still reluctant to try the reindeer, so she went for the salmon dish again, while I decided to go for the reindeer again, as I had liked the taste of it in the previous dish. As we returned to the table to eat, Yukinoshita resumed our conversation again.
"Ahem. To answer your previous question about Miura-san, she is… someone who is very close to both of us. She is one of the only people Hiki-friendless-kun here could count among his… loved ones. All three of us… trust each other, so to speak, so there are no issues with her being close with my Hachi. After all, I amhis girlfriend." Yukinoshita wore a proud smirk on her face as she finished. While Hikigaya ate his food silently next to her. "But, I would prefer it if you did not dwell on the subject further. She has been ill, but is getting better, so you'll no doubt have more opportunities to speak with her yourself." I gave her an understanding nod and glanced at Hikigaya, but he was fixated on his food and didn't meet my gaze.
After Yukinoshita's response, a comfortable silence fell upon our table again, the only sounds coming from the cutlery, and the bits of conversation from the other table between Mikami and the Okazakis. As we ate in silence, I let my mind wander to various things, mostly focusing on the relationship of Hikigaya and the two girls close to him. Yukinoshita-san definitely seems like the possessive type, that I am sure of, and most of the things she has said do conflict with the idea of bringing another girl with them on vacation. So why bring her in the first place? Granted, Miura-san was the one who suggested the whole thing, so it's understandable from that point of view. But, so far, Yukinoshita-san and Hikigaya have been acting all lovey-dovey with each other, so they're clearly enjoying this vacation with just the two of them… It also seems that Miura-san is sharing a room with the two of them, which I find really odd… I glanced at Yukinoshita on the other side of table as she elegantly ate the sautéed reindeer. Yukinoshita-san said that they all "trust" each other, whatever that means, so that might explain them sharing a room, but… Yukinoshita-san and Hikigaya are a young couple on vacation, so they must partake in nightly activities befitting of a couple, at least at some point. Perhaps… Miura-san swings the other way, and as such has no interest in Hikigaya at all? Could that be "trust" that Yukinoshita-san mentioned? I shifted my gaze towards Sora, who was cutting up the salmon, seemingly having a little trouble with the knife and fork. Then again… Sora said that she thinks Miura-san has feelings towards Hikigaya. Then there's the little slip-up from Hikigaya yesterday, when he said that despite all the trouble the two girls give him, he still "loves" both of them. Although, he could have easily just meant "like" instead of "love", which would still make sense, as he finds both of them very dear to him.[1] Still… everything just… doesn't add up. There's definitely something more going on here. As we were getting towards the end of our respective meals, Harri came and sat down at our table.
"Hey! Have you all decided where you want to go after this? It would be best if you didn't end up going to the same place as the other group." Harri asked us in English as his gaze shifted around all of us.
"Do you have any recommendations for us?" Yukinoshita asked after wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Hmmm… Well, a good place to visit would be Pilke. It was opened earlier this year, and it's a pretty darn great place. The other group isn't going there either, so it would work out that way, too." Harri said and stroked his goatee. "It isn't too far away either, just next to Arktikum. Although, I do know that Sora might have some problems if you were to walk there." Harri continued and looked towards my sister, who stayed silent for a couple of moments before replying.
"As long as we can take breaks, I'll be fine." Sora replied in English, then returned her attention to her food.
"That was… the Science Centre, right? The one with a focus on forests and such?" I asked, and Harri nodded in response. "I think it would be a good place to go to, and I'm sure Sora will like it too." I said and glanced towards Sora, who simply nodded as she chewed on her food.
"Then it's settled. We'll visit Pilke after we finish up here." Yukinoshita said, and Harri rose up from his seat.
"Hey, don't I get a say in this? I have the right to voice my opinion!" Hikigaya protested, but Yukinoshita simply chuckled in response.
"Oh, the insect believes it has rights now, does it? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Hiki-loner-kun, that your opinion in this doesn't matter. I believe that it was you yourself who said that whenever you were forced to join a group with other people, whether it was for a project or a trip, you would just tag along whatever group was willing enough to tolerate your presence for extended periods of time. Isn't this a perfect situation, then? Besides, three out of the four people in our group agree to the idea, and in democracy, the majority vote wins." Yukinoshita was brutal in her verbal assault, and I chuckled a little.
"Sounds more like dictatorship than democracy… This is discrimination against the minorities! Democracy is just an excuse to oppress minorities in society! We need socialism, or even better, communism, so that everyone would be equal. That's right, corporate slaves deserve the same minimum wage as the slave-drivers that are above the working class. Also, did you just use the word 'loner' in my name as an insult? Disgraceful. And, you can't really call me a loner any longer. Although I still am one in spirit and principle, but nowadays..." Hikigaya leaned closer to Yukinoshita and continued in a softer voice. "I've got you." Yukinoshita's face became flushed a bright red, and she averted her gaze. "...And Yumi too." Hikigaya added quietly, a smile appearing on his face, before it twisted into a smirk at Yukinoshita's reaction.
"...As expected of you, Hachi. You don't play fair..." Yukinoshita said and placed her fork back onto the table, as Sora and I began to laugh at the situation. I could definitely get used to having these two around. I hope we can stay in contact even after our vacation.
After lunch, the four of us headed towards the Science Centre, Pilke. As Haru and I had visited Arktikum earlier, we knew approximately where it would be located. At first, Yukinoshita was adamant about leading us there, as she apparently knew way there, since she had studied the layout of the city and possible tourist attractions beforehand. It became quickly evident that even with the research, her sense of direction was horrible, and if it wasn't for Hikigaya, we would have ended up going in pretty much the opposite direction. The only thing remotely useful that came from her research ended up being a little trivia fact about the layout of the city centre, where the roads and buildings were made to resemble a reindeer's head when viewed from above. I didn't really understand the "obsession" that Finland had with the animal, especially given that it wasn't even the national animal of the country, which – according to Yukinoshita – was the brown bear. Eventually, we made it to the science centre, which was located right next to the museum we visited earlier with Mikami. The building was made completely out of wood, which was quite a feat in this day and age. Even Hikigaya seemed a little impressed by it, and I took him for someone who didn't really give a shit about anything.
"Well, here we are." Yukinoshita said and wiped her brow, letting out a sigh in the process as she leaned against a wooden signpost with her hand just outside the entrance to the building. "This took… longer than I had expected."
"Mostly thanks to you nearly getting us lost. And here I thought your sense of direction had improved since your High School days..." Hikigaya said with a sigh, and I leaned against the signpost next to Yukinoshita. "Hey… are you two okay?" Hikigaya asked with concern in her voice.
"I'm fine, Hachi. You know I'm still not confident with my stamina, and the route to here being longer than expected took its toll on me a little." Yukinoshita responded, and I heard Hikigaya mutter something along the lines of 'You can only blame yourself for that'. "But what about you, Sora-san? Harri mentioned something about you having problems if we walked here… Are you okay?" Yukinoshita asked, turning to look at me.
"I'm fine, Yukino-san. I've… got a weak physique, so even something like this is strenuous activity for me." I replied to her. "If we rest here a little before going in, I should be fine, and Haru's got some water with him as well." Before I could finish my sentence, Haru had already brought the water bottle to me, and I took a sip from it while I leaned against the wooden post.
On the way here, one of the things we discussed was how we'd address each other, now that we'd made up and settled our previous dispute. Since Haru and I were twins, it would get confusing to address us with our last names. Yukinoshita was quite formal with her speech, and insisted on the use of honorifics, while Hikigaya was the complete opposite. We settled on Yukinoshita addressing me with my first name, and Haru by his last name, while Hikigaya addressed both of us by our first names. Initially, Yukinoshita was against the idea of Hikigaya being on a first-name-basis with another girl, but gave into the idea after a 'compelling' argument from Hikigaya, mostly compromised of what Yukinoshita called his trademark 'bashing the society' speech. Yukinoshita also insisted that I'd use her first name when addressing her, for two reasons. One reason, which she told to everyone, was that she felt that the two of us needed to be on a mutual first-name-basis to somewhat compensate for her previous actions, while the other reason – which she whispered only to me and with a heavy blush on her face – was that she didn't want to be called by her last name, and would rather be called Hikigaya-san than Yukinoshita-san, the implications being obvious. Heh, that makes Haru and I seem like a married couple already… I thought to myself with a smile as my mind wandered to our discussions on the way here while we rested.
"Have you rested enough, Sora-san? Not that I'm rushing you, but I would like to get our tour of the place going." Yukinoshita asked me after a couple of minutes.
"Yeah, I'll be fine now. Come on then, Haru. I want to see if this place is as good as the Science Centre we went to in that other city." I said and handed the water bottle back to Haru, then took his hand as we began to make our way inside.
"That's right… we first met there, didn't we? In the tower that overlooked the city?" Yukinoshita said and brought a hand to her chin as she thought, and I nodded to her as a reply. "Back then, I would never have guessed that we would not only meet again, but that we'd working together on Harri's project like this." As Yukinoshita finished, we arrived at the counter inside and bought ourselves tickets, then made our way to the exhibition area.
The Science Centre had its main focus on forests, specifically the forests of Finland, with the phrase "See the forest for the trees" all over the place. As we walked down a large set of stairs down the exhibition part of the building, we got a good look at just how big and open the building was. Yukinoshita explained to us that the building wasn't just a science centre, and that it's main focus was to actually be an office building, with the exhibition space being a large, completely open area. I was quite stunned at the interior of the building, and all the open space made it feel refreshing compared to everywhere else I had been so far. The air inside the building was also quit pleasant, unlike the stuffy indoor air one usually finds in buildings, which Yukinoshita attributed to the building being made of wood, as wooden surfaces even out indoor air humidity, and thus improve the air quality indoors. As we looked around the exhibition area after getting down the stairs, one of the "attractions", so to speak, caught our eye. In one corner of the room, just below the stairs, there was a large screen situated against the wall, with what seemed like toy rifles in a rack in front of the screen.
"That… kind of looks like a shooting game you'd find in an arcade." Haru said as we made our way over to the attraction, and upon a closer look, we saw a panel of text next to the screen.
"Test your hunting skills?" Hikigaya read out loud the English words written there. "Oh, I get it. Hey, Haruka. Want to give it a go?" Hikigaya asked Haru and picked up one the rifles.
"Why not. It's been quite a while since I've been to an arcade, so excuse me if my aiming is a little rusty." Haru said and moved over to Hikigaya, picking up the second rifle, then turning to face me again. "Will you be alright, Sora?"
"I'll be fine, we won't be far." I replied to him with a smile. "I know you need some guy time with another man, especially after being with me for so long." I said in a teasing tone, and Haru chuckled a little.
"Well, it's not like I dislike being with you, Sora. But, I guess you're right. Hideki and Tomoya-san are a little old for this kind of thing, after all. Although, I get the feeling that they're both childish enough to actually go for it..."
"It is said that men never grow up and get mature, they just grow bigger. Children trapped in the bodies of adults. How sad is that?" Yukinoshita said and smirked a little as her gaze shifted to Hikigaya.
"Oi, why'd you look at me when you said that?" Hikigaya replied in an annoyed tone, while Yukinoshita just giggled.
"My, the leech thinks I was paying attention to it. I think we should go, Sora-san, before we get infected with Hikigerms from this disgusting creature." Yukinoshita continued in her teasing tone and began to gently push me away from our partners.
"Even though I've gotten used to it, hearing things like that from your girlfriend's mouth does sting, you know..." Hikigaya said and sighed, but Yukinoshita and I had already made our way to another part of the exhibition.
"I do wonder… aren't you a little harsh on Hikigaya-san sometimes?" I asked as we walked over to a large pillar made of wood that stood in the centre of this part of the exhibition, apparently consisting of sixteen cubic metres of wood.
"I… well, I sometimes think that's the case as well, but… I make it up for him. And as he said, he's gotten used to it. We've bantered like this since our second year of High School, after all. And… well, let's just say that I know he won't be leaving us… er, me for something so trivial." Yukinoshita replied with an… odd smile on her face. 'Us'? What was that little blunder then? And what's with the smile? "Sora-san?" Yukinoshita's voice brought me out of my thoughts as she caressed the wooden pillar with her hand. "Pardon me for asking, but… You mentioned that you and your brother… only have each other? Could I… inquire about your past?" She then continued in a slightly lowered tone. I was expecting this sooner. I just need to be careful here. She bought our story, which technically was true, but we don't want her knowing the full truth.
"I don't mind you asking." I replied and placed my own hand on the pillar as well, feeling the texture of the wood underneath my fingers. "Where to start… Well, as I mentioned already, I'm quit weak physically, and always have been. When we were little, I would spend extended periods of time in hospital, so I didn't have many – or rather, any – chances to see my brother. When I was finally healthy enough to live at home… We had already missed so much of our early life together. We rapidly made up for the lost time, though, and made a promise that we'd never want to be separated from each other." I paused my explanation to Yukinoshita for a moment and glanced at her. A small smile formed on her face, and she looked like she was reminiscing about something.
"The innocent promises of young children..." Yukinoshita said softly. "Oh, but please, continue."
"Well, after that… one of the two big tragedies of our life happened with the death of our grandparents. For us, it meant that we couldn't visit their home village, Okukozome, any more. We were separated from our friends there, and the memories we made together slowly began to fade. Then, years later, the second big tragedy of our life happened." I paused for a moment to take a deep breath, and Yukinoshita turned to look at me fully. "Our parents… were in an accident. They didn't survive." Yukinoshita's eyes widened, and I could see the fingers caressing the wood stop abruptly. "We still had some family left that could have taken care of us, but… no-one wanted to take both of us in. But we didn't want that." I clenched my fingers into a fist and exerted some force onto the pillar, as the mere memory of their suggestion caused my blood to boil with anger. "Haru sold the house we lived in, and we moved to Okukozome, to the house of our late grandparents. This all happened… not too long ago, actually. And now, after some… drama relating to our childhood friends and our family members still being insistent on separating us, we're… well, here." I turned my gaze towards Yukinoshita, who lowered her gaze as our eyes met.
"I… I'm sorry..." Yukinoshita said quietly and bit her lip. "I truly had no idea that you had gone through all of that. I jumped to conclusions based on my own false observations. If you've only got each other… it makes sense that you'd grow close. And… and… Well… I'm not that close with my family… any more, and my older sister…" I now saw Yukinoshita's hand clench into a fist as well, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself. "I used to follow in her shadow. I idolised her. But then… we grew cold and distant. But I don't regret it. Maybe that's why… I didn't understand that siblings could be so… close. That they could… depend on each other." I placed a hand on Yukinoshita's shoulder and lightly gripped it, and as she raised her gaze to meet mine, I simply smiled at her.
"It's okay, Yukino-san. You had every right to be suspicious, and I don't deny that I can be clingy when it comes to my brother, but… That's all we can do. We just need to stay together, and cling onto each other, since there's no-one else there for us." I internally patted myself on the back for being so persuasive, and how easily I was able to skirt the truth, yet stay close enough to it so I wasn't lying. Then again… I really feel like I would need at least… someone who I could be fully honest with about my relationship with Haru. But that might be too much to ask. As Yukinoshita smiled back at me, I removed my hand from her shoulder, then turned around and took a few steps forwards, away from her. "You know..." I said and felt a smirk forming on my face. It doesn't hurt to be a little more truthful to her. "I'll let you in on a little secret." I turned around to face Yukinoshita again, as she tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Back when we were little, after we had gotten reunited… I used to have a crush on Haru." I said to Yukinoshita with a wink, as her eyes widened again. "But, I'm not little any more, am I?" I then said with a little giggle before turning around again. That's right… It's not a lie. I thought and glanced towards my brother, who was aiming the rifle towards the screen in the distance.
After all, what we have now is far from a simple crush.
AN: And I'm finally done, phew. This and the previous chapter are probably the ones I've done the most research for, and it really shows. I actually live in Rovaniemi, but even I had to search around for tourist spots other than the Santa Claus Village, where most of the tourists here come to. Given that this story takes place in the summer, it wouldn't really feel right to have the characters visit it. In the end, though, I ended up having them visit the places I'm most familiar with: Korundi, Arktikum and Pilke. Still, I had to do some research about the opening hours and different exhibits at all of them. All in all, I'm really proud of this chapter, especially since I got to "show off" the hoods where I've spent most of life at, and throw some random trivia about Finland to all of you! Trust me, when you tell people that Finland's National Stone is Granite, all the ladies will be flocking over to you. Works at least 50% of the time.
The next chapter will not take nearly as long as this one did, that I can promise. My new semester is quite lax, so plenty of time to write! I'll see you all in the next one!
[1] "Daisuki" in Japanese can mean both romantically loving someone/something, or simply liking someone/something a lot, like a friend or family member. This also applies to when Sora said earlier that she "loves her brother", in which case she would have used the word "daisuki" had this been written in Japanese, but the people hearing it (specifically Yukinoshita) would have understood it as Sora simply saying that she is very fond of her brother, but doesn't necessarily love him in a romantic sense, similar to how English speakers may say that they love their parents, friends or pets. Of course, we all know what she really meant with that line ;)
