Charlotte Route Chapter 2

Who knew that using an airplane as the transportation could be this sickening?! I managed to hold out from my slight airsickness but that gave Char a sign that I felt under the weather from all these turbulences in the airplane… The plane kept doing some kind of pattern in moving which made me tempted to throw up any time now… the only reason why I haven't done such a thing is because Char is here with me and she's watching me with a worrisome face… I managed to rally myself back to being composed before I glanced at her with a small smile to conceal my true emotions (Like airsickness).

"Eto… Are you sure that you're feeling alright, Ichika?" Her face was full of concern as she tried to check on me. "I can't blame you if you're feeling airsick right now. Riding an airplane and piloting an IS are two completely different things!" She tried cheering me up and began patting my back, in an attempt to lower down my chances of losing my lunch.

"I-I can take it. I'm just not that used to someone piloting for me anymore… I'm guessing that I used Byakushiki so much that I forgot how to tolerate the different turbulences from an airplane. I can adapt to it soon enough…" I lied so that I wouldn't burden her in any way. "We're close to arriving at France, am I right?" (I hope we're at least a few minutes close to getting to France…)

She looked at me with concern in her eyes as she continued with listening to some kind of music using her headphones. I had to loosen up the buckle of my seatbelt so that I may not throw up in front of her or something like that… I was hoping that we were getting close to France… I have a feeling I can't take these turbulences any longer… One more and I'd probably have that already…

To put my mind out of losing my lunch, I began listening to some famous songs in Japan that I downloaded recently. I had my earphones on just so I could ignore anything that may ruin the day for me.

Char was still wearing her hat so that she could hide something again and she even borrowed my jacket for the time being since she wanted to mask something and because she began feeling chilly due to the altitude and the air conditioning of the plane (That's what she gets for just wearing a strapped dress). I wasn't that chilly due to my choice of clothing. A blue turtleneck T-shirt, fully buttoned and with a black undershirt… and slightly baggy pants since I wouldn't to feel too warm now would I?

It's been a few hours since we took off from Japan in this airplane though. We were led to the mid-class seats so it's nothing too fancy and nothing too crowded. At this time, I began feeling a bit lightheaded from this airsickness which I obtained just an hour ago… I didn't know when we were going to land in France… Heck, I don't even know which country we were flying over. Char was in the window seat so I cannot see where we are exactly in the air…

"…Are we almost there, Char? I feel a bit lightheaded again… I really became not used to this kind of transportation… I used to be very tolerant with airplane turbulences in the past but now—" I gagged my mouth and hid my face which seems to have become slightly greenish.

"We're still a few hours away before landing at France…" She took a closer look at me but I refused to show my greenish face. "I-Ichika… are you sure you're alright? You really look under the weather right now…" She managed to see my face which was slowly changing color.

"I-I think I can't hold it any longer…" I leaned on her to try and sleep my way through this travel. "I need to sleep so that I may not do anything unnecessary… One more sudden movement from this plane and I just might lose it now…"

"I-If you say so, Ichika." She stuttered and hesitated a bit before letting me lie on her shoulder. I managed to loosen up a bit and regain my composure once I started relaxing but once some turbulence 5 minutes later kicked in, I shuddered while trying to keep that meal I had, inside.

I felt my stomach ache as I tried my hardest to cool down from this gruesome stomach ache I was having. I convulsed my head to get my mind out of this aching stomach I'm having… Char looked at me in shock as she noticed that I appeared to be even sicker than I was a few minutes ago.

"You can go spit it out in this paper bag Ichika…" She offered me a paper bag which I hastily accepted by taking it from her hand with my unused hand. "It'll be a long time before we even land in France so don't push yourself to be like this towards me. I also feel a bit airsick anyway."

I finally let go of my lunch as I turned away from Char and let it all out in the paper bag. After 20 torturing seconds, I finally felt myself get my composure back and my airsickness gone. I gave a sigh of relief as I disposed of the contaminated paper bag by throwing it to the nearest can I could find. As soon as got back to my seat, I managed to rest easy as the turbulences have finally ceased… Time for some relaxation time now… all thanks to Char.

"Thanks a lot Char… I really couldn't hold that thing inside me any longer… Plus, I didn't want to embarrass you in front of all these people so I had to mask my airsickness from you so that none of those possible things could happen." I admitted to her which just made her smile and understand me. "I just didn't want to act as a burden to you in this airplane trip so please forgive me for my continuous acting."

"You didn't really have to hide it, you know." She pointed it out as she gave a small pout. "I wouldn't want something worse than airsickness to happen to you. If you need to let it out then do what you need to relieve it! It's not healthy for you to bottle up anything which is supposed to go out."

"Hai, hai Char… I just didn't want to humiliate you here in middle-class since… some of them are quite classy and boastful so I figured that if I did do something like that, I would make them look down on the both of us and I wouldn't want that…" At that moment, I had a sudden realization about something. "Anyways… why aren't they noticing me? I am the only male IS pilot after all… Maybe this fact has gotten old so people aren't that impressed as before but all the other countries actually made a heated argument for me…"

"I don't know the reason for that as well… Orimura-sensei told me that the one representing France in the meeting was actually one of the most aggressive in the argument for you… Maybe, I'm the only French person here… maybe that's why." She responded with a doubtful response. "Anyway, that's actually a good thing if you ask me. I wouldn't want people to crowd around you and ask for your autograph or something…"

She seems to have not wanted her idea of people crowding around me to come true. It was like she dreamed for this alone time with me for a slightly long time already. I may be famous to some people (mostly girls whenever I go casually somewhere), but I actually want to have some space even if I'm like that. Most of the people in middle-class where women after all. Char seems to have become desperate to keep me close once I noticed that she pulled me back to our seat by cuddling to my arm and making us sit on the seat. (I think I felt something on my arm while she was pulling… What could that thing be?)

"Anyway… we should be at France by 2 hours so I hope that you would stay yourself as we stay with each other for this one week…" She started flustering by the words, stay together which perked up my curiosity. "I should try to avoid my father so that I could prevent him from knowing that I came back to France already… so I already reserved a hotel for the two of us by talking it out with that girl in the counter and accepting her offer which had something to do with some sort of package deal."

"I see anyway… I think I'll be okay for the time being but I must—" My words were suddenly cut by a sudden turbulence without a warning and accidentally felt a soft thing on my lips… (Don't tell me it's what I think it is…)

…

I think I just kissed Char… This could be troubling…

Next Chapter: Houki Route Chapter 5