The ride to Tokyo lasted around a short hour and a half, but that didn't stop Nonoko and Sumire from trying to get as much shut-eye as possible. They didn't usually wake up early to watch the sunrise, so as soon as they found seats on the train, they knocked out.
Anna looked with affection at the two sleepers and then turned her attention to Mikan and Hotaru. Mikan had been oddly quiet, and Hotaru looked deep in thought.
"What's up, you two?"
"Hm? Nothing~ I'm just excited," Mikan answered distractedly.
"Mikan, I have some questions for you," Hotaru decided to use this opportunity to get something off her mind.
"Yeah? Shoot."
"Your uncle. What's his name?"
"Kazumi Yukihira."
"Have you ever seen him in person? How do we know that the person you've been in contact with is actually him? What if you're being lured to Tokyo by some stranger?"
"I haven't met him, no. But I trust him. He knew things about my parents that strangers wouldn't know. His stories about them line up with my mom's stories, so…"
Hotaru was pleased by this answer. "Okay, that's good. Can I see that message he sent you again? The one that says that he'll admit all of us."
"Sure." Mikan grabbed her phone from her backpack and handed it to Hotaru. Hotaru scanned the words from the text conversation, and sure enough, the principal of Alice Academy welcomed them, all five of them, but he never explained why.
"Anything else, Hotaru?" Anna watched the interrogation in silence, and she understood why Hotaru couldn't fully trust Mikan's uncle yet. Even she felt unsure of the situation at hand. After all, realistically, who would so readily take in four strangers?
"I just don't understand why he would take all of us in. I mean, Alice Academy is a pretty top tier school. Usually only rich people attend. Even if he's the principal, giving all of us scholarships is a bit… it's a bit much, you know?" Hotaru voiced her doubts.
Anna agreed completely. "We can ask him about it when we meet him in Tokyo. For now, let's just be thankful." She reached over to pat Hotaru's hands that Hotaru clasped tightly in her lap. With Anna's touch, they relaxed a little.
However, Hotaru still seemed uneasy, and Mikan, not used to seeing this side of her always-confident best friend, attempted to lift the mood.
"What should we do when we get there? I wanna check out the malls. Gasp, what are we going to do when some city boys try to pick us up?"
"No one would try to pick up idiots like you. Don't worry. And we need to check in at the school before anything, so let's figure out what to do with our free time later, when everyone's awake." Hotaru let out a rare chuckle.
"Okie dokie artichokie," Mikan agreed. Then she added, "And hey, Hotaru? I can be attractive as hell when I want to be."
Soon after, even Mikan fell asleep. Only Anna and Hotaru stayed awake, and Anna could tell that something still bothered Hotaru.
"Really. What's up, Hotaru?"
"Nothing."
"For real."
"What are you, a human lie detector?"
Anna waited expectantly.
"Well, don't tell the others this. A few days ago, we got a letter. It was from Kuonji."
Anna tensed up at the name.
"He challenged our gang to a fight. It was supposed to be today."
"But since we're leaving…"
"Yeah. We're gone. That doesn't have anything to do with us anymore."
"I hope he doesn't find out where we went."
"He won't. Only the rest of our gang knows that we're leaving, and even so, they only know we're going to Tokyo. It's too big for Kuonji to find us."
"Right." Anna felt slightly better, but a sensation of worry continued to nag at her.
Anna's eyes slid over to watch Mikan, Sumire, and Nonoko as they slept.
If only every day could be as peaceful as right now.