Road to Osaka Part 1: Osaka or Bust
It was the crack of dawn one August morning and Ren and Ann were seen in the driveway of their home loading up a small You-Tow trailer with their luggage. Ren and Ann had been planning a family vacation to Osaka for months, and today was the day they were finally going to go.
The two of them, along with their children Minato and Kimiko, spent all of the previous night packing all of the essentials. As they packed, Minato and Kimiko, while excited for the trip, expressed their sorrow on how they'd miss their significant others, Mana and Mitsu Kitagawa and Kaito Watanabe. When they did that however, Ren and Ann had to hide a sneaky look that appeared on their faces; they had something planned.
The husband and wife finished packing their luggage and were now waiting for Minato and Kimiko to come out of the house with their luggage. Next to Ren, Morgana sat in his cat carrier. Inside the carrier, Morgana had a pee-pad just in case he had an accident.
"When are Minato and Kimiko going to be ready?" Morgana asked.
"They're probably using the bathroom before we go," Ren said.
"Oh, wait, here they come!" Ann said as she saw Minato and Kimiko leaving their house with their luggage. Minato checked the front door to make sure it was locked. The brother and sister met their parents and cat at the You-Tow trailer so they could put their luggage inside. As they did, they noticed a few extra pieces of luggage, but decided that their parents likely overpacked.
"You guys all set?" Ren asked, "No need to use the bathroom or anything?"
"No, dad," Kimiko smiled.
"Tank's all empty, pop," Minato said with a thumbs up.
"Alright," Ren smiled as he handed Minato Morgana and his cat carrier, "Put Morgana in the back seat, would you, son?"
"You got it," Minato said as he took the cat carrier from his father and made his way to the car door. But when he opened it…
"SURPRISE!" Came the excited voices of Mana, Mitsu, and Kaito.
"Whoa!" Minato exclaimed, "Mana, Mitsu!"
"And Kaito too!" Kimiko exclaimed delightfully, "What are you guys doing here?"
"Surprise, kids," Ann said.
"We decided to invite Mana, Mitsu, and Kaito along for the trip to surprise you two," Ren chimed in.
"Really?" Minato asked, "That's so awesome! Thank you!"
"Do their parents know about this?" Kimiko asked, "I mean, I thought about asking you two if Kaito can come along, but I didn't think you'd be cool with it."
"Well, we've known Mana, Mitsu, and Kaito for such a long time that they almost feel like family to us," Ann said, "Especially since you two started dating them."
"And yes, Yusuke, Haru, Daisuke, and Shiho are aware that they're coming with us," Ren said.
"We just got to keep in touch with our folks every now and again," Kaito said.
"Oh this is so wonderful!" Kimiko said as she hugged her boyfriend.
"Thank you so much, mom and dad!" Minato said gratefully.
"Anytime, Minato," Ren said to his son.
"Do you guys need to use the bathroom before we leave," Ann asked to the three teenagers that weren't hers.
"Not me," Kaito said.
"Me neither," Mana and Mitsu said.
"Alright, then I guess we're all set," Ren said, "Kimiko, Mana, and Mitsu, you girls take the middle seats. And Minato and Kaito, you boys and Morgana take the back seats."
"Sounds like a plan," Minato said as he, his sister, and their friends got into their seating arrangements as Ren put himself in the driver's seat and Ann in the front passenger seat.
"I've never been to Osaka before," Kaito said, "But I've heard great things about it."
"Ren and I have been there before," Ann said, "I think you're going to like it."
Ren put the keys in the ignition and started up the car.
"And we're off!" Ren exclaimed as the car, with the You-Tow trailer attached, pulled out of the driveway, kicking off a six-hour road trip.
We cut to the group as they leave Tokyo City Limits. Everything seems to be going well so far. Ren is keeping his eyes on the road while Ann reads some directions to the hotel that they printed out on paper. In the backseats, Minato and Kaito are having a conversation. In the middle seats, Kimiko is looking out her window as they drive by, Mitsu is taking a nap, and Mana, who is in between the two girls, has a bored expression on her face.
"I'm bored," Mitsu sighed.
"Come and look out the window with me, Mana," Kimiko offered as the floofy haired teen joined her blonde friend, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"The same thing I saw over the last couple feet; trees, trees, and more trees," Mana said.
"How about a game of 'I Spy'?" Kimiko suggested as she looked out the window, "I spy with my little eye…" as Kimiko looked out the window, she saw a Sika Deer grazing in some grass, "...something that starts with the letter D."
"Deer?" Mana asked.
"I guess that was an easy one," Kimiko said as she rubbed her head.
"Here's an idea, Mana," Mitsu said, half-asleep, "Why don't you take a nap like what I'm doing?"
"You can use my travel pillow if you want, darling," Minato said as he handed Mana his travel pillow.
"Mmm, okay, thanks" Mana said as she leaned back in her seat, placed the travel pillow around the back of her neck, and tried to get some shut eye.
With no one left to talk to, Kimiko turned around to look at Minato, Morgana, and Kaito. She noticed something familiar around Kaito's neck.
"Hey, that's the seashell necklace I made for you eight years ago," Kimiko said.
"Yeah," Kaito said, "And it's still in good condition. I wear it for very special occasions. You know, birthdays, weddings, vacations."
"I gotta admit I didn't think you still had it," Kimiko said, "I thought you lost it or threw it away."
"Aw, babe," Kaito said, sounding hurt that Kimiko would think of such a thing, "I could never throw anything you gave me away. Especially since you made it with your own hands. And to be frank, this seashell necklace you made for me is one of my most prized possessions, because you made it for me. It was a symbol of our friendship when we were kids, but now it's a symbol of our love."
Hearing her boyfriend's loving words almost made Kimiko cry.
"Babe," Kimiko said, "That was beautiful. I wish I was back there with you right now so I could kiss you."
"That's exactly why we separated you all based on gender," Ren said, overhearing his daughter and her boyfriend, "Can't have you kids getting all kissy-faced while we're driving."
"I understand, dad, sorry," Kimiko said as she sat back down.
As the group continued to drive, Ren got a troubled look on his face. A look which Ann immediately noticed.
"Hey, is everything okay, Ren?" Ann asked.
"Yeah, Ann," Ren said, "I just feel like I'm forgetting something. Let me think…Hmm, toiletries we have, clothes we have, extra money, pillows from home, Takemi's Love Potion in case you and me get some alone time…We have everything, I just can't seem to shake this-"
Suddenly, a light on the dashboard started blinking. It was the 'Low Gas' Light.
"Aw man, I forgot to get gas yesterday," Ren said.
"There's a gas station at the next exit, dad," Minato said from the back seat, "It'll give us a chance to stretch our legs and get some breakfast sandwiches too."
"Good call," Ren said as he pulled off the highway to get some gas.
A few moments later, we see Ren pumping gas into his car while we see Kaito, Kimiko, and Mitsu outside of the car, stretching their legs. Kimiko had also let Morgana out of his cat carrier so he could move around. Ann, Minato, and Mana come out of the mini-mart, breakfast sandwiches and bottles of juice in hand. Mana, however, had her breakfast sandwich and a cherry slurpee for herself. After handing breakfast sandwiches and juice bottles to everyone, Minato looks at Mana and offers her a juice bottle.
"Want some orange juice, Mana?" Minato asked.
"No thanks, I'm good," Mana said as she held up her slurpee bottle.
"Slurpee at seven in the morning," Mitsu said with sarcasm in her voice, "Now that's the breakfast of champions right there."
"Yeah, I have a sweet tooth, but even I have to admit that that's pretty bad," Kimiko said.
"It's gotta be cherry slurpee time somewhere," Mana said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Mana, I promise you that if you drink that whole thing you're going to have to pee like a racehorse," Mitsu warned.
"Don't worry about me, Mitsu," Mana said, haughtily, "I'll be just fine."
"Alright, everyone, tank's all filled up," Ren said as he attached the gas hose back to the pump, "Let's hit the road."
Everyone got back in their assigned seats in the car, with Morgana back in his cat carrier. With the gas tank all filled up and everyone's seat belts fastened, the group of eight got back on the highway towards Osaka.
Some time later in the trip…
"So what do you guys have planned when we get to Osaka?" Kaito asked Ren and Ann.
"Osaka is home to a lot of great attractions, Kaito," Ren said, "There's International Studios Theme Park, the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, lots of marketplaces for shopping, the famed Osaka Castle, the Kaiyukan Aquarium, Kuchu Teien Observatory, the Dotombori District, and the Tokimeki Beach."
"Dad also had plans for us to go fishing one morning while the girls have a spa day, Kaito," Minato chimed in.
"Sounds like fun," Kaito smiled.
"Just sit back and relax everyone," Ann said, "We'll be in Osaka before we know it."
At least that's what she thinks, because as soon as she said that, Ren slammed on the brakes because they encountered the worst part of any road trip…the traffic jam!
"Oh man," Minato whined.
"It's just a minor setback," Ren assured everyone, "Nothing to be upset about."
"Oh really," Kimiko said as she reached into the dashboard to click a button that opened up the sunroof. Grabbing a pair of binoculars from hammerspace, she pokes her head out of the sunroom and uses them to find a long line of traffic.
"This traffic jam lasts for miles, and we're at the end of it," Kimiko said as she sat back down and closed the sunroof.
"What do you think happened up there?" Mana asked.
"Could be anything," Mitsu said, "Construction, car accident, who knows?"
"Let's just keep thinking positive everyone," Ren said, "We'll be out of this traffic jam in no time."
30 Minutes Later
The group is still stuck in traffic as they're wearing exhausted and annoyed looks on their faces.
"Have we moved at all in the last 30 minutes?" Kaito asked.
"Maybe a few centimeters," Mitsu said.
"It's gotta be more than that," Kimiko said.
"Is this rapture?" Mana asked, "Are we going to die?"
"What kind of question is that?" Ann asked, "It's just a regular traffic jam, Mana, just be patient."
"I'm sorry, Auntie Ann," Mana said, "It's just that we're stuck in the longest traffic jam in the world, on one of the hottest days of the year, and I have to pee and no one has a cup. I don't know what to do right now."
"I told you that slushie would go right through you if you drank it," Mitsu said.
"Uncle Ren, next rest stop you see can we stop so I can relieve myself?" Mana asked the driver.
"As long as it's a quick stop," Ren said.
"Thank you," Mana said gratefully before catching a whiff of urine, "What's that awful smell?"
"I don't know," Minato said, smelling the scent as well, "It smells like it's coming from…Morgana's cat carrier."
"Morgana, did you pee in there?" Ren asked.
"Maybe a little," Morgana said in an ashamed tone of voice, "Look, I couldn't help it! Mana started talking about pee and that made me have to go and my bladder is weaker than hers and-"
On Minato, Kimiko, Kaito, Mana, and Mitsu's end they just heard Morgana meowing and yowling rather than explaining himself to Ren and Ann. The five of them just looked at each other in confusion and shrugged their shoulders.
"...and I'm sorry," Morgana concluded.
"Well, looks like we're going to have to stop to change Morgana's pee-pad," Ann said.
"I hope it doesn't take too long," Kaito said as he plugged his nose to block the stench of Morgana's urine.
It took a long time, but the group finally found a rest stop after breaking free from the traffic jam. This rest stop had a small building with a few bathrooms inside, which Mana used while Minato, Mitsu, Kimiko, Morgana, and Kaito hung out on one of the nearby picnic tables. Mana rejoined the group a few moments later and they just have a chat while Kimiko pets behind Morgana's ears.
Meanwhile, Ren took the dirty pee-pad out of Morgana's cat carrier, throwing it away in a nearby trash can before cleaning out the inside of said cat carrier while Ann sprayed some air freshener inside the car.
"Car's all set, everyone," Ren called to his kids and their significant others, "Let's hit the road!"
Everyone gets back into the car and the group of eight hit the road again
The group eventually makes it to the halfway point of their journey; Osaka is only 3 hours away. Unfortunately, thanks to being held up by the traffic jam, it was almost lunch hour and Mana, Mitsu, and Minato were starting to get peckish.
"Dad, I'm hungry," Minato said, "Can we stop somewhere, please?"
"We'll eat when we get to Osaka," Ann said.
"It is the food capital of Japan after all," Ren chimed in, "Your mom and I printed out a whole bunch of lists of restaurants and eateries to check out while we're there."
"Well that's for later, this is for right now," Mana said, "And right now Minato, Mitsu, and I can go for a burger."
Ren and Ann relent and decide that they probably wouldn't have dinner for a few hours after they arrived at Osaka. On top of that, they know people tend to get moody when they're without food for long enough.
"Okay, we'll stop," Ren said, "But we're stopping just for lunch and that's it."
"We also have a schedule we're trying to keep, so let's make our orders simple," Ann chimed in.
"Sounds good," Minato said.
They found a billboard that advertised a Big Bang Burger at the next exit. However, next to that billboard was another billboard that advertised 'The World's Largest Ball of Yarn', which Kimiko and Kaito quickly noticed.
"Oh my gosh!" Kimiko exclaimed, "The world's largest ball of yarn!"
"We've got to see it!" Kaito chimed in.
"We're already stopping for lunch, guys," Ren said as he got off of the exit and drove towards the nearby Big Bang Burger, "I'm sorry, we don't have time to see any roadside attractions. Maybe on the way back we can."
"No need, dad, look," Kimiko said as they approached the Big Bang Burger, which was right across the street from 'The World's Largest Ball of Yarn'.
"Huh, what are the odds," Ann asked.
Ren parked the car in the Big Bang Burger parking lot and while he, Ann, Minato, Mana, and Mitsu went inside the restaurant, Kaito, Kimiko, and Morgana, who was still in his cat carrier, went across the street to check out the roadside attraction. The blonde teen and her brown haired boyfriend gave their order to Ren and Ann before running across the street.
We then cut to a few moments later when Ren, Ann, Mana, Mitsu, and Minato get their lunch order. They take a seat by the window and start eating their food just as Kaito, Kimiko, and Morgana return. Kaito and Kimiko are seen wearing souvenir shirts and hats, and carrying a bag full of other souvenirs.
"You were right for trying to dissuade us from going to that roadside attraction, dad," Kimiko said, "It was kind of lame."
"The gift shop was cool though," Kaito said as he reached into his bag to pull out a mouse pad that read 'I Heart Yarn' and gave it to Ren, "Look, we got you a mousepad."
"Thanks, Kaito," Ren said as he looked at the mousepad, "Anyway, lunch is served. Take a seat and enjoy."
"Great," Kimiko smiled as she and Kaito took a seat and started eating their burgers.
"So how long until we get there?" Kaito asked.
"If we don't make any more stops we should still get to the hotel ahead of schedule," Ann said.
"Where are we staying anyway?" Mitsu asked.
"We booked a suite in the Hotel Royal Classic Osaka," Ren explained, "The suite comes with three rooms, all three of which have television sets and air conditioning. So I figured Ann and I would take one room, the boys can take another room, and the girls can take the other. Morgana can sleep in our room too."
"Awesome," Morgana smiled.
"The room also has an infinity pool and a jacuzzi on the balcony," Ren added.
"Dang dad, what did you do to score that?" Minato asked.
"Your father and I attended a silent auction where that hotel suite was one of the prizes," Ann said.
"Some guys get all the breaks," Mana said.
"I can't wait to get there," Kimiko chimed in.
"Yeah, it's gonna be great," Ren said as the group continued eating their lunch.
After everyone ate their lunch, it was time to get back on the road. Fortunately, there were no further interruptions and the likes of Minato, Morgana, Kimiko, Kaito, Mana, and Mitsu were sound asleep, their bellies full of Big Bang Burger. Ren and Ann could enjoy a nice quiet car ride in peace and talk amongst themselves.
The five teens and one cat woke up just in time to see a sign that read 'Welcome to Osaka'.
"We're here!" Minato cheered.
"Almost," Ren said, "We've gotta find the hotel first."
As Ren drove, Ann gave him the directions to the hotel. After a few minutes, they finally made it to the Hotel Royal Classic Osaka. When they parked, everyone grabbed their luggage from the You-Tow trailer and went inside to check in.
Once inside the hotel, Ren went up to the front desk to get his key, making sure to grab spares for his wife, his children and their significant others. With all of their keys in hand, the group went up to their hotel suite to see that it was everything Ren had promised.
All eight members of the group went to their respective rooms and unpacked. Once everyone got settled, they decided to hang out in the suite for a little bit. Minato managed to hook up his Funtendo Switch to the television in his room and he played against Mana and Mitsu in Superb Shatter Dudes Ultimate while Morgana watched. Ren and Ann hung out on the balcony to take in the view and continue their chat from when the teens were napping in the car. Kaito and Kimiko meanwhile were in the girls' bedroom having a quick make out session.
After a while, Ren and Ann came back into the suite to address everyone else.
"I think we stayed here long enough," Ren said, "There's a great big city out there waiting to be explored. Let's have some fun!"
Minato, Mana, Mitsu, Kaito, and Kimiko cheered as the group of eight left the room to enjoy their first night in Osaka.
What follows is a brief montage of everything they did on their first night there.
Scene #1: We see the group taking a ride on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. Since there was a limit of six people per gondola, Ren, Ann, Kimiko, and Kaito took one gondola while Minato, Mana, Mitsu, and Morgana took another one. They stare in awe at the city skyline and take plenty of pictures.
Scene #2: Everyone is taking pictures in front of the Namba Yasaka Shrine
Scene #3: Everyone is at the Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street looking for some souvenirs. They find all kinds of pictures, figurines, and hanging scrolls as well as clothes ranging form more modern get-ups to fancy kimonos.
Scene #4: The group is seen at a seafood restaurant having a lobster dinner. Not far from them, Morgana was seen eating some fatty tuna on a plate that the waiter had left for him.
"Mmm," Minato sighed happily, "This is delicious!"
"Best lobster I think I've ever had," Ann chimed in.
"I'm glad you all liked it," Ren said, "This restaurant had the best reviews on Tour Advisor."
"They earned every star," Kaito said as he took in another bite of lobster.
"Hey, Mana," Mitsu said to her sister, "Remember when we were little and dad showed us our first lobster?"
"Yeah, you fainted and I screamed saying that it was a giant bug," Mana laughed to herself, "If our past selves saw us eating and enjoying lobster, I can only imagine the look on their faces."
"So true," Mitsu said as she took in another bite of lobster.
"Everyone," Ren said as he picked up his wine glass, "I'd like to propose a toast. Here's to us, our friends, our health, and may we have a fun, happy, healthy stay here in Osaka, and a safe, stress-free journey home in a few days."
"Amen," Ann said as everyone else concurred before taking a sip from their respective beverages.
After dinner, the group of eight returned to their hotel where they watched 'Privateers of the Mediterranean' before retiring to their rooms for a good night's sleep. Once the five younger folks made sure Ren and Ann were asleep, however, Kimiko snuck over to the boys' bedroom to be with Kaito, while Minato snuck over to the girls' bedroom to be with Mana and Mitsu.
…
Nothing explicit happened though, they do have some respect for the rules.