Chapter 66 – Tour de Paris (Part 3)
Mugi's POV
"M-Miharu…can I talk to you for a second?"
"Huh? Sure, Mugi. What's up?" Miharu asked after I had stopped her in the middle of the store.
"W-Well…it's something best to be spoken in private. So…"
"In private?" Miharu went silent for a bit as she gained an exasperated look on her face. "*sigh* Fine…I guess I can get Zoé's souvenir later."
"Sorry, Miharu…but you're REALLY going to need to hear this."
"What could be SO important that it couldn't wait until later?"
"W-Well…"
So, then I told Miharu everything that my dreamy doppelgänger had told me before. The existence of her mom's Dream World, how it's currently being destroyed by a virus, and how I've been tasked to restore it using a Dream Camera she gave me.
And by the end of it all, Miharu was nearly speechless.
"S-So…s-something is EATING my mom's memories?"
"I'm surprised that you're so quick to believe what I'm saying…"
"Well, of course, I believe you. You're my sister and you wouldn't make up something THIS bizarre. Plus…I have been to the Dream World before."
"Well...yeah. That's true."
"So…how long has it been going on?"
"My dreamy self didn't say. But if I had to guess, it probably has been a while. Your mom's Dream World has only existed for about 11 months."
"11 months? Huh…" Miharu then gained a sad look on her face. "That's around the same time Mom actually died…"
"Miharu…"
"*sniff* I-It's okay…*clears throat* I'm fine, really."
"Well…if you say so…"
Having her mom being brought up again is one thing…but hearing that her afterlife world is being slowly destroyed by some kind of virus is on a whole different scale. I really do hope she's okay…
"Anyway…you said you were in the middle of fixing it, right?"
"Huh? Oh…yeah." I pulled up the gallery on the camera and showed it to Miharu. "I already took a lot of pictures. Even one of Yoko-chan. But I think I still have a lot more to go."
"My, my…it seems like you've taken a lot of pictures there."
"Gah! Qu'est-ce que c'est?!" We both shouted loudly after suddenly hearing a voice enter both of our ears. When then turned around to see a green-haired girl with a long strand on each side…wearing a brown white uniform dress with a skull broach on its center…looking back at us in such a carefree manner.
"Now, was that really necessary? I was just curious, that's all."
"C-Curious people don't whisper into other people's ears, you damn weirdo!" Miharu yelled.
"But even still…shouting "what the fuck?!" in a public store for all to hear is just bad manners, you know."
"Y-You're one to talk, you nosey-ass little…"
"Miharu, calm down!" I said while covering her mouth. "Ah…sorry about my sister. She's definitely the vocal type."
"Sisters?" The girl looked closely at us. "*giggle* I do kinda see it. From your hair to your facial features…even your boobs are the same size. Very impressive."
"Uh…" Both of us gained huge sweatdrops.
I really wish people would stop bringing that up…
"N-Now that I look at you…you seem to have more features of a Japanese native than a French one." I said. "Are you on a school trip as well?"
"You can tell?" The girl giggled a bit. "Well…don't you have good observation. Indeed, I am from Japan. My name is Tsuzuki Hirase. A third-year at Kitouji Academy. But you may call me…Tsuzi."
"Um…okay. Tsuzi-chan."
"Mugi, this girl is creeping me out!" Miharu whispered to me. "Let's ditch her ass already!"
"Be nice." I whispered back to her. "We'll just tell her that we have places to be and she'll be on her way."
"You make it sound so easy…"
Just watch how being polite always works in the end…
"Well, Tsuzi-chan…it was nice to meet you. But we have to catch up with our classmates now. Here's to hoping we see each other again."
"I don't want to see her again…"
"Miharu!" I scolded her.
"Oh, believe me. We'll definitely see each other again. Tsumugi Kotobuki and Miharu Neroni. Farewell for now. *giggle*" This was the last thing Tsuzi-chan said to us before heading out of the store. Leaving us two in pure shock and confusion as we didn't understand how she knew our names.
Something is definitely up with that girl…
"Geez…never would've thought my home country would be attractive to even the FREAKIEST of Japanese freaks."
"Stop that." I scolded Miharu once more. "At least she's gone."
"Yeah, true. I guess…"
"Miharu! Mugi! Come on! We're heading for the next stop!" Danielle called out to us.
"Coming!" Miharu replied back. "*sigh* Well, whatever. Hopefully that weird encounter doesn't ruin the rest of my trip back home."
"Just keep being optimistic, Miharu." Was all I said.
The next stop on our first-day tour was a place called the Champ de Mars. Home of the famous Eiffel Tower. The centerpiece of the entire city. The country, even.
When I went to the Dream World, it was missing several parts. Making it look incomplete. But hopefully, with this Dream Camera, I can restore it to its former glory.
…
Well…dreamy former glory. I guess…
"Alrighty, folks! Next up on our tour is the all-so famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower!" Danielle cheered. "Locally nicknamed as "La dame de fer"…which is French for "Iron Lady"…construction for this global culture icon lasted for 2 years. Being the centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair. And since then, a record-amount of 300 million people from around the world have come to gain a remarkable view of this one and only tower."
"Woah…" Some of us were really amazed by the facts given to us.
"You're taking this tour guide job very seriously, Danielle. Someone here you're trying to impress?" Éliott asked with a smirk on his face.
"Tch! Y-You didn't have to tag along, you know. There's still school."
"Eh. I'm pretty sure it's out for the day already. And besides…even if Miharu wasn't here I still would've skipped. I'm not down for sitting in a desk for 8 hours of my day."
"See? This guy gets it!" Ricchan said.
"We could be out having fun…but instead we're in a single classroom most of the day "learning". What a bullshit lie!" Eri-chan added.
"Shut up, you two…" Mio-chan and Mika-chan retorted them both.
"It's amazing how your parents keep approving your grade advancements, Éliott." Miharu said with a sweatdrop.
"Oh, whatever." Éliott then went silent for a bit. "You know, now that I think about it…André said that he was heading over to the tower after school. He's probably there by now."
"André's at the tower? What for?"
"He's taking Advance Art this year." Danielle said. "He's really hoping to get into that fancy art school once he graduates."
"Oh, yeah…forgot that he was into art."
"André…" I thought about the name. "…he was the boy with long bangs over his eyes, right?"
"Yep. My twin brother." Danielle said. "He's a bit on the shy side…and by "a bit", I mean a lot. So, having this large group around him would probably freak him out."
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem." Yui-chan said. "Thanks to Miku-chan, we have complete experience with shy people."
"Miku-chan?" Danielle and Éliott gained confused looks.
"Her actual name is Mikuru." Miharu said with a sweatdrop. "I live with her and her mom back in Japan."
"Oh…"
"Even with that in mind, would it really be okay for all of us to meet him like this?" Nodoka-chan asked.
"Ah, it should be fine. I bet seeing me again after nearly a year will calm him down at least a little bit."
"Well, if it's a chance to meet more French people, then I'm totally in!" Yoko-chan cheered. "The more people around the better my French can get!"
"You're really dedicated to learning this language, huh?" Himeko-chan asked. But with a concerned look on her face.
They still haven't done it yet, haven't they? If they wait too long, it's going to be too late…
"Well…I should at least tell him that we're in the area." Danielle said. "That way, he won't get spooked up like crazy. Let's go, everyone!"
We then continued our tour with our destination still being the Eiffel Tower. Only now, we were on the lookout for one of Miharu's friends who's apparently really shy.
This definitely won't backfire on us all…
"And here we are~! La dame de fer at its finest! Truly a sight to behold."
"It's the same metal tower we see every day."
*PINCH*
"Ow!"
"Shut up, Éliott!" Danielle quietly yelled as she yanked on Éliott's ear.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were admiring the sheer beauty of seeing one of the world's famous landmarks up close and personal. With me in particular taking multiple pictures from different angles. Not just for the Dream World…but also because I was truly amazed by it as a whole.
This might be a bigger experience than Big Sight!
"Well, aren't you enjoying the view…"
"Oh, Miharu." I said as she walked up to me. "*giggle* Yeah, I guess I am. This is truly a remarkable sight. I've taken so many pictures that I've lost count."
"How many pictures does it take to repair a dreamy version of the Eiffel Tower?"
…
…
…
"I…I don't know, actually." I said after thinking about it. "In fact, I don't really know how many pictures it'll take to fully restore Akiyo's Dream World. My doppelgänger never went into full detail about this camera."
"Huh…well, I'm hopeful that it doesn't take the entire trip."
"I can agree with you on that." I said with an exhausted sigh. "So…did you find your friend yet?"
"*sigh* No. He's definitely hiding due to the crowds. He didn't respond to Danielle's text and even with her and Éliott looking for…Oh, my God! Shush! There he is!"
"Where?" I looked to where Miharu was pointing. "You mean that boy in the light-blue sweater?"
"Yes, him. And keep it down! I'm gonna give him a surprise!"
"B-But isn't he shy like Mikuru-chan?"
"Eh. He'll be fine. Just watch this."
"Wh-What? M-Miharu, wait!" I then began chasing after her to where the boy was sitting. Once we were only a few centimeters away from him, we were able to hear what he was saying to himself.
"330 mètres de haut...125 mètres à la base...et 276 mètres au dernier étage. *sigh* Toutes ces mesures...pour que je dessine un dessin de tour proportionnellement précis, il faudrait que je le mette à l'échelle plusieurs fois de haut en bas. M-Mais faire ça seul me ferait passer pour un cinglé..."
"Eh bien, si ça t'inquiète, je pourrais monter avec toi."
"Gah!" The boy screamed loudly after Miharu got into his face from above and scared the crap out of him. "M-Miharu?!"
"Salut, André. Ravi de vous revoir."
"Pas question...t-tu es vraiment de retour!" The boy hugged Miharu in pure joy before realizing what he was doing. And pulled back as quickly as he latched on. "Je, euh...t-tu m'as vraiment manqué. T-Tu sais..."
"*giggle* Je comprends. Je comprends. Tu m'as manqué aussi, André."
"You two look like really good friends." I spoke out in English.
"Gah! Wh…Wh-Who are you?" The boy freaked out once he noticed me standing next to Miharu.
"André, it's okay." Miharu said as she wrapped her arm around my neck. "This is Tsumugi Kotobuki. You know…my half-sister."
"Half-sister?" André went silent for a bit. "Oh…O-Oh, yeah. I remember Danielle telling me about it. It's nice to, uh…m-m-meet you. Ts-Tsumugi."
"C'est un plaisir de te rencontrer aussi, André." I replied.
"Y-You…You can…sp-speak French."
"I learned it myself. Well, mostly. I did had Miharu teach me all of the complicated stuff."
"I-I see…"
"Hey! André!" Danielle yelled out as she and the others came up to us. "Geez, there you are. I sent you a message saying we were heading over here but you never responded."
"O-Oh…sorry, Sis. I was, uh…z-zoned out with my assignment. I have to draw the Eiffel Tower and…g-get its exact measurements."
"It's EXACT measurements?" Éliott asked. "Damn, that advance class ain't screwing around, huh?"
"Y-Yeah…it's seriously hard stuff. B-But I'm willing to go through it all. I-If it means me getting that scholarship and…y-you know…st-stop Mom from stressing…"
"André…" Danielle said with a sad-like look.
"What does he mean by that?" I asked Miharu.
"Their dad isn't…well…in the picture. So, it's only been them two and their mom for a good while."
"I see…"
A single parent…now that I think about it, Mother is like that now since Father's passing. Though, I haven't really spoken to her since the Okinawa trip…
"Hey, hey. Why are we getting sad now of all times?" Ricchan asked. "We're supposed to be having fun on this trip. Not thinking about how life is an ass sometimes."
"Ricchan's right!" Yui-chan cheered. "We're on vacation! Let's enjoy it to the fullest with clear happy thoughts in mind!"
"*giggle* Yeah, you guys are right." Danielle said with a small smile. "We can think of the gloomy stuff later. Right now…we're at the Eiffel Tower! And my younger twin brother André is going to give out some fun facts about it!"
"W-Wait…wh-what?" André's face grew pale once he heard that.
"Oh, come on. You said you were getting its exact measurements, right?"
"Y-Yes, but…I-I'm doing this for my own purpose! D-Don't make me do your job~!"
"It's only for like a few minutes. And besides…it'll be good practice for getting rid of your shyness."
"Th-This again~?!"
"Wow…he really is like Mikuru-san." Himeko-chan said.
"Hey, Mio…you wanna try taking him somewhere private and whisper to him?" Ricchan asked. "It could work like with Mikuru~…"
"N-No way! I-I'm not doing that with a boy!" Mio-chan yelled with a faint blush on her face.
"Come on. What's the big deal? Boys get panic attacks too."
"That doesn't mean that I have to help with it!"
"You could at least try. I mean, look at him." We then turned back to the conversation between Trézel siblings.
"Wh-Why do you keep doing this~?!" André whined as he continued to panic. "M-My anxiety isn't…s-something that can just…g-go away on its own~!"
"André…you're 18 and cowering in fear behind a sketchbook. It's obvious as to why I keep doing this." Danielle replied with a straight look.
"*whine*"
…
…
…
"Although…I do see a little bit of myself in him…"
"You seem to be good at calming people down, Mio." Miharu said. "It'll be nice if André had the same composer as you."
"Well…" Mio-chan went silent for a bit. "…*sigh* Alright, fine. I can at least give it a try."
"You can totally do it, Akiyama-san!" Yoko-chan cheered. "You're like the calmest person ever!"
"That's debatable…" It was faint…but I at least was able to hear Mika-chan mumble that to herself.
I mean, she's right…but it was still kinda cruel to say…
We then watched Mio-chan head over to the still-arguing Trézel siblings in an attempt to calm André down. Much like she did with Mikuru-chan and, to an extent, Kaho-chan.
…
Technically, it was Mikuru-chan. But she did use Mio-chan's technique. Whatever that is.
"Um…excuse me. André-san. My name's Mio Akiyama. I can actually relate to you feeling all nervous around other people."
"Y…Y-You can?" André asked in shock.
"Yeah, definitely. It's been a trait I've had since grade school. And they're actually a special technique I use to help me calm down. I could…you know…tell you about it."
"W-Would you really?"
"Is this really going to work?" Danielle asked. Sounding skeptical about this whole thing.
"Trust me, Danielle. This is guaranteed to work." Ricchan said. "Mio and I are childhood friends and this has worked for her several times."
"Well, if it can work for André, then it'll be a freaking miracle." Éliott said. Also sounding skeptical.
"W-Well…I-I'm willing to…y-you know…try it." André said. "So, would you tell it to me, Mio? I-I'll even pay. I-I'm not entirely sure how my money would convert to Yen. B-But…"
"Y-You don't have to pay, André-san! I'll tell you for free!" Mio-chan said in a panicked fit before calming down herself. "So, um…what you do is…" She then got closer to him and whispered in his ear whatever this "technique" is supposed to be.
…
…
…
"R-Really? Th-That really works?"
"It's helped me through 17 years of my life. I'm sure it'll help with your anxiety problems."
"Well…" André went silent for a bit. "…I-I guess I'll try it then. Th-Thank you for the advice, uh…M-Mio."
"You're very welcome, André-san." Mio-chan said with a small smile.
"Well? What's this technique?" Danielle asked. "I wanna know what it is!"
"O-Oh…uh…s-sorry, Sis. Mio and I promised to, uh…k-keep it between us. I-I-It's…v-very sensitive stuff."
"Wh-What?!"
"*sigh* Encore une fois avec cette merde..."
"Miharu!" I nudged her in the arm.
"*groan* Fine, whatever." Danielle said. "If this "technique" really works, then I'll blow this over."
"Th-Thanks…S-Sis."
"Now, then…let's see if this "technique" will help you detail those Eiffel Tower measurements."
"Y-You mean I still have to do that?!"
"Better now than never, little bro."
"*whine* Sis~…"
"And THIS is why I'm glad I'm an only child." Éliott said.
"PREACH, French dude." Eri-chan added as the two high-fived each other.
"Honestly, you two…" Nodoka-chan retorted with an exasperated sweatdrop.
Miharu and I both wanted to say something about it…but on a technicality, we're not the only children in our family. A fact that, even though we've accepted, still bothers us to this day.
*LATER THAT NIGHT, AT THE HOTEL…*
"Phew…man, what a great first day!"
"I'm with you on there, Yoko-chan!" Yui-chan said as the two were still reliving their first-day tour of a brand-new city. "We saw so many new things that my excitement level is still through the roof!"
"Right?! Now, all I gotta see is that Dreamy Star Festival and my Paris vacation will be golden!"
"Well, that's not until tomorrow. So, try to calm it down tonight." Himeko-chan said.
"*whine* Himeko~…"
"Damn…how the hell can there be so many lesbians at ONE school? It's ridiculous!"
"It's just a thing, Éliott." Ricchan said as the two, along with Eri-chan, were chatting amongst each other. "Most of the time, girls our age are wanting to go to an all-girls school because they don't like boys for whatever reason. And then at some point, they become lesbians. It's one of the main stereotypes of a Japanese school life."
"Huh…" Éliott went silent for a bit. "…so, do you swing that way, too?"
"N-No! I-I don't! Really! L-Like for real! Why does everyone just assume that I do?!"
"Everyone?"
"It's been a thing since her first year of high school." Eri-chan said. "People have been making FanFiction stories about her boning Mio-san simply because they're childhood friends."
"What the hell is FanFiction?"
"Oh, it's this site where…"
"ERI, DON'T TELL HIM!" Ricchan shouted as she covered Eri-chan's mouth.
"Wow, André-san…you drew all of these on your own?" Meanwhile, Mio-chan and André were in one corner of the room looking over the drawings André had made in his sketchbook. The two had really bonded since meeting at the tower. And I'm starting to think it's due to more than just the shared anxiety trait.
"Uh…y-yeah. I did. I really like art. I-It lets me release any emotions I have inside me. Al-Almost like…uh…str-stress reliever? I-I guess…"
"I see. It's the same for me whenever I write music. I just…well…have all of my stress and emotions just FLOW out of my body. It gives me enough passion to write full-length songs for our band. E-Even if they constantly get ridiculed for being too girly…"
"W-Wow…y-you're in a band, Mio? Th-That's, uh…r-really cool."
"R-Really, now? Well…thank you for that, André-san."
And as for Miharu, Danielle, and I…we were sitting by the door watching all of this happen. Pretty satisfied with the sight we were seeing.
"Well…everyone seems to be getting along." I said.
"Right? It's a sight to behold!" Miharu cheered. "I was honestly worried about how everyone would react to each other. Meeting people from another country and all…"
"What, you had low expectations for me?" Danielle asked while sounding slightly insulted. "I mean, I can understand feeling it for Éliott. But ME?! I'm your best friend, girl!"
"I know that much. But even then, I was still worried. The cultures of both countries colliding into one…"
"Well, it managed to work out for a day." I said. "Here's to hoping it goes well for the rest of the trip."
"*sigh* Yeah, me too."
…
"But I still wish Azusa was here to experience it all with me." Miharu said with a sad tone.
"Miharu…"
"Azusa?" Danielle asked. "Oh, yeah…that's your girlfriend, right? She couldn't come?"
"No, she couldn't. She's actually a year below us. And the trip was only for 12th graders."
"It's the same reason why Zoé isn't here." Miharu added.
"W-Wait, what?! She's an 11th grader over there?! But she's 18!"
"Not a valid reason for the Japanese school system."
"Man…and I was hoping to see her again, too."
"I know. It sucks." Miharu then went silent for a bit. "Maybe we should've snuck them in or something…"
*BONK*
"Ow!"
"Don't think illegal things." I said after hitting Miharu in the head.
"Hey. Everyone." As that conversation was ending, Sawa-chan came into the room (AKA the room Miharu, Yoko-chan, and I share) with something in her hands. "It's almost lights out. Get your baths done and head on to bed."
"Yes, Sensei." Most of us replied.
"Oh, and by the way…who's box is this? The hotel staff made a complaint about this box not having a name on it."
"A box?" Nodoka-chan asked.
"Never seen it before." Mika-chan said.
"You sure it's not filled with one of your weird-ass cosplay outfits?" Ricchan asked.
"Cosplay?" Danielle, Éliott, and André were confused.
"I-It's not mine, damnit! Somebody brought this box and I'm stuck trying to find its owner!"
"Well, it's not ours. Maybe it got mixed with someone else's stuff."
"*sigh* Great. Now, I gotta go around the hotel and…"
"Uh…Sensei." Himeko-chan interrupted her. "Th-The box is moving."
"Huh?"
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
"Gah!" Sawa-chan freaked out as she dropped the box to the ground. Where it continued to shake and rumble and got wilder as time went on.
"Wh-What's with this box?!" Mio-chan asked in fear.
"Woah…a haunted box!" Eri-chan beamed with excitement. "So cool!"
"H-How is this cool?!"
"H-Hey, you two are men! Help get rid of it!" Mika-chan yelled to Éliott and André.
"N-N-No way! I-I don't wanna go near it~!" André yelled in a panic.
"Yeah, I'm with André." Éliott added. "This seems like a Japanese problem."
"Don't worry! I got it!" Miharu said as she walked up to the still-moving box with a big stick in her hands. "One whack of this stick and this box will as dead as a Chocobo!"
"Wh-Why a Chocobo?!" I yelled. Showing deep concern for the fictitious bird.
But before Miharu could take a swing at the box…it stopped. Not really making any movements after it was spazzing out just a few seconds ago.
…
…
…
"I think it died."
"Yui…boxes don't die." Nodoka-chan said to her.
"W-Well, it was jumping around a second ago! M-Maybe it was haunted!"
"Yui, don't be ridiculous." Miharu said. It's probably some lost cat or something."
"And yet, you were going to make it "as dead as a Chocobo"…" I gained a sweatdrop.
"Wh-Whatever. I'll just let out and take it outside."
As Miharu moved up to the box, it began to move again. And before we could get a reaction from that…
"Waaaaaaaahhhh!"
*THUD*
"Ow…Geez, why did that box launch me out so hard?"
…
…
…
"Wh…What? Azusa?!" Those of us who knew the person that came out of the box just now yelled in complete shock.
"O-Oh…h-hey, everyone. Fancy meeting you here. I-I guess…"
"W-Woah, woah! Wait a minute! How the hell did you just come out of a cardboard box?!"
"Um…yeah, funny story. Y-You see…" And as Azusa-chan was about to explain…
"Waaaaaaaahhhh!"
*THUD*
"Owie…my butt's gonna be sore from that…"
"U-Ui?!" Yui-chan yelled in shock.
"O-Onee-chan?! Aw, man! Did we run into them already?!"
"*sigh* It sure looks that way." Azusa-chan said.
"Waaaaaaaahhhh!"
*THUD*
"*painful moan* Je pense que je me suis cassé la chatte à cet atterrissage..."
Br-Broke her WHAT?!
"Z-Zoé!" Miharu, Danielle, Éliott, and André yelled in shock.
"*gasp* Dearu friends!" Zoé cheered greatly as she ran up to hug the group of four."I am so happy tū see you arru once more!"
"Even Zoé's here?! Who else is going to pop outta that box?!" Ricchan asked.
"Well…" And right when Azusa-chan and Ui-chan were about to answer…
"Woooooohoooooo!"
*BOOM*
"HELLOOOOOO, FRENCH PEOPLE! I, Hikari Saeki, am here to witness all of the sexy love-making you all are NOT afraid to hide! I wanna see it all!"
*BONK*
"*sigh* You predicable little pervert…" Mika-chan said in an agitated tone after hitting the young girl in the head hard.
"O-Oh…hey, Onee-chan…"
So, that's Mika-chan's little sister. I've only heard of her twice and yet she's already so infamous…
"And…WE'RE HERE! Told you guys it was a simple trip."
"Sakurako?" Ricchan asked.
"Tch! Aw, crap…S-Sorry, wrong room!"
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Sawa-chan yelled as she grabbed Sakurako-chan by her shirt collar. "What nonsense did you cause THIS time, Ohmuro?!"
"Wh-What do you "this time"?! I don't cause EVERY single event!"
"But you are responsible for a lot of them…" Nodoka-chan said with a sweatdrop.
"Okay…I think it's about time you guys started explaining what's going on." I said.
"W-Well, you see…" Azusa-chan began explaining. "…it started out with me still being upset about not being able to come on this trip. Then Zoé admitted that she was feeling homesick…"
"And then Sakurako-chan showed up in her Space-Time Box offering to bring us here…" Ui-chan added.
"W-Wait…Space-Time Box?" Ricchan asked. "What even is that?"
"A box that can travel through Space-Time." Sakurako-chan said. "Nishigaki made it before she quit being a teacher."
"Of course…" Mio-chan said with a facepalm.
"So, what made you bring my sister along?" Mika-chan asked.
"She said that she read about it on FanFiction and wanted to tag along with us." Azusa-chan said.
"I see…" Mika-chan then continued to strangle her younger sister with her arm around her neck. "You are SO screwed once I call Mom, you hear me?!"
"I-I'm sorry…j-just let go already!"
"And so, all of us met up at the park back in Japan and used the box to wrap us here." Ui-chan said. "We planned to keep this a secret from…well, most of you. But it didn't last long, it seems."
"I thought you said the room we were going to was empty!" Azusa-chan yelled at Sakurako-chan.
"It was when I checked it!" Sakurako-chan then looked around the room. "Now that I look at it, this isn't even the room in question! How'd we even get here?!"
"The hotel staff found the box and thought it was ours." Sawa-chan said.
"Aw, what?! I was hoping the box would appear someplace hidden…"
"All and all…this was a pretty bold thing for you guys to do." Nodoka-chan said. "Sneaking into another country through a box and freeloading an expensive hotel…I'm surprised Jun-san wanted nothing to do with it."
"What do you mean? Jun came with us." Azusa-chan said.
"Uh…guys. Jun-chan's not here." Yui-chan said.
…
…
…
"Crap…" Sakurako-chan said with a pale look.
"What did you do NOW, Sakurako?" Mio-chan asked.
"I-I didn't do anything! I-It's just…the box has like a 5% chance of taking you to a random location. A-And I think Jun experienced that 5%."
…
…
…
"WH-WHAT?!" We all shouted.
"S-So, Jun-chan ended up somewhere else in the entire world?!" Ui-chan asked.
"Ohmuro, I swear to GOD! If you don't fix this…" Sawa-chan yelled in the angriest I've EVER seen her.
"I-I can fix it! We just have to call Jun and find out where she ended up!" Sakurako-chan then brought out her phone and began calling Jun-chan. After a few rings…
"Hello?"
"Jun! Thank God I got a hold of you! Everyone here is about to kill me…"
"Really now? Well, I should get first crack for what happened to me."
"D-Don't make it worse!"
"Jun, are you okay?" Azusa-chan asked. "We're here with everyone else. The plan already backfired."
"Already, huh? Well, I'm not surprised. I told you guys from the start that this was a bad idea."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. You don't have to rub it in."
"So, Ohmuro told us what happened." Sawa-chan said. "Do you know where you ended up?"
"Well, I'm definitely not in Japan. And I don't think it's Paris, either. Pretty sure that city doesn't have so many bright lights, long limos, and tropical trees on every corner."
"Bright lights?" Danielle asked.
"Long limos?" Yoko-chan asked.
"Turropicaru turrees?" Zoé asked.
"Jun…where are you right now?" Azusa-chan asked over the phone.
"*sigh* Well, if I had to guess…Los Angeles."
…
…
…
"Holy crap…" Miharu said. As it was the only response made to this sudden development.
So much for this trip going well…
Author's Note: From meeting a strange girl to having her kōhai warp to Paris from a cardboard box. It's already starting to become a weird vacation for Mugi. And that's not even including the fact that Jun is stuck in Los Angeles of all places.
So, the wait for this was longer than usual. Real-life stress and the fact that we had to move suddenly took up my time. So, I had to stop for a bit.
Next chapter will feature Jun trying to survive Los Angeles as she figures out how to get back home. And it'll be the official debut of the guest character I mentioned back in chapter 63.
Thanks for reading. Later.