77 Chapter Eleven: Seeing The Sights

For the entirety of the ride to Sapporo, the buses were abuzz with excited conversation. Students kept talking about everything they were hoping to do and see, planning to take advantage of the plentiful amount of free time they'd have. So many were looking forward to this trip. A couple of hours ago, Kanako had been among them, but now her mind and ears were preoccupied with trying to listen in on the conversation happening in front of her.

One seat in front of Kanako was Haruna, and with her was a girl claiming to be her fan. It was a girl that Kanako didn't remember ever seeing before, but that was understandable, considering that this particular girl never stood out. She practically blended into the scenery around her and hardly spoke unless spoken to. Even her name was one Kanako didn't recognize, having no memory of seeing it on any posted lists or boards.

"Hinami Yamane…" she repeated in her head for what felt like the hundredth time. Throughout the bus ride, Kanako had been trying to listen to what she and Haruna were talking about. While it was hard to hear, Kanako occasionally caught snippets. The topics seemed to range anywhere from snowboarding to academics to likes and dislikes. But, there was one thing Kanako noticed: somehow, every topic connected to Haruna. What it was like snowboarding in competitions. How her grades were and classes she struggled with. Foods she liked and didn't like. All of this information was flowing openly from her. It wasn't as if Haruna was a closed person, but to Kanako, seeing her tell someone she just met so much personal stuff was a bit of a shock.

"What's so special about her anyways?" Kanako muttered. "I think Haru-chi's just a little excited," Chiyo said. "After all, it's not every day you get a new fan." "I guess so…" Kanako mumbled. She understood what Chiyo meant. If someone told Kanako that they were her fan, she might act the same way. And yet, even knowing that didn't stop Kanako from feeling a little annoyed about the situation.

When the buses arrived at the hotel they'd be staying at, they pulled to a stop and let the students out. "Whoa, this is where we're staying?" one person remarked. "This looks… not as nice as I hoped," another commented.

The building they were all standing in front of was on the smaller side of what one would expect of an inn thanks to its tucked-away position in downtown. The outside wasn't necessarily bad, but it was clear that it could use some touching up. Facing the front, the right side of the building stood about four stories tall, with it following the pattern of a thick, brick layer, then panes of glass, then more brick. On the left side, two parts of the building stood high in the sky. At first glance, it was hard to tell what exactly was supposed to be in them. One part seemed like it might have rooms, considering its white structure combined with thin bars, but the other part looked like nothing more than a brick tower. Although, perhaps the thing that stuck out most of all was the front entrance, which was done with wood. On the wooden overhang was a sign that read "Sapporo Comfort Hot Spring Inn."

"A hot spring huh?" Haruna commented. "D-Do you like h-hot springs Endo-san?" Hinami asked. "Hmm. I don't dislike them, but I don't think I'd be the one to decide to go to one either," Haruna answered. "But, honestly, I'm having a hard time believing there's a hot spring in there." The building itself didn't go back very far, so aside from the parts that towered into the sky, the inn appeared to be too small to have something luxurious like a hot spring.

As the students stood outside staring at their home for the next couple of days, the teachers approached and encouraged them to go inside. When they entered, their reaction was much different compared to a moment ago.

"Whoa, this is nice," one student commented. "It's a lot nicer than the outside," another mentioned. On the outside, the inn seemed perhaps a little shabby and run down, but as soon as you made it to the lobby, a completely different impression was given. The floors were a mix of cool gray tile in the walkways and laminated, light brown wood in the sitting areas. Along the walls were various sorts of designs. One wall had grayish-brown rock placed together in a random assortment. Another wall had chunks of woods formed in a wall that almost looked like brick at first glance. Yet another wall was simply just striped brown paint of several different shades. It all seemed like a mashing of different design ideas, but they all came together in a way that made the entire lobby feel soft, warm and inviting.

"Welcome to the Sapporo Comfort Hot Spring Inn," the lady at the desk said with a bow. Taking that as their cue, the teachers went over to her and began confirming the details of their reservation. Once that was complete, they came back and began handing out keys for rooms. "Remember, your rooms are the members of your groups, so don't try to switch them up or anything, because we'll notice," one teacher warned.

With key in hand, the group of Haruna, Kanako, Chiyo and Hinami made their way through the halls and up a flight of stairs before arriving at the room that matched the number on their key. "I guess this is it," Haruna said. "Open it, open it!" Chiyo said excitedly. "You sound like a kid on Christmas," Haruna said as she put the key into the lock.

After the click, the door opened and the girls went inside. "Oh wow!" Chiyo exclaimed. "It's so modern compared to the lobby!" Her assessment was spot on. Where the lobby had sported a mismatch of different designs, the room was much more uniform, with the entirety of the walls covered in a calming beige color. The floor was what was usually expected of a hotel, with it's random-patterned carpeting. The only thing that really stood out about the room were the purple curtains. Excited as she was, Chiyo made a dash for one of the white-covered beds and jumped onto it. "So fluffy!"

Hinami walked over to the other of the two beds and touched it. "O-Oh, it is," she remarked. "I feel like I could just sleep now," Chiyo said. "Please don't," Haruna said. "Ah, but speaking of sleep," Chiyo said, sitting up. "What will be our sleeping arrangements?" Simultaneously, Kanako and Haruna let out an "Ah."

They both shared a quick glance before looking away, both their faces gaining a bit of pink. Chiyo giggled a little at the sight. "So, what should we do?" she asked. "Should I sleep with Kana-chan?" "Absolutely not," Haruna said, shooting down the idea immediately. "Wow, that was so fast it kinda hurt," Chiyo said. "First of all, hearing you say 'sleep with' just sounds dirty. Secondly, I don't trust you at all to not do anything to Kanako," Haruna said. "Geez Haru-chi, what kind of person do you think I am?" Chiyo asked with a bit of disappointment, but then shrugged. "Whatevs, it's fine. So, instead, how about Hinami-chan and Haru-chi?" "No way," Kanako said as soon as Chiyo finished her sentence. "Oh?" Chiyo said with a smirk, looking at Kanako. "N-No, I mean…"

"I don't mind," Haruna said "But, that just gives us the same pair that you just suggested, so maybe not." Really, she just wanted to avoid any trouble. Sleeping in the same bed as Kanako was sure to be all sorts of awkward, and Haruna had her doubts about Chiyo remaining innocent. Sharing a bed with a stranger like Hinami sounded like the best option. However, to her surprise, Kanako seemed very opposed to the idea.

"Well, if that won't work either then I guess I'll just have to cuddle up with Haru-chi," Chiyo said in a sultry tone. "Maybe I'll just sleep on the floor," Haruna said. "Aw c'mon Haru-chi! Are you really that against the idea?" Chiyo whined. Haruna laughed. "I'm just kidding. It's fine. But seriously, don't you dare try anything." "I won't!" Chiyo exclaimed. So with the decision being made of who was sleeping in what bed, the group made their way back down to the lobby to meet with everyone else. From there, it was marked in the schedule that they'd be making three stops. With it only being around 10 in the morning, there was plenty of time before dinner to get everything in.

Once all of the groups were back together, the teachers began calling out group numbers. Some groups would be going to one location, while others went to one of the other two. This was to make sure that everyone got to see everything, while at the same time reducing the size of tour groups. Despite the practicality of this though, there were still a few students upset about it due to them wanting to see the sights with all of their friends instead of just their group.

*****

After roughly a 40 minute drive, several groups arrived at the Hokkaido Museum, including Haruna's. Taking a step out of the bus, she stood and stared at the building in front of her. It loomed large ahead, although its size was a bit deceptive. The museum only contained two floors, but the floors were bigger so it could contain large exhibits. With its brick rectangular structure and tall, large black pillars, it look every bit like one would expect of a museum.

"Coooool. I've never been to a place like this before," Chiyo said in awe. "Do you like history Chiyo?" Kanako asked. "Hmm. I don't know!" Chiyo answered cheerfully. "Huh?" Kanako let out. "Well, I never paid much attention in class, so I'm not really sure. But, since we're on this school trip, I figured I'd make the most of it and learn all I can about this great place we call Hokkaido!" "R-Right…" Kanako said, unsure of what else to say to Chiyo's explanation. Next to her, Haruna sighed. "You get excited over the weirdest things Chiyo."

Upon the instruction of the teacher, the mass of students began to make their way inside. The cold air felt harsher in the big city than in their hometown, so many of them were thankful for the heat indoors. Once inside, they were greeted by the sight of shining floors and tall ceilings, along with signs detailing where to find other exhibits. A minute or two later, a woman approached, announcing herself as their guide.

"Hello, and welcome to the Hokkaido Museum!" she said in a perfect tone, no doubt thanks to doing the routine plenty of times. "Here at the museum, we strive to preserve and share the history of Hokkaido with everyone. Personally, I think you'll find that the history of this great island is more complex than you ever realized. There's lots to cover and see, so if you'll all follow me, let's begin the tour!"

Doing as they were told, all of the students began following the woman through the white and bright halls. When they came to a stop, they found themselves in a room with darker tiling on the floor and even more lights. While those features alone made their scenery different, there were two things that made everything else around them pale in comparison.

"OH MY GOD, THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE!" Chiyo exclaimed. In front of her and everyone else were two massive skeletons. Hearing the gal's reaction, the tour guide couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yes, they are quite big aren't they?" she said. "This first one here is a mammoth, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. These creatures roamed all over North America, Europe and Asia. Now, to my left is one you might not know. This one is a Naumann's elephant. As you can see, its size isn't much smaller than the mammoth."

As the woman continued to explain the details of these animals of the past, Haruna began zoning out. It wasn't as if she had no interest in history. Looking at the skeletons, it was hard to believe something so large used to be living. But, even with its impressive stature, Haruna couldn't focus. She had other things on her mind. Specifically, Kanako.

Throughout the ride to the inn, Haruna had been talking to Hinami. The girl had asked her all kinds of questions, one after the other. At first, Haruna hadn't really wanted to answer, but the look of admiration in Hinami's eyes had quickly dissolved her unwillingness. Surprisingly, Haruna found it pretty easy to talk to Hinami. The girl listened well, kept continued interest in the conversation, and most of all, was just nice. Haruna had to wonder if she was settling in so well because she was talking to the girl she admired, or if it was just a matter of Hinami spending some time around someone and getting past her shyness.

Regardless, Haruna couldn't help but think that Chiyo had made the right decision. She had been a little worried about inviting a stranger, but Hinami was turning out to be a perfectly fine person to be around, if not just a little shy. She was certainly an upgrade over Michi, who had been Chiyo's first suggestion. "If that had actually happened, I don't know what I would've done," Haruna thought. Although, that thought did make her wonder about Chiyo. "Considering how she talks about her, I would've thought Chiyo would've done everything she could to be with Fukuhara-san," Haruna thought. Was their a reason Chiyo was keeping her distance? Or was she keeping distance at all? Haruna didn't keep tabs on the gal or anything, so she had no idea if Chiyo was meeting up with Michi when she wasn't around. "Not that it matters. Chiyo can be friends with whoever she wants. Even if it is with someone as bitchy and problematic as her."

The group of students continued through the halls of the museum as Haruna kept thinking about her own problems. The whole reason she was so lost in thought was because of Kanako. Haruna had been talking to Hinami on the bus, but she kept getting the feeling that something was off. Was it because she had wanted to be talking with Kanako instead of Hinami? Or was it because it felt like Kanako kept giving her looks of annoyance? "Is something bothering her?" Haruna wondered. It seemed like ever since she had met Hinami, Kanako had been in a bit of a bad mood.

"Is she…" Haruna began to think, but she shook her head. "No, she wouldn't be. Kanako isn't like that." It was hard for Haruna to picture Kanako being jealous. "Besides, what would she have to be jealous about? We spend plenty of time together, so it's not like it would be something like that." While the thought of Kanako being jealous of her did make Haruna a little happy, it just seemed so unlikely.

"Man, they sure had it rough," Chiyo suddenly said. "Huh?" Haruna let out. "Aren't you listening Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked. "Ah…" Haruna let out. "Y'know, people don't like being ignored," Chiyo said. "But I'm not ignoring you?" Haruna said, confused. "I'm not talking about me silly. I'm talking about thess fine folks," Chiyo said, motioning toward the display of indigenous people statues. "Chiyo…" Haruna said. "You do know those aren't real, right?" "Of course I know that! Geez, how dumb do you think I am?!" Chiyo shouted, drawing a look from the teacher. "Look at that, you got in trouble," Haruna said with a stifled laugh.

"Hey, you two," the teacher called sternly. "Pay attention." "Yes sir…" Haruna and Chiyo both said dejectedly. "Pfft. Looks like I'm not the only one in trouble," Chiyo tacked on. "Shut up," Haruna said back.

While the tour continued, Haruna fell back into thought. Really, she had liked talking to Hinami, but she had also wished that she could've sat with Kanako. "I wonder if it would've been awkward," Haruna thought. "Would she be okay with sitting so close to me for a long time like that, knowing how I feel?" It felt stupid to think something like that, but Haruna couldn't help but wonder. Ever since she had confessed, she had become much more conscious of how she acted around Kanako. Haruna was sure that she'd just make Kanako uncomfortable if she got too close, physically or otherwise.

That was what Haruna believed, and maybe it was because of that that she kept thinking there was a distance between her and Kanako. But, for as much as she believed that, it seemed every time Haruna was convinced that was just how it was, Kanako would do something to give her hope again. Whether it was a warm embrace or sweet words, Haruna would just get confused whenever it happened. "I know she doesn't feel that way about me, but…"

But sometimes she wondered. What if it was true? What if Kanako did actually like her? ...If she did, then why hadn't she given an answer yet? "It's been a while since then…" Haruna thought sadly. It was hard to deny that if Kanako did like her the same way Haruna liked Kanako, then she probably would've given her answer already. "But she hasn't…" Haruna thought.

By the time the tour ended, Haruna found herself in a down mood. "E-Endo-san?" Hinami said as she approached her. "A-Are you o-okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine," Haruna said without much emotion. "Come on. We don't want to get left behind." "Y-Yeah…" Hinami said, following along behind Haruna as they caught up to the group.

*****

Meanwhile, Kanako had remained rather silent throughout the entirety of the tour through the museum. She had wanted to say something to Haruna, but nothing good came to mind. "The only things I can think of all have to do with Yamane-san," she thought. "Like, 'what were you two talking about?' or 'why didn't you sit with me instead of Yamane-san?'" All Kanako wanted to do was talk to Haruna like normal, but it was those kinds of questions that kept popping up in her head, ultimately leading to her silence. "If I asked her something like that, I wonder what Haruna would think?"

While immersed in her own questions, the group of students made their way to their next destination. With it being only a 15 minute walk away, they went by foot, but the cold air definitely made it feel like it was taking longer. Trudging along, they all eventually made it, and when they did, several of them looked on in confusion.

"What is this place?" someone asked. "Are we still in Sapporo?" another asked. "Relax everyone," the teacher said. "This is the Historic Village of Hokkaido. It's pretty big, but you're free to roam around and check things out. Just try not to get lost." This area, as the name implied, was a historic spot in Sapporo. Old buildings had been rebuilt to replicate what it was like in the more frontier days of Hokkaido. The area was divided into four sections, Town, Fishing Village, Farm Village and Mountain Village, making up a total of 52 buildings for visitors to check out. There was also an option of a trolley in the summer or a horse-drawn sled in the winter to take people around the place.

"So, like, what should we look at first?" Chiyo asked the group. "Who cares? It's freezing out here, so let's just go in the closest one," Haruna complained. "I-I actually a-agree with H-Haruna," Kanako said through her shivering. "Well fine. Maybe I'll just take Hinami-chan and go look- huh? Where'd she go?" Chiyo stopped mid-sentence, looking around for their fourth member. "She was just here," Chiyo said. "Oh, there she is!" Kanako said, pointing to a building a little ways off.

Standing in front of a large building was Hinami, looking particularly enamored by the sight. Walking over to her, Chiyo gave a little laugh. "Do you like history Hinami-chan?" she asked. The girl jumped, then looked at Chiyo with a fair bit of shyness. "Y-Y-Yes… I do… I-It's interesting, don't you think?" "Totally!" Chiyo said back enthusiastically. "C'mon Hinami-chan! Let's explore to our heart's content!" "U-Um, okay!" With that, the two of them headed off, leaving Haruna and Kanako alone. For a second, it seemed to be going in an awkward direction, but a gust of wind quickly put an end to that.

"It's so cold!" Haruna shouted. "L-Let's get inside," Kanako said, beginning to go toward a nearby building. Unfortunately, being a replicate of living in older times, the interior didn't provide much warmth. "This isn't much better," Haruna commented. "Yeah…" Kanako said. Looking around, she saw that they were in what appeared to be a residence.

"Wow… it's so simple compared to how we live now," Kanako said. "Yeah, it is," Haruna said. "I'm happy that we get to live in houses with built-in heat," Kanako said. "It's kind of funny imagining you trying to chop firewood though," Haruna said, stifling a laugh. "Like you'd be any better at it," Kanako shot back. "Really? I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than you," Haruna said. "It's not about strength. It's about the fact that you'd be too lazy to even get up and do it in the first place," Kanako said, giving a small glance.

Haruna felt like that comment had more to it than just the words alone, considering Kanako had said it with a bit of annoyance. "Um, hey, Kanako?" Haruna began. The girl looked. "Is… something bothering you?" "Huh?" Kanako let out. "It's just… you've seemed like you're, I don't know… irritated or something. It's been like that ever since we were on the bus," Haruna said. Kanako was quiet. "I…" she began, then fell silent again. "...it's nothing." Although, Kanako did know something was bothering her, but she had yet to figure out what exactly it was. "If I tried to tell Haruna, it probably wouldn't make any sense," Kanako thought.

But, to Haruna, it was evidence to support her belief in the distance she felt between them. However, this time, Haruna wasn't sure what the issue was. In the past, she always figured it was because she was trying to get too close and just made Kanako uncomfortable. This time, while they were alone, Haruna had done nothing of the sort. In fact, she hadn't really talked to Kanako most of the day. "I guess I'm not really helping my own case, am I?" she thought.

Thanks to their unproductive conversation, the silence between Haruna and Kanako turned awkward. They tried going to a few different buildings in an effort to spark a new mood, but it seemed like nothing was working. For Kanako, she just couldn't seem to figure out what exactly it was that was keeping her so down and annoyed. For Haruna, she kept feeling the distance between them. By the time Chiyo and Hinami returned, it was clear to even an outsider that something wasn't quite right.

It wasn't too long after that that the teacher gathered up all of the students and had them get on the buses that had come to meet them on location. Their next and final stop for the day was across town, taking about forty minutes to get there. The place was the Ishiya Chocolate Factory.

On the bus, Hinami took her seat first, and before Haruna could even move, Kanako sat down with a "hmph!" next to the girl. It caused Haruna to raise her eyebrows, but otherwise, she decided not to give it too much thought. "She probably just wants to be apart from me…" Haruna thought pessimistically. With the next two seats open, Chiyo took one, leaving Haruna to take the other.

When they sat down, Chiyo looked at Haruna with concern. "Did something happen Haru-chi?" she asked in a whisper. Haruna sighed. "I don't know…" "Whaddya mean you don't know?" Chiyo asked. "Like I said, I don't know. It felt like everything was fine, but as soon as we talked it just… fell apart, I guess. It probably doesn't help that I've been getting this weird feeling from Kanako all day. Like she's annoyed with me or something." "Huh. So you're not as dense as you seem Haru-chi," Chiyo commented. "Dense?" Haruna repeated with a narrowing of her eyes. "Mhm. Dense. Like a rock sometimes," Chiyo said. "Whatever," Haruna said, letting the insult roll off her. "If I'm dense, then what does that make Kanako before she knew how I felt?" she added silently to herself.

Meanwhile in the seat in front of Haruna and Chiyo, Kanako found herself feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was now without a doubt that the source of what was causing her to feel the way she was was the girl sitting next to her. Hinami sat quietly, occasionally looking over at Kanako and giving a shy and nervous smile before looking away again. "Why does she bother me so much?" Kanako wondered. "Or… is that actually right?"

Did Hinami bother Kanako? When she really thought about it, the answer was no. Hinami just as a person was perfectly fine. She had no parts about her that were particularly dislikeable. In fact, most people would probably call her very sweet once they got her to open up. So why did a girl like her rub Kanako the wrong way? Or rather, what were the circumstances? "If she doesn't bother me when she's just on her own, then…"

Kanako came to a conclusion. "Then it's only when she's with Haruna that I get annoyed with her. Is it because she says she's Haruna's number one fan? Is it because she shows so much interest in her?" Kanako sat deep in thought for a moment before suddenly rubbing her head and running her fingers all through her hair. "Ugh! I don't get it!" she cried internally. Next to her, Hinami stared with a look of confusion and a bit of fear.

"A-A-Are you okay N-Nakatomi-san?" she asked. "Huh?" Kanako said. "Oh, right, that's me." "W-What?" Hinami said, now more confused. "Sorry. Hardly anyone calls me by my last name, so it took me a second to realize you were talking to me," Kanako explained with an embarrassed laugh. "O-Oh," Hinami said. "T-Then, is there something I should call you?" "Hmm. Well, most people just call me Kana-chan, so I guess you can too," Kanako said. "O-Okay. Kana-chan it is," Hinami said, giving a happy smile, which made Kanako feel a little guilty. "If I could just figure out what my problem is with her being around Haruna, I really feel like we could be friends," she thought.

*****

With its aged brick standing tall, the Ishiya Chocolate Factory was one of the biggest highlights for anyone going to Sapporo. For the students who had never been, they were especially excited. When the big sign on top of the building declaring the name of the business came into view, several cheers were given.

The students disembarked the buses at an astonishing rate, causing the teacher with them to shout quite a bit before getting them all under control. Once they were, they all proceeded into the factory, where they were met with another tour guide welcoming them. Of course, the tour would be inside, which many of the students were thankful for after being left (quite literally) out in the cold for their previous stop.

The tour began with a few exhibits that were chocolate-related, like fancy porcelain used by the rich to have their chocolate served on. After that, it was onto the actual factory portion of the tour, teaching the students all about the chocolate making process while they watched from above as the workers went about their tasks. Several students seemed to take an interest in this portion, but it was what came next that was the part most of them were looking forward to.

Their next stop was a room that offered up all sorts of chocolate drinks. "Who knew there were so many," Chiyo said. "Seriously. I never knew you could do this much with chocolate in drinks," Haruna added. "T-They all look so good," Hinami said. "I'm not sure which one to pick," Kanako said. They all had the chance to try one (for a bit of money), so most of the students went for it. Many of them were pleased by their choices.

Choosing a simple one, Kanako brought it to her lips. "I-It's so sweet," she said, enjoying the flavor. "Yeah, it is," Haruna said, not looking too happy. "Do you not like it?" Kanako asked. "I usually don't mind sweet things, but this much might make me sick," Haruna said as she stared into her cup. "I can finish it for ya," Chiyo said, going to steal the drink out of Haruna's hands. "Hey! I didn't say I didn't want it!" Haruna exclaimed as she kept her drink out of Chiyo's reach.

While the tour continued for a little longer, Haruna kept trying to get through her drink, but her progress was slow. She only made it half-way through by the time they reached the gift shop. "Ugh…" she groaned. "You know you don't have to finish it," Kanako said, looking a little concerned. "Yeah… I don't think I can," Haruna said, handing it off to Chiyo in the end anyways.

"W-Want to look around?" Kanako suggested. "Sure," Haruna agreed. "Maybe we should just get our souvenirs here while were at it." "T-That's a good idea, but I think I'll get more than just chocolate," Kanako said. "Although, it looks like everyone else has the same idea…" Pointing toward the register, there was a long line of students forming, along with just general patrons. "God, does everyone have to think alike?" Haruna said with a bit of aggravation. "I-It should be fine. This is our last stop for today, so we probably have a little extra time," Kanako said.

Figuring there was no need to rush anymore, Kanako and Haruna started looking through all of the options. "Oh, these are cute!" Kanako said, picking up a bag of chocolate pieces shaped into various animal silhouettes. "Yeah, they are," Haruna said with a smile. It made her happy to see Kanako enjoy herself. "Have you found one yet Haruna?" Kanako asked. "Not yet," Haruna answered. "I was hoping I could find something simple for my parents and then something for me." "Something for you?" Kanako repeated. "Yeah, like a lime chocolate or something," Haruna said as she searched. "...….Haruna, there's no way that exists." "H-Hey, don't look at me like that! It might!" Haruna protested. "Haruna, I think your lime obsession is starting to get out of hand," Kanako said. "It's not an obsession!" Haruna whined.

Eventually, Haruna found something normal that she was satisfied with and the two girls got in line. "Hey, where's Chiyo and Yamane-san?" Haruna wondered aloud. "Umm… Oh, there they are," Kanako said, pointing to a section in the back. It looked like Chiyo was trying to get Hinami to buy something weird looking. "I swear, she has the most bizarre taste in things," Haruna said as she watched. "Says the person who looked for lime chocolate," Kanako pointed out. "It could exist! You never know!" Haruna said. "As an aspiring chef, it honestly offends me to think that something like that might actually be real," Kanako said with both pride and annoyance. "Not to mention it would taste awful." "You're probably right," Haruna agreed easily. "If you know that then why do you want it?!" Kanako exclaimed.

After about a five minute wait, Haruna and Kanako were both able to check out. A minute after them followed Chiyo and Hinami. One of them had a very simple bag of chocolates. The other held what could best be described as a wild, colorful extravaganza of chocolate. "Chiyo, what the hell is that?" Haruna asked, honestly curious, but still a little horrified by the sight. "It was labeled as a chocolate adventure! I'm buying it for my big sis! I bet she'll love it!" Chiyo said with joy. "...If you say so," Haruna said, not sure how else to respond.

With their final stop completed, the group of students made their way back onto the buses with souvenirs and late-night snacks in hand. They were headed back to the hotel they were staying at, where they would be having dinner. As Haruna went over the schedule, she saw that bath times would be coming up. Worry for her heart rose as the thought of bathing with Kanako swam in her head.

End of Chapter Eleven.