「This weekend, you’re going to a training camp with your friends? Is it that EPO corporation thingy? Sounds good to me!」
As my father poured himself a glass of low-alcohol beer, he easily approved my plan. Now that I’ve turned eighteen, I suppose he thinks I can handle some responsibility.
It feels nice to be trusted, but—
「Still, I see that commercial a lot lately.」
His gaze shifted to a GDC Group advertisement. It was just a commercial featuring majestic nature scenes along with the names of various Japanese companies under the GDC Group.
Seeing so many companies under the GDC umbrella makes me a little nervous. The Oshino Group was one of them.
Huh?
「I see ‘Oshino Resort Group’ and ‘Oshino Hotels & Resorts’—are they different companies?」
「The Oshino Resort Group focuses on western Japan, while Oshino Hotels & Resorts is centered in eastern Japan. They were originally the same company, but when they came under the GDC Group, they split apart. That said, their parent company is the same, so coupons and shareholder benefits can be used interchangeably. You could argue they’re essentially the same company.」
「Heh…」
So, my black card might not be as useful in eastern Japan.
Or is it that it can be used there like a shareholder voucher?
I’ll have to ask Hime about that next time.
「Just make sure to bring me some pickled plums as a souvenir.」
「It’s a work trip, not a vacation.」
「What are you talking about? You used to ask for souvenirs every time I went on a business trip!」
Ugh, I can’t deny that I did.
Well, pickled plums wouldn’t be too bad.
As we chatted, my mother came in holding Kuro, who looked at me with hopeful eyes, pleading to be taken along.
「Kuro has to stay home. The hotel we’ll be staying at doesn’t allow pets.」
「Kuuh!」
Even with such a sad whine, Kuro can’t go.
I’ll make sure to take him on plenty of explorations before the training camp.
「Then we’ll find an inn that allows pets, and Kuro-chan can stay there at night!」
「Oh, that sounds good! A long-awaited trip for just the two of us!」
For some reason, my parents got excited about the idea.
「Wait wait, are you serious?」
「Since we’re all going together, we can give your friends a lift!」
「Our car only fits four people, right?」
「We can squeeze in five!」
Hime said she would go ahead.
With my mom, Milk, and Ayame in the back, it might work.
I decided to call and check.
『Going in Taira’s car? Yeah, I’ll join you! It’s been a while since I’ve seen Taira’s father and mother. 』
『With Ichino-san’s parents! Will I be able to greet them properly? Ah, yes. Please—』
Both of them happily agreed.
The train ride would be a straight shot from Tennoji on the limited express Kuroshio, but since Kuro looked so happy, it was all good.
「By the way, I’m okay with the camp but don’t you have a test this week? Were you able to study?」
…ah.
※ ※ ※
That week, I decided to take a break from PD explorations and D-can openings to focus on studying.
Unlike Milk and Ayame, who had already completed their high school coursework, and Hime, who was an elite university student at Kyoto University, I was an ordinary guy. I had to focus on studying; otherwise, I risked failing and not graduating.
I worked hard.
Studying at PD would allow me to learn much more than others, but I wasn’t that passionate about studying.
Finally, the tests concluded.
I think I managed to avoid failing.
-0-
And then, the day of the camp arrived, but… why did it end up like this?
「What a cute little dog! Nice to meet you, Kuro-chan!」
「Kuro-chan, huh? Ayame, let me hug him again later! That fluffiness is irresistible!」
Kuro being popular among the girls is fine, but the real problem is why I’m stuck between Milk and Ayame.
Wasn’t my mom supposed to sit in the back?
If I’m in the back, I should be at the either sides, right?
Somehow, I ended up in the middle of the backseat without any say in the matter.
「Still, to think the friends Taira mentioned would be such cute girls. I thought you’d bring Aoki-kun along.」
「Really! Milk-chan, you’ve grown a lot since I last saw you!」
They seemed overly happy about this.
We took a short break at the Kinokawa service area.
Kuro was having a blast in the dog run.
When I told him not to bother the other dogs, he was a good boy and didn’t cause any trouble at all.
Well, mostly.
I was shocked when all the other dogs laid down at once.
It was like they recognized Kuro as the king of dogs.
Had they figured out that he wasn’t an ordinary dog?
Even the swallows flying in the sky (the Kinokawa service area had a lot of swallow nests) stayed far away from us.
Now that I think about it, ever since Kuro started living with us, I haven’t heard crows from the neighborhood. Could it be… Nah, I shouldn’t think about it.
Everyone, including Milk, Ayame, Dad, and Mom, treated Kuro normally, so what was going on?
Had the collar’s effect worn off?
【Deceptive Collar: A magical tool. When placed on a tamed monster, it makes surrounding humans perceive it as an ordinary pet. 】
…Surrounding humans… Oh, not this again.
There was a large dog’s owner trying to take it out of the dog run, but the dog wouldn’t stop laying down, seemingly pledging loyalty to Kuro, while a Chihuahua was trembling and about to faint.
Feeling like this was going to turn into a hassle, I decided to leave the dog run early.
We arrived at the Oshino Resort Shirahama without visiting any sightseeing spots.
Yes, our training camp destination was Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture.
This place has a dungeon exclusively run by the Oshino Group, attached to the hotel.
「Thank you very much for your hospitality.」
「Uncle, Aunt, thank you! See you, Kuro-chan.」
「Not at all. Taira, we’ll take care of Kuro so contact us tomorrow.」
「Got it.」
I replied, nodding.
Milk tilted her head slightly and asked,
「Are you really taking Kuro-chan to the dungeon?」
「That guy may look cute, but he’s actually pretty strong.」
「Really? He looks so adorable!」
Well, I can understand her surprise.
I hadn’t told her he was a monster yet.
When we entered the hotel, Hime had already checked us in and was waiting for us in the multipurpose room, as the front desk staff informed us.
Since the staff would carry our luggage to our room, we decided to head to the multipurpose room.
「It’s been a while since I’ve been to Shirahama. The hotel’s bath is a natural hot spring, right? I’m looking forward to it.」
「If we have time, I want to take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset at Engetsu Island.」
That’s right. Since this is a training camp, we should enjoy ourselves.
As we entered the multipurpose room, Hime, seemingly having overheard our conversation, scolded us,
「You three. This training camp isn’t just for fun. You need to focus a little more.」
Normally, I’d feel guilty about that, but…
Seeing Hime wearing a panda knit hat, a panda pouch, and with a panda plush toy on her lap made her warning lose a bit of its seriousness.
「Did you have fun at Ad〇ture World?」
「Let’s just say it was the best! Why are Japanese pandas so cute? They’re nothing like the ones in America!」
I was glad to hear that.
Leave a Reply