A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

My body, which had been feeling a bit hot from the hot water, cooled down immediately after stepping outside and being exposed to a cool breeze, and it felt very comfortable.

I followed her all the way to the elevator, and even went inside with her.

"Don't catch a cold too," Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly in the elevator.

"Don't worry." Staring at the elevator door, Uesugi Genshin replied with a slightly relaxed tone, "I'm fine. I'm naturally very healthy, and I haven't had a severe cold for two years."

“You had a fever before,” Yukino Yukinoshita said, indicating that it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“That’s right…” Uesugi Genshin was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Just be careful, and remember to tell me if you feel unwell," Yukino Yukinoshita instructed as they stepped out of the elevator.

"...Isn't that what I just said to Eriri?" Uesugi Genshin said speechlessly.

"It's perfect for telling you this," Yukino Yukinoshita said, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The two walked to the door of Ichinose's dormitory and watched as Yukinoshita took out a key, which must have been given to her by Ichinose. It was almost midnight, and the people inside were probably already asleep.

"Um... goodnight." Yukino Yukinoshita tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze wandering as if searching for words, before finally looking up at the night sky outside the corridor.

Uesugi Genshin couldn't look directly at her delicate, fair face, and unconsciously looked towards the moon, which was hiding behind a veil of dark clouds.

"OK, good night."

They said goodnight to each other, and Uesugi Genshin stood at the door until Yukinoshita closed it before turning to leave.

When they returned to their residence, the room was quiet, and Tianze and Eriri were each curled up in their own blankets.

However, the ceiling light is off; the desk lamp is on now.

The clothes in the washing machine weren't finished yet, so Uesugi Genshin sat on the bed, waiting for time to pass.

Glancing at the two sleeping figures, I noticed that Tianze and Eriri's sleeping postures were still quite standard.

Eriri must have almost fallen asleep by now, probably because she's too tired.

Tianze curled the corners of his mouth into a pleasant smile, perhaps thinking of something happy, though he hadn't started dreaming yet.

With her eyes closed, she gently opened her mouth and silently said, and Uesugi Genshin could see that she was saying goodnight.

Okay, goodnight.

-----------------

"Deng deng deng"

When the door was knocked on, Uesugi Genshin opened his eyes and was fairly certain that the person outside was Kamuro.

Although he likes serious people, this situation makes things a bit awkward.

"Senior~, go open the door." Tianze Yixia pulled the blanket up to cover her head, seemingly planning to sleep a little longer.

Do people in white houses also sleep in?

Or did you become lazy as soon as you mentioned the White House? Tianze.

Eriri didn't even intend to speak, keeping her eyes tightly closed.

"..." Uesugi Genshin, feeling utterly helpless, got up and walked to the corridor, then opened the door, and sure enough, the shrine was outside.

With her bangs styled in a V-shape and her hair in a half-ponytail, this pretty girl with downcast eyes is dressed differently than yesterday; she's wearing a school uniform.

"No plans to go out today, right?" she asked. If so, she would need to change out of her school uniform.

"I'm going back today," Uesugi Genshin said after a brief silence.

“…I’m going to change my clothes.” After a moment of silence, she turned and walked towards the elevator.

“…” Uesugi Genshin watched her departing figure, scratched his head, and closed the door.

Back in my room, I lay back down on the bed.

After a while, the entrance door opened, and Masumi Kamuro walked in and closed the door behind her.

Seeing the three people still sleeping in the room, she felt quite helpless and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

Sleepiness is contagious, and she gradually became drowsy in the room.

I started to regret coming so early; I should have come at nine o'clock.

However, when the clock struck 8:30, the person in bed had already sat up.

Uesugi Genshin got up and went to the balcony. He ignored the girl's cute underwear and clothes, took off his own clothes and put them on. After dressing, he went back into the room and called out, "Get up."

"Okay~" Tianze Yixia readily agreed, then lifted the blanket, yawned, and quickly got up and walked towards the bathroom, as if to wash up.

Only Eriri was still sleeping.

Uesugi Genshin sat on the edge of the bed and called softly, "Eri, wake up, the sun's already high in the sky."

I made a joke, but got no response.

He looked down at Eriri's innocent face. She looked a little childlike when she was asleep. He called softly again, "Hey~"

"Ugh..." Eriri made a soft sound, "I feel a little uncomfortable."

"Is that so?" Uesugi Genshin placed his hand on her forehead. It was slightly hot, but it was hard to tell from the touch. A thermometer would be more accurate.

"This is troublesome," Uesugi Genshin muttered to himself. This must be the aftereffect of swimming in cold water at night.

Eriri heard the voice, opened her eyes, and patted her chest, "I'm fine!"

Although I'm a bit tired, I'm not delirious yet. I'll go back to Chiba today and get some rest.

Speaking of which...

"Yinglili."

"what?"

"Are you going to stay here, or come back to Chiba with me?" Uesugi Genshin asked her.

Staying here is very close to Haneda, while going back to Chiba is much farther, dozens of kilometers away.

Even driving takes most of the day.

"Huh?" Eriri's eyes widened instinctively. "What are you talking about?!"

She looked a little scared, then pursed her lips, "Of course I'll go with you!"

“Okay, let’s pack up and head out in a bit,” Uesugi Genshin nodded.

“I want to come too,” Kamuro Masumi interjected, sitting at her desk.

This surprised Uesugi Genshin. "Did Sakayanagi agree?"

"Okay." Masumi Kamuro indicated that there was no problem. "I've already packed my clothes, so there's basically nothing I need to bring."

"..." Wow, that was fast.

I packed my luggage while I was changing clothes.

After Amaze came out of the restroom, Uesugi Genshin handed Eriri over to her and then left with Kamuro.

Following yesterday's route, they arrived at Ichinose's dormitory door. Uesugi Genshin gave Kamuro a look, signaling him to knock.

Then, Ichinose Honami, full of energy, opened the door and welcomed them in.

Upon entering the room, the same mixed fragrance filled the air—a unique scent created by the combined aromas of several beautiful girls.

Upon entering the room, everyone present was already awake.

Horikita was sitting at her desk reading, while Sakura was leaning against the bed, fiddling with her camera. When Uesugi Genshin walked in, she said softly, "Hello."

"Mm." Uesugi Genshin smiled kindly at her.

Then he looked down into the snow and asked, "Shall we head back later?"

"Huh?" Ichinose Honami was quite surprised. "Are you leaving already?"

"Well, things here are basically done." Uesugi Genshin spread his hands. "We need to hurry back and arrange the ship."

I had originally arranged with Shirogane to ship the food over in five days, but I've been in Tokyo for a while now.

“I see.” Honami Ichinose nodded in understanding.

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth as if making a decision, "I... I want to go to Chiba with you first."

"Hmm?" Uesugi Genshin looked at her with some surprise, then immediately agreed knowingly, "No problem."

He smiled gently and said, "Welcome."

Chapter 291: Tripartite Alliance

Faced with his candid attitude, Honami Ichinose smiled happily, "Then I'll pack my things first."

Using her hands to support herself, she got up from the floor and took out a suitcase from the closet.

This stunned Chihiro Shiranami, who was sitting in the corner. Her favorite classmate, Ichinose, hadn't told her about leaving at all! They were even living in the same dormitory!

"Um..." Sakura Airi, standing in another corner, raised her hand like a beckoning cat, "Should I go with them too?"

"It's up to you. We can leave together later." Uesugi Genshin didn't care.

However, seeing the other person's conflicted look, he added, "Actually, I came in one car. If there were more people, the car wouldn't be able to fit everyone."

Upon hearing this, Sakura Airi made a "hmm" sound, which only deepened her inner turmoil.

"I'm leaving, but Sakura-san can continue to stay here," Ichinose Honami said with a smile as she took clothes from the closet.

"Um, um..." Sakura Airi hesitated for a long time, then buried her face in her knees. "I'll wait here for now."

“Okay.” Uesugi Genshin nodded, then looked at Horikita Suzune with surprise in his eyes, “I was just about to ask, what’s going on with your hair?”

Without arguing back, though she still seemed a little emotional, Horikita Suzune calmly put down her teacup. "Is it strange that I cut my hair short?"

“Not at all,” he answered honestly. “I like your braids.”

Uesugi Genshin pointed to the side of his hair. Horikita Suzune didn't just have short hair; she had a braided hairstyle on the side.

It retains the neatness of short hair while also possessing the virtuousness that only medium-length hair can express. It's hard to say whether it's better or worse than my long hair from yesterday...

“This is called binding the sideburns,” Horikita Suzune explained in a good mood, fiddling with her braids.

The side of her hair that was tied up revealed the girl's reddened ear and part of her fair nape.

"I see." Uesugi Genshin smiled, indicating that he had learned something new. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Hmm..." She hesitated for a moment, then made her decision in the next second, "If possible, I would like to go with them."

She possesses a decisiveness completely different from that of Airi Sakura, and a tactfulness unlike anything she's ever had before—perhaps what we would call maturity.

"..." Uesugi Genshin turned his head and exchanged a glance with Yukinoshita, saying, "It might be a bit crowded."

“Then there’s no problem at all.” Horikita Suzune picked up her teacup again, took a sip, and then raised an eyebrow. “I’ll pour you some tea.”

Although this tea was taken from the car by Ms. Yukinoshita.

"Thank you," Masumi Kamuro said politely after accepting the gift.

After Yukino took the cup from Horikita, who had just refilled her water glass, she asked, "How many people will be on the train?"

“One, two.” Uesugi Genshin pointed at her and himself, then nodded to Kamuro, Ichinose and Horikita, “Three, four, five, plus Eriri, whom I brought yesterday.”

"Six people, huh?" Yukino Yukinoshita understood, then lowered her head in thought.

Honami Ichinose exclaimed with delight, "Isn't almost everything here?"

She smiled sweetly because everyone here knew her well; even Eriri from yesterday was wearing Chihiro's clothes.

"After we return to Shuchiin, shall we pick up Hayasaka and head straight back to Chiba?" Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to confirm the itinerary.

"That's what I was planning to do." Leaning against the bedside, legs stretched out and curled up, Uesugi Genshin nodded, "However..."

He thought of what happened yesterday again, "I want to go to another place to take a look."

"where?"

“I ran into an acquaintance at the airport yesterday, a British diplomat, who is Eriri’s father. He can act as a go-between with the Self-Defense Forces and get a batch of weapons, but the price is gold,” Uesugi Genshin explained.

"!" Kamuro Masumi's eyes widened. Was it really okay to say this so casually?

"Is it really okay to talk about this here?" Horikita Suzune cautiously voiced Kamuro's thoughts.