"Sensei?"
Noticing the charming, rose-colored flush blooming across Kojima Kana's cheeks, Touji was momentarily stunned. He instinctively glanced at the bottle of special honjozo sake on her tray table—with an alcohol content of only 17%—and then felt utterly speechless.
Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd downed a few glasses of hard liquor! But it's just sake… Your alcohol tolerance is truly abysmal!
With such poor tolerance, and drinking on a plane, no less…
Come to think of it, he was genuinely worried she might get drunk and picked up by some stranger one day…
Touji suddenly realized he was worrying about things he shouldn't be. He shook his head and dismissed the thought.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Kojima Kana, oblivious to his internal monologue, looked at him with a slightly puzzled, hazy expression.
Touji replied truthfully, "It's nothing. I just noticed your face is quite red. Are you… a little tipsy?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned forward from her window seat, peering curiously at Kojima Kana. Indeed, her teacher's face was flushed a deep pink, and she did seem a bit… unsteady.
"Is that so?" Kojima Kana subconsciously touched her soft cheek. She had felt her face growing warm since earlier, but she waved a dismissive hand with an air of pride. "Impossible! My alcohol tolerance can't possibly be that bad!"
Kasumigaoka Touji: "..."
You really have no self-awareness whatsoever!
He felt she held a severely mistaken perception of her own drinking capacity. Of course, he didn't voice this aloud, merely shrugging his shoulders before returning to his meal.
...
Not long after they finished dinner, the flight attendant brought around dessert: a pack of Shiroi Koibito cookies and a small cup of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
The ice cream couldn't be left out for long, as it would melt, so Touji and the others ate it immediately upon receipt.
After polishing off the ice cream, Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to their light novels, while Kojima Kana closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat with her ample chest gently rising and falling as she rested.
The flight from Tokyo to Hokkaido took about two hours, and less than one had passed so far; it was still quite early.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Touji suddenly felt a weight settle on his right shoulder. He turned his head to find Kojima Kana's head resting there, her breathing even and peaceful as she slept.
Did she pass out drunk?
That was his first thought, and his eyelid twitched involuntarily.
But considering they were still on a plane and it would be a while before they reached Asahikawa, he decided not to wake her.
An hour later—
"Dear passengers, the aircraft will be landing shortly. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, stow your tray tables, and return your seatbacks to their upright positions. All personal computers and electronic devices must be powered off…"
An announcement suddenly echoed through the cabin, and flight attendants began making their rounds to remind passengers.
Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her light novel and stretched like a lazy cat. "Yatto…! Finally, we're here—!"
Economy class seats weren't particularly comfortable, and sitting still for two hours was quite taxing.
"Sensei, wake up… wake up…"
Beside him, Touji reached out and gently nudged Kojima Kana.
Kojima Kana groggily lifted her head, looking at him with a dazed, unfocused expression. He reminded her, "We've arrived in Asahikawa. We're about to land."
"Oh… oh, hai… Okay… Sumimasen." Hearing his words, she quickly sobered up and realized she'd been sleeping with her head on her student's shoulder the entire time. A wave of embarrassment washed over Kojima Kana.
What made her even more self-conscious was the brief, observing glance from the 'victim's sister,' Kasumigaoka Utaha…
Fortunately, the other girl only looked for a moment before turning her gaze away.
"Sensei, will you be staying at a hotel later, or…?" Touji smoothly changed the subject.
Kojima Kana immediately followed his lead. "A hotel. My classmate already booked a room for me."
As she spoke, she rubbed her neck, perhaps feeling a slight stiffness from sleeping at an angle.
"Then… maybe my dad can give you a lift later," Touji offered after a moment's thought. His parents had bought a car as soon as they'd arrived. After all, they were planning to stay here long-term, and getting around without a car would be very inconvenient. The car had only arrived two days ago and would be picking them up soon.
"Iie, iie! No, no, that's far too much trouble for you all…" Kojima Kana quickly waved her hands in polite refusal. The unspoken code of conduct for Japanese people was to 'avoid troubling others' whenever possible.
Touji understood this, so he didn't press the matter after her polite refusal.
...
Next, accompanied by a powerful sense of weightlessness, the plane began its descent. This process also lasted several minutes.
Once the aircraft stabilized, Touji and the others impatiently unbuckled their seatbelts. He had been on the plane for two hours—and because Kojima Kana had been using his shoulder as a pillow, he hadn't dared move much, fearing he'd wake her.
Maintaining one posture for so long had left his butt completely numb. Touji stood up, stomped his feet a few times to get the blood flowing, then retrieved their luggage from the overhead compartment.
He and Utaha put on their coats. Touji wore a sleek black trench coat. Once he had it on, he glanced at Utaha and Kojima Kana—the former was in a white down jacket, the latter in a cocoa-colored wool coat.
...
The outfits looked incredibly stylish and elegant on them. Combined with their beautiful faces and graceful figures, they instantly attracted admiring glances from many people around them.
"Let's go."
Touji didn't linger on the attention, turning toward the exit with a light tone.
Utaha and Kojima Kana responded, picked up their lighter carry-on items, and followed the flow of passengers off the plane.
As soon as they stepped off the plane—no, the moment they reached the aircraft door—they were hit by a strong, biting blast of cold air. All three of them instinctively pulled their coats tighter.
"It's quite chilly here at night," Kojima Kana remarked, shrinking her shoulders slightly with a shiver.
"Hai, the temperature outside is only about three degrees right now," Touji agreed casually.
Utaha looked up at the exceptionally brilliant, star-studded sky—a sight absolutely impossible in light-polluted Tokyo—and exhaled a puff of white breath. "Let's go collect our luggage first."
Small items were carried on, but larger pieces—like suitcases—had been checked. Of course, within the 20-kilogram limit, it was free, so no extra fees were needed.
Touji and Kojima Kana nodded in agreement. The three of them then followed the signs to the baggage claim area.
After waiting a short while and retrieving their respective suitcases, Touji and Utaha headed off to meet their parents, while Kojima Kana made her way to the B1 level to catch a taxi. Just like that, the three of them quickly parted ways!