"You two finally came out of the room."
Looking at how listless Shirai Mio and Shiina Mashiro seemed, Rita said helplessly.
Shiina Mashiro was one thing. She often looked like this anyway, as if she never got enough sleep. But it was rare for Shirai Mio to be in this state.
"Can't be helped. We had to get up so early, so taking a little longer is normal, right?" Shirai Mio laughed it off, then went into the kitchen.
After a simple breakfast, the three left the apartment together.
A car was already waiting for them downstairs.
Yukinoshita Haruno had arranged it so Shirai Mio would not need to call a taxi herself. Mio had originally wanted to refuse, but under Haruno's forceful insistence, she ultimately had no choice but to accept.
Shirai Mio was already fairly familiar with this driver. After a brief greeting, he helped load their luggage into the trunk.
Once the three got into the car, the driver headed toward the airport quickly but smoothly.
On the way, Shirai Mio kept reminding Shiina Mashiro of various things, such as always staying with Rita and not wandering off by herself.
Hearing her, Rita said helplessly, "Why do you sound like Mashiro's mother?"
"Because I'm worried she'll get lost. And you too—make sure you keep an eye on her."
"I grew up with Mashiro. Do you really think I wouldn't know that?" Rita sounded impatient, but a faint smile curved her lips.
The more Shirai Mio fussed over Shiina Mashiro like this, the more Rita could feel how important Mashiro was in Mio's heart.
That was a good thing for Shiina Mashiro.
Rita was only a little worried that Shirai Mio was about to travel abroad with Yukinoshita Haruno for an entire week.
She wondered whether anything would have changed by the time Shiina Mashiro returned.
Perhaps because they had not gotten enough sleep, after Shirai Mio finished giving Mashiro her reminders, the two leaned against each other and fell asleep.
Watching the two girls sleep against one another, Rita sighed helplessly and turned her gaze toward the window. She found herself wondering when she would finally meet someone she liked the way Shiina Mashiro had.
By the time Shirai Mio woke again, the car had already stopped at the airport.
The driver helped unload the luggage, said a few words to Shirai Mio, and then drove off toward the parking area.
Shirai Mio followed the other two all the way into the airport. After accompanying them through the necessary procedures, she eventually stopped in front of the security checkpoint.
Shiina Mashiro immediately gave Shirai Mio a big hug. Her usually calm voice now carried a trace of reluctance. "Mio, I'll be back soon."
"Mm. Remember what I told you in the car. When you come back, I'll make you a feast."
"Mm." Shiina Mashiro nodded lightly, then paid no attention to the onlookers and directly kissed Shirai Mio on the lips.
"Wow." Seeing this, Rita could not help exclaiming. It looked like Shiina Mashiro was not quite as dense as she seemed~
Both Shirai Mio and Shiina Mashiro were exceptionally beautiful girls, so quite a few passersby noticed the sight of the two kissing.
To avoid attracting unnecessary trouble, the two had no choice but to end the kiss early.
Shiina Mashiro kept looking back every few steps as she walked toward Rita. From her eyes, it was obvious that she genuinely did not want to leave Shirai Mio.
Only after the two passed through security did Shirai Mio finally turn and leave.
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"I feel like I shouldn't have gone back home."
After returning home and sorting out her luggage, Shirai Mio got into the car again with Yukinoshita Haruno.
Shirai Mio felt that she might as well have stayed at the airport to rest. As for her luggage, she could simply have had Yukinoshita Haruno bring it over. It had already been mostly packed anyway.
"Sometimes little kouhai is obviously so smart, but other times you're adorably silly."
"I'm not silly." Shirai Mio spoke while resting her head on Yukinoshita Haruno's shoulder.
Even though she had already slept for a while on the way to see Shiina Mashiro off, she still felt sleep-deprived, so now she started dozing off again.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita Haruno asked curiously, "Little kouhai, did you not sleep well last night?"
"Mm. I was too excited to sleep well," Shirai Mio said lazily.
"By the way, should I hire an interpreter after we get there?"
Yukinoshita Haruno did not know much Chinese. She had only taught herself a few everyday phrases after deciding to travel to China with Shirai Mio.
It was rare for her to have the chance to be alone with Shirai Mio. If possible, she truly did not want to hire an interpreter.
"No need. My Chinese is pretty good."
Shirai Mio's voice was quiet, but Yukinoshita Haruno could still hear the confidence in her words.
It looked like she really had chosen the right travel destination.
Half asleep, Shirai Mio arrived at the airport again. This time, however, the ones preparing to board were her and Yukinoshita Haruno.
After checking in and passing through security, the two arrived at the departure lounge.
Since it was a flight to China, there were quite a few fellow Chinese travelers in the lounge. Hearing that familiar Mandarin made much of Shirai Mio's sleepiness disappear.
Seeing Shirai Mio, who had been drowsy moments ago, suddenly become bright-eyed and alert, Yukinoshita Haruno asked in confusion, "Little kouhai, didn't you say you hadn't slept well last night? There's still some time before boarding."
"I'm suddenly not sleepy anymore. More importantly, Senpai, do you know what they're saying?"
Following Shirai Mio's gaze, Yukinoshita Haruno saw several girls not far ahead. Although she had put some effort into studying Chinese beforehand, she still could not understand what they were talking about.
But since Shirai Mio had asked, she must be able to understand them, right?
"Little kouhai, do you know what they're saying?"
"Mm. They're saying I'm very pretty." Shirai Mio smiled brightly.
Yukinoshita Haruno wanted to tease Shirai Mio for being so pleased with herself, but considering that Mio really was very pretty, she held back.
"They also said Senpai is beautiful, and they're guessing whether we might be celebrities."
"What? I thought they'd think we were a couple~" Yukinoshita Haruno pouted.
Just then, Shirai Mio suddenly leaned against Yukinoshita Haruno. Her expression softened, and especially when Mio looked at Haruno, the fondness in her eyes seemed ready to spill over.
"If I do this, they'll probably think we're a couple."
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