After Reaching the Happy Ending, I Was Locked up by the Extremely Possessive Heroines I Had Conquered - Chapter 49: Even Though We Escaped the Island, Something Felt Off

Chapter 49: Even Though We Escaped the Island, Something Felt Off

“The old man, thanks for everything up to this point.”

“Yeah. Take care.”

“If you see Satori’s uncle next time, please tell him we appreciate all his help.”

“Yeah.”

With that, we parted ways with the old man and started walking out of the port.

“Alright then.”

Flanked by Mahiru and Toa on either side, I felt the weight of my backpack on my back while I looked around.

Beyond the port, I spotted what looked like a bus stop shelter.

“Let’s head there for now.”

If we could catch a bus to the station, we could hop on a train. After that, it’d be smooth sailing.

I wasn’t too familiar with the rail lines in Kochi Prefecture, but since the tracks stretched on forever, they had to connect all the way to Tokyo.

Probably, surely, maybe…

Mahiru must have picked up on my lack of confidence because she pointed toward the ferry terminal.

“Why don’t we ask the ticket counter staff first?”

“Yeah, that sounds better.”

“No, the ferry terminal feels a bit…”

I agreed with what both of them said, but for some reason, getting close to that place felt dangerous.

Specifically, it would probably mean backtracking the way we came, and that’s exactly why we couldn’t go near it.

“…Let’s just head straight to the bus stop. Trust my gut on this.”

“Got it. I trust you with all my heart, big brother.”

“Come on, Mahiru, you’re way too soft on your senpai.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Toa!”

We headed to the bus stop while bantering like we always did.

There was a signboard, so I checked the destinations and schedules.

“Whoa, cutting it close.”

The bus only ran three times a day—morning, afternoon, and evening—and the last one was due to arrive in five minutes.

It was perfect timing.

If we’d been even a little slower escaping that confinement room, we’d have missed the final bus and been stuck at the port. Close call.

Next, I checked the destination.

“Tosa Saga Station?”

I had no clue about it, but at least I knew it was a station.

No way did the Shinkansen stop there, though.

Come to think of it, did Shikoku even have a Shinkansen line?

Everything was a mystery, but I figured I could just ask the station staff.

For some reason, my old flip phone couldn’t access the internet, so we’d have to investigate the old-fashioned way.

“Alright, let’s take this one for now.”

“Sounds good. This’ll be my first time on a bus or a train!”

Toa said it with a face full of curiosity.

“You’re getting too excited. Calm down a bit.”

Mahiru said that, but she couldn’t hold back her own overflowing smile.

Adventures are thrilling like that. I get it.

I was probably grinning like an idiot too, if I checked a mirror.

Here we go—the adventure begins!

“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..”

*

We boarded the bus and waited for departure while I calmed down the two excited girls.

Satori might get on.

That worry wouldn’t leave my head, but luckily, no one who looked like Satori showed up.

Besides us, there were three other passengers in the bus.

An old man with some white in his hair, a lady with a carry-on suitcase, and a young-looking person wearing a hat.

As for the last one, the hat hid most of their face, so I couldn’t even tell their gender, but they wore a loose parka, so at least it wasn’t Satori.

I’d never seen her wear a parka even once. Had to be someone else.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside, and soon after, the bus started moving.

I sat in a row of three seats, with Mahiru by the window and Toa on the aisle side, sandwiching me in the middle.

The area around here had a lot of hills, so the bus rocked hard around every curve.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but somehow, that shaking felt kind of nice.

The thrill of the three of us bouncing along on a bus must have been stirring things up.

“How long till we get to the station from here?”

Toa asked as she leaned her shoulder lightly against mine.

“Since it’s a bus route, it shouldn’t be too far.”

“Aren’t buses for long trips?”

“That’s express buses. Local routes like this one just loop around nearby areas.”

“Oh, really? I had no idea. What about you, Mahiru?”

“Everything big brother says is right.”

“Are you even listening?”

Toa pouted in annoyance. Meanwhile, Mahiru clung to my arm with her eyes wide open.

Was Mahiru bad with vehicles or something?

While I wondered about that, I turned my gaze out the window.

There were hardly any signs of people—just a chain of rugged mountains rolling by.

I’d thought the mainland would be crowded, but nope, it was just ordinary countryside scenery stretching out.

Staring blankly at it all, I started feeling like we were actually on a trip.

The two next to me seemed to feel the same, gazing out the window with their curiosity plain as day.

I wondered what face Satori would make if she were in this circle.

The thought crossed my mind for a second, and I shoved it out right away.

“……………”

In contrast to our nonstop chatter, the bus was eerily quiet.

Just the stop announcements and the low hum of the engine repeating on and on.

The white-haired old man had his eyes closed, and the lady with the carry-on fiddled with her smartphone while checking a notebook every so often.

“……………”

And the young person in the hat just stared down without moving a muscle.

It bugged me a little, but the hat was too deep to see their face.

Their hands resting on their knees looked slender and graceful, so probably a woman.

—Thinking about another girl again?

Satori’s voice echoed in my head like that.

But I shook it off quick and turned my eyes to the window to escape.

“Evening already…”

The sun was starting to dip west.

Our faces reflected in the glass glowed orange.

Me, Mahiru, Toa—the three of us.

And—,

“…………Huh?”

There was another shadow reflected there.

The outline of the hat-wearing person showed through the glass.

They’d been looking down just a moment ago, but now they were staring right at us.

“Whoa!?”

Right then, the bus jolted hard at the worst possible time.

The shake lifted the hat’s brim a bit.

In that instant, my eyes met theirs through the glass in a flash.

“!?”

In the dimness, the eyes I barely glimpsed sparkled like emeralds.

“Big brother?”

Mahiru noticed my agitation and peered at my face with worry.

“…Nah, it’s nothing.”

I mumbled it off, but my heart felt gripped tight, and the cold sweat wouldn’t stop.

—No way the hat person is Satori?

I knew it couldn’t be.

Still, doubting it like that—good or bad—came from how much I trusted Satori.

If it was her, it’d be no surprise if she’d chased us to the ends of the earth.

Had the escape really worked?

With that worry nagging me, we kept rocking along on the bus.