I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About

Chapter 39: Destination Reached! But Why Am I Sharing a Room with Tsunekawa?!

We finally arrived at our destination.

This was RASCALS District, one of the four districts that made up DARK City, known as a resort area.

The moment I stepped off, the scent of the sea filled the air. As expected of a coastal district—the air was slightly humid too.

But it was already evening. The sun was setting, and our next stop was the hotel where we would be staying the night.

“Fuu~ This feels great~”

Nakano stretched his body wide, and as if following his lead, everyone else started loosening up in their own way.

“This is my first time going on a trip! Let’s go see the ocean right now!”

Satohama raised both arms high and shouted, her excitement on full display. But I couldn’t help throwing in a retort.

“Oi, are you stupid? The sun’s already setting. If you’re gonna go, do it tomorrow.”

“Huh? We have to wait until tomorrow? But I wanna go right now!”

“It’s gonna be pitch dark soon. Besides, I heard something creepy appears at the beach here at night.”

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Tsunekawa, who was standing next to me, grabbed onto my arm—tight. Her eyes seemed to hold fear, and her sudden action left me momentarily bewildered.

Wait… Is she scared because of what I just said?

I was only trying to mess with Satohama and spook her a little. I mean, I’ve never even been to this district before.

And yet, while Satohama remained completely unfazed, Tsunekawa reacted like this…?

This was the first time I’d ever seen her like this. Could it be that she’s scared of ghosts, spirits, and that kind of supernatural stuff?

“…Uh, Tsunekawa, my hand…”

I cleared my throat deliberately to get her attention.

Realizing what she was doing, she quickly let go of my hand in a panic. I noticed her face had turned slightly red.

Huh, this is new.

After releasing me, she still looked a little uneasy, and this time, she grabbed onto Nakano’s arm instead.

“Momiji-chan, what’s wrong?”

“I mean… Is it true? That creepy stuff… ghosts and all that… actually appear here?”

“Huh? Of course not! Misaki-kun was just messing with Ayana-chan. There’s no such thing as ghosts in this world.”

“Hee~ So you’re weak to this kinda thing, huh, Tsunekawa?”

Oh-ho~ So that’s how it is. I just discovered a weakness of hers. She’s bad with scary stuff. This could be interesting~

Hehehe~~

“…Onii-chan, your face is literally screaming ‘I’m up to something’…”

“I was just about to say that…”

Huh? Was it that obvious? Even Umikaand Sasaki saw through me?!

Well, whatever. I’ll admit it—in my heart! Not out loud, though!

“Alright, let’s head to the hotel. After we drop off our luggage, we’ll have dinner, get a good night’s rest, and tomorrow, we’ll go to the beach.”

Sasaki-sensei declared, hoisting her bags and starting to walk ahead. We quickly grabbed our luggage and followed after her.

“…It feels like there are more trees around than before.”

As we walked toward the hotel, Kotone murmured while gazing at the surrounding trees. …Wait, from the way she said that, has she been here before?

“Huh? Kotone-chan, have you been here before?”

Nakano looked intrigued and moved closer to her.

Oi, oi, if you get too close, you’re gonna shove me into the bushes!

“Yeah, I came here last year with my dad.”

“For real? Like, for a vacation?”

“No. My dad had a business meeting here since it’s close to the ocean, so he brought me along.”

A business meeting, huh… Oh yeah, I think I remember something like that.

If I recall correctly, that was during last summer break.

Kotone actually invited me to go see the ocean back then, but my older brother took Umikaand me to ALCATRAZ District, so I couldn’t go with her.

So this was the ocean she was talking about back then…

“Hee~! So, how was it?”

“It was really nice!”

“Lucky! If Sensei hadn’t brought us here, I still wouldn’t have seen the real ocean.”

“Same here, same here! But we can’t go today, huh…? And I even wore my swimsuit under my clothes, too.”

Seriously, if you thought about it for a second, you’d know leaving in the afternoon means there’s no way we’d make it to the beach in time.

I mean, the journey itself took forever, and even if we did arrive before sunset, we’d barely have any time.

Satohama… you’re such an idiot…

“You don’t have to be jealous. We’re all going together tomorrow, so let’s catch some crabs then! I think I saw a lot of them near the shore last time.”

“Ohh! I love crabs! Let’s catch some and grill them up!”

Nakano’s eyes lit up, practically drooling at the thought. Wait, you guys are that into crabs?!

Sure, they taste good, but they’re creepy as hell. And if those pincers snap at you, it’s gonna hurt!

“Grilled crab, huh… Not bad. I used to grill crabs in my backyard a lot when I was younger.”

Tsunekawa suddenly joined in on the conversation.

“Huh? You know how to grill crabs?”

“Yeah. If we catch any, I’ll grill them for you. I’m pretty good at it.”

“Sweet! Then we’re counting on you tomorrow!”

“Onii-chan, you should help Momiji-neesan with the grilling, too! I mean, you cook all our meals at home anyway.”

Umika raised me right in front of everyone. As expected of my little sister! You truly are MiChael! A literal angel among angels!

“But the taste is just… average…”

…You little devil.

You’re Satan! The worst kind of demon!!

“That last comment was unnecessary!”

“I never expected you to cook, Misaki-kun. That’s a bit surprising.”

“Well… I can do a little, I guess.”

“Then let’s cook together tomorrow!”

“If you don’t mind… sure. But I won’t touch crabs. Fish is fine, though.”

“Let’s talk about that tomorrow.”

“Waa~! I’m already excited for tomorrow!”

Satohama raised both hands high in excitement and shouted… Oi! There are a lot of people around! Stop embarrassing me!

“Ayana-chan is really full of energy, huh…”

“Ahaha… she’s always like this. You’ll get used to it, Kotone.”

“Well, I think being energetic is a good thing.”

Kotone laughed while covering her mouth with her hand. Meanwhile, Satohama shot back:

“This isn’t just energy! This is the right mindset! A fighter must always be mentally prepared! That way, in battle, you can stay calm and think of the best way to take down your opponent!”

There was a rare seriousness in her expression. It seemed she genuinely loved martial arts.

But… if she’s talking about staying calm, then why did she look like she was about to blow steam from her head when someone called her an “idiot” on the train?

“Eh? Ayana-chan, you like martial arts?”

Kotone was immediately intrigued by the word “martial arts.”

“Oh! Of course! My dream is to become a professional fighter!”

“Heh~ that’s impressive. I’ve never even considered competing in a professional match.”

With the way she fights, a pro match would definitely end in a foul…

I acknowledge her strength in street fights, but… Kotone has never lost to anyone before.

Still, a fight and a match are two different things. Pro matches have rules. The way Kotone fights… she’d probably get disqualified from the start.

By the way, Kotone and I have both been doing martial arts since we were little. And now, she’s about to face off against Satohama, a fellow martial arts enthusiast.

I wonder who would win?

I’m kind of curious, but… that’s assuming Kotone doesn’t go into “rampage mode.” If that happens, it’ll be a disaster!

At the very least, if that happens, my first thought would be to run for my life…

“Eh? So Kotone, you do martial arts too?”

“Yeah, I’ve been doing it since I was little.”

“Oooh! Then how about we have a little spar? Just for practice!”

Satohama, brimming with excitement, threw down the gauntlet, and Kotone accepted without hesitation.

“Sure, anytime!”

“No fighting inside the hotel! If you break something, you’ll have to pay for it.”

Nakano cut in with a warning, but the two of them just gave half-hearted responses. At this rate, no matter what anyone said, it wouldn’t get through to them…

Before long, we arrived at a nearby hotel, carried our luggage inside, and entered the lobby.

While we waited on the sofas, the teacher handled the check-in process at the front desk. By the way, the lobby sofas were pretty soft and comfortable.

After a while, Sasaki-sensei finished checking in and guided us to our rooms.

However, each room could only accommodate two people. To keep things fair, we decided to draw lots to determine the room assignments.

In the end, the results were as follows:

Sensei and Sasaki

Nakano and Umika

Satohama and Kotone

And finally, me and Tsunekawa.

Why the hell did I end up with Tsunekawa?! I wanted to room with Umika or Kotone!

And… is it really okay for Satohama and Kotone to be in the same room? If they decide to have their “practice match” and break hotel property, it’ll be a disaster!

“Ahh~ finally, we can relax! I’m so tired…”

As soon as we entered the room, I placed my luggage in the corner, then collapsed onto the bed, stretching out my exhausted body.

“Misaki-kun, if you want to lie down, you should shower first. You’ve been sweating all day.”

“It’s fine, it’s already dried.”

“You’re seriously gross…”

Tsunekawa gave me a disgusted look before starting to unpack his things. Meanwhile, I just lay on the bed and played with my phone.

Looks like I’ll be stuck in the same room with Tsunekawa for the next few days…