Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 48: Finally Arrived! Hokkaido Is Huge!

Episode 48: Finally Arrived! Hokkaido Is Huge!

“Whoa!!!” The air feels different! The smell is different! And most of all, the scenery is completely different!!

Early morning, 6:00 a.m. After two nights, we finally arrived at Hakodate Port.

Maybe because it was still morning, but the air was a bit cooler compared to Honshu.

“As expected of Hokkaido’s premier port town! Man, this is so exciting!”

Walking down the gangway connecting the ship to the port, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp, fresh air.

“First stop, the morning market! It’s gotta be the morning market, right?!”

The manager was enthusiastically waving a brochure that had “Hokkaido” boldly written on it. In contrast, my senior…

“…” …was stifling a yawn, covering her mouth.

“Alright, we’ll be heading off now.”

As soon as we reached a nearby rotary, Akira flagged down a taxi. On his back was Utakata, still sound asleep, likely due to the early hour.

“Hey, Akira, what are you guys planning to do now?”

“Who knows? Our original mission was to handle the incident on the cruise ship, so we didn’t plan much beyond that.”

“I see. Well, see you back at school.” “Yeah, later.”

At that moment, none of us could have imagined that Akira and Utakata would soon get caught up in such a bizarre incident. …Or could we?

After seeing Akira and Utakata off, we headed straight to the morning market in Hakodate.

…By the time we arrived at the market, around 6:30 a.m., the streets were already bustling with people.

The stalls were lined with seafood—fresh fish, dried goods, seafood bowls—there was no shortage of delicacies in sight.

As we wandered through the crowded streets, the three of us… “Uh, wait. Manager? Shion-senpai?”

…were clinging to my arms like koalas clutching eucalyptus trees.

“What’s wrong, Uka?” “Rei-kun? Is something the matter?”

While my senior looked at me with innocent curiosity, the manager, despite clinging to me herself, seemed slightly embarrassed. …Cute, though?

“Hey, look at that,” my senior suddenly said, pointing to something.

What she was pointing at was… “The Ultimate Mega Seafood Bowl…?”

A total of 4 kilograms. Time limit: one hour.

Up to three challengers allowed. If you finish it, the meal is free, and you get a commemorative prize.

“…Do you think we can manage that?”

Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible.

“Four kilograms split among three people… that’s about 1.4 kilograms per person. Seems doable,” the manager calculated.

“True, in theory… but that’s a lot of food!” “Still, it’s rare for you to joke around, Senpai. Are you just excited?”

She’s usually so composed, but maybe her excitement was bubbling over. It was surprising, but if she was looking forward to it that much, I couldn’t be happier.

“…” “Senpai?”

She didn’t respond. Her gaze seemed fixed on a specific part of the poster—the section about the commemorative prize. “Do you want that strap?”

A panda…? No, maybe a bear? I couldn’t quite tell, but it was some sort of cute figurine.

“…N-no, that’s not it.” Bullseye. Her reaction made it clear she was trying to cover up her interest.

“Manager, are you ready?” “Oh? You’re up for the challenge, Uka?”

“Rei-kun? You don’t have to go that far…” “It’s fine. If she wants it, then this is a trial worth overcoming.”

…

“Ugh.” In front of us was a giant bowl. Half the time limit had passed, and half the food still remained.

“Uka, how much more can you manage?” “Honestly, I don’t think I can look at raw fish for a while after this.”

“And Shion-senpai?” “Maybe… two or three more bites.”

With the senior at her limit and the manager and me on the brink, our chances looked grim.

“We need… a flavor change.” “What?! Are you serious? It’s a seafood bowl!”

“Is there even anything besides soy sauce for this?”

True, as a Japanese person, using anything other than soy sauce or wasabi on raw fish felt like a betrayal of our culinary traditions. …Also, I personally think people who put sauce on sunny-side-up eggs are enemies.

But still. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. For Shion-senpai’s sake.”

“Rei-kun… Thank you. But if it’s too much for you…” “Senpai, it’s fine.”

Even if it meant suffering afterward, if I could make her smile, it would all be worth it.

“Ah, apparently gochujang goes well with it.”

That was divine intervention. “That’s it!!! Excuse me! Do you have gochujang?!”

“Uh, yes… we do.” “Please bring some!”

The server brought a small dish of gochujang. I took a bit with my chopsticks and tried it with the salmon.

Honestly, I had no idea how it would taste. But spicy flavors are supposed to boost metabolism and stimulate appetite, right?

I braced myself and took a bite.

“…” “Uka?”  “Rei-kun?”

“Oh, this is good. Really good.” If that’s the case!

“Let’s do this!!!” “Congratulations on finishing! Here’s your commemorative prize!”

We did it. We won. “Here, Shion-senpai.”

“…Thank you.” Handing the strap to her, she smiled gently. I was so glad we finished it. I couldn’t have been happier.

“Alright, let’s check into the hotel now. Shall we, you two?”

“Oh, it’s already that time?” Checking my phone, it was indeed 8 a.m.

“Oh, before that, can we check out some souvenirs?”

“Sure.” “Of course, I don’t mind.”

As we left the seafood bowl shop and searched for souvenir shops, I stumbled upon something.

In the corner of a souvenir shop, hanging from hooks, was a collection of local straps.

And there it was—a familiar-looking strap.

“…Huh?”

No way. The same strap we just won. It was being sold right there in the store.

Well, maybe it’s ridiculously overpriced?

The manager and my senior were distracted by frozen foods, so they were a bit farther away. I quickly checked the price tag.

“…300 yen. Are you kidding me? That shop totally scammed us.”

But then again, seeing my senior’s smile made it all worth it.

And so, I decided to keep this little discovery to myself.