Chapter 8 | After a Short Boat Ride

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The next stop was the ferry terminal.

Just before we arrived at the ferry terminal, the boat departed, and I was a little disappointed.

The elderly couple, who lived on Mukojima Island, were returning from a visit to their grandchildren’s house.

They were holding hands and looking very friendly.

The smiling woman spoke to Rinka.

“Where did you ladies come from?”

“We’re from the city.”

“Well, you’re very stylish, aren’t you? This is a beautiful place. Enjoy yourselves.”

The old man was speaking in his full Hiroshima dialect. This Hiroshima dialect reminded me of my grandfather.

After that, he told me about places I should visit and recommended spots in Mukojima.

He gave us valuable information during the short five-minute boat ride. We got off the ferry and said goodbye to the old couple.

Rinka immediately embraced me in her arms.

“Um, Rinka? I’m having trouble walking.”

“We weren’t alone, so I held back earlier. Can’t I?”

There was no way I could say no when she said that.

The reason is that she’s so cute. She used to be so stoic, but now she has a smile that melts your heart.

“It’s totally okay. Shall we go then?”

“Yes!”

We nod at each other and start walking side by side.

A short walk from the ferry terminal brought us to an alleyway in a quiet residential neighborhood.

The houses were short and old, lined up around a flat street.

The area we had just been in was relatively new, probably due to the fact that it was a commercial district.

After wandering around the residential area, the next stop was further into Mukojima.

The next place we visited was a small factory in a very ordinary residential area.

This was the spot that the old man had recommended to me earlier.

Apparently, there is a type of Ramune that can only be drunk here.

I entered the factory and bought a bottle of Ramune from the wife inside. I immediately took a sip outside.

“”Delicious!””

“This is delicious. You were right to come here.”

“I’ve never had Ramune before, but it’s so refreshing.”

When we asked his wife about it, she told us that they use fresh spring water from Mukojima and flavor it with sugar only, without using artificial sweeteners.

“This is really delicious, can I have another bottle?”

Rinka happily begins to drink another bottle of Ramune.

Just by looking at her face, any thoughts of tiredness from the walk or other negative emotions were blown away.

“The Ramune alone is worth the trip to Mukojima.”

Rinka puts the bottle of Ramune she was holding in her hand in the collection box beside her.

“……!”

I was casually looking at Rinka, but as she bent down to put the bottle down, I noticed her black underwear showing from her chest and hurriedly looked away.

It was… so sexy.

This alone was worth the trip to Mukojima.

After that, Rinka and I continued to explore the sights of Mukojima together.

We enjoyed Mukojima to the fullest, using a rented bicycle to explore the southern part of the island and riding along the seaside, feeling the wind in our hair.

Finally, we headed to a chocolate factory and its attached coffee shop, which Rinka had wanted to visit.

“Wow, they make chocolate in mountains like this?”

Looking up at the building, which looked somewhat like a school building, I felt strange.

“It looks more like a training facility for students than a factory.”

“I know… but my friend went there before and said it was great.”

I put down my borrowed bicycle by the store.

“She said she went there with her boyfriend and I’ve always been jealous. I’m glad I had the chance to come with Ikki. Come on, let’s get going, shall we?”

She was so excited to go that I couldn’t help but feel her tug on my arm.

I was breathless at the view from the top of the mountain as I headed toward the entrance of the restaurant.

The store was packed with people buying chocolates. The café space was also full.

I bought a piece of chocolate that interested me from among the many chocolates available.

When it came time to pay the bill, I paid for Rinka, who had taken the time to take out her wallet, but she had no intention of getting treated to a drink, and on the contrary, she was going to buy me a drink because I was being selfish with her.

So we argued a little, but when I asked her what was wrong with me paying for his lovely girlfriend’s share, she became quiet as if she had changed and hugged me. Of course, I patted her on the head, multiple times.

At the coffee shop, I bought a hot chocolate, and Rinka bought a mandarin orange juice and a chocolate cake for each of us (this time, we paid for each of them), and we sat down.

“Oh, this is…”

“It’s so good…!”

I immediately took a bite of the chocolate I had bought, but it was not the sweet chocolate I had imagined eating since childhood.

Made with only the finest sugar and cacao beans, the chocolate was not overly sweet but had a bitter, adult taste.

It was a taste that I liked, and it was very tasty.

“It tastes like an adult.”

Rinka was next to me, munching away with her little mouth, and yes, she was cute.

“And the view is nice, too.”

I sipped my hot chocolate while looking out at the Seto Inland Sea, Innoshima Island, and the scenery stretching out behind it.

It was not too sweet, but it had a mild taste, which also hit the right spot for me.

“Let me have a taste of that. You can have some of mine.”

A paper cup filled with tangerine juice reaches out from next to me.

Since I also wanted to try the tangerine juice, I didn’t have to say no. Instead of accepting it, I handed her the paper cup I was holding in my right hand.

I didn’t mind drinking it, but why did she go to the trouble of drinking it from where I had already sipped it?

“This is delicious, yes. You haven’t drunk it yet?”

She handed me back the paper cup and looked at me as if she was expecting something.

Oh, I get it. I don’t need to worry about it.

I drank from the part I would have sipped from, just like Rinka.

“It’s refreshing and delicious.”

I said, and she smiled back at me.

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