Chapter Text
“Why not try this?” Bright held a swimsuit up to her as they looked through the store.
The swimsuit was a light blue two-piece swimsuit, only a few shades darker than the well-known teal that so many runners in the Mejiro family wore.
It’d be a perfect match for her if it wasn’t so…bare. “That’s a bit…y’know.”
A laugh came from the other side of the aisle, coming from a hearty voice that could only belong to Mejiro Ryan, her older sister, who had slowed down her racing career substantially over the years. “Oh, you’ll be fine, Dober. All you have is the Tracen swimsuit, and you’re not going out into the sun wearing that.”
“That swimsuit has served me perfectly fine thus far, I’ll have you know,” Dober grumbled over the aisle while she continued to inspect the swimsuit.
Bright hid her giggle behind her palm. “Oh, she’s just too scared of what her trainer’s reaction will be. She always wore those shirts over her swimsuit during the summer camp.”
That was just to protect her skin from the sun, I’ll have you know! She argued with Bright in her head.
“Ah, I forgot he was coming with you. It seems this year will be quite eventful with all the guests we’re bringing.” A set of ears belonging to Mejiro McQueen poked out on the other side of the shelves.
“I’m really proud of you, Dober, for taking the initiative with him like that.” Bright instigated.
That was entirely false; she had a million and one reasons for inviting him, and to…court him was not one of those. “It’s not–I don’t care what I look like–”
“Then we absolutely must pick out something stylish for her–a real eye-catching piece!” McQueen rounded the corner of the shelf suddenly, sprinting up to her and quickly looking over the selection of swimsuits.
“Hey–don’t ignore me, I said it wasn’t like that! Why would I wanna look like that in front of him?” She complained to the group of Mejiros rapidly surrounding her, pleas falling on deaf ears.
Bright gave a smile that screamed ‘gotcha!’ “Oh, so now you care how you look? You’re so silly, saying that. Remember when Taiki Shuttle and I had to hype you up so much to go and give your Trainer chocolates? You were so worried over it.”
“And that was different, those were just…obligatory chocolates!” She stammered while the heat lit up her cheeks.
“That you made in a separate batch?” Her smile did not fade; she was right under her thumb.
“You–quit that!” Saying shut up or quit was a good sign you were losing the argument.
“Not until you face it.” Mejiro Bright stood tall.
Ryan huffed out. “For a writer, you sure seem clueless about romance.”
Like you were any better!
“What is there for me to face?”
“Face that you like him, that’s all. It’s why you’re so worried about the swimsuit.” Bright turned to a few sets of swimsuits.
Fine! You win! I concede, now finish with your harassment! Do I need to remind you who won the Triple Tiara?!
“Fine…maybe I do, is that what you wanted to hear?!” Her ears fell flat against her skull as she pouted at Bright.
Clasping her hands together, Bright giggled, a subtle flick of her tail celebrating her victory. “Yay! I thought I’d have to be a wingwoman for the rest of your life. I’d want to ask why, but I’d probably have to pry for another hour.”
“D-don’t even think about it, just help me pick out a swimsuit!”
'Japan Umamusume Training Schools and Colleges' Trainer Offices
The Mejiro family has always been well discussed for racing prowess, but not only that, their financial power. I never really paid much attention to that, as it never really came up during Dober and my time spent in the Twinkle Series. But to be experiencing it first hand was another thing entirely.
“The car should be at the Academy soon, are you um…ready, Trainer?” Mejiro Dober spoke from the couch of my office, fiddling with her hands.
I looked over to my luggage, which sat right next to the door, tediously packed and well-prepared for spending a month at the Mejiro estate. I was surprised but eternally grateful that she wanted to include me on a family adventure with her.
A month on the beach, a private island, oh, life could be sweet sometimes.
“Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Dober nodded, looking over to me with her eyes for a few uncomfortably long seconds before she caught my gaze and snapped to the window. “M-me too. I guess. It was probably a lot to drop an entire month of your life just to come with me, but you’re always so…you, so you had to come.”
She’s been doing that a lot lately, looking at me. I figured it’d just be a part of her adjusting to her slowly subsiding social anxiety towards men and interacting with the public at large, but she never looked at anyone that long in general. Three years ago, she could barely meet my eyes.
Everyone has different ways of moving on from things, and whatever this was, it was probably her best way of working through it; better not to ask questions and harm her growth. I am very proud of her. Getting stared at for inappropriate lengths of time was acceptable if it meant helping her.
“I don’t have much going on, so it’s no problem. Besides, a whole month on a private island beats paperwork.” I really didn’t have much going on. Mejiro Dober and her career were pretty much my entire life for the past three years, and would continue to be for the foreseeable future after our little break. Plus, working with Team Carrot to ensure their post-Twinkle Series dreams could be realized.
“Yeah, it really does. It’s weird not having those classes anymore. I wanna think about what’s next, but I know we should keep that stuff for after the break.” Dober still kept her gaze out the window but leaned toward my direction, enough of an indicator to prove she was still engaged.
“There’s no rush; you certainly earned this break. Dream Leagues aren’t going anywhere.” The choice was always hers, and I’d follow her regardless. The idea of parting as trainee and trainer always chipped at my heart, though.
Having no one to enter my office and talk strategy with hurt.
“Right, they’re not going anywhere. We’re still going to train on the island, correct?” Dober looked over to my desk, looking for a training regimen.
“Of course, most of it is just maintenance work, to keep your muscles in good condition, a few times a week. If you feel up to it, we can still get some real gains out of it.” I pulled one out from my desk to confirm it to her.
Dober blinked at me, her eyes looking away for a beat. “Um…just the maintenance work, I wanna have fun…with…you.” She ended in such a whisper that I couldn’t make out what she meant to say.
“Hm?” I looked at her.
She flushed up like usual and stammered out. “N-nothing. Now we should get going, the car is going to get here in a few minutes!”
Mejiro Family Private Port
“Here–” Dober thrust her suitcase into my hands after she pulled it from the trunk. I was a gentleman after all–but she could have at least asked me to carry it first.
“Hehe…” A giggle came from the driver’s seat, Mejiro Ardan stepping out of the convertible. “Dober–your trainer is quite the gentleman, taking your luggage like that.”
Dober shrank a touch at her gentle scolding, brushing her hands together and turning to that usual sheepish attitude of hers. “R-right, yeah. But anyway, are you certain you’re not coming with us?”
Ardan flicked her near-cyan hair about, humming as an older sister would. “I’ll be in tomorrow, don’t worry. I just have to button a few things up before I leave. Make sure to let me know if you’ve forgotten anything. Hurry along now, your sisters are down by the dock waiting.”
Looking down towards the docks from the parking lot, a cobbled path led to the marina. It must have been privately owned by the Mejiro family since no other vessels occupied it aside from an insanely expensive-looking yacht. A few Umamusume hung around the docks, chatting in the summer air.
“We should–come on, Trainer. Thank you, sis!” Dober gave a quick wave before storming down the path, leaving you in the dust.
The only other Umamusume giggled from behind me, catching my attention as I heard her shoes clicking towards me. “Oh dear, someone should at least walk you down. Let me help with the luggage.”
Her fingers tugged the luggage from my left hand, picking up the suitcase with ease. I smiled and thanked her.
I began to follow her down the cobbled path, the salty air filling my nose while the sounds of a distant conversation crept up.
Ardan hummed before she spoke. “I know we haven’t interacted much, Trainer Sakamoto–but might I make a selfish request? It’s about Dober.”
I nodded at her, returning the reassuring smile she gave me.
Her shoulders noticeably relaxed. “Great–a lot of us at the Mejiro family are becoming acutely aware of how much our sister has blossomed, much of the thanks resting on you and Air Groove. We share some of the responsibility of making her how she was, but a few of us noticed something quite peculiar: you’re the only man she allows herself to be vulnerable and open with. She’s a bit difficult to crack open regardless of who talks to her–but you’re quite different, even though she doesn’t admit it.”
The sound of gravel beneath you turned to the sound of planks and a soft echo of water beneath the docks. “So–even though you already are intent on it, for the sake of our hearts, could you tell me you’re planning on continuing to support her? She’s much too embarrassed to admit it, but she desperately wants you on this vacation with her–and she wants to unwind with you. Why just last night she was talking about–oop, I shouldn’t say anymore.”
It was an easy answer. “Of course, I’d follow her to the ends of the earth, just as she asked me to do. This vacation is a reward for her.”
Ardan smiled. “Good! Spoil her rotten, please. She might act embarrassed and flustered–but she wants it more than anything. There’s a festival in two days–or take her out for walks into the forest at night–or on the beach–take her swimming in the ocean or the pools–she quite likes the hot tubs–and make sure to help her set up her art studio in the gazebo–really, I could go on.”
“H-hey, I HEAR YOU! YOU’RE SO LOUD ARDAN-IDON’TNEEDYOUTOSICKHIMONME–JUST–UGH!” A yelling Dober catches both of our attention. Her fists pumped firmly at her side while she leaned forward, a flush face on full display, and she kept her eyes closed.
“Oh, there she goes again.” Palmer’s ears flatten against her skull, as do the rest of the Mejiro families.
“She’s like Winning Ticket, but actually angry.” McQueen sighs.
“Why–I was just briefing him on the situation, Dober. Since you’re pairing up, he should know what you get up to so you two have a fun time.” Ardan doesn’t react to the outburst, simply rustling Dober’s hair.
“You–I can tell him myself–don’t go just blurting out stuff. Now let’s hurry up–before anyone else says something like that.” Dober takes control of the group and steps onto the vessel, skipping off to the front.
“Haha–there she goes. Well–” Palmer looks over to you and Ardan. “Thank you for coming. Something tells me this summer will be pretty fun if you’re gonna make her go off like that. See ya’ Ardan.” With a wave, she walked onto the ship.
Bright simply gave me a wink and slipped onto the yacht, making towards Dober, who looked out on the ocean on the starboard side.
“Goodbye, everyone, see you tomorrow. I should be there by lunch.” Ardan waved us off as we stepped onboard and cast off.
“Bye!” Ryan gave a triumphant wave while the dock slowly slipped away to a mere blip on the horizon.
Most of the girls slipped into the first-floor deck, where it was well insulated from the sun and offered a great view. The yacht itself was quite impressive, consisting of three tiered decks, shrinking in size as it ended off at the bridge.
Ryan offered for me to join a few of the Mejiros for some tea in the kitchen, but I declined, instead stepping out into the sun and making for the helm where Dober and Bright discussed something.
Dober looked to me nervously as my footsteps announced my presence; her sister, Bright, simply giggled. “How nice of you to join us. Being surrounded by the ocean is quite nice.”
“That it is.” I nodded and joined them next to the railing. A small island lay in the distance, our destination.
In the beat of silence between the three of us, Bright nudged her sister’s side with an elbow, pushing her out towards me. “H-hey,” She complained. Bright smiled. “Well, go and tell him!”
Dober flushed up, but her eyes didn’t leave mine, and she grew a genuine smile.
My heart fluttered.
“Umm…sorry that Ardan can be a bit–like that. I don’t know what you talked about–but I would um…like you to help me with my gazebo. I have a lot of art stuff there that I set up during the summer–and it’s a pain to do it alone. It’s just grabbing some stuff from the mansion and bringing it out. S-so yeah–there.” She stepped back.
Bright nudged her out again. “H-hey–fine! And I wanna go to the pool with you tonight! A lot of my sisters like to go to the ocean, but I like the pool more. I can tell him myself.” She snuffs her embarrassment by leering at Bright, who doesn’t have a care in the world.
“But you won’t~ I might just have to take him out somewhere if you don’t do it.” She smiles–like a fox.
“HEY!” Dober’s tail shoots up like a jet.
Bright laughs from her belly, slapping the railing idly as she works out her fit. “I’m just kidding, Dober.”
“Don’t worry, she’s better at asking in private. She might just be nervous doing it in front of others.” I tease the blushing mess known as my trainee.
“I…shush!” She pokes at my chest. Bright tracks the motion with precise eyes; she hides a fufu behind her palm.
Below Deck
“So when are we placing bets on those two?” Palmer relaxes into the cushioned seats of the interior. Her ears focus on the bickering that’s audible from the floor above them.
“Bets? That’s a bit…” McQueen looks into her teacup; the uncertainty in her voice is betrayed by a subtle shift in her ears.
Ryan taps the table confidently. “It has to be soon! This is the prime time for it, just like how it happens in all those manga,” and instantly shrinks away. “…or so I’ve um…heard.”
“I’d give her by the end of the week. She’ll need time to work herself up.” McQueen's glass clinks against the tray, her bet having been cast.
Mejiro Ramonu’s glass clinks against her own tray as well, casting a suspicious look to McQueen over the ready abandonment of her previous uncertainty. “Placing bets on your sister is interesting…, but anyways, I should remind you not to tip the odds in your favor. If this is to be fair, none of you should specifically tell her to do anything. And how are we to judge if she’s courted him?”
Palmer snickers at her old drawl. “C’mon, Ramonu, you gotta have a bet too.”
“I don’t believe we’ve heard yours, yet.” Ramonu snipes.
“Two days–tops. Those guys are always out now, and did you see how hard Ardan was pushing it, and how Dober reacted? That’s money in the bank right there, totes.”
Ramonu sighs. “Bold as ever, I see. Though I’m not playing this game, I’d say she must need longer. The smart bet is near the end of summer. She’ll stall like usual and realize this is her last chance and fumble into it. She lays him, and that will be that.”
“That sounds like you’re playing the game to me, Ramonu. Besides, it isn’t like we’re putting money on it, Palmer is too…” Ryan’s look over to Palmer was all it took to deflate her.
“That wasn’t necessary, y’know. But what are you betting on, Ryan? What do those comics say?” Palmer leans forward with interest.
Ryan gives a dry laugh. “Ah, well…probably during the festival. That’s when everything's all high and bubbly.” Ryan leans forward, her demeanor shifting while her cheeks flush a shade. “She takes him up the hill to see the fireworks, and then her hands slip into his, and they only realize halfway through the show, and then–the biggest firework goes off, and he kisses her–”
McQueen cuts her off, either to preserve her dignity or because she was tired of hearing it; no one but her knew. “That’s…a good point, I’m moving my bet to the festival.”
Palmer relaxes her hands behind her head. “Holding out strong here–sure she could go for it there, but she’s absolutely gonna be going out with him alone before that. She’ll probably set up her studio with him, she’ll eye his sweaty shirt, or go for a late-night walk on the beach with him, see the setting sun, and it writes itself. And don’t forget, Bright has been playing wingwoman for more than a year now; she’s gonna push hard this summer.”
McQueen gives a soft sigh that almost sounds polite. “She’s been trying for a year and has been unsuccessful. I mean this with all respect, but what exactly is going to change? If it were to change, it would have happened already.”
“Consider it my ace in the hole.” Palmer disregards the hesitations provided by her family member.
“Speaking of aces–or rather, jesters,” McQueen adjusts herself upright. “Gold Ship and Teio are coming along tomorrow, as we know. We ought to keep them out of this game, I fear Gold Ship would…” McQueen trails off for a moment as visions of the future flash through her eyes, “the nuclear option is always of interest to her.”
Ryan nods. “Mhm, makes sense. If we all went to her, she’d probably be spooked off, and Gold Ship? She’d probably lock them in a room together or something.”
“Remind me to keep a roll call," Ramonu adds a cube of sugar to her tea.
“We should also keep Bright out of the loop, though she’s already in favor of Palmer’s bet. I imagine she’d push even harder if she found out.”
The family confirms the ruleset with a series of nods and hums.
“Great, now that we’re in agreement, we should discuss living arrangements.”
Mejiro Family Private Island
The island resort of the Mejiro family was quite close now, a seaside manor stuck out from the forested island like a thumb, a chorus of pools, lazy rivers, and hot tubs honeycombed the back of the house. A gate and boardwalk led down to the beach. The white, concrete divider that surrounded the compound practically touched the beach.
“I can’t believe I’m going there,” I spoke to the two umamusume I stood beside.
Which was true. Just looking at the majesty the house presented from the backside, I could only imagine what the front looked like. I had been to the Mejiro Estate before, but it was a noticeably older, more classical construction; instead, this structure was of modern origin. Something that executives live in the movies and TV shows.
Mejrio Bright giggled. “It’s quite the place, I find myself saying that a lot, and we’ve been for years now. Mother had it built a few years after Dober, and I was born. McQueen would just say “oh, that place,” instead of gawking like we are.” She looked in awe as the yacht slowly neared the island, allowing even more elements of the household to come into view.
Dober pointed to an impressively decorated gazebo that sat a few meters away from the estate, a few steps away from the sand. “That’s where I do some of my painting. We’ll um…be putting all the stuff there–yeah.”
“Thank you for helping her out, Trainer. Usually, I’m the one to help her move it. The servants elude her, so to speak. Now, Dober.” Turning to her sister, she raises a finger. “Remember, you need to get out this summer. Your trainer is your guest, and you have to take him around, for the both of you.”
Her ears flatten against her skull in a fit of embarrassment. “Y-yeah, I know that! I can show you some trails that go up into the hills.”
I chuckle at her clear awkwardness. “It’s okay, Dober doesn’t have to do anything specific, I’m just here for the ride.”
“No–she’s right.” Dobers steps out in defiance. “I should–no, I want to take you out. We can um…do lots of things. But today, I just want to get moved in.”
Bright claps her hands together with excitement.“Oooh, how about we have a fire by the pool? They installed a whole firepit area during the offseason.”
“Hey–one thing at a time here!” Dober looks wildly at her.
“We’ll be moved in by then!” She taps her shoulder.
The back and forth of ideas and plans we’d undertake in due time continued while the yacht came closer and closer to the island. As we neared the coast, we crawled up it to the west, leaving the manor behind, and pulled into port.
We met the rest of the Mejiro family on the yacht as we docked at the ladder leading down. I carried Dober, and I’s luggage down the ramp, getting a “your trainer is such a gentleman” from Bright, which brought another fit of flush and embarrassment from my trainee for the second time of the evening.
Stepping onto the pier, it felt like I had truly started my summer vacation at last. The sweet tropical smell and the sun sealed the deal as we walked down to a limousine next to the road.
McQueen explained the layout of the island while we loaded up our luggage and crawled in to get brought over to the manor. “While this isn’t the largest of islands by any means, we can at least fit a few paved roads up here. During the first summer here, it was all dirt paths, and that was far from pleasant. We have one from the pier to the house, and to the other side of the island. Are we looking forward to the festival over there, everyone?”
For reasons unknown to me, Palmer and Ramonu's eyebrows furrow at the mention of the festival. They respond pleasantly regardless.
“Of course we are, you should bring him, Dober. You didn’t go last year, so you have to make up for it.” Bright tugs at Dober’s sleeve.
“Yeah–I was planning on it, Bright.” She looks over to Bright for a second before looking away.
“That sounds nice. What goes on there?” I turn to McQueen.
“Music, games, plenty of activities, really. We volunteer to host the early summer festival on the island, so we set aside half of it for them. It’s quite a splendid time down on the beach. I highly recommend it.” McQueen looks over to Dober and me pleasantly.
I don’t recall ever going to a festival outside of the ones Tracen students and staff organized. And even then, I was usually busy organizing them, so I was never able to enjoy them. Dober was quite frustrated that I wasn’t able to go with her to some of them, and apparently, according to Bright and Shuttle, she had been looking forward to doing so, though I was never given any sign she had written me into her evening.
I bring it up to Dober. “This’ll be a good makeup for the autumn festival, Dober.”
Her ears flatten a touch, and she stammers off like she usually does. “Y-yeah. This time you’re not busy, so you have to go.”
Bright chimes in with a little cheer. “Yay! Look at you, Dober, breaking out of your homebody self.”
She groans and gives a slight roll of her eyes. “Yeah, whatever–it’s just a bunch of loud music and crowded spaces, so it’s not that special.”
“That’s very sweet of you, though. Perhaps we could try and cordon off a quieter section of the grounds for you two–I should call them.” McQueen retrieves her phone from her purse, but a quick jolt from Dober has her drawing it back.
“T-that won’t be necessary! It’s not um…anything important.” Dober sputters.
The other sisters looked peculiarly at McQueen. Ramonu cleared her throat. “Yes, McQueen–we shouldn’t trouble them anymore, the fact we all got the best tickets for free is enough reparations from the festival committee, the fact we’re taking thirty percent of their earnings as a hosting fee is plenty–and we ought not push our luck.”
I couldn’t quite figure out why, but Ramonu was quite firm in shutting her down, considering she usually was a bit more relaxed when it came to family matters, at least from what Dober had told me.
McQueen bent under the pressure of her superior, a touch annoyed but quickly shoved down in her royal way. “Fair enough. Though if I’m correct, Mother allowed our share to drop down to 20%. Regardless, if Dober doesn’t want it, then we don’t need it.”
Family politics sounded…complicated, and a headache. No wonder Dober, Ryan, and Bright liked to stay out of that sort of thing. It seemed like a lot of meetings and careful consideration.
“I’m not the same girl I was back then…remember that,” Dober spoke with a confidence I only got to see from her in races. Something I was incredibly proud of.
“Of course, I just want to ensure the two of you enjoy the time to the fullest. Why one of our dearest sisters has earned the first URA Series victory, and she deserves all the stops pulled for her.” McQueen turned what Dober thought to be a stab into a compliment
“Alright–please stop bragging about me–everyone I see in public thinks they need to celebrate me for five minutes.” Dober holds her ears against her skull to flatten any sound.
Ryan lets out a hearty laugh. “Well, it’s different coming from family! We’re still so proud of you–and I know it’s been a while since those races. I totally thought I had you in the final race.”
Two lengths, an incredible lead for a race of that caliber. Ryan was second, and hot behind her on that final spurt.
“Quit it, you’re gonna embarrass me again!” She groaned and closed her eyes.
“Well, I doubt we can embarrass you more than Ardan–” Ramonu adds in.
“Stop!” She cries out to deaf ears. I watch her get washed with waves of praise from her family.
...
The limousine pulls into the courtyard of the island estate. We passed through an iron gate, and I instantly felt small underneath the luxury I was stepping–or rather being driven into.
Going through the courtyard, we went around a fountain and arrived at the entrance ot the manor.
I looked up at the majesty of the building as I crawled out of the backseat. The building had to be at least 4-5 stories, constructed with a more modern-leaning design than the estate back on the mainland. It was well-stocked with large glass panes and the sharp squares expected of it. The whole thing really was like a fancy resort you stayed at for a few days after saving up all year for your vacation.
Before I could have retrieved Dober and I’s luggage, it was placed into my hands by the driver. I stood there dumbly until a small laugh from McQueen pulled me from it. “I suppose you’re not used to these things, hm? You and my younger siblings are quite familiar. They never adjusted easily to this lifestyle. Regardless, you shouldn’t see much of the staff around here; it’s relatively left to our hands during the summer outside of cleaning and maintenance.”
“Yeah…can’t say I’ve really been around this stuff.” I nod at her.
Ryan joins in and throws her arm around my shoulder. I see Dober tense. “Me too! If I can do it myself, I gotta do it myself!”
Dober worms her way into the conversation by tugging at the luggage in my hand. “C’mon. We should get moved in–um, McQueen? Where’s Hiroki staying?”
McQueen produces a floor plan from her purse and studies it carefully before raising it for the rest of us. “You’ll be staying next to Dober on the second floor. Teio and Gold Ship will be staying above you two.”
“Is there an issue?” She looks over at Dober with a puzzled expression, which has me look over to her, too. She’s all flushed and frozen up.
A second or two passes until she shakes it out of herself. “N-no, yeah, that um…works. Now let’s get moved in, hurry.” She eagerly tugs at my hand again, and I allow her to take me in.
We enter the estate through a glass door. The interior is as exquisite and spacious as the exterior.
It’s all one large room with a ceiling that reaches to the top of the building. A dining area sits to the left with a lounging area attached to it. The dining set itself is a long table, clearly meant to host large banquets. I can see staff taking out toggles to make it more acceptable for our party.
To our right was another longue area, seemingly the ‘living room’ of the manor, with the entire right side dedicated to it. A large selection of couches hung around a TV, and the rest of the space was a hodgepodge of various sources for entertainment, like a few bookcases and a whole pool table.
In the back was the walkway to the outdoor pool area, and an assortment of outdoor equipment sat around the door to the outside. Another walkway led downwards, a sign signifying the basement contained the indoor hot tubs and pool.
And as if that scale wasn’t great enough, I could see the three floors of balconies above us. The rooms were placed like hotel rooms, with all of them in sequence in their hallways, and all of them looking down at this floor. There seemed to be a few rooms for each row, though I could see a few personal elements on the second floor. It seemed the Mejiro family had their assigned rooms, with the rest of the vacant rooms meant for guests.
“I…” Speechless was an understatement. I was aware of the Mejiro family’s wealth…but this was something else entirely.
Dober led me to a few elevators that sat on the far left of the lobby/commons area, which took us up. “Well…um…Hope you enjoy spending a few months here.”
“I’m thinking I’m gonna have a great time here,” I respond to her as the elevator opens up, and we walk the few paces to our rooms.
“Come in.” She opens the door and motions for me to enter.
I do so and place the luggage upon her bed.
Her room is rather simple, a king-sized bed on the left, a set of nightstands, and to the right was a door to what I assumed was a bathroom, a closet, and an assortment of drawers and mirrors. The room faced east, out towards the sea, and much of that wall was made up of glass and a sliding door that opened to the balcony. From what I could see, it was shared with what would be my room.
“Whoa… what a view.” I walked over to the large window that overlooked the blue sea. And opening the sliding door, I stepped out onto the balcony.
From here, I could see the vast sea stretching into the horizon.
This was something I could get used to seeing every morning. I could feel the tropical wind caress my skin, and the smell of salt linger on my nose.
Looking down, I could see the beach that surrounded the island and the exterior of the manor stretching down to it. The beach was a fine white, practically pristine strip that continued along to my left and right, only ending as it dips out of view as it bends along the corners of the isle.
A lazy river, a few pools, a couple of areas for lounging, and some hot tubs all filled the outdoor area. Looking closer, the bar McQueen had mentioned was next to the largest pool. It looked as pleasant as she said it did. I could imagine relaxing by the fire and water near there would be a blast.
Looking further out, there were a few gates along the wall that separated the estate from the beach. Looking to my right, I could see the gazebo that Dober mentioned right next to a gate to the beach. The lazy river passed against it, and vegetation kept it private. No wonder Dober picked it out, it seemed like a little slice of heaven–and I was looking at it from a distance.
I hear the footsteps of Dober come out onto the balcony, and she comes to lean against the railing by my side. “I like to spend some time out here every morning. It’s a great view to see the sunrise. Maybe um…you’ll come out to see it sometime. Not that–” Though I don’t look at her, I can picture her head snapping away from me as she says it.
Reading Dober was something I had gotten good at over the years. And she had gotten good at reading me. Whenever she said ‘not that-’ it was an invitation for me to join her.
I tap the railing and look over at my side of the balcony. “Yeah, of course I will. If I’m not up by the time tomorrow, you can just come in to my room through the balcony and get me.” I turn back over to look at her.
Dober blinks at me before she turns away again, huffing out a jet of hot air. She was happy.
“Y-yeah. Let’s um…see your room and then we can head down and meet back with everyone.” She hurries over to the sliding door on my side and beckons me in.
My room isn’t much different from hers in any sense, though it lacks the lingering fragrance of her essential oils mixing together that her own had. It reminded me of my office since it had the same smell, mostly due to her own recommendations of oils finding their way in there
“I still can’t believe I get to stay in this place–and this room.” I look up to the vaulted ceilings and a literal chandelier hanging up there.
I pictured it against the low ceiling of my housing that Tracen provided me, and it made me a bit aware that I should put forward a petition for trainers to be given better on-campus housing.
“Yeah…I never really took you to many Mejiro things, have I?” She speaks to me as I start to open my suitcase and lay things out.
I haven’t been to the estate that much. Most of our time was spent at Tracen or in the towns and cityscape surrounding it. The last time I had interacted with the Mejiro family at large was when I was called to the Mejiro Estate for dinner following Dober’s victory in the URA Finales
Her voice suddenly drops to a whisper, barely audible. “I guess I don’t go to many myself. But um…well…with this little break going on–and Tracen not needing me in the dorms anymore–and I doubt the trainer apartments are all that good–so if you wanted to…move into the manor–”
I was about to ask her what she was saying when a knock came from the door. It shook her enough that she shot up a bit, letting out a little ‘eep’.
Dober looked around, startled and frustrated, before she huffed and went to answer the door.
I could barely hear her. What was that about?
Turning to the door, I could see that Ramonu had come to retrieve us for a late lunch.
…