"Everything was fun, wasn't it? The Iekei ramen and Chinese food were both so delicious."

"Yes, and Yokohama had so many places to see. It was really nice."

After sightseeing around Yokohama, we’re now relaxing at an inn in Kamakura. The food was amazing, and the tourist spots were enjoyable.

But honestly, aside from the birthplace of Iekei ramen near Yokohama Station, there wasn’t much else around there. It seems like places like Minato Mirai and Chinatown are a bit farther away from Yokohama Station.

"Taking a trip and unwinding once in a while is nice. This inn is known for its hot springs, so maybe I’ll give them a try."

"Oh, is that so? Since we’re here, I might give it a go too, even though it’s a bit hot."

Fortunately, the sun had set, and it was getting much cooler. We’d done quite a bit of walking and worked up a sweat, so a hot spring in summer didn’t seem like a bad idea.

"Wow, no one else is here."

Following the bathhouse signs, I stepped outside to find a spacious, beautiful open-air bath. Whether it was because it was summer or a weekday, I couldn’t tell, but for now, I had the bath all to myself.

"Whoa, this feels amazing~!"

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as soaking in a hot spring after a long, tiring day. It felt as though all the fatigue from the day was being drawn out by the hot water.

"Alright, this should work."

I grabbed a bath bucket, scooped up some hot spring water, and brought it to the farthest spot from the door of the open-air bath. This way, even if someone came in through the door, my body would block their view.

"Fūsuke, sorry for the wait."

"Hoo!"

Actually, this trip wasn’t just the two of us, but Fūsuke had been enjoying the journey with me, sitting atop my head the entire time.

Of course, with wings and all, I couldn’t exactly bring him into the main bath, so I filled the bucket with hot spring water to create a little bath for him.

That said, I wondered—are owls even okay with hot water? I’d read online that they take water baths, so water was probably fine, but what about hot water?

"Hoo~♪"

Fūsuke looked utterly relaxed in his little bath bucket. Oh no, this kid is way too adorable!

Ugh, I left my phone behind since I’m in the bath. I wanted to record Fūsuke relaxing in the bucket!

He usually stays home alone in my room, so I’m glad he could unwind on this trip.

No one else showed up for a while, so Fūsuke got to enjoy the hot spring at his leisure.

The next day, we visited Kamakura’s famous Great Buddha and toured places like Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Even though I’m not particularly interested in Japanese history, seeing such famous temples and statues that appear in history textbooks turned out to be surprisingly fun.

For lunch, we used the Enoden train to head to Enoshima, where we tried the famous fresh shirasu rice bowl. It was my first time eating fresh shirasu, and it was completely different in taste and texture from boiled shirasu—absolutely delicious.

We continued sightseeing around Enoshima, climbed to the top, and took in the panoramic view of the island. As expected of the Shonan coast, there were plenty of people surfing and swimming in the sea.

Lastly, we stopped by a railroad crossing near Enoshima that appears in the opening of a famous basketball anime. Watanabe had told me about it when I mentioned I was going on a trip to Yokohama and Kamakura with my mom.

It’s a fairly old manga and anime, but it was so good that I binge-watched it. Beyond the crossing, the beautiful Shonan sea stretched out endlessly, just like in the anime. The scenery was exactly as depicted.

My mom, however, didn’t quite understand why I was so eager to take pictures of just a railroad crossing. Well, that’s what anime pilgrimage spots are like.

"Whew, we did a lot of walking over these two days. I’m exhausted."

"Yeah, this trip involved a lot of walking. Unlike our previous trip where we just soaked in hot springs, this one was all about sightseeing. But it was fun."

For my mom, who’s always tired from work, spending time relaxing in hot springs might be better. But I enjoyed this trip more.

Still, I’m glad nothing went wrong during the trip. It’d be awful if something happened during our vacation together.

"…You seem to have fully recovered."

"Huh? What do you mean? I haven’t been sick recently or anything."

"A few months ago, you were really down, remember? Before you slimmed down and started looking the way you do now."

"…Oh, that time."

It was when Tsuyahara and his bullying group were at their worst. I’d tried my best to hide it from my mom, but it seemed like she’d noticed a bit.

Unable to consult my homeroom teacher and not wanting to worry my mom, who worked so hard on her own, I’d kept the bullying to myself.

"To be honest, I had some trouble at school. But it’s all resolved now, so don’t worry."

"As a parent, I’d like to know before things are resolved."

"…I’ll tell you next time. So, if anything comes up, you have to tell me too. Don’t push yourself too hard with overtime, okay? I’ve got the money side covered, so don’t overdo it."

"It’s just that we’re short on staff, so I have to work overtime. Thanks to you cutting down on food expenses recently, it’s been a big help."

Thanks to using ingredients from another world, we’ve saved a lot on groceries. The extra savings are put away for emergencies.

"I’m feeling better these days and things are easier than before. So, don’t worry about the house and enjoy your summer vacation. But don’t slack off too much just because your grades went up—make sure to study a bit."

"Haha, got it."

Summer vacation has just begun. I’ll enjoy myself while I can, even if it’s a bit selfish of me.