What should we do next?

I think we’ve gone around quite a bit already.

From the Deep Sea to the Black Sea, and then the Dolphin Show and Feeding…

My legs are starting to feel tired.

“I’m exhausted…”

“Right~”

“What should we do?”

“Want to go look for souvenirs?”

“Sounds good. Let’s look at those and call it a day.”

So, we decided as a group to head towards the souvenir shop.

When we entered the souvenir shop, various ocean-themed goods were lined up, and the atmosphere inside was lively.

There were plush toys of dolphins and penguins, keychains, T-shirts, and other items that caught our eyes.

“Wah, this is cute!”

Naruse-san picked up a fluffy dolphin plush toy.

Her hand sank into it as she touched it.

It’s quite soft, huh? That would be nice.

“I was thinking about buying a dolphin plush. That would be nice.”

I said that when I saw Naruse-san touching the dolphin plush.

“Really? Then let’s get matching ones?”

Naruse-san smiled brightly and said that. Her smile was as bright as the sun, warming my heart without me realizing it.

“A matched set… Yeah, that sounds good!”

I replied with a smile, and Naruse-san hugged the plush tightly while continuing to look around the store.

“Hey, isn’t this nice?”

Haruka looked at something and asked. When I approached, it was a small dolphin keychain.

Red, blue, yellow, white—there were many colors available. It’s quite a variety.

“What color should we go with…?”

It’s hard to choose when there are so many options. But I don’t hesitate because I have a favorite color!

“I’ll go with aqua.”

“Really? Then I’ll take pink!”

Haruka took the pink dolphin keychain. Seeing her like that, I thought it suited her..

Then, looking at Hiiragi-san and Ryou-san, they were each picking out items of their own choice.

“Hiiragi-san, is that…?”

I asked because I noticed what Hiiragi-san was holding in her hand.

“This one? This is a plush strap.”

“I can see that, but… is that a giant isopod?”

“Yes. I just found it, and… for some reason, when it’s a plush, I end up thinking it’s cute…”

“You have good taste~”

I felt like I had found a kindred spirit.

“I want one too. Let’s buy matching ones?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, if Hiiragi-san likes it, let’s buy it.”

“Let’s do that!”

So, I decided to buy matching giant isopod straps with Hiiragi-san.

Man, I can’t believe there are souvenirs like this too. It makes me happy because I wanted something for my favorite creature, and also because I could get a matched set with Hiiragi-san.

Thinking about that, Ryou-san ran over holding something in her hand.

“Hey hey, isn’t this nice?”

In her hand was a mug. There was an illustration of the ocean on it, and dolphins jumping were designed on it.

“Oh, that’s good. That mug really captures the sea vibe.”

When I said that, Ryou-san smiled happily.

“That’s right? I fell in love with it at first sight.”

Ryou-san continued to say something else.

“By the way, this is a pair of mugs. Can you take one?”

“Is that okay?”

“I want to give it to Amiya-kun.”

“Thank you.”

Then she muttered, “I didn’t want to be the only one without a matching set.”

“Well, everyone has matching items now.”

When Naruse-san said that, everyone nodded happily. It felt like today’s memories became even more special by having matching items.

“Then let’s go to the checkout.”

We headed towards the register.

Ah, wait. What? I should wait here?

Being told that by everyone, I decided to wait outside the register. While looking at the register, I glanced around the store and noticed a limited-edition aquarium water keychain.

There were several colors available, and there were five of them.

Oh, this looks good.

Even though we each bought matching items, we didn’t have a group set, so maybe I should buy all five types.

Thinking that, I took five of them and secretly headed towards the register.

I planned to give it as a surprise when we left. Just imagining their happy expressions made my mouth curl up.

Everyone was still focused on the register. So I lined up at another register instead.

Oh, this line moved quickly. It seems like this one will finish first.

After finishing at the register, I was able to buy it without any issues.

Even so, getting surprised every time I go to the register is exhausting.

I just can’t get used to this…

Every time, they widen their eyes and go, “A man!?”

Then, waiting in the same place. After a while, everyone came back.

“Sorry for making you wait~”

I replied with an innocent face, “Welcome back, thank you.”

It seems like no one noticed. Good!

Now, where should I give it to them…

“Let’s go home then!”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

In this way, we left the souvenir shop.

By the way, we also bought various things like cookies, bookmarks, and limited-edition food for dinner.

Man, traveling always makes me spend too much money.

Thinking about that, I started heading back.

We talked about our memories at the aquarium while returning to the hotel.

While everyone was organizing their souvenirs, I began preparing my surprise.

“Everyone, pay attention over here!”

“What’s up?”

I called out to gather everyone’s attention. As Naruse-san, Haruka, Hiiragi-san, and Ryou-san looked at me curiously, I took out the water keychain from my bag.

“Tadah~!”

“Wah, this is…”

Naruse-san raised her voice in surprise.

“This is the limited edition one from the aquarium, right? Thank you so much!”

Her joy exploded as Haruka jumped towards me.

“Waah!?”

Haruka hugged me lightly but quickly stepped back shyly.

“Thank you, Kai! It’s a really nice surprise.”

Naruse-san smiled while carefully taking the keychain in her hands.

“Now everyone has matching ones. It will be a great memento of our trip and a great memory.”

Ryou-san nodded while looking at the keychain.

Hiiragi-san looks at it multiple times, happily gazing at it.

“I’m really happy—we made so many memories.”

Hiiragi-san spoke with deep gratitude. Everyone nodded in agreement, showing happy expressions.

Everyone smiled, and the atmosphere became even more harmonious. I felt genuinely happy that I had prepared this surprise.

After that, we ate dinner and went to the bath. 

Of course, there was no way I would peek.

In fact, I don’t even know where the hot spring is located. It’s impossible to peek anyway…

I gave up and soaked in the hotel room’s bathtub.

Everyone returned, but they still didn’t want to sleep yet and were discussing what to do next.

The hotel had tatami mats, pillows for everyone, a spacious room. With all these conditions met, there was only one thing to do.

It’s time for pillow fightttttt!!