"...Just ran out of power."
Tsushima Kagami watched the DV screen in his hand flicker once before finally going dark.
He had brought several spare batteries when leaving the house, and even used them sparingly, yet they still didn't last until dark before being completely depleted.
Yukinoshita Shizuku also put away the Polaroid, stuffing it into Tsushima Kagami's backpack, and spoke.
"Should we find a place to stay first, or go eat first?"
Tsushima Kagami patted his head.
"I almost forgot, we haven't even looked for a place to stay yet."
Just as Tsushima Kagami was about to stand up, his hand, resting on the side of the steps, seemed to touch something.
He grabbed it to take a look; it was a bracelet.
One of the pieces on the bracelet was engraved with the two characters "Iori".
"Someone must have left it here," Yukinoshita Shizuku said, seeing the bracelet in Tsushima Kagami's hand.
"Why are you putting it back?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku asked, watching him place the bracelet back down.
Tsushima Kagami placed it properly, then looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Waiting for its owner to come look for it.
"What if the owner hasn't found this place yet? Are we supposed to just hold onto it and wait?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku originally wanted to say something, but thinking about it, he was right, so she didn't speak again.
A girl was unconsciously touching her wrist while lowering her head to search for something. Occasionally, she would kick the sand twice with her foot, as if afraid the item was buried under the sand.
"Excuse me, are you looking for something?"
Hearing someone ask her, the girl hurriedly turned her head to look at the other party.
They looked like students about her age.
And the one asking was a boy smiling gently on the side.
"Ah, yes, I am looking for something."
The girl came back to her senses and spoke hurriedly.
"May I ask what kind of item it is? Can you describe it?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku, standing to the side, also asked.
"A bracelet, it's a bracelet."
"Right, it also has the two characters 'Iori' engraved on it."
"That is my name."
Hearing this, Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku glanced at each other, then nodded in tacit understanding.
"Take a look, is this it?"
The girl saw the boy opposite her extend his hand, palm open. Lying in the center of his palm was precisely the bracelet she had dropped.
"Yes, that's the one."
"May I take it?"
The girl asked Tsushima Kagami, instead of taking it directly from his hand.
Tsushima Kagami said with a smile.
"Of course, it was yours to begin with."
"Th... thank you."
After retrieving the bracelet, the girl bowed slightly to Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku.
Then she asked.
"May I ask where you found it?"
"Right on the steps over there."
Tsushima Kagami pointed to the spot where they had just been sitting.
"Oh my, I kept thinking I dropped it while on the beach earlier.
"I didn't expect it to be there!"
After speaking, she bowed to the two of them again.
"Since the item has returned to its owner, we'll be going now."
"Bye-bye."
With that, Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku left the area.
The girl also waved her hand to bid them farewell.
*
"I'm terribly sorry, we are fully booked today."
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku walked out of the hotel exhausted.
Tsushima Kagami plonked himself directly onto the steps by the roadside.
Yukinoshita Shizuku also sat on her small suitcase.
"What do we do? They're all full."
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at Tsushima Kagami helplessly.
"It shouldn't be. I didn't see that many tourists today, how can they all be full?"
"If I'd known, I would have booked a room in advance."
Tsushima Kagami said, looking at the stars in the dark night sky.
"So what now?"
"Let's go eat first. We'll look again after eating."
"Otherwise, we'll just find a comfortable 24-hour cafe to sit in."
Tsushima Kagami said helplessly.
"I really just want to lie down right now."
At this moment, Yukinoshita Shizuku also revealed a rare spoiled demeanor, resting her chin dejectedly on the suitcase's pull handle.
"Eh? It's you two?"
Both Yukinoshita Shizuku and Tsushima Kagami were attracted by the voice and looked over.
The arrival was a girl wearing a two-piece kimono, with her sleeves tied back behind her with a tasuki sash, and her hair tied into a single ponytail.
"You are?"
"Ah, it's me."
"The one you helped find the bracelet for just this evening."
After speaking, the girl extended her hand and shook the bracelet on her wrist.
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku suddenly realized.
"So it's you. What a coincidence."
The girl looked at their current state and asked.
"Um, are you two unable to find a hotel to stay in?"
Tsushima Kagami, still sitting on the ground, suddenly clapped his hands and looked at the girl.
He startled both Yukinoshita Shizuku and the girl.
"I remember you're called Iori, right?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
The girl nodded.
"Then, Iori-san, can you tell us which hotels nearby might not be fully booked?"
"Oh my, actually there is one."
Hearing Iori say this, Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku's eyes lit up.
"Quick, tell us."
Iori pointed a finger at herself.
"My home."
"Eh? Your family actually runs a hotel?"
"It doesn't count as a hotel, just a rather old-fashioned ryokan."
Iori waved her hand with a smile.
Tsushima Kagami also said with a smile.
"I'll take two rooms!"
Iori's expression froze.
"Um, my home only has one room left too."
Tsushima Kagami looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"She says there's only one room left, what do we do?"
"One room it is, then."
"Don't we always live together anyway?"
Tsushima Kagami originally wanted to retort that while they did live together, they didn't live in the same room.
But thinking that if they continued talking, even this one room at Iori's house might be gone, and they would really have to sleep on the street.
"Iori-san, please take us to your family's ryokan quickly!"
...
When Iori led Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku into an alley right near where they had been sitting, after a few turns, they finally saw a rather large Japanese-style ryokan amidst a residential area.
After the two were finally arranged to move in by Iori, they first went to the bathhouse here to take a bath, then returned to the room.
At this time, Iori also brought dinner for the two.
"Thank you so much, Iori-san."
"By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet."
"My name is Yukinoshita Kagami."
"This is Yukinoshita Shizuku."
After introducing himself, Tsushima Kagami pointed to Yukinoshita Shizuku beside him.
"Oh my, no need to be polite."
"By the way, my name is Sakurajima Iori."
____
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