I was with the twin JCs, light novel author Ruisia Matoda, and Ichika Hinogawa, a friend from university.

The five of us were heading to Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, where Ruisia’s villa was located.

We were riding the Shinkansen.

We had boarded the Shinkansen departing Tokyo Station for Nagano.

It only takes about two hours to get from inside the metropolitan area to Karuizawa.

We were on the Hokuriku Shinkansen [Asama], heading to Karuizawa.

"Hii-yah-ho! A-ga-ri!" "……Akari, it's tsuyu-tsuyu."

"Curse it...! Akari is number one again! It's unfair!"

Akari and the others were playing cards.

We were in the Green Car of the Shinkansen.

Ruisia’s [grandpa] had arranged for us to buy the tickets for the Shinkansen. Yesterday, that is, the day before the trip.

It was over the phone that I spoke with Ruisia’s guardian for the first time.

So when I told them I was taking my grandson and the JK (his friend) on a trip, she readily gave her permission.

I mean, it’s impressive that they’d let a middle-aged dude nearly thirty come along.

But apparently my grandpa trusts me.

I guess he sees me as the chaperone for the JK crew and doesn’t expect anything to go wrong. However... green car?

Of course, I insisted that it wasn't right to have them pay for something so expensive.

But he said since Roshia was being looked after in light novels, this was on him.

The villa where we're staying is apparently loaned out by Roshia's grandpa too.

"Ookariin, let's do it together~. Since Roshian is weakish~"

I’m sitting in a seat on the opposite side of the aisle.

Akari, Nana-co, and Roshia have arranged their seats to face each other and are playing cards as a trio.

Akari is wearing a shirt with a deep keyhole cut out all the way down her back, paired with a mini-skirt so short I’m worried her butt might be showing.

Nana-co, on the other hand, looks modestly put together in a long skirt and a short-sleeved shirt.

Rushia wore a pristine white one-piece dress, with an oversized straw hat resting on her lap—the attire of a young lady. "Let's play, Karin?" "Nah, I'm good."

I wouldn't want to crash the fun my friends were having just because I'm an adult.

"Then how about you, Ichika-chan? Want to do it?"

Akari spoke to the girl sitting next to me.

Nekogawa, a beauty with black hair styled up in a bun, was seated there.

She wore white chinos and a sleeveless shirt.

Her long black hair was held back by classic, lapis-blue barrettes.

"No, thank you. I'm perfectly fine. I wouldn't want to rain on everyone's parade after they've gone through so much trouble."

"...Typical adult logic. But... I know the truth about you, you know~"

Akari shot Nekogawa a sly look.

"You were so happy when you won us in the [Karin Snatch Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament]~"

"I thought Ichika was still just a kid."

"……I raised both hands and said, 'Eidorian.'"

The Shinkansen we were riding had two-seat rows.

For some reason, everyone wanted to sit next to me.

Fairness dictated we settle it with rock-paper-scissors, and Inugawa came out on top.

"I-I mean… I couldn't help it. Traveling on the Shinkansen with Okaya-kun was something that hadn't happened since we graduated from college… so I'm happy," Inugawa fidgeted in the seat to my left.

She had unbuttoned her sleeveless shirt up to the second button.

Every time she twisted her body, her breasts swayed, further accentuating her cleavage.

"Beep-beep! Sexual harassment police!"

Akari and Nanae stood up from their seats and flanked Inugawa like guardian statues.

"Ichika… that outfit is a no-go!" "…Ah, out-to!"

Akari stared at me with piercing eyes.

"Ichika-san, please button your shirt all the way up to the neck."

"I-It's not a problem... I mean, we're not on duty or anything..."

"So, what do you think, Rusia-san?"

Rusia was sitting well-behaved in her chair, drinking tea from a plastic bottle. I looked at the two of them and said,

"Ah-kari, Nana, sit down. Take a page from Rusia's book." "Y-Yes..."

The twin JKs shuffled back to their own seats.

"But, Ah-karin, there's no one else on this Shinkansen besides us, so isn't it okay?" ...And that was the truth of it.

I couldn't quite figure it out, but in the Green Car we were riding in, there were no other passengers to be seen.

"Maybe everyone's sitting in the unreserved section? The Green Car is expensive, after all."

"Huh~? I kinda feel like the unreserved section is empty too~. I'll just go check a sec."

"W-Wait! Ah-kari!" Rusia hurriedly stopped her. "What's wrong, Rusian?"

"Well, um... that's it! You mustn't move pointlessly while the Shinkansen is in motion. It's bad manners. Right, Okaya-san?"

Rusia asked me from across the seat.

“As Rushia says. Sit down.”

“Cheee... It’s definitely the Shinkansen express pass this time~” “Haha, no way.”

But for some reason, why were both Yutakawa and Rushia looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow? Just then—

“Are you interested in any snacks? We have bento boxes too~”

“Ack, it’s the on-board sale! No way!?”

Akari widened her eyes at the person pushing the snack trolley.

“It’s Rushia’s... helper Terminator!”

A big man in a black suit and sunglasses approached us. “Cold...?” “Cold?”

Yutakawa’s face drained of color as he stood up, but then—Hah!—he came back to his senses.

“Mmph! Excuse me for a second♡ …………You, come here.”

Grabbing the sunglasses-wearing giant by the collar, Yutakawa pulled him away from us.

“... Why is it you who’s here!”

"……I was told by the Takahara family to look after your daughter~"

"……Did I say it or not?! Have someone else take over my shift!"

"……Man, I'd love to, but everyone seems to be busy." "……Damn it, why is it you..."

"……It's not because I want to laugh at seeing a big sister on a date accompanied by her family. Owwww stop that, my head! Look, I'm looking! Just stop with the headlocks!"

The two of them were whispering to each other, but their voices didn't carry. Ninigawa and the tour guide came back.

"……Ah, um! You're Luchia's caretaker. Where's Chobi?" Chobi was our pet dog.

Nanako loved him dearly, but it was only natural that they couldn't bring him along on the trip, so they had left him behind.

They tried to leave him at a pet hotel in the city, but Luchia's caretaker apparently held a license for animal custody (pet boarding), so he ended up taking Chobi in.

And that big man wearing sunglasses was the one who said he'd take care of her.

"Nanako, calm down. I'm that guy's brother." "……Oh, really?"

"Yeah. My name is Saburo. The one looking after Chobi is my brother, Jirota." "……I see." Nanako relaxed with a sigh of relief.

On the other hand, Akari stared at Saburo with wide, watery eyes and said.

"Hey, Saburo-san, why are you working as a guide on the Shinkansen? Shouldn't you be helping out at Rusian?"

"Eh... why is that? Well... this Shinkansen..." "「Come over here for a sec」" (Both voices saying it in unison)

Rushia and Magatsugawa stood up and walked away from us, joining Saburo. "Saburo, are you an idiot?"

"...Yeah. It's true that this Shinkansen is a private train bought by the Kogen family for their daughter. But just because of that, it doesn't mean you can go saying whatever comes to mind."

"...Huh? Why? Isn't there really anything secret about it?"

"...The fact that our young lady is a princess from the Kaida Group is being kept hidden. It's so she doesn't play favorites with the other girls."

"...Oh, I see. So I'm supposed to keep quiet about you being obscenely rich? Okay, got it. I'll absolutely keep your secret." The three of them returned.

"Excuse me, I'm coming from a really poor household, so in addition to helping out at Rusian, I also do this Shinkansen guide job on the side~" "「I... see?」" The two tilted their heads in confusion.

I found it somewhat suspicious too. Well, actually, it was pretty suspicious.

I had thought getting a job as a Shinkansen guide wasn't exactly easy, though.

Then again, he's not doing it as his main job, so I suppose I don't know for sure.

"By the way, Saburo-san, what brought you here?"

"I brought over some snacks and drinks. Here, please, go right ahead."

I passed the juice and sweets to Akari and the others.

I stood up, reaching for my wallet.

"Oh no! No, no! This is on me!"

"That's not how it works."

When I spoke, Saburo laughed, shaking his head. "It's all right."

"It's you and... ahem! You've always been so helpful to my daughter, so please let me treat you to this much."

Turning down such kindness here would be the real rude thing to do.

I decided to gratefully accept his offer. "Thank you, Saburo-san!" The girls in their uniforms bowed their heads. "...Thank you very much."

"No, no, oh, right. We'll be arriving at Karuizawa Station in about thirty minutes, so please get ready to get off, okay? Bye-bye!"

With a clatter and a clang, Saburo pushed his cart and left.

Yunigawa sat back down in her seat and let out a deep sigh. "I'm completely worn out." "Are you and he colleagues?"

Nishigawa and Saburō were apparently both working as maids in Rushia’s household. “I see...”

Nishigawa said this while darting her eyes around the room.

“...There’s no way that guy just follows us along for the entire trip, right?”

“Probably not,” Nishigawa muttered softly to herself, musing about something.

“Hey, hey, Rushia-chan. So, where are we staying tonight?”

Akari returned to her seat and asked Rushia, who was sitting directly across from her.

“We’re staying at your villa, right? Where is it, the villa?” “Well, just being asked ‘where’ isn’t enough context...”

For some reason, Rushia seemed to struggle for an answer.

“It’s all over... hmm! Honestly, I don't know this area's place names very well. A car will pick us up at the station, so it’ll be a drive over.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really familiar with place names in Nagano either—”

“...Akari-chan, our surnames are actually place names in Nagano.”

“No way! Seriously? Ina is a place in Nagano—oh my gosh!”

Well, if he lived in the city, it’s probably a name you wouldn’t recognize.

"So, what were we talking about... Ah, right. Where are we staying from today? I wonder."

"It's a villa my grandfather prepared for us."

"A villa, huh~ What kind of place is it... Luciana’s totally radiating rich-girl aura... Buying an entire mountain or something wouldn’t be surprising, right?" Luciana said, breaking into a sweat. "H-Hehe... No way."

"I like this one! This! 【KID Prince Hotel】!"

Akari took a travel magazine out of her bag.

The KID Prince Hotel referred to a cluster of hotels located around Karuizawa Station.

"...Wow! There’s a ski slope right inside the hotel grounds!"

"It’s not just that, big sis. A shopping mall in front of the station, a bowling alley, a golf course... it’s this massive resort with tons of other amusement facilities attached~" "...Wow, how lovely~♡"

The twin high school girls shrieked in excitement.

Meanwhile, Luciana remained frozen stiff, her smile still plastered on her face.

"...Miss, are you okay?"

Hayashiya stood up and took a seat next to Ruthia.

"...I-Ichika. You're okay, right?"

"...I'm fine. It is true that the KID Hotel falls under the Kaneda Group's umbrella. However, I doubt it would be within the scope of Princess Takara's actions to charter the entire hotel."

"...Y-Yeah, you're right. That's impossible. Chartering a Prince Hotel in its entirety? No way, that never happens."

"...Yes, they've likely prepared cottages for us."

I stared dully at the four girls sitting together in a tight cluster.

Just a few months ago, I couldn't have imagined going on a trip with anyone like this.

"Aah, Karin! It looks like we're almost there~"

"Then everyone, let's pack up our luggage and get ready to get off." "「Understood!」x4"

Shortly after, the Shinkansen arrived at Karuizawa Station.

Ruthia pushed our backs, urging us on with a "C-come on, let's head to the ticket gates quickly and try not to look around too much."

We slipped through the gates shortly after and stepped out onto the platform outside. "We've been waiting for you~ ♡" "「Cut it out!」x2"

The man who greeted us was the one we had met on the Shinkansen, Mr. Saburo.

Rus'ato Hinokawa grabbed both of Saburo's arms and pulled them away from us.

"...What are you doing?"

"...So I can support our lady."

"...No way! This is an important date for me too, just like it is for our lady! If you ruin it, I'll destroy something precious of yours!"

"...Eeeeek! I don't want to lose my Magnum between my legs!" Hinokawa and the others returned.

"So it's Suboro. What's up?"

"Someone needs to escort our ladies to the villa, and this worthless me will do it, ee-ee-eee—!"

Saburo clutched his crotch and collapsed on the spot.

"W-What happened, Suboro-san?"

Nanako worriedly approached Saburo.

"I-I'm fine... The gentleman between my legs just... had a little chug-lui misdun..."

Humph, a sound of disdain coming from the nose of Yagawa. Before we knew it, Saburo-san was standing right next to us.

"Uh... umm... anyway... let's start over! I'll be your guide~ Please follow me~"

We walked on behind Saburo-san.

"How are we getting to the villa, Saburo?"

Akari rolled her carry-along luggage along as she asked.

"It's just around the corner, so don't worry..." "「…………」"

Sweat dripped down from Yagawa's brow.

"There! We've arrived! The lady's villa...!" We were all stunned, speechless.

What was pointed out was... the KID Prince Hotel, located right in front of Karuizawa Station.

"...Ah, umm... Saburo-san. This... it's a hotel?"

Saburo-san tilted his head cutely with a "huh?" look on his face.

"Huh? So, this whole place is the lady's villa, right?"

“Eeeeeeeh!?”

“Saburoooooo!!”