[TSSIM] Chapter 445: A Private Island?!

"Looks like the final decision is to head to the beach... Does anyone have any opinions?"

After discussing with the girls for a while, Homura asked them.

"Okinawa?" Umi said, testing the waters.

"Okay, let's add it to the list." Homura nodded slightly, then smirked. "But don't get your hopes up too high."

"Eh? Why?" Umi asked confusedly.

"How should I put this…"

Homura scratched his head for a moment before turning to Maki.

"Maki, your family must have 'one', right?"

"Hmm?"

Maki looked bewildered for a moment, thought about it, then nodded.

"On top of that, there's also the Sawamura family..." Homura continued.

Eriri nodded in agreement as well.

"Kotobuki, Makishima, Shinomiya, Fujiwara, and finally, my family…" Homura counted off seven families.

Although he knew Elf also had one, he decided not to mention it.

"Anoo... what are you talking about, Homura-kun?"

Looking confused, Honoka couldn't help but ask.

However, Umi had already seemed to figure it out, answering the question in the next moment.

"It's probably… private beaches?"

Since Homura had told her not to get her hopes up too high for Okinawa, it meant that Okinawa could only be considered a backup.

Moreover, with him mentioning all those prestigious families, the only possibility she could think of was private beaches.

"I've got one too—a small private island down south..." Elf chimed in. "And when night falls, you can see some cool stuff."

""A private island?!""

Exclaiming in unison, the others exchanged incredulous glances, amazed.

Not only were there several private beaches but now there was a private island involved!

"What cool stuff?" Rin asked curiously.

"Secret! If I tell you, it won't be a surprise." Elf replied, clearly not planning to spill the beans.

"Well, everyone, it's your call. Nine options—one Okinawa, one island, and seven private beaches. Which one are you most interested in?"

Homura asked everyone, even though he could guess that they would definitely choose Elf's private island.

"Let's go with the island!" Kaguya voiced her opinion. "In the first place, there's really not much to see at my family's private beach besides its size."

Although a big beach was a good thing, holidays on beaches were just too common, so it made sense to choose one that was unique and different from the usual, as it was human nature.

"Is your family okay with this, Kaguya?"

Remembering the troublesome Shinomiya family, Homura quickly asked Kaguya.

"Yeah, it's fine..." Kaguya shook her head lightly. "I was actually waiting for my family to stop me, but who knew the last couple of times, they just sent Hayasaka to tag along and didn't ask any more questions. Now it's kind of awkward to bring it up…"

"Is that so..." Homura pondered. "I think it’s because you’ve never really expressed your own wishes to your family?"

Kaguya paused, looking down in thought for a moment before replying, "Maybe... I always just did whatever they said and haven’t really made my opinions clear..."

"Could it be... your family became supportive just because you made it clear that you didn’t want anyone following you?" Homura blurted out his assumption.

In all honesty, he wondered if he had been overthinking things all this time.

If Kaguya took a firm stance, her family surprisingly caved quickly.

Considering this, perhaps the reason her family was so strict and always dictated her life was that she was simply too passive!

"I really put my heart into this decision, but why do I feel like I just swung at nothing?" Kaguya muttered frustratedly, her expression darkening a bit.

"Ai, what do you think?"

Homura glanced over at Ai, wanting to know her opinion.

Ai calmly shook her head.

"Unless that old geez—the family head personally ordered that Kaguya-sama can't do anything, or unless she needs to be more careful about other things when he's around, I think Kaguya-sama can definitely do whatever she wants as long as it doesn't negatively impact the family. After all, the orders the servants get from him are probably vague, like—don’t let her do anything that would embarrass the Shinomiya family."

Upon hearing this, Homura smiled before glancing at Kaguya.

"Well, if Ai thinks so... it'd be great if you made this change sooner rather than later, Kaguya."

"...I wouldn't even be thinking about this if it weren't for you!" Kaguya's face flushed.

"Ara? Kaguya-chan, is that a confession?"

Chika grinned as she leaned closer to Kaguya.

"No!"

Kaguya snapped, feeling that Chika had ruined the mood with her remark.

"C'mon, don't be mad, Kaguya-chan~"

Seeing this entertaining scene, Homura's smile became gentler. He watched them for a bit before asking for everyone's opinions again.

In the end, aside from Nayuta, who chose the private beach owned by the Minamiya family, everyone else voted for Elf's private island.

"Don't worry!" Elf patted her chest confidently. "I promise you won't be disappointed!"

Since everyone decided to head to Elf's territory, she would handle the transportation. After all, her family had a yacht, so fitting everyone in would be a breeze.

Gurgle~

"Ahh... I'm hungry..."

Yui mumbled, clutching her stomach, looking a bit out of energy.

Seeing this, Homura shook his head and chuckled.

"Alright, let's go for a walk then. It seems the rain is starting to stop." 

As if remembering something, Homura then glanced at Honoka.

"Oh, and Honoka, if you want to go out, don't forget to grab an umbrella. You just got over your cold, so getting caught in the rain could make you sick."

Honoka, who had just perked up to run out, froze and turned back to grab an umbrella before darting back outside.

Umi and Kotori exchanged glances, rolling their eyes before chasing after Honoka.

"Okay, let's split up and explore!" Homura declared with a smile.

"OHHH~!" Yui cheered and dashed off.

One by one, the others left Muse's preparation room as well, ready to stroll around a bit and grab a bite to eat.

Once the rain stopped completely, they could properly enjoy the festival.

===

After everyone returned to their homes, Muse and the two little sisters headed to the Minamiya residence, as usual. 

Since they came all the time, they had even left some of their luggage in the residence.

"Hmm... I guess we don't need dinner..." Elf remarked while rubbing her belly. "We really ate a lot this afternoon."

"Yeah, let's skip it. You can munch on the snacks I made if you get hungry later." Homura nodded, feeling pretty stuffed himself.

"Speaking of which... it seems like Homura-kun didn't play any games at the festival..." Hanayo wondered.

"Me? Play those?" Homura smiled and shook his head. "Nah, the game booth owner would probably cry…"

"Huh? Why?" Hanayo looked confused. 

"First of all, the shooting gallery. You guys really think I'd miss?"

Upon hearing this question, the girls shook their heads.

"How about the ring toss? You think I'd miss that too?"

They shook their heads again.

"See? It'd be the same for all the games. If I played, I'd just take all the prizes." Homura shrugged. "If that happened, the booth owner would be in tears."

Finally figuring out what he meant, the girls found themselves speechless.

"Well, eating is way more fun, anyway." Homura grinned.

"Exactly! Eating is the best!" Honoka agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

Yukiho looked at her sister, feeling a bit speechless.

Glancing at the time, Homura stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

"Homura, where are you going?" Elf asked, raising her brows.

"What else? Cooking, of course." Homura answered without stopping his steps.

"Huh? Didn't you just say you weren't going to?" Eriri asked with a confused tone.

"We're full, but the little one hasn't eaten much."

Upon hearing this, the girls paused for a moment, thought of Haru, and then burst into laughter.