Episode 110: “Yui-san, Look This Way”
Riding first class for the first time turned out to be a far more dazzling experience than I’d ever imagined.
Unlike economy, you can stretch your legs out fully, and even lie all the way down if you want.
The flight was so comfortable it left me genuinely moved.
If there was one downside, it was only that the seats were so spacious, it left a little extra distance between me and Yui-san.
Our plane was headed toward Colombo Airport in Sri Lanka, our layover point on the way to our final destination.
We could have gone through Singapore instead, but Sri Lanka is famous for its tea, and I’d always wanted to visit at least once.
I’d already decided we’d pick up some Ceylon tea at the airport on the way home.
The nine-hour flight was comfortable — and for someone who’s endured the roughly half-day journey back to London in economy every time, being able to stretch out fully in first class was something I genuinely savored.
Yui-san, though, apparently isn’t used to long-haul travel, and by the time we landed in Sri Lanka she was thoroughly worn out.
Unfortunate news for an exhausted Yui-san — but to actually reach the Maldives, we still needed to transfer to another flight bound for Malé, the capital.
We’d spend the night there, and the next day take a seaplane to the resort in South Ari Atoll where we’d be staying.
*
Stepping off the plane into the Maldives’ international airport for the first time, I caught a strange, foreign scent I’d never experienced before.
We’d arrived at night, so I was disappointed not to catch a glimpse of the ocean from the plane window — but tomorrow, surely, we’d finally see that vivid emerald-green sea.
The moment we stepped off the plane, the heat caught me off guard
Coming straight from winter in Japan, temperatures pushing past thirty degrees hit us hard.
We quickly shed our jackets down to short sleeves, but still couldn’t adjust to the sudden temperature shift, wiping away sweat the whole ride to the hotel.
By the time we finished checking in and made it into the air-conditioned room, both of us were drenched in sweat.
“Whew… even without the humidity, it’s still hot, huh.”
Yui-san set her suitcase on the baggage rack and stretched her whole body out with a groan. Her white shirt rode up, revealing a glimpse of toned abs, and I hurriedly looked away.
“It’s a year-round summer country, after all.”
Not exactly in a state to dive straight into bed, drenched in sweat as we were, I sat down on the sofa and fanned cool air down my shirt collar, tugging at it.
“I really want to feel clean already. Oh, Kanata, you can go shower first if you want.”
“Aren’t you more tired than me, Yui-san? It’s fine, I’ll go after.”
I’m used to long-distance travel, but Yui-san isn’t, so she must be more exhausted than me.
She’s always the one putting me first, so at a time like this, I wanted to give her the priority instead — that’s why I suggested it.
Yui-san thought about it for a moment, then suddenly perked up, clapping her palm as if something had occurred to her.
“Hmm… well, since we’re here anyway, why don’t we just shower together?”
“Huh? Yui-san, you’re not planning anything weird, are you? We’re both worn out from traveling today, aren’t we…?”
I was pretty sure it’d be fine, but just in case. Better to confirm her intentions ahead of time than assume. I gave her a suspicious, narrow-eyed look.
“If it’s something you want, Kanata, I’m always up for it, no matter how tired I am.”
Yui-san peered into my eyes and grinned. I genuinely couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious, and hurriedly pushed her back by the shoulder to protect myself — but in the end, I got talked into it, and we ended up showering together after all.
Standing under the not-especially-strong water pressure from the wall-mounted showerhead, laughing and messing around together, her mischievous hand predictably tried to wander over my body, so I smacked the back of it and glared at her — Yui-san pouted, sulking.
We hadn’t even reached our actual destination yet — there’s no way my stamina would survive keeping up with Yui-san this early.
That night, I managed to escape Yui-san’s wandering hands, and instead we soothed our travel-worn bodies by massaging each other, then fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
*
The next day.
We headed out early to the seaplane terminal, enjoyed a light meal in the lounge, and were guided by staff toward the boarding area.
Over the emerald-green sea, several small seaplanes floated moored along a wooden dock.
Since seaplanes can take off and land on water without needing a runway, they seem to be an invaluable mode of transport for a country made up of ocean.
Propellers mounted on both wings, a gleaming white body striped in red, with floats fitted underneath, bobbing gently on the crystal-clear water’s surface.
It was a tiny, tiny plane, seating fewer than twenty people.
“Wow, I’ve never ridden a plane this small before. I wonder how high it can even climb with propellers like these.”
“Yeah. This is my first time on a small plane too.”
It felt less like a mode of transportation and more like an amusement park ride.
Unable to bear the sharp glare of the sun stinging her eyes, Yui-san put on the sunglasses she’d had hooked onto her shirt collar.
The sight of her was so picture-perfect that before putting on the sunglasses I’d bought for the very first time in my life just for this trip, I peered through my camera’s viewfinder and snapped a shot of the seaplane and Yui-san together.
Once we boarded, being such a small plane, the cockpit was visible right in front of us.
I found myself staring, captivated, at the pilot in teardrop-shaped black sunglasses handling a row of unfamiliar switches with practiced ease.
Once the engine roared to life, I pushed the small earplugs we’d been given firmly into my ears and pressed myself against the window, drinking in the view outside.
The propellers on both wings began spinning, faster and faster.
The aircraft pulled away from the dock, heading out to open water. Picking up speed rapidly, the seaplane skimmed across the emerald-green surface.
I felt a sudden sensation like being wrenched free from the water, and in an instant, the plane lifted into the air.
Through the window, we looked down at the cityscape of Malé and the surrounding sea. The aircraft angled its nose upward, climbing toward the sky, bound for the resort island where we’d be staying.
*
We were only airborne for a few dozen minutes, I think. Gliding smoothly, the plane touched down on the water’s surface and pulled up alongside what looked like a large floating platform out on the sea.
Moored close by was a small boat, presumably our transport for actually landing on the island.
Close enough to make out clearly with the naked eye, I could see an island lined with overwater villas along its shore.
This place seemed to function as a kind of transfer point.
Not all the passengers disembarked here — the plane would apparently go on carrying the remaining passengers to the next island.
Before boarding the small boat, we exchanged greetings with the male concierge staff member assigned to look after us.
None of the staff spoke Japanese, but since the island’s official language is uniformly English, that wasn’t a problem.
“Kanata, what did he just say?”
Yui-san asked quietly, close to my ear.
“He’s our assigned concierge. He said he’ll explain everything properly once we reach the island.”
Here, at least, I could actually be useful to Yui-san. I proudly volunteered as translator.
We stepped off the small boat and onto the long wooden dock of the resort island.
An endless horizon stretching in every direction, white clouds floating in a cobalt-blue sky. The emerald-green sea, so beautiful it nearly blurred the line between sky and ocean, sparkled under the reflected sunlight.
It was unlike any ocean I’d ever seen. The waves were gentle, and the seawater was as clear as fresh water, and yet, strangely, I could still smell the salt of the tide.
The concierge guiding us toward the lobby pointed down beneath the dock and told us, “There’s a shark down there.”
Startled, I peered over the edge and spotted a small shark, maybe thirty centimeters long, swimming with a sinuous side-to-side motion.
“Wow, Yui-san, look, a shark!”
“Wait, a shark!?”
Even a small shark still has real presence up close.
“There’s actually a shark this close, that’s amazing.”
“Apparently the Maldives has all kinds of different sharks. It said so in the brochure.”
“Wait, they don’t attack people or anything, do they?”
“The sharks in the house reef generally don’t attack people, apparently. Though if you go further out, there are bigger ones too, apparently — tiger sharks, hammerheads, that kind of thing.”
“O-oh really~… I hope we don’t run into any of those…”
Yui-san gave a nervous, apprehensive laugh, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.
Reaching the sandy beach from the dock, I was struck by how fine the sand’s texture was. Even finer than the sand in Okinawa. The pure white sand almost looked like powder snow.
The palm leaves, growing skyward along the contours of the island, rustled pleasantly in the sea breeze drifting in from beyond the water.
After enjoying a welcome drink and getting a full rundown in the lobby, we walked along the long, gently curving dock toward the overwater villa where we’d be staying, starting today.
The soft sea breeze stirred Yui-san’s long black hair as she walked ahead of me. Her white shirt stood out beautifully against the blue sky, and I found myself thinking, savoring it — ah, she really is beautiful.
Like she’d stepped straight out of a painting.
“Hey, Yui-san, look this way.”
“Hm?”
I stopped and looked through the camera’s viewfinder, and the instant she turned around, I pressed the shutter.
I’ve carried the camera she gave me for my birthday everywhere I’ve gone ever since, taking countless photos. It’s grown thoroughly comfortable in my hands by now.
“…Heh, that came out great.”
“Now… I kind of want a camera too. Lend me yours later. I’ll take a ton of pictures of you too, Kanata.”
“Sure, I’ll lend it to you, just this once. Let’s take tons of pictures. …Oh, actually, why don’t you just ask Santa for a matching camera this Christmas?”
“Huh? No way, that’ll bankrupt Santa.”
“It’ll be fine! Santa happens to have a rich girlfriend, so even a somewhat expensive purchase won’t put a dent in her finances.”
“I guess that’s true, but still.”
Talking like that, we arrived in front of the villa we’d be staying in.
Yui-san slid the key in and slowly pushed open the white wooden door.
What filled my vision was a room with an ocean view on every side.
The air-conditioned room was comfortable, and beneath the ceiling fan mounted on the high ceiling sat one large bed, greeted by two swan-shaped towel art pieces sitting side by side, welcoming us in.
Opening the glass doors facing the sea, the terrace held a private pool and two beach beds, along with a ladder leading straight down into the ocean from the room.
What an extravagant room. Even more impressive than what I’d seen in the brochure.
Even the bathroom offered a full ocean view, and the shower room floor was made of glass — peering down, I watched a yellow fish glide gracefully by beneath my feet.
“Hey, Yui-san, this is amazing! We’re really right over the ocean. Getting to stay somewhere this incredible for days, it feels like a dream.”
Unable to contain my excitement, wandering around the room exploring with the camera in hand, my hand was suddenly grabbed and I was pulled in hard.
The moment I registered being hugged, I found myself tumbling straight onto the bed, pulled down along with her.
“Whoa! Th-that startled me…!”
I never expected to be pushed down onto the bed the second we arrived, and I looked up at Yui-san in surprise.
We hadn’t even opened our suitcases yet — what had gotten into her all of a sudden?
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“…You were so cute, getting all excited like that, I just wanted to hug you. I’m really happy you’re enjoying this so much.”
Saying that, Yui-san wrapped me in a tight embrace and gave me a gentle kiss.
“You pushed me down so suddenly, I thought you were about to do something weird…”
“Huh, is that allowed?”
“No it’s not! What are you even saying, come on! We just got here…”
“Sorry, sorry, I was kidding.”
Yui-san said it, kissing my forehead soothingly — but was that really a joke? It kind of felt a little serious, honestly.
“Yui-san, once we’re done unpacking, want to go explore the beach?”
“Sounds good, let’s do that.”
Opening my suitcase, the first thing I pulled out was Orca-kun, still flattened flat like a rice cracker from the trip.
Opening the compression bag and letting the air rush in, he puffed right back up to his normal size.
I shaped him back into form with both hands and gently set him on the bed, so he could see the ocean too.
Orca-kun, who supported me through those four years apart from Yui-san, deserves real credit.
I’m so glad I got to bring him all the way here.
“Kanata.”
“What is it?”
Turning at the sudden call of my name, I found Yui-san had grabbed Orca-kun with one hand and lifted him up.
“Wait! What are you doing!”
“Did you forget? No stuffed animals on the bed.”
Saying that, Yui-san set Orca-kun down on the sofa instead.
“Ugh, why are you being so mean about this…!”
“Because, Kanata, even with me right there, you always try to sleep hugging that thing.”
That’s true, actually — I remembered a few times I’d tried to sleep hugging Orca-kun even while Yui-san held me from behind, and she’d gotten genuinely put out, saying “it’s lonely when you keep your back to me the whole time.”
“Kanata. If you’re going to hug something, hug me.”
So it really was my fault, after all, that Orca-kun and Yui-san ended up in a full-blown rivalry.
Feeling a little repentant, I threw my arms around Yui-san’s chest as a gesture of apology.
“Sorry. But… please don’t be too rough with Orca-kun, okay?”
“Only if you keep prioritizing me over Orca-kun, Kanata.”
Saying that, Yui-san gently pressed her lips to my cheek.
With no other option, I decided Orca-kun’s designated spot in this room would be the sofa, just like Yui-san said.