Chapter Text
Taking out her smartphone, Arisu looked at the clock for the fourth time in the last five minutes. And just like the last three times, she was still perfectly on time, if not even a little early. But she couldn't help but be a little nervous. It was a special day, after all.
It was a beautiful day in late spring; the sun was already shining nice and warm even though it was only morning, and not a single rain cloud hung in the sky. A few weeks ago, while talking with the other idols at the agency, Haru had bragged that she was going to go camping with her father and her brothers. Of course the other girls were envious of her. At least most of them were, because Momoka had never gone camping before, and coming from a rich family, she wasn't even familiar with the concept.
After a quick explanation, she understood why everyone seemed so excited about the idea. And so, in a quiet minute, she had asked Arisu about trying camping together. At first, Arisu had been a little surprised why she was the first person Momoka had asked, but she quickly understood that not only had Momoka asked her first but also planned to ask no one else. For some reason this was supposed to be a two-person camping trip.
And although going camping was far from Arisu's favorite way to spend a holiday, the idea of doing it together with Momoka and only Momoka seemed at least somewhat enticing. Because to Arisu, Momoka was the most grown-up among their group of idols. Beside Arisu herself, of course. But for that reason, she always enjoyed the time she was spending together with Momoka, to the point where an outsider might describe her as having a crush on Momoka. Not that Arisu would ever admit that to herself.
While planning the trip, it had quickly become apparent that Arisu and Momoka wouldn't be able to simply go camping. They were too young to go somewhere by themselves. And since Arisu's family only had an apartment, there was no garden to use. Of course they could have pitched a tent in Arisu's bedroom, but where's the camping feeling in that? They certainly wouldn't have been able to make a campfire.
As a result, Momoka had asked her parents if they could use one of their cottages. Surely one of them would have a lawn and a fireplace that could be used by the girls for a night. At first, her parents really didn't like the idea. Sleeping in a tent was not something a fine lady like Momoka should do. And it certainly didn't seem safe. So Momoka had to agree to at least be accompanied by two members of her staff to make sure nothing would happen. She certainly would have preferred to go alone with Arisu, but she did agree that it might be better to have someone who could help. At least she was able to convince her parents that it would be enough if they spent the night in the cottage.
And so, after planning their night together in a tent, the day had finally come. Arisu had packed her bag and was currently standing in front of her apartment, waiting for Momoka's car to arrive. They would have to leave the city and head out into the countryside, where the cottage they would be staying at was located. And since this was the first time Arisu would be staying with Momoka but none of the other idols from their agency, she couldn't help but be a little nervous.
As Arisu looked up from her smartphone for the fifth time, the clock still showing the same time, she spotted a car driving down the street before coming to a stop in front of her. Immediately, the door on the passenger side sprung open, and a middle-aged woman that looked gentle yet a little intimidating exited the car. "Good morning, you must be Tachibana-san," the woman greeted, taking Arisu a little by surprise.
"Y-yes, that's me," Arisu stammered. But as she looked at the woman quickly approaching the two steps from the car to where Arisu was currently standing, the girl was able to make out Momoka sitting in the back of the car and giving her a friendly wave. "Let me help you with this," the woman then spoke up and grabbed one of the two bags standing at Arisu's side. Because while Momoka had gotten permission to use one of their cottages for their camp, the Sakurai family didn't actually own any tents. Of course they could have easily bought one, even with delivery on the same day. They were rich, after all.
But Arisu didn't want to depend on Momoka for everything on this trip. And so she had proposed to use her tent for the night. Her parents had taken her camping a few times when she was younger, but since then they had gotten a lot busier. As a result, the tent had sat unused in the back of the wardrobe. So this was the perfect opportunity to use it again. Arisu's parents were fine with the idea, and so Arisu had not only brought a bag with everything she would need for the night but also a bag with the tent.
Grabbing the heavy bag with the tent, the woman turned to make her way over to the trunk of the car. Arisu was about to grab her second bag to bring it over, but the woman stopped her. "Don't worry about that; I will take care of your bags. Please feel free to sit down with Momoka-sama," she instructed. Arisu was taken aback once more, but since she didn't want to cause a fuss, she decided to oblige and made her way to the rear seat where Momoka was sitting.
"Good morning, Arisu-san," Momoka greeted her the moment Arisu pulled the door open. "Good morning," Arisu returned the greeting a little stiffer than normal. Her nervousness had yet to fade away, and although the woman had only been nice, her overwhelming presence and readiness to help had not really done anything to calm Arisu's nerves. Thankfully, Momoka was there to make her feel better.
"I really look forward to today. I hope you are doing alright?" she asked, her calm aura soothing Arisu. "Yes, I think this will be a wonderful day," Arisu agreed, settling in on the seat. Reaching for the seatbelt, Arisu made sure she would be ready by the time everything had been packed. And just a few seconds later, the trunk lid was shut closed, and the woman returned to her seat. Lugging around the heavy tent hadn't fazed her at all, which seemed a little impressive to Arisu. She had used the elevator in their apartment to move it and still had struggled.
The moment all doors were shut, the car's engine started up again, and at the hand of Momoka's chauffeur, they were off. By the time they were out of the street Arisu's apartment was on, the woman turned around and looked at the two girls in the back seat. "It will take us a few hours of driving until we arrive at our location. I see you are also dressed for the occasion, Tachibana-san," she explained as she looked Arisu up and down.
Despite preferring to wear dresses, Arisu was wearing a blue shirt and short blue pants, similar to what she would be wearing during practice. It was light and comfortable, perfect for a nice day outdoors. And it would also be easy to change it off when they would inevitably change into their pajamas or even if they wanted to take a quick swim. Because as Momoka had already teased beforehand, the property they would be staying at was right by a beautiful lake. And so she had come prepared, packing her swimsuit for when it might be needed.
Similarly, Momoka was also dressed in light clothing, wearing a short pink skirt as well as a white shirt. Her hair was decorated by a pink hairband with a red bow a bit on the side. With that, she would be ready for anything that could come their way. She had also made sure to bring sunscreen and bug spray. She was a refined lady, and her unblemished skin had to stay that way.
As was to be expected, driving out into the countryside where Arisu and Momoka would be staying for the night turned out to be rather uneventful. The two girls spent most of the time chatting, talking about whatever crossed their minds, including school, their idol work, and what they would be doing once they arrived at the cottage. During that time, Momoka also explained that her staff would only be there to help if asked or in case of emergencies.
Despite her parents not liking the idea that Momoka and Arisu would try to take care of as much as possible by themselves, Momoka had stood her ground, so it would actually feel like a camping trip for the girls. Because if the grown-ups would do everything, there would be hardly any point for Momoka and Arisu to travel all that way. They could have had a regular sleepover.
Thankfully, the woman that was accompanying them was rather understanding about their situation. She was a mother herself, and when her children had been around the same age as Arisu and Momoka were right now, she had used a similar philosophy, letting her children do what they wanted with parental supervision but without intervening too much. And so she had gladly agreed to Momoka's plan.
Since the drive was so long, they spent lunch at a picnic area on the side of the road. A basket of sandwiches had been prepared before they had driven off, which Momoka and Arisu munched on happily in the warm sun. It wasn't exactly the luxurious lunch Momoka was used to from home, but she was spending the time together with Arisu, and their shared adventure was a lot of fun.
And so, after a few hours of driving, the car finally pulled into the parking lot by the lodge. They had long left the highway, and after driving through a handful of small towns, they had finally arrived at what could only be described as the edge of civilization. They were completely surrounded by nature, large, old trees swaying slowly in the soft breeze. As Arisu and Momoka left the car, they were surprised by how quiet it was. Of course they could hear birds sing, but it was rather serene compared to the big city they were living in.
Unloading the car, the woman grabbed all the bags from the trunk of the car, including the one holding Momoka's belongings. Arisu immediately made her way over to her bag, picking it up to carry it to where they would be setting up their tent. But when Momoka was about to do the same with her own bag, the woman stopped her. "Don't worry about your bag, Momoka-sama. I will take care of it," she explained, telling Momoka to relax instead of doing any work.
But Momoka didn't feel like letting someone else do everything for her. At least for today. After all, this was supposed to be a camping trip, not a luxury vacation. "No, it's fine; I can carry my bag myself," she protested in a firm yet calm voice. The woman was about to talk back to Momoka, but she wasn't exactly in a position where she was able to do so. At least in this case, what Momoka was demanding wasn't completely unreasonable. And so the woman sighed before getting out of the way so Momoka could pick up her bag.
Carrying their luggage, the small group then made their way around the cottage to the lawn in the back. And what they saw exceeded their expectations. The cottage was built close to the shore of a lake. The lawn spread out in front of them almost all the way to the water. Only the last meter or two was a gravelly beach. The area was surrounded by large trees, casting a gentle shade across the lawn.
"Wow, this is beautiful," Momoka exclaimed. Despite being part of the family that owned the property, she had never visited it herself. The perk of coming from a rich family was that she was able to spend her vacation at a different place they owned every time and still experience something new. And this time was no different. "Yeah, it's really beautiful," Arisu agreed, stopping next to Momoka.
"I think it's best if you set up your tent over here," the woman spoke up, having walked ahead for a bit more. She was now standing close to the lake shore, where she had already set down the bag with the tent. Neither Arisu nor Momoka had any complaints about the location, so they agreed, setting their bags down nearby. A big advantage of that location was also that the fireplace they could use for a campfire was close by.
"As requested, you are free to set up your tent yourselves. However, if you need me, feel free to ask anytime," the woman then explained. Both girls nodded, and so she took her leave, making her way over to the cottage where she would be staying together with the person who had driven them out here. Since they would be staying the night, they would have to set up a few things for themselves. Which would also include dinner for them and the two girls.
Now essentially by themselves, the actual camping trip could finally begin. Together, Arisu and Momoka started to unpack the bag holding the tent. It held the outer tent that would protect them from the elements, the inner tent the two girls would actually sleep in, and collapsible poles and a small bag of pegs. "I'm not sure how this works, so please show me how to set up the tent," Momoka asked her friend.
"Oh, um, sure," Arisu replied, stammering a little after being put on the spot by Momoka's sudden request. Taking out the small instruction sheet that also came with the tent, Arisu quickly skimmed it to get familiar with how the setup would work. She had helped her parents set up the tent many years ago, but she could hardly remember any of it, so there was no way she would be able to do it without any form of instructions.
"Alright, start by putting the poles together," Arisu explained, grabbing one of the two large poles that would go over the top. Momoka took the other pole and started to unfold it, connecting it to form the full pole. Arisu also did the same with the pole she had grabbed, and after less than half a minute, they had two long poles that weren't exactly easy to handle, but they would manage.
"Okay, next slide them through the sleeves in the outer tent," Arisu continued, quickly checking the small instruction sheet again. Helping each other, they first threaded Momoka's pole through the sleeves before following up with Arisu's pole. And, after another quick check, they connected them to the grommets on the corner, bringing them up to tension, which erected the outer shell of the tent.
With the two poles now standing freely under their own tension, Momoka's eyes sparkled a little. She couldn't believe the contraption in front of her had been sitting in a bag just a few minutes ago. "This is amazing," she whispered, but Arisu heard her. "Haha, it's just a normal tent, nothing fancy," the girl explained. She would never make fun of Momoka for not knowing something she wasn't used to by coming from a rich family, but in situations like these she couldn't help but tease her a little.
"Now we have to secure it, and then we can add the inner tent," Arisu then went on with her explanation, opening the small bag of pegs. Handing roughly half of them to Momoka, she then got to work on the guy lines, securing them to the ground. For a brief moment, Momoka watched Arisu until she understood what she was supposed to do, at which point she mimicked Arisu's movement and quickly finished her side of the tent.
Once the outer shell of the tent had been completed, only the inner tent was missing. Together, the two girls first moved the fabric inside before connecting it to the slings on the inside of the outer tent. And with that quickly done as well, they were done pitching their tent. They were now ready to bring in their bags and set up their beds for the night.