Time to Take Off! - 3: Trouble Strikes Quickly

New York

Outside the hotel entrance

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1

Manager

This is it. Please watch your step.

2

Kohane

Th-Thank you.

3

An

Wow, this hotel's gorgeous...!

4

Kohane

The entrance alone is so glamorous...

5

An

I can't believe Uncle Taiga booked us such a luxurious hotel.

6

Manager

Please wait here.
I'll be over at the check-in counter.

7

An & Kohane

Okay!
Thank you.

8

Akito

You okay, Toya?

9

Toya

Yes... I feel much better compared to before...

10

An

Hmm... Yeah, you're definitely not as pale as you were on the plane.

11

Kohane

Let us know if you need to take a rest, Aoyagi.

12

Toya

I apologize for making you all worry about me like this. I was doing fine for most of the flight...

13

Toya

But I became curious just before we landed, and ended up opening my eyes.

14

Kohane

Haha. I understand why you wanted to take a look.

15

Akito

Yeah, I guess.

16

Akito

Still, actually standing here in the city is...

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17

Toya

Frankly, I'm moved.

18

Toya

I've visited a number of other countries...

19

Toya

Each time I set foot on the soil and see the sights with my own eyes, I feel this same rush of excitement.

20

Toya

Seeing everyone go about their day, all the sounds, their conversations, the atmosphere... They hit you all at once.

21

Akito

Yeah, just standing here, I feel like all my senses are being bombarded with all sorts of information.

22

An

Yeah, me too!
Is this what it means to get a feel for the city?

23

Kohane

*Nod*
We're really here... In the United States of America.

24

An

Man, I'm so excited now!

25

An

Let's head up to our room, put our bags down and check out some of the shops nearby... Wait, huh?

26

Toya

What's wrong, Shiraishi?

27

An

Something isn't right...

28

Akito

What do you mean?

29

An

Look over at the check-in counter.

30

An

The manager and the clerk both look really concerned.

31

Kohane

Oh, you're right...
Do you think there's something wrong?

32

Toya

We're too far away to hear what they're saying...

33

An

Oh no! The manager put his hands on his head.

34

Akito

I've got a bad feeling about this...
Oh, here he comes.

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35

Manager

I'm so sorry, everyone...
The thing is...

36

Toya

We don't have a reservation?

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37

Manager

Yes, I'm incredibly sorry...

38

Manager

Taiga said he'd book his favorite hotel, but he accidentally made a reservation for one month from now...

39

Akito

Seriously...?

40

An

Wait, he used to do stuff like that all the time when I was a kid and we went on trips together!

41

An

This one time, we were gonna stay at an inn with hot springs, but he ended up booking a campsite deep in the mountains. We had to pitch our own tents and practically live off the land.

42

Akito

You're kidding, right?

43

An

No, I'm serious!
He's always really careless when it comes to these sorts of things...

44

Kohane

Wait, would it be possible for us to book some different rooms?

45

Manager

Unfortunately, they're all booked up.

46

Manager

I even checked all the hotels nearby...

47

Toya

Taiga's event is happening soon.

48

Toya

People from all over the world must be looking forward to seeing it. In other words, we're not alone, and finding a place to stay won't be easy.

49

Toya

(The sun will be setting in a few hours...
We should probably avoid wandering around after dark.)

50

Toya

(But what do we do in this situation...?)

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51

Shuji

<I see...
You let me know if you ever need anything.>

52

Toya

...

53

Toya

(He has his performance to worry about, so I'd rather not bother him.)

54

Toya

(But...)

A few hours later

New York Academy of Music - School Gate

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55

Akito

So, we wait here?

56

Toya

Yes, he should be here soon.

57

Manager

I'll be excusing myself once I've handed you all over.

58

Manager

Once I've managed to find a hotel for tomorrow onwards, I'll let you all know...

59

Toya

Thank you. We really appreciate it.

60

An

Still, I'm so glad that we managed to find shelter for tonight!

61

Kohane

Me too! Thank you for doing this, Aoyagi.

62

Toya

No, I didn't do anything...
My brother did all the work.

63

Akito

Still, we would've been up a creek if you hadn't gotten a hold of your brother.

64

An

Yeah!
Would you mind thanking him for us?

65

Toya

Not at all. I'll let him know later.

66

Kohane

Oh, also...

67

Kohane

The person coming to get us isn't your brother, is he?

68

Toya

No, he's out of state for a performance at the moment.

69

Toya

In his message, he said, “Someone I respect very much is coming to get you.”

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70

???

“Ah, there you all are.”

Next Chapter: A Surprising Name to Hear