Evening.
Before the sun set, Yuzuru and Arisa got into the car and began their journey home.
“Arisa, we’ll be on the motorway soon… do you want to switch drivers?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Arisa replied cheerfully.
Unlike the trip there, she was the one behind the wheel on the way back.
“If I don’t drive regularly, I’ll lose the feel for it.”
Without hesitation, she merged onto the motorway.
Then, spotting an opening, she moved into the overtaking lane.
Her speed steadily increased.
“…Drive safely, alright?”
“Just relax—you’re in good hands.”
Arisa answered confidently.
And the speed crept up even further.
“You can sleep if you want. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“I’m not that sleepy.”
Arisa wasn’t a bad driver.
If anything, she was quite good.
But she had a tendency to go too fast.
On regular roads, it wasn’t much of an issue—
but on motorways, especially when traffic was light, she’d accelerate beyond what Yuzuru was comfortable with.
Which made it impossible for him to relax.
He kept glancing between the surrounding traffic and the speedometer.
“…Arisa, slow down a bit.”
“Huh!? …Well, if you say so, Yuzuru-san.”
Reluctantly, she eased off the speed.
As the car gradually slowed, Yuzuru quietly let out a breath of relief.
They continued along the motorway without issue.
At this rate, they might even get home earlier than planned—
just as that thought crossed his mind.
—There is congestion ahead.
The navigation system chimed ominously.
And sure enough, as they drove on, the gaps between cars began to shrink…
“Hmm…”
“This is bad.”
They were fully caught in a traffic jam.
Thirty minutes passed—
and the car had barely moved.
“…At this point, walking might be faster.”
“Yeah… we might not get home until the middle of the night.”
After checking traffic updates on his phone, Yuzuru sighed.
Arisa frowned as well.
Few people enjoyed being stuck in traffic.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to take regular roads?”
“Hmm… probably not by much…”
Yuzuru replied while checking alternate routes.
There was still a long way to go.
“Mm… not moving like this is making me sleepy…”
Arisa yawned widely, then pulled out some chewing gum to stay alert.
Watching her, Yuzuru began to feel drowsy too.
“At the next service area…”
He was about to suggest taking a nap—
when an idea struck him.
He quickly checked his phone to see if it was feasible.
Luckily, there seemed to be several options near the next interchange.
“Arisa, your classes tomorrow… they’re in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. …Why?”
“Staying in the car is exhausting… so I was thinking—how about we stay somewhere for the night?”
“Stay? You mean until morning?”
“Yeah.”
By morning, the traffic would likely have cleared.
And since their classes weren’t until the afternoon, leaving in the morning would be fine.
They’d also get proper rest.
…That was only half of Yuzuru’s “idea.”
“If we’re staying somewhere… you mean a business hotel or something?”
“Are there any nearby?”
“Hmm… a business hotel would be fine, but…”
Arisa tilted her head.
Yuzuru, feeling slightly embarrassed, continued—
“…Would you want to try a love hotel?”
“A—love hotel!?”
A faint blush spread across her face.
Despite how long they’d been together, neither of them had ever been to one.
Since they lived together, there’d never really been a reason to.
“Not interested?”
“It’s not that I’m not interested…”
Still facing forward, Arisa spoke, her cheeks lightly flushed.
“But… that means… you know… doing it, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not like there’s a rule that you have to.”
“But if we’re staying there… we wouldn’t not, right?”
“If you’re not in the mood, then we don’t have to.”
For Yuzuru, the curiosity about love hotels wasn’t necessarily tied to anything else.
At his answer, Arisa looked both relieved—
and just a little disappointed.
“…In that case… let’s go. It’s good to have the experience, at least once.”
“Alright, it’s settled. …Take the next interchange.”
“Understood.”
And so, the two of them headed towards their first-ever love hotel.
