“Baby, it’s gonna be okay,” Satoru chuckled for the fifth time, cupping your shoulder. As you checked your bags at the counter, he had to reassure you that the plane would be safe to fly in, that there was nothing to worry about, but that wasn’t super easy with a nervous flier such as yourself. He held your hand the whole way, determined to make your experience as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible.

“Just think of Okinawa! When we get there, you’ll be so excited, you won’t even be worried about the flight back home.”

He’d planned the trip for a week and some change, desperate to get away from the dusty old geezers always calling him in for one thing or another. His student had been dumped onto Ichiji’s growing work load, and he figured that was that! Some part of him, though, yearned for his younger days as he thought about Okinawa, the soon-to-be salty smell of ocean water and shaved ice and carefree bliss.