Hazuki went with Eika to the airport after they finished settling matters with one another. He parked the car in front of the entryway and Eika climbed out of the car excitedly, but she could feel her heart pound and her face sweat bullets. Her father took her luggage from the truck and walked towards her. He patted her back in encouragement."This is it the big day" He opened his arms wide as if showing the glory of the airport. Eika blushed when she saw people around them were staring at them weirdly.
"Stop it, dad, you"re embarra.s.sing," She said through gritted teeth and, Hazuki didn"t seem to care at all. He could squeeze his daughter"s cheeks again but, he didn"t. Instead, they head inside the airport to get themselves checked and finally get his daughter on that flight.
Even though Eika was excited, she wished that her mother was here to send her off. Is she never going to get along with her mother? If she"s going to this prestigious school for a year, it"s going to be a while her mother will see her grow up.
"M-my, my daughter is leaving me!!" Hazuki cried out, and he sobbed out fake tears. Eika ruffled her hair in frustration when she sees the people around her were paying attention to them.
"Geez! Stop it! I might have to go around and pretend you"re not my dad!" She shook her head and, Hazuki wiped away his tears. He chuckled and embraced his daughter since it"s his last time.
"Oh, dear. You"re supposed to boast about the Miyamotos! We"re ancient!" He said proudly. He continued to wave Eika around his arms and, she couldn"t even breathe anymore. "D-dad, you"re killing me!"
She broke free and, Hazuki knelt down to meet her eyes. "Do you have your snacks?" He asked. She nodded back. "Water? Luggage? Ticket?"
"Yes, yes, and yes!" She rea.s.sured him.
"Self-confidence?" He raised a brow and, Eika cringed. She held her hands together. "Maybe not," She answered. She hung her head down, but Hazuki raised her chin up.
"Get one then," He smiled, and Eika did the same. She followed her father to the counter and, they went with the procedures.
While her father interacted with the stewardess. Eika approached the flight board where everyone"s flight schedules are placed in orange neon colors. She saw her own flight schedule and, her heartbeat hammered faster. This is it. This is happening.
Her father returned to get her luggage set on the conveyor belt. Eika watched it go along with the other bags and, she took a deep breath. She turned to her father and clutched on her skirt.
"This is goodbye," She spoke up when they move aside from the line. There"s one last section she needs to go before she"s completely separated from her family and Canada. Her father nodded slowly and, he accompanied her to the immigration line. He couldn"t get past on the other side of the line anymore. This time, Hazuki was tearing up for real.
"I"ll miss you," He sniffed and, Eika"s tears teased to fall down but, she tried to suppress them. She gave her dad a big hug that made him stumble backward. He remained balanced and, they hugged like this for a minute.
"Good morning pa.s.sengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 70J to j.a.pan. We are now inviting those pa.s.sengers with small children, and any pa.s.sengers requiring special a.s.sistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pa.s.s and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you." The announcement ended, and Eika parted away from her father. She was already that late!
"Dad, I really need to go. I promise I"ll send letters or email!" Eika called out to him as she wore her backpack and waved her hand frantically as she made her way the immigration line.
"We love you!" His voice echoed behind her as she sprints down the path. She headed toward the immigration and had herself checked. She made her way towards the gates and found her designated number. She gave her boarding pa.s.s to the stewardess and, she walked down the pa.s.sage and climbed aboard. She found her seat and sat down. She got the window seats, the best one there is!
This was her first time riding an airplane alone and one day, she might get used to it. She closed her eyes trying to imagine what life would be like in her father"s home country. Speaking about his home country, would she even survive?! She knows basic j.a.panese but is she even proficient enough?
With all of the stress, she ended up dozing off throughout the day, and when she woke up, it"s afternoon in j.a.pan. When she thought that her flight is over. An announcement suddenly buzzed.
"Good afternoon pa.s.sengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 70J to Chouko Island. Please have your boarding pa.s.s and identification ready. Shifting boarding will begin in approximately five minutes time. Thank you." The announcement ended abruptly, and Eika looked around the block. She has a 70J ticket but, where does this Chouko Island go to?
Wait. There"s no procedure!
In a panic, Eika went ahead to ask any stewardess she might encounter. She headed toward the gate and peeked over at the desk. "Excuse me, I have a ticket for flight 70J, do I have to shift flights?" She asked. She never felt stress this strong. She didn"t know what to do.
"May I have your ticket?" The stewardess asked, and Eika politely gave the ticket. The stewardess didn"t take a second. She immediately stood up from the chair. "You have to hurry, miss! You"re going to miss your flight!"
"Where does Chouko Island lead to?" She asked, confused and stewardess" eyes expanded in disbelief.
"Why, it leads to Ace Academy, of course,"