Ryu woke first . The sound of the kids turning up the music drove him from a drunken sleep to awareness in the evening cool . Half past nine and the sun had yet to set . Above him the sky darkened the further east he looked, and the few clouds there each had a golden edge facing west .

'Amazing place . Would have visited Sweden long ago if I only knew about the summer light . ' He stretched and woke his sister . "Sis, seems dinner's over . "

She protested, but in the end she only wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, rose and joined him in search for the others .

Down the slope, on the eastern side of the islet the kids, ranging from thirteen to over twenty had set up both music and link to j.a.pan . Ryu idly wondered what friends they had over there awake at this time in the morning, but maybe those linked just hadn't gone to sleep yet .

He saw how quite a few of the local youth had joined the event . For them it was probably just another opportunity for a party . Teenagers in Sweden had their long summer break now . For them the presence of a large group of foreigners wasn't as strange as it actually was . It had taken a lot of pulling strings, cajoling and outright bullying to force the permissions needed for middle and high schoolers to take over a week's worth of leave during their spring trimester . He and Urufu had done most of the cajoling, Kuri all of the bullying and Yukio and Kyoko lay behind the pulling of strings . They were scarily good at that . Noriko, with that insane intellect of hers, produced all doc.u.ments needed; half of them outright forgeries . Ryu didn't even want to guess how she did it .

He turned to his sister and pushed his prior thoughts aside . "Noriko, I doubt we're joining the link-up . If I recall correctly Kuri said something about a barbecue on the backside . " He looked at his sister watching how another triplet of locals joined the dancing . "Let's see if we can find them . "

It only took them a couple of minutes . They climbed a few wooden stairs and ended up on a terrace where Urufu poured tin foil wrapped somethings onto a grill .

"What's burning?" Ryu joked .

Urufu turned and laughed . "Making baked potatoes . Potatoes first . The meat comes later . "

Noriko burst out laughing as well . "Potatoes . That's how you viewed them, isn't it?"

"Our club members?" Urufu stopped laughing and looked serious for a moment . "I'm not that arrogant any longer . " He smirked . "But I guess I was . Yeah, back then the meat came later . "

Ryu woke first . The sound of the kids turning up the music drove him from a drunken sleep to awareness in the evening cool . Half past nine and the sun had yet to set . Above him the sky darkened the further east he looked, and the few clouds there each had a golden edge facing west . Amazing place . Would have visited Sweden long ago if I only knew about the summer light . He stretched and woke his sister . Sis, seems dinners over . She protested, but in the end she only wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, rose and joined him in search for the others . Down the slope, on the eastern side of the islet the kids, ranging from thirteen to over twenty had set up both music and link to j.a.pan . Ryu idly wondered what friends they had over there awake at this time in the morning, but maybe those linked just hadnt gone to sleep yet . He saw how quite a few of the local youth had joined the event . For them it was probably just another opportunity for a party . Teenagers in Sweden had their long summer break now . For them the presence of a large group of foreigners wasnt as strange as it actually was . It had taken a lot of pulling strings, cajoling and outright bullying to force the permissions needed for middle and high schoolers to take over a weeks worth of leave during their spring trimester . He and Urufu had done most of the cajoling, Kuri all of the bullying and Yukio and Kyoko lay behind the pulling of strings . They were scarily good at that . Noriko, with that insane intellect of hers, produced all doc.u.ments needed; half of them outright forgeries . Ryu didnt even want to guess how she did it . He turned to his sister and pushed his prior thoughts aside . Noriko, I doubt were joining the link-up . If I recall correctly Kuri said something about a barbecue on the backside . He looked at his sister watching how another triplet of locals joined the dancing . Lets see if we can find them . It only took them a couple of minutes . They climbed a few wooden stairs and ended up on a terrace where Urufu poured tin foil wrapped somethings onto a grill . Whats burning? Ryu joked . Urufu turned and laughed . Making baked potatoes . Potatoes first . The meat comes later . Noriko burst out laughing as well . Potatoes . Thats how you viewed them, isnt it? Our club members? Urufu stopped laughing and looked serious for a moment . Im not that arrogant any longer . He smirked . But I guess I was . Yeah, back then the meat came later .