School Trip, Day 1

“Revolution!”

“Whaaaat?!”

“Alright, I’m done with this one!”

“I’m totally out of my league here!”

The train was packed exclusively with students from our academy, making it incredibly lively.

Right next to us, four people had turned their seats to face each other, engrossed in a game of cards: Makoto, Hayato, Kanou, and Akitsu.

“Kouki, you okay?”

“I’m by the window, and I took some motion sickness meds, so I’m good. Thanks.”

I’d probably get sick in five minutes if I joined the card game, so I snagged a window seat facing the direction of travel. Thanks to that, I’m feeling fine.

“Man, I feel kinda out of place here.”

On our side, the three-seater turned into a box seat with me and Aisa next to each other, and Yuuki, Touno, and Akito across from us.

Yeah, I get what he means.

“Still, looking around, this place is basically couple central, huh?”

Touno says it so casually.

Touno and Akito side by side, then me and Aisa.

And…

“I heard they were like childhood friends or something, but Makoto and them, huh…”

“From my perspective, those two always had that ‘already dating’ vibe.”

Apparently, Kanou and Makoto ended up together after some back-and-forth. That said, they were already hanging out a lot outside of school, so dating doesn’t seem to have changed much for them.

Well, Kanou’s face is so expressionless it’s hard to tell anything’s different anyway.

“From where I’m sitting, those two over there are probably on the countdown to something, right?”

“It’s all about whether Rikako can seal the deal during this trip. Her outfit’s got some serious effort behind it—didn’t Fujino-kun pick that one out?”

“You noticed, huh…”

Yeah, that outfit was the one Akitsu bought when she went shopping with Manami. She’s clearly betting big on this trip.

“It’s obviously different from her usual style. Given her intentions, it’s not hard to guess, right?”

Touno flashes a smile.

“Looks like it’s working, from what I can see.”

Like Aisa said, she’s definitely catching Hayato’s eye. Akitsu’s energy is cranked up a few notches—she even did a little fist pump earlier. She’s probably feeling pretty confident.

“By the way, Touno, you seem kinda different from how you are at school.”

“Do I?”

“Aiko’s always been like this, more or less.”

“Is that so?”

Maybe it just means we’ve gotten used to hanging out with this group.

“Yuuki, don’t you need to find yourself a new romance?”

“My lover’s music, so… ugh…”

Even as Touno teases her, Yuuki’s clearly having a blast—you can tell from the look on her face.

◇

“Dotonbori!”

“Woooo!”

Akitsu and Makoto were shouting.

In the end, our free time on the first day was all about food, so we made our way to the south side of Osaka.

“We’ve got a lot of free time, don’t we?”

“Today’s Osaka, tomorrow’s Kyoto, and we’ve got some time on the last day too, right?”

After arriving in Kyoto by bullet train and touring a few sightseeing spots by bus, we were quickly set loose for group free time.

Sure, we had to submit our plans in advance, but it’s pretty laid-back as long as we’re back at the hotel by dinner.

And…

“So, as planned, we’re splitting up for now… You sure you’re okay?”

Touno, who’s probably supposed to be the responsible one, is the one pushing for us to split up. Well, the school doesn’t seem to mind as long as it’s not a problem, so it’s probably fine.

Since going completely separate ways would be an issue, it’s just Touno and Akito breaking off for the first day.

Honestly, this pairing’s probably safer. If Akito were with the group, who knows where he’d wander off to. This is likely for the best.

“Have fun, you two!”

“I’m looking forward to the report!”

“Akito, you better spill the details tonight!”

With that banter, we part ways. Watching Akito get dragged off by Touno, our school trip free time officially kicks off.

◇

“So good!”

“That’s our third takoyaki stop…”

Even without Akito and Touno, we’re still a decent-sized group, but we’re a bit more nimble now, heading out for a food tour through the shopping streets.

It feels like every few steps we hit another takoyaki stand, and we’re lining up to try them all, comparing as we go.

“Yuuki, you eat a surprising amount, huh? Is that the secret to your figure…?”

“Hey, Rikako-chan, your hands are kinda scary!”

Watching Yuuki banter with Akitsu, it’s clear she’s gotten comfortable enough to talk with her almost like she does with us.

“We’ve got about three hours of free time before we need to head back to the hotel, but are they seriously gonna keep eating takoyaki the whole time?”

“They’ll hit their limit eventually. Let’s figure out where else to go.”

Hayato calls out, and I respond.

We could check out the famous crab signs or hit up some photo spots—that should kill plenty of time. Our plan was to skip the amusement park and Osaka Castle and just go all-in on Dotonbori today, so we might as well stick with it.

“That place looks good!”

“Alright, let’s do it!”

Kanou’s having a good time in her own way, and Makoto’s basically playing group leader like a pro. Not a bad vibe at all.