#243
The next day, the second-year students began preparing for the school trip in earnest.
Most of the time outside of classes was devoted to free time for each group to discuss their activities.
At the same time, lunch break and afternoon classes were moved up to allow for explanations of precautions and discussions of various matters.
Completely, it was just the second-year students spending their time in the school in high spirits.
In the classrooms today, the members of the confirmed groups have lined up their chairs and are beginning to decide on the schedule for the day.
In the room, there were two groups that showed no sign of proceeding with their discussions.
One of them was me and Yuuto, who were sitting together at Yuuto’s desk in the center of the classroom, plus the two female students who, unfortunately, interrupted me when I was moderating the meeting.
These two, I believe, were also behind Yuuto during the election…
“Nakajima-san? Is it okay if we proceed with the talk…?”
“It’s Nakayama! I seriously can’t believe how many times you got it wrong.”
When I approached the female student who had been particularly expressing her dislike of the pair, she replied with piercing eyes and a strong tone.
Didn’t you know that on the first day of the new school year, you also looked at me and said, ‘Who is he?’
When Yuuto calls out to the girls next to me to calm them down, they turn their bodies completely toward Yuuto and join in the discussion.
I wonder if they are blatantly expressing that we are talking with Ogiwara-kun.
“I want to go to Ryukyumura or Churaumi Aquarium.”
“You can’t miss Kokusai Street.”
The two of them, now more open to discussion, take out their phones and list up places they are familiar with.
One by one, Yuuto seems to be searching for a route that can go around as much as possible by making a note of it, and sometimes letting out a grunt.
…This doesn’t seem to leave any room for me to say anything.
But in return, I have the wonderful advantage of not having to think about anything, and it’s not like I won’t be satisfied with my visit there or anything.
Instead, though, I looked at the other group.
A group of four people, boys and girls, sitting by the window in the class.
The group was made up of Kanazaki Shizuku and Kirasaka Rei, a group that the male students would be envious of.
However, the girls’ expressions were gloomy.
Just the boys were talking in a appealing manner, while Shizuku was ministering to them with a dry smile and Kirasaka was looking completely out the window.
This situation has been going on since the day the group was confirmed.
The girls had nothing to complain about, as not everyone would get what they wanted.
However, the girls were so depressed that even bystanders could tell that their motivation for the school trip had completely vanished.
“Do you have a place you hope to go, Minato?”
Yuuto asked when my attention had turned elsewhere, instead of them.
The paper in his hand had various places and place names written on it.
Among them, I pointed to a few places that looked familiar to me.
“We’re going to Churaumi Aquarium and Ryukyumura as a class activity. …Have you even looked over the schedule?”
I asked, Nakayama and the next female student who were a little taken aback…
This time I can’t make a mistake.
Before I say a word, I look down at the list of team members to confirm.
Miyashita-san, right, I remember her.
The semi-long, brightly dyed hair color is Nakayama-san.
The dark-haired, seemingly gentle-looking, but in fact black-hearted female student is Miyashita-san.
They look so opposite that it is like Othello and easy to remember.
Nakayama and then Miyashita, when they heard my point, averted their gazes.
They didn’t pay attention, I get it.
Well, I was just looking through the materials because of the student council, so if we were in different positions, I wouldn’t have checked either.
Among them, Kokusai Street, which I wanted to stop by for souvenirs, the ones on my list were, Shuri Castle, Hagamigu Shrine, and an art museum called Omikyu, etc.
If I had to say something, I would say that I wanted to see a quiet place.
We found several places in the pamphlet where we could enjoy quiet scenery and compared them to our proposed route.
“Maybe Shikinaen…”
“…That’s plain.”
I suggested, and Nakayama said with half of her eyes closed.
…You call a World Heritage site plain, I’d like to ask you what you are going on a school trip to see.
But it is in these cases that Ogiwara-kun shines.
He called out to Nakayama, who had expressed her negative feelings about my idea.
“Well, well, I’d like to go, too, so what do you think?”
“If you want to go too, Ogiwara-kun, we don’t mind at all…”
The two of them withdrew reluctantly, with the reason that Yuuto wanted to go, it went smoothly without becoming an unnecessary argument.
No, if it’s Shizuku and Kirasaka, the conversation is established as usual, but this is what usually happens when you face someone you don’t care about.
Is it difficult to communicate, or is it a matter of preference?
It’s like people who prefer quiet and people who prefer loud can’t understand each other.
With Yuuto acting as a middleman, we were able to confirm our opinions and the route became much more coherent.
Now that we have calculated the approximate time, means of transportation, and entrance fees, the teachers should probably give their nods.
The atmosphere began to be pleasant, and as the rest of the group began to look at each other, I began to see students walking around the classroom to share information.
In the meantime, I also returned to my own seat and thought about asking the two girls how they were doing.
The girls are taking a break, or perhaps the boys are making small talk. My eyes meet Shizuku’s, who was looking in this direction.
She smiles and waves her hand in front of her chest, but her expression was still not clear.
While looking at her and thinking about it, it was impossible for a mere student to raise an objection to the formation of the group.
After school, I stopped by the student council office.
The reason for this was because a meeting was to be held to discuss and deal with the upcoming school trip, which would leave first-year students Shiraishi and Hino-kun alone for the next few days.
I opened the metal door, threw in an appropriate greeting, and sat down in my designated seat.
After placing my bag in a mess on the desk, I take a breath and see a student sitting in the seat next to me.
“Oh, are you tired?”
“I’m not very good at talking to people from different living environments… or rather, President seems to be in good spirits.”
“I’m not the president anymore, Shinra, it’s just the being free from the burdens that’s giving me the energy I need.”
President stands up as if she were jumping off a chair after nimbly spinning it around.
Hiiragi Akane, who should have practically retired from the student council, was thus showing up at the after-school student council meeting every day.
To be precise, it was to confirm the handing over of matters, but she was told by Koizumi, Miura, and others that they would be happy to see her if she had time to spare, so she was happy to put on the face of a senior and go to the meeting.
Shizuku, who had placed her bag next to President instead of standing up, looked at her with a wry smile.
After the festival, Shizuku joined the student council on a recommendation basis and became the secretary for the student council.
Now that Shizuku and I are both Student Council members in both name and reality, we share most of our day together.
This is why I saw Shizuku feeling down about her school trip grouping more than usual.
Additionally…
“Akane-san, why don’t you calm down a little and sit over here.”
At the back of the student council room, on a sofa set up by the window, Kirasaka was sitting comfortably.
She had prepared drinks in paper cups on the desk in front of her, and next to them were the books she planned to read through later in the day.
Japanese or Western, she doesn’t discriminate.
There were even books in there that looked too difficult for me to read.
The explanation is simple.
Shizuku had joined the student council as a members of the student council, President showed up at the student council every day, and Kirasaka was using the student council as a reading space.
According to Kirasaka, the reason was that it was more comfortable than the library.
What a selfish reason, I thought, but there was no problem because both Koizumi and the advisor, Sudo-sensei, allowed her to enter the room except for important discussions.
Not only her, but apparently all students are treated in the same way.
The student council is only a room where representatives of the students gather, and it remains a common space.
That is what he said.
So a situation was made where Kirasaka and President could relax and create a homey atmosphere, and no one would complain about anything.
In such a classroom, Koizumi and Miura were looking at a familiar magazine near Preisdent’s seat.
“Are you two discussing on a route too…?”
“Yes, we are in the same group.”
When I asked, Koizumi replied with a smile.
The two of them are in the same class, and for the school trip, also in the same group…
Good friends, these two.
As I opened the can of cocoa I had brought with me, I saw two students whose expressions suddenly changed, which was out of place in the bright atmosphere of the room.
They were Shizuku and Kirasaka.
Koizumi, who sensed the change in the two of them, suppressed his mouth as if he had noticed it a moment later.
Next, I noticed that he was appealing something to me with his gaze, so I signaled him not to worry by waving my palm in the air.
The members of the student council already knew that we were in different groups.
After school on the day of the group assignment, Miura was surprised to see the two of them enter the student council room with the expressions of people who were on the verge of death, and asked them.
They sat down in their chairs in silence, so I told her the cause in their stead instead.
A few days later, the topic of the group became a taboo in the student council.
Well, today, I was the one to blame because I had initiated the topic.
As I was thinking that it would be all right if I apologized, President spoke up.
“What, the three of you are in different groups? …Aren’t you allowed to merge groups this year?”
They both looked at President at once, who told them so without any delay
Merge? What’s that? I haven’t heard of it.
This is something I have never heard before, and not only me, but all of the student council members tilted their heads.
To this reaction, President continued to speak as a matter of fact.
“There were a lot of people who wanted to be in the same group with me last year, and thankfully, if all the members of the group agreed, we would be able to combine with another group.”
“Really?”
When she finishes listening to the President’s words to the end, Shizuku’s face suddenly changes to a radiant expression.
Kirasaka also made a gesture of checking the time on the watch on her wrist.
The current time is 3:10.
If it has been about 10 minutes since the students left school, there is a possibility that there are still members of the group in the classroom.
The two got up from their seats without saying a word and left the student council at a rapid pace.
I’m sure …they’ll pack up with the boys.
And the boys will probably agree to it without having to say anything back, and on the favorable terms that they can be in the same group with Yuuto as well.
…Farewell, my peaceful school trip.
Secretly, I thought that if Yuuto could handle Nakayama and Miyashita, I would be able to relax and enjoy the scenery in Okinawa, but my school trip plans fell apart at the feet of President’s words.
BrutalBot Tl 