CH#247

#247

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After touring the tourist spots within the Shurijo Castle grounds, everyone returned to the bus.

While walking together with Yuuto on the way, he hesitantly spoke up.

“Sorry to leave you with the troublesome work.”

“It’s not… on the other hand you were having a hard time too.”

Being popular also comes with its share of responsibilities.
It was probably a wise choice not to engage in selfies like the girls did during that time.

Unlike commemorative photos taken by a third party, taking selfies at close range might made her feel left out.

And in this case, it seemed like Miyashita was receiving cold looks from Nakayama.

Given the situation, Yuuto might have found it difficult to intervene, and it was probably best for me to handle the photography to minimize the hassle.

Nevertheless, it seemed like Yuuto was feeling a bit uneasy about it.

Without denying it outright, he accepted my help with a sense of gratitude.

“I think it would be best if we all took pictures together, and that’s it.”

“If they were just regular classmates, that would be fine, but you probably know the reason why…”

Even without saying the reason, Yuuto was aware of it himself.

It was because he was Ogiwara Yuuto, the most popular guy in the class and the school. Hence, the girls wanted to take individual photos with him.

Regardless of what he was thinking inside.

From the boys’ perspective, was he emphasizing that he was in the same group as them? From the girls’ perspective, was it a way to deter other girls around him?

Thinking about it was ultimately pointless, but since Yuuto was my friend, I couldn’t respond with a random answer.

At the same time, it was also my question to him.

Equality, being together with everyone, that was perfectly fine.

It would be best if we all got along peacefully and held hands.

However, humans aren’t such kind creatures.

They can be cold to even those they’ve spent time with if it serves their own desires.

Nakayama and Miyashita were a prime example.

Up until the airport earlier, they seemed to be getting along well. But a high school field trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

To turn it into the trip they envisioned, they might even treat friends with indifference if necessary.

Whether such relationships could still be called friendships was questionable, but it was futile to interfere with personal values.

Still, Yuuto should have been able to do something.

He could have proposed taking photos together as a group rather than individually.

He could have even refused the photography with a suitable excuse.

If he chose not to do so, then Yuuto bore the responsibility for persisting with this situation throughout the field trip.

“We won’t have a second chance for this school trip, so if there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll gladly help… but I’m not comfortable with the weird atmosphere among the girls.”

“I understand… It’s scary, right? It’s like three times scary from a certain robot anime.” <BbX: Gundam?>

“Yeah, my instincts were screaming at me to run.”

We exchanged light banter, and Yuuto responded with casual words. It appeared that, indeed, even popular individuals like him found the tense atmosphere created by the girls unsettling.

It was surprising to learn that it wasn’t something one could simply get used to.

However, this moment of light-heartedness was short-lived.

Without making a sound, two students approached from behind.

“You’re not calling us scary, are you?”

“No no… Of course not.”

…They’re scary.

The atmosphere exuded by girls was indeed frightening.

When we were about to board the bus, Shizuku and Kirasaka poked their heads out from behind and looked at us with eyes that seemed cold and filled with some emotions.

I involuntarily averted my gaze from their cold, almost emotionless eyes.

…They’re really scary.

Now, on to our next destination: the Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum.

As we checked the situation inside the bus, I checked on Nakayama and Miyashita once.

Although they had maintained their facade so far, it seemed like there was now a slight distance between them.

More than the physical distance, it was likely the emotional distance between them that had increased.

When we stopped at the museum’s parking lot, we proceeded into the museum, class by class, just like before.

After being briefed on the guidelines, entrance tickets, and other minor details, we were told the time we had to gather before being let free to roam inside.

When everyone gathered with their friends, Yuuto and Shizuku walked toward me.

However, before they could reach a distance where we could talk, two students from the same group approached them.

Naturally, Nakayama was among them.
After all, they were group members, and inviting them during free time was only natural.

A male student had also approached Kirasaka, but she skillfully brushed him off and walked over to me.

I tried to send a look of pity to the male student who had been rejected but was met with a hateful look instead.

Hey, it’s not my fault, okay?

If he really wanted to spend time with her, he should take this opportunity to attract Kirasaka’s interest and make efforts accordingly.

However, in Yuuto and Shizuku’s case, it seemed that the classmates have led them into the museum without bothering to ask them what they wanted.

For Yuuto, it was his junior high school friend, and for Shizuku, it was her childhood friend.

The person named Mara Minato is probably a huge nuisance to those around them.

The overly kind two couldn’t shake off the people pushing them forward and looked back at me several times.

When Shizuku tried to say something as she was about to make an effort, I shook my head.

“…”

Perhaps Shizuku understood my intention, as she nodded slightly and turned her usual smile back towards her friends.

Only Kirasaka and I were left at the entrance.

Now, what should we do?

I casually took a seat on a chair near the entrance, and Kirasaka also sat down next to me.

“Do we have to go inside?”

“I’ve been here before, and besides, I’d rather spend this rare one-on-one time with you.”

“If we go in now, I’ll just get hateful looks… Let’s take a break here for a while.”

We didn’t react to the curious looks from the classmates who walked past us and sat by the entrance, idly listening to the background music in the quiet museum.

By the time all the classes had passed, Kirasaka spoke up.

“Even if she doesn’t listen to the requests of the boys in the same group, it will be difficult for her to speak up even if she wanted to.”

“…You don’t need to put it into words.”

I’d rather she didn’t spell out why I had shaken my head earlier. Being overly demanding was just another form of selfishness.

But going too far with my demands was also a form of selfishness. It was necessary to accommodate the other party’s wishes to some extent for selfishness to be accepted.

As with the class activities so far, it would be easier for Shizuku and Yuuto to communicate with their classmates during free time if they followed their requests.

It was to avoid conversations in which I, who had monopolized them up to this point, would be easily imagined ignoring their requests for free time.

It was a roundabout way of benefiting myself.

“Besides, people are quite shallow, aren’t they?”

“…”

Kirasaka murmured in a low voice.

Observing the situation with Nakayama and Miyashita from the outside, it was clear that their friendship was somewhat superficial.

It was the moment when I caught a glimpse of how fragile friendships could be.

“Just once… because it’s a school trip, everyone becomes self-centred. At last, the world revolves around oneself.”

For Nakayama, she’s the main heroine.

And she’ll leave memories of the biggest high school event with the protagonist, Yuuto.

Even if it damages their friendship in the process, what she chose is visible memories.

Indeed, it can be seen as shallow.

What, then, is friendship? It’s certainly an invisible relationship with hierarchies.

Friendship isn’t always an equal relationship, it’s something limited by time.

If they graduate from high school, they may never meet again.

So, it can be easily discarded.

I wonder if Nakayama’s high school life, which seems to be spent with such values, is fun.

…No, it probably is.

She don’t think deeply.

She’s loyal to her immediate desires, and find joy in what she want, so it’s probably a fun life.

She just haven’t realized that something truly important can be lost with one small action.

I’ve been thinking about it more than necessary, but time is running out.

I extended my hand to Kirasaka, who was sitting next to me.

“Shall we start looking around?”

“I don’t want to go. I’d rather spend some quality time with you.”

‘But if you really want to go ahead, then…’, she added and then waited for my response.

Honestly, it’s easy to imagine being glared at by male students if we proceed further inside.

Maybe it’s because it’s indoors, but with so many classmates crammed in, it feels stuffy.

“…Then, shall we rest here?”

“Hehe, let’s do that.”

I sat down next to Kirasaka, and she said briefly.

After this, there will probably be more things to worry about.

It’s typical of me to rest when I can.

Kirasaka next to me seemed to have calmed down too and took out a book from her bag.

“Kaede’s souvenirs… What should I choose?”

“How about we decide together since we have the chance?”

Kirasaka, whose voice tone had risen, made that suggestion.

It might be more meaningful than just resting without doing anything.

Until our classmates returned to the entrance, Kirasaka and I talked a lot about Kaede’s souvenirs and other trivial matters.

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<BbX> : No one’s seems to be reading these days… hmmm
Well anyways, as always point out the mistakes 😃

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