CH#248

#248

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After an early morning flight and a long bus ride, coupled with walking around for sightseeing, fatigue naturally crept into the bodies of even in us young people.

Inside the building, which was well-managed compared to the outside temperature, the conversations of people seemed to blend with the background music, luring one into the world of dreams.

I bobbled my head a few times, each time shaking it from side to side to shake off the sleepiness.

Every time I repeated these movements, I could hear stifled chuckles coming from the person beside me, which irritated me slightly, but I kept it to myself.

I noticed several students from our school passing by in front of us, but not a single one of them spoke to us.

It was probably due to the aura emitted by Kirasaka sitting beside me.

We had been resting for about an hour as if it were a short break, and then the students from Class 2-3 returned to the entrance.

Their expressions varied, some students looked satisfied, while others appeared bored. Responses to such sightseeing and historical retrospectives were subjective, so the reactions were mixed.

It all boiled down to the fact that this was a school trip.

Once all the classes had finished their sightseeing and returned to the bus terminal, the group moved on to their final destination, the accommodation for the day.

“Today, everyone together!”

A male student with flashy hair who sat at the back of the bus declared.

The students around him enthusiastically agreed.

Even the female students joined in, and when I glanced at our homeroom teacher sitting at the front of the bus, he had a wry smile on his face.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Even from the perspective of a teacher, it was essential not to spoil the atmosphere for the excited students.

Of course, it would be different if everything were decided by lottery.

Some students preferred a quiet night, while others wanted to make a lot of noise.

However, the pairings of boys and girls were not determined by lottery; the students themselves chose their partners.

The noisy group at the back and the quiet students would have separate rooms, so there should be no issues there.

Except…

“Sensei, are we really not allowed to go to the boys’ rooms?”

Nakayama called out to the homeroom teacher from among the female students.

This had been a repeated question from her ever since the day of the trip.

The male teacher, sighing at the persistent student, leaned out of his seat, still wearing his seatbelt, and shook his head.

“No, that’s the rule.”

“Boooring.”

Nakayama seemed to accept the teacher’s words verbally, but in her heart, she probably hadn’t given up.

In this school trip, the boys’ and girls’ accommodations were on separate floors. The boys were on the second floor, while the girls were on the third floor. The teachers were positioned near the central staircase, watching over the students all night.

Being a school teacher was a tough job. They had to maintain their dignity as educators while keeping the students happy enough to avoid complaints from their parents.

Currently, teaching was among the top three careers that Minato-kun had no intention of pursuing.

The bus, now filled with more excitement than ever as the destination approached, continued on its route.

There was nothing to do during this time before arriving, so I turned my gaze towards Yuuto, who was sitting next to me.

He wasn’t watching videos or playing games on his smartphone; instead, he was reading the brochure about our accommodation.

“…Is that fun?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

Right…

Anyways, that was a stupid question and I would have given the same answer if it were me in his place.

During moments of boredom, you end up reading things you’d never touch otherwise.

Although my question earned me a curious look, I decided to change the topic rather than delve into it.

“Have you given up on the idea of sneaking onto the upper floors from the balcony?”

Just then, he had opened a page that showed an interior map of the building, so I made the comment half-jokingly.

I had heard about a student doing something like that in the past, so it was a somewhat relevant joke.

“…”

…Why was he looking at me so seriously after I made that joke?

Yuuto broke the silence between us, and this time, he was the one who averted his gaze first.

He was also a high school boy enjoying his youth. It went without saying that he shared the same desires as the other male students, who were unusually eager to visit the girls’ rooms.

However, from the perspective of the student council, this was something I have to prevent.

When I was thinking about the same, wondering what I should say to him when I heard a laughter from beside.

“Just kidding, I was just checking where our room was.”

“Even if it’s a joke, you’re overdoing it with your expressions.”

It’s a problem since there seems to be a high demand for high school boys who are good at acting.

I was so annoyed that I even thought of sending Yuuto’s resume with his picture on it to an Idol agency that I had heard of.

After that, there was no conversation on the bus, just an hour of shaking until we arrived at our destination, the hotel.

A representative of our group received the key, and each of us was led to our rooms to put away our luggage.

The room where Yuuto and I would spend our time was a four-person room, with male students from the same group as Shizuku and Kirasaka.

Futons were already laid on the tatami mats, giving the room a Japanese ambiance.

I watched my roommates excitedly compete to claim their spots on the futon as I hung my blazer on the hanger and took a breath.

Next, we had an hour of rest before dinner.

The school had arranged a dining area on the first floor for dinner, followed by free time.

Whether you used the indoor bathroom or soaked in the hot spring, it was up to you.

The shared spaces like the entrance and the shop on the first floor were all available for use.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to do in the room. So, I put my wallet and smartphone in my pocket and stood up.

“Shinra, you’re pretty close with Rei-chan, aren’t you?”

“Rei-chan…?”

Who’s that person?

Among the people I know, I think there is someone with the same name, but it is someone who would pierce you with stares it you tried using this cute nickname.

It was one of the baseball club members with the closely-cropped hair who called Kirasaka ‘chan’.

He was probably one of those students who admired Kirasaka more than Shizuku based on his usual actions, behaviour, and the way he looked at her.

Even Yuuto, who was not particularly close to Kirasaka, didn’t use the ‘chan’ suffix.

The slightly chilling expression on his face was evidence enough.

“Do you also call her ‘Rei-chan’ to her face too?”

“Of course, calling her by her first name instead of her last name is my way of showing friendship.”

I stopped my steps and turned to face the student who was already lying on his futon.

He said it with pride, and his confident stance was somewhat courageous.

“But really, it’s kind of envious how close you are with Ogiwara and Kanazaki-san, oh and Rei-chan too.”

The other roommate just nodded in agreement as if he was just stating the obvious.

From the perspective of others, when the new school year began, I wasn’t even in their field of vision. So, the way they saw me now was quite a surprise.

It was a perspective I hadn’t had the opportunity to know because I hadn’t expanded my circle much.

“I wonder if I could ever get a beautiful girlfriend like that…”

I let out a sigh at the words that slipped out.

From a high school boy’s point of view, it was a natural desire, and it was undeniable that Kirasaka was beautiful.

But I don’t see any point in saying that to someone other than my friend, Yuuto.

So, I waited for the next words, and he finally stated the reason so as to why he called out to me in the first place.

“How can I get along with them?”

“…”

The eyes that looked at me were filled with curiosity and a hint of expectation.

Dealing with people who had this kind of gaze was never a good thing, as I had painfully learned from my past experiences.

At the same time, I understood that ignoring them would also have a bad impact.

Most likely, when they will talk about the school trip later with other classmates, I’m sure the current situation would be involved as well.

Naturally, the fact that he opened his mouth so easily to someone he had never had much conversation most likely points in the same direction

.

From there, it would develop into strange rumours, and I think I should have to avoid hearing bad rumours about people other than me.

“What do you think… is good about Kirasaka?”

“What’s good about her? There are so many good things, she’s beautiful, smart, rich, and she’s literary type of girl, right?”

I was curious about his answer, something I wanted to know as well.

How did a person like Kirasaka Rei appear to others who is different from me?

Was she even visible to others?

Since this is the first time we were exchanging words, I was able to hear his honest opinions.

The answer that came back, however, was quite common.

It was all correct, without any mistakes.

Even if ten people were asked the same question, there would be no one who would deny his opinion.

Thinking about it, she, and maybe he, too, might dislike being seen as different from their surroundings.

There was nothing wrong with the baseball club guy.

Although I didn’t fully understand, the voice that flowed from my mouth was low and cold, as expected.

“Anyone could tell if they looked at her resume.”

With that final remark in the room, I turned around and left.

I heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind me, as Yuuto supposedly apologized and followed after me.

Maybe it was because the words I spoke were the same as how I felt about them in the past. 　

I felt like I was being reprimanded.

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<BbX> : I was out of town hence the delay in the update, I’ll try to be more regular hereafter.

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