Chapter 2
A School Trip that Works Exactly as it Sounds
ON THE MORNING of the day of the school trip a total of four buses gathered, and all the second-year students lined up wearing plain clothes.
The temperature was below 5 degrees Celsius this morning, and the cold wind occasionally stung my skin.
However, the temperature will get even lower on the way to Hokkaido.
The school had the students carefully check to make sure they hadn't forgotten gloves, coats, or other items. A final check of luggage, including clothing and essentials such as cell phones, was completed.
The students were all relieved that they would be going on the school trip without encountering any ill students.
The homeroom teacher for the 2nd year Class A, Mashima-sensei, gave a speech before boarding the bus.
The 2nd year homeroom teachers each boarded one of the four buses: Mashima-sensei boarded No. 1, Chabashira-sensei No. 2, Sakagami-sensei No. 3, and Hoshinomiya-sensei No. 4.
In short, it was by class order, A to D.
While waiting to board the bus, I checked the schedule on my cell phone.
The bus will take us to Haneda Airport, where we'll fly down to Shin-Chitose Airport.
Then we'll board the local buses and head to the ski resort for the first day.
I quietly browsed through the list of groups.
The names of the eight members assigned to group number six, which included me, were displayed.
From Class A, there were Kitō Hayato and Yamamura Miki, from Class B, myself and Kushida Kikyō, from Class C, Ryūen Kakeru and Nishino Takeko, and lastly, from Class D were Watanabe Norihito and Amikura Mako.
I had no complaints about the grouping chosen by the school, but I was surprised to be in the same group as Ryūen, who was perceived as the most troublesome by many students.
As for Kitō, Yamamura, Watanabe, Nishino, and Amikura, I didn't know much about them since I hardly interacted with them at all, but I'm sure I'll learn more about them as we continue on with the trip.
The groupings were interesting, with it being hard to determine if they were strong relationships or weak ones.
For the record, I gave each student the following numbers: Kushida, 6; Watanabe, 18; Amikura, 14; Ryūen, 6; Nishino, 18; Kitō, 9; and Yamamura, 14. The rankings were based mainly on the OAA derived by the school, regardless of personal familiarity.
Of these, the highest ratings went to Kushida and Ryūen.
However, the other students may not necessarily give the same ranking as I did.
Especially for Ryūen, as there were many students who disliked him, and it wouldn't be surprising if he was given an extremely low number. Would Kitō in particular, who supported Sakayanagi, give Ryūen a high number?
No, that, too, could only be assumed in the end.
It wouldn't be contradictory to give Ryūen a higher number since he has both the characteristics and qualities of a leader.
We know from the class numbering task the other day that it wasn't completely random, but no matter how much we guess, we may not be able to find the pattern at this point.
I'm not even sure if five out of the seven of us could figure it out.
I don't know if I could include Ryūen as someone who would try to help figure it out.
I’ve been trying to expand my friend circle in my own way this past year and a half, but it wasn’t so easy when it comes to other classes.
Now, it seems that the time to board is approaching.
The students began to gather around their close friends.
The bus we were about to board didn't have designated seats. A year ago, I would’ve personally appreciated having a predetermined seat.
Now that Kei’s my girlfriend, it's easier to know who'll inevitably sit next to whom.
As if by mutual agreement, Kei waved her hand and stood next to me.
However, at about the same time as Kei, Yōsuke showed up.
“Kiyotaka-kun, may I have a word with you? About your seat on the bus, do you mind if I sit next to you until the airport?”
Next to me? Why again?
Because of Kushida's revelation, Mii-chan, who had the fact that she's in love with Yōsuke exposed, didn't seem to have the courage to openly ask him out. I wasn't sure if I could take that away from her… but she wasn't the only one who was eyeing him.
As if to validate this, I could see that several girls were shooting gazes at me.
Yōsuke was looking them in the eye and appealing to them.
He was concerned about the possibility of a firestorm caused by competition for seats, so he decided to make the best of it.
“It's tough being popular, isn't it?”
“I don't mean to be popular.”
He answered simply and matter-of-factly, without any conceit.
The ability to perceive the unwritten rules of the class is outstanding.
“Is it okay if I have Yōsuke sit next to me, Kei?”
“Huh? I'd like to say no, but I don't have a choice. Okay.”
Kei seemed to be very open to Yōsuke, to whom she owed a debt of gratitude, and agreed.
“In exchange, Kiyotaka will sit on the aisle side. I'll sit on the opposite side of the aisle.”
Well, I guess that would be the safest thing to do. As a result, we were able to settle into four seats in one row a little further back than the middle of the bus, with Yōsuke and I on the far left and Kei and Satō on the other side of the aisle.
A few minutes later, all four vehicles had been fully boarded, and we departed for the airport.
During the bus ride, students weren’t allowed to get up from their seats but were free to chat and consume the food and drinks they brought with them.
Some of the students began to take out snacks and drinks as soon as they could.
“It's starting to feel like a real trip, isn't it?”
Yōsuke, sensing the state of things around him, murmured happily.
The man who considered other people's happiness to be his own was probably comfortable with the frivolous feelings of his fellow students.
“It would’ve been great if Kiyotaka had also been in my group.”
Kei was in the same group as Akito, with whom she usually had no contact at all.
“That's why it's a good opportunity, isn't it? It's not often you get the chance to interact with other people.”
“I guess so….”
I guess she was expecting me to miss her too, and her lips pouted in frustration.
Yōsuke was in the same group as Matsushita, and Satō was in the same group as Okitani.
“How are you and Kei doing these days, Ayanokōji-kun? Are things going well?”
“You don't need to confirm that, do you?”
“Maybe she’s just trying to be nice.”
“Don't be silly. We're super in love. Right?”
Such silly exchanges continued until we arrived at the airport.
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