Episode 98: School Trip (1)

‘I’d like to organise the groups for next week’s school trip—’

Today’s homeroom period is set aside for preparing for the school trip.

The heat of summer is gradually drawing to a close, and the sound of cicadas has faded away.

Third year’s summer break was full of so many things, and it slipped by in an instant. I glance to the side, and there she is again today — the most beautiful girl in the year, sitting beside me.

‘Right then, you’ll be in rooms of three, and during free time, please stick to groups of five to seven. The class representative will be in charge of organising everything, so please cooperate.’

With that, the teacher finished explaining and retreated to a seat in the corner of the classroom.

‘Obviously it’ll be the three of us for a room, right?’

Even though the class representative hadn’t given the go-ahead, Mai addressed us in a voice that echoed through the classroom. Endo-san looked unusually gloomy.

I’d thought she liked events like this, so it came as a surprise. And Mai seemed to have noticed her mood as well.

‘Hina, what’s wrong? You seem a bit down.’

Endo-san snapped out of it and hurriedly forced a smile in our direction.

“Sorry, I was spacing out! It’ll be nice being the three of us together, isn’t it?”

　Mai seemed relieved by that reaction, but Endo-san’s expression was the kind she made when she was forcing herself to endure something terribly painful. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Endo-san, what’s wrong…?”

　Perhaps because I spoke in such a serious tone, the smile vanished from Endo-san’s face.

“I’m not really keen on the school trip…”
“What?! Why?! It’s a really fun event! I thought you liked this sort of thing, Hina, so this is a massive surprise.”

　Mai asked this out of genuine curiosity at Endo-san’s reaction. As Mai continued, Endo-san’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“――I don’t have any good memories of school trips.”

　As I said that, I felt Endo-san next to me looking at me with a startled expression.

“Why not?”

　Mai looked at me with a puzzled expression. Then, her interest shifted to me, and I felt a little relieved.

“In elementary school, I didn’t have any friends, so I was on my own. And in middle school, it was exam season, so I thought there was no time to go off and play around, I lied and said I had a fever so I wouldn’t have to go.”
“O-oh… I see…”

　My story made the atmosphere in the room feel a bit heavy, but I felt like Endo-san’s expression had improved slightly compared to before.

‘Could it be… that you’re going to skip this school trip for your studies too?’

　Mai looked at me with the eyes of a puppy about to be abandoned.

‘I’m going on the high school trip. Because Mai and Endo-san are there…’

　I realised how embarrassing what I’d said was only after I’d spoken, and my face flushed belatedly. I thought they’d probably laugh at me for saying something so embarrassing.

“What a cute little creature…”

　As she said that, Mai tried to throw her arms around me, so I pushed her away gently with my hand.

“Hehe, Takizawa really is cute, isn’t she?”

　Endo-san, who had been looking gloomy just a moment ago, was now smiling.
　Neither of their reactions was what I’d expected, but I figured it was fine as long as Endo-san looked happy.

“The problem is free time, isn’t it…”

At Mai’s remark, we looked around. Almost everyone had already formed a group. Amidst this, three girls approached us.

“Would it be alright if we joined you lot for free time?”

A girl with blonde hair, the sort I’d never normally have anything to do with, spoke to us.

“Sure! We were just discussing who to go with, actually.”

Mai agreed without even asking anyone else’s opinion.
The girl with blonde hair and piercings, who was clearly flouting the school rules left, right and centre, was Ayaka Ando.

I reckon she’s the complete opposite of me. It was as if we were like the S and N poles of a magnet; whenever she was near, I felt like I was about to fly right out of the room.

‘Wow~ I’ve been wanting to chat with these three, so I’m absolutely delighted!’

With her softly curled hair swaying, the petite, princess-like cutie is Izumi Omiya.

‘Please bear with these two noisy ones.’

　I guess there’s about a fifteen centimetre height difference between us? Tall and with the kind of beautiful aura that suggests she could be a model, Ranka Yamamoto, famous for her numerous achievements in kendo tournaments, was holding the two of them by the head and making them bow.

My life is over…

Even just Mai and Endo-san were so dazzling I felt like I was going to be scorched alive, and now I’m going on a school trip with the top girls in the class…

　I’m actually starting to think I should just skip the school trip.

We sat down at some randomly arranged desks and decided where to go during our free time.

‘We could go sightseeing, but really, we’ve got to go on the rollercoasters!’
Ando-san, the blonde gal, was saying this with great enthusiasm.

‘Hehe, Ayaka, you really do love amusement parks, don’t you?’
Omiya-san was smiling happily.

‘Right then, it’s decided, the amusement park!’
Mai was making a victory pose, pointing towards the ceiling.

‘It’d be fun if we decided now which rides we want to go on at the amusement park, wouldn’t it?’
Endo-san was speaking with her trademark fake smile. Before, seeing that used to make me want to smash it to pieces, but now, for some reason, I find myself feeling reassured.
I’ve come to think that Endo-san’s genuine expression, the one she shows only to me, is something best kept between us.

　Even so, I can’t help but dread the school trip with this bunch. I’m definitely the odd one out.

Just as I was thinking that, Yamamoto-san spoke to me in a quiet voice, low enough that the others couldn’t hear.

“Takizawa-san, are you okay with the rides? You don’t have to go along with everyone else, you know?”
Yamamoto-san must be being kind to say that to me. I was a little taken aback, and Yamamoto-san looked a bit flustered.

‘Er, you are Takizawa Hoshizora, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah, sorry, I was a bit startled and didn’t react straight away. I’m fine with anything. Thanks.’
When I told her that, Yamamoto-san looked relieved and went back to chatting with the others.

‘Aah! Ranka-chan, that’s not fair! I want to be friends with Hoshizora-chan too!’
Omiya-san puffed out her cheeks in a way that was impossible to miss and pushed her way between Yamamoto-san and me.

“Hoshizora-chan is really clever, isn’t she! You get nearly full marks in every test, don’t you? I’d love it if you could teach me next time.”
Omiya-san looked at me with such sparkling eyes that it was almost blinding; I couldn’t bear to look directly at her and lowered my gaze.

“If you’d like, I’d be happy to teach you anytime.”
“――Huh?”
For some reason, Endo-san reacted to those words faster than anyone else.

　I reckon I’ve gotten better at chatting with people than I used to be. If this had been me back in Year 1, I’d have just stammered my way through Omiya-san’s comment and that would’ve been the end of it.

“Yay! Thanks, Hoshizora-chan!”
“Right then, let’s all study together after school today, it’ll be a chance to get to know each other better too.”
It was Ando-san, the girl who least of all seems like the type to say the word ‘study’, who made the suggestion.

“Yay! That’s brilliant!”
Mai was really up for it too.

At this rate, I reckon Endo-san would be all for it too! Or so I thought. However, contrary to my expectations, she looked rather put off.

Come to think of it, I’d promised to study with Endo-san today. Well, since we’re all doing it together, I suppose it’s fine.

‘Hoshizora, are you free today?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Yay! It’s a done deal!’
Mai, Ando and Omiya were all buzzing with excitement.

＊＊＊

After school, we decided to study in the school library.
For some reason, Omiya and Ando had taken up positions right next to me. Mai, Endo and Yamamoto were sitting opposite.

“Hoshizora, I’ve got this bit wrong, how can I make sure I don’t get it wrong next time?”

　Omiya must be someone who likes to get quite close to people, because she was practically pressed up against me as she asked. When I looked to the side, her face was right there. She had long eyelashes, big, round eyes, and a perfectly shaped nose and eyebrows. She smelled of delicate flowers, and I thought she was the sort of girl who would be popular with all sorts of people.

　Putting that aside, I took a look at her answer sheet.
Her answers weren’t completely off the mark; she’d answered them properly, but they were the sort where she’d missed a few details.

‘Omiya-san, your approach is correct up to this point, but from here on, you’d make fewer calculation errors if you used this formula.’
I explained it to her in the same way I usually teach Endo-san and Miumi-chan.

‘Wow! That’s so clear! Thank you. And by the way, you can just call me Izumi!’
‘Right then. I’ll call you Izumi-chan.’
Izumi-chan looked delighted as she got back to her studies.

‘Takizawa-san really is the best in the year, isn’t she?’
‘I told you so!’
For some reason, Mai replied to Ando-san with a touch of pride.

Endo-san had been silent the whole time.
Yamamoto-san seemed like the quiet type to begin with, but the two in front of me were just quietly getting on with their studies.

　We finally managed to wrap up the study session and headed home.

　As Endo-san and I were heading in the same direction, we naturally ended up walking home together.

　On the way back, Endo-san remained silent the whole time, and her face looked surprisingly sullen. I hadn’t really seen her like that before, so I wasn’t quite sure how to react.

　At the fork in the road, Endo-san finally spoke.

“See you tomorrow…”

　It was so curt, and I was curious as to why. I didn’t think she’d tell me if I asked her, but I wondered if staying with her a little longer might change things.

“I’ll walk you home.”
“Eh, it’s fine.”
“Come on.”
　Saying that, I headed in the direction of Endo-san’s house.

　We reached Endo-san’s house in no time. In the end, we didn’t talk about anything, and I still didn’t understand Endo-san at all.

“Well, see you tomorrow.”
This time, when I said my goodbyes, Endo-san’s face, which had looked grumpy the whole time, became even more stern as he looked at me.

“The promise…”
“Hmm…?”
“I had a promise to study with Takizawa today…”
“But we did study together, didn’t we?”

I didn’t understand what was wrong, and when I replied so matter-of-factly, Endo-san looked terribly sad.

　Why……?

“Studying together is our promise――. You broke the promise, so you have to do what I say.”

　I didn’t know when we’d decided that studying together was a promise, nor did I understand why I had to do what Endo-san said, but once it came to this, she wouldn’t accept anything I said. I could see a future where she’d throw a tantrum like a child.
　In situations like this, I had no choice but to give in.

‘What do you want me to do?’

　Even though I answered with obvious reluctance, Endo-san ignored it, wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her body close to mine.
　Her beautiful face was so close that if I moved even slightly, I felt as though I might bump into her.

‘—I want to kiss you.’

　Endo-san, standing right in front of me, wore an expression that was a mixture of confusion, sadness and something else I couldn’t quite place.

‘Friends don’t do things like that.’
‘We’ve done this sort of thing before, and even if we do this, Takizawa and I are still friends.’

　As she said that, her arms tightened around me.

‘I don’t get it…’

　I couldn’t make sense of this situation at all. But seeing the sad look on Endo-san’s face made my chest feel as though it were being squeezed.

‘And call me Hina.’
“Why?”
“actually, why am I the only one being called ‘Endo-san’? I hate that way of addressing me, it feels distant. Call me by my first name, Hoshizora.”

Hearing Endo-san call my name made my heart ache. Because she was pressing so close, my whole body was burning up, and I wanted to run away from this place.

“Don’t call me by my name.”
“I’ll keep calling you until you call me by my name. Hoshizora, please.”

　It didn’t look like Endo-san was going to let go.
　My heart didn’t think it could take any more.
　So I simply gave in to Endo-san’s demand.

“Hina—”

　The moment I called her name, my lips were sealed.

　It didn’t end there; Endo-san’s hot, soft lips traced mine. I could have refused, but I accepted it.

Endo’s heat mingled within me, and my body began to throb with an odd sound. Thinking this couldn’t go on any longer, I pushed against Endo’s shoulder, but she wouldn’t let go.

Our heat mingled more fiercely than ever before.
Just as I was struggling to breathe and looked like I was in distress, Endo bit down hard on my lower lip.

‘That hurts…’

‘You idiot, Takizawa. If you break our promise to study together, I’ll do it again.’

Endo went inside, her face still looking sulky.

I trudged home along the deserted street.
When I touched my lips with my finger, the spot where she’d bitten me throbbed with heat.

I don’t understand Endo.

I’m starting to feel a little scared about going on the school trip like this.