One day in mid-November…
“Ah, look, Yuzuru-san—Mount Fuji!”
Pointing at the blue-and-white mountain visible through the small Shinkansen window, Arisa spoke excitedly.
Yuzuru nodded.
“Already, huh… we’ve made it far enough to see Fuji. How much longer until we arrive?”
A sigh slipped out of him.
They were only about a third of the way to their destination—Kyoto and Nara.
Still a long way to go before they’d pass beyond Mount Fuji.
“Hmm… about another hour, I think. …Actually, don’t you have one too, Yuzuru-san? The itinerary booklet?”
Reading through the school trip guide, Arisa said that.
Yuzuru gave a small shrug and chuckled.
“Heh… life rarely goes according to plan. Things like that—I don’t really…”
“You mean you couldn’t be bothered to read it.”
“That’s about right.”
At his answer, Arisa looked at him in exasperation.
Yes—today, Yuzuru, Arisa, and the rest of the second-years were heading out on their school trip.
Three nights and four days, with the classic destination: Kyoto and Nara.
“Aren’t you excited?”
Arisa asked, tilting her head curiously.
Apparently, she’d been so excited she’d read the booklet over and over again.
That morning, she’d looked a little sleepy—
Though now, perhaps due to excitement, she didn’t seem tired at all.
(…Hope she doesn’t crash later.)
He could almost picture her nodding off, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Of course I am I’m travelling with you, after all. How could I not be excited?”
As he said that, Yuzuru lightly stroked her hair.
Arisa narrowed her eyes contentedly.
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that.”
She didn’t press further, simply smiling.
She really did seem to be in a good mood.
(…It’s not like I’m not looking forward to it.)
It’s just that—
He wasn’t quite as excited as Arisa.
That was the honest truth.
In fact, he’d already been to Kyoto and Nara multiple times with his family.
He wasn’t enough of a history enthusiast to enjoy seeing the same places over and over.
So while he was looking forward to travelling with Arisa and his friends—
There was still a part of him thinking, Kyoto and Nara again, huh…
Still, there was no point saying that to Arisa.
Some truths were better left unsaid.
“Well now, hearing you say that makes me happy as a local.”
The one who spoke with a cheerful smile—
Was the girl sitting in front of Arisa, her seat turned around to face them.
Uenishi Chiharu.
Yes—her family home was in Kyoto.
…For her, this was basically a homecoming.
Whether she could truly enjoy it was questionable.
“Come to think of it, Chiharu-san and Amaka’s families are both in Kyoto, right?”
“Yes, well… um, would you like to stop by? Personally, I’d rather not dilute what little ‘school trip feeling’ I have left…”
As expected, Chiharu didn’t seem particularly thrilled about Kyoto being the destination.
And the girl beside her, Nagiri Amaka, nodded vigorously.
“…Same here. Inviting people to my house isn’t exactly… well, it’s not that I can’t, but…”
She looked very reluctant.
Arisa quickly shook her head.
“N-no, it’s not that I want to stop by! Well, not that I don’t, but…”
“Maybe another time,” she added.
Chiharu and Amaka both nodded in agreement.
As long as it wasn’t during the school trip, it seemed fine.
“If we’re going anywhere, it should be an amusement park. Since we’re here, why not head to Osaka?”
Chiharu grinned mischievously.
Arisa looked at her in disbelief.
“That’s obviously not allowed. We can’t just go somewhere unrelated…”
“It’ll be fine. We have free time, and the teachers can’t watch us every second…”
Apparently, she wasn’t joking—she genuinely wanted to go.
From her perspective, it made sense. Sightseeing in her hometown wasn’t nearly as appealing as an amusement park.
But Arisa objected.
“I understand the feeling, but… what about the report assignment?”
Their school trip was largely free-form.
However, since it was still part of their studies, they couldn’t just spend the whole time playing.
They had to choose a research topic related to Kyoto or Nara in advance, investigate it, and submit a report afterwards.
“Wait—Arisa-san, you’re actually planning to do proper research? On a school trip…?”
“It is a school trip. We should at least do the minimum properly…”
The two of them looked surprised—
Then glanced around, seeking support.
“I’m planning to enjoy sightseeing freely and then piece together something plausible afterwards.”
That came from Satake Soichiro, seated across the aisle.
And nodding in agreement beside him—
Was Tachibana Ayaka.
“Same here! I’ll just copy Soichiro-kun’s later!”
She puffed out her chest proudly.
Smiling wryly, Yuzuru added—
“I chose a topic I could research through books and the internet beforehand. Already finished it. I don’t want the assignment hanging over my head during the trip.”
Yuzuru, Soichiro, and Ayaka were on Chiharu’s side.
Chiharu smirked triumphantly.
“I did the same as Yuzuru-san. Fully prepared in advance. I intend to enjoy this trip to the fullest.”
“This is a school trip. It’s normal to focus on having fun.”
She declared that confidently—
But…
“I’ll do it properly, at least to some extent… I’m not confident I can come up with a convincing lie.”
“I’ll make sure it looks presentable too.”
Sei—and Amaka, seated between him and Chiharu—sided with Arisa.
Relieved to have allies, Arisa let out a small sigh.
But Chiharu still looked smug.
“Looks like I’m in the majority.”
“Ugh…”
Arisa looked slightly frustrated, then turned to Yuzuru.
“Yuzuru-san! If you’re my fiancé, you should side with me!!”
“I mean… that’s a separate issue…”
He felt a bit guilty, but he wasn’t about to change his stance.
…He simply didn’t want to think about assignments during the trip.
“…Well, it’s your assignments, so I suppose it’s up to you. But going to Osaka would be hard to justify…”
After all, the assignment was specifically about Kyoto and Nara.
If a teacher asked why they’d gone to Osaka, there’d be no good answer.
“It’ll be fine—as long as we don’t get caught.”
Chiharu grinned.
Arisa looked conflicted.
“Th-that’s… I mean, but…”
“Come on, Yuzuru-san—say something as her fiancé.”
Apparently, he was being treated as an ally.
And while he shared some of Chiharu’s views—
“Osaka’s a bit much… The teachers might even be watching the stations.”
He chose to side with Arisa this time.
Arisa beamed.
Meanwhile, Chiharu—
“…Fine, I suppose.”
She backed down surprisingly easily.
Not so much because she changed her mind—
But likely out of consideration for Arisa, Sei, and Amaka.
Since they planned to take the assignment seriously, going off to Osaka wouldn’t work.
“Then let’s just enjoy sightseeing properly. Leave the guiding to me!”
Chiharu puffed out her chest.
Despite everything, she seemed excited to travel with her friends.
“…Still, this is interesting.”
“What is, Sei-kun?”
“The differences in values and thinking really showed. Especially with the assignment—we split right down the middle.”
“…True. Maybe it’s due to how we were raised.”
Amaka and Sei spoke quietly among themselves.
