I ended up in a group I didn't get along with 

School Trip: Day One

It had been a little over two months since I moved up to my second year of high school. Just when I thought I was finally getting used to my new class, a major problem reared its head.

 

At that moment, we were in the middle of deciding on our groups for the school trip. At this crucial moment before an event that would probably become a lifelong memory, I found myself unable to leave my chair. (I mean, why the hell are we having the school trip in June…!?)

 

I would’ve thought sometime around October, once everyone had gotten to know each other better, would be ideal, but apparently they’d changed it starting this year. The teachers seriously overestimated high school students’ social skills. I wasn’t even sure I’d memorised everyone’s names in my class yet, so there was no way I’d managed to make a whole new group of close friends from scratch in just two months.

 

It wasn’t like I didn’t have any friends. My close friends had simply ended up in different classes. Probably wondering why I still hadn’t moved, our homeroom teacher kept glancing over to check on me. Trying to escape his gaze, I twisted around in my seat and looked behind me.

 

Sure enough, the students who had already formed their groups were happily chatting away.

 

No helping it. I’d have to find some kind-hearted group willing to take me in.

 

I finally steeled myself and hauled myself out of my chair—only to be stopped by one of my classmates.

 

“Hioki, you haven’t got a group yet? Why don’t you join ours?”

 

The boy with the handsome, distinctly Japanese features, Hayato Hotta, flashed me a broad grin, his short hair shifting as he moved. Hotta and I had gone to the same middle school. With his refreshing good looks and easy-going, approachable personality, he was naturally popular with the girls—and even admired by some of the boys.

 

Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the boys who admired him, nor were we particularly close.

 

“I haven’t decided—”

 

“Then it’s settled! Come on!”

 

Hey, hey. At least let me finish talking. Why me? And more importantly, who else was even in his group?

 

I had a mountain of questions, but Hotta wasn’t interested in hearing any of them. He grabbed my arm and practically dragged me along.

 

“Hioki’s joining our group too!”

 

“…………”

 

I never actually said I was joining.

 

Besides, the three classmates sitting in front of me were staring up at me with expressions that suggested they couldn’t care less. Unable to stand the complete lack of any welcoming atmosphere, I grabbed Hotta by the arm and pulled him aside this time.

 

“Oi! They don’t look happy about this at all! Why did you bring me over here!?”

 

“Huh? Everyone already agreed to it.”

 

“Like hell they did!”

 

Agreed? What part of this looked like an agreement?

 

“I asked you before, but why me—”

 

“Hey, since it’s settled, can I write your name down?”

 

Does nobody around here listen when other people talk? I let go of Hotta and turned towards the voice. One of the boys was holding the sheet where we were supposed to write down the group members’ names, staring intently at me.

 

His name was… erm…

 

“Watarai, right? You’re sure it’s okay if I join?”

 

Somehow, I managed to dredge his name up from my memory. Tsumugi Watarai. Like Hotta, he was incredibly popular with the girls. He was tall and slender, with neat, well-defined features and a face so perfectly proportioned there wasn’t a trace of awkwardness to it.

 

It’s those unexpected moments when he shows how kind he is that make you fall for him… Come to think of it, the girl who sat next to me had said something like that before.

 

“………Ah, yeah. I’m Watarai. Nice to meet you.”

 

After a strangely long pause, Watarai abruptly looked away. It seemed I hadn’t made much of a first impression on him. Maybe I should’ve made more of an effort to smile.

 

“The one next to Watarai is Nakazato, and next to him is Morisaki.”

 

While Watarai filled out the form, Hotta introduced me to the other two classmates. The one flashing me a bright, friendly grin was Haruki Nakazato. His features were rather delicate for a guy, and with that cheerful expression, he had the sort of charming appeal you’d expect from an idol.

 

The other boy, who was completely absorbed in his phone, was Naoya Morisaki. Unlike Nakazato and Hotta, he gave off an unapproachable air. His perfectly sculpted profile, handsome enough to belong to an actor, remained turned towards the screen.

 

Needless to say, both of them were the kind of students who attracted plenty of attention around school. And somehow, without really understanding how it had happened, I’d been invited into a group whose looks were clearly ranked a lot higher than their academic ability.

 

Well…

 

At this point, I guess I didn’t care who they were as long as they were willing to let me join.

 

Dawn was still a little chilly. The day had arrived sooner than I expected, and before I knew it, it was already the first day of our school trip.

 

“Hioki! Morning!”

 

As I made my way towards the school grounds, where we were supposed to meet, a familiar voice called out from behind me. Before I could even turn around, a boy slightly shorter than me had fallen into step beside me.

 

“Morning,” I replied.

 

His name was Raiku Tsujiya. We’d attended the same secondary school and were both members of the badminton club. He was one of the few friends I had.

 

“I was so worried I’d forgotten something that I couldn’t sleep.”

 

Tsujiya rubbed the corners of his drooping eyes and let out a huge yawn.

 

“My mum kept asking me the same thing too… Wait, weren’t you supposed to be too excited to sleep?”

 

“Ahahaha! You’re right!”

 

His booming laughter was contagious, and I couldn’t help laughing along with him. After we’d finished laughing, Tsujiya suddenly changed the subject, as though he’d just remembered something.

 

“Oh, by the way, who’s in your group again?”

 

“Ah… that.”

 

I’d been expecting him to ask eventually, so I listed the members of my group one by one.

 

“Whoa. I’ve never even spoken to any of them except Hotta… How did you end up in that group?”

 

“I’d like to know that myself.”

 

“So Hioki’s finally joining the popular crowd, eh?”

 

“No, no!”

 

Tsujiya pretended to burst into tears.

 

“Stop it,” I told him, giving his shoulder a playful smack.

 

Completely unaffected, he laughed loudly again.

 

“Sorry!”

 

By the time we’d finished catching up, we’d already reached the school grounds. I wanted to keep talking, but reluctantly said goodbye to Tsujiya and began searching for the others in my group, glancing at the students gradually gathering around us. I’d thought they’d be easy to spot, considering the distinctive aura that handsome guys seemed to give off. But with this many students around, it wasn’t quite so simple.

 

I pulled out my phone to send them a message, but before I could even unlock it, a shadow fell across me.

 

“Morning.”

 

“…Morning.”

 

When I looked up, Watarai was standing there, staring down at me, with Nakazato beside him, still looking half-asleep.

 

“Hotta and the others are over there.”

 

With his hands still shoved into his pockets, Nakazato indicated the direction with his eyes. Following his gaze, I spotted Hotta waving at us with a huge grin that practically screamed, I’m so excited about this trip! Beside him stood Morisaki, who looked just as sleepy as Nakazato.

 

“Class One, start moving towards the buses!”

 

After the headmaster’s lengthy speech, the teacher’s instructions prompted a sudden burst of noise and movement around us.

 

“That was way too long! My legs are killing me!”

 

“Tell me about it. I just wanna sit down.”

 

Hotta grumbled while Morisaki looked thoroughly fed up. I wanted to get on the bus right away too, but our class, Class Five, still had a little longer to wait.

 

“By the way, what are we doing about the seats on the bus?”

 

Nakazato glanced towards the Class Two students, who had started moving. At his question, Watarai and Morisaki looked up too.

 

“Oh, yeah. We never decided.”

 

“We’ve got the last two rows, right? So we’re splitting into a group of three and a group of two?”

 

“Why don’t we just decide with rock and paper?”

 

At Hotta’s suggestion, we formed a circle and held our fists out towards the centre.

 

“Rock or paper, ready—”

 

Nakazato had barely started the chant when Morisaki interrupted him.

 

“Actually, wait. Doesn’t that mean someone’s gonna end up sitting next to a girl? I don’t want that.”

 

As though he’d only just remembered, he pulled his hand back. Naturally, everyone immediately protested his selfishness.

 

“What? Seriously? Why are you bringing that up now? That’s why I said all five of us should sit together at the very back!”

 

“But then we won’t be able to hear each other talking!”

 

“You can put up with it for once!”

 

“Fine, then you sit next to a girl.”

 

“Huh? Why does it have to be me?”

 

At this point, I couldn’t even tell who was saying what.

 

Apparently, they were such good friends that they could get into the most ridiculous arguments over absolutely nothing. I’d been standing there watching, but it didn’t look as though they were getting anywhere, so I finally spoke up.

 

“I don’t mind taking that seat. The middle one in the back row.”

 

Despite how loudly they’d been arguing, they apparently heard me perfectly. The bickering stopped abruptly. Nakazato, Hotta and Morisaki all turned to stare at me with expressions that practically said, Seriously?

 

“Then I’ll sit next to Hioki.”

 

To my surprise, Watarai volunteered. His unexpected declaration left me momentarily frozen.

 

“Is that okay?” he asked, tilting his head.

 

I didn’t particularly care who sat next to me, so, feeling slightly overwhelmed by his insistence, I nodded awkwardly.

 

“Then I’ll take the window seat beside him.”

 

“Right, so Nakazato and I will take the two seats in front.”

 

Following Watarai’s lead, Morisaki and Hotta chose their seats.

 

In the end, we’d managed to settle everything through discussion after all.

 

Once we boarded the bus, I received exactly the sort of look I’d expected from the girl already sitting beside my seat. Her eyes practically screamed, Oh, great. It’s you.

 

It was painfully uncomfortable.

 

Feeling awkward, I shifted closer to Watarai, but moved a little too far and accidentally bumped into him.

 

“Ah, sorry.”

 

“It’s fine… You can lean against me if you want.”

 

If you’re going to offer that much, I’d rather you just swap seats with me. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

 

Instead, I simply appreciated the thought.

 

Once the roll call was complete, the bus set off. The school trip had only just begun, but I already wanted to go home. We checked the numbers on our train tickets and boarded the Shinkansen in the same seating groups we’d had on the bus.

 

This time, I had a window seat. My mood immediately improved.

 

“Hey, the window… Is it okay if I leave this open?”

 

I might have left my entire vocabulary behind on the bus. Pointing at the window blind, I turned towards Watarai, who was sitting beside me. He’d been taking things out of his rucksack, but his hands suddenly stopped.

 

“You don’t have to ask me something like that. I’ll tell you if it’s too bright… Do you like looking at the scenery?”

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

If someone asked me exactly what I liked about the scenery, I probably wouldn’t be able to explain.

 

I just liked it.

 

When I smiled at him, Watarai froze for a moment before muttering, “…Right,” and turning his face away. Just then, Nakazato returned carrying five boxed lunches.

 

“Got our lunches.”

 

“What kind are they?”

 

Taking one from Nakazato, Hotta peeked through a gap in the wrapping paper.

 

“Dunno. The kind with a bunch of different stuff inside.”

 

“A Bakumatsu bento?”

 

“…Don’t you mean makunouchi?” Nakazato quietly corrected him.

 

Everyone looked at one another before bursting into laughter. A Bakumatsu bento, though. Now I’m actually curious.

 

[Translator’s note: Makunouchi is a traditional Japanese boxed lunch containing a variety of dishes. Bakumatsu refers to the final years of the Edo period, which is why Hotta’s mistake is funny.]

 

After finishing our early lunch, I settled back to relax. There was still plenty of greenery outside the window, although I felt as though buildings were gradually becoming more frequent. The sky was perfectly clear today, without a single cloud.

 

The sunlight streaming through the window was pleasantly warm, and my eyelids naturally grew heavy.

 

If I fall asleep now, I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.

 

I knew that perfectly well, but I couldn’t fight the drowsiness.

 

“Sleepy?”

 

Noticing me drifting off, Watarai leaned over to look at my face.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I’ll wake you when we get there, so go ahead and sleep.”

 

I tried to shake my head, but the gentleness of his voice only made me sleepier. Deciding to accept his kindness, I settled deeper into my seat and slowly closed my eyes. A sensation of being shaken brought me back to consciousness.

 

I opened my heavy eyelids, but everything was blurry. Even though I was awake, I still felt as though I were dreaming.

 

“Heeey, Hioki. Come on, wake up.”

 

I could hear Watarai’s voice. After blinking several times, my eyes finally began to focus. Watarai, who’d been trying to wake me, came clearly into view.

 

Outside the window, the greenery I’d last seen had disappeared, replaced by the station interior. I stood up and stretched my stiff body.

 

At that moment, my bones cracked, and a strange noise escaped my mouth. I hurriedly covered it, but apparently, he’d heard me.

 

“It’s fine. Didn’t hear a thing.”

 

Watarai, who was walking ahead of me, was considerate enough to pretend he hadn’t noticed. That only made me feel even more embarrassed. I readjusted my rucksack and gave his back a completely unnecessary smack.

 

It was June, the rainy season. Although the weather had been sunny back home, it seemed to be cloudy here in Kansai. With the sun hidden behind the clouds, it was rather cold outside the station.

 

All we had planned for today was to watch a Noh performance before heading to the traditional Japanese inn where we’d be staying. After spending so long travelling by bus and Shinkansen, the journey to the Noh theatre felt surprisingly short. At the theatre entrance, costumes and props used in Noh performances were on display.

 

We passed the heavy-looking costumes and entered the auditorium, where an L-shaped stage immediately caught my attention. The main stage wasn’t in the centre but positioned off to one side.

 

Once everything was ready, a member of the theatre staff appeared from behind the stage curtain.

 

“It might be quicker to show you rather than explain.”

 

After a brief greeting, the staff member swiftly stepped down from the stage. I wish our headmaster would learn to keep things moving like that. The auditorium was plunged into darkness, and the stage lights came on.

 

Performers carrying traditional Japanese instruments appeared alongside an actor whose face was concealed behind a Noh mask. The atmosphere inside the theatre changed completely. Chanting that sounded almost like Buddhist sutras accompanied the dance's quiet, elegant movements.

 

I’d never seen anything like it before, and I found myself utterly captivated. Applause echoed throughout the auditorium. The Noh experience ended with a closing speech by our head of year.

 

“It’s bloody raining!”

 

A student’s shout came from outside the theatre. I’d suspected the weather might turn, but apparently, the rain had finally started. Looking up at the sky from beneath the eaves, I felt large raindrops splash against my face.

 

I hurriedly rubbed my eye, and a horrible feeling washed over me.

 

“My contact lens fell out.”

 

My quiet muttering was drowned out by the sound of the rain. I stood there, completely frozen, silently despairing over my situation. I’d left my glasses inside my suitcase, which was probably already sitting somewhere at the inn.

 

It hadn’t even crossed my mind that one of my contact lenses might fall out. When I opened my left eye, now deprived of its corrective lens, the entire world appeared distorted and blurry. The difference between my two eyes made me feel so sick that I wanted to take the right lens out as well.

 

“What’s wrong? Were you that moved by the performance?”

 

“No. My contact lens fell out.”

 

Apparently mistaking my rubbing my eye for crying, Watarai leaned over to look at my face and teased me. This really wasn’t the time for jokes. As the difference in my vision continued to make me feel queasy, an idea suddenly occurred to me.

 

“Hey, could I hold on to you while we’re walking…? Would that be okay?”

 

“…What? What do you mean?”

 

Watarai frowned in confusion. Nevertheless, I explained in detail how badly I could see and how easily I might trip over something. Eventually, he nodded, although he still looked rather doubtful.

 

“…All right. Fine.”

 

Is that really the face of someone who’s okay with it?

 

“If you don’t want to, I can ask someone else.”

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Despite my attempt to be considerate, Watarai pretended not to hear me and opened his umbrella. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I decided to take him up on his offer and grabbed one of the straps of his rucksack. Just then, Hotta, Nakazato and Morisaki appeared, carrying one enormous traditional Japanese umbrella between them.

 

Apparently, they’d forgotten their folding umbrellas, so one of the theatre staff had given them one as a present.

 

“Hurry up and get moving!”

 

At our form teacher’s instruction, we headed out into the rain. Watarai and I walked together, while Hotta, Nakazato and Morisaki followed as a group of three. Trying not to cause Watarai too much trouble, I kept my eyes fixed carefully on the ground.

 

However, Watarai apparently didn’t like the feeling of his rucksack being tugged.

 

“This is better.”

 

Saying that, he took my hand. The distance between us immediately became smaller than it had been when I was holding on to his rucksack strap. I worried that walking like this might be awkward for him.

 

But the feeling of reassurance was far greater than I’d expected, and I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand away. Fortunately, the three walking behind us didn’t tease us about it. Watarai kept holding my hand all the way until we reached our seats on the bus.

 

I’m sure our classmates were staring at us, but for once, I was grateful for my poor eyesight. If I’d had to experience that with perfectly clear vision, I would’ve died of embarrassment.

 

“Thanks. Seriously, you really saved me.”

 

“You’ll still need help when we get to the inn, won’t you? I think it’s a bit early to thank me.”

 

“Eh… Ah, right. Still, thanks.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Apparently, he intended to look after me even after we arrived at the inn. Watarai nodded with a satisfied expression at my rather dopey reply.

 

“Welcome. We’re delighted to have you.”

 

An elegant voice reached my ears. With my vision practically useless, I couldn’t make out the face of the person speaking. The woman, presumably the proprietress, and all the other inn staff lined up to welcome us were completely faceless figures to me.

 

Through my blurred vision, I listened to our head of year explaining the arrangements for dinner and bathing.

 

“Once your group has collected its room key, head straight to the main hall!”

 

“Eh?”

 

A startled noise escaped me at the unexpected instruction. Wait, wait, wait. Are we not going to our rooms first?

 

At least let me get my glasses! There was no way I could manage much longer with my vision this bad. I’d have to ask permission to go to our room.

 

“Want me to go and tell the teacher?”

 

Watarai seemed to have noticed me desperately squinting as I searched for our form teacher. I nodded instinctively at his question, and the hand that had been holding mine slipped away.

 

“Where’s Watarai going?”

 

Morisaki’s voice came from beside me. Even through my blurred vision, I could tell that his face was handsome. I explained the predicament I was in.

 

He nodded in understanding and called out to Nakazato. After collecting our room key from Nakazato, who was our group leader, I felt that familiar warmth take hold of my hand again at just the right moment. Our footsteps echoed through the corridor, where gentle background music played.

 

My hand was still clasped in Watarai’s.

 

“Seriously, thanks for everything today.”

 

I spoke up, hoping to ease the awkwardness between us.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I was also…”

 

Watarai started to say something, then suddenly stopped himself.

 

“…Actually, never mind.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Now you’ve just made me even more curious.”

 

“… ”

 

I suppose that means he doesn’t want me asking any more questions. As I stared at his silent back, Watarai suddenly stopped walking.

 

Apparently, we’d reached our room. Just a little longer, and I’d finally be free of this blurry vision.

 

“Wait here.”

 

Suppressing my impatience, I reached for the door handle. For some reason, the hand that had been holding mine all this time didn’t let go immediately. It tugged at mine, almost as though trying to hold me back, before reluctantly slipping away.

 

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t tell whether he’d done it deliberately or by accident.

 

What’s all that about? Some kind of technique for making people fall for you?

 

With that thought running through my head, I stepped into the tatami room. Using my sense of touch, I located my suitcase and reached into one of its small pockets. The moment my fingers found the familiar material, I pulled out the case and finally put on the glasses I’d been longing for.

 

I let out a relieved sigh as the world came back into focus.

But my relief was short-lived. I hurried towards the entrance, where Watarai was waiting.

 

“Sorry, kept you waiting… Whoa!?”

 

I’d let my guard down, and my foot slipped on the smooth, immaculately cleaned tatami flooring. Losing my balance, I tilted my body sharply. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.

 

But the collision I’d expected never came. Instead of pain, I found myself enveloped in something surprisingly warm and secure.

 

“Sorry. Thanks.”

 

I straightened up, pulling away from Watarai, who’d caught me.

 

This was beyond embarrassing.

 

I wanted to disappear on the spot.

 

As I stood there staring at the floor, someone suddenly took hold of my cheeks. My face, already flushed bright red with embarrassment, was exposed beneath the warm orange glow of the lights.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

“Eh? Ah, no, I’m fine, thank you.”

 

I was so flustered that I’d instinctively slipped into polite speech. Watarai paid no attention to how completely frozen I was. He tilted my face from side to side, stroked my head, and carefully checked for injuries.

 

If I had to mention anything, the bridge of my glasses had pressed painfully against the inner corners of my eyes.

 

But that hardly mattered. I’d already reached the absolute limit of what I could handle. All I could do was stare at Watarai.

 

I’ll do anything, so please just forgive me. That was what I thought to myself.

 

“Oh, really?”

 

Watarai, who shouldn’t have been able to hear my thoughts, gave me a mischievous smile.

 

Wait.

 

Did I just say that whole ‘I’ll do anything’ thing out loud without realising it? I stood there dumbfounded. Watarai opened the door and glanced at me, urging me to hurry up.

 

Still unsure whether I’d actually spoken aloud, I hastily slipped on my trainers and rushed out of the room. When I fell into step beside him, I looked up at his profile. He was smiling happily.

 

“H-Hey, I’d really appreciate it if you could forget what happened just now.”

 

“Nope.”

 

He answered immediately.

 

So I really did say that out loud, then.

 

I wondered what he was going to ask me to do. Maybe he’d want me to buy him something during tomorrow’s free time.

 

Ah, but he’d been looking after me all day, so perhaps I’d have to agree to three or so requests.

 

With anxiety weighing on my chest, I cautiously glanced at him.

 

“Please go easy on me.”

 

“Mm.”

 

His reply came with a smile. When we entered the large dining hall where dinner was waiting, we headed towards the round table where Nakazato and the others were sitting. The moment I sat down, all three of them stared intently at my face.

 

“You know, you look different with glasses on.”

 

“You look younger.”

 

“Like the sort of kid who’d get shaken down for money by delinquents.”

 

What a terrible way to describe someone.

 

Do they really look that bad on me?

 

“Ah, no, no! Sorry! We mean you look cute!”

 

Apparently sensing my discomfort, Nakazato quickly tried to smooth things over. Hotta nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and even Morisaki, who’d made the comment about being shaken down, nodded along. Even if they called me cute, I had no idea how I was supposed to react.

 

While I was struggling to come up with a response, our head of year’s voice echoed through the hall.

 

“Everyone, well done on completing the first day of your school trip. I’m sure you’re all tired after spending so much time travelling, but make sure you eat plenty of delicious food and get ready for another great day tomorrow!”

 

A chorus of “Thank you for the food!” echoed around the dining hall. At the same time, the clattering of dishes and the sound of conversations grew louder.

 

“Hey, let’s make a toast!”

 

Hotta waved the glass he’d picked up. At his suggestion, we opened the bottles lined up on the table. Hotta poured himself some cola, Nakazato and Morisaki chose orange juice, while Watarai and I poured ourselves oolong tea.

 

“Cheeers!”

 

At Hotta’s enthusiastic shout, we all held our glasses towards the centre. The five glasses met with a bright clink.

 

“Send me that video.”

 

As I swallowed a mouthful of oolong tea, Watarai glanced towards Morisaki.

 

“I’ll send it to the group.”

 

Apparently, Morisaki had filmed the whole thing without me noticing. He was skilfully tapping away at his phone with one hand.

 

“It’s probably for an Instagram story,” Hotta explained from beside me, having noticed me watching their exchange absentmindedly.

 

Instagram was a social networking app for sharing photographs, especially popular among secondary school students. I’d never even downloaded it, but these guys, who were practically the embodiment of extroverts, seemed to know exactly how to use it.

 

“Hioki, don’t you use Instagram? Give me your account.”

 

Hotta casually pulled out his phone as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

 

“I wanna know too.”

 

“Me too! Tell us!”

 

“Send us your ID.”

 

Apparently, Watarai and the others had overheard our conversation, because all three reached for their phones as well.

 

“I don’t use Instagram, so I don’t have an account.”

 

At my answer, the four of them fell silent for a moment before staring at me as though I’d said something completely unbelievable.

 

Come on, there are high school students who don’t use Instagram.

 

Like me, for example.

 

“Then let’s make you an account when we get back to the room.”

 

Watarai looked at me expectantly. Refusing seemed like too much trouble, so I gave him a casual nod. He responded with a delighted smile.

 

The appetites of teenage boys were impressive things. Before I knew it, nearly every dish arranged on our round table had disappeared into our stomachs.

 

“Everyone, are you about finished eating? Next, you’ll take baths in groups by class, with different time slots. Please make sure you don’t get the times wrong!”

 

Once our head of year finished speaking, students began getting up from their seats one after another. Since no particular instructions had been given about leaving, the entrance to the dining hall quickly became crowded. While I waited for the crowd to thin out, I remained seated, giving my overstuffed stomach a chance to settle.

 

Then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

 

“Hey! How’s it going? Getting bullied properly?”

 

Looking up, I found Tsujiya standing there.

 

“I’m not getting bullied. Stop making me sound like some sort of lackey… Oh, listen! After we watched the Noh performance, one of my contact lenses fell out.”

 

“Ahh, so that’s why you’re wearing glasses.”

 

He laughed as he listened to my miserable experience, then affectionately ruffled my hair as though trying to console me.

 

But a moment later, he suddenly shouted.

 

“Oh, crap! I’m in Class One, so I’ve gotta get ready for the bath! See you!”

 

Tsujiya hurried towards the exit at a light jog. As I stood up and tried to straighten the hair my energetic friend had messed up, Watarai appeared beside me.

 

“Who was that?”

 

“A friend from my club.”

 

“…Huh.”

 

For some reason, Watarai seemed to be in a bad mood. He narrowed his eyes slightly before reaching over and smoothing down the messy hair Tsujiya had left behind. Between writing our impressions in the school trip booklet and setting up my Instagram account, it wasn’t long before our allotted bathing time arrived.

 

The large communal bath was bustling with students from our school and other guests staying at the inn.

 

“Hioki, are you gonna be okay in the bath?”

 

Watarai spoke just as I removed my glasses.

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

“Don’t fall over.”

 

“…I’ll do my best.”

 

With that less-than-confident reply, I tossed the undershirt I’d just taken off into the basket. Even though we were all guys, I still felt uncomfortable getting naked in front of other people. It wasn’t that I lacked confidence in my body or anything.

 

It was simply embarrassing. I practically fled into the bathing area and sat down on the first bathing stool I spotted. Picking up the shampoo I’d brought with me, I began working it into a lather.

 

Apparently, I’d used too much, because the foam kept sliding down towards my eyelids. Still keeping my eyes closed, I felt around for the tap and turned it.

 

Unfortunately, I must have twisted it the wrong way. Freezing water poured mercilessly over me.

 

“Whoa!”

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

The boy who’d sat down beside me let out an exasperated sigh. Judging by his voice, I thought it was Morisaki.

 

“Can you make this water hot, please?”

 

With my eyes still firmly shut, I pleaded into the darkness. I heard the tap squeak on, and the water pouring over me gradually grew warmer.

 

“That’s why I asked if you’d be okay.”

 

Watarai’s voice came from the opposite side of Morisaki.

 

“Thanks. You saved me.”

 

I wiped the water from around my eyes and thanked Watarai and Morisaki. Although, to be perfectly honest, all I could see were two vaguely human-shaped, skin-coloured figures.

 

Sorry if I’ve thanked the wrong people.

 

“You’re welcome. Wait for me when you’ve finished washing.”

 

There was a note of concern in Watarai’s voice. He was probably planning to guide me around again, just like he’d done on the way back from the Noh theatre. Surely I couldn’t keep troubling him that much.

 

“It’d be a real problem if you actually fell over.”

 

Before I could open my mouth to refuse, he’d beaten me to it.

 

In the end, Watarai took my hand and led me towards the large bath.

 

Once we got close enough, I could make out the edge, which looked something like marble. I gave his hand a gentle tug. Unlike earlier, when I’d gone to retrieve my glasses, he let go without hesitation.

 

I slowly lowered myself into the bath and breathed out a long, satisfied sigh. The water was a little hot, but it felt wonderful.

 

“Come to think of it, Hioki, what do you do about swimming pools?”

 

Nakazato’s voice reached me at the same time as the sound of water rippling.

 

“Ah… My eyesight was better when I was in secondary school, so I could still manage on my own back then. And I don’t go swimming at pools in my free time.”

 

“We don’t have swimming lessons in high school either… Oh, what about the beach?”

 

“I go to the beach, but I don’t swim.”

 

At the mention of the beach, Hotta, Watarai and Morisaki all joined the conversation.

 

“The beach sounds great. I wanna go!”

 

“Summer’s almost here, so let’s make some plans.”

 

“Think we could do it as a day trip?”

 

Somehow, they’d started planning an outing to the beach. At first, I assumed they were talking about going as a group of four, so I simply listened without saying anything.

 

But judging by how the conversation was going, they apparently intended to include me too. I’d assumed that once the school trip was over, we’d go back to the way things had been before. So this came as quite a surprise.

“Hey, you lads high school students?”

 

Just as we were getting excited about the beach, an unfamiliar older man’s voice interrupted us. He was probably another guest staying at the inn.

 

“Yeah. We’re here on a school trip,” Watarai answered calmly.

 

“Hahaha! Have you eaten plenty of good food yet? Where’ve you lads come from?”

 

The man laughed heartily and gave my shoulder a hearty smack, as though trying to encourage me. It actually hurt a bit.

 

“You’ve gotta eat properly and build up some muscle! If you’re this skinny and scrawny, you’ll never be able to protect a girl!”

 

“Eh…?”

 

Without warning, the man reached out and touched my stomach. The ticklish sensation made a small breathy noise escape my mouth. Realising how awkward that might sound, I hurriedly covered my mouth.

 

But it was already too late.

 

“Oops! Sorry, sorry! Was that ticklish?”

 

The man burst into another round of booming laughter. I’d already noticed that he was rather fond of physical contact, but I hadn’t expected him to take it this far. The fact that he didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives somehow made the situation even more difficult to deal with.

 

I forced a polite smile and tried to put some distance between us.

 

But just as I shifted away, someone grabbed my arm. With one firm pull, my supposedly scrawny body was lifted out of the bath.

 

“Well, we’d better get going now. Excuse us!”

 

“All right, then! Enjoy yourselves!”

 

The older man’s cheerful voice echoed through the bathing area.

 

Once we reached the changing room, Watarai, who’d been pulling me by the arm, leaned down to look at my face with concern.

 

“You okay?”

 

“I never expected to get sexually harassed.”

 

“Yeah, no kidding.”

 

“And I’m not that scrawny.”

 

“Oh, so that’s the part you’re bothered about?”

 

Of course, I was joking.

 

I just wanted to make the atmosphere a little less uncomfortable. I’d expected Watarai to tease me back.

 

But instead of laughing or trying to comfort me, he simply looked at me. The chaotic first day was finally drawing to a close.

 

But this was a school trip.

 

There was no way the day was going to end with just that. Memories were one thing, but photographs left behind something you could actually see. Being modern teenagers, these guys documented everything on their phones as naturally as breathing.

 

Deciding the lighting was better there, all five of us squeezed shoulder to shoulder into the room’s tiny washroom and took photographs of ourselves in the mirror. They looked thoroughly satisfied with the results. I was about to escape the stuffy, overcrowded washroom when Watarai stopped me.

 

“I want to take a picture with you, Hioki… Just the two of us.”

 

Still holding my arm, Watarai raised his phone expectantly. With a completely natural movement, he slipped an arm around my shoulders and began searching for the best position on the screen. Since I only knew one pose, I kept holding up a peace sign and waited for him to take the photograph.

 

“Ready?”

 

He murmured the word close to my ear. At the same moment, the screen flashed briefly. Of course, a high school boy who knew his way around social media wasn’t going to stop after taking just one photograph.

 

He asked if we could take a few more. Thanks to this little photography session with Watarai, I managed to learn some new poses besides my usual peace sign. I had no idea whether I’d ever use them again, but I decided they were worth remembering.

 

“Can we go back now?”

 

When I asked Watarai, who was still studying the screen of his phone, he responded with a satisfied smile. In the tatami room at the back, five futons had already been laid out. Three were arranged on the left and two on the right, with the pillows facing towards the centre.

 

“Oh, you laid them out for us? Thanks.”

 

“No probleeem.”

 

Not knowing which of the three had done it, I thanked them all together. Hotta, who’d been playing with his phone at the edge of the table they’d pushed aside, looked up to answer.

 

Finally, I could collapse onto a wonderfully soft futon and give my exhausted body a rest.

 

Ah, I’ve gone and picked a spot without asking anyone… Oh well.

 

I’d been worried that falling asleep on the Shinkansen would stop me from sleeping tonight, but it seemed I had nothing to worry about. I tossed my glasses beside the pillow and surrendered to the drowsiness slowly creeping over me.

 

“Aw, don’t go to sleep yet. I wanna talk some more.”

 

Nakazato poked my cheek just as I was beginning to drift off.

 

“Mmm. Talk about what?”

 

“Come on, it’s a school trip. We’ve gotta talk about love!”

 

What an incredibly school-trip-like answer. I rolled over and reached for my glasses. Nakazato, whom I’d thought was beside me, had claimed the middle spot among the three futons.

 

“Hioki, have you got a girlfriend?”

 

Hotta placed his phone on the table and lay down beside Nakazato as he asked. Watarai and Morisaki, who’d been occupied with their own things, also gravitated towards their futons, looking as though they were interested in hearing the answer.

 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but no.”

 

I shook my head. For some reason, Hotta looked puzzled.

 

“Huh? But you had one in secondary school, didn’t you?”

 

“That’s probably a misunderstanding.”

 

“Wait, Hotta and Hioki went to the same secondary school?”

 

Watarai, who’d been lying on the futon beside me, suddenly sat up in surprise. I’d assumed Hotta had already told him, but apparently not.

 

“Yeah. We were never in the same class, though.”

 

“It’s practically a miracle we never ended up in the same class,” Hotta added with a laugh.

 

“So, what was the misunderstanding about?”

 

Morisaki interrupted, steering the conversation back to the subject we’d left unfinished.

 

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any particularly exciting memories that would satisfy the anticipation in his eyes.

 

“I was helping a close friend with her relationship problems. Someone misunderstood and thought we were dating, then spread the rumour around.”

 

“Ah, that happens.”

 

Nakazato chuckled.

 

“So how did you clear up the misunderstanding?”

 

Apparently, Morisaki still believed there was something interesting waiting at the end of this story, because he kept asking questions.

 

“I didn’t really clear it up. In the end, the girl I was helping got together with the guy she actually liked, so we stopped meeting up after that… I suppose people probably think we just drifted apart?”

 

“Ahh, I thought you’d broken up naturally too, until you told me that.”

 

Hotta nodded in understanding.

 

“Wow, you two must’ve been a pretty famous couple.”

 

“The rumour just took on a life of its own. Anyway, enough about me. Doesn’t anyone here have a girlfriend?”

 

I turned my face away from Watarai’s searching gaze and changed the subject to something that probably interested every girl in our year far more than my own love life. When I looked at the four of them, they answered in unison.

 

“Used to.”

 

Not have.

 

Used to.

 

Which meant all four of them were currently single.

 

Curious, I asked them about their ex-girlfriends. Some of their relationships had ended for perfectly ordinary reasons, such as simply not having compatible interests. Others had involved ex-girlfriends who were emotionally demanding, while some had been the complete opposite and far too casual about their relationships.

 

“Speaking of being emotionally intense, Watarai’s pretty intense himself.”

 

Morisaki, who’d previously dated a particularly clingy girl, suddenly made that comment midway through his story.

 

“His ex-girlfriend?”

 

Given the direction of the conversation, I assumed he was referring to one of Watarai’s former girlfriends.

 

But Morisaki shook his head.

 

“No, Watarai himself.”

 

“Ohh.”

 

“I’m completely normal, thanks.”

 

When I glanced towards Watarai, he shrugged as though he found the accusation thoroughly unfair.

 

“It’s not exactly that he’s intense. More like he’s really jealous.”

 

“Apparently he’s so thorough about everything that it’s almost scary.”

 

Nakazato and Hotta leaned towards me, whispering conspiratorially as though sharing some great secret. It seemed Watarai was the type of person who liked to devote himself completely to someone. Now that I thought about it, I could remember countless examples of that just from today alone.

 

“Oh, and we’ve also received a review from a teenage girl saying he’s the type who gives people the wrong idea.”

 

“Stop making it sound like some kind of customer review.”

 

Watarai sighed at Nakazato’s teasing. Incidentally, I’d experienced that exact review for myself today.

 

The way he’d casually taken my hand.

 

The way he’d seemed reluctant to let it go.

 

And that wasn’t even counting all the little ways he’d looked after me.

 

The list could go on forever.

 

“That’s enough about me.”

 

Apparently sulking now, Watarai dropped his head onto his pillow with a soft thump. The others protested, but he clearly had no intention of saying anything more.

 

“Um, okay then… What’s everyone’s type?”

 

I jumped in, hoping to distract them and shift their attention elsewhere. In hindsight, I probably should’ve steered the conversation towards something completely different.

 

But surely talking about the kind of person you liked wouldn’t hurt anyone. It seemed the night of our school trip was going to be a long one.