The bus carrying the Archery Club members glided smoothly along the highway, leaving the mountains of Nagano behind and heading toward the bustling city of Tokyo.
The twilight sky began painting the horizon with shades of orange and purple.
Inside the bus, the atmosphere was far more relaxed and cheerful compared to when they first arrived in Nagano. The exhaustion from three days of summer training was gradually replaced by sweet memories and anticipation for the remaining summer vacation.
With his ever-burning enthusiasm, Ryohei started a conversation. "Finally heading back to Tokyo! I can't wait to tackle my summer homework. How far have you guys gotten?"
"Homework? I haven't even touched my books. I've been too busy preparing for summer camp." Nanao sighed.
"I'm almost done with my language essay. I'll probably finish the rest tomorrow." Minato said calmly.
Seiya turned around, joining the conversation. "I plan to spend the rest of the vacation reading old books. Maybe practice archery at the city field too."
"I want to go to a summer festival! There'll be tons of food stalls and games! Wanna come along?" Rika invited everyone.
"A summer festival sounds fun." Yuuna nodded in agreement.
"Absolutely! We should all go together! Maybe even hit up a fireworks festival!" Ryohei nodded enthusiastically.
The other club members joined in the lighthearted discussion, planning how they'd spend the rest of their summer break. Their chatter was casual, filled with the trivial joys of youth.
Meanwhile, Umi sat beside Ren.
Ren seemed unaffected by the chatter around him, fast asleep. His head tilted slightly to the side, his breathing steady and calm.
Umi stole a glance at him, her cheeks faintly flushed.
(I'm really going on a date with Ren-senpai… T-This is my first time going on a date. I've never had a boyfriend, let alone gone out with a guy. What's it going to be like? What should we do? What should I talk about?)
Umi felt her heart race, a strange mix of excitement and nervousness.
(Ren-senpai is honestly the most handsome guy I've ever met. With his looks and incredible skills… I bet tons of girls like him.)
Umi gazed at Ren's sleeping face, so peaceful.
(But I've never heard any rumors about Ren-senpai dating anyone. Not even whispers. Does he already have someone he likes?)
The question struck her suddenly, leaving a twinge of anxiety amid her nervousness about her first date.
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The bus cruised at a moderate speed, filled with the lively chatter and laughter of the Archery Club members. Ren remained fast asleep in his seat, while Umi occasionally glanced at him, lost in her thoughts about their upcoming date.
*BANG!*
Suddenly, a loud explosion shattered the calm. The bus shook violently, swerving to one side. The harsh screech of a deflated tire scraping against the asphalt rang out.
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the bus turned to panic.
The bus lost control. Coach Takigawa Masaki, who was driving, gripped the steering wheel tightly, struggling to regain control of the wildly veering vehicle.
His arm muscles tensed, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He swerved the wheel left and right, trying to keep the bus on track, but its trajectory grew increasingly erratic.
"Hold on! Everyone, grab something!" Coach Takigawa shouted.
He slammed on the brakes, but the bus only veered closer to the edge of the road, toward a ravine.
The passengers screamed in terror.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
"Kyaaa!"
"We're going to fall!"
Panicked cries mixed with the screeching of tires against the road barrier.
Some students were thrown from their seats, colliding with each other in the chaos.
Even Mafuyu, who always maintained a cool demeanor, couldn't hide her shock. Her eyes widened, her face paled, and her lips parted slightly, revealing a rare glimpse of fear. She clung tightly to the seat in front of her, her body rigid.
The bus barreled forward uncontrollably. In the next moment, it tilted, its wheels losing traction on the asphalt. The windows rattled, and the view below revealed a steep ravine.
"Ahhhhhhhhh—!!!!!"
With the stuttering roar of the engine and the passengers' hysterical screams, the bus finally plummeted.
*BOOM!*
The bus lurched into the air for a moment before free-falling into the ravine.
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Moments earlier.
Amid the chaos and hysterical screams, it was impossible for Ren not to wake up.
The deafening sound of the tire bursting, the bus swerving wildly, and the ear-piercing cries of panic jolted him awake.
"Huh?"
Ren was greeted by a horrifying sight: the bus carrying him and the entire Archery Club was in free fall into a ravine.
His mind worked like a supercomputer, processing every detail and possibility in a fraction of a second. He instantly understood that the bus had suffered a catastrophic accident.
(It's too late to change this situation. I won't have time to use the Divine Authorities Book of Knowledge to alter things. Prioritize saving Umi.)
Among everyone on the bus, Ren cared most about Umi, the next girl destined for his harem.
As for the others? He didn't care whether they lived or died!
Ren wasn't like Emiya Kiritsugu, who would sacrifice a few to save the many. His priorities were clear: himself first, then those he considered his.
*WHOOSH!*
With lightning-fast movement, Ren grabbed Umi beside him, who was screaming in terror. He scooped her up in a princess carry, holding her tightly against his chest.
Just as the bus was about to crash with a devastating impact, scattering debris, Ren leaped.
*BOOM!*
His leap wasn't just a jump; it was a perfectly calculated burst of energy, propelling him and Umi upward, avoiding the fatal impact.
The maneuver required precision beyond human capability. A single misstep could be catastrophic.
If Ren had jumped too early, they'd have collided with flying debris or been thrown back by the shockwave. Too late, and they'd have been caught in the bus's destruction.
An imperfect balance could have sent their leap spiraling out of control. Even a miscalculated angle could have led to a fatal fall. Yet, Ren executed it flawlessly amid the chaos.
"Luckily, there's no spark to trigger an explosion."
Ren glanced at Umi. She lay unconscious in his arms, her face deathly pale, eyes tightly shut, her body trembling faintly.
Clearly, Umi had fainted from overwhelming shock. Ren sighed in relief, confirming she had no serious physical injuries from the landing.
Still holding Umi in his arms, his gaze shifted to the wreckage of the bus nearby.
From where he stood, Ren could see the others weren't in good shape. The bus was crumpled in parts, windows shattered, and seats torn from their foundations. Amid the wreckage, he saw the silhouettes of unconscious bodies scattered about.
Coach Takigawa lay near the destroyed steering wheel, his head bleeding, his arm visibly broken.
Mafuyu was trapped between seats, her face bruised, her teacher's uniform torn in places.
Ryohei slumped near the detached door, his leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
Minato was pinned under collapsed seats, while Seiya had been thrown from the bus, lying motionless a few meters from the wreckage.
The other girls—Nanao, Rika, Yuuna—fared no better, sprawled among the debris, some covered in dust and glass shards, with cuts on their faces and limbs.
Though their conditions were dire, Ren sensed that no one had died. They were all severely injured, with varying degrees of broken bones and possible internal injuries, but they were still breathing.
"Everyone's still alive. Their luck's pretty good."