Chapter 243: The Storm is Coming
The meeting point that Shuchiin had set was at the train station.
Going to Kyoto by shinkansen takes more than two hours, much closer compared to last time when Sakurai went to Fukuoka.
Shirogane Miyuki held a flag that read [meeting point] standing in the middle of the crowd, and after a while he saw Sakurai Saki, who was only carrying a small suitcase in his hand, looking as if he didn't bring much.
"Yo, Sakurai, you're a bit late today." Shirogane Miyuki said.
"Headache." Sakurai Saki held his forehead.
"Last time during the midterm you also had a really bad headache, do you need to go to the hospital for a checkup?"
Sakurai shook his head: "Just the old illness."
It was all side effects caused by his ability, truly unpleasant.
"Huh? Why is Shinomiya clinging to Hayasaka like that?" Shirogane Miyuki suddenly noticed a strange sight—Shinomiya Kaguya was tightly holding onto Hayasaka Ai's arm, holding on very tightly.
"Were those two always that close? What a rare combination."
Over there.
Hayasaka Ai felt the force of Shinomiya Kaguya's grip, and in her heart she already understood one thing.
She only had one thing left to do.
This girl, both cute and clingy, was tightly holding her hand, and what she had to do was to forcefully shake that hand off.
...
The waiting time ended, and the students of Shuchiin boarded the shinkansen.
Fujiwara Chika sat together with Sakurai Saki and Shirogane Miyuki, across from them were Shijo Maki along with Kashiwagi Nagisa and her boyfriend, Tanuma Tsubasa.
"This is terrible, why does the destination have to be Kyoto." Fujiwara Chika held her head, eyes teary.
Chika: (っ˃̣̣̥ -˂̣̣̥ς)
Sitting between her and Shirogane Miyuki, Sakurai Saki said irritably: "Wasn't this plan your idea in the first place?"
"At that time I only wanted to create the image of being smart and capable~, who would have thought it would actually go through!" Chika said gloomily: "In the end I still wanted to go to France more."
Chika: .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
Sitting across, Kashiwagi Nagisa comforted her: "Chika-chan, when traveling the important thing isn't the place, but the people you go with, right?"
"... Makes sense." Chika thought it over carefully, and it was indeed true.
Sitting by the window, across from Chika, Shijo Maki watched the scenery outside continuously fade into the distance, and in her heart felt neither joy nor sadness.
Even though beside her were Kashiwagi Nagisa and Tanuma Tsubasa, she didn't feel any emotional stirrings at all.
'This school trip, I have to study really hard.'
While everyone else was still enjoying themselves, she had to risk it all to study hard! Then seize the number one spot of the year!
'Keikaku Perfectto!'
( • ̀ω•́ )✧
...
Compared to the lively atmosphere around Sakurai Saki, over by Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai, it had already frozen to the point of ice.
Since staying inside the carriage would be troublesome, the two of them went to the space between cars.
"After you leaving me, do you have any plans?" Kaguya asked.
"These past years I've saved up quite a bit of money, so I plan to travel around the world first."
"Clearly I already told you, you could find someone to share your work, so why do you still want to leave me?"
A short silence.
"Of course, I think wanting to quit is your freedom, but why so suddenly? It makes me lose the mood to enjoy this trip."
"Because, usually when Kaguya-sama comes to me, it's only to talk about your own matters… I couldn't find a chance to bring it up."
"Clearly I'm talking about things that involve you too! If it's for this reason, I can change…" Shinomiya Kaguya's voice grew smaller and smaller: "Don't leave me, okay, Hayasaka?"
"There must surely be misunderstandings between us, as long as we resolve them well, we can definitely continue to stay together."
"Of course, I don't necessarily have to make you stay, but, just try being together in my way for a while longer before thinking about quitting, wouldn't that be better?" Shinomiya Kaguya spoke one sentence after another, all words of pleading.
"No, I've already thought it through."
The dialogue between the two at this moment carried the flavor more of a breakup between lovers rather than a maid simply tired of work wanting to resign.
...
Getting off the shinkansen.
"Phew~ Kyoto is so beautiful!" Shirogane Miyuki spread his arms wide, as if he wanted to embrace the whole world.
Shirogane : ･°˖✧◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜✧˖°.
Sakurai: (¬_¬")
"Just ordinary." Sakurai Saki let out a cold remark.
For Sakurai, someone from Kyoto, raised in Kyoto, he wasn't all that excited.
"Is there anywhere interesting nearby?" Shirogane Miyuki asked.
Even though last night he had spent hours searching information on his phone, too excited to sleep, he still wanted to hear Sakurai Saki's opinion.
"Higashi Honganji, Togetsu Bridge, Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari Shrine… basically those places."
"Nah, isn't that exactly the same places I already looked up?"
"Kyoto only has that many famous places, what are you even saying?" Sakurai Saki said helplessly.
"Isn't there some cool, less-known spot? Like… your childhood secret base or something?"
"No, all the interesting places have long been discovered." Sakurai Saki glared at him.
Next to them, the girls were chatting as well.
"Amazing!! As expected, a school trip has to be Kyoto!!" Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly.
Chika: ✧｡.o(≧∀≦)o✧*｡
Clearly just earlier on the train she had been constantly complaining, yet now she had already adjusted her mood.
Truly a scary girl.
"First stop, where are we going?"
"Kiyomizu Temple!" Fujiwara Chika shouted.
"Why are you looking at the girls, Sakurai?"
Sakurai Saki's shoulder was suddenly grabbed by someone.
He turned his head and found it was Kazamatsuri Gou, a classmate who had once played volleyball with him during the sports festival.
"Don't you dare enjoy yourself alone!"
Beside them, Toyosaki Saburou also walked up, loudly shouting:
"If you dare sneak into the girls' group, then just wait to be despised by all the boys in school tomorrow!"
"Sakurai-ya, a school trip doesn't necessarily mean you have to hang out with girls, right?" Shirogane Miyuki also slung his arm over Sakurai's shoulder.
Kazamatsuri Gou glanced over at someone who was about to go looking for his girlfriend.
"Tanuma, you won't betray us, right?"
"Y-yeah." Tanuma Tsubasa gave a wry smile beside them, completely lacking courtesy.
And so, the five boys began their school trip.
Sakurai Saki and Tanuma Tsubasa walked at the end of the group.
"Sakurai, how about we slip away?"
"Let's wait for a chance." Sakurai Saki had no desire to create memories with this group of boys.
A school trip, in high school there are only three times. Last year he didn't have a girlfriend, so going with friends wasn't a problem.
But this year he already had a girlfriend, and it was still like this, wasn't that too pathetic?
Later, when recalling those youthful days:
[Sakurai, this place, seems like we came here together before, really memorable.]
[Umu, Shirogane.]
Sakurai Saki didn't want a future like that.
But up until now, he still hadn't seen Ai-chan.
Remembering the scene of Ai-chan and Kaguya back at the station a few hours ago, Sakurai Saki showed a thoughtful expression.
Between the two of them, something must have happened that he didn't know.
This school trip lasted three days, he could find a chance to ask.
Moreover, recently all over the country there had been rain, yet only these three days in Kyoto were without rain, this too was something worth pondering.
He pulled out his phone, opened his contacts and found one entry ——[Gaen Izuko].
There was still no message from the other side, but Sakurai Saki had a hunch that she would contact him at some point.