Scene 1: Trip to Kyoto
The golden morning sun stretched its rays lazily over the campus of Momiji High as excited chatter echoed across the school courtyard. Suitcases rolled, sleepy faces yawned, and the unmistakable scent of snacks—instant noodles, sour candies, and inexplicably, pickled radish—floated in the air. The long-awaited school trip had finally arrived.
2nd year students were going to Kyoto.
"Did you pack your toothbrush?" Sakura Ayazawa's voice pierced through the morning haze as she glared at Haruki Kiryuu, who stood next to a suitcase that looked like it had been packed by a tornado.
"I thought you packed it for me," Haruki replied, blinking innocently.
"You thought wrong, you glorified raccoon," Sakura snapped, thwacking him lightly on the head with her tote bag. "I'm your girlfriend, not your mom."
"I mean, you kinda act like both sometimes—OW!"
Nearby, Renji Kanzaki was attempting to carry a suitcase twice his size, wobbling like a penguin on roller skates.
"Are you smuggling a small child in there?" Hikaru Kagawa asked.
Renji grinned. "No, but if anyone forgets their underwear, I've got enough to share."
Yume Amagiri turned a suspicious eye to him. "That was a very specific example. Did you forget yours?"
"Define 'forget'," Renji answered as he attempted to zip up his suitcase midair. It immediately unzipped again, launching a sock into Souta Moriyama's face.
Souta stood frozen for a moment, the sock dangling from his head. "Is this… is this used?"
Renji laughed nervously. "Scent of home?"
"Smells like the gym," Souta muttered, tossing it back with two fingers like it was radioactive.
Amid the chaos, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Sakamoto, arrived—an eccentric man in his early forties who wore cargo shorts, Hawaiian shirts regardless of season, and perpetually had sunglasses on even indoors.
"Listen up, delinquents!" Mr. Sakamoto announced dramatically, blowing a whistle for no reason. "Today we embark on a sacred pilgrimage of education, culture, and—"
"You brought a surfboard," Mizuki Sasaki pointed out flatly, her expression unreadable as she stood next to her tall, serious-looking friend Minato Yoshi and the cheerful, bouncing Rina Tamura.
"It's symbolic," Sakamoto replied cryptically, then leaned toward Mizuki. "Also, I thought there'd be waves in Kyoto."
"There aren't," Minato answered seriously, adjusting his glasses. "Kyoto is landlocked."
Mr. Sakamoto blinked. "So you're saying I can't surf in a tea garden?"
"You can try," Rina chirped with a giggle. "But you'll look like a flying tuna."
The bus pulled up at last—a double-decker beast that looked both majestic and slightly haunted. As students began boarding, the friend group gathered near the back, securing seats together. Minato, Rina, and Mizuki, who were from the neighboring Class 2-C, had been assigned to travel with 2-B due to some weird scheduling mix-up (or possibly a curse).
Haruki and Sakura sat side-by-side, naturally. Renji, Hikaru, Yume, and Souta formed a chaos cluster nearby. Rina plopped next to Sakura excitedly. Minato hesitated before sitting beside Haruki, and Mizuki sat alone near the window until Souta invited her closer.
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Scene 2: Chaos on the Bus
"Alright students!" Mr. Sakamoto announced from the front, holding a mic like a karaoke host. "We're going to have a quiz on Kyoto history during the ride—"
"BOOOO!" everyone shouted in unison.
"I wasn't finished! The loser has to sing a love song over the mic!"
Dead silence.
"…BOOOOOOO!"
As the bus pulled onto the highway, the atmosphere lightened. Students passed around chips, played card games, and sang along to pop songs. Except Minato.
He was reading a Kyoto Travel Guide in silence, squished between Haruki and Mizuki, with Rina occasionally poking his cheeks like a child bored at a wedding.
"Minato-kun, look at meeeee," she sang.
"I'm reading."
"Boring!"
Haruki leaned over. "Are you guys… dating?"
Rina grinned. "Yup! He's my serious little nerd nugget."
Minato, without looking up: "I prefer the term 'focused intellectual individual.'"
Sakura giggled, finally warming up to Rina's chaotic energy. "He reminds me of Hikaru. But with more fear in his eyes."
"True," Yume said from the row ahead, turning back. "Hikaru has 'I will judge you silently' energy. Minato has 'I have already judged you and written a 12-page essay' energy."
Minato sighed. "I have not judged anyone. Yet."
Meanwhile, Souta was attempting to teach Mizuki a mobile rhythm game.
"It's simple," he said, thumbs flying. "You just tap on beat."
She tried once. Immediate failure.
"I'm better at solving equations than this," she mumbled.
"Equations don't come with K-pop," Souta replied, his eyes glinting.
She blinked. "…True."
---
Scene 3: Rest Stop Ruckus
An hour into the ride, they stopped at a service area. This was when the real madness began.
Sakura tugged Haruki toward the vending machines, demanding he "buy her something sweet and mysterious," which somehow resulted in a can of fermented plum juice and a bag of expired marshmallows.
"What even is this?!" she exclaimed, inspecting the juice.
"A mystery, like you wanted," Haruki said proudly.
She punched his shoulder lightly, trying to hide a smile.
Elsewhere, Mr. Sakamoto was attempting to ride one of those kiddie coin-operated train rides while reading a map upside down.
"Mr. Sakamoto, the map is wrong," Hikaru said.
"The journey is the destination, Kagawa-kun!"
"That's not how navigation works."
Yume and Rina were trying out every photo booth filter, taking 99 pictures with duck faces, cat ears, and glowing eyes. Renji tried joining in, but the machine just declared, "Too much face detected," and crashed.
Meanwhile, Mizuki found a bench, sat quietly, and started reading a book called The History of Kyoto's Hidden Temples.
Minato approached, looking both worried and fascinated. "You're reading volume 2?"
"I finished volume 1 yesterday."
His eyes sparkled. "You're… amazing."
She blinked. "Thanks."
Rina returned at that moment with two corndogs and yelled, "GROUP SELFIE!"
Mizuki's mouth was still mid-bite when the flash blinded them.
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Scene 4: The Lovebirds
Back on the bus, Sakura leaned her head on Haruki's shoulder.
"Are you excited?" she asked softly.
"I am now," he whispered.
Sakura flushed a little, then turned away. "D-Don't say stuff like that out loud…"
He smiled. "But I mean it. This trip… feels special. You, me, everyone… it's perfect."
She hesitated, then looked at him with those soft brown eyes. "Just don't forget your toothbrush again."
He laughed and took her hand. "Deal."
Behind them, Renji was leaning dramatically over his seat. "Gross. Disgusting. I'm blind."
"Shut up, Renji," Sakura muttered, but she was smiling.