123 Let's Go Hiking Together
After confirming that all the students had boarded the bus, Shizuka Hiratsuka also got on and took her seat. Immediately after, the bus started its engine and drove toward the hotel where everyone was staying.
On the bus, after exchanging a few words with a middle-aged teacher, Hiratsuka stood up, clapped her hands, and drew the students' attention.
"Good work, everyone! The exchange activity at Xunyang Branch School has now come to an end. In the next few days, we've arranged for you all to go sightseeing around here and take part in outdoor activities."
"Really?! That's awesome!" The students, who had already recovered from yesterday's setback, all cheered excitedly.
Since it was rare to travel abroad, of course they didn't want to just go back and forth between school and the hotel. That would have been a wasted trip.
However, the area where Utaha Kasumigaoka and Shirou sat remained silent. Shirou wasn't sure what his senpai's thoughts were at the moment, but he still had something he wanted to say to her.
When they watched the flower arrangement performance earlier, his senpai had come down from backstage, inexplicably glanced at him, and then sat on the other side, not giving him a chance to talk.
Now that they had run into each other, he still wanted to share his thoughts about her performance.
Although the girl had said that it was just a trick to curry favor with the school here, Shirou knew she had actually put in considerable effort. So, after hesitating a little, he chose to honestly tell her his feelings.
"Senpai, your recitation earlier was wonderful. I could hear your love for poetry in it, and that's why everyone applauded for you," Shirou sincerely praised her.
"Eh…?" Hearing the boy's words, Utaha was stunned for a moment, her cheeks flushing red. But she quickly calmed herself down, put on her usual smile, and said, "Hmph… You sure know how to flatter, Shirou-kun. Is this how you won over those girls before?"
"That's exactly why I didn't want to say anything…" Shirou said helplessly.
"No, if you hadn't said it, I'd have been angry. As a kouhai, don't you even know basic manners?" Utaha retorted confidently.
This person, honestly… Shirou grumbled inwardly.
The girl said nothing more, but her eyes remained fixed on the boy without blinking. When the boy looked back at her, she quickly turned her head away.
Utaha turned to look out the window, but the corners of her lips could no longer resist curving upward.
The usually cold and somewhat gloomy beauty, in that moment, was like an ephemeral flower blooming in the night, like a sprite glowing in the darkness.
The headband-wearing girl had actually struggled for a long time before boarding the bus.
She was a little frustrated. She had worked hard preparing for more than a month. Although the outcome was as she expected—earning praise from the local school—she had not received recognition from the boy.
Even if she couldn't surpass that little girl's Song of the Pipa Player, she had still given it her best effort.
It was her own fault for saying too much with her sharp tongue. Once again, Utaha felt distressed about her involuntary venomous remarks.
When she boarded the bus, she had already given up. She just wanted to sit next to the boy, tease him a little, and vent her gloom with a small act of mischief.
But unexpectedly, at this moment, the boy had spoken the very words she longed to hear.
The boy she had met online had been elegant and capable, helping her promote her novel with ease. Back then, when she had been sinking into self-doubt, he had seemed like a guiding light that pulled her out of the abyss.
In her imagination, he should have been an admirable, refined, and wise older man. She had been truly grateful for his help, and had at least wanted to meet him in person to say thank you.
But in reality, that person turned out to be her kouhai: straightforward, a bit old-fashioned like an old man, yet stubborn like a child—nosy, and definitely not the type of person she thought she would ever fall for.
And yet, he always treated her with sincerity, and his occasional unintentional gestures were so gentle. Just now, too, he had been considerate. Normally he was infuriating, but suddenly he could also make her heart flutter.
"Ahh, Shirou-kun… Why did it have to be you?" Utaha lamented in her heart.
If the person she knew online had not been this boy but someone else, would her admiration still have turned into affection? But if she hadn't built a connection with this boy in front of her, she probably wouldn't be feeling this swirl of emotions now.
At that moment, Shirou tried to comfort her: "Senpai, don't mind it. Even if you lost to Zhou Meimei, it's not embarrassing. After all, it's her native language. Compared to that, the fact that you could recite in Mandarin so fluently is really impressive."
Utaha looked at him unhappily and said, "Shirou-kun… Give me back the emotion you just made me feel."
"Eh? Senpai, I was praising you," Shirou said, confused.
"Praise like that isn't something to be happy about. Shirou-kun, are you doing this on purpose?" Utaha asked with a dangerous smile.
"Then what exactly do you want me to say?" Shirou was completely puzzled.
"At the very least, you should say something like, 'No matter how other people's performances were, in my eyes, yours was the best.' Even if such disgusting lines would never appear in my novels—not in a million years," Utaha said with disdain.
"Then don't make me say it! And besides, wouldn't that just be lying?" Shirou retorted.
"As expected, the version of you online who understands a woman's heart was much better…" Utaha muttered under her breath, pouting in frustration.
"What?" Shirou didn't catch it and asked.
"Nothing. Anyway, you wouldn't admit it even if I said it," Utaha turned her head away, annoyed.
The classmates sitting behind them craned their necks, whispering as they watched the scene unfold.
"A love triangle? Is this a love triangle?" "But there are only two of them here, how could it be a triangle?" "No, but hasn't Shirou been hanging out a lot with that girl from this school?" "Ah, that super cute middle schooler?"
Misunderstandings spread like a whirlpool, growing larger and larger until even the original cause was forgotten.
After returning to the hotel and finishing dinner, Shirou went back to his room. Leaning against the chair, he rested for a bit before planning to head to the hotel gym for some exercise.
At that moment, Chaldea contacted him. Da Vinci appeared on the screen and said, "Shirou, we've found a reaction from the Holy Grail!"
"Where is it?" Shirou sat up straight, instantly alert.
"It's at Mount Lu, one of China's famous 'Three Mountains and Five Peaks,'" Da Vinci replied.
Images of mountains, waterfalls, and associations with ancient scholars surfaced in the boy's mind.
"I see. I'll go check it out right now," Shirou said as he stood up, grabbed his coat from the rack, and prepared to leave.
"There's no need to rush. Tomorrow will be fine," Da Vinci tried to persuade him.
"The situation is urgent, I can't wait," Shirou insisted.
"There's no need to worry about time. If it runs out, I can find a way to extend it for a few days," Da Vinci explained.
"That's not the point. How could we allow those inhuman mud-like Servants to remain in this world, even for a single minute?" Shirou declared firmly.
"Hahaha…" Da Vinci gave a bitter smile. She knew there was no way to dissuade him.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Shirou nodded to Da Vinci, and she hid her holographic projection.
Opening the door, Shirou saw that Shizuka Hiratsuka had arrived.
"Sensei, is there something you need?" Shirou asked.
Hiratsuka walked into the room, casually sat down by the bed, and said, "Shirou, make sure you get to bed early tonight. We have to wake up early tomorrow. Just got a call—we're going to Mount Lu together with the exchange students from this school."
"Mount Lu?!" Shirou exclaimed in shock. Hearing the name again—what a coincidence.
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