Chapter 134 Leaving Lushan
At dawn, around five o'clock, everyone was woken up, washed, and changed into thick clothing. The students from Xunyang Branch also came out, yawning and greeting each other, before boarding the shuttle buses that would take them up the mountain.
"Good morning, everyone…" Hiratsuka Shizuka, rubbing her sleepy eyes, came out of her room. Though she was the one who had reminded everyone to wake up early, she was clearly the least presentable of all.
"Sensei, good morning! Come on, perk up—your hair's still all messy." Shirou shook his head and walked up to her.
"Oh…" Hiratsuka Shizuka was pushed back into her room.
"Here, towel—wipe your face." "..." "Here, toothbrush—go rinse and brush your teeth."
After washing her face and brushing her teeth at the sink, Hiratsuka finally woke up properly. When she opened her eyes wide and saw the boy standing beside her in the mirror, helping her get ready, her face instantly turned red.
"Get out!! Who told you you could just barge into a woman's room like that?!"
"At this point, why are you even saying that?" Shirou, shoved out the door, spread his hands indifferently.
Hiratsuka slapped her own cheeks hard with both hands. Her reflection in the mirror was still blushing. She splashed her face with water again, tidied her hair and clothes, and only after a good while did she finally step back outside.
A little later, three buses arrived at the hotel entrance. Everyone hurried aboard, aiming to reach the mountaintop before sunrise.
Hanpokou, with the Yangtze River on its left and Lake Poyang on its right, was one of Lushan's best spots for panoramic viewing. In daylight, it offered some of the most magnificent scenery in the world.
But at this time, everything was still shrouded in darkness. Looking up, they could see the brightest morning star hanging in the sky; looking down, only a pitch-black abyss.
After getting off the bus, Shirou and his classmates hiked a bit further before finally arriving at Hanpokou, where they also encountered other groups of tourists. People waited quietly.
Luck was on their side—there was no fog. Soon, a faint glow appeared in the sky. Without warning, neither too fast nor too slow, a single point of light peeked out from behind the dark mountain ridge. The world seemed divided into three layers of color: blue sky at the top, golden light in the middle, and black below.
The dazzling point of light rose steadily, gradually growing larger before everyone's eyes.
"It's out!" "The sun is rising!" "Wow, so beautiful!"
Though it was something natural, people couldn't help but cry out excitedly. Some girls even clasped hands and bounced up and down, while others hugged one another. It was as if, on this mountain, everyone's love for nature had been awakened.
Gradually, the sky was painted orange and red with morning glow. The nearby branches and leaves, the jagged rocks—still just silhouettes—looked like ink paintings.
Below, the rolling sea of clouds was also dyed with color. Looking upward, the orange-golden halo of the sun hung high, even coloring the people watching the sunrise. For a moment, the whole world seemed like a finely crafted painting.
People took out cameras and phones to capture it all. Some walked up to the edge of Hanpokou, striking all sorts of poses—holding hands with their shadows in the sunlight, leaping into the glow, or using perspective tricks to make it look like they were holding the sun in their palms.
"Sensei, you've got a DSLR camera—take a picture for us!" one girl student ran up to Hiratsuka and begged.
"Sure. If anyone else wants a photo, just let me know. Xunyang students too, don't be shy." Hiratsuka agreed.
"Over here, Hiratsuka-sensei!" "Sensei, please take one here too!" "Thanks, sensei, we won't hold back then." "Hey, Hiratsuka-sensei, don't just take pictures of the girls—look after us boys too!" someone shouted.
"Yes, yes, alright—line up one by one! Boys at the end of the line!"
And so Hiratsuka was kept busy, constantly being asked to take pictures. She herself didn't get a single shot, and though her expression showed a trace of frustration, she didn't let it show outwardly.
"Sensei, let me take one for you." Shirou, seeing this, stepped forward.
"No need, I'm the Sensei after all." Hiratsuka shook her head awkwardly.
"Since we've come all the way here, I'm sure you'd like one too." Shirou said.
"…Really?" Hiratsuka looked at the boy, moved.
"Of course. Hurry, before the light fades." Shirou reached out his hand.
"Oh, thanks, Shirou!" Hiratsuka smiled and handed him the DSLR, then struck what she thought was a cool pose against the glow of sunrise.
"…Why is it a boxing stance?" Shirou laughed, but pressed the shutter anyway, capturing her radiant smile with the brilliant morning glow behind her.
The beautiful spectacle of the sunrise lasted for more than ten minutes before ending. By then, the sun had already risen high, lighting up the entire land. The sky turned blue, the sea of clouds white, green leaves swayed in the breeze, brown rocks towered, and the morning star above had disappeared.
"Where are you going? We're heading to climb Wulao Peak." someone asked their newly-met friends.
"We're going to the botanical garden on the other side. See you then, enjoy your trip." The other group waved.
"Goodbye, have a great trip!"
As daylight broke, tourists who had met at the scenic spot exchanged smiles, then parted ways for different destinations.
The school group stayed to play a while longer, then gathered for breakfast.
"Since it's morning now, let's find a place to eat, then move to the next spot. Be sure to collect all your trash and dispose of it properly." Hiratsuka instructed.
So everyone found places to sit, took out milk and bread from their bags, and ate while enjoying the cool morning breeze. Shirou glanced around but did not see Zhou Meimei anywhere.
At that moment, one of her attendants, the girl named Wan'er, stepped forward to explain:
"Student Zhou Meimei wasn't feeling well and returned first. From here on, I'll handle the interpreting work."
Her fluent Japanese rolled off her tongue. In fact, Wan'er's gift for languages was even greater than Zhou Meimei's. She had only pretended not to understand before, so as not to overshadow her boss at school.
"Is she alright? Should I go check on her?" Hiratsuka asked with concern.
"Thank you for your care, Hiratsuka-sensei. Please don't worry—Zhou has always been frail. She's just a little tired. Her family already sent a car to pick her up." Wan'er replied.
"That's good." Hiratsuka finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. If she had gone out with Shirou last night and, because of that, another student had fallen sick, then as a Sensei she would have been unqualified—she would have felt terribly guilty.
"So, Zhou also asked me to tell you all: 'Please don't worry about me. Just enjoy Lushan's sights to the fullest.'" Wan'er added.
"Alright, you all heard her, didn't you?" Hiratsuka asked the students behind her.
"Thank you. Please take care of us today as well." The students from Chiba Branch said politely to the ones from Xunyang.
"Our side too. Well, it's not like this is the first day we've been together, so let's just relax and have fun together." Wan'er said with a friendly smile.
"Alright! Today, let's enjoy everything Lushan has to offer!" Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her fist and shouted.
"Okay~!" the students happily raised their hands in unison. Compared with the one-sided exchange competitions earlier, they were much more delighted by this chance to experience exotic scenery, play, and eat delicious food.
"Good! That's the right spirit!" Hiratsuka nodded in satisfaction, then added, "When we get back, remember to write an 800-word reflection. That'll be your assignment for this exchange trip."
"Eh… that's not fair, Hiratsuka-sensei, you're not even our language Sensei." The third-years complained.
"Right now, I'm the one in charge of you. If you want to get a good evaluation from me, then obediently do it." Hiratsuka said overbearingly.
"Yes…" Forced by her intimidating authority, the students could only agree dryly.
"Good, then let's go!!!" Hiratsuka shouted enthusiastically, fiddling with her DSLR camera.
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