The second day of the school trip.
Unfortunately for Aoki Kei, they still didn't get to visit Uji.
Instead, the group went to completely different places—first to Ginkaku-ji, then to Shimogamo Shrine in the morning.
Since both were temples and shrines, Aoki didn't find them particularly exciting.
To begin with, he wasn't someone who got enthusiastic about traveling—unless it was with close friends or to a place he was genuinely interested in.
But tagging along with a big group, rushing from one tourist spot to another just to check things off a list… it honestly drained his energy more than anything else.
Still, at least he wasn't completely alone.
Hikigaya Hachiman, who seemed just as disinterested in sightseeing, accompanied him the entire way, rambling non-stop about Kyoto's history and little-known facts about each site.
After paying for transportation, lodging, food, and sacrificing his precious time.
Aoki found himself asking for the third time that trip—'Why did I even agree to come on this school trip in the first place?'
While sitting on the tour bus, he tried to tune out Hikigaya's ramblings about "Emperor Shirakawa" and "the Kamo River" and contemplated that question yet again.
Well, he'd made the decision—no use regretting it now.
And besides, he was curious about matcha chocolate from Uji.
So, he could at least endure this much.
And to be fair, some of the historical anecdotes Hikigaya shared were at least mildly interesting.
A bit of extra knowledge never hurt.
So the morning passed with visits to Ginkaku-ji and Shimogamo Shrine.
They returned to the hotel around noon, not particularly early.
Along the way, Aoki Kei bumped into Nijika and Ryo.
After a brief chat, he found out that Shimokitazawa High's itinerary was entirely different from their own.
While Aoki's class—2-F, led by Hiratsuka-sensei—had visited Kiyomizu-dera the previous day, Shimokitazawa High's students had gone there that morning.
That said, "entirely different" might've been a stretch.
At least one part of the schedule was the same: like Shuchiin High, Shimokitazawa High had left the final two days of the trip open for students to explore freely.
Not that it really mattered.
While chatting, Nijika pulled a tiny, beautifully wrapped pink bell from her shoulder bag and handed it to Aoki Kei.
A Kiyomizu-dera exclusive: the Lucky Sakura Bell.
That's right—it was the exact same charm Aoki Kei had bought five of, one for each member of Kessoku Band.
He accepted it with a smile and thanked her, then explained that he'd also bought five earlier. Nijika laughed and said she had too.
Ryo rolled her eyes, teasing, "Told you. I knew Suki-san would get the same thing."
Only to be promptly exposed by Nijika:
"Hey! You're the one who told me to buy them!"
In the end, they'd both bought the exact same souvenirs by pure coincidence.
After chatting for a bit, Aoki, wary of being recognized again and getting asked for photos or autographs, said goodbye and returned to the hotel ahead of them.
Later, around 2 PM, they headed out again with the group—this time to Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, the third of Kyoto's "Three Famous Pavilions" alongside Ginkaku-ji and Fuyunokaku.
Truthfully, the scenery was gorgeous, and the Golden Pavilion's architecture was stunning.
But rather than admiring the beauty of the temple, Aoki's curiosity was piqued by something else—the gold leaf covering the second and third floors.
'If someone scraped all that off and sold it… would it be enough for a regular person to retire comfortably?'
So passed the afternoon, lost in idle thoughts and Hikigaya's endless historical trivia.
Dinner that night was Kyoto's famous kaiseki cuisine.
He wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't used to it or if it just wasn't to his taste—but Aoki Kei didn't really enjoy it.
After dinner, students were free to roam—but only within the hotel's immediate surroundings.
Most students either took a casual walk nearby or stayed in their rooms playing cards or mahjong with friends.
Having walked all day, Aoki Kei had no intention of going out again. He planned to spend the evening reading in his room.
But just a few pages into his novel, a knock came at the door.
When he opened it, it was Hikigaya Hachiman.
He stepped aside to let him in and asked curiously, "Not hanging out in your own room or going out for a bit? What, don't tell me you've actually fallen for me, Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya walked in, giving him a disgusted look.
"Ugh. Gross. No. My roommate is some hyper extrovert who invited a bunch of friends over to play cards. It's way too loud in there."
"That's rough. They didn't invite you to play too?"
"They did. I just wasn't interested."
"Well, at least they tried."
"Yeah, but my roommate's a total chatterbox. Keeps trying to talk sports with me. I don't know anything about sports…"
"So basically, it's just because you're antisocial."
"You can't say that. Anyone else can say that—but not you."
Hikigaya's tone was clearly one of "Of all people, you don't get to judge me for that."
After that, they both fell silent.
Hikigaya sat on the side, put on his headphones, and started playing on his phone.
Aoki resumed reading his light novel.
Roughly twenty minutes passed.
He thought that would be the only interruption for the night—until his phone lit up with a new message notification.
He paused, glanced over, and saw it was a message from Kita Ikuyo.
He put the book face down and picked up the phone to unlock it.
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[Kita Kita]: Kei-senpai, how was today? Did you have fun?
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No specific topic. It seemed like she just wanted to chat.
He thought for a moment and typed back:
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[It was alright. We just went around temples and shrines all day. Not very exciting.]
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Her reply came quickly—she was probably lying on her bed at home.
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[Kita Kita]: Yeah, that does sound a bit boring if it's just temples and shrines…
[Kita Kita]: Will you be seeing something else tomorrow?
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[Not sure yet.]
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[Kita Kita]: Oh, so it's a flexible schedule then?
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[Maybe the teachers have it planned out already, but they just haven't told us. Not really sure.]
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Aoki figured that, knowing Hiratsuka-sensei's personality, there was a good chance she meant to share the full itinerary but forgot out of sheer carelessness.
It didn't really matter though. Aoki Kei wasn't too concerned, so he gave a simple reply.
And then, from the other side…