Ch.270School Trip (9)

Inside the train heading to Fushimi Inari Shrine, the atmosphere felt somewhat subdued.

Even those lucky enough to get seats were either nodding off or staring blankly out the windows.

“So it’s finally begun…” I muttered.

“Oh please. What’s with the dramatic tone?” Kana looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Dramatic… speaking of which, Kana, you’re quite the expert at being dramatic. Like that time you confessed while trying to act all cool… pfft…”

I couldn’t help but recall that memory.

“SHUT UP!!! FORGET ABOUT THAT!! PLEASE!!”

Kana’s face turned bright red as she shouted.

“Can’t forget it. It was too adorable.”

I shrugged as I spoke.

“Ugh…”

Her face reddened even more at my words.

“Anyway, the tension plummet has begun,” I declared.

“Yeah. And I’m absolutely not asking what a ‘tension plummet’ is. You’ll just get excited and explain it forever.”

Taiga knew me too well by now.

“Aw, don’t be like that. You’ll hurt Shota’s feelings. Let’s ask him. Shota, what’s this tension… whatever?”

Eri asked me kindly, though she apparently couldn’t remember the term I’d used.

“It’s that drowsy afternoon feeling when everyone’s getting tired of the field trip.”

That’s right. The long journey had worn them out. Just moving around was draining their energy. The complicated subway system of the Kansai region didn’t help either. You couldn’t just travel straight to one place. The endless transferring had exhausted both body and mind, making it impossible to maintain that initial school trip excitement.

Moreover, these kids weren’t from a city with high subway tolerance. They were country folk from Emoshita. The subway was efficiently functioning as a soul-sucking monster for these rural kids.

“At this point, the field trip is the last thing on their minds… All they want is to get back to the lodging, shower, and rest.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

“Speaking of lodging, it’s supposed to be a ryokan, right?”

“A ryokan? That sounds exciting.”

“Hey, it’s just a place the school booked. Don’t get your hopes up. Probably just a public bath.”

See? They were already talking about the lodging.

“They’ve already lost in this death game called a field trip. We have no choice but to survive and enjoy the field trip somehow,” I said decisively.

“Why so serious…”

Eri looked at me with disbelief.

Anyway, we arrived at Fushimi Inari Shrine.

———–

“This is Fushimi Inari Shrine!”

The guide enthusiastically explained about the shrine. The rows of red torii gates stretching beyond the stairs were truly a spectacular sight. It was the perfect device to mesmerize foreign tourists.

“Woohoo!!! Monogatari series!!! Amazing!”

“Nadeko-chan!!”

The foreign guys next to us were excitedly chattering. They seemed to be having fun.

“Now, please follow me.”

The guide continued explaining as she led us up the mountain. Not a single student was listening, but she persisted in her explanations with admirable professional spirit.

We moved in a single file along the mountain path that ran alongside the shrine.

Sasitsu had bought a mask sold as a souvenir. It was a fox mask, a specialty of Fushimi Inari Shrine. You know, the kind villains often wear in manga.

“Sasitsu… you actually bought it…”

I looked at Sasitsu with pitying eyes.

“What’s with that sympathetic look?! There’s nothing wrong with buying a souvenir!”

Sasitsu shouted loudly, his face turning strangely red.

That was a characteristic of chuunibyou. They hated being seen as predictable. What chuunibyou sought was “profundity.” They loved mysterious characters or those with narrowed eyes. That’s why he was angry about being figured out.

“That thing… it’ll be useless once you get home. And honestly, you’re already regretting wearing the mask right now, aren’t you? It’s just extra baggage.”

I said to Sasitsu.

“Ngh…!”

Sasitsu’s face reddened.

“See? I told you so. I said not to buy it.”

Frill remarked.

———-

“Now!!! This is the prayer hall!! The fox deity of Fushimi Inari is said to be in charge of academic success! You’ll all be third-year high school students in two years, right? How about praying for academic achievement?”

The guide exclaimed.

That finally brought some life back to the zombie-like students.

“I want love luck…”

“Yeah, I want to fall in love.”

These kids didn’t care about academics; they wanted romance. Well, it is better to experience love at a young age.

“Alright. Line up and pray properly according to custom.”

The teacher immediately formed us into a line.

Swoosh-!

I moved closer to Sasitsu.

“Sasitsu, what wish are you going to make?”

I asked him.

“I’m absolutely not telling you.”

Sasitsu replied curtly.

“That’s disappointing.”

I made a genuinely disappointed face. I felt like a father watching his son who had grown distant during puberty.

At that moment, it was Sasitsu’s turn. He rang the bell once and was praying earnestly. Since he was making his wish silently, I couldn’t tell what it was. But I could tell he was praying really hard.

———

At that moment, Sasitsu was praying.

‘Please!! Don’t let me be called Sasitsu anymore! If possible, let me be called Eo instead!!’

Sasitsu was quite desperate.

‘And… even just once, I want to get the better of Shota!!’

Sasitsu wished for that too.

Perhaps it was a matter of personal compatibility, but Sasitsu always ended up being teased by Shota. He wanted to take the lead as a leader, even if just once.

“Hey, Sasitsu. Are you not done yet?”

Just then, Shota tapped Sasitsu’s back from behind.

“Ah, I’m done.”

Sasitsu put in a 500-yen coin, quite a sum, with a relieved expression. Sasitsu was quite serious about his wish.

———

Back to Shota’s perspective.

Ding-!

After putting in a 50-yen coin—an amount I wouldn’t mind losing—I made my wish.

‘World peace’

This was my only wish. My first priority was to defeat Pink Beard with my comrades, save the earth, and obtain a peaceful daily life.

‘Things like success as a writer, or as a kendo athlete… there are various things…’

But those were things I had to achieve myself. Not something to rely on a deity for.

After everyone had roughly finished making their wishes, the first day was coming to an end.

“We’ll eat at the inn. Before that, we’ll have time for a group bath.”

The teacher announced.

Ohhh… a group bath on a school trip…!! This is a development I’ve often seen in anime!!! I was already excited.

“The lodging… finally…!!”

“Ryokan!!”

The students shouted in boisterous tones. These lodging demons…!!

The way there was, of course, by subway again.

“Subway again… seriously.”

Even Tina with her iron stamina seemed tired. Yeah, it felt like we’d spent half the day just on subways. Even a railway enthusiast wouldn’t ride trains this much.

“Why not just charter a bus… why insist on public transportation.”

Kana clicked her tongue.

“Because there’s no money,” I said seriously. What do you expect from a rural school?

“So commoners… live such hard lives.”

Kana suddenly burst into tears.

“Is it really that bad…?”

I was the one who wanted to object to Kana’s reaction.

——–

The ryokan was a 20-minute walk from the subway station. Strangely, it was located at the top of a nearby mountain, so we had to hike again. Yeah, an onsen in the middle of a mountain. Scenic and nice.

Once we reach that mountain, we can bathe, eat, and rest. With that thought in mind, we climbed the mountain diligently.

But… the students’ expressions all soured at once.

It was… really run-down. This went beyond being historically old. Cobwebs were everywhere, and some of the wood was rotting. It was closer to ruins than antique charm.

“Is this… okay?”

One student objected.

“Don’t judge by appearances. The inside is clean. We teachers have already stayed here. The food is delicious and everything is good.”

The teacher immediately covered for the place.

“……..”

Anyway, since everyone just wanted to rest somewhere, we entered the inn.

“Welcome, esteemed guests from Emoshita.”

The inn staff and the proprietress greeted us politely.

The male students automatically stared at the proprietress with slack-jawed expressions. Yes, she was definitely beautiful. She was in her 30s, but that only made her beauty more mature.

But… I sensed something strange.

The bodies of the proprietress and the staff were semi-transparent!!! I could faintly see the background behind them!

“E-Eri… are those ghosts?”

I nudged Eri’s side. No, seriously, they were semi-transparent. The vaguely blurry outlines were just a bonus.

“Shota, you shouldn’t try to scare people with such talk.”

Eri chuckled.

“So predictable.”

Umi also looked at me as if I were being cute.

Wait… they can’t see it? Do they appear as normal humans to everyone else?

“…Shota. You notice something strange too, right? It’s not just me?”

At that moment, Sasitsu approached and spoke to me.

“S-Sasitsu!! They’re semi-transparent! Right?!”

I finally found someone who shared my perception.

“Yeah… Frill… doesn’t seem to have noticed.”

Sasitsu glanced at Frill.

Frill was just munching on a manjuu she’d bought from a stall, moving her mouth contentedly.

“Sasitsu. We need to stay alert.”

I said decisively.

“Yeah. Got it. Let’s see how things unfold.”

Sasitsu whispered to me.

It felt like we’d gotten involved in something again.

‘But well… let’s enjoy it for now.’

However, looking at my girlfriends, I immediately let my guard down. I’d get to see my girlfriends in yukata, after all. Let’s eat and drink together, then sneak to a room and have fun. Just thinking about it made my lower half throb with excitement.