episode_0053

The bus for the math trip.

Waves of red maple leaves passed by outside the window. The lively atmosphere inside the bus showed no sign of abating.

A bustling atmosphere.

“But what do you do at night?”

“Truth game, huh?”

“Ah, the truth game! I absolutely have to do that.”

“Let’s do it on the last day.”

Since it is a trip, everyone’s mouths are constantly talking.

Sasha, who was talking to the children in the backseat, spoke to Vita.

“Bianca, you’re going to do it too?”

“Uh, yeah…?!”

Vita was slightly embarrassed.

“So, I…?”

When he points at himself with his hand and asks Sasha a question, Sasha tilts her head.

“Of course you are, then?”

There was a conversation going on that the last day of the math trip was actually a game of truth or dare.

“Right, guys?”

“Recognize, recognize.”

My partner, Sasha, is a bit too active, so she whispered to the boys so the teacher wouldn’t hear.

“Hey, guys. You guys are coming too, right?”

“That, then.”

“Go, of course!”

The girls clapped their hands together and cheered, and the boys swallowed their saliva in anticipation.

In the meantime, Vita was a little flustered.

‘Uh uh, um… ‘

Actually, Vita is saying this. I’m not the type of person who is naturally popular, so to be honest, I’ve never tried anything like that. So, like a game of truth or dare.

‘Me, me too… ‘

Am I finally becoming popular?!

I’m a little nervous.

[Hey, Vita. I’m going to the girls’ room. Do you want to come with me?]

[… No, I’m not going.]

[Oh man, that’s boring.]

What was he doing then? He was probably alone in his room watching anime.

But until then, I had some integrity.

‘Fuck you, popular kids.’

If you come to school, you have to study properly!

If the boy or girl is over seven years old, it should be at night.

Being in the same room together was ridiculous. That is, only to Vita at the time.

‘Well, yeah…’

I thought so too. Actually, I was a little jealous of Vita even back then.

So, a little. Just a little.

In some ways, it was just that I didn’t have the numbers, and I was just shy. In some ways, it was a bit stuffy.

“So what are you going to do, Bianca…?”

“Oh, yeah!”

Vita hesitated for a moment, then finally answered.

It’s definitely different now. For some reason, Vita felt that her way of thinking had changed a lot recently.

Especially after becoming a woman. I feel a little different since I met Carlyle.

“Decision to participate in the big game-!”

“Good job, Shasha!”

“Hey, guys. You can see everything I like, right?”

“No, when… ”

Vita couldn’t help but laugh at her friends’ reactions.

Since we’re going to do it on the last night of the 3 nights and 4 days anyway, why is everyone making such a fuss about the games we’re going to do then?

It’s a bit childish, but I also think, why haven’t I done this before?

‘… Is something like this okay?’

So, Vita starts to laugh little by little.

Since it’s the last school trip, I think it wouldn’t be bad to give it a slightly childish youthful feel.

The bus runs along the autumn road with a thud.

After the noisy atmosphere had quieted down, we stopped at a rest stop and probably drove for quite some time after that.

“Okay, pay attention-!”

Suddenly, the teacher in the front seat attracts everyone’s attention.

“The guide will now explain the travel destination. Are you all ready to listen?”

“Yes, teacher.”

And then, right next to the teacher, a woman in a unique outfit stood up.

“Hello, everyone! This is your guide, Neneko.”

Vita’s eyes widened.

‘Oh, no way… ‘

“Ah, Neneko isn’t your real name. It seems like a guide name?”

Clap clap-

Everyone welcomed him with applause and cheers.

“Wow, it’s pretty!”

“It’s a very unique outfit.”

Vita was really surprised.

‘Surely, that’s…?!’

It’s a traditional foreign clothing that I’ve only seen in anime! It must have been called a ‘yukata’.

It was something I didn’t even expect.

No, that’s right. I already knew that the destination of this trip was exotic.

Why was a yukata suddenly appearing here? Vita was strangely happy to see this unique outfit that she had only seen in anime.

“Okay, then. I’ll start explaining slowly.”

The children responded with cheers.

“Okay, good. You can probably guess from looking at this outfit… ”

The guide’s explanation began.

***

.

A rare anime that has gained immense popularity among the general public!

“I think there are few people who don’t know this movie.”

“Yes, I know!”

“Because it’s a very famous movie.”

So, of course, the response is still quite good.

As I continued to listen carefully, I found out that the destination of this school trip was a resort themed after the movie, .

‘No, really…?!’

Vita was also excited inside.

“Wow, daebak… ”

It was rare to see Vita get excited, and Sasha tilted her head.

“You didn’t know, Bianca? I told you a few times in the chat.”

“Oh, really… ?”

To be honest, Sasha has so much to say.

It’s mostly girls talk.

So, at some point, there was a time when it kept raining. Maybe that’s why I passed by without seeing it.

No, so.

Rather, it’s good because I didn’t know about it, so it feels like I received a gift.

I have a feeling some of my friends already knew.

Well, actually, I’m not the type of person who researches information before a trip.

‘Come to think of it, yesterday…’

Suddenly, Vita remembered. That guy Carlyle had been saying something strange for some reason, and that was what he meant.

[I guess we’ll see you soon.]

Because we said that while watching anime together.

What a coincidence. The anime I watched with Carlyle yesterday was ‘Poppo and Marie’s Disappearance’, the movie being discussed now.

Of course, to be honest, I couldn’t watch it properly from the middle because I was distracted by something else.

‘But I didn’t do it till the end…’

It was the day before the school trip, and I had been feeling a bit confused lately.

“Ahem.”

anyway.

Vita cleared her throat and quickly cleared her mind. She had to listen to the guide’s explanation.

“If I were to summarize the plot briefly, this is what the movie would be like. One day, the girl Popo… ”

Popo, a 10-year-old girl who got lost while moving with her parents, passes through an unfamiliar tunnel with them.

“But that tunnel was the suspicious tunnel that led to the world of the gods, right? When Popo came to his senses, his parents had already turned into pigs…!”

“Oh… ”

“Ah… ”

All my friends sigh.

“The explanation is fun and well-written.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

At Sasha’s words, Vita nodded slightly and recalled the movie’s setting.

After that, Popo goes to a strange hot spring. To be exact, to an inn.

It’s an inn in a hot spring.

In order to save his parents who have been turned into pigs, Popo gets a job at the strange hot spring inn and is given the name ‘Marie’ instead of his original name.

‘Actually, that hot spring is a bit of a complicated concept.’

Should we call it the world of the gods? Anyway, the hot spring itself was not the human world. It felt like a separate world.

The guide’s explanation continued.

“At the hot spring inn, Popo meets a boy. Together with the boy, Popo begins an adventure to save his parents and return. Can you look at the screen for a moment?”

Paat-

The screen at the very front of the bus flashes on.

“Wow-”

All my friends cheered.

[Welcome to everyone at the hot spring inn.]

Because those letters are floating on the screen.

“Then let me formally introduce myself. Hello, everyone! I am Neneko, your guide who will guide you into the magical world of ‘Poppo and Mari’s Disappearance’.”

Just then, a huge building passes by outside the bus window. It looks like they’ve almost arrived and are starting to guide us.

“You arrived just in time. The place you see right now is where Popo worked in the movie.”

It is a huge hot spring inn.

In many ways, it is an architectural style that feels very different from the city and places we are familiar with.

Red lanterns are lined up along every alley, and there are many uniquely shaped wooden buildings nearby.

Among the maple leaves, silver bells sway whenever the wind blows. A village with a quiet atmosphere.

There are also souvenir shops and cable cars.

“You can rent costumes and take pictures at the souvenir shop. At night, lanterns are lit all over the town. It’s a dreamy atmosphere, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, the bus is just entering the tunnel.

“Now, I guess we’ll be there once we get through this tunnel?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

That’s when Vita and Sasha were talking.

All sight inside the bus darkened for a moment, then was again enveloped in a bright halo of light.

“Okay, then. For the next 3 nights and 4 days, let’s make your last school trip an unforgettable memory!”

Everyone claps, and some cheer.

So the students finally arrived at their destination in the late afternoon.

***

It feels really peaceful. The surrounding scenery is like that.

“My name is Tori.”

Two red wooden pillars stand tall at the entrance, marking a sacred boundary. They are the symbols of exotic temples that you only see in anime. Beyond them, a gravel and tree forest path stretches out.

“ and… ”

Everyone reacted with wonder. Vita was the same.

‘Is this what I’ve only heard about…?’

The guide explains the unique, exotic temple with a smile.

“The name is Gentleman.”

The floor was covered with gravel, making a crunching sound with every step.

“Hearing this sound, the gods of the hot spring inn will now wake up in the evening!”

“-”

“Heek!”

The children laughed in surprise.

There is a large tree in the middle of the shrine’s yard. The surrounding area resembles a well, and red maple leaves flutter around, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Pongdang-

The guide tossed a coin first.

“They throw a coin like this, clap their hands twice, and then say a prayer.”

“Are you making a wish?!”

“Hmm, that kind of feeling?”

Pongdang- Pongdang-

The children threw coins into the well without exception.

‘You can just make a wish…?’

Vita thought about it for a moment and then threw a coin.

I can’t believe I’m doing something I’ve only seen in anime.

Of course, the wish that Vita will be praying for now is already set.

Without realizing it, I looked at Carlyle, who was smiling and pretending to know me.

slap-

Vita turned her head again.

Yeah, that’s right.

‘Please let me beat that guy! Anything is fine…!’

It’s a given that he’ll turn back into a man again.

Beating that guy is the only wish I can make. I’m so angry I could die.

After making a wish like that, you also buy a souvenir.

“This is all a commercialism!”

“But why are you buying it?”

“It’s a souvenir, you know.”

Sasha also buys a bracelet, saying that it is a real deal.

Vita hesitated for a moment and then tried to turn around.

Bam-

At that moment, Carlyle approaches and offers something to her. He taps her body and looks away, then secretly hands her something.

Looking closely, it’s a ring.

‘What, all of a sudden…’

Vita got fat for a while though.

‘The money is frozen, right? This…?’

I feel like I’ve struck it rich.

There is no need to turn away someone who gives you a gift.

I have to buy souvenirs anyway so I can brag to my parents later.

Finally, Vita took it with a cough. Carlyle pretended not to notice and blended in with the other kids.

And then everyone headed to their accommodations. After arriving in the late afternoon and looking around the shrine, it was already evening.

“If you look at the accommodations, it’s there.”

“That, hot spring inn…?”

“Isn’t it somehow scary?”

“That sounds fun.”

As this conversation went on, everyone arrived at their accommodations.

***

Several red lanterns, a symbol of the hot spring inn, light up the accommodations.

“It’s called tatami.”

The old yet stylish wooden floor and ceiling, as well as the murals hanging here and there, created a rather exotic atmosphere. They were all impressive.

“It’s like a real movie.”

“Are you sleeping here?”

Dinner was a buffet. The meal was very generous.

“It’s the bread from the movie.”

“What was that called? That, steamed bun?”

“I guess so, right?”

In addition, there are many other unique dishes and meats with unique shapes.

“Isn’t this just a cartoon?!”

The kind of meat you only see in comics. When Shasha grabbed the meat and ate it, including the bones, Vita couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“Then you become a pig.”

“Hey, no way… ”

The feeling of a school trip isn’t all that bad.

But, what can I say for sure?

Are you feeling tired because it’s your first day? Because you’ve been moving around for a long time.

So after dinner there is a set schedule.

“Those who want to rest can rest. The evening is free time. Those who want to enjoy the hot springs can enjoy the hot springs. But always be mindful of safety.”

Everyone was excited with anticipation at the homeroom teacher’s words.

“Oh, and male students! Of course, the men’s and women’s baths are separate. So, no harsh behavior, right?”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

The girls laughed and the boys booed.

This is none other than a hot spring inn.

‘Hot springs, hot springs…’

Vita has a lot of worries.

So you’re in the women’s bath?

No, it’s good.

To be honest, that’s true, but it still stings me a little.

‘Surely not, Emily’s… ‘

The bare skin of the girl I like! Thinking about it makes me nervous.

‘… But is this right? I’m originally a man.’

‘If you’re a man, you should see it even more. Are you stupid, Vita?’

While Vita was internally struggling fiercely.

“What are you going to do, Bianca? Since we’re at the hot springs.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Suddenly, Vita was flustered when Shasha asked her a question, so she accepted without thinking.

“Let’s go, then!”

“No, wait…!”

So I was led by Sasha’s hand almost by force.

When I came to my senses, I was standing in the changing room.

Vita was really embarrassed!

‘Wh, what…?!’

Your face is completely red. And for good reason.

“What’s wrong, Bianca?”

The feeling of not knowing where to look.

Because a whole new world is unfolding before your eyes right now!