Chapter 202

“It’s been a while since you brought up my height. Brings back memories...”

The first time I teased Miyuki about her height was right before we went to eat kakigori, wasn't it?

The memories came flooding back. It hadn't even been that long, so I wasn't sure if they really counted as memories yet.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Did you pack warm clothes, though?"

"My bag is stuffed. I packed everything you told me to bring."

"Good job. Hurry and get on."

"What is the homeroom teacher doing, making you handle this?"

"Our homeroom teacher."

"Right, the teacher. Anyway, get inside. Hand over the flag."

Did she notice I wanted to take over for her in the cold?

Miyuki smiled brightly and patted the thick parka she was bundled up in.

"I'm fine, though? It's warm."

"Yeah? Then I'll stand here with you."

"Let's do that. Sounds good to me. Idiot."

Miyuki seemed unusually energetic today.

Was it the excitement of the trip? Or the anticipation of spending time alone together in the room I had secretly booked?

Maybe it was both.

I pulled her hood up and over her head, then practically snatched the flag from her hands and held it high.

After messing around for a bit while she jumped up and down trying to grab my arm, I handed the flag over to the homeroom teacher—who had just returned from the restroom—and got on the bus.

Exchanging brief greetings with my classmates and taking in their varied expressions as I made my way to the back seat, I clicked my tongue when I spotted Tetsuya passed out in the middle of the bus.

Had he stayed up all night playing games? Seeing him completely dead to the world with his mouth hanging open made me want to punch him in the face.

Taking my seat directly behind Bread Girl and the Vice Representative, I poked Bread Girl's arm. She was eating her bread as carefully as possible to keep the plastic wrapper from rustling.

"Hey, Bread Girl."

"Cough."

Now she was answering with a cough.

Though, I suppose it lacked the power of her usual fits. The cough was a bit underwhelming.

I figured she was slowly getting used to me.

"You're eating bread here, too?"

"Ghk...! Yeah... want a bite...?"

Spitting out some bread crumbs, Bread Girl pulled a cream bun from her small bag and held it out.

This girl seriously must have every type of bread imaginable stocked at her house.

For some reason, it made me want to visit and see.

"I'm good. Aren't you choking on that?"

"I brought milk... want some...?"

"No. Do you have anything to eat besides bread and milk?"

"Uh, I don't... sorry..."

"I just asked, what are you apologizing for? Want some jelly and candy?"

"Cough! No... it's okay..."

"I'm just giving it to you. Eat it."

Rummaging through my coat pocket, I pulled out a handful of whatever snacks I could grab.

And then I held them out to Bread Girl.

"T-thanks..."

I smirked at Bread Girl, who even gave a small bow of her head, and snorted when the Vice Representative pulled her into a protective embrace to scold me.

"Why are you bullying our Masako? You're so mean."

"Want me to show you what mean really is?"

"What? I'm curious."

"Give me your glasses."

"Why my glasses?"

"So I can snap a padlock through the middle of them."

"Wow... you're the worst..."

While I exchanged light banter with the Vice Representative, the homeroom teacher finished the headcount, said a few words to the driver, and the bus set off toward Tokyo Station.

Our actual mode of transportation to Hokkaido was the shinkansen.

The travel time was longer compared to a plane, but that was part of the charm of traveling.

Especially since I could sit side-by-side with Miyuki for hours on end and do all sorts of things, it beat flying by a mile for me.

"What were you talking about?"

Miyuki asked, approaching my side once the bus was moving.

Watching the Vice Representative jokingly tattle about what I had just said, I slid closer to the window and tapped the empty seat beside me.

"Hurry up and sit. Let's eat some snacks."

At that, Miyuki, who had been giggling with the Vice Representative, sat down demurely and spoke.

"When we get off at the station, we'll have about fifteen minutes for a bathroom break. I have some things to discuss with the homeroom teacher, so I won't have time to buy an ekiben. So, Matsuda-kun, buy mine for me, too."

The highlight of train travel is the ekiben.

Eating the distinct, regional boxed lunches sold at the terminal is an essential part of the journey.

If you skip it, you can't even say you went on a train trip.

Suddenly feeling like an excited kid, I answered by secretly resting my hand on Miyuki's leg, out of everyone else's sight.

I was already thrilled at the thought of creating another memory just for me and Miyuki, completely leaving Tetsuya out of the picture.

Since our Academy wasn't the only one taking a school trip, Tokyo Station was bustling with students from various schools.

A massive crowd had formed particularly around the ekiben shops, and I barely managed to push through the packed throng to buy two.

One of the ekibens I bought was kamameshi, a traditional Japanese pot rice.

Topped with beef, quail eggs, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and chestnuts... it felt like a compromise between health and taste.

The other one was a safe bet: an eel rice bowl.

Heading back to the meeting spot, I sat quietly near Miyuki while she was busy talking to the homeroom teacher. Once she walked over to me, I held out both ekibens.

"Take your pick."

"Hmm... I'll have the eel."

"Why."

"What do you mean, why...? You told me to pick. Did you want to eat this one?"

"No. I was joking."

"Really? What's your lunch, Tetsuya-kun?"

Miyuki's question was aimed at Tetsuya, who had just returned from buying his own ekiben.

Comparing his lunch to Miyuki's, the guy's face lit up with a bright flush.

"I got the exact same one as you, Miyuki."

He seemed overjoyed, probably because it felt like they had matching couple's lunches... it made my stomach churn.

I wanted to garnish his ekiben with the byproducts from my stomach.

The scent of youth was rapidly turning rancid... fucking awful.

As the scheduled time drew near, the students began gathering back one after another.

Seeing the ekibens clutched in their hands, the homeroom teacher let out a small chuckle.

It seemed he found it both amusing and full of youthful sentiment that every single student had insisted on buying one.

"Even when I told you meals are provided, you all insisted on buying ekibens anyway. Everyone, line up in two rows."

Finishing the headcount, we boarded the train.

I had thought Tetsuya might whine to Miyuki halfway through, begging to sit together, but surprisingly, the guy was already seated with a friend he got along with.

And his expression completely hardened when I claimed the seat right next to Miyuki.

He apparently hadn't expected me to sit next to her so openly.

His insides must be burning up, right? But what could he do?

He didn't even have the courage to try anything with Miyuki, and even while keeping her in his heart, he'd turn to mush the second Renka treated him a little nicely. He brought this on himself.

He should have just boldly acted like a two-timer, like I did.

Deciding to completely tune the guy out while on the train, I turned to Miyuki, who was sitting by the window and squirming around.

"What are you doing?"

"Matsuda-kun, you're too big. The seat is cramped."

"So it's uncomfortable?"

"Not exactly. I can just do this."

Miyuki draped her legs across my thighs.

It was cute how she subtly adjusted her posture while stealing glances at the neighboring seats to make sure no one was watching.

Chuckling at her unusually affectionate behavior today, I unfolded the tray table and set our ekibens down.

At that, Miyuki tapped the string underneath the box.

"Is it a self-heating one?"

"Yeah. But let's trade."

"Why?"

"That one looks tastier."

"We can just share."

"I guess?"

"Yeah. Wait, so you were telling me to eat the gross one?"

"Mine's healthier, I was just looking out for you."

"You're a smooth talker. Hey..."

Trailing off, Miyuki glanced around.

Then she leaned her upper body slightly toward me and lowered her voice.

"Did you make the reservation...?"

"Sure did."

"Okay... good job."

Perhaps thinking her "good job" sounded a bit awkward, Miyuki gave a small, fake cough and opened her bag on the floor.

"Open your bag too, Matsuda-kun."

"What for?"

"...I'm going to transfer my clothes and toiletries over."

"Clothes and toiletries?"

"To use there... hurry up and open your bag..."

Her voice was thick with embarrassment, as if she knew exactly what was going to happen tonight.

She quickly pulled out extra underwear, disposable shampoo, and even a pouch containing body wash, transferring them into my bag.

What happens when a model student turns naughty?

The answer to that seemed to lie with Miyuki.

It was incredibly like Miyuki to be so thoroughly prepared.

Having swiftly transferred her things, Miyuki tapped my arm with a much more relieved expression.

"Let's turn the seats around."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"If we were going to turn them, we should have done it before we sat down."

"Let's turn them. Hurry and get up."

Slapping my thigh with a touch of affection, Miyuki stood up and swiveled our seats around.

Because of that, we ended up face-to-face with Bread Girl and the Vice Representative, who were sitting right behind us.

"Hi?"

The Vice Representative offered a cheerful greeting, while Bread Girl timidly waved a hand.

And here I was, the protagonist stuck right between three girls... it was a total turn-on.

The scent of youth finally felt fragrant again.

Inside the train, it was incredibly quiet.

But that was only for a moment. Once the train began moving along the tracks, everyone's excitement boiled over and they started chattering; our class's car quickly grew noisy.

Perhaps because many people hadn't eaten breakfast, the smell of food wafted pleasantly through the cabin.

Our seats were no different. The moment we departed, we pulled the heating strings and ate our ekibens in a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Miyuki picked up a few pieces of her eel and placed them directly onto my pot rice.

Watching her do that, the Vice Representative scowled as if we were a complete eyesore, while Bread Girl coughed every time she brought her spoon to her mouth.

Somehow, it felt peaceful.

After finishing their lunches and chattering enthusiastically with lots of giggling, Miyuki and the others quickly lost steam and quieted down.

Following the conductor's announcements, they marveled at the beautiful scenery passing by the window before eventually nodding off, one by one.

It was the same for the vast majority of the other students.

They'd been hyped up and jabbering away since morning, so it was inevitable.

Watching Bread Girl and the Vice Representative sleep while occasionally chatting with me, Miyuki let out a long yawn.

"I'm going to sleep a bit..."

Blinking her sleepy eyes, she lifted the armrest between us, leaned her face right against my shoulder, and soon fell asleep with her mouth slightly open.

Draping my coat over Miyuki—who had openly claimed my body as a pillow despite the fact that other students could see—I gazed out the window.

The train cutting through a forest path where snow gently fell, the quieted train car, and Miyuki, deep in slumber while giving off her signature plum scent.

It was a picture straight out of a slice-of-life healing story. Taking a break like this wasn't bad at all.

The Lodging our Academy had reserved was a ryokan with hot springs.

It was definitely on the expensive side; true to being a prestigious Academy, they went all out.

After arriving in Hokkaido, boarding the waiting buses, and heading to our Lodging, we received our room keys from Miyuki and the Vice Representative.

"When you go out, you have to leave your keys at the front desk. Keep that in mind and don't lose them. Unpack your bags and gather back here in an hour."

Miyuki kindly explained the rules as she handed me my key.

Exchanging a look with her, I said quietly, "Who is your roommate?"

"Miho."

"And who is that?"

"You don't even know your classmates' names? Anyway, well... you take care of the rest, Matsuda-kun. Give me the spare key during free time."

"Got it."

Flashing my teeth in a smile at Miyuki, I walked over to the counter pretending to ask a question and snagged the key to the room I'd booked separately.

Afterward, I headed into the room I would be fake-staying in.

My roommate was Tubby, who had served as an excellent meat shield in front of me before we changed seats.

I gave a brief nod to him since he was already inside, tossed my bag aside, and quickly washed up.

Then I sprawled out on the tatami mats, killing time by chatting with Tubby or texting Chinami, before heading down to the lobby as the meeting time drew near.

I walked over to Tetsuya, who was closely examining a Hokkaido sightseeing pamphlet provided in the lobby, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just checking if there's anything good to see. What are you doing today? They said we get free time right away."

"How long did they say free time was?"

"It's until dinner... so about three hours left."

"Yeah? Then I guess I'll just wander around or soak in the hot springs. What about you?"

"Me? I heard there's an observatory with a great view nearby, so I was going to check it out."

Saying that, Tetsuya stole a glance at Miyuki coming down the Lodging's stairs.

She was chatting with her friends with a bright smile on her face.

Bundled up snugly in her clothes and even wearing a beanie, she looked incredibly cute.

"Is that right? Got it."

"I heard we're going to the ski resort tomorrow... did you know Miyuki is really good at skiing?"