I Accidentally Said “I Want a S○x Partner” in the Class Group on LINE, and the School Idol Responded - Chapter 12

Forest school trips are probably the most playful kind of field trip. At least at our school, that’s how it was. It felt like it was mainly for the second-year students, who would start preparing for exams next year, to make some fun memories of their youth.

So, after sketching, we went hiking and bird-watching. By the evening, we returned to the lodge and started the usual activity. Which is making curry.

“―Wow, Mikage’s really good at cutting vegetables!”

“Yuna, you’re exaggerating. Anyone can do this.”

Shinozaki skillfully chopped carrots and potatoes. She made it look easy, so even when she joked about herself, people didn’t feel annoyed. Other students from different groups even came over to watch. Her cooking skills drew attention.

Shinozaki looked happy, and seeing her like that made me feel glad I’d covered her part-time job so she could come. I still didn’t know the details of her home life and didn’t want to pry, but seeing her enjoy herself felt good while being unaffected by things she couldn’t control.

“―Alright, now it’s time for the test of courage. Draw lots to decide pairs.”

After we enjoyed the curry, it was time for the classic forest-school event. A test of courage. Some teachers were hiding along the route to scare us. It was already past 7 p.m., and the forest around us was growing dark.

We drew lots, which were rigged so that each pair would be one boy and one girl. I waited nervously for the girl with the same number as mine to appear.

“Hashiguchi-kun, what number did you get?”

Shinozaki came over and asked.

“Hm, 32…”

“What a coincidence, me too.”

She showed me her lot with a slightly relieved smile. If it had been another girl, I might have struggled to start a conversation, except maybe with Hoshikawa.

“―Mikage~! Swap with me~!!”

And, the moment I thought about it, Hoshikawa ran up to us with a dramatic face.

“I got stuck alone because I was the leftover! I have to go by myself…!?”

“It’s fine, you can take it easy.”

“No! I’m totally going to cry…”

It did sound scary, going alone into a dark forest.

“Ugh… whatever. ―Hey, Hasshi, can you hear me?”

Hoshikawa leaned close and whispered.

“(Don’t tell Mikage this or she’ll get mad, but she’s really bad with directions. Keep an eye on her so she doesn’t get lost.)”

“(…She’s bad with directions?)”

“(Yeah. One time at an amusement park, she wandered off while I looked away for a moment. Even when I told her where we were, she went the wrong way and we couldn’t meet up until later.)”

“(Huh…)”

That was an unexpected weakness. But didn’t she find my room fine using Google Maps the other day? No… I hadn’t really checked, so maybe she got lost the first time.

“(Anyway, just be careful. Mikage is really bad with directions.)”

“(…Got it.)”

※

After that, the pairs started the test of courage in order of their numbers. Our turn was toward the back, so we didn’t start until about 30 minutes after the first pair had gone.

“It’s getting chilly now that it’s night.”

Shinozaki said as I held the flashlight we’d been given and were walking through the dark forest. The eerie atmosphere of the forest, combined with the cold air she mentioned, made the moment feel pretty intense.

“But it’s also kind of nice. Walking through nature like this makes me feel free from all the usual stress.”

“That’s true.”

The forest had almost nothing man-made in it. Being away from all the messy household stuff made me feel lighter inside.

Soon, the first scare teacher appeared, wearing a white sheet and shouting “Boo!” I and Shinozaki didn’t react at all and just kept walking. The teacher looked annoyed. “You two don’t react at all…”

“…Are we boring people?”

Shinozaki said that quietly as we continued. It sounded like she was a little embarrassed about not reacting.

“It’s fine. We’re just ourselves.”

I hated how in everyday life, people were labeled as weird just for not following the crowd. Peer pressure is garbage.

“Ah, Shinozaki… I’m sorry, but can you go ahead for a bit?”

“Ah, why?”

“It’s a little embarrassing… but I need to pee.”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. It’s natural. Alright, I’ll go ahead then.”

So I handed her the flashlight and let her move forward while I ducked into the trees to take a quick break. Soon after, I returned to the path and caught up with her.

“Huh? Hashiguchi-kun, are you alone?”

…Before I could reach Shinozaki, I ran into the second scare teacher, Ichihara-san, and felt a strange unease in my chest.

“No… I’m with Shinozaki. I just took a quick bathroom break and let her go ahead… She’s already passed this part, right?”

When I said that, Ichihara-san’s usually beautiful face turned into a confused expression.

“No… Shinozaki-san hasn’t been seen.”

“Huh?”

“…Oh no. Could it be that Shinozaki-san got lost?”

Ichihara-san muttered as she looked worried.

After hearing that, I suddenly remembered what Hoshikawa had whispered before the test of courage.

―She’s really bad with directions. Keep an eye on her so she doesn’t get lost.

No way… could this be what she meant…?

“W-what should we do… Shinozaki-san doesn’t have her phone, right?”

“…I don’t think so.”

The teachers had told us to leave our phones at the lodge in case they got broken, so none of us had any way to contact anyone. Right now, Shinozaki only had the flashlight I’d given her.

Damn… this happened because I looked away for just a moment…

…But feeling guilty won’t help. I needed to act.

“…Ichihara-sensei, I’ll go look for her.”

“W-wait! That’s too dangerous, so you can’t.”

I ignored her warning and started running anyway.

“Ah, fine! At least take this with you!”

Ichihara-san tossed something to me. It hurt a little when I caught it, and I saw it was a smartphone.

“Call us immediately if you find Shinozaki-san or if anything happens! All the other teachers’ numbers are in it!”

I nodded and started moving quickly.

I had to find Shinozaki before anything serious happened.