School Trip Day 1 (part 1)

Since then, time had passed without incident, and the school trip had finally arrived.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah.”

Early in the morning, Marin-chan and I left the house and headed to the airport.

“I’m so excited about Hokkaido!”

“…Yeah.”

I still hadn’t reconciled with Kiyoto, the teasing from my classmates hadn’t lessened, and time had simply moved on. As a result, I was feeling a bit tired and not in the best of health as we made our way to the airport.

“Did you know? Hokkaido is 38 times the size of Tokyo?”

“That’s huge. There are still places in Tokyo I haven’t been to.”

“Right! It’s massive! That’s why it’s called ‘Big Hokkaido’! This time we’ll be visiting Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa over 5 days and 4 nights… Wow, it’s really big when you look at it,” Marin-chan said, staring at Google Maps.

“Let me see too,” I said, peeking at her phone screen. “Eep!!” She turned red and backed away.

Her defensive instincts were still as strong as ever.

“You backing away like that hurts a bit, you know.”

“Well, you suddenly got so close…”

“Oh my, you two are so hot and heavy this morning,” Honjo-san teased from behind.

“Aoi-kun tried to kiss me!”

“Don’t exaggerate,” I said, chopping her lightly on the forehead.

“Hehehe,” Marin-chan giggled happily.

“You two are still such a cute married couple.”

As we walked, we ran into Umi-chan.

“Ah… good morning, everyone…”

“Morning, Umi!” Honjo-san exclaimed, burying her face in Umi-chan’s chest as Umi-chan tried to resist.

“Haha, you two are so lively.”

As the four of us walked together, we drew more attention than usual. If an angel, a cute gal, a busty shy girl, and a bean-sprout walking together even I would take a look.

“…”

“What’s up, Aoi-kun?” Marin-chan asked.

“Nothing. Let’s just get going.”

“O-Okay.”

When we arrived at the airport, many students were already waiting.

“Oh, good morning, everyone!” Marin-chan greeted, joining the group of girls.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning!”

Now alone, I stood by myself, zoning out.

Noticing this, Umi-chan kindly approached me.

“Looking forward to the school trip?”

“Yeah. It’s definitely going to be an unforgettable memory of high school.”

“…Yeah. I hope it’s a good memory,” she said with a gentle smile.

I averted my eyes from her kind smile.

“Hey, everyone! Time for roll call. Line up!” our homeroom teacher called out, and we gathered by groups.

◇Boarding the Plane

“The current temperature in Sapporo is… 15 degrees! It’s cold…”

“Quite a difference from here.”

“Haha, I figured as much, so I brought something to wear over… wait, did I bring it?”

“If you’re talking about the one you left on the sofa, I put it in your bag.”

“Wow, such a gentleman… I love you.”

“Don’t say things like that where everyone can hear.”

Watching this exchange, some girls nearby giggled and approached us.

“Marin, are you always like this when it’s just the two of you? Haha.”

“Of course! Aoi helps me with everything I forget!”

“…I’m not your personal assistant.”

I’ve started to talk a bit more with Marin-chan’s friends like this. It made me happy to feel a bit more accepted.

“…”

“Kiyohito-kun.”

“Hm?”

“Have you been talking to Aoi-kun properly?”

“…A little bit.”

“…I see.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry. It’s awkward between us right now, but I promise I’ll resolve everything tonight. From tomorrow on, we’ll have a fun trip.”

“…Okay. Sorry for bringing it up…”

“Are you okay, Umi-chan?”

“…Actually, I knew. About the two of them being married.”

“…You did?”

“Sorry for keeping it a secret.”

“No, it’s not something you need to apologize for. It was the right call. Looking at Aoi now, he seems really exhausted. I figured something like this would happen, so they kept it a secret for a reason.”

I know what to do in situations like this. I’ve helped him countless times before. But now, I can’t help but think he doesn’t need me anymore.

I’m the worst. I really am. Someone like me doesn’t deserve to be with an angel like Marin. Someone like me isn’t fit to be by his side. This isn’t about him, it’s about me.

Only when I’ve confessed everything and been forgiven can we truly call each other friends.

With our feelings intertwining, the plane finally arrived at the airport.