#242

 

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There are few rules for group formation for the school trip.

The students are divided into girls and boys and each is paired with one of their classmates of their choice.

The numbers are then assigned to the pair, and a lottery is drawn at the end to combine the male and female pairs.

 

The number of participants must be at least four.

 

There are some other detailed rules, such as the need to assign a person in charge of each group, who must be able to contact the teachers, but this is not a problem when deciding on the groups.

 

This is roughly about all of the rules.

After that, each group will decide on its own destination and enjoy the school trip.

 

“That’s all for the explanation. …If anyone has any questions, please ask the teacher separately.”

 

After reading the last sentence in front of my classmates, I walked out from in front of the teacher’s table to my seat.

The classroom, which was so noisy at first has turned quieter, making it easier for me to explain it at last.

 

With no one standing in front of the students, the silence in the classroom gradually turns into a pleasant chatting atmosphere.

For the students, this is where the fun begins.

 

The school trip, the biggest event exclusive for second-year students.

It is rare to find a student who is not looking forward to it.

 

The students were sitting in their seats, which is back to its lively atmosphere, wondering who is going to be in the group with whom.

 

“…You’re really good at making enemies, aren’t you?”

 

Kirasaka muttered while sitting.

She had already taken out a paperback from her desk and seemed uninterested in deciding on a group.

Just as one would expect from Kirasaka, that’s all I can say.

 

I was trying to enjoy the situation in the classroom so I suppressed the feeling of wanting to retort to what she said and instead let out a sigh.

 

The teacher said so because of the student council, but it shouldn’t be a position where I would be handled all the troublesome work.

I was tempted to make the same kind of comment to the teacher, but since I was younger, I decided not to.

 

“Groups… have you decided whom you’re pairing up with?”

 

The pupils in the class stood up and gathered with the students they were each going to be paired with.

Regardless of gender, the scene remains the same.

However, there are a number of male students who are glancing in Kirasaka’s direction.

 

The rule of group formation requires that the groups be made up of both male and female students.

For those who have a liking for Kirasaka, there is no better opportunity than this.

 

Naturally, they must be hoping to be in the same group as Kirasaka.

As I was thinking about this while looking at my surroundings, Kirasaka snapped shut the paperback she was holding in her hand.

 

She then turns her eyes toward me and tilts her head as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

 

“What are you talking about? …Isn’t it decided that I will be in the same group as Shinra-kun?”

 

“Did you even listen to me…?”

 

Isn’t it obvious? It’s a statement that completely ignores what I was explaining to my classmates.

 

I was impressed that she could say such a thing so confidently.

Kirasaka, who was staring at me with her mouth open, checks the handout in her hand.

 

The form contains a detailed description of what I had explained to everyone.

Immediately her expression turned calm and she put her fingertips to her chin and made a thoughtful face.

 

Honestly, when it comes to gender pairings, we have to rely on the luck of the hour.

Even with her brilliant mind, there is no way to deal with it, but still, Kirasaka stands up slowly.

 

 

As she walked toward the center of the class, where there was a lot of noise to decide who would be in the group, the students passing by were staring at her, wondering what was going on.

 

I was one of them too.

As I watched, wondering what she was going to do, she stopped next to Shizuku at the center of the class.

 

“I need to talk to you for a moment.”

 

Kirasaka pointed to the back of the classroom.

She wanted to talk to her at a distance where our classmates couldn’t hear them.

 

Shizuku, realizing the meaning, moved to the back of the classroom, though being a little surprised.

While all eyes of my classmates were on the girls, I sat in my seat and wondered what I should do about my group.

 

Good luck isn’t a word that means anything when it comes to group formation.

I wondered if there was anyone in the class who would be strange enough to invite me to join them, as I had been making a poor impression on my classmates lately.

 

As I thought about this, I looked around the classroom again and saw that Yuuto had casually slipped out of the center of the class and sat down in the seat in front of me.

 

“Minato, do you have any ideas about where you want to go?”

 

I was stunned by the way he spoke so excitedly with a travel magazine in his hand, which our homeroom teacher had brought along for reference.

Yuuto, who noticed my gaze, asked a question curiously.

 

“Perhaps you’re not interested in Okinawa?”

 

“No, before that, I would like to ask you why you’re just assuming that you’re going to be in a group with me.”

 

On top of the materials he brought with him, there is a sheet of paper on which the names of the group members are written.

On it, my name is written in the column of the group leader, and his name is written below it.

 

The classmates are looking for Yuuto, who has disappeared from his seat in an instant, acting in a sneaky and peculiar manner.

I don’t like the fact that their eyes finally landed on us, and they seemed a little unconvinced that it was me.

 

“What!? You don’t want to team up?”

 

I let out a sigh as he asked back in surprise.

Since there is no other person to pair up with, I have no choice but to prepare myself for being resented by my classmates.

 

Without replying back, I put my hand on the material Yuuto brought.

As we both silently searched for a place to go with each other, our homeroom teacher returned from the staff room.

 

In one hand he is holding a lottery box made of cardboard.

As he placed the box on the teacher’s desk, he spoke.

 

“The students who decided on their pairs are asked to turn in their forms, and the lottery will be held when all the forms have been collected.”

 

The students nodded and responded in various ways to the brief explanation.

When Yuuto finished speaking, he quickly handed the forms that he brought with him to the homeroom teacher.

 

This confirmed that Yuuto and I would be in the same group.

The boys may have been dissatisfied with this, but it was Yuuto’s opinion and no one interfered.

 

 

After all the classmates’ forms were submitted, the homeroom teacher first announced the boys’ group.

 

“Shinra and Ogiwara, group D.”

 

A female student, acting as the scribe, writes Yuuto’s and my name on the blackboard, and a ‘D’ under it.

The female students started to get a little noisy.

 

After the boys, the girls’ groups are to be announced.

The group that draws D will be in the same group as us.

 

After all the draws for the boys were over, the pairings for the girls were announced.

I was watching the class from my seat, but Kirasaka next to me and Shizuku a little ahead of me were waiting for the results with their hands clasped together.

 

…Is it okay to make such a serious face?

It is the difference in the expectations for school trips that makes me think that it is just another free day.

 

“For girls Kanazaki and Kirazaka’s group is…”

 

The homeroom teacher gets the boys in a bit of an uproar when he says it like that.

Probably he was shocked to find out that they were in the same group, even though they were not close friends.

At the same time, the possibility of being in the same group with these two students was also a sign of anticipation.

 

I wondered what they were talking about back there… were they talking about being in the same group?

 

It’s unforeseen…

With this thought in mind, I waited for the homeroom teacher’s next words.

 

“they will be in group B.”

 

The homeroom teacher drew a piece of paper with the letter ‘B’ written on it, and the boys who were in the same group cheered as soon as the homeroom teacher announced it.

 

But on the contrary, they both reacted in exactly the opposite manner, dropping their heads onto the desk and looking discouraged and exhausted.

 

Shizuku looked back at me with teary eyes and shook her head as if to say that she wanted to give up.

There was nothing I could do about it.

 

I wondered if I should say something to Kirasaka next to me, but when I turned my gaze to the side, she muttered quietly with emotionless eyes, as if she were at the end of the world.

 

“I won’t be going on the school trip…”

 

“Go…”

 

By no means is it my or Yuuto’s fault.

 

Not that there was anything wrong with that, but for some reason I decided to keep it close to my chest that I felt bad for both of them.

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