Chapter 42: Destination
[After two hours on the bus, you've finally arrived at the location of the outdoor class.]
[Please perform a Luck and Endurance check.]
Two dice fell, but their faces were deliberately concealed.
[This time, a hidden dice mechanic is used. Your roll result will take effect at some point during the day and will have a certain influence on the direction of today's story.]
Reading the description in the Life Simulation section, Mochizuki Eikou wasn't particularly interested and slumped down, gazing out the bus window.
In the distance, tall mountains stretched endlessly, spring draping them in a fresh green cloak, speckled with deeper shades of green. Even though the windows weren't lowered, just looking at the rolling peaks, he seemed to feel a refreshing natural scent that soothed the soul.
A babbling river flowed by, like the strings of Tristan's harp playing a cheerful melody.
"..."
Barghest, sitting beside him, noticed he was leaning tiredly against the back of the seat in front.
"Are you okay, Eikou-san… Could it be carsickness, or has your cold gotten worse?"
"It's a mix of things…"
His condition had already been poor today, the road was bumpy, and he had spent time chatting nonsense on Chaldea's anonymous forum, all of which only made his fatigue worse.
Even though they had just arrived, Mochizuki Eikou already felt like calling it quits right here and now.
Suddenly, a warm hand was placed on his forehead.
It was Barghest's hand.
She placed one hand on his forehead and the other on her own, checking his temperature that way.
The feeling of her soft, gentle hand touching his cheek, the concerned gaze from her red-and-green heterochromatic eyes, and her tall, voluptuous figure leaning in close — it all made his heart race uncontrollably.
"Even though you've caught a cold, there's no sign of a fever yet," Barghest said. "You okay, Eikou-san? Why's your face turning redder?"
"N-no… I'm fine…"
Mochizuki Eikou quickly turned his head away, his face flushed bright red.
She was clearly taller and more muscular than most men, yet so unexpectedly gentle and thoughtful — her femininity was ridiculously high!
[At 10 a.m., your outdoor class officially begins.]
[Homeroom Teacher Finn teaches you how to pitch tents, how to light charcoal for outdoor cooking, and essential fire safety knowledge. Only after confirming that everyone has understood clearly are you allowed to begin free activities.]
[As you eagerly set up the barbecue, and Barghest begins preparing to light the fire near the riverbank, she suddenly discovers — the cooking ingredients have vanished.]
"The ingredients are gone?"
Mochizuki Eikou and Baobhan Sith asked in unison.
"I'm really sorry. I think I lost them," Barghest said apologetically. "I took down the backpack with all the ingredients, but the moment I got distracted — they were all gone."
"Could someone else have taken them by mistake?" Mochizuki Eikou asked.
"Probably not. I've already asked everyone nearby, and they all said they didn't see anything."
"That's really weird. Could they just vanish without a trace? No way, they must still be around here… Oh, I get it now."
Mochizuki Eikou crossed his arms, his gaze suddenly sharp, pretending to push up imaginary glasses.
"The culprit behind this incident — is undoubtedly Baobhan Sith!"
Baobhan Sith just widened her eyes.
"Why is it that every time something happens, you always suspect me? We're in the same group. I'm a victim too."
"Harming others even when it brings you no benefit — that's exactly your style."
"You looking for a death sentence, you piece of shit? Go find the ingredients now, or we're gonna be starving at noon."
"No, if we don't find them, we'll be fasting for the entire next two days and one night." He frowned.
[You have activated the skill "Instinct."]
[Check failed — your intuition gives no particular reaction at this time.]
[You have no clues at all.]
Perhaps due to the cold, the skill level was reduced, resulting in failure.
Barghest — someone with a serious personality — still seemed to be immersed in regret, her beautiful face blushing red with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I'm a knight, after all, and yet I couldn't even keep an eye on the ingredients. I really failed in my duties…!"
"It's alright. Baobhan Sith and I didn't watch over the food either," he said. "It's just some ingredients — how could you measure your knightly spirit by something that cheap? If the food's lost, we'll just find it again. It's not worth making a knight lower her head in apology."
In response to Barghest's sincere apology, Mochizuki Eikou answered seriously as well.
"Eikou-san…"
Barghest let out a soft sigh, but quickly regained the stern demeanor of a knight.
Even though Mochizuki Eikou didn't really understand this so-called "maiden's heart," Barghest's thoughts were far too easy to read.
She pretended to stay calm on the outside, but didn't know where to put her hands and feet, unconsciously bit her lip, and her heterochromatic eyes flickered with unease — all clear signs that she had feelings already.
But why though? It's not like he said anything even remotely romantic.
"…I'll go ask Gawain and the others for some ingredients." He waved, "Wait for my good news."
Mochizuki Eikou had only just walked off when his phone's anonymous chat group — silent until now — received new messages.
Barghest: 「What do I do what do I do, every time a hot guy treats me gently I get so happy I lose all sense of reality.」
Barghest: 「I swear I'm not that easy of a girl, but in front of him I just have zero resistance...」
What the hell is with this girl, why does she act like she's in heat 24/7?!
He quietly stuffed his phone back into his pocket and headed toward Gawain's group.
Tristan was sprawled out on the grass, looking absolutely miserable, eyes closed, as if all joy in the world had abandoned him.
"Yo, what's got you down? Tristan, Tristone, Trisad?"
"Don't talk about it. I got caught by Our King while chatting on the anonymous forum… Now I'm deciding whether to write a ten-thousand-character self-reflection or just compose a hundred songs instead."
You still haven't figured it out, huh? The one you were talking to today wasn't even the real Artoria — that was just Gawain pretending!
Still, Mochizuki Eikou didn't plan to reveal the truth. Might as well let Tristan reflect on his own and try being a decent person for once.
"Let us borrow some ingredients, our group lost our stuff…"
As he spoke, Mochizuki Eikou opened the supply case.
What greeted him was a case full of potatoes.
"I remember we bought barbecue stuff last night — snacks and soda too — so why is it all potatoes now?"
In the very next second, he figured out who the culprit was.
"Gawain!!!"