LUNCH – ROOFTOP
I sit alone on the ground again, trying to exhale yesterday.
NOKKO (dim):
"You know, stargazing might be therapeutic."
REI:
"Unless the stars are watching back."
NOKKO (dim):
"They usually are."
He says it like it's a joke.
I pretend he's kidding.
TEACHER (O.S.):
"Kirishima!"
I flinch so hard my bento slaps my face.
I glance over the rooftop fence — our homeroom teacher's glaring up from the classroom window.
TEACHER:
"Field trip forms. Now."
INT. HOMEROOM – AFTERNOON
A slideshow is playing. It's just stock photos of trees and hiking boots.
The word "FUN" is in Comic Sans.
TEACHER:
"This year's academic-camp-field-thingy will involve science, nature, and teamwork."
The class collectively groans.
TEACHER:
"You'll be grouped in teams of three. Assignments are random. I swear it's not favoritism this time."
He clicks his clipboard.
TEACHER:
"Group 5: Shino Kagawa… Rei Natsuki… and… Monoma Hoshino."
A pause.
SHINO (flat):
"…No."
REI (stunned):
"WHAT."
MONO (smiling):
"I accept."
NOKKO (glowing smugly on my wrist):
"Statistically speaking, this will either lead to character growth or public arrest."
INT. SCHOOL BUS – NEXT DAY – CHAOS
The bus screeches like it wants to die.
Students are yelling, throwing snacks, or trying to murder each other with card games.
Shino is seated by the window, arms crossed, looking like she's mentally uninstalling the trip.
I'm in the middle.
Mono is on the aisle side. He's smiling at nothing.
REI (muttering):
"I swear if you do anything weird…"
MONO (smiling):
"I'm already doing it."
NOKKO (bracelet, glowing blue):
"This arrangement is illogical. Two emotionally repressed humans and one sleeper agent of chaos."
REI:
"You just described a sitcom."
EXT. CAMP – AFTERNOON
We arrive. The forest smells like pine and despair.
Tents are set up in the open field.
TEACHER (clapping hands):
"Alright! You'll sleep in your teams. We're giving you full independence and only partial adult supervision! So be responsible!"
That is the opposite of responsibility.
INT. TENT – NIGHT
It's small. Like, friendship-endingly small.
Shino's lying down with her back to us.
Mono is still smiling. He hasn't blinked in twenty minutes.
I'm staring at the ceiling of fabric, deeply regretting every decision.
REI (groaning):
"I can't sleep."
NOKKO (bracelet, blinking orange):
"You had 3 cans of vending machine coffee."
REI:
"I was stress-hydrating."
MONO (calmly):
"I counted seventeen moths in this tent."
REI:
"Stop. Talking."
LATER – OUTSIDE THE TENT
I step out to pee or die — whichever happens first.
Stars stretch overhead. The sky feels fake. Too perfect.
Mono appears beside me without a sound.
REI:
"Holy—stop doing that."
MONO:
"You're awake too?"
REI:
"I have trauma and a bladder."
He nods solemnly.
MONO:
"That is relatable."
He points up.
MONO:
"Do you think we were always meant to be under the same sky?"
REI:
"…What?"
MONO:
"Or did the sky choose us, to witness each other?"
REI:
"Are you trying to flirt or perform a cult ritual?"
MONO (smiling):
"…Yes."
NOKKO (glowing faint purple):
"I hate how much I like him."
END OF CHAPTER 6