Our class, Ogito High's second-year Class C, rumbled along a winding mountain road on a school trip. The bus buzzed with chatter, some students dozing, others glued to their phones or fighting motion sickness. One girl checked her reflection in a hand mirror, while the cool kids claimed the back seats.
The high-rank group, led by Kirihara Takuto, held court. Handsome and gifted, his every word shifted the mood. "Shogo, you're too soft on girls," he teased Oyamada Shogo, his self-proclaimed best friend, whose rough charm and brawling skills drew a crowd.
"Hey, Takuto, hook me up with some girls," Oyamada grinned. Nearby girls giggled, "Kirihara-kun's so honest!" Class 2-C orbited Kirihara, with Oyamada as his loud, loyal shadow, always flanked by the class's trendiest.
"What about me, Shogo?" A girl teased. "Your personality's too much," he shot back, laughing. "Chase a gyaru, and Takao's little sister will appear!" "No way, she's like a Dragon Ball collector!" The bus roared with their banter, the trip's excitement fueling the noise.
The Takao sisters, Hijiri and Itsuki, sat apart, unfazed. Hijiri, cool and academic, ranked second in class; Itsuki, a flashy gyaru, took fourth. Both athletic and striking, they were inseparable weirdos. "The mountains inspire lofty goals, Itsuki," Hijiri said. "Understood, sister," Itsuki replied, though I couldn't see what made the view special.
"Oyamada-kun, quiet down," a clear voice cut in. Sogou Ayaka, class president and school-famous beauty, frowned, her black hair pinned with an Alice band. Rumored to be an heiress, she aced academics and athletics, outranking even Hijiri. Kirihara was the male lead; Sogou, the female.
"Why read on a trip, Sogou?" Oyamada snatched her paperback, ripping its cover. "Stop it!" she snapped. "A love story novel? Lame!" he mocked, reading the blurb. "Ayaka reads sappy romance?" Her face flushed; she was embarrassed, her usual confidence shaken.
"Give it back!" she demanded. "Trade for R@IN approval?" Oyamada teased, his crush on her obvious. R@IN, the top messaging app, needed mutual approval, and he was fishing for hers. No one stopped him—few in 2-C dared.
Sogou's glare intensified. "Oyamada-kun, stop!" She seemed oblivious to his feelings, just annoyed. I wanted to step in, but me? Mimori Touka, the class nobody? My words would barely ripple.
Still, I stood. "Sogou-san really doesn't like it," I said, voice shaky. The bus went silent, eyes on me. Oyamada quivered, then mocked, "Too cool, Airman! Riding Sogou's love trend?" Sogou's expression was unreadable. Whether it was good or bad, I couldn't tell.
"Return it, Shogo," Kirihara said calmly, saving me. Even Oyamada couldn't defy him. "Not interested in Mimori," Kirihara added, dismissing me. "Return Sogou's book. I hate this vibe." Girls swooned, whispering about his kindness.
Oyamada tossed the book back, patting Sogou's shoulder. "My bad, got carried away." She snatched it, glaring, and stuffed it in her bag, done with reading. Her kobujutsu skills once humbled Oyamada; he feared and adored her.
Kirihara plugged in earphones, tuning out. Oyamada slunk to his seat, then suddenly kicked another's backrest. "Uwaaah!" People screamed. The bus jolted; the tour guide flinched. Only Kirihara, Sogou, and the Takaos stayed calm, the twins barely blinking.
"Yasu!" Oyamada targeted Yasu Tomohiro, the class's timid, bullied kid. Two years ago, Yasu accidentally spilled juice on Oyamada's phone, breaking it. Not his fault, but Oyamada locked onto him. "You flinched at Mimori's scene, acting all innocent, trash!"
"Y-Yes…" Yasu stammered, caught between silence and response. "Oi, Oyamada, ease up," our PE teacher, Zakurogi Tamotsu, called out. He favored cute girls and top boys, ignoring the rest. Equality? A hollow word here.
"Yes, reflecting, sorry!" Oyamada mocked, bowing dramatically. He charmed adults effortlessly, trapping targets like Yasu. "Sorry, Yasu-kun! I'm reborn!" he jeered, sprawling in his seat. "Mimori-senpai stole my spotlight, chilling the trip!"
Then, without warning, a blinding white light flooded the bus.