After dinner, Tsushima Kagami was just getting ready to head back to his own room with Yamada Kenta and the others.
It was right then that he caught sight of Yukinoshita Shizuku and Hiratsuka Shizuka waving toward him.
Standing beside them were Sayuri, Ijichi Seika, and Shimizu Nayotake.
Tsushima Kagami simply told Yamada Kenta and the rest to go on ahead, then walked over toward Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others himself.
"What's up?"
Tsushima Kagami asked, looking at the group.
"Let's talk once we're outside."
Yukinoshita Shizuku pointed toward the outside of the hotel.
Only then did the group leave the hotel's dining hall together.
They arrived at a café outside, near the Kamogawa River.
After everyone had ordered some after-dinner desserts—
Yukinoshita Shizuku finally spoke up and asked.
"During tomorrow's free time, where are you planning to go?"
At this, everyone turned to look at Tsushima Kagami too.
Only then did Tsushima Kagami remember that, although it was a four-day, three-night trip—
the actual itinerary only covered the first and second days.
The daytime of the third day was free time for the students to go to whichever places they liked.
And the morning of the fourth day was for packing up and heading home.
Watching Tsushima Kagami wear the look of someone who'd only just remembered that tomorrow was free time—
they all realized he probably hadn't given any thought to where to go and play tomorrow.
At this, Sayuri spoke up as well.
"Kagami, you're not planning to just hole up in the hotel all day, are you?"
"We're strangers in an unfamiliar place—I don't even know where would be good to go."
"There's nothing wrong with just staying in the hotel and resting, you know."
If he could, Tsushima Kagami would honestly love nothing more than to stay cooped up in the hotel and not go anywhere.
At this point, Hiratsuka Shizuka was looking through the school-trip browsing pamphlet she'd brought along.
Hearing this, she raised her head.
"I looked into it—the autumn leaves at Kiyomizu-dera are at their peak right now."
"Autumn leaves again?"
Kiyomizu-dera was, after all, one of the must-visit sights of a Kyoto school trip.
But in his past life, Tsushima Kagami had seen plenty of online photos, and they really were pretty.
Once you actually went, though, you'd find that in reality it was just so-so.
A lot of online photos simply cranked up the saturation and did heavy post-editing.
Especially if you came specifically chasing after those internet pictures—then it'd be just like meeting an online girlfriend in person: ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the reality would shatter the illusion.
Seeing the clear look on Tsushima Kagami's face that he didn't much want to go—
Hiratsuka Shizuka closed the travel pamphlet too and looked at Tsushima Kagami with a smile.
"Then where do you want to go play? Say it, and we'll all go along with you."
"Can I just stay in the hotel room?"
Tsushima Kagami said it outright.
Beside him, Yukinoshita Shizuku elbowed his arm.
"Honestly—it's not often we get to come out and have fun."
"Don't be so lazy."
Ijichi Seika thought it over too, then suddenly said.
"I remember there seems to be a Kyoto University school festival tomorrow."
"Want to go check it out together?"
"There should be plenty of events held by band clubs and manga clubs and the like."
"I was so focused on the sightseeing spots that I forgot there's even a Kyoto University."
"Shall we go take a look?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly looked as if it had all dawned on her, then grabbed Tsushima Kagami's arm and asked.
Tsushima Kagami thought it over—it seemed slacking off in the room wasn't going to be an option.
Still, a Kyoto University school festival was surely at least a bit more interesting than the autumn leaves at Kiyomizu-dera.
So he looked over at Shimizu Nayotake, who was quietly eating cake to one side.
"Want to go to the Kyoto University school festival?"
He was still thinking that Shimizu Nayotake might not want to go, in which case he'd have an excuse to bow out too.
Shimizu Nayotake gave everyone a faint smile.
"Wherever you all decide to go, I'll go along with you."
"All right, five to one."
"So shall we go to Kyoto University?"
Sayuri stretched out her hand in a referee's gesture and looked around at everyone.
Just as everyone was about to nod—
the phone Tsushima Kagami carried with him suddenly rang.
When Tsushima Kagami took out his phone, Sayuri leaned in too.
"Huh, who's calling at this hour?"
"This number looks really familiar!"
Before Sayuri could even finish, Tsushima Kagami had already answered the call and pressed the speakerphone.
A familiar voice came through from inside.
"Sayuri, you idiot."
"Have you been doing the practice problems Sonoko and I prepared specially for you?!"
"Aieeeeee!"
"It's senpai—why is senpai on the phone?!"
Sayuri immediately clutched her head and ran off to the side.
"Honestly, running away again?"
Kosaka Akane's voice came through the receiver.
At this point, Tsushima Kagami spoke up too.
"Senpai, is there something you needed, calling at this hour?"
"Sorry."
"Because that idiot Sayuri completely forgot the actual matter."
"Kagami, you all have free time tomorrow, right?"
Tsushima Kagami glanced at the several people watching him and answered softly.
"Mm, free time."
"Have you planned out a place to go and play?"
"We're still discussing it for now."
"That's good, then!"
Kosaka Akane's voice clearly let out a breath of relief.
"My grandfather was invited to Kyoto—tomorrow morning he'll be attending the Yomiuri Exhibition."
"Grandfather asked me to check whether you'd be interested in coming over to take a look tomorrow."
The Yomiuri Exhibition is one of the two major public-submission exhibitions of Japanese calligraphy, hosted by the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association.
Among these, the Nitten is Japan's national-level comprehensive art exhibition, with the highest threshold.
And the Yomiuri Exhibition, alongside the Mainichi Exhibition, ranks as one of the two mainstream calligraphy organizations.
As one calligrapher put it: "The development of Japanese calligraphy is sustained by the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition and the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition."
Having heard her out, Tsushima Kagami raised his head and looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others.
After exchanging glances, they all nodded toward Tsushima Kagami.
After all, it was an invitation from Todai's Professor Ogasawara.
In the future, Tsushima Kagami would in all likelihood enter Todai's Faculty of Letters—perhaps it was already as good as a sealed teacher-student relationship.
Where they went to play tomorrow was, in itself, neither here nor there, whereas this sort of invitation from a professor naturally took priority.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Tsushima Kagami then spoke into the speakerphone.
"Then we'll go take a look tomorrow morning."
"Oh right, what's the address?"
"Ah, I forgot to mention the address."
"Let me check."
The sound of pages turning came through the phone.
"It seems to be the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art."
"All right then, that's everything I needed to pass along."
"I won't intrude on your school trip any further, Kagami."
"Hope you all have fun~"
At this point, Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others all greeted Kosaka Akane through the receiver one after another.
Just as the two were about to hang up the phone—
Kosaka Akane on the receiver suddenly spoke again.
"Sayuri, you didn't say goodbye to me just now, did you?"
"Oh my, goodbye, Akane-senpai."
At this, Sayuri, sitting off to the side, said meekly.
"Hmph, don't slack off on your studies during the school trip either."
"Once you're back, I'll find a time to come with Sonoko and check on your study progress!"
"B-but Kagami-kun said he'd exempt me from a week's worth of practice homework."
"Is that so?"
After hearing this, Kosaka Akane didn't even bother confirming with Tsushima Kagami, but said outright.
"What Kagami waived is Kagami's to waive—but Sonoko's and my portion certainly hasn't been waived for you."
"Sonoko and I are at cram school every single day—Sayuri, you can't go slacking off either!"
"Well then, that's that."
"Goodbye, everyone."
With that, Kosaka Akane hung up the phone directly.
Everyone went back to eating their desserts from before—only Sayuri sat there with a pained look on her face, without the slightest appetite.
____
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