— — — — — —
"Morning."
At seven sharp, Oikawa Tōru wandered into the dining hall, yawning.
The elementary school kids had already finished breakfast and gone off to do their own thing. Only Shizuka Hiratsuka and a few staff members remained.
"They already ate?"
By "they," Oikawa meant Kawasaki, Yukinoshita, and the others.
"Kawasaki and Hina Ebina have. Didn't see the rest."
Shizuka casually flipped her newspaper to the other side as she answered.
Oikawa glanced at it. The paper was from three days ago. No idea what she hoped to learn from outdated news.
Not his problem.
He grabbed a tray and headed to the serving area.
For breakfast, it was surprisingly hearty.
At the very least, way better than those Korean university cafeterias he'd seen online.
In the end, he picked up a bowl of miso soup, a serving of rice, two grilled fish, a fried egg, two pieces of tonkatsu, and some wild vegetables.
The mountain greens were especially good. Tender and crisp.
Oikawa even briefly considered digging up a whole basket to take home on the last day.
…Yeah, he'd definitely get laughed at.
He could already hear Yui and the others teasing him.
"Ah, good morning, Oikawa!"
By the time he returned to his seat, Yui Yuigahama had appeared across from him, with Yukino Yukinoshita beside her.
"Morning."
He greeted them simply.
Yukino said nothing, and he didn't go out of his way to greet her either.
"Oikawa, is the grilled fish good?"
Yui was still trying to lighten the mood. Oikawa didn't feel like talking much, but he couldn't bring himself to ignore her.
"It's okay. A little salty."
"Better with miso soup. I'd recommend grabbing some of those wild greens too. They're really good."
He spoke with surprising seriousness.
"Yukino, let's go get food too. I'm starving!"
Yui pulled Yukino toward the serving area.
"…Did something happen?"
Shizuka picked up on the tension immediately.
"Not really."
"Just a disagreement about Rumi."
She didn't press further, only nodded.
That made Oikawa curious instead.
"Aren't you going to ask why I'm so indifferent about it?"
"I'm your good teacher, not these little kids. So relax. I'm not gonna force you."
If he'd heard that before coming to Chiba Village, Oikawa might've been touched.
But now?
Wasn't he dragged here against his will in the first place?
And she still had the nerve to say she wouldn't force him.
Unbelievable.
He shot her a silent glare before lowering his head and focusing on his breakfast.
…
..
Around eight, all students from Sobu High had gathered in the dining hall. Including Kawasaki and Hina, who had already eaten.
"Now that everyone's finished breakfast, I'll go over today's schedule." Shizuka folded up her newspaper and set it aside.
"Tonight, we've got a test of courage and a bonfire party. The entire day is free time for the kids, so you'll be helping prepare for those events."
At the mention of the bonfire, Oikawa's interest perked up.
Yui suddenly spoke up, excited. "Is it the kind where everyone dances together? Like folk dancing?"
Komachi chimed in. "You mean that 'Penguin, Penguin' kind of dance, right?"
"Do you mean the Oklahoma Mixer? Only the last note really matches that."
Yukino sounded somewhere between exasperated and confused.
"Doesn't matter. In the end, everyone just looks like aliens dancing anyway."
Hachiman, as always, kept things pessimistic.
"I don't dance."
Kawasaki rejected it outright.
Her meaning was obvious. She didn't want to participate.
"That won't do. Everyone has to join."
Shizuka shut her down with a gentle smile. She had a strange talent for refusing people.
"What about the test of courage? We're not actually going to scare the kids, are we?"
Tobe Kakeru finally got a moment to speak, instead of being a background extra with a name.
"That's exactly what you'll be doing."
"The route's already planned, and the costumes are ready. Just put on a mask and dress up a bit before it starts."
"Alright, let's move. We'll prep for the bonfire while I explain the details."
Shizuka stood and headed out of the dining hall.
Everyone followed after her in a noisy group.
It was then that Oikawa casually stole a glance at Yumiko Miura.
Her eyes were swollen.
Looks like she really broke down last night.
"Oikawa, do you know how to dance?"
Kawasaki suddenly walked up beside him, lowering her voice as she asked.
"No."
He answered instinctively.
"Then you're with me."
She didn't give him a chance to refuse, quickening her pace and moving ahead.
Oikawa blinked.
.
.
.