— —— —— —
Oikawa didn't think much of it.
He sent Ebina his location and continued lounging on the sofa tucked away in the corner.
Less than ten minutes later, Ebina appeared.
She was dressed much the same as usual. If there was any difference, it was that she wasn't wearing her glasses.
"Oikawa-kun, I thought you'd be upstairs playing with the rest of your group. I didn't expect to find you hiding here by yourself."
Ebina casually sat down beside him and leaned over to glance at his phone.
"PokeMMO? I think I've seen some classmates playing that before." She continued chatting naturally.
"Hold on, I'm in the middle of a Gym battle. Almost done."
Oikawa focused on controlling his Bulbasaur.
Fighting Bug-type Pokémon wasn't exactly easy, but thanks to a well-timed Bite attack, he eventually pulled through.
"Yes!"
He clenched his fist in victory.
Now that the Bug Gym was cleared, the rest would be much easier.
"Anyway, Ebina-san, what did you want to talk about?" Oikawa put away his phone and turned toward her.
"Can't I just come chat with you?"
At some point, a light novel titled He and the Wolf Boy had appeared in Ebina's hands.
The moment Oikawa saw the title, he could already imagine what kind of story it contained.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Sure, you can. But could you please move that novel out of my line of sight first? Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against BL. It's just... a little difficult for me to process."
Jokes about "men on top of men" were one thing.
If you knew someone was kidding, it stayed a joke. But if they were completely serious... then a guy needed to start protecting himself.
"What are you talking about, Oikawa-kun?" Ebina looked at him with a dangerous sparkle in her eyes. "There are so many wonderful new things in this world. How do you know you won't like something if you never try it?"
"Ahem."
Oikawa strategically shifted half a body length away. "Ebina-san, if you've got something to say, please just say it."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you."
She put away He and the Wolf Boy and looked ahead.
Then she quietly asked,
"Oikawa-kun, between Sakisaki and Yui... which one do you actually like more?"
The "Sakisaki" she referred to was, naturally, Kawasaki.
Though Ebina was probably the only person who called her that.
Maybe it was because they both had traces of fujoshi tendencies. Which reminded him. He absolutely had to crush Kawasaki's budding fujoshi traits before they fully bloomed.
If she ever evolved into a second Ebina, he didn't even want to imagine what his future would look like.
"I guess... I like both. There's no law saying I can't like two girls at the same time, right?"
Oikawa answered casually, as though there were nothing difficult about the question.
The world was full of scumbags.
Why couldn't he be one of them?
"Oikawa-kun, you really are a terrible flirt."
Ebina blinked in surprise, but soon smiled with an expression that practically said Yep, that's exactly what I'd expect from you.
"So what is this really about?" Oikawa asked again.
Ebina still didn't answer directly.
Instead, she smiled faintly and began telling a story.
"When I was in middle school, there was a boy I liked. It was a one-sided crush."
"Every time I saw him, my heart would race. During class, I couldn't focus. My eyes would drift toward him without me even realizing it."
"Then... One day, I saw him in an alley. The boy who was always gentle at school. The boy everyone liked. He was beating an elderly man. Over and over."
Ebina's voice remained calm.
"But at that moment, I thought... 'So people can really be that ugly.' 'So appearances really can be nothing more than a disguise.'"
She turned to look at Oikawa.
She was smiling. Yet beneath that smile, he caught a glimpse of lingering sadness.
"Oikawa... don't you think it would've been better if I'd never seen that?"
"Ebina... People are ugly by nature. But some people can find beauty within that ugliness. Others only see the wounds."
Oikawa understood what she was saying.
But understanding wasn't the same as sharing her feelings.
No matter how tragic someone else's story was, outsiders could only ever be spectators.
The corner they occupied fell silent. Even now, Oikawa still had no idea why Ebina had asked to meet him.
Meanwhile, she seemed lost in memories of the past.
This clearly wasn't the right moment to push for answers.
The silence stretched on.
Two or three minutes later, Ebina finally spoke again, "You guys are helping Tobe confess to me, aren't you?"
Her blunt honesty didn't surprise Oikawa.
Ebina was smart. There was no way she hadn't noticed the signs.
"They are. I'm not. I just know about it."
"To be honest, I think it's a pain, and I don't think Tobe has much chance of succeeding."
Oikawa answered truthfully.
"Hm?" Ebina tilted her head. "Do you think I'm not good enough for Tobe? Or do you think Tobe isn't good enough for me?"
There was a teasing note in her voice.
Oikawa rolled his eyes at the fujoshi sitting beside him.
"I just think the two of you don't really fit."
"...Yeah." Ebina's smile softened. "We don't fit."
The moment those words left her mouth, Ebina suddenly stood up from the sofa.
She took a few steps forward until she was standing directly in front of Oikawa.
"Oikawa, can you do me a favor?"
"No." Oikawa could already tell that whatever favor she was about to ask would drag him into a huge headache.
"Please?"
Apparently, fujoshi could act cute when they wanted to.
"No."
But his refusal was just as firm as before.
"During winter break, I'm planning to do a photo shoot with Yui. But—"
"Say no more," Oikawa cut in immediately. "As a model student who loves helping others, you have my full support. I'll be cheering you on from somewhere in the world."
"Oikaw, be the person I confess to."
"..."
Oikawa froze.
"If it's you, Oikawa-kun, then after I confess and get rejected, Tobe will probably give up."
A chill ran down Oikawa's spine.
Wasn't this basically self-destruction?
And if he really became the target of Ebina's confession, wouldn't things become unbearably awkward afterward?
"Ebina, even if I become your confession target, what makes you think Tobe will definitely give up? Sports idiots tend to be incredibly stubborn."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Oops.
Accidental honesty.
"Sports idiots, huh?" Ebina covered her mouth and laughed. "That's a surprisingly simple, brutal, and accurate description."
"Seriously." Oikawa let out a sigh. "You could've just blindsided me with this, you know. If your goal is just to achieve the result, then catching me off guard would've made my reaction more convincing."
Honestly, he'd almost have preferred that. At least then he could've blocked Ebina afterward without feeling guilty.
Not that he'd ever had particularly strong feelings of friendship toward her in the first place.
"But we're friends." Ebina smiled. "And I'll handle everything that comes after myself... Please, Oikawa-kun."
The corner of the first floor fell silent.
A long silence.
Then came a sigh.
Followed by the bright, bell-like laughter of a girl.
...
..
The school trip entered its third day. Today was free activity day.
Students were no longer restricted by class or group assignments and could spend the day however they pleased.
The allowed area wasn't limited to Kyoto either.
If someone wanted to visit nearby Osaka or Nara, that was perfectly acceptable.
After enjoying the luxury of sleeping in, Oikawa finally got up.
He washed up, changed into fresh clothes, and packed his luggage.
Tonight they would be moving to a different inn.
The four-day, three-night school trip was finally approaching its conclusion in Kyoto's most famous district: Arashiyama.
Oikawa had no intention of spending another day visiting temple after temple.
His plan was simple. Rest properly.
Find one of Kyoto's most famous restaurants. And satisfy his appetite.
He lazed around in his room until after ten o'clock.
Only when hunger finally started making itself known did he leave.
Yui and the others seemed to have gone to Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Kawasaki had gone with them as well, apparently planning to pray for her parents and younger siblings' health and safety in the coming year.
Last night, Yui had invited Oikawa repeatedly. Every single time, he'd turned her down.
Traveling was fun. But sometimes it was just plain exhausting.
"What a coincidence, Oikawa."
As soon as he reached the vending machines on the first floor, Yukino appeared before him.
"Weren't you supposed to be with Yui and the others?" Oikawa asked curiously.
"I trust Yui and Hachiman to handle that matter. Today, I'd rather experience Kyoto's history on my own."
Fair enough. That was a very Yukino answer.
"What about you? Yui invited you so many times in the group chat yesterday. Why did you keep refusing?" Yukino asked, though she didn't seem to be waiting for a reply.
Oikawa scratched his head. He selected a canned coffee from the vending machine before asking, "What do you want to drink?"
"Coffee is fine."
Oikawa added another coffee to the order.
After he inserted the money, two cans rolled down into the tray.
"Here."
He handed one to Yukino. Then he yawned.
"Too much trouble. Just like you, I wanted some time alone."
"You haven't eaten yet, right? Want to get sushi later? I found a place online with incredible reviews. Apparently it's been around for over a hundred years."
Oikawa pulled out his phone and showed her a photo from a restaurant called AWOMB.
The image displayed their signature seafood sushi assortment.
A single platter. More than a dozen varieties of sushi.
Just looking at it was enough to make anyone hungry.
"I wouldn't mind trying it." Yukino considered it for a moment before nodding.
Oikawa puffed out his chest confidently. "Trust my instincts as a food connoisseur. There's no way this place is a flop. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
After chatting for a while on the first floor and finishing their coffee, Oikawa and Yukino set off for the sushi restaurant.
They arrived full of anticipation. And left completely satisfied.
The restaurant had lived up to Oikawa's expectations.
The only difference was that what had originally been planned as a solo outing had somehow turned into a two-person trip.
After lunch, the two of them visited Kitano Tenmangū.
Together with Dazaifu Tenmangū and Hōfu Tenmangū, it was considered one of Japan's three great Tenjin shrines.
The deity enshrined there was Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning.
Watching Yukino pray with unusual sincerity, Oikawa couldn't resist teasing her, "What? Worried I might beat you on the midterms this time?"
"As if." Yukino shot back immediately.
"Oh, really?" Oikawa adopted an exaggeratedly smug tone. "If I remember correctly, someone's math and physics scores have always been comfortably below mine. On the last finals, I got a perfect eighty in math. As for someone else..."
He deliberately left the sentence hanging.
Without mercy, he poked directly at one of Yukino's sore spots.
She glared at him fiercely, "That was just a fluke. With your Japanese and geography-history grades, you'll need to wait until your next life if you want to surpass me."
She tossed her hair back proudly. Her face was full of confidence.
At least on the surface.
Whether she was secretly panicking inside was another matter entirely.
"Just wait and see. I've been working really hard on Japanese and geography-history lately."
For once, Oikawa wasn't exaggerating.
Throughout the summer break and over the past several weeks, he'd been studying those subjects while tutoring Kawasaki.
Coincidentally, Japanese and history were some of Kawasaki's strongest areas, which had helped accelerate his own progress.
The current Oikawa was a completely different person from before.
He had a feeling that even if he couldn't surpass Yukino on the midterms, the gap between them would be extremely small.
"Heh. Then we'll see."
Yukino maintained her usual pride.
Oikawa simply smiled and left it at that.
After visiting Kitano Tenmangū, they met up with Yui and the others at the train station before heading together to Arashiyama.
Arashiyama was one of Kyoto's most famous sightseeing districts.
Each season had its own unique beauty.
Spring brought the cherry blossoms that Japan was famous for. Summer offered lush greenery and towering trees. Autumn painted the landscape in fiery red maple leaves. Winter covered everything in pure white snow.
When their train arrived at the station, it felt as though they had stepped into a world made entirely of autumn leaves.
Everywhere they looked was awash in crimson.
The sight left everyone awestruck. Sometimes, seeing a place online only made you think it looked beautiful.
Only when you stood there in person could you feel something stir deep within your soul.
It was a strange and wonderful feeling. Even Yukino, who was usually so composed, couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath at nature's masterpiece.
Afterward, they passed the Arashiyama Music Box Museum and entered one of the district's traditional shopping streets.
Rickshaws rolled back and forth along the road. Rows of storefronts stretched into the distance.
Despite its old-fashioned appearance, the street was packed with food vendors.
Yui looked like a kid unleashed in a candy store. Her eyes lit up immediately as she bounced from one stall to the next.
Before long, her hands were overflowing with snacks.
A croquette in her left hand. Fried chicken in her right. A beef bun stuffed into her mouth.
She looked busier than Tobe, and he was the one preparing for a confession.
"Here, you guys should eat too!"
Whether it was a sudden burst of generosity or concern that she'd ruin her appetite before dinner, Yui started handing snacks to Oikawa and Yukino.
The three of them walked together.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki had her arm hooked with Ebina's as the two discussed what was almost certainly some forbidden topic.
Honestly, Oikawa was worried.
Very worried.
...
The trio continued eating while strolling through Arashiyama.
Before long, a gentle rustling sound reached their ears.
It was the wind moving through the bamboo forest.
The bamboo here was endless. Tall. Slender. Leaning against one another as they stretched toward the sky.
This was the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove that appeared so often on television.
Warm sunlight filtered through the gaps overhead. Combined with the constant rustling of leaves, it created the illusion of stepping into another world.
A few more steps forward, and the scenery suddenly opened up.
Wide stretches of land. Orderly houses. Fields, ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves.
What a place.
A true paradise hidden from the world.
.
.
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