Episode 82

On the bus ride to Chiba Marine Ecology Park.

Unlike yesterday’s excited atmosphere, the boys of Class 2-B were now cautiously competing with each other.

The reason? The campfire and folk dance planned for the evening.

Folk dance.

It was as inseparable from the campfire as a needle was from thread.

But since folk dances were performed in male-female pairs, the unpaired boys inevitably had to ask their female classmates to be their partners.

I had given up long ago, so I was fine, but it seemed Satoru hadn’t given up yet.

In fact, it seemed all the boys without partners were in the same situation.

Recalling a similar scene from Valentine’s Day this year, I chewed on the buttered squid I had brought as a snack.

“Ah, I want some, too.”

“Sure.”

When Rika, sitting next to me, reached out, I offered her the bag to take some.

As she took a piece of squid and nibbled on it, Rika suddenly asked, as if she just remembered something.

“Ah, by the way, Ryu-chan, who are you going to dance with tonight?”

Hearing this, Sasha, sitting in the back, sat up abruptly.

“That’s a strange question. Kim Yu-seong will obviously dance with me.”

I looked at Sasha, reaching for the squid, incredulously and said,

“No, we never made such a promise.”

“Then let’s make it now, shall we?”

…That was logical.

As I unwittingly admired Sasha’s rhetoric, Rika, who brought up the topic, exclaimed urgently,

“No way!”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

As Sasha tilted her head in confusion, Rika blushed slightly and grabbed my arm.

“Ryu-chan promised to dance with me!”

This was news to me as well.

“This guy, saying he had given up earlier…”

Perhaps remembering our conversation from the morning, Satoru, sitting in the same seat as me, glared fiercely.

Anyway, setting aside Satoru for a moment, I had to mediate between the two suddenly conflicting parties, so I quickly spoke up.

“Hold on, I’m not planning to dance with anyone. I’ve never danced in my life, and anyone who partners with me will end up looking like Beauty and the Beast. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Hearing my words, Sasha nonchalantly scoffed and said,

“I can teach you to dance. And if I want to dance, I don’t need to care about what others think.”

“I-I can teach you to dance too, you know?!”

Suddenly, the tension between the two girls escalated.

Caught between them, I didn’t know what to do and just chewed on my buttered squid, staring off into the distance.

Thud!

Just then, as the bus stopped, Mr. Matsuda, sitting at the front, stood up and announced,

“If there’s anyone sleeping next to you, wake them up. We’ve just arrived at the marine ecology park.”

“Tsk, lucky timing.”

“Hmph!”

Fortunately, hearing Mr. Matsuda’s words, the two sat down before their emotions could escalate further.

‘Phew.’

Relieved, I sighed inwardly, watching this unfold, and got off the bus with Satoru, who was still sending jealous glances.

Chiba Prefecture was geographically quite unique.

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, including Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, it was almost an island, though adjacent to Tokyo.

This allowed for easy observation of various marine life near the shore, and many marine ecology parks had been developed as tourist destinations.

“It’s now 11 AM, so you have free time until 2 PM! Those who want to sightsee can do so, and those who want to rest can rest! You’re not little kids, so don’t be late for the assembly time!”

“Yes~”

When the class students gathered in rows and unanimously replied, Mr. Matsuda nodded his head in satisfaction and then headed towards the observatory with the other teachers who were waiting behind.

It seemed they were planning to leisurely drink tea at the cafe on the third floor.

“So… what’s everyone planning to do?”

I asked, looking at the people of Group D beside me.

Then, a variety of responses emerged.

“I want to walk along the rocky shore.”

“I want to visit the marine museum.”

“It’s a bit early, but shall we eat?”

“Hmm, I’ll go with Ryuji.”

“I’ll go find a partner first.”

Finally looking at the Class President, he sighed deeply and said,

“Since everyone wants to do different things, how about wandering around on your own until lunch?”

Then, all of Group D agreed.

We agreed to meet in front of the observatory at 1 p.m. and then scattered.

After getting off the bus earlier, I had picked up a pamphlet from the tourist information center, so I unfolded it.

It briefly described the characteristics and main habitats of marine life that could be seen around here.

‘The shortest walking path is a 40-minute course, and the next one is an hour.’

There was also a 1 hour and 30 minute long path, but I decided to skip it as it seemed too long.

As I was about to walk away, still looking at the pamphlet…

“Um, excuse me!”

Suddenly, Rika called out to me from behind.

“Why?”

As I turned around and asked, Rika fidgeted with her fingers and said,

“Um, if Ryu-chan is okay with it, would you like to go to the marine museum with me?”

Ah.

I alternately looked at the pamphlet in my hand and Rika.

I hadn’t expected to receive such an invitation suddenly.

As I was pondering what to do, a familiar voice interrupted from beside.

“Sorry, but Kim Yu-seong will be exploring the rocky shore with me.”

Saying this and suddenly linking her arm was Sasha.

“Wait, are you cutting in again?!”

Rika, who momentarily looked dumbfounded, said this angrily, and Sasha shrugged her shoulders, saying,

“Looking at the pamphlet he’s holding, he was planning to walk along the coast anyway. If he goes to the museum with you, he’ll have to give up his original plan. Isn’t it obvious what he should do?”

“Ugh…”

Rika glared at her angrily, and Sasha turned her gaze away, snorting.

Sasha, who takes great pride in herself, not only bickered with Karen but also spoke sharply to Rika, known for her good nature in the class.

It was pitiful to see her, an exchange student, isolating herself in the class, so I advised her to be friendlier with the others. However, Sasha didn’t even pretend to listen.

Thankfully, it seemed that I got along well with the Class President, who had somewhat become my partner.

Anyway, just as I was about to speak up to mediate between the two, who seemed likely to start fighting again,

“Rika! Yu-seong!”

Karen, who came to the school trip just like us but was in the next class and couldn’t really interact with us, came running, waving her hand.

It was truly the arrival of reliable reinforcement.

“Sasha! Are you bothering Rika again because you have nothing better to do after eating?”

“I never really bothered her. I only spoke the truth.”

As soon as their faces met, they fought, with sparks flying from their eyes.

Actually, it seemed like Karen had a worse relationship with Sasha, but surprisingly, Sasha didn’t seem to really hate her.

Was it like facing a rival you couldn’t really hate?

Meanwhile, Karen, standing protectively in front of Rika, growled at Sasha, but the scene looked somewhat odd due to the more than 10cm height difference between them.

However, with Karen acting as a wall between Rika and Sasha, the awkward atmosphere quickly returned to normal. So, I cautiously suggested to the two,

“How about we go for a walk first and then visit the marine museum? There will be plenty of time left after just a walk anyway.”

Then, Sasha, who was in the middle of a staring contest with Karen, snorted with laughter and turned her head away.

“I don’t mind that. I just wanted to see the rocky shore.”

“Hmph, acting all cool after tucking your tail in first.”

“I-I don’t mind either! We can do both!”

That was how our schedule at the Marine Ecology Park was decided.

After completing the 40-minute walking course, we decided to visit the marine museum near the observatory.

I asked Karen, who was beside me,

“Karen, is there anywhere you want to go?”

Karen looked at me, said, “Huh?” and then shyly smiled, scratching the back of her head.

“I don’t really mind anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”

“Really?”

Surprised by her somewhat proud tone, I looked at Karen anew, and she turned her head, blushing slightly.

Sasha, watching this from the side, murmured,

“How weak.”

Rika also followed suit.

“Karen alone, how petty.”

At times like this, I couldn’t tell if these two got along well or not.

We walked along the path of the Marine Ecology Park, following the extended coastline.

On the way, I saw various fish, birds, amphibians, and crustaceans. Indeed, there were fascinating creatures living naturally here that could not be seen on land.

Personally, I always feel the wonder of nature when I see such scenes.

After passing through a reed field spanning thousands of meters, we eventually reached the rocky shore that Sasha wanted to see, and beyond that, we saw a gray tidal flat.

“Wow! Look at the crabs!”

Rika laughed heartily as she saw the small crabs walking on the tidal flat, as if she had never fought with Sasha.

Seeing this, I found myself smiling softly without realizing it.

It felt like I was at the beach with nieces and nephews who were much younger than me.