First Day Of Ski Trip, At The Lodge.

At 4:30 PM, Meika-chan and I returned to the lodge.

“Well then, see you later, Meika-chan,” I said as we parted in the lobby. The sleeping arrangements were separated by floor: boys on the first, girls on the second.

“Today was the only day I could be with you, Yu-san, wasn’t it…?” Meika-chan said, looking somewhat lonely.

“No, I mean, you can talk to me normally whenever you want,” I replied.

But Meika-chan shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I promised En-chan that we’d take turns day by day to be with you, and that we wouldn’t interfere when it’s the other person’s turn. I told Toko-san that, too.”

Wait, if they’re going in order like that, does that mean the only day I get to be alone with Toko-san is the third day…?

While I was momentarily caught up in that thought, Meika-chan bowed vigorously.

“I had fun today. Thank you very much.”

With that, she ran up the stairs as if she were fleeing.

I feel… like I’ve done something wrong…

Musing on that, I returned to my room.

The room was empty. Two sets of luggage were placed by the entrance. This was a shared room for just Ishida and me. For the time being, I peeled off my ski wear, changed into a jersey, and flopped onto the bed. I had thought about going to the bath with Ishida, but the guy hadn’t come back yet. Ayaka-san and Yuri-san were probably with him. They were likely still out on the slopes. They might not even return until right before dinner. Personally, though, I wanted to hit the bath and freshen up before eating.

“No point in waiting for Ishida,” I muttered to myself, sitting up. If I stayed lying down like this, I felt like I’d drift off to sleep.

“Time for the bath.”

I grabbed a bath towel and fresh underwear from my bag and headed for the large communal bath.

When I arrived, there were already several people inside. Two seemed to be just leaving. I undressed and entered the bathing area. It was quite spacious. One person was at the washing stations, and one was in the tub. The person in the tub was Nakazaki-san. As I rinsed myself off to get in, he noticed me.

“Oh, Isshiki.”

“You finished up early too, Nakazaki-san.”

As I spoke, I soaked in the water about a meter away from him. The hot water felt amazing, seeping into a body that was exhausted from exercise and a lack of sleep.

“Yeah. We slept on the bus last night, right? I couldn’t sleep well.”

“Sorry for being noisy.”

Nakazaki-san waved his hand at my apology. “No, I’m just the type who can’t sleep on buses to begin with.”

He wiped his face with his hands. “Besides, the ones being loud were the second-years, not you, Isshiki. Those guys were totally wound up just because high school girls were joining the trip.”

I gave a wry smile. At the very least, it was a relief that Nakazaki-san saw it that way.

“Still, Isshiki, you’re something else. Not only did you land Toko-san, but you’ve got two beauties chasing after you.”

I could only fall silent at that. It’s true that I started dating Toko-san after “X-Day,” the night we got revenge on the two cheaters. Publicly, it was assumed that Toko-san and I spent the night together at a hotel that day. But in reality, we just stayed at the hotel until midnight; we didn’t do anything, we didn’t even hold hands. Our first kiss didn’t happen until more than a month after that.

“No, regarding those two, it’s not really like that…”

“Ishida’s sister Meika is quite a cute girl, and Toko-san’s sister Honoka is a beauty who doesn’t lose out to her older sister,” Nakazaki-san continued, as if he hadn’t heard me. “Some people are already starting to call you the ‘Second Kamokura’.”

Hearing that made me feel grim. I really hated being categorized in the same group as that guy. Nakazaki-san must have noticed my mood.

“Well, don’t let it get to you. You’re different from Kamokura. I know that better than anyone. The guys saying that probably don’t mean it seriously; they’re just jealous.”

With that, he stood up and left the bath.

A while after I returned to the room, Ishida came back. Apparently, besides Ayaka and Yuri, he had been skiing with a girl from the women’s university. It seemed Ishida had enjoyed himself thoroughly. That was fine and all, but…

“Isn’t it a bit much to just leave me and Meika-chan and disappear?” I complained.

“Sorry, sorry. But Meika had asked me before we even came on this trip, you know? She said she wanted a chance to talk to you privately,” he replied, looking not the least bit sorry.

“But still, being alone with Meika-chan is… it’s awkward, and I’m worried about how it looks to others…”

“Ayaka and Yuri also said, ‘Let Meika-chan be alone with Isshiki-kun.’ Apparently, they talked to Meika on the lift and decided to do that.”

“I figured it was something like that.”

“Besides, the ‘others’ you’re worried about isn’t the public, it’s Toko-senpai, right?”

I glared at Ishida. It was frustrating, but he’d hit the bullseye.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? This was Toko-senpai’s own suggestion. There’s no need to worry so much. More importantly, let’s get some food. I’m starving.” Ishida stood up.

When we went to the dining hall, nearly half the seats were already filled. I scanned the room. There—Toko-san. She was at a table with Kazumi-san, Mina-san, Manami-san, Ayaka, and Yuri. I couldn’t miss this chance.

“Ishida, we’re going to that table.”

I signaled to him with my eyes toward Toko-san’s table. Since it was buffet-style, I took a tray, piled some favorite dishes onto a plate, and headed over.

“Um, is it okay if we join you?” I asked at their table.

“Oh, Isshiki-kun. We were waiting for you,” Kazumi-san replied, pointing to the seat next to Toko-san.

I sat there, and Ishida sat opposite me. All six of them had mostly finished eating. Toko-san saw my face and gave me a sweet smile.

“How was the skiing? Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah, I enjoyed it normally,” I replied, adding “but…” in my head.

“How is Meika-san? I wonder if she’s enjoying the club ski trip?”

“Yeah, I think she’s probably doing fine.”

Then Ayaka, sitting diagonally across from me, interrupted energetically. “She’s fine, totally fine! We made sure to create some private time for Isshiki-kun and Meika-chan. I’m sure she was satisfied!”

However, hearing that, it seemed to me that Kazumi-san shot me a sharp, momentary glare.

“I see, that’s good then,” Toko-san said, draining the rest of the tea in her glass. “Tomorrow you’re with Honoka, right? Sorry, but please look after her as well.”

With that, Toko-san picked up her tray and stood up.

“U-um, Toko-san!” I called out instinctively.

“What is it?” Toko-san turned back, her smile still in place.

“The day after tomorrow… the third day… you’ll be with me, right?” The pleading words tumbled out of me.

“That’s right. We said we’d take turns, after all. But, Isshiki-kun…” She paused there. “Meika-san and Honoka were invited for our sake this time. Please prioritize them first.”

Having said her piece, she walked briskly toward the tray return area as if the conversation were over.

Toko-san… we haven’t even had a proper conversation today…

I stared at her retreating back. When I noticed Ishida, he was looking at me with pity.