BHSAF 174 School trip 2

　The school trip lasts for three nights and four days.

　On the first day, we toured Kyoto as a class, on the second day we had free time in Kyoto, on the third day we toured Nara, and on the fourth day we took a quick look around the area of the hotel we were staying at and then headed home. The fourth day was basically a day to head home, so we only had three days to actually tour.

　The bus they were on had taken just over three hours to reach Kyoto, and they were now in a parking lot near the first shrine they were to visit.

"Finally, we've arrived."

　Even if they have friends nearby and are excited about the upcoming school trip, sitting in a chair for several hours can be uncomfortable for young high school students.

　The classmates got off the bus one by one, looking around as if enjoying the scenery and stretching their bodies that had been stiff in the same position for so long.

"Yeah"

　In the former, Yui looked around with shining eyes.

"Hehe, Yui-chan is like a child."

　Yui seems to be having fun as if it's her first time here.

"Well, my school trip in junior high school was many years ago, and I've been here a few times for filming, but I was so focused on work at the time that I wasn't in the mood for sightseeing..."

　Perhaps realizing what Yu had said, Yui answered a little embarrassedly.

"Well, we should enjoy this school trip. We won't be taking photos or anything, we'll just be participating as normal students."

　Ever since she began acting, Yui has been saying that she wants to balance her studies with her acting career. Although she loves acting, she generally wants to prioritize her studies. However, because various people are involved in filming, she is sometimes unable to decide on filming times based on her own convenience, and is forced to take time off school.

　Fortunately, there are no filming scheduled for this school trip, so she can participate without any hesitation. This makes not only Yui happy, but also Yu, who had wanted to join her on the school trip.

"Yeah. Plus... I'll be able to go to lots of different places with Yu-kun... I'm looking forward to that too."

　He smiles brightly.

"thank you"

　He was happy to see Yui like that, but that didn't mean he could let his guard down. If Yui got too excited and the people around her found out that she was Shimotsuki Yui, it would be a big problem. Yu once again thought that if he thought Yui was getting too excited, he should cover for her secretly.

　A smile suits Yui, and he doesn't want to see her look pained or sad if possible. The reason Yu wants to be by Yui's side is simply because he likes her, but also because he wants to protect her from the flames that come his way.

　Meanwhile, Takuya gets off the bus looking listless. While everyone around him seems to be having a blast on this school trip, Takuya is the only one who looks bored.

　If you watch Takuya up until he is rejected by Yui, you can see that it's not simply because he doesn't like school trips.

　Anyone familiar with romantic relationships would say that being dumped by just one person is too much for him to dwell on, but in Takuya's case, it's not just a simple case of being dumped by his girlfriend; he also has the added shock of having his girlfriend stolen by his friend.

　There's no way Yui wouldn't notice Takuya like that.

　Although he knows that he is one of the reasons why Takuya is in a bad mood, he still tells him that it's a shame that Takuya can't enjoy the school trip.

"Taku... Takuya-kun. It's a rare chance to go on a school trip, so... let's have some fun, shall we?"

"………………"

　However, Yui's concern seemed to annoy Takuya, and although he looked at her, he made no attempt to reply.

"Well... you see. If possible, I'd like us to continue to be friends... It's fine if we take our time, so let's talk like before."

"...Huh. Well, I'll think about it."

　Yui continues to talk bravely to Takuya, who refuses to respond. Seeing him like that, she feels uncomfortable remaining silent, so she replies, albeit curtly.

　Yui feels lonely because things have changed since before, but perhaps this is a normal reaction when approached by someone who rejected her. Having never been involved in romantic matters before, Yui wonders if she should be persistent, so she leaves Takuya's side and returns to Yu.

　As this was going on, all of Yu's classmates got off the bus, gathered together, and the teacher gave the command.

　The students formed a line, followed by the teacher leading the way, and walked to the shrine to sightsee. Yu and Yui lined up at the very back of the line, and began to walk slowly, watching the backs of their classmates.