What on earth do you think a school trip is for?
[Partner, wake up.]
My head hurts.
I hear someone’s voice from afar.
[Partner, I said wake up. Today is the day of the school trip.]
The Black Prince’s voice rings clear in my ears.
Bam.
My eyes snap open.
Today’s the day we head out for the school trip.
Slap slap.
I chase the sleep away by smacking my cheeks with both hands.
“Are you awake, Kim Deok-Sung?”
A familiar voice reaches my ears.
I turn my head.
Even though it’s early morning, she looks impeccable with her neat gray bob haircut, dressed in a suit.
It’s Han Seo-Jin.
“Your suitcase is right here.”
Han Seo-Jin points to a large suitcase tucked away in the corner of the accommodation.
“I’ve packed everything meticulously, so there’s no need to worry. Here’s the cargo list.”
Swish.
Han Seo-Jin hands me a document.
I didn’t think it would come to this.
To fully shake off my sleep, I check the cargo list she handed me.
Wow, she really packed everything thoroughly.
If nothing else, it’s clear that Han Seo-Jin is the best at her job.
National pride aside, of course.
“Well then, have a good trip.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I step out of the accommodation while receiving Han Seo-Jin’s send-off.
The meeting spot is the auditorium.
Once attendance is confirmed, we’ll hop on the bus and depart for the academy.
So, I need to head to the auditorium first.
“Junior!”
I hear a familiar call from a distance.
“Junior······!”
A beautiful girl with flowing violet hair.
It’s Senior Hoshino Kasumi.
As she approaches me, Senior Kasumi catches her breath, flipping her hair back with a smile.
“Junior, today’s the day we leave for the school trip, right?”
Senior Kasumi beams at me.
“Uh, yeah······.”
I nod at her words.
“I wish I could be a first-year like you, Junior. I’m sad I can’t join you on the trip.”
Senior Kasumi mutters in a timid voice.
The school trip is an event exclusive to the first years, unlike the summer school or cultural festival where all grades participate.
As a second-year, Senior Kasumi, and Aris, a third-year, are not allowed to join.
That’s probably why she’s here.
Seeing Senior Kasumi acting all shy and hesitant makes me feel a bit sorry for her.
Sorry, huh?
Looks like I’ve gotten too soft in this damn light novel world lately.
“······Junior. Do you still have the talisman I gave you?”
Senior Kasumi’s voice floats to my ears.
Talisman?
Is that the one she bought at the Seimei Shrine when we went to Kyoto?
If it’s that talisman…
“Right here.”
I rummage through my backpack and pull out the talisman that Kasumi-senpai had gifted me from Kyoto.
“Junior…”
Kasumi-senpai’s eyes tremble.
Grab.
She clutches my hands tightly.
“Junior, you’ve kept the talisman I gave you so dearly…!”
Tears well up in Kasumi-senpai’s eyes.
Why is she suddenly like this?
I’m a bit flustered.
“Senpai, um… please don’t cry.”
“Ugh, okay. I’m sorry. I thought the bad guy Junior would have thrown away a talisman from someone as inconsequential as me long ago. But I’m so happy you’ve kept it…”
Kasumi-senpai wipes her tears with her sleeve.
She thought I’d thrown the talisman away?
‘What does she think of me?’
I may be an underachiever with a soda-pop personality, but I’m not the kind of trash to throw away or sell a gift.
[Hoshino’s words have some merit. Your partner is just a bad boy with a tsundere attitude, after all.]
The Black Prince is babbling in my head.
Tsundere? What does that even mean?
Is this some kind of Korean drama?
This is ridiculous.
“Senpai, please calm down.”
“Huh, huh…”
Kasumi-senpai continues to cry despite my words.
[Partner. In times like this, you need to pat her head to be a true gentleman.]
The Black Prince advises.
If she keeps crying and someone else finds us, that could get awkward.
So, I decided to follow the Black Prince’s advice.
Gently.
I place my hand on Kasumi-senpai’s head.
“Ah…”
Kasumi-senpai flinches.
Her face turns bright red.
“Please stop crying, senpai.”
I stroke her head.
Thinking it over, I realize I’ve been quite indifferent towards Kasumi-senpai.
Her behavior is somewhat my responsibility.
“Okay, I’ll stop crying. I’m a senpai after all. I have to set a good example for Junior…”
Kasumi-senpai wipes her tears and smiles.
My heart feels a bit fluttery.
The atmosphere turns slightly awkward.
This is the time to change the subject.
“Here’s the talisman.”
I hand the talisman to Kasumi-senpai.
“Thank you.”
Kasumi-senpai smiles brightly.
She takes the talisman and starts chanting a spell.
Whoooosh! A purple magic circle appears over the talisman.
“Magical☆Kasumi☆Power! Yip! Pyo-ro-ron!”
Swish.
The magic circle disperses, and magical power seeps into the talisman.
Wait, why is the spell like that?
I don’t remember it being like this in the original. Did she become a magical girl or something?
Listening to it feels kinda weird.
“Alright, here.”
Kasumi-senpai hands the talisman back to me.
“I’ve cast a protective spell on it. It’s not that strong, but… Junior, strange accidents seem to always happen when you go outside the academy…”
Kasumi-senpai says with a worried tone.
Well, I mean…
In web novels or light novels that focus on academies, accidents have a way of happening during events, but really, it’s usually the other way around.
From Kasumi-senpai’s perspective as a second-year, it’s completely understandable to think that way.
“Thank you, senpai.”
I tuck the talisman into my pocket.
According to light novel clichés, such a talisman usually ends up blocking a fatal blow for the protagonist in a life-or-death crisis.
Surely that won’t happen again, right?
“Yeah. A bad boy who tramples on a girl’s innocence, yet cherishes her gifts like a kind junior. Have a great school trip!”
As I left the dormitory with Kasumi-senpai’s send-off, I encountered someone.
“It’s Kim Deok-Sung, isn’t it? Why are you so late?”
The beautiful girl with silver hair wearing the student council president’s armband was none other than Saionji Aris.
She pouted her lips and said with a neutral expression, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you since this morning?”
Aris put her arms on her hips.
“Good morning, Aris-senpai.”
I flinched.
Hearing me call her senpai made Aris’s face slightly flush.
She crossed her arms and said, “…I heard you’re going on a school trip today.”
She changed the subject as if trying to act oblivious.
“I’m a third-year and the student council president representing Shuo. I can’t participate in the school trip which is just for first-years, but…”
Aris trailed off.
Like Kasumi-senpai, being in her third year meant she couldn’t join the trip either.
She looked at me with a disappointed expression.
“Yet, the school trip is a special experience. I hope you enjoy it well with your classmates.”
Her silver gaze turned towards me.
Suddenly.
Aris grabbed my hand.
“But no scoundrel acts! No inappropriate romantic relationships! Understood?”
She shouted.
This was probably the thing she wanted to say the most.
Thanks to her loud declaration, all eyes in the vicinity were on us.
“What’s going on? President-senpai, did you come all the way here just to see the Black Beast?”
“Has your crush already gone on guard outside? Talk about thoroughness even in romance!”
“When you say no inappropriate romantic relationships on the school trip, isn’t that a bit much for the Black Beast?”
“I heard the harem members are already plotting to invade the Black Beast’s accommodation!”
“They’re planning to throw a wild party every night!”
Whispers ensued.
The lively chatter of extras rang in my ears.
My head was starting to hurt.
What do they think this school trip is?
“Answer me!”
Aris demanded.
There was no escaping this.
I had to respond, even if just to get out of this situation.
“Yes. I will.”
Aris bit her lip.
She raised her pinky finger.
“It’s a promise.”
Do we really have to make a pinky promise?
I sighed inwardly and linked pinky fingers with her.
“Ugh…”
As our fingers touched, Aris’s face turned even redder.
We pressed our thumbs together.
The pinky promise was complete.
“Good. I don’t believe Kim Deok-Sung would be the kind of scoundrel to break a promise.”
Finally, Aris allowed a relieved expression to wash over her face.
A small smile appeared on her usually neutral face.
“Then I wish you a safe and enjoyable school trip.”
With Aris’s send-off, I headed toward the auditorium, dragging my suitcase.
It was finally time to kick off the school trip.
*
The students gathered in the auditorium were again divided into groups and boarded the bus.
After a lengthy bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination.
Beppu City.
A local city in Oita Prefecture.
The city most famous for hot springs in Japan.
Originally, the top three preferred school trip spots in Japanese subculture were Kyoto, Okinawa, and Hokkaido, but since all three locations came from the exchange event, summer school, and Imgan School, it was unavoidable for the author to settle on this destination.
It’s Hokkaido, but all three locations are set for a cultural exchange, with summer school and Imgan School, making it a place the author had no choice but to designate as the destination.
Sure, it’s called a school trip, but it’s basically just a hot spring trip in disguise.
Of course, hot spring trips are a long-standing cliché in Japanese subculture, and the content from the original volume nine that deals with the school trip is a jumble of every hot spring cliché you can think of.
You know, like when someone accidentally switches the男女浴时间 (men’s and women’s bathing times) and walks in on a heroine, or when the protagonist and Ishihara try to peek at the heroine bathing and get caught.
The school trip episode in the anime was quite popular too.
Thank the hot spring service gods for that.
Due to censorship standards, the TVA had too much fog to cover the heroines’ bodies even in the hot springs, but the BD version toned down the fog, revealing the heroines’ figures and making it even more popular.
“From now on, it’s a group free trip! Everyone, tour Beppu city freely and arrive at the accommodation by 6 PM! If you’re late, be sure to contact the teacher! Understood?”
I hear Mayuzumi-sensei’s voice in my ear.
This time, the accommodation for the school trip is, of course, a traditional Japanese high-end inn with hot springs—an onsen ryokan.
A ryokan.
As someone who has never been to a hot spring or a ryokan in Japan, I feel an odd thrill.
Who knows when the League will strike, but a trip is a trip, so I might as well enjoy it as much as possible.
“Well then, the school trip starts now!”
Mayuzumi-sensei says with a smile.
As soon as those words are out, Evangelin’s pink twin tails abruptly shoot up.
“Shinozaki-kō! Kim Deok-Sung! Where should we go first?”
Evangelin’s eyes sparkle.
“Hmph. A human school trip is just….”
Beside her, Beatrice grumbles.
“Oh my, Trixie. You seemed so excited yesterday that you didn’t get much sleep, did you?”
Evangelin smiles while looking at Beatrice.
“Wh-what gives you that idea! I’m just not someone who sleeps! Only inferior humans need sleep! As a saint of the Scarlet Flame, I possess a body that no longer requires sleep!”
Beatrice flails around attempting to defend herself.
In the end, it just means she didn’t sleep well.
It’s not like she’s a kid or anything.
A sigh escapes me.
To think I have to witness such antics even at a school trip.
At that moment, when my exasperation was soaring to the heavens.
“I’ve planned an itinerary in advance….”
Rustle.
Rin pulls something out from her bosom.
It’s an impressive stack of documents.
“W-what is that?! Shinozaki-kō?!”
Evangelin’s eyes widen.
I’m curious too.
What in the world did Rin bring with her for this school trip?
“It’s the Shinozaki family vision—Shinozaki-style vision Beppu travel guide!”
Rin shakes the document stack proudly.
“Wowww! Shinozaki-kō! That’s incredible!”
“Hmm, it’s not that amazing. From now on, I’ll be your guide for this trip. Everyone, follow me.”
Rin swells with pride while shaking the Shinozaki-style vision Beppu travel guide, her ample bosom bobbing.
This doesn’t feel promising from the start.
Is this school trip going to be alright?
