October 24th. Clear skies, with a mild autumn breeze.
After finishing his morning run, Aoki picked up breakfast from a shop he'd only been to three times before.
As he stepped outside with his food, he paused at the door, inhaling the crisp morning air.
Autumn air had a refreshing chill to it—clear, invigorating, comfortable in a way that winter's freezing temperatures couldn't quite match.
He stood for a moment, watching the cherry tree by the door swaying gently in the breeze, before casually strolling back to his apartment.
The buns at that breakfast place weren't great, but everything else was decent…
Once back at his apartment, Kei packed up, got ready, and by 8:40 AM, he boarded the train to Shuchiin High School.
Kyoto—Japan's historical gem, a major city in the Kansai region, home to the ancient capital of Heian-kyō.
To most high schoolers, though, that kind of trivia didn't really matter.
For Tokyo teens who'd never been there, Kyoto was mostly just:
— The famous Kiyomizu Temple,
— Rows and rows of red torii gates,
— And of course, Uji's signature matcha.
Well, in Kei's case, you could scratch two of those.
He was mainly interested in one thing: Uji's matcha chocolate.
At 9:30 AM, led by teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka, Class 2-F of Shuchiin High piled into their chartered bus and left the school grounds en route to Kyoto.
The bus rumbled westward across multiple cities, and due to the distance, the trip took a little over six hours.
It was only when small, clustered temples began appearing outside the window that Kei realized—they had officially arrived in Kyoto.
"Don't wander off after you get off the bus. Line up first for a headcount."
"Once we've checked everyone, we'll hand out room assignments in front of the inn."
"Boys will be on the third floor, girls on the fourth. First and second floors are occupied by students from other schools, so don't get confused…"
Hiratsuka-sensei's instructions droned on as the bus finally rolled to a stop in front of their inn.
After the long trip, no one was in the mood to walk any farther, especially while hauling luggage, so they got off the bus right there.
Kei didn't bring much—everything fit into one slightly large backpack.
As he slung it over his shoulder and followed his classmates off the bus—
Another school bus, from a different school but arriving at nearly the same time, also pulled up in front of the inn.
As fate would have it, it seemed that this other school had chosen the exact same location for their school trip as Shuchiin High.
And sure enough…
As Kei casually glanced at the students stepping off the other bus, he suddenly froze.
Among the students wearing a familiar-looking uniform, two figures stood out immediately—one with blue hair, and the other with blonde.
In that instant of disbelief, it clicked.
Sometimes, coincidences like this really did happen.
The school that picked the same school trip destination as Shuchiin High's Class 2-F was Shimokitazawa High—
And just his luck…
The classes that voted to go to Kyoto? The exact ones that Nijika and Ryo were in.
As Kei's gaze landed on the two of them, perhaps through intuition or maybe it was just the weight of someone staring—Nijika turned toward him.
She rubbed her eyes as if unsure she was seeing right, then gently nudged Ryo beside her.
After exchanging a few words with Ryo and confirming, she blinked, then—
Without waiting for a teacher's permission, she bounced slightly on her feet, raised a hand, and called out across the distance:
"Aoki-senpai—what a coincidence!"
"..."
Kei, who had just been wondering whether or not to go say hi, went dead silent.
His classmates, however, had no such hesitation.
"Hey Aoki, was that girl calling out to you just now?" asked Hikigaya, who'd only just realized what was happening.
"Uh… yeah," Kei nodded, also noticing that all the students around him had turned their attention toward him.
Ahh… Not even an hour into being in Kyoto, and trouble was already starting.
Kei sighed internally. But then—
"Wait! Aoki-kun, that girl's your band's drummer, right? And the one next to her—she's the bassist, isn't she?"
"Oh! It's the bassist! The one who dragged you off that time!"
"Aoki-kun! During free time later, can I get a photo with you and the band members? Please!"
"Me too! Can I get an autograph?"
Nijika, now realizing that her greeting had caused Kei to be completely mobbed by his classmates, gave an awkward, apologetic laugh.
But the damage was done.
There was no way to hold a proper conversation with Kei now.
Being a public figure had its downsides—Kei had definitely learned that lesson over the past few weeks.
And now, once again surrounded by classmates, he found himself dragged back into the chaotic whirlwind he'd just managed to escape recently.
Thankfully, Hiratsuka-sensei was present today.
Though kind at heart, she had a very short temper. Her sharp voice cut through the chatter:
"You lot—pipe down! What did I just say? Line up! Headcount first!"
The students of Class 2-F had all felt the wrath of Hiratsuka before.
And so, the instant she barked her order, the mob around Kei scattered like mice and obediently lined up.
Kei cast a grateful look at Hiratsuka-sensei, then quickly stepped behind Hikigaya in the queue, ignoring the classmates who'd just been bombarding him with questions.
While Hiratsuka continued barking orders, Kei glanced back toward Nijika and Ryo.
Nijika, who had been nervously watching the commotion unfold from the other group, noticed Kei looking her way again.
She immediately put her hands together in a prayer-like pose, closed her eyes, and gave him a deep apologetic bow.
The meaning was clear:
"Aoki-senpai! I'm really, really sorry!"
Kei didn't blame her, though. He simply shook his head to signal that it was fine.
Ryo gave a silent wave from beside Nijika, likely just a casual greeting.
Kei responded with a small wave of his own.
Before long, Hiratsuka finished the headcount and began assigning rooms.
Kei turned his attention back to his class.
"Room 312—Takano and Yamaguchi. Come get your key."
"Room 313—Hikigaya and Tamura. Get your key."
"Room 314…"
And on it went, all the way to Room 319.
Then, either by coincidence or Hiratsuka's deliberate planning, only Kei was left without a roommate.
"Room 319… Aoki, you're the last one. You'll get a room to yourself. No complaints, right?"
Kei shrugged. Whether it was one person or two, didn't matter much to him.
He walked up, grabbed the room key from her hand, and headed off.
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