By the time the bus arrived, it was already quite late.
So after quickly unpacking their luggage, there were no more planned activities for the day.
After finishing a phone call with Yuusuke Niijima, Aoki Kei headed back downstairs to join the group for dinner.
Once dinner was over, they returned to the hotel.
Hiratsuka-sensei, citing the reason that it was their first night here, decided not to allow any free time for wandering around.
Back in his hotel room, Aoki watched a bit of TV. He lazed around for a while, and around 10 p.m., he went to bed.
And just like that, the first night of their Kyoto school trip came to a close.
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The next day.
Following Hiratsuka-sensei's schedule, Aoki woke up early, did a quick wash-up, and headed downstairs to gather with the others.
Some students had already arrived before him.
His classmates were unusually energetic—small groups gathered here and there, buzzing with excitement as they chatted animatedly.
Thanks to getting a good night's sleep, Aoki felt reasonably fresh.
After coming downstairs, he quietly sat off to the side.
Hikigaya hadn't come down yet, and since Aoki wasn't in the mood to socialize either, he ended up spacing out by himself.
Today's plan was to visit some famous Kyoto landmarks with his classmates.
They'd already talked about it during room assignments last night—over the next three days, they'd tour major attractions with the group, while the last two days were designated for free exploration.
Aoki Kei wondered if they'd pass through Uji during the sightseeing—he was really interested in Uji's famous matcha.
If not, he'd just have to visit on his own during the free days.
But that could wait.
As more students gradually trickled in, Hiratsuka-sensei eventually arrived too.
Still clearly not fully awake, the teacher in the white lab coat yawned as she gave a quick rundown of the day's itinerary.
Their first stop: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, for a visit and a bit of sightseeing.
To be honest, Aoki had zero interest in temples.
First of all, he wasn't religious.
Second, to him, all temples looked pretty much the same—nothing particularly interesting or worth seeing.
But group activities were unavoidable. And besides, during this Kyoto trip, he had one specific reason for needing to visit Kiyomizu-dera:
He hadn't forgotten Kita Ikuyo's request—the omamori from the Jishu Shrine located within the temple grounds...
After breakfast at the hotel, the chartered bus from Shuuka High School pulled up.
The students boarded the bus.
Once everyone was accounted for, they departed.
The hotel wasn't far from Kiyomizu-dera.
After a short ride, they arrived at Gojozaka Station.
From there, it was about a ten-minute walk to the temple's main gate.
After getting off the bus, they proceeded on foot toward Kiyomizu-dera.
Hiratsuka-sensei led the group at the front.
Aoki stayed near the back of the pack, walking at a relaxed pace like he was just out for a stroll.
Among all the students, Aoki was one of the few who seemed disinterested in the temple.
Despite the early hour, the road to Kiyomizu-dera was already packed with tourists.
Luckily, no one recognized him.
Otherwise, he'd definitely be in for a heap of trouble...
As they neared the striking vermilion Nio-mon Gate, Hikigaya—who had been up front—gradually fell back and ended up walking beside Aoki.
Judging by his demeanor, Hikigaya didn't seem particularly thrilled about the temple either.
While the rest of the students eagerly gathered with tourists, snapping photos and checking in on social media in front of the gate, the two of them stood quietly to the side.
"After the Nio-mon Gate, we're heading to the Kiyomizu Stage, right?" Hikigaya asked.
Aoki, completely unfamiliar with Kiyomizu-dera, simply shook his head. "No idea."
"Oh—" Hikigaya, surprised to find something Aoki didn't know, perked up a little.
That almost never happened.
Taking the chance, he began to explain:
"The Kiyomizu Stage is actually one of Japan's most infamous suicide spots. By 1872, over 200 people had jumped to their deaths from there."
"Why only until 1872?"
"Because after that, the government ordered the railings to be raised and banned people from jumping off."
"Ah." After that one question, Aoki Kei quickly lost interest.
"Anyway, as for why so many people chose to jump from there..."
Regardless of Aoki's fading interest, Hikigaya continued giving his little history lecture on the legends surrounding the Kiyomizu Stage.
While listening half-heartedly, Aoki suddenly remembered the omelet he had at breakfast.
The chef really wasn't that skilled.
It was just a simple omelet, but somehow, it had come out terribly.
One side was completely charred...
After visiting the Nio-mon Gate, just as Hikigaya had said, the group moved on to the Kiyomizu Stage.
They took some photos there and continued on.
They passed something like a wishing fountain, then a few smaller landmarks, and eventually arrived at the Jishu Shrine.
That's when Hikigaya's interest visibly returned.
Of course, it wasn't because of the shrine's romantic reputation.
At Jishu Shrine, you could draw omikuji (fortunes) for 100 yen each.
Hikigaya, with his strong command of Japanese, was surprisingly enthusiastic about interpreting omikuji fortunes.
Though he wouldn't say he completely believed in them, he did take them somewhat seriously.
Still, he wasn't the type to put all his trust in divine will or blindly follow whatever fortune he received.
Before going to get the omamori for Kita, Aoki Kei was pulled along by Hikigaya to draw a fortune of his own.
At the omikuji stand, Hikigaya dropped a 100-yen coin into the offering box and pulled out a slip.
He immediately covered it with his hand, took a deep breath, and slowly unfolded it with a mix of curiosity and suspense on his face.
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"Great Blessing" (大吉).
"Old ties break away, new paths bring fortune; abandon past illusions, and spring comes to barren trees."
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"Ooh—Not bad," he said, a little impressed, holding the fortune slip out for Aoki to see.
After a pause, he added, "As expected of Kiyomizu-dera. This one's actually kind of accurate. Basically, it's saying that the bad things in your past will slowly fade away, and good things are finally going to start happening."
Kei gave a small nod and congratulated him.
"Your turn, Aoki," Hikigaya said, nudging him slightly. "Draw one—I'll interpret it for you."
Aoki Kei didn't really believe in fortunes, but he wasn't against the idea of drawing one for fun.
He nodded, pulled out a 100-yen coin from his wallet, and dropped it into the box.
Even if he didn't put much stock in this stuff, Kei was confident in one thing: his luck.
He'd thought about it before—aside from being reborn into a pretty hellish starting point at an orphanage, his life had mostly gone surprisingly smoothly.
Sure, it was tough, but things always seemed to turn out okay.
And now, more than ever, it felt like luck was on his side. Whether it was school, friendships, or career plans, he'd had his fair share of stumbles—but overall, things were going well.
So surely… a "Great Blessing" wasn't too much to expect, right?
He drew a fortune and opened it without hesitation.
And froze.
Forget "Great Blessing"—he'd pulled the exact opposite.
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"Great Curse" (大凶).
"Avoid meeting with three women; oaths unspoken remain unfulfilled. With your heart confined behind closed doors, layers of sorrow shall weigh upon you."
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"…"
"Whoa… that's kinda impressive," Aoki muttered dryly, handing the fortune to Hikigaya.
Hikigaya glanced at it and gave a small, pained chuckle. "Man, that's even harder to get than Great Blessing... Maybe this one's just a fluke."
He peeked at Aoki's expression to gauge how seriously he was taking it.
Seeing that Kei was giving him the go-ahead, Hikigaya examined the slip more carefully and explained:
"This first line—'Avoid meeting with three women'—probably warns against having inappropriate or conflicted desires.
'Oaths unspoken remain unfulfilled' means you can't just think about things or say them—you have to act on them.
'With your heart confined behind closed doors'—that's basically saying don't hesitate or overthink it.
And the last part—'Layers of sorrow shall weigh upon you'—if you ignore all this advice, things could get messy."
"…Right." Aoki took back the slip in silence and looked toward the entrance of the shrine.
Kiyomizu-dera. Jishu Shrine.
Whether this fortune was accurate or not, he didn't plan on taking it too seriously.
He could follow the advice written on it—sure. But he didn't believe that misfortune would automatically come just because he didn't.
Between hard work and praying to some unseen deity, Kei had no doubt which was more reliable.
He clenched the paper in his fist, then—following the traditional custom—tied the bad fortune slip onto a nearby tree branch to leave the misfortune behind.
"I'm gonna go grab that omamori," he said to Hikigaya.
…
Jishu Shrine was famous across Japan for its love-related omamori (charms), but those weren't the only kinds they offered.
Not wanting to get the wrong one, Kei decided to check in first.
He pulled out his phone and sent Kita a quick message:
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[Aoki Kei]: I'm at Kiyomizu-dera now. They've got a bunch of different kinds of omamori here. What type do you want?
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