— — — — — —
"Yukino, when is the second volume of Your Lie in April coming out?"
"I really want to read it!"
"I'm dying to know what happens next between Kōsei Arima and Kaori Miyazono. Do you think they'll get married right after high school? And what about their kid, would they take after the dad or the mom?"
The conversation… had gone completely off the rails.
This was exactly why Oikawa found Yui a little hard to deal with.
A normal person might imagine the two characters getting married, sure.
But jumping straight to what their future kid would look like?
That was a leap.
At this point, Oikawa was convinced that either he or Yui had a problem.
Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly. Clearly, he had something to say too.
"Generally speaking, a new author releases a book about once a year," Yukino said calmly. "So if anything, the second volume of Your Lie in April should come out around this time next year."
It was rare for Yukino Yukinoshita to be this invested in a novel.
But Your Lie in April was different. The writing was so refined she couldn't find a single flaw. Naturally, she was eager to read what came next.
"I don't think it'll take that long. Maybe before winter even arrives, we'll see the second volume." Oikawa cut in.
"That's unrealistic."
"New authors need time to mature. There's no way a sequel comes out in half a year, and Dengeki Bunko's editors wouldn't allow it."
Yukino disagreed without hesitation.
"Want to make a bet?" Oikawa smiled at her. "If the second volume comes out before winter, you apologize to me. And you admit you shouldn't have called me a 'pervert.'"
"And if it doesn't?"
Yukino met his gaze head-on, unflinching.
"You decide." Oikawa shrugged. "I'll accept any punishment."
"In that case…"
A faint smile tugged at Yukino's lips.
"You'll stand on the school rooftop and shout three times: 'I'm Oikawa Tōru from Class 2-F, and I'm a complete and utter pervert.'"
"…Seriously?"
Oikawa sucked in a breath, staring at her. "Do you have to go that far?"
"Afraid? Then forget it."
Her tone stayed calm, but her eyes clearly said: 'I knew you wouldn't dare.'
"Whoa, this is getting intense!"
Yui's eyes lit up as she looked back and forth between them.
Komachi watched Oikawa too, waiting for his answer.
Hachiman, on the other hand, wore a look of pity.
If Oikawa accepted, he might end up publicly humiliating himself on the rooftop.
If he refused, Yukino would look down on him forever.
It was a lose-lose situation.
"…Fine. But if you lose, you're the one going to the rooftop to apologize."
Oikawa clenched his jaw, veins faintly visible, as if he'd just made a huge decision.
"Deal."
Yukino lifted her chin, confidence written all over her face.
"Hmph. Just wait to apologize." Oikawa turned away with a cold snort.
"Dream on, pervert."
Her tone remained perfectly composed.
"Pfft—"
Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly burst out laughing.
Everyone turned to look at her. Oikawa frowned.
"Sensei, what's so funny?" Yui asked.
"Nothing. I just thought of something amusing… hahaha."
Looking at Yukino through the rearview mirror, Shizuka wore a faintly sympathetic expression.
"What is it? Tell us, Sensei."
"Next time. I'll tell you next time."
She shut her mouth after that.
Oikawa quietly let out a breath.
Now all he had to do… was wait for winter.
He was already picturing it—
Yukino standing on the rooftop, apologizing to him in front of the entire school.
It felt amazing just imagining it.
Better than any wish-fulfillment novel.
A grin spread across his face, growing harder and harder to suppress.
"Oikawa, what are you smiling about now?" Yukino asked.
"Nothing. Just thought of something funny."
"You two are so weird," Yui muttered, frowning.
…
..
"Wow, mountains! This is my first time seeing real mountains!"
"They're huge! And the air is so fresh!"
"All those trees… it's so green. This is seriously relaxing!"
"…"
Everyone looked excited.
Even Kawasaki, usually so reserved, had a faint smile on her lips.
Come to think of it, Chiba really was a great place.
A coastal area with scenery like this too. No wonder tourists kept coming year after year.
Still… the drive from the city had taken forever.
By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was already past three in the afternoon.
Which meant—
Shizuka had been driving for over four hours.
Oikawa could see the hint of fatigue on her face, though it was mostly hidden behind her excitement.
Inside the van, Yui and Komachi had somehow ended up leaning against each other, fast asleep. No one knew how they'd ended up like that.
Yui had been singing excitedly at the start of the trip, but she'd only made it halfway before dozing off.
"This is Chiba Village."
"Our social activity will last three days and two nights. I hope everyone enjoys themselves!"
Enjoy?
Oikawa seriously doubted those words.
This woman still hadn't explained what they were actually doing here.
At this point, he was already feeling a sense of doom.
He had a strong feeling—
These three days and two nights were going to be one hell of a challenge.
.
.
.