Chapter 172: Day 1 Of School Trip

The Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Kyoto took about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

It was my first time on the Shinkansen, and it was definitely as fast as its reputation suggested.

“Wow... this is Kyoto Station.”

“It looks just like a pyramid.”

As soon as we got off at Kyoto Station, the first ones to exclaim in awe were Sasha from Russia and Mahes from Egypt.

They speak Japanese so well that I sometimes forget they’re foreigners, but moments like these remind me that they both definitely are.

Before moving to our accommodation, we took the long escalator up to the sky garden above the station during our 30 minutes of free time.

From the sky garden, we had a clear view of Kyoto cityscape, and we could see Kyoto Tower, one of Kyoto’s landmarks, in the distance.

Rika, with her hands behind her back, muttered.

“It seems kind of small.”

“People from Tokyo always say that. Probably because it’s smaller than Tokyo Tower.”

The Class President said this while taking a photo of Kyoto Tower with her phone, and Ayame, next to her, extended her hand.

“Class President, don’t do it alone. Let’s take a picture together. This is all part of the memories.”

Satoru next to them agreed excitedly.

“Oh! That’s a great idea! I’m in!”

“Well, they say the only thing left from a trip is the photos.”

As Ryuji also joined in, the Class President, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, said, “H-huh? Huh?”

“Could you please take one photo for us?”

We asked a passerby to take a group photo of us with Kyoto Tower in the background.

“Kyaaaah!”

But then, the Class President screamed while checking the photo.

“What happened?!”

Everyone looked in surprise, and the Class President showed her trembling hand with the phone screen.

“Th-there’s something strange behind Sakamoto.”

Eh?

I quickly looked at the photo.

Indeed, something white and wavering was captured behind Ryuji.

“......”

I looked towards Ryuji.

Hanging behind him was Saya... no, Chiaki. She turned her head slightly, as if pricked by something, and I made an excuse.

“I-it’s not my fault! What?!”

Oh boy, that ghost.

I tried my best to persuade her.

“It must be some kind of backlighting effect. There’s no way something like a ghost would be captured in broad daylight.”

“I didn’t say anything about a ghost.”

“Y-you didn’t?”

“...So, it looks like a ghost to you too, Yu-seong?”

Having nothing to say, I simply nodded in agreement.

“What’s up?”

Then, Satoru appeared like a savior.

“Ah, something like a ghost appeared in the photo.”

Satoru glanced at the photo, chuckled, and shrugged.

“This is just an effect caused by HDR light reflection. It’s nothing, so don’t make a fuss about it.”

“I-is that so?”

The Class President awkwardly scratched her head, and Satoru said with a mischievous expression.

“I didn’t know you were scared of ghosts, Class President.”

“Is it wrong for me to be scared?”

“No, it’s surprisingly cute.”

Then, the Class President, with a flushed face, pummeled Satoru with her fists.

“No, of course not.”

As Ryuji forced a smile and nodded, Satoru finally smiled broadly and handed over the sunglasses.

“That’s my friend.”

“Ryuji?”

Chiaki’s condition, clinging to Ryuji, was unusual, but it’s none of my business, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

“Now it’s your turn, Yu-seong.”

Satoru said this and handed me a slightly angular type of classic sunglasses.

Specifically, they looked like something a cyborg from the future might wear.

As I tried them on for size, Satoru fell silent.

“Why? Does it look strange?”

“It’s not strange, but you look like you’re about to run at someone with sashimi.”

In other words, I looked like a yakuza.

“I don’t want to wear them.”

I quickly returned them.

“Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean it in a bad way!”

Satoru hurriedly tried to take back his words, but it was too late.

My glass heart had already been deeply cracked.

Amidst our playful bickering, our free time came to an end, so we headed to the meeting place our homeroom teacher had set.

We planned to tour the tourist attractions near the inn and return in the evening.

Kiyomizudera.

In Korean, it’s Cheongsusa.

In terms of popularity among Kyoto’s tourist spots, it competes with Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji.

It’s a highly valued historical site, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and loved by the Japanese.

It’s a must-visit on school trips to Kyoto, akin to Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, Korea.

“Huff... Huff... So high...”

Satoru, who initially bragged that it was no big deal, gasped for breath on the endless uphill path.

“See, I told you to pace yourself.”

“Huff... Didn’t expect it to be... this tough...”

As Satoru struggled to catch his breath, I shook my head and handed him the water bottle I was holding.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

Satoru, drinking the water as if it were the elixir of life, removed his mouth from the bottle and asked.

“Where did all the girls go?”

“They said they would look around at a teahouse on the way up. We’re here because we followed you.”

“If it’s too hard, why don’t we go in somewhere and rest? We still have plenty of free time.”

At Ryuji’s worried suggestion, Satoru replied with an unabashed voice.

“If you insist that much... it can’t be helped.”

Watching him, I asked Ryuji, who was beside me.

“Should we just leave this guy?”

Ryuji nodded seriously.

“Not a bad idea.”

Realizing the mischievous atmosphere, Satoru cautiously reached out his hand.

“Eh? Hey? Guys?”

“We’ll go ahead; you come up after you’ve rested.”

But having decided to play a prank, we started running up the steep hill without looking back.

Left alone, Satoru yelled from behind.

“Hey! You jerks!”

Ah, the Doppler effect.

ED/N: A traditional Korean unit for measuring area. An area of 15 pyeong is approximately 49.59 square meters or 533.7 square feet. ️