Chapter 285: The Illness Called Love
Shinomiya Kaguya didn't stay long in the student council room; she quickly left.
Today Shirogane had to work a part-time job. Since the new term had just started and there wasn't much to handle, he didn't come. Miko was busy with the disciplinary committee's tasks. It was rather cold today—hopefully she wouldn't catch a cold.
At noon, Sakurai saw Ishigami Yuu in the hallway, a bright smile on his face, seemingly in a good mood. Was it because things with Koyasu Tsubame were progressing quickly? Sakurai Saki could only make that guess, but he was too lazy to ask for details.
Sakurai Saki and Koyasu Tsubame weren't close and had barely ever spoken to each other.
...
The exams of the second week after the start of the term had ended, and this Friday there would be a winter camping trip. They said it was to strengthen students' practical skills and outdoor activities, so they wouldn't stay in school all the time.
Very few schools specifically organize a camping trip in winter.
This was a leftover from the previous school trip, which was originally planned for winter but took place earlier, so they forcibly crammed in this activity, giving it an air of awkwardness.
The students were cheering, but Sakurai Saki felt uncomfortable. He disliked both summer and winter; though he'd mentioned it once before, even as an Esper he could still feel heat and cold.
Moreover, just thinking about this kind of camping wasn't fun at all, right? A whole class of students gathering together, picking up firewood to cook, spending the night together—one could tell how boring it would be without even imagining. The planned activities were also quite ordinary; apparently there would be a courage test.
Each class would select two representatives to carry out the courage test.
Coincidentally, Sakurai Saki was chosen.
Homeroom teacher Masaki-sensei, wanting Sakurai Saki not to cause trouble in such large-scale activities, had clearly put in quite a bit of thought.
Today was Tuesday, and the last class was P.E., held indoors.
The boys were playing basketball while the girls stood on the side watching.
Sakurai Saki sat in a corner, watching the fun.
"Hmm? Sakurai, what are you looking at? The girls' butts?" Toyosaki Saburou plopped down beside him, asking in a lewd tone.
Sakurai Saki turned his head to look at him. "With the winter gym clothes wrapped so tightly, what's there to look at?"
"You don't get it, that curve, that slight lift…" Toyosaki Saburou rubbed his chin halfway through his words. "Wait, actually there really isn't anything to look at."
Wasn't Shuchiin's sports uniform protecting the girls a bit too well?
"This winter camp, I heard there's even skiing," Toyosaki said, sharing the news he'd picked up.
"Skiing? Don't tell me we're going to Hokkaido?" To Sakurai, only Hokkaido in Japan had snow.
"Could be Nagano," Toyosaki said uncertainly.
Ski resorts in Japan existed in only a few places.
Moreover, compared to those abroad, they were smaller: slope lengths about 30 to 50 km, altitude differences around 1,000 m, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
"Don't you think there might be a scene where we ski too late, then a sudden blizzard hits, the sky goes dark, and we get lost in the snowstorm?" Toyosaki Saburou asked expectantly.
"I can be sure you're hoping to get stuck in that kind of disaster with a girl," Sakurai Saki shot him a glance.
"You're right. One person trapped in a snowstorm would be a disaster, but a boy and a girl? Hard to say. I'd call that a benefit."
"..." Sakurai Saki patted his shoulder and advised sincerely, "Toyosaki, let me tell you, when people are extremely tired and starving, they can't feel that kind of desire. Haven't you heard the saying 'only when full and warm do you think about sex'?"
"I'm not that desperate. Anyway, I'd first build a shelter against the blizzard—like an Eskimo snow house or some wooden cabin," Toyosaki Saburou described his idea. "Inside that warm little hut, the girl and I, suffering together, would spend a night full of subtle emotions: one man, one woman, dry wood meeting a blazing fire."
"[Tokyo Television, Tokyo Television, reporting for you: last night Shuchiin student Toyosaki xx went missing, and today his stiff body was found at the ski resort]." Sakurai Saki spoke in the tone of a news announcer.
"...If you don't believe it, fine, but don't go ruining my dream. A buddy like that is no good." Toyosaki shook his head in disappointment.
"If you want to pull off the stuff you're talking about, you'd have to bring a ton of gear. Splitting logs by hand to build a house isn't realistic—you'd need an axe or a chainsaw, right? And to start a fire, we don't know how, so you'd need a lighter, right? Planning to have 'dry wood meet a blazing fire' at night—you'd need a blanket, right? With all that stuff, are you going skiing or doing wilderness survival?" Sakurai Saki stood up.
"Then I'll bring a lighter and some matches. When I'm about to die, I can pray to God."
...Are you the little match girl or what? And you're bringing a lighter too, that's so you.
"Hey!! Sakurai!! Wanna shoot some hoops?!" a male student in the distance called when he saw Sakurai Saki stand up.
"Sure!!!" Sakurai Saki shouted back and ran over.
Several JK fangirls watching started to cheer.
...
That afternoon, on the way to the student council room.
"Why were both Sakurai-san and I chosen as the representatives for the courage test?" Shinomiya Kaguya asked curiously.
"Masaki-sensei probably thinks the two of us get along. She definitely wouldn't let Hayasaka and me be together."
"Hehe, being with me, isn't it fun?"
"Not fun."
"There you go saying that again. Obviously you like me."
"I've explained it so many times—that's a misunderstanding!" Sakurai Saki said, looking as though he wanted to die.
That day he'd been affected by the side effects of his ability and had explained it to Kaguya many times, but she didn't believe a word.
I'm not some tsundere like Maki, you have to believe me, right?
"It's fine, I won't agree to let you pursue me anyway. After all, Ai-san is my best friend, but don't worry, I won't tell her about your little plan to two-time." Shinomiya Kaguya was someone who kept secrets well.
Her lips were tight; she wouldn't spread anything.
Kaguya had a bad habit: she liked to use secrets to test people. If the person she tested ever let the secret slip, Kaguya would immediately give up on being friends with them.
Right now very few had passed this test—surprisingly, Fujiwara Chika was one of them.
"I..." Sakurai Saki felt he couldn't explain clearly.
Indeed, that day he'd had the impulse to kiss her; that couldn't be denied.
But what boy wouldn't be stirred in that kind of situation? A beautiful girl closing her eyes and slightly parting her lips like she was inviting a kiss—who would refuse that, right?
"Come on, don't be so down. Even if you can't win me over, you still have Ai-san, that's enough." Shinomiya Kaguya patted his shoulder.
Silently, Kaguya added in her heart: 'I'm working hard to hold back my own feelings for you too—it's exhausting.'
So it turned out her racing heart was just because she liked Sakurai a tiny, tiny bit. That was fine.
With this level of fondness, it would probably fade away on its own in a few weeks.