Chapter 125: Let Us Have the Most Spectacular Fireworks

The tour bus sped along the road, a convoy of matching vehicles with identical logos making for quite a spectacle. Before long, they had left the bustling downtown area behind. Passing through Mishima, one could catch a glimpse of the peak of Mount Fuji through the windows. It made one wonder when it might erupt, putting on the most spectacular display of fireworks imaginable.

The bus was designed with great consideration for comfort, featuring a small retractable table by the window that could be pulled out between the two seats. Haruhi Haruno placed his backpack on it and proceeded to lay out the snacks and drinks the "young lady" had thoughtfully prepared. He then pulled two handheld game consoles from his bag and, with a dutiful air, offered one to her.

However, when he saw Kiyoryo-san skillfully launch "Overcooked," his heart sank. Every time they played this game, he ended up being pinched and bossed around by her; he much preferred the spirited, manly duels he usually played with Heisuke and the others. He scanned the area but couldn't find his two best friends nearby. Where had those two disloyal guys run off to? Why didn't they want to sit closer to him?

In the front row of the bus, Yoji Heisuke and Ichinaka Kunita sat stiffly, watching their homeroom teacher, who kept turning around to check on them. They felt quite stifled. When they had given up their seats to Yuriko Ogata, they had stood up and scanned the bus, only to find that every seat except for those behind the teacher was already taken. The two had exchanged a bitter, wry smile before ultimately sitting in the "golden seats" under the teacher's urging. While every other table was filled with laughter and chatter, their corner was deathly silent.

Haruhi Haruno looked at the layout around him and felt he was at a disadvantage. How had he ended up surrounded by girls? Oh, this was bad! In front, behind, to the sides, and even diagonally across—it was all girls. And they kept turning around to look over at them.

"Kiyoryo, what are you guys eating? Let me have some!" Kanae Terashima kept turning around, reaching her "wicked hands" toward their snacks. Mai Hanai was doing the same. It wasn't until Haruno saw his beloved beef jerky about to be snatched away that he finally couldn't hold back.

"Don't you two have your own stuff?"

"Of course we do," Mai Hanai said, picking up the pack of beef as if it were only natural. *Eat, eat, eat—little cow eating beef,* Haruno thought gloomily.

"What did you bring?"

"Clothes, shoes, cosmetics, things like that," Kanae Terashima said, holding a potato chip to her lips as she counted them off one by one.

"What a nuisance. None of that is useful," Haruno muttered, expressing his strong condemnation of their failure to bring snacks on a trip.

"That's why we have you!" Kanae Terashima stuck out her tongue playfully. It looked so rosy and tempting that he felt an urge to take a nibble.

"Kiyoryo-san, shall we play a different game?" Haruno asked, rubbing his aching waist.

"Hm?" Meryo Kiyoryo glanced at him coolly. "Are you getting tired of me?"

"How could that be? Heaven knows I'm sincere!" Haruno raised his hands to show his loyalty hadn't wavered. "I just wanted to have a real, heated battle with you!" The truth was, "Overcooked" was just too frustrating; their constant mistakes always turned their food into "scientific experiments."

"Continue. One more round," Kiyoryo-san said flatly.

"I'm going to go find those two guys and see what they're up to!" Haruno chose to make his escape.

Kiyono Kiyoryo watched this scene, her mind busy recording details. *So, that jerk hates this game—perhaps he's even a little afraid of it.* Collecting this useful piece of information, the second young lady felt quite satisfied. Meanwhile, Yuriko Ogata had been watching the commotion; seeing Haruno head for the restroom, she hesitated, wondering whether she should follow him.

***

Reaching the first row, Haruno found Yoji Heisuke and Ichinaka Kunita huddled together, whispering as they played their own game. He cursed them under his breath for being disloyal and then walked over to pat them on the shoulders.

"Hey, how did you two end up way out here?"

"Ah!" Kunita jumped, nearly dropping his console.

"You've got some nerve asking that," Heisuke said, glancing at the homeroom teacher sitting in front of them. "Look at who's surrounding you. We got chased all the way up here, even though our original seats were great!"

After the two painted a vivid picture of the events, Haruno roughly understood what had happened. He felt a twinge of guilt toward his buddies. Finally, under their accusing glares, he slunk back to his own seat.

After playing a while longer with the young lady, Kiyoryo-san let out a sleepy yawn. Haruno, showing good sense, offered his shoulder. She drifted off to sleep, looking exceptionally beautiful and moving in her quiet state. In particular, her slightly parted, rosy lips kept tempting his restless heart. With the constant rocking of the bus, Haruno couldn't help but lean his own head against her small one. It was such a sweet scene that the surrounding chatter and laughter seemed to fade away.

Japan is only so large; even when they spoke of traveling to a far-off place, a short ride meant they had already "crossed provinces." As the bus crested a few hills, the landscape shifted from the bustling city toward the heart of nature. Passing through a forest felt like entering a world wrapped in silver. The feeling of winter touched everyone's hearts. Thick snow lined the roads, and the bare branches were dotted with glistening drifts. As the bus passed, snow slid from the treetops. Looking ahead, a few wooden cabins appeared in their line of sight.

"Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture—the winter fairy tale village has arrived..."

The bus pulled to a stop, the sudden halt waking the pair from their nap. Opening his eyes, Haruno felt as if he were dreaming. It was hard to adjust to the sudden return to the vast wilderness from the industrial city. He stretched, feeling a damp patch on his shoulder; the young lady's habit of drooling while she slept hadn't changed a bit. She woke up groggily, her first action being to wipe the corner of her mouth.

The homeroom teacher stood by the bus door, chattering endlessly about where the dorms were, how boys and girls were to be separated, and that they would be four to a room. Finally, he emphasized safety and instructed everyone to gather at the front with their ingredients once they had settled in. Once Haruno and Meryo Kiyoryo were fully awake, the teacher finished his instructions.

The students began to file off the bus. Stepping out of the warm vehicle, they were met with a biting cold wind that made Kiyoryo-san pull her clothes tighter. Haruno didn't think the temperature was much to worry about; he grabbed his suitcase with one hand and wrapped his other arm around the young lady's slim waist. After a quick roll call, the group dispersed.

Haruno helped Kiyoryo-san drop off her small suitcase at the girls' dorm before heading to the boys' quarters with his backpack.

"Haruno, aren't you going to unpack? Huh? Didn't you bring a change of clothes?" Yoji Heisuke asked, looking up from his bed-making to see Haruno sitting on his mattress, playing on his phone.

"I did," Haruno said calmly. "They're over with Kiyoryo-san. She'll bring them over when it's time for me to change."

"The sour stench of romance! How disgusting!" Kunita said with envy, internally resolving to ask out the girl of his dreams at the upcoming bonfire party.

"Then why aren't you making your bed?" asked another classmate in the four-person dorm, a quiet boy who rarely spoke and usually kept a low profile.

Just as Haruno was about to respond, the cabin door swung open. A gust of cold wind rushed in. As they turned to look, a beautiful girl wearing a thick down jacket and leggings stood in the doorway, her golden hair cascading down. Ignoring the stares, she walked over to Haruno with a bag in her hand.

"Here, these are your clothes for tomorrow. I brought them over for you."

The bag contained a turtleneck sweater and fleece-lined trousers, clearly prepared for the winter chill.

"Thanks, Kiyoryo-san," Haruno said with a wide, toothy grin.

She glanced at his unmade bed, her delicate brows knitting together. Then, to the shock of everyone present, she skillfully helped him make the bed. Her movements were so practiced that it was impossible to see her as the "delinquent girl" or the "boss" everyone knew. Instead, she looked more like a devoted young wife.

Once finished, she tossed her hair and walked out, leaving a trail of perfume in her wake.

*Thump!*

As the door closed, blocking out the cold, the temperature in the wooden cabin slowly began to rise. The others finally regained their senses, and a chorus of indignant howls erupted in the room.

"Damn it! Haruno Haruno!!!"

After tidying up their beds, the group went outside to gather. Under the teachers' guidance, the students began to delegate tasks. The boys with strength worked in groups to assemble temporary shelters out of steel frames, while the girls began sorting the ingredients. The atmosphere was filled with laughter.

As evening approached, the shelters were finished, but they were short of people to go out and gather firewood. Haruno was entrusted with the important mission and headed into the forest with a few friends. The forest acted like a natural soundproof barrier, blocking out the noise from the campsite. The silence of the night combined with the deep, dark environment made even the large boys feel a bit timid. With human voices muffled, the sounds of nature were amplified. The cold wind whistled through the branches with a "rustling" sound.

Kunita, feeling somewhat fearful, walked behind Haruno, constantly glancing around. "Haruno, tell me... in the middle of the night like this, nobody's going to try to scare us, right?"

"Probably not. But if it were a pretty girl standing behind me—like your sister, for instance—I'd be more than happy to be scared."

"Damn you!"