Zongman: Unknowingly trapped in the hatchet

?

The next day.

early morning.

The bright sun filled the air, and from a distance it looked like layers of golden ashes.

The hazy golden gray, along with the thin morning mist, rubbed into my eyes.

Feeling dizzy.

Same as heart.

This seems to be the case on late autumn mornings.

A little bit cool.

The scene that came into view was blurry, like an old movie.

But when the sun shines through the cool air, if you look closely, it is so bright.

Same as the heart.

……

?

This is not the first time that students from Sobu High School have taken a school trip, and it may not be the last.

As a travel destination, Kyoto is actually not a particularly desirable or anticipated choice for students in Tokyo.

On the one hand, the two cities always look down on each other; on the other hand, young and passionate hearts are more eager for adventure and excitement than for cultural relics.

For example, going to Hokkaido for an exciting skiing adventure?

Even Hikigaya, who claims to have a strong interest in Japanese history and culture, may not be so excited about this trip to Kyoto.

[It would be nice if I could just wander around by myself...]

[Ah, really. What's the point of doing activities together as a class?]

[Students who were not able to integrate into the class in the past will not see their treatment improved because of this kind of thing]

[Will it only make the isolation and exclusion more obvious?]

Hikigaya sighed softly. It wasn't that he had a twisted personality, he was just speaking out against these unreasonable systems.

After all, bullying in Japanese schools is actually a very common phenomenon, and it is reaching new highs every year.

If there really is such a thing as the samurai spirit, all those Japanese high-ranking officials who have done nothing would just commit suicide by seppuku!

Just as Hikigaya was thinking indignantly, he was suddenly patted on the shoulder.

"Hachiman, what are you thinking? It's our class' turn to get on the train!"

The voice was soft and a little playful. Perhaps only Ayaka would talk to him like that.

"The train is about to arrive..."

The broadcast also sounded at this moment, and Hikigaya finally came to his senses.

"Ah, I was thinking about something just now..."

“Is that so?”

Caijia tilted her head as if she understood something, with a silly look on her face, and then smiled brightly, and asked in a reminder,

"But I think it's better to concentrate on the platform, right?"

".....That's right, I will pay close attention."

If someone else had said something like this, Hikigaya might not have accepted it so frankly.

He scratched his head in embarrassment, wondering how it was that Ayaka always managed to catch him distracted?

It's impossible that he is always paying attention to himself...

It may be because I have been distracted too often recently.

Ayaka and Hikigaya stood in the queue one after the other waiting to enter the station. As for Su Qing, no one knew where he was. Perhaps he had already entered.

Another moment passed.

The two finally entered the station.

Because we got in late, the seats in the front row were basically occupied.

There was a lot of chattering, probably because the students were too excited.

So the two of them could only endure the noise and crowds, and walk back with their large and small bags.

Walking all the way to the last few rows, Hikigaya chose a window seat in the last row and put his luggage away.

From the corner of my eye, I saw that the person sitting next to me was Su Qing.

He held his cheek with one hand, revealing half of his face, and looked out the window. A few bits of sunlight struggled to pass through the glass window, but were immediately swallowed up by those ink-black eyes.

——It’s like falling off a bottomless cliff.

Su Qing just sat there quietly, feeling a little melancholy.

Come to think of it, when he walked over here, Hikigaya vaguely heard something like:

"You go sit with him?", "I'm a little afraid to go", "Student Su seems a little different today?" Such words.

No wonder those girls were so excited.

The other person is in this state now. If he puts on a pair of glasses, wouldn't he be a complete scoundrel?

Fuck you!

Hikigaya thought, I've been waiting in line outside for so long, why are you acting so cool in here?

Although he came out a little late, his twisted personality has been around for a long time.

He stretched out his hand, smiled and was about to say hello, and if possible, to ask the other person indirectly whether he had anything on his mind.

But Su Qing also looked back at this time.

But what he was looking at was not Hikigaya, but the luggage on the ground.

That's Caijia's.

"Good morning. By the way, if you can't move it, Ayaka, you can ask Hachiman to help you."

"I, I can actually do it."

As Aika said this, she wanted to lift the box to prove herself, but another hand attacked her the next moment.

She raised her eyes in surprise, only to hear Hikigaya say:

"It's hard for you to move something so heavy, right? Anyway, I just moved my own things, so helping you is just a matter of convenience..."

"Well, thank you for your help."

Caijia took a step back, like a nimble rabbit, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

Hikigaya wasn't immune to that smile yet, so he had to look away before lifting Ayaka's suitcase and putting it away.

When he finished all this, he found that Su Qing was looking out the window again.

"Hachiman, can I sit next to you?"

"...I would rather say that I am looking forward to it."

In response to Ayaka's questioning, Hikigaya accidentally revealed his true feelings.

"Haha...Me too, actually."

Caijia covered her mouth and chuckled, then lay down on the recliner, stretched out, and made a comfortable sound.

"I'm really looking forward to this school trip."

She turned her eyes and looked at the other person.

Hikigaya unexpectedly discovered that the light today was exceptionally clear, as were those sapphire-like eyes.

It was so clear that he had the illusion that he could hear Ayaka's inner voice.

"...I'm also looking forward to, uh, the two of us getting together or something."

Hikigaya scratched his head. Can two men be called on a date?

I always feel something weird.

But he suddenly realized something just now.

Sometimes, the reason why traveling is worth looking forward to is not necessarily because of the ambition to conquer Mount Everest.

Sometimes it's because of something else.

Some very ordinary and boring reasons

Like creating shared memories with that person.

It may not be exciting, and may even be a bit boring.

But it will definitely be worth remembering many years later.

"I'm looking forward to that, too, but... there's something even more exciting."

I don’t know if it was because the clouds blocked the morning light, so the pair of sapphires seemed a little dimmer.

"Something more to look forward to?"

Hikigaya was stunned. For a moment, he really couldn't think of anything more worthy of the other party's expectations.

He thought he still had some understanding of Ayaka.

The other party is not very interested in Kyoto's shrines and temples...

It's impossible that he is expecting the Ministry of Household Affairs to confess his feelings, right?

Don't.

Isn't that a sure win?

As his thoughts became confused, Hikigaya said inexplicably:

"I don't know what it is, but can I look forward to it with you?"

……

……