On the sixth day of the new year, winter vacation came to an end. Originally, today should have been the first day of the third semester, so classes ought to have resumed. But early this morning, the school made an uncharacteristic move: it instructed all students to gather in the parking lot and board buses, heading elsewhere for a forest camp.
By now, most students were used to this sort of routine. The boys bundled up in thick winter clothes, while the cold morning wind quickly banished any lingering drowsiness, depriving them of the chance to even yawn. They ended up just breathing out frosty clouds. The girls, for their part, were dressed in that vibrant, youthful style, with thick coats or jackets on top but uniform skirts below—some even braving bare legs, others in various tights. Even under a biting wind, many preferred not to wrap themselves up like dumplings. They insisted on showcasing their style.
Ishizaki, carrying a bag of spare clothes downstairs, saw quite a few classmates looking tense. He sighed wistfully: "Yukio-aniki, we've grown a lot these last two semesters."
"Hmm?" Yukio, walking ahead, turned back with a curious glance. 'What's up? Is this loyal goof finally catching on? He's actually making an apt observation?'
"Heh-heh. Don't underestimate me, aniki." Ishizaki grinned, motioning in a circle to indicate all the solemn faces around them. "Just one look at everyone's expressions and you can see how seriously they're taking this exam. Think back to the start of summer break, when they said we'd be on a luxury cruise for two weeks at sea—everyone got super excited, none of us on guard at all about a surprise exam.
"But now? Everyone senses that no matter how the school frames this as a forest camp, they definitely aren't coddling us. They'll drop the exam on us halfway through for sure. That's why nobody's excited. Aniki, you see what I mean? Doesn't this show we've all grown wiser—everyone in every class?"
"…"
'Tch. Placing any hope in this blockhead was indeed an error.' Yukio turned and boarded his class's bus, paying no further attention, leaving Ishizaki puzzled. The boy scratched his head, sidling over to Ryuuen. "Ryuuen-bro, did I say something off? Yukio-aniki didn't look too impressed."
Ryuuen looked a bit odd, let out a low "Heh," and patted Ishizaki on the shoulder. "Think about it—maybe it's not that everyone has matured, but rather that everyone knows this forest camp is an exam?"
"Huh? That can't be right," Ishizaki objected. "How would everyone know?"
Ryuuen's patting intensified, making Ishizaki wince in pain. "Because seniors from previous years know about these forest camps—and that there's always an exam hidden in them. And among us first-years, each of the four classes has at least one Student Council member, so it's hardly a secret."
Finally, realization dawned on Ishizaki. With an "Ohh, ohh, I get it," he lightly tapped his left fist against his open right palm. Ryuuen hurried to board the bus, lest he risk an aneurysm from continuing this conversation. Who can handle a knucklehead like that?
Once all the students were aboard, the buses formed a long convoy and left the AN High School grounds, soon merging onto the freeway. They were told it would be a three-hour ride, so many were prepared with snacks or seeds, gazing out the windows at the scenery and chatting away. The atmosphere felt pleasant.
Yet half an hour in, some people, unable to resist the comfortable morning temperature inside the bus, began dozing off. The lively chatter on each bus subsided into a lull.
Yukio was no exception. Knowing they'd be departing early, he'd woken before dawn to do his morning training, then only managed a brief nap before being dragged out again. At this point, he too was fighting drowsiness.
Sitting beside him, Shiina gently leaned closer, keeping her voice very low. "Yukio, why not get a bit of rest?"
"Sure." Not standing on ceremony, Yukio let himself lean on Shiina, resting his head on her shoulder.
Seeing him doze off so peacefully, Shiina smiled contentedly. She shifted her posture slightly so he could sleep more comfortably.
Across the aisle, sitting in the same row, Ibuki occupied the seat near the walkway. At the sight of them, she silently pulled off her jacket and tossed it over for Shiina to cover Yukio. Shiina gave Ibuki a questioning look. Ibuki signaled, "I'm not cold." So Shiina smiled and used Ibuki's jacket to drape over Yukio.
Ishizaki, seated next to Ibuki, merely shrugged. 'This is standard procedure for our aniki,' he thought. 'No big deal…'
Once the buses left the freeway and took some bumpy country roads, nobody could really stay asleep; rattles and jolts soon woke up the dozers, who began grumbling about the ride. Yukio blinked awake too, finding himself inhaling two distinct soft fragrances—one like serene lavender at night, the other more like wild roses in an open field.
Seeing that many students were stirring, the homeroom teacher, Sakagami, took the bus's microphone. "All right, time to perk up. We're about to announce the specific content of this Forest Camp Exam!"
All of Yukio's classmates perked up. "So it's really happening… This school's so damn brutal," someone muttered.
"Could be worse," a friend shot back. "Think about summertime when they used up our vacation for an exam. At least they let us have our winter break unscathed."
"Teacher, just give it to us straight!" another said. "Whether we stick our necks out or not, it's a guillotine either way. Might as well face it head-on."
Noticing his students still had fighting spirit, Sakagami laughed cheerfully. "No need to be so tense. This time, the exam won't be that tough for you."
"The rules, after some Student Council revisions, are really quite simple." Pausing, Sakagami glanced appreciatively at Yukio in the back seats. As a homeroom instructor, he understood it was largely thanks to Yukio.
Without further teasing, he went on: "First, you won't be subdivided into mixed teams. You'll stay in your class groups and compete as such—only your sleeping quarters will be separated by gender.
"Second, the camp runs eight days. You'll be tested in four areas: academics, physical ability, teamwork, and individual ability.
"In practice, that means over these eight days, each morning you'll attend classes, culminating in a written test on day eight; each afternoon you'll climb the mountain for training, culminating in a race on day eight. Aside from that, every morning before breakfast, you'll do a half-hour of meditation, and each evening you'll have time to memorize Buddhist scriptures—on day eight, you'll collectively produce a written copy of the same sutra, each person a page, to measure teamwork.
"Lastly, each class will pick one individual—someone with superior personal ability—who will skip the group tasks and join other classes' chosen reps for separate contests. You must decide that candidate before we get off the bus in about an hour."
Leaving aside other details, that bizarre mention of "Buddhist scriptures" prompted widespread griping. Countless students were convinced the school must be messing with them…
***
Enjoyed the chapters? Read 50 chapters ahead on Patreon
PATREON.COM/METARLN
200 power stones = 1 extra chapter