Chapter 4 – Before Field Trip Part 1

"I'm too excited…"

The next day. I was reflecting on it a bit as I headed to school. Yesterday, I continued to use magic for as long as I could, until I ran out of time and imagination, but in the end, I had caused a phenomenon called magic depletion.

From what I read in sage-san's book, I heard that magic depletion could be recovered over time, but it's not a very complimentary thing. That's because when I run out of magic, my body becomes sluggish all at once. It's already so uncommon. I'm so physically lazy that it's almost impossible to stand up, and it's horrible. If this happened in the middle of a battle, I would be killed in an instant.

There was something else that bothered me as well. It was a word written at the end of the book…

─Now, since what I've told you up to this point is the result of my research, you should not think that this is widespread, and think carefully about where to use the knowledge you've gained.

Apparently, this magic theory is sage-san's original one. From the feeling I get from reading this sentence, the content of the book left by sage-san must be uncommon. I was by no means, thinking that, but it's heresy! It would be troublesome if I told this to an otherworlder, so let's be careful.

So far, there were more dangerous things or that I had to be careful about, but it wasn't all bad. It turns out that one of the effects of the rare drop item, the Portable Open-air Bath Set, is that it can also produce a hot spring that has the effect of restoring magic power!

Yaaah, that drop item is a great hit! I can't do anything without it now! And the toothbrush is just as effective, it's amazing how fresh my mouth is, and it's transformed into really clean white teeth. And it felt super lovely to brush with it.

I was thinking about that as I headed to school, and before I realized it, I had arrived at school. It seems that Kaori and Kaede had just arrived at school as well, and when they saw me, they smiled and greeted me.

"Ah, Yuuya-kun! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Yuuya-san."

"Good morning, you two."

When I returned the greeting as well, I suddenly realized something. Kaori and Kaede look strangely happy. Is something wrong?

"You look like you're having fun. What's going on?"

"Eh?" They were surprised and looked at each other at my words.

＊＊＊

"Now, as stated in the annual event schedule, we have a field trip next week… Are you all done with the preparations?"

"Huh?"

"Yes!" On the contrary, everyone answered in unison.

After the morning exchange, the homeroom teacher, Sawada-sensei, said that in the H.R. session.

Field trip? What? I've never heard of this.

"That's good. You'll be in a position to be called an elite in the future. In fact, all the graduates of this "Ousei Gakuen" are active in various industries. We want you to experience the harshness of nature so that you will be able to survive the rough seas of society. We're trying to get you to develop the mental capacity to endure any kind of hardship."

When I was confused by the sudden words, Yukine, who was sitting next to me, told me.

"…Well, the teacher says that, but the point is that we're just going to camp to get used to a new environment. Well, it's going to be a valuable experience and will help us grow. It's just a night and two days, and I'm sure they'll give you a sheet of paper with a list of things you'll need to prepare, so you can use that as a guide. I think."

"I see…"

Come to think of it, I got textbooks and stuff like that, but I didn't get a yearly schedule of events. To be honest, I'm not bothered by it, or… how should I say it, until now, I hated school so much that I didn't really care about the events. But… Oh, I see. Kaori and the others knew that this explanation was going to be given today, so they seemed to be enjoying themselves oddly.

As I thought back to the two of them in the morning, Sawada-sensei said:

"However, we can't start preparing or anything else without deciding on a group. That's why sensei will decide it appropriately."

"Eeh~"

When Sawada-sensei said this, many students voiced their dissatisfaction.

"Sensei! Why don't you just let us manage the group ourselves?"

"That's right!"

"That's a tyranny!"

"Yes, yes, be quiet. Stop criticizing me at once. Do you want me to give you more homework?"

Everyone was silenced as sensei used homework as a way to make a deal. Looking at these students, the teacher lets out a sigh.

"As I said before, although the content is a camp, it's still an outdoor learning experience. The purpose of this is to deepen the friendships among the students. But if you just make a group with your friends, it won't help you build new relationships. This is the time to widen your circle of friends. Do you all understand?"

"Yes."

In other words, the division of students into groups by the teacher this time is a clear intention on the school side. I have yet to speak to any of the students except Ryo and Shingo-kun, so I'm grateful for this event. But I'm also troubled by this.

…What should I do with Night during this field trip? The best thing is to use magic to get back and forth to my house… but as of yesterday, I still couldn't use any magic like instant travel or anything like that; it's hard to visualize it. So what should I do?

I was holding my head because the problem of not being able to use movement-type magic came up in unexpected situations. Then Sawada-sensei wrote the result of the group division on the blackboard.

"This is the division of the groups this time. The number assigned to each of you is your group number, and now, you will be moving to your groups accordingly. Okay, start moving."

I looked at the blackboard, and I was in group 5. I move to the position where the members of that group are sticking together. And there were two familiar faces there.

"Ah, Kaede."

"Yuuya-kun! We're in the same group. Please treat me well!"

That's right; I'm in the same group as Kaede. And the other familiar face is…

"Hey, Yuuya-kun! We're in the same group!"

"Uhm, Akira-kun. Best regards."

"It feels so distant to call me with an honorific! You can call me Akira! Or maybe young noble──."

"You're too long! Get out of my way!"

"That's cruel!"

I'm also in the same group with Akira, the one who made a mistake at the time when playing soccer. However, the one who pushed Akira away and came over was a girl I had never been involved with before. A tall, slender, beautiful girl with long black hair, she's tall for a girl. Her face also seems to show her strength of character somehow.

"I'm Rin Kanzaki. I don't mind if you call me by my name too. Please treat me well from now on, Yuuya."

"Yes, likewise, Rin."

I didn't really like getting involved with new people before, but now I like it because it's exciting. That's why I smiled spontaneously, but Rin looked at my face intently and nodded.

"I see… there are just so many rumors going around."

"Eh?"

"No, I'm talking about that. If that idiot over there keeps his mouth shut, I can understand if he's called [Young Noble]."

"Eh, really? I'd love it if you call me that!" said Akira.

"…Although at this rate, I doubt you'll get that chance forever."

"Why!"

I'm already having fun with this group. When I thought about that, Kaede called out to me.

"For now, it seems that we're a group of four, so it seems we'll be working with these members this time. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too. I don't get many chances to do this."

I couldn't even go on a school trip in junior high school because I didn't have any money. No, even if I had, whether I would have enjoyed it or not is another matter.

Sawada-sensei opened her mouth as each group finished confirming its members.

"Alright, I think we're done with the group confirmation. I'll give you a brief overview of the event, and then I'll hand out a sheet of paper that summarizes what you'll need for the day."

In response to her voice, the students turned their attention to the teacher.

"First of all, the destination. There's a vast land owned by this school, and it's surrounded by nature, so don't think there's a convenience store or anything convenient like that! And as for the activities, well… that's for you to look forward to when you get there. Well, good luck with that!"

I thought she said she was going to give us an overview, but she's keeping the important part secret? I wonder what kind of things we're going to do… Yukine said it was camping… Or rather, I was lightly drifting off, but what is this vast land owned by the school? That such a thing exists…? This school is more and more out of the norm.

It seems that the teacher's explanation is really only that much, and this time around, a paper was handed out with things to bring or something written on it.

Let's see…

1.Yourself.

It's obvious, isn't it? If it's not the person themselves, who's going to go?

2.A bag. Preferably a backpack or something bigger. 

Don't suddenly return to normal. I can't keep up with my emotions. And suddenly, it's something I don't have. I mean, I couldn't even afford to travel before, so I don't have a backpack or any such travel bag in my house.

My grandpa loved to travel, so maybe he has a bag if I search carefully, but… huh? Come to think of it; I don't think I've ever seen my grandpa on a trip with a bag…? It's a mystery.

Well, now that I have a bit of money to spare, I'll buy it. I don't really need it because I have an item box, but it would be an uproar if I used it in this world. And when I read on, I found out that I just need something like a change of clothes and a P.E. uniform. There's nothing that I especially need to buy, except for the bag. It was a bit of a relief. But Kaede and the others seemed to be different.

"Hey, hey, what do you want to bring?"

"As expected, we need to bring playing cards or something like that, right?"

"You're right. What about you, Akira-kun?"

"If you guys are in charge of the games, I think I'll bring the snacks!"

"Eh? Eh? Cards? Snacks? Can you bring something like that?"

I was surprised and asked that involuntarily, but Kaede and the others are also surprised and looked at me.

"Yeah? We need some things to play with since we're camping."

"That's right. I mean, that kind of thing is also allowed in middle school, isn't it?"

"What is it, Yuuya? Are you a beginner at camping? In that case, this [Young Noble of The Camp] will…"

"You shut up."

"Why don't you let me talk?"

It seems my perception is wrong. No, I thought it was a school event and games were not allowed… but is that what camping is all about…?

The difference in perceptions troubled me again, but in the end, since I didn't seem to have any particular items to prepare, I just referred to the paper that was handed out to prepare what I needed to bring for myself.