Chapter 12: New bonds

The very next day, we woke up by 5:30 AM to prepare for the activities we're about to do today. The three of them woke up with spooky faces like zombies. Especially Haruto who just went back to bed a minute ago and is now snoring again. I guess he's not used to having less than 5 hours to sleep which is basically a normal thing for college students. I wonder how he manages his time to get more than 5 hours of sleep. 

Today's activity mostly consists of scouting the whole neighborhood for the purpose of knowing how they function in the countryside. We will move in groups and should formulate possible solutions to incorporate or improve their technology in different fields. 

We started walking around the area at around 8 AM right after having breakfast. The place is so cold that everytime the wind blows, all of us would feel a chill. The place was surrounded with simple and humble houses. The place is so rich in greenery that wherever your eyes land, you would see either a plant, tree, or grass. 

As we walked around the area and observed how the neighborhood worked, I thought to myself that "Should we really change how they function?". In my eyes, they function well already. They led a simple life but they looked happy. The smiles on the faces of the people here are priceless. It's like they really found peace. 

A few hours after walking around, we were given a 1 hour break for lunch. The four of us ate together while the three of them discussed the ideas they thought of. I have decided to not raise any suggestions since I am still reluctant about this whole thing. Somewhere in the back of my head I wanted this countryside to be like this forever, I want it to be a place for me to forget how chaotic the main city is. I fear that if we change too much, this place might turn into a chaotic neighborhood as well. 

This might be selfish but this is what my heart tells me. So just to have an answer to write on our activity paper, I just wrote whatever the three of them have decided on. 

The next day arrived and we basically did the same thing. Except today, the students are more excited. Why? That is because most of them are looking forward to something other than scouting the neighborhood. They're looking forward to the after hours later. As per the students' requests, the university will allow us to go anywhere by 3 PM but we should be back at our respective rooms before 10 PM. Since this will be our last night here, the university granted their request. 

After finishing our paper, the students were given free time to enjoy the trip. We met up with Shin and Yukino's group to spend the free time together. 

To my surprise, their group's composed of three people that I know very well. It was Shin, Yukino, and Hina. I'm guessing that the air would be awkward but thanks to Haruto and Shin that was avoided. 

Haruto and Shin basically handled the meet and greet portion and it all went smoothly. They suggested the places we should visit. And to my surprise these two actually became close without me even noticing. They even have an itinerary on how we will spend the 5 hours given to us for free time. 

It was actually a good time that we visited this place during the fall, they held festivals here during this time so it is the perfect time. 

Since it is a bit early, we stopped by at a small and humble restaurant that is said to serve good food according to Haruto and Shin's research. The table could barely hold 7 people sitting together. The boys sat beside each other and across the table was me and the three other girls. 

It should be a given that Shin would be sitting beside me since we're close friends but that's not what happened. Shin insisted on sitting near the window. So the order is as follows. Shin sitting beside the window, Hina, Yukino and me. 

Yukino doesn't look like she's bothered by something so trivial while I, on the other hand, felt so uncomfortable since I never sat beside a woman close enough that our skins were touching. The only girl who I'm comfortable with was Shin so this isn't surprising. 

"How did you guys do on your paper? I think we did pretty good. We might actually receive full marks on this one." Asked Haruto.

"Should we have a contest then? Whoevers group scores higher than the other has to follow one of our commands." Suggested Shin.

"Sure!" Answered Haruto.

The rest of us were in disbelief that these two decided for the whole group that not even one of us were able to disagree. I see lasers from their eyes pointing at each other like saying the battle is on.

"I can't believe we can't stand against Haruto when he starts talking." Said Arata.

"Well, that's a part of his personality we have to deal with." Added Kaito.

"The same goes for us when it comes to Shin". Said Yukino.

All of us laughed while the two of them didn't even hear us as they were so focused pointing laser eyes at each other while smiling. 

Time passed as we continued talking about random stuff. After finishing up with our food, we went to where the festival here is being held. It was held near a temple on the mountains. There were a lot of food stalls and games. The place was lit with lanterns and felt very lively. I was never a fan of crowded places, but at that moment, even I thought that this was fun. 

The place was surrounded by people wearing Yukata. A random thought crossed my mind as I wondered how Yukino would look if she wore one. I was confused for a moment and thought about why I wanted to see how Yukino would look rather than Hina. 

We continued walking around as Haruto and Shin bought snacks and meals from almost every stall we passed by. 

"You two will get fat, you know." I said out of concern.

"O c'mon, people ought to enjoy festivals Aoi! Don't spoil the fun and just eat!". Replied Shin as she stuck a candy apple in my mouth and the group laughed.

Yukino and Hina went to a stall and tried goldfish scooping. I was so surprised at how bad they are at it. They've been spending too much money not being able to catch a single goldfish. After the two gave up, Shin suggested that I should try and get it for them. 

To be completely honest, I'm really good at this. Back in my high school days, my teammates and I would go to festivals and absolutely do well in catching goldfish. 

On my first try, I caught one. The secret trick is to be gentle and fast at the same time to avoid tearing the poi. So Yukino insisted that I try again to prove that it's not a fluke.

"Do it again Aoi!" Requested Yukino while looking all serious like a kid crying to her mom to buy her candy.

And as they continued watching, I caught three goldfishes in just 4 tries. All of them were too stunned to speak, thus causing a silence for a few seconds. Then came the requests to teach them.

"Teach me Aoi! I always sucked at this one. Teach me!" Said Haruto.

"Me too!" Added Arata and Kaito.

I looked at Yukino and she was already trying again. I find it cute and funny how passionate she is even with the small things. I guess she's competitive. It made me smile. She really is like a kid. 

Minutes passed by and most of them just lost money except for Haruto who was bragging about catching 1 goldfish. 

We sat at a bench to rest for a while after the tiring goldfish scooping. A few minutes passed and Shin suggested that we go look for a good place to watch the fireworks show.

We climbed up a little further and reached the temple sitting close to the top of the mountain. Many people surrounded the area but we decided to stick by since it was the best place to watch the fireworks.

A few seconds later, the fireworks started to light the night sky. A beautiful sight displaying different vibrant colors pleasing the eyes of every person watching. Yukino was standing beside me. I was stuck between looking at the fireworks and looking at her. 

I watched the fireworks bloom as it reflected in her eyes. She's beautiful, that's something I'm certain of. I wanted this moment to last for the rest of the night. That was until..

"You should watch the fireworks instead of watching it through my eyes, you know?" Said Yukino.

"I just spaced out for a bit, don't mind me." As I averted my gaze to the sky and blushing out of embarrassment. 

After the fireworks show, we went back to our hotel rooms and slept like logs. Then the next day, we went back home to conclude the trip. It was indeed tiring, but this trip was a core memory I'll remember throughout my lifetime.