Vol-02 Ch 6 – Field Trip

Part 1

The training with Luna was over, and it was the day of the field trip. I've never had the pleasure of participating in a school event like this before, so I was so excited like a child that I couldn't get to sleep the night before. But I was able to get up in the morning as usual with no problems at all due to my improved body. What a convenient body…

Anyway, after preparing the necessary things and properly greeting Night, I left my house in high spirits.

"──Yes, it's my win."

"Goddamn it!"

And now we spent our time playing on the bus to the field trip location. I didn't bring any cards or anything like that, but Akira, Rin and the others had prepared snacks as well as games for us so that we wouldn't be bored.

Rather, since I didn't bring any games or snacks, I feel very sorry for them…

"Why! Why can't I win? Why do I always have the old maid at the end?"

"It's because it's so obvious on your face…"

"Akira-kun, you're well-liked by the old maid!"

"I don't like it!"

Just now, we were still playing old maid, but Akira kept losing in consecutive games.

"More importantly, Yuuya-kun, that's amazing! You've come in first place every time…"

"That's not true. It's just all a fluke."

And somehow I didn't draw a single old maid, and I always drew a card that matched my hand, so it was over in an instant.

…Maybe, but I think it's related to my luck status. Because every time I try to draw a card…

This card… no, wait. I'm not sure why, but I don't think this card is good. On the contrary, there's a good feeling coming from this card… and I think I'll take this one.

And so I had a tremendous hunch and kept winning… yeah, it's not fun. If that's the case, then I guess I won't be able to enjoy these games from now on. Being lucky is supposed to be a good thing, but I'm not very happy about it. Besides, sorry, I feel like I'm cheating… I wonder, if I play any games that involve luck, will they be like this from now on?

While feeling the unexpected negative effects, I suddenly remembered the fire at the department store the other day.

…Now, Kaede and the others are here laughing like this, but it was really dangerous at that time… I shudder to think if I hadn't gotten any skills or anything else in another world. I'm delighted I was able to save them.

And so we headed off to the field trip in an amicable atmosphere──without knowing that it's harder than we expected.

＊＊＊

"It's big…"

The place they brought us to was like an inn on top of a mountain. I wonder if this is where we're going to have our field trip? As I thought that, the homeroom teacher of each class called for a meeting.

"Hey, let's gather here! I will explain everything to you. Oh, you should split up into groups!"

As we sat down in groups as instructed by the teacher, Sawada-sensei looked over at us and grinned.

"Now then… you guys are gonna have to do some survival."

"Huh?" everyone screamed in a daze.

The teacher's words drew everyone's attention. Then one of the students immediately asked a question.

"W-what do you mean by survival? There's a building that looks like an inn, and we're going to stay there, right…?"

"What are you talking about? This inn is a facility for teachers to stay, you know?"

"Huh? T-then, what about us?"

"Of course, you'll be outside."

"No way!"

Sawada-sensei's words left all the students speechless. A-are we really going into survival?

"I told you in school that this field trip is training for you to run for the elite path in the future, didn't I? I'll continue to explain. You guys will be given the bare minimum amount of supplies, and then you guys will spend two days and one night in an outdoor camp. As for your bath, there is a hot spring somewhere in the mountains on these grounds, so you can find it and use it. You can use the hot springs, so be thankful!"

"Eeeeehhhhhh!?" Everyone screamed at the unexpected development.

No, I'm pretty sure I heard it was some kind of camping thing, but I didn't expect to sleep outside… I mean, The teacher said she'd only give us the bare essentials, but does that mean──.

There seemed to be some people who came up with the same conclusion as me and asked a question again.

"U-um! Could it be that the cooking is also…"

"Of course you'll have to prepare your own food. You can use all the vegetation such as mushrooms and wild grasses that grow in this area."

"No way!"

Seriously, they're gonna make us do that? I mean, isn't there a dangerous mushroom, too…?

"We're being provided with the bare minimum amount of rice, and that's all we will have. That's not even enough to fill our stomachs."

"No, I think it's safer to put up with that for now…"

I thought the same thing, but that's where the teacher turned serious.

"Unfortunately, it's not just one competition, you know? It's a class competition too."

"C-class competition?"

Somehow the story has gotten bigger.

"As you may know, except for Tenjou, the "School Festival" held in the fall is a big event with lots of visitors. There, each class has its own stall… and the budget allocation is determined by this competition. In other words, if you have a good result in this survival, you'll be one step ahead of the rest of the class, and make a gorgeous program at the school festival."

S-so that's how it works… but am I crazy to think it sounds interesting? It would have never happened at my previous high school, and no other high school would have had this format.

"And it would be related to a bonus for us teachers, too! Do your best as if you were going to die!"

"Isn't that what you really want?" Everyone in the class complained.

No, wait, that determines even the teacher's bonus? Anything is related now!

"B-but aren't mushrooms dangerous? And the only things that can be found here are mushrooms and wild grasses… so how is the competition going to work?"

"Since there's a river, you can catch any fish you want. You have to bring the collected things to the teacher, and we'll sort them out and grade them. The class that collects the most non-dangerous ingredients and cooks the tastiest meal wins. By the way, you can't go back to pick up the ingredient because we'll only grade it once. Don't cook and eat the food you've collected without showing it to the teacher, you hear me? And also, I won't be responsible if you're dead."

It's scary, right? Hey.

Everyone is determined, perhaps the teacher's threats got through to them, or maybe they're all in the mood to properly show the teacher what they're made of. But, well, the teacher said she wouldn't grade you otherwise.

" Well, if you happen to be poisoned, the school doctor, Dr.Yomikawa will treat you. I don't know if that's fine though…"

At the moment the teacher said that, a ghostly woman in a white coat suddenly appeared. She has beautiful black hair, but it was stretched forward long enough to hide her face, and only her left eye was peeking out through her hair.

"Hihihi… p-please don't worry… w-with this medicine… h-hihihi…"

Can I really be relieved? Just look at the colour of the pills in her hand! It's purple! Isn't that a poison pill instead?

I don't mean to criticize people's names, but Yomikawa also means unfortunate.

It's the first time I've seen the school's doctor, and her personality is just too explosive. The other teachers are somehow also very quirky… no, it's fine because their teaching style is very good and interesting.

When I was inwardly complaining about various things, Kaede taught me while trembling.

"A-anone… Yuuya-kun might not know this, but the infirmary where Dr.Yomikawa is located is always covered in darkness, and whenever you walk by, you can always hear someone screaming… so no one wants to get close, and no one gets a temporary medical treatment either…"

"What's with that novelty infirmary."

That's awesome, right? But as a result, if the students are taking their classes seriously and taking care of themselves from illnesses and injuries, wouldn't that be a good thing? I don't know about the scream, though.

What Kaede said seems to be true, and as I look around, I see that every student is determined to show the teacher what they are going to do more than they did earlier. Yup, I guess it's all right.

"Are you getting the gist of it? In the meantime, I'll give you a picture book of wild vegetables and such, so do your best for my bonus. And secondly, it's for the school festival too."

"You should be the second!" Said everyone.

That's exactly right. Aside from the teacher's bonus, if we accumulate points by winning this competition, we can put on a spectacular display at the school festival, so let's do our best.

We received the bare minimum amount of items from the teacher and gathered in groups once.

"Now… what should we do?"

"Don't worry! I can do go fishing, gather mushrooms and other edible wild plants, and──."

"Forgetting this idiot, don't you think we should split up?"

"Split up?"

When Rin suggested that, she took out the illustration book and fishing rod.

"Yuuya and Kaede will go fishing, while this idiot and I go and collect mushrooms and other edible wild plants. That would be more efficient, right?"

"Yeah, certainly… I don't mind."

"Fishing, huh….I'm not sure I can handle it since I've never done it before."

"I haven't experienced it either, but I think I can handle it. Let's just do our best!"

"Okaaayy!" Said Kaede and Rin in unison.

"Hello? Isn't everyone cruel to me? Hey, are you listening to me?"

While only Akira is left behind, we decide on our future course of action and start assembling the tent first.

Part 2

"Now that we've finally arrived at the river, but…"

"What should we do?"

Kaede and I arrived at the river, but we were at a loss as to what to do. Since it's school-owned land, the path to the river is correctly marked on the map, so it feels like a very big campground.

I looked at the fishing rod in my hand and looked for a place where I could fish, but…

"…It's so crowded."

"…Yeah, that's true."

Since everyone comes to the river for fish, it can be a bit tough. I don't know much about it, but it looks like the fishing line might get tangled up or something.

While I was looking around, Kaede asked me.

"What should we do? At this rate it's going to be hard to fish now, should we just help Rin-chan and Akira-kun?"

"Well…"

I casually… or rather, almost unconsciously activated my [Presence Detection] skill and searched for a less popular place.

"Hmm?"

I could sense the presence of people, but apart from that, I could also sense the presence of fish. Of course, there were fish in the area where everyone was fishing, but there was another area where many fish were found as well.

I immediately turned my gaze in that direction and saw that the water was rather shallow and not a good place to fish. Hmm… there are so many fish, but it's hard to catch them… No, wait. I think I can grab it with my hands, can't I? Yeah, I think that's it.

I suddenly thought about that, and suddenly wanted to try it out, so I had a word with Kaede.

"There's something I want to try out, so can we meet up with Rin and Akira afterwards?"

"Eh? I don't mind that, but what are you going to do?"

"Watch this."

I pulled up my trouser's cuffs and walked into the river.

"Y-Yuuya-kun! What are you doing?"

Kaede shouted in surprise at my actions. In response to her voice, the surrounding students also turn their gazes towards us.

…Ooh, I didn't expect to get so many gazes, but… w-well, that's okay, I'll just concentrate on the fish for now. I turn my attention to the fish in front of me, or rather, around me.

…Yeah, As I thought, I can grab them with my hands.

Even if I'm considering the resistance of the water, if I think about the movement of the S-class monsters and the like, it will be perfectly fine. If I understand that, it's easy to put it into action.

Although the moment I entered the river and Kaede's words drew attention and made the fish wary of me, I activated the skill [Assimilation]. Normally, it shouldn't be effective if the opponent has found me, but this isn't another world, it's Earth.

Because the monsters of the other world are more sensitive to presence than the creatures of this Earth, once they find me, my skills will not work, but the creatures of this Earth are less vigilant than the monsters in the other world. No, it's not just vigilance but… a sixth sense? The monsters in the different world probably have that.

Anyway, the moment I activated the skill [Assimilation], Kaede and the others, who had been watching me until now screamed in surprise.

"H-huh? Where's Yuuya-kun?"

"W-wasn't he in there just now?"

"Where did he go?"

It's not just Kaede and the others who are surprised, but the fishes as well, and the fishes panicked for a moment as my presence disappeared, but eventually, they began to calm down as they could no longer sense my presence.

I didn't miss the opportunity to take advantage of that calmness and set my sights on a fish.

"──Fuuh!"

I plunged my right arm into the water and grabbed a fish that was swimming near me in one fluid motion. The water was quiet at the moment I plunged my arm into the water and pulled it out, and it was only for a moment.

I looked at the fish and nodded to myself.

"Yep, I knew it was going to be okay."

"Whooaaaaa!"

"Eeehh!?"

I was surprised by the sudden cheers that rose up. And when I turned my gaze in the voices' direction, the other students who had been looking at me earlier were making a lot of noise.

"Did you see that! He caught a fish with his hand!"

"No, I know he caught it, but I didn't see his hand because it was too fleeting!"

"Or rather, didn't he just disappear before…?"

"It's like he really just showed up with a fish in his hand when I realized…"

"That's no longer a human's work… what's going on…?"

I break out in a cold sweat at the unexpected reaction.

…Was it such an out-of-human move? I thought I caught the fish quickly, but… well, it seems the fact that I've disappeared seems to be more of a surprise than the movement when I caught the fish.

As I was thinking about that, Kaede came running up to me excitedly.

"T-that's awesome, Yuuya-kun! I can't believe you caught a fish with your hand…"

"Ah-ahahaha I just wondered if I could do it somehow, and I did."

"…Just like at the previous P.E. class, Yuuya-kun has high specs in general."

"I-I wonder?"

Well, if they remember what I did in the P.E class, I'm sure they'll understand that my physical abilities are unusually high.

"For now, it seems like I can secure the fish, so I'll just catch them all at once. I'm sorry, but I'm going to put the caught fish in a bucket, so Kaede, can you watch over it?"

"Yeah, I understand!"

Once I got Kaede's approval, I headed to the river to catch fish again. By the way, I have confirmed that the fish can be eaten with the [Appraisal] skill, so there should be no problem.

…Ah, once we meet up with Rin and Akira-kun, I guess I'll check everything with [Appraisal] before showing it to the teacher. That way, we could be sure that we can eat them safely.

While I was thinking this and that, many students came to the shallows to try to catch fish with their bare hands, just like me, but they were struggling. I caught more and more fish while they were struggling, and finally, I succeeded in catching eight.

＊＊＊

"Welcome back! So how'd it go over there?"

When we return to the tent location, we find Rin greeting us cheerfully and Akira collapsing down with his butt sticking out. But… What happened to Akira?

"I managed to catch the fish somehow."

"Listen, Rin-chan! Yuuya-kun is incredible, you know? He caught all these fish with his hands!"

"With hands? Sigh~… just like in the P.E class the other day, you're more active than you look, huh…"

"Hmm?"

Well, I already loved exercise even when I was fat! And I wouldn't have looked like someone who loved that no matter how hard I tried. I don't know now for sure.

"Anyway, what's going on with Akira?"

"Huh? Aah… you can leave that guy alone."

"So cruel! You have worked me around so hard!"

"Ah, you're still alive."

Akira, who got up vigorously, began to talk about what the situation was like while feeling dizzy.

"…it was fine at first. We were gathering mushrooms and wild plants and stuff like that, even though we weren't used to it. But you know what? Before long, I found myself being forced to look at wild plants growing on steep cliffs, or foretaste the mushrooms I wasn't familiar with. I could be a bear bait as well…!"

"Foretaste it? The teacher told us not to eat it before showing it to her! And there's a bear in here? This place is dangerous!"

You did the survival thing more than I expected, dude! I was surprised, and Akira gave me a thumbs up with a powerless smile.

"D-don't worry about it. If it makes you guys smile… it's not a problem."

"It's a big problem, you know!"

Especially about the bear! What are we going to do about it? I briefly examined the condition of Akira's body with [Appraisal], but no poison was detected, so it seemed to be fine. Seriously, it's a relief…

"Well then, can you show me what you picked, too?"

"Yeah, of course, I don't mind."

With Rin's approval, I used [Appraisal] of what Akira and Rin had risked their lives to pick.

Black Truffle *[1]

Truffle? Did you get a truffle? This mountain! How far out of bounds is this school? There are a lot more outrageous ingredients that came out of nowhere.

Japanese Yam *[2]

Japanese yam! Awesome, it's the real thing! I heard they also grow in some places, but it's in this mountain, too!

Tonbi Maitake *[3]

This is the first time I've seen this mushroom. As the name implies, it looks similar to a maitake mushroom, but the size of the umbrella is completely different. It's not poisonous, so there is no problem.

This is how I went about confirming it, but there were poisonous things mixed in as well.

…Thank goodness. If Akira had to foretaste this, it would have been irreversible. I mean, that's really dangerous! Well, I'm assuming the teacher will confirm that. More importantly, there's mushrooms and some kind of potatoes, but honestly, I've never cooked them before.

"Hey, how many people can cook in here?"

"….."

"That's a lie, isn't it?"

The three of them looked away at my question. Apparently, I'm the only one who can cook. Seriously? I have something to say, but for now, let's just go together to show the teacher what we picked.

When I went to the place where the teachers were waiting, there were already other students ahead of us, and Kaori was among them.

"Kaori!"

"Eh? Ah, Yuuya-san! How's your group doing?"

"Hmm… well I guess it's good? …If it wasn't survival, I think I would have enjoyed it more genuinely…"

When I let out my true feelings, Kaori gave a bitter smile.

"I'm sure you're right. But it's fun too, right?"

"…Well, yes."

Sure, it's dangerous, but it's just generally fun. That was the unmistakable truth of the matter. Then it seemed that Kaori's group had finished sorting, and a member of the group called out to Kaori.

"Kaori, we're done… Eh, Tenjou-kun?"

"Yes, I understand… Then Yuuya-san, see you again…"

Kaori went to her group members who were surprised to see me in some way and left with a lively look on their faces.

"Yu-Yuuya-kun. Are you an acquaintance of that Kaori-sama?" Akira asked me.

"Heh? K-Kaori-sama? W-well… the reason I came to this school was also Kaori…"

Ah, Akira wasn't there when we hung out the other day, was he? So he doesn't know then. There was no need to hide it, so I told the truth as it was, and Akira came close to me while biting his handkerchief.

"I'm jealous! I'm jealous of you! I can't believe you're acquainted with "Princess" Kaori…!"

"P-Princess?"

When I was unable to follow the flow of the conversation, Rin told me while I was dumbfounded.

"Aside from that idiot, Kaori-san is the daughter of the headmaster of this school, and they call her "Princess" because of her elegant appearance and kindness of character."

"Hee~…"

There's definitely a sense of elegance about her. And yet, she's friendly and… when I think about it again; she's really an amazing person. While we were thinking about this, we asked the teacher to sort out the wild plants and other things we had picked.

Part 3

"…Perfect. This is the first time a group has gathered this many ingredients, but all of them are edible."

When I showed Sawada-sensei what we picked up and asked her to examine it, she said that it was as expected. Well, I don't know if it's cheating or unfair… I used [Appraisal] to check it, but I'm afraid of what would happen if we picked wrong stuff, so please forgive me.

"The rest of the group seemed to make it barely, but thanks to you guys, we got close to the bonus. Kukuku…"

"Hahaha…"

We smiled bitterly at Sawada-sensei's wicked smile.

"But don't let your guard down just yet! Cooking is also a part of the scoring. By the way, who can cook in this group?"

They all pointed at me.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, it's serious."

Sawada-sensei held her head but then grabbed both my shoulders firmly.

"Tenjou, do your best. Everything depends on you. Sensei's bonus is…!"

"Can't you try to hide your ulterior motives at least a little?"

The main thing is that our school festival program is going to be spectacular, right? My cheeks are twitching thinking that, and Sawada-sensei has moved on to examine the next group.

"Haah…I've got a lot to say, but shall we just cook now?"

"I'll take care of the errands."

"Ha, I could do the serving!"

"And I will enjoy my food."

"Rin, at least help me with the chores."

Letting out a sigh again, I checked the seasonings and cooking tools I could use. Just like the teacher said at the beginning, we only have the bare minimum of rice, and we have been prepared separate tools for cooking the ingredients obtained in this mountain, so it seems that we can cook without any worries.

Thinking of the ingredients we have on hand…

Deep-fried char and landlocked salmon.

Rape blossoms and Japanese yam with black truffle dressing.

Tombi Maitake Soup.

The menu was going to be like that. Once the menu was decided, I quickly decided to make it and went to the kitchen to start cooking.

I don't know how to handle the Japanese yam and black truffle, but I thought it would be okay if I used them after I grated them.

And although the char and the landlocked sea trout are made into deep-fried fish, it would be great to be able to take the broth from the bones and combine it with the tonbi maitake to make a soup.

As I was cooking as usual, I suddenly felt a gaze on me, so I turned toward that gaze and saw not only Kaede and the others, but also many people with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"N-no… err… Yuuya-kun's skill was just so brilliant…"

"Really? I think it's normal…"

Well, I think I'm cooking just like I normally do, but perhaps my [Cooking] skill is also activated. While everyone was stunned to see me cooking, I just continued to cook.

＊＊＊

The cooking ended more quickly than I expected. It doesn't take a lot of time and effort, because there are no otherworldly ingredients this time, and I cooked a very ordinary food. I've tested it briefly, but I think it's normally delicious. In the case of the other world, it's just that the ingredients in the other world are blown up and so delicious.

"Okay, it's ready."

"….."

Everyone was all staring at the food when I placed it in front of them. Then the teachers, including Sawada-sensei, arrived to judge the food.

Looking closely, Sawada-sensei seemed to be in a somewhat good mood and slightly smelled of alcohol, well I didn't think she drank alcohol… Wait, could it be that she really drank it? We're still in the middle of the field trip, you know!

"Iyaaa~, drinking alcohol in the mountains is delicious… huh, what's this?"

When Sawada-sensei saw the food I made, her eyes widened in surprise. The other teachers also reacted in the same way when they saw my cooking.

"Hey, Tenjou! Did you make this?"

"Y-yes, that's right, but…"

"Can I taste it?"

"Ah, I have prepared some for you."

It was only a small amount, but we had prepared some for the teachers to taste, so they ate those.

And then──.

"...…." The teachers were silent.

"A-ano? What do you think…?"

I asked that with some trepidation, but there was no response from the teachers.

"Yu-Yuuya-kun! Can we eat it too?"

"Eh? It's okay, but…"

Once I agreed to Kaede's words as she couldn't stand it anymore, Kaede and the others put the food into their mouths as if to say they were waiting for it.

"...…."

"So why is there no reaction for it!?"

For some reason, just like the teachers, Kaede and the others froze in their spot once they put the food in their mouths. Could it be that the food was bad?

As far as I tested it, it seemed okay… but maybe my tongue is stupid? I was very anxious because of the lack of reaction from everyone, but then──.

"Deliciooouussss!"

"Eh?"

They all shouted in unison. Then Kaede excitedly said to me.

"Yuuya-kun, what is this? It's so delicious!"

"R-really? I'm glad if it's really del──."

"It's not just delicious, you know!"

"Eh?"

Sawada-sensei said to me with more force than I can imagine from her usual languid atmosphere.

"The teachers are eating lunches prepared by the school's first-class chefs at a bargain price. And yet your food tastes better… who are you really?"

"Even if you say so…"

"It doesn't matter anyway, because it's so good!"

It wasn't just Sawada-sensei, everyone ate the food I made, saying it was delicious. …It's something new. I've only cooked enough for me to eat, and I've never really paid much attention to the taste of the food since I've been eating it myself… but I'm very happy to hear people say that it's delicious.

I've been cooking for a long time, and I've got [Cooking] skills, so I guess it's truly delicious. When everyone was eating it very well; the students around us who were looking at it were drooling.

"T-that looks delicious…"

"It's strange… our dinner is so simple, why is it so luxurious over there…!"

"He's good at sports, he has a good face, and he can cook as well… it seems the heavens grant too many gifts for him!"

Hmm… I want to make it for everyone if they see me that much, but as expected, I don't have the ingredients or time for it…

While feeling a little uncomfortable, I too began to eat the food I had made. When everyone finished eating, Sawada-sensei rubbed her stomach in a satisfied manner.

"Haa… I'm so full."

"M-my apologies if the food isn't enough."

I'm so happy that everyone ate it so well. It was worth the effort.

"…Hey, Tenjou."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to marry sensei?"

"Ueehh?"

"Sa-Sawada-sensei?"

Sawada-sensei's sudden words startled not only me but everyone around me.

"Iyaaa. It's because I am like this. I can't do the house chores; I can't even cook and do the laundry… When I was a student, I only did the things I liked to do and studied, and thanks to that, I haven't had a single good story to tell until I'm old enough! …That's not good, is it?"

"H-huh…?"

"So, you, Tenjou. Yup, there's no one else as good as you. I never thought I'd get such good food like that. So, having come this far, there's no way I could miss it, right? So, marry me and provide for me!"

"What are you talking about?"

I didn't respond to Sawada-sensei's words, but the other teachers and students all snapped at her in unison.

"Sawada-sensei, you're too drunk for your own good! No more alcohol, please!"

"Stop it! We've come all this way to the mountain, so it's time to have a drink! And then, Tenjou will marry me!"

"No, it's not good to put your hand on a student!"

"I understand that it's a complex that your age is equal to your history of not having a boyfriend, but be a moderate and appropriate adult!"

"To tell you the truth, do you think Tenjou is a match for Sawada-sensei? Stop dreaming!"

"Whoa? Sawada-sensei is going to cry if she's abused to that extent!"

Sawada-sensei was, as I said, a little teary-eyed. A-as expected, I feel sorry for her… However, no matter how I look at it, Sawada-sensei seemed to be very drunk due to the alcohol, so I wonder if this is also a kind of drunkard's trait?

"Sa-Sawada-sensei! It's not good if it's Yuuya-kun! The reason is… there are many reasons, but it's not good if it's Yuuya-kun!"

Whenever Kaede desperately told Sawada-sensei that it was no good if it's me, my heart was getting wounded. What's that mean by no good? I mean that Sawada-sensei and I are unethical in many ways, and I'm not good at it myself. Isn't that right? It's so true!

Despite my unexpected damage, Sawada-sensei said to me without seeming to have learned a lesson.

"Well, it's difficult to answer right now. All right, Sensei will wait forever! Or rather, I'm not going to let you go."

"Come back to your senses, sensei!"

"Don't let bad adults steal the future of our youth!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"…Can I cry?"

Sawada-sensei was in tears again at the many words that were thrown at her.

"Um… it's not good if you suddenly talk about marriage or something like that, and above all, it's between a student and a teacher. …But I think Sawada-sensei is a good teacher, you know? So everyone doesn't have to say that much…"

Yup, I think it's a little problem trying to put a hand on a student, but other than that, she's just a good teacher in general. Well, I don't know the details of her private life at all, so I can't say more about her.

"Oh, Tenjou! You're really a good guy! Sensei is happy."

"Muguh!"

When I softly followed up, Sawada-sensei was so moved by that and then hugged me. As a result, Sawada-sensei's breasts are in my face…!

"Aaahh! S-sensei! What are you doing? Please let Yuuya-kun go!"

"Yuuya… I'm so jealous of you… nay, I mean, it's outrageous…!"

Kaede also pulls my arms to separate me from Sawada-sensei as she holds my head in her arms. And for some reason, Akira just blasted me with resentment. H-help me…

Sawada-sensei pats me on the head without my words reaching her.

"There's nothing wrong with it! Sensei is just praising a good boy!"

"It's clearly beyond the scope of normal teacher behaviour!"

"No… You can't believe how much trouble I get for being single…!"

While Sawada-sensei and the others were arguing with each other, Rin, who was the only one staying calm, pointed at me and said.

"Um… Yuuya looks very painful, but…"

"Eh?"

"M-mugaga…"

Before sensei's chest or anything else, I was dying because I couldn't breathe at all. A panicked Sawada-sensei and Kaede immediately let go of me, and I could finally breathe.

"Buhaha! Hah… hah…"

"Haha! Yuuya, how is it? Have you seen heaven?"

"I don't see heaven. I just see the Sanzu River…" [1]

To the laughing Rin, I could only answer that.

In the end, I avoided Sawada-sensei's words while making it vague, and I succeeded in getting through the situation… but Sawada-sensei's gaze as she walked away still hadn't given up, and Kaede was also glaring at Sawada-sensei as if to counteract it somehow.

So, Akira. Please don't look at me while crying tears of blood like that, either. It's not my intention..

Part 4

"Night! I'll be right back, but for now, I'm home!"

"Woof!"

After the exchange with Sawada-sensei and the others, I moved to a quiet area and used my teleport magic to return to my home. I'll have to be careful when I return to the other side again, but first, I'll have to prepare Night's food.

I cooked over there as well, but when I returned, I started cooking to prepare Night's meal. Of course, it's not survival, so I'm cooking with proper ingredients. When I served the finished meal using ingredients from another world as well, he ate it with great relish.

"What do you think? Does it taste good?"

"Woof!"

"Good then."

…Just like I was happy to have Kaede and the others enjoy eating my food, I seem to like cooking for people and making them happy. Well, I guess no one likes to be hated by people, and I'm not the only one who has this sentiment.

"Alright, I'll be back then. Be a good boy, okay?"

"Woof!"

After hearing a cheerful reply, I pet Night and carefully returned to the campsite. When I got back to the campsite, it was apparently time for a bath, and we went to the hot springs in the middle of this vast land. It was hard to find, but everyone else seemed to have found it, and quite a few of the students were gathered there.

"Well then, I'll see you later~."

When we parted from Kaede and Rin, we moved to the men's bath, and many boys were already in there. Even though it's not physically problematic, I feel like taking a bath and relaxing, so Akira and I hurriedly take off our clothes as well…

"…Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

For some reason, the boys around me froze as they looked at me.

"N-no… it's because Yuuya's body is outrageous…"

To my question, Akira answered with a dangerous statement, depending on how you ask. The surrounding boys also shook their heads vigorously at such an answer from Akira.

"Hey, is there something wrong with that?"

"It's not strange or anything! No, it's strange in a way, right…? A-anyway! What's with your abs! I mean, that whole muscle mass! I can't believe you're in the return home club!"

…Maybe it's because I trained in another world? I can never tell them that, and they won't believe me either. Not only do I level up in another world, but I also do muscle training… I don't know if it works, but I do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats about 500 times a day. [T/n: Tf? it's more than Saitama's training!]

However, my body has become much tighter than before…

"Seriously, it's amazing…"

"A good-looking guy with good style, what are we supposed to do now…?"

"I mean, like the muscles…"

"That thing is big, too!"

"Where are you looking!"

I quickly covered it up with a towel when I realized the boys were looking at my crotch. Despite this exchange, I managed to get into the hot spring.

"Oh, it's so wide…!"

"It's because the school has money, this kind of place is just as expected… Huh? Why are we doing a survivalist thing in a school like that?"

"Hahaha…"

I gave a wry smile at Akira's words. But the hot spring is really large, and there's enough space for all of us boys to enter at once. As I looked around the hot spring with admiration, I saw Ryo and Shingo-kun.

"Oh, Yuuya!"

"T-this is the first time we have talked today."

"Ryo, Shingo-kun!"

"Yo, how's it going on your side?"

Ryo and Shingo-kun gave a wry smile at Akira's words.

"Well, I've done some camping before, but I've never done any local procurement or anything up to food, so it's a lot of work."

"B-both Ryo-kun and I can do the cooking, so it's not a problem. It's just that it's generally hard work."

Apparently, Ryo and Shingo-kun had a lot of trouble in their own way. Well, I'm not struggling thanks to not only a kind of cheat called [Appraisal], but also thanks to my levelled-up superhuman body.

"Speaking of which, I've heard about it, Yuuya, you caught the fish with your hands, huh?"

"W-well, yeah."

"I've heard other things about your food that were very good, too?"

"Hahahaha…"

But I wouldn't have had a good meal otherwise. I hope they will forgive me. As I couldn't help but smile vaguely at Ryo and Shingo-kun's words, Akira nodded heavily.

"Yeah… Yuuya-kun's cooking was great… I might have seen the god of cooking for the first time…"

"O-oh? I didn't know it was that good… I mean, it was the same in the last P.E. class, as I thought Yuuya is amazing! Looking at your body like this, you don't really feel like someone from the return home club. It looks like a boxer or a karate practitioner or a martial artist's body."

"R-Ryo-kun, you're pretty much the same, though."

While I nodded at Shingo-kun's words, I was inwardly surprised by Ryo's observation. Certainly, my body should be specialized in fighting rather than sports. After all, I've been fighting and killing each other with the monsters. To be able to see through that just by looking at one's body… or is it something that other people can also understand?

While realizing once again how impressive Ryo was, we exchanged information with each other as we soaked in the long-awaited hot spring. By that time, the sky was already dark. The stars were shining in the night sky, and the atmosphere was different from that of another world.

"Ah… it feels so good…"

Ryo and the others agree when I say that in a voice that comes out unintentionally when I get in hot water.

"But I wonder what we'll be doing tomorrow?"

"Who knows? But just like today, we'll have to go to the mountains or the river to get some food, however…"

"I don't want to be a bear bait anymore!"

"Ah, what happened to Akira-kun…?"

Actually, what are we doing tomorrow… I'm also curious about tomorrow's schedule, but for now, each of us will end the conversation here in order to recover from today's fatigue. Then, in a relaxed atmosphere, we enjoyed the hot spring.

＊＊＊

"I'm looking forward to the hot springs!"

While Yuuya and the others were relaxing in the men's bath, Kaede and the others were also getting ready to enter the hot spring. Then, one of the girls was staring at Kaede, who was undressing next to her.

"Kaede!"

"Eh? Uhiyaa!"

The schoolgirl who was staring at Kaede suddenly squeezed her breasts.

"Your breasts are really big~."

"H-hey!"

"You're in the track and field club with these breasts… are you going to kill the boys?"

"What?"

"Aah… indeed. You have murderous breasts."

"Even Rin-chan?"

Rin, who was like a close friend, also said that while looking at Kaede's chest.

"Oya? What are you doing, everyone?"

"Ah, Kaori-san and Yukine-chan!"

Kaori and Yukine came to Kaede and the others with a curious expression on their faces. Then Kaede hurriedly left Rin and the others and tried to have Kaori shelter her.

"You two, listen to me~. Rin and the others are going to bully me~."

"E-eh?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Ah no, Kaede has big breasts and does track and field, so she can trouble the boys, right? That's what we're talking about."

After hearing that much, they both looked at Kaede's breasts in unison and then touched their own.

"Kaede-san… it's not fair."

"…Mine is disappointing."

"What was that? I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Hahahahaha! Well, well, don't stare at Kaede like that! You two have slender, beautiful bodies, too."

"Speaking of which… Rin is the one with a model's figure, you know?"

As Kaede says, Rin is tall for a woman and has long limbs.

"Well, I'll call that individuality… oh, speaking of breast size, Sawada-sensei is big too, isn't she?"

"Sawada-sensei?"

As Kaori tilted her head at the teacher's name that suddenly came up in the conversation, Kaede told her what happened today.

"Yes, that's right! Sawada-sensei asked Yuuya-kun… to marry her after she ate Yuuya-kun's cooking!"

"Eeh? M-marriage? Uh, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Kaede, you can't convey it by being so straightforward. Listen, at the dinner this evening, Yuuya made a very tasty food using the things we collected. And then the teachers, who are the judges, ate it, too… and because it was so good, Sawada-sensei asked Yuuya to marry her."

"How can that be connected to a marriage…"

"…Well, I saw it up close, and it looked delicious. I wanted to eat it too…"

"Even Yukine-san… nevertheless, a teacher marrying a student… there's a lot of problems with that, isn't there?"

"Hahaha! Well, I guess. But Sawada-sensei has breasts like Kaede's. Isn't it normal for a boy to be knocked out if that breasts press him?"

"N-no way…"

Kaori staggered in shock at Rin's words. But Kaede, in direct contrast to Kaori, burns with a fighting spirit.

"I-it's okay! If Sawada-sensei is willing to do so, then so am I…!"

"Eh? Kaede-san, that means Yuuya-san…"

"Huh? Aaaahh! N-no, it's not! It's not just because it's Yuuya-kun…!"

Rin calmly looks at Kaede, who is flustered as her face turns bright red.

"…You're as straightforward as ever, huh?"

"…Your breasts are also big, that's not fair."

"You're still saying that…"

Kaori, who was facing Kaede's determination, looked down at her own chest again and muttered softly.

"Yuuya-san… would you rather have a woman with bigger breasts…?"

As such, they were excited even before they entered the hot spring and finally soaked in hot water. Then, just like the boys, Kaede and the others were enraptured by how good it felt.

"It feels so good!"

"You're right~."

"It's a camping trip! I came here with that feeling to enjoy this camping, but I was really surprised that they made us do something like survival."

"Right? But we have to prepare a meal tomorrow in the same way, too, don't we?"

"Ugh… that's right…"

When Kaede stifled her words at Rin's words, the surrounding girls joined in the conversation.

"Eh! But Kaede and Rin are just fine! You're with that Tenjou-kun, right?"

"Yes, yes! He already became the subject of a rumour by the entire school as soon as he came to our school."

"Besides, the famous magazine [CutieBeauty] had a picture of him alongside Miwa-chan, who was rapidly rising in popularity!"

The main topic of conversation was Yuuya, and they were having a lot of fun with the typical boisterous nature of female students.

"I also heard today's story, Tenjou-kun was catching fish with his hands, right? And I heard his cooking was great, too?"

"Yup, it was so good!"

"I'm jealous!"

When Kaede spoke in an enthralling manner, the surrounding female students raised their voices in envy.

"Sigh… I'm already jealous of you for just being in the same group with Tenjou-kun, but to be able to eat even his home-made cooking…"

"It's kind of like we're living in a comic book when there are so many amazing people around!"

"Oh, I can understand that!"

After that, the atmosphere was different from that of Yuuya and the others, and the girls were able to spend a leisurely time talking about the school, the boys, and tomorrow's events, just like in the girls-only gathering.

Part 5

The next morning, with most of the class groups having set up their tents solidly in the same location, there were a lot of students around who were starting to move. Among them were Ryo and the others.

"I don't like this anymore… this isn't at all what I imagined camping to be like… to start looking for ingredients again…!"

"Even if we complain here, we won't get any food."

"I know, but I just don't understand it!"

"For now, let's just get through the day."

It was at that time when everyone around us was discussing their plans for their upcoming activities as well with a friendly atmosphere in the air.

"I-it's a beaaarrrr!"

"Huh?"

"A-a bear?"

I saw one of the students running over, shouting out loud. When I looked closely, I saw a bear running at high speed behind him.

"A-a bear? And that's the same one that tried to eat me yesterday!"

"Seriously? Hey, Akira, you go ahead and lure it again! You can also beat it if you want!" Said Rin.

"That's ridiculous! Not even I call myself a bear-killing young noble!"

"Even if you can't beat it, you can be a decoy!"

"Ha, I've been deceived againnnnn!"

Even Akira, who was at the limit of his physical strength until a moment ago, was jumping up and down on the spot when the bear appeared. Then, it seemed that one of the students had gone to call the teachers, and Sawada-sensei and the other teachers came over.

"Hey, are you all okay?"

"Listen, students, get behind the teachers right now! When you move, make sure there are as many obstacles between you and the bear as possible!"

Fortunately, there are no students near the bear, so we manage to take shelter behind the teachers. However, the bear also came running after us.

"As expected, there's no one among the teachers who can use a hunting rifle."

"Hihihi… C-can I use this medicine…?"

"Yo-Yomikawa-sensei, calm down! Won't that kill us all if you use it?"

"Why is there a bear on our property in the first place? I'm sure we've got that area under control, but…"

"They probably came from the nearby mountains and breached the fence. We'll have to investigate that area as well…"

"Anyway, we'll just have to wait it out until the police arrive."

While the teachers were discussing this, Sawada-sensei, who was distracted by the students, fell down.

"Oops…"

"Sawada-sensei!"

Exposing an opening in front of the bear would be quite dangerous. Therefore, the other teachers hurriedly tried to help her up, but the next thing they knew, the bear was nearby.

"Guoooh!"

"…Oh my, we have a problem."

Sawada-sensei says such things in a carefree manner. If I look closely, I see that cold sweat is running from her forehead. She tried to slowly, slowly retreat from the spot, but the bear didn't even miss her movement.

"Gaaaah!"

"L-look out!"

The moment the agitated bear raised its thick arm and was about to swing down on Sawada-sensei─I found myself running.

"Yu-Yuuya-kun!"

Kaede, who was nearby, raised her voice with a surprised look, but by that time, I was already standing between Sawada-sensei and the bear. And then I catch the arm that is swinging down vigorously with one hand.

"Guo!?"

"Te-Tenjou!?"

Not only the bear, but also Sawada-sensei was surprised at my intrusion, and her eyes widened at the scene in front of her.

Ah… what's my excuse? It's not like I'm just a slightly athletic person anymore. But I can't just sit back and watch it happen when people are being attacked. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but well, it'll turn out the way it will!

The difference between dealing with monsters and dealing with wild animals is that for me, dealing with animals is not a big deal at all. After all, in another world, I even killed a fire-breathing bear… the devil bear.

"Gu-guoooohh!"

The bear, having its hand attack blocked, hurriedly raised its other hand and swung it down at me. But I caught the attack with my other hand and went into a four-handed stance.

"H-he's grappling with a bear!"

"What's happening?"

"What kind of a man fights a bear with his bare hands?"

As everyone's eyes widened at the unbelievable situation, I bounced the bear's arms up from the four-handed position to end it quickly and put my arms around its torso and hugged it as if it were a wrestling match.

"Guuooooo!?"

"Is he Kintaro?" [T/n: Kintaro is a hero boy of Japanese folklore, who befriended animals and had supernatural strength.]

"No, no, no, before that, how can he compete on equal strength with a bear?"

I lifted the bear as it was, while Ryo and Kaede both tsukomi at it together.

"Soryaa!"

"Guuoooooo!"

"H-he lifted iiitttt."

"Doseiii!"

I lifted the bear up and threw it straight into the distance. Then the bear flies off easily and falls down, rolling on the ground as it is, and then it faints. I lightly brush my hand away and call out to the bear that fainted.

"Phew… if you learn from this, don't you dare to attack people recklessly again, okay?"

"No, no, no, no, no! That's weird!" said everyone in unison.

All the people who were watching me and the bear were tsukomiing.

"Te-Tenjou! Are you okay?"

"Ah, Sawada-sensei. I'm fine, you know? What about sensei, are you okay?"

"Eh? A-ah, sensei is fine… and nothing is wrong! You have to take a check-up with Yomikawa-sensei right now!"

"Eeh? B-but really, I'm just fine…"

"Just get her to check on you."

At the urging of Sawada-sensei, who had an unusually serious expression on her face, I reluctantly decided to have Yomikawa-sensei examine me.

＊＊＊

I ended up having Yomikawa-sensei examine me, but when she found out that my body was all right, Sawada-sensei thanked me again.

"Thank you, Tenjou. If truth be told, as a teacher, I should be punishing you for committing such a dangerous act, but… this time, you saved my life. How about me as your reward?"

"Eh, I'll hold back…"

"Is that so? Well, then I guess I'll just wait patiently."

Um, I don't want you to wait too long… I thought it was the end of the matter for now since it was all taken care of to a certain extent, but there was still the biggest problem.

That was──.

"Guo…"

"What are we going to do about this bear?"

The bear has become completely docile. If it continues like this, it will be treated as a potential target for killing. Or, if it is lucky, maybe it'll end up in a zoo? As I was thinking about that, Kaori came over.

"About the bear over there… since we've had to go through all this trouble, we've decided to keep it at this facility.

"Eh? Keeping it!"

I was surprised by the unexpected words, and Kaori smiled at me.

"Yes. We have permission from the city, so there is no problem in keeping it. As a crime prevention measure, we would like to raise it as a watchdog, a guardian bear."

"Guardian bear…"

What a powerful word.

"How did you get the permit so easily?"

"That part… well… it's my father's power, so to speak…"

Political power is amazing. The bear also looked at Kaori with shining eyes, as if it understood Kaori's words.

"But… is it okay? Even though there was no damage, it's still dangerous to have a bear…"

"It's okay! If this bear ever attacks a person, we plan to eat it as delicious bear meat!"

"G-guo!? Ku-Kuma. Kumakuma."

"Didn't you used to say "Guooh"? Could that be a flattering voice? But even if it's a flattery voice, "Kuma" is strange!"

Although there are still many things to worry about, the bear is safe(?). It would be kept at the school's facility, and our field trip had ended.