“All right, I’m on my way!” Ichika bid farewell to the student council members who’d come to see him off, and set off alongside Miss Casual.
“Ehehe, I get to sit next to Orimu! Someone up there’s looking out for me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
As they walked along, the cadets looked rather displeased with this course of events. In fact, they were glaring at Miss Casual.
“What really matters is when we get to Kyoto.” It wasn’t clear who had said it, but the idea definitely cheered all six of them up.
“You’re right. That is what really matters.”
“I bet the foliage will be beautiful.”
“I’ve been there so many times it’s basically a second home.”
“The Gold Castle is famous, isn’t it? I’d like to go see it with you.”
“The matcha! I want a real matcha latte!”
“Everyone’s getting so excited...”
They’d already made their way to the platform at Tokyo Station. With every first year coming along, they’d reserved several cars, and there was no need to form neat lines, so instead they just relaxed while waiting for the train. Or at least tried to, unsuccessfully. The reason was obvious: Miss Casual had wrapped herself around Ichika’s arm.
“Hey, hey, Orimu! What are you getting for lunch?”
“Something light. The ryokan we’re staying at is supposed to have really good food.”
“Oh, wow! They have masuzushi from Tomiyama! I need to get some!”
“...You’re not listening, are you.”
Miss Casual was greedily clutching a box labeled ‘genuine masuzushi,’ all without letting go of Ichika’s arm.
“Honne’s so lucky...”
“Isn’t she being a little too clingy?”
“That’s just how she is.”
Miss Casual’s friends sighed resignedly. The big sister who couldn’t tell a lie, and the little sister who could only say what she meant. The Nohotoke sisters from the student council were famous for their forthrightness.
This didn’t mean that the cadets were particularly pleased about it, though. However baggy her normal pajama-like clothes were, she had the body of a supermodel. Even her outsized school uniform did little to hide it. Ling and Laura, especially, were worried that he might get a little too used to the extra cushioning.
Dammit, Ichika! Stop drooling all over her!
She’s trying to steal my bride!
You could pack a surprising amount of darkness into hearts without much space in front of them.
“Oh, there’s the train. Let’s board.”
The crowd of first year IS Academy students began to line up. As they did, the other passengers noticed their uniforms.
“Oh wow, they’re from IS Academy!”
“Wait, that means Orimura Ichika’s probably here.”
“Where is he?! I’ve been really into him ever since I saw him on TV!”
“You say that about every guy you see on TV.”
“Like you weren’t talking for a week about how they get to customize their uniforms.”
“That’s different! That’s because I want to be a designer!”
As the crowd buzzed, the first years walked onto the train like it was a parade.
“Okay, is everyone here?” As the voices of 150 or so of the flower of humanity rose up, Chifuyu nodded.
“Masuzushi! Masuzushi!” In the seat next to Ichika, Miss Casual began to unwrap her bundle of Tomiyama deliciousness.
“Mm? What’s with that?” Inside the package was a tiny bamboo box.
“The thing with masuzushi is, you’ve gotta wrap it up reeeaaaalllll tight to keep the fish fresh.”
“I see.” As a chef himself, Ichika was intrigued by the prospect of learning about a new dish... Well, at least as someone who did the cooking.
“Can you take the rubber band off for me, Ichika?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.” He picked up the masuzushi and slid the rubber band off. And as he did—
“Oww!” It immediately snapped back on his hand.
“Ahahahahaha! That happens to everyone the first time they do that.”
“You should’ve told me!”
The cadets squinted in suspicion at their happy domesticity.
“Why can’t Ichika be like this with us?”
“Just because she gets to sit next to him, she thinks she can do whatever she likes.”
“If you’re sitting across from them, keep an eye on him.”
“I wonder if he’s really that disloyal.”
“My chicks... I had to leave my chicks behind again...”
“Laura, you can buy those pretty much anywhere.” Laura was the only one with a different reaction, and Kanzashi took it as an opportunity to get a jab in.
And then it was time for another train ride.