Chapter 11:
The Point of the School Trip
WHEN THE CRUISE SHIP finally docked at its destination, the other students were elated.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been to this island.”
“The atmosphere here is so different!”
“All the buildings are wooden!”
While everyone else regarded the foreign culture here with wonder and appreciation, very different emotions struck Marie and I. The view from the harbor was all we needed to trigger our memories of Japan.
“I knew this island was inspired by Japan, but I didn’t realize it’d be quite so authentic. Really hits home,” I said.
Marie shared my sense of nostalgia and heartache. “It’s all a bit too authentic,” she said. “That’s the problem.”
The scene in front of us reminded us both of the home we couldn’t return to, instilling a longing that we could never fulfill. It would be misleading to say that the island replicated Japan exactly. Still, the buildings and architecture were reminiscent of those you might find in our home country’s rustic, peaceful countryside.
“According to my data, this island in similar to Japan in several ways,” cut in Luxion, still hidden by his cloaking device. “In particular, its shrine and torii are such close matches that I almost wonder whether they are exact reconstructions.”
“Probably because that’s how they designed this area in the game, right?” I said.
“Yeah,” Marie agreed. “Maybe for the school trip, they wanted to insert a culture that’d be foreign to the game characters, and they decided to go with Japan.” They’d probably just stuck to doing a traditionally Japanese area because it was too much hassle to actually research and design a location that was also foreign to Japanese players.
“In viewing this solely as a game environment, you two seem to be thinking too narrowly,” said Luxion.
I shrugged. “How else would we look at it?”
“I will conduct my own investigation.” Luxion ended the conversation with that; he must’ve decided it was pointless to argue further.
Taking in her surroundings, Marie looked terribly homesick. She finally smacked her cheeks to force herself out of her funk. “Okay! Let’s enjoy this island for all it’s worth! It might even have some Japanese-inspired dishes for us to try. Can’t hurt to take a look around.”
She had a knack for redirecting her emotions somewhere more positive. In this case, I admired that. “I’d love to try some of their miso and soy sauce, if they have those.”
“We’ll have to look into what kind of wine goes well with the food here, too. Red or white? Sweet or dry?”
We both smiled as we walked along. At one point, Deirdre cut in front of us, clad in a white swimsuit and chiffon cover-up.
“We’ve finally arrived! Let’s head straight to the beach!” she called back to her followers, who scrambled after her.
I stared at her—or rather, at her chest. “We’ve barely arrived, and she’s already changed, ready to hit the water? She sure has a lot of energy—ouch! That hurt!” I turned to glare at Marie, who’d pinched my side.
“Hmph! You’re always ogling other women’s breasts. Jeez, you’re such a jerk!” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she took off running, leaving me behind.
“H-hey!”
“How many times will you continue to make the same mistake until you learn your lesson, Master?” asked Luxion.
“Look, screwing up over and over is human nature.”
“At least learn from it this time so you do not continue to do so. Or perhaps I should seriously consider breast enhancement surgery for Marie.”
If he was serious, I had to level with him. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not interested in fake breasts.” Authenticity was everything to me.
“How lucky I am to have found such an incorrigible master.”
I perked up. “You mean it?”
“It was obviously sarcasm,” Luxion said, dismayed. “Please do not assume I am complimenting you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After she’d disembarked, Olivia found herself scanning the crowds of students, wondering whether Leon was among them. Her hopes were dashed when she realized he wasn’t.
“I don’t see him. Maybe he left earlier,” she muttered to herself, sighing with great disappointment.
Kyle was at her heels, his face pinched with concern. “You’re not looking for that male student who saved you before, are you?”
Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “Um, yes, actually.” She nodded, a little embarrassed.
The elf’s brow furrowed. “I don’t see anything wrong with thanking him, if that’s what you want to do, but you shouldn’t get too close to him. It would be disrespectful to Prince Julius and his friends. Please keep that in mind.”
He couldn’t understand Olivia’s sudden interest in Leon. Julius and the other noble scions who favored her were far superior in every respect, from rank to wealth to influence. Leon couldn’t begin to compare to them.
“Should I really keep my distance?” Olivia wondered aloud.
Since she was a commoner, all aristocrats were equally out of her league, and she found it hard to fathom the hierarchy that existed among them. Since coming to the academy, she’d slowly become more aware of the power structure within the upper crust, but that was mostly a vague awareness; she couldn’t say she comprehended the pecking order fully.
“What? Yes. You’re not actually interested in him, are you?” asked Kyle. “I’ve heard that he’ll be granted the title of baron once he graduates, but he’ll still only be the minor lord of a remote region of the kingdom.”
Kyle obviously looked down on Leon, which Olivia didn’t appreciate.
“They’re all far out of my reach regardless,” she said.
“What’re you talking about? Of course they’re not. Prince Julius and the others are clever enough that they could figure out a way to make it work somehow. You should focus more on what’ll benefit you in the future.”
Kyle was clearly pushing her to choose either Julius or someone within his group of friends. Yet when her servant mentioned the future, Leon’s face popped into Olivia’s head first.