Chapter 119: Group D, Assemble!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: Group D, Assemble!
After Meiling's visit, which came and went like the wind, the promised day finally arrived.
August 8th.
It was the day I'd see my school friends again, whom I hadn't seen for a while since summer vacation started.
*
We had coordinated our schedules beforehand via messenger and decided to meet early in the morning on the day of our trip.
The meeting spot was the Express Bus Terminal, and we planned to take a bus to our destination, Chiba.
I had packed my bags the night before, so after my usual morning jog and a quick shower, I spoke to my mother while eating breakfast.
"It's a one-night, two-day trip, so if I leave this morning, I'll be back tomorrow evening."
"Okay. Be careful. Watch out for cars."
"Yes, I will."
If anyone else had said it, it would have been different, but hearing it from my mother felt strange.
After all, the reason I ended up possessing Kim Yoo-Sung's body was because the original Yoo-Sung got into a major car accident and fell into a coma.
After telling my mother once more not to worry, I held out my empty rice bowl.
"It's still morning, and you want more?"
"If I go today, I won't get to eat your cooking for a whole day. I have to eat a ton before I leave."
"My, my. All you've learned as you've gotten older is how to flatter."
But she didn't seem to mind it.
My mother took the bowl I offered, piled it high with rice, and handed it back to me.
"Eat a lot, and have a lot of fun. Memories from your school days are something money can't buy."
"Yes!"
I replied energetically and took the rice bowl from her.
*
8:20 AM.
I headed to the Express Bus Terminal in Shinjuku.
The actual meeting time was 9 AM, but I left home thirty minutes early to account for travel time.
My travel backpack was stuffed with cooking utensils, clothes, and groceries from home, making it look quite bulky.
Anyone who saw me would think I was some country bumpkin excited about a trip.
Of course, they wouldn't be wrong.
My family rarely went on domestic trips, let alone overseas ones.
This was due to my parents' personal convictions. Digging through the original Kim Yoo-Sung's memories, I learned they opened their shop almost every day unless there was a special reason.
They seemed to worry that if they closed for even a day, the many people who came to our place instead of eating at home would skip a meal.
Well, I guess that's the kind of diligence it takes to own a house in Tokyo, where land is notoriously expensive.
I took the now-familiar Tokyo subway and got off at Shinjuku Station. The streets were teeming with people out and about, despite the scorching midsummer sun.
This place always looks so complicated, no matter how many times I see it.
I escaped the crowd pouring out of the subway and went up to ground level.
All that was left was to get to the bus terminal. I wondered if I'd arrived too early.
Just as I was thinking that and stepping off the escalator...
"Huh?"
I ran into Ryuji, the original protagonist of Scramble Love, and his childhood friend, Yaguchi, right in front of the station.
*
"Yo! Long time no see."
Ryuji, whom I hadn't seen in about two weeks since visiting his house on the last day of school, waved his hand enthusiastically.
I walked over and greeted them.
"Long time no see, Ryuji. And Yaguchi, thanks for letting us use your place last week."
"No problem. I was actually happy I got Li Meiling's autograph."
At that, Ryuji, who was standing beside her, tilted his head and asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, last week, Kim came over with the world-famous female fighter, Li Meiling, to spar. I let them borrow our dojo for a bit."
"Oh? You sparred with her?"
Behind Ryuji, the foreign ghost stared at me with interest.
I didn't know what he was thinking, but I had a feeling it wasn't anything good.
"It was just one of those things."
"That's a shame. I wanted to see you fight at least once."
We chatted idly as we walked toward the bus terminal.
The topic, naturally, was Meiling. Yaguchi must be a huge fan, because unlike her usual quiet self, she explained everything with passion and sincerity.
Thanks to her, Ryuji, who knew nothing about Li Meiling, quickly learned who she was.
As I watched Yaguchi with slightly surprised eyes, Ryuji said.
"She has a tendency to go wild whenever a topic she likes comes up."
Since they're childhood friends, this probably wasn't the first time he'd seen her like this.
A mix of emotions crossed his wry smile.
Anyway, we soon arrived at the Shinjuku Express Bus Terminal.
And the first person to arrive at our meeting spot wasn't us, but the Class President.
"You're early."
The Class President spotted us and pushed up her round glasses slightly.
We walked up to her and asked.
"When did you get here?"
The Class President glanced at the clock on the wall and said.
"About twenty minutes ago."
It was 8:50 now, which meant she had arrived at 8:30.
"Why'd you come so early?"
"Well, since I'm the leader, I figured there would be a lot to organize."
As she said that, she showed us a notebook filled with detailed plans for the trip.
It was clear how much effort she had put into this.
"You've worked hard."
"This is nothing. Class matters are much harder."
She shrugged, then crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.
We joined her, waiting for the other members who hadn't arrived yet.
Before long—
"Heeey!~"
Rika.
"Am I late?"
Karen.
"Yes! Just in time!"
Satoru.
"Hmph. The main character always arrives last."
...all the members arrived, in that order: Sasha.
Once all eight of us were gathered, the Class President looked around at everyone and spoke with determination.
"It's only a short one-night, two-day trip, but I hope everyone returns to this spot safely, without anyone getting hurt. Now, let's go!"
Following the Class President's lead, we grabbed our luggage in an orderly fashion and began boarding the express bus we had reserved.
*
The distance from Tokyo to Chiba is quite short.
Unlike our last Forest School trip, where we took a detour, the express bus gets you there in about an hour.
Of course, arriving in Chiba wasn't the end of our journey. From there, we had to transfer to a local bus heading to our destination, Onjuku Beach.
And after a long journey of about an hour and a half, we finally arrived at paradise.
"It's the sea!! (Umi!!)"
Satoru shouted the classic rom-com line with excitement as he gazed at the endless blue horizon before us.
It was the kind of sea that made you feel refreshed just by looking at it.
If I could, I would have jumped right into the water to enjoy the summer, but unfortunately, we still had things to do.
"My cousin's guesthouse is this way."
We followed the lead of Yaguchi, the only one with experience at Onjuku Beach.
On the way, Satoru couldn't contain his excitement at the sight of girls in swimsuits and the beach houses.
"The first thing I'm gonna do when I get to the beach is pick up some girls."
Hearing his proud declaration, Ryuji and I, walking beside him, gave him a dubious look.
"Uh... good luck with that."
I couldn't bring myself to stop him from trying to burn through his youthful summer in his own way.
After about a ten-minute walk, we arrived at a guesthouse near the shore.
It was smaller than I expected, but it seemed to have everything we needed, so I didn't think it would be inconvenient.
Besides, it wasn't like we'd be spending much time here except to sleep.
"It goes without saying, but I got separate rooms for the guys and girls."
Yaguchi, who had just gotten the room keys from the counter, said this as she handed one to Ryuji.
"What are you girls planning to do next? Heading straight to the beach?"
The Class President nodded.
"Probably, unless something comes up. Same for you guys?"
"Same here. I'm not really hungry right now, probably because we ate so many snacks on the bus."
"Then it's settled. Let's unpack our stuff and meet in front of the guesthouse in thirty minutes."
"Sounds good."
We split into two groups, guys and girls, and went to our rooms to unpack.
*
Unlike the girls, who needed all sorts of preparations to go to the beach, the guys' prep was quick and simple.
Put on swim trunks and a t-shirt, slap some sunscreen on your face and arms, and you're done.
A real man doesn't wear sunscreen, you say?
I wouldn't know about that.
My face is already intimidating enough; the least I can do is take care of my skin to add some positive points to my impression.
Anyway, we were ready to go to the beach in no time. Since there was nothing to do in the room, we decided to go out and wait.
The three of us were huddled together, making meaningless small talk about things like whose swimsuit would be the prettiest.
Just then, a voice came from behind us.
"Sorry! Have you been waiting long?"