enjoyebooks Chapter 199 Lonely people always attract each other!
Chapter 199 Lonely people always attract each other!
Today's first activity is called wilderness orienteering. Everyone must follow the prescribed route through the checkpoint and pick up a flag that has been placed in advance in a temple halfway up the mountain.
(The original text has been completely revised.)
Hinata Hoshino: "Ryo-nii! Let's hurry! Our group will definitely be the fastest."
Himesaka Noa: "Eh, that would be tiring."
Uchiha Ryo ruffled Hoshino Hinata's hair. "This isn't a competition, it's just a small activity between you classmates. Instead of sprinting at full speed with a map and compass, why not enjoy the process of climbing the mountain?"
Just as Uchiha Ryo said, what these elementary school students are meant to experience is not fierce competition, but a leisurely walk in the mountains and forests.
Along the way, Shirasaki Hana walked behind Uchiha Ryo wearing a sun hat. Her physical strength was not bad; she was just afraid of the heat.
"By the way, although all three of you know me, won't this little one introduce themselves?"
Unlike other teams, Uchiha Ryo's team consists of only four children and a cat following behind them.
Right behind Shirasaki Hana, a primary school student who hadn't spoken since joining the team looked up. She looked at Uchiha Ryo with some curiosity, but still didn't seem inclined to say anything.
The little girl was a bit taller than Shirasaki Hana and, compared to the other children, had a more mature air about her. Her straight black hair reminded Uchiha Ryo of Yukinoshita, and her clothing was particularly elegant among her peers.
To be honest, Uchiha Ryo felt that this little girl was somewhere between Shirasaki Hana and Yukinoshita; she was very cute and easily attracted attention, but gave off a cold feeling.
"Rumi, this is Shirasaki Hana's older brother, isn't he handsome!"
Social butterfly Hinata Hoshino ran to the back and took the girl's hand. "This is Rumi Tsurumi, who's in our class. She's incredibly smart and has been number one in the grade for a long time!"
Uchiha Ryo smiled. "Then, Rumi, may I call you that?"
Rumi Tsurumi nodded. "Since you're Shirasaki's brother, then it's up to you."
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Let's forget about it then. Otherwise, I'll keep hearing about someone's favorability rating increasing, and then Yanyun-chan running over to boost someone else's favorability. It'll make my brain a bit noisy.
Himesaka Noa: "Ling-nii, this place is so beautiful, let's take a picture."
Naiai held up the digital camera hanging around her neck, while Hyuga quickly called out to Hana and Rumi, and Uchiha Ryo took the camera to take pictures of them.
Just as Uchiha Ryo was taking pictures, Yukinoshita also came up from behind with five elementary school students.
"You really are treating this like a vacation, aren't you?"
Uchiha Ryo: "What else can we do? We can't really treat this as work. Since Hiratsuka-sensei didn't say anything, let's just treat it as fun."
Yukinoshita nodded, and then followed Uchiha Ryo's group up the mountain.
"Yukino, look at her... doesn't she look a lot like you?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Ryo, who was walking at the very back, touched the snow and pointed at Tsurumi Rumi.
"she...."
Yukino must have noticed the little girl who didn't fit in with the others, but that's not surprising.
In every school, and even in every class, there will always be people who don't fit in. They may be naturally withdrawn, or it could be due to some external factors.
It's strange that Tsurumi Rumi is still alone in a class with Hoshino Hinata and the others.
"I heard that Rumi is the top student in her grade and is also one of the cutest girls in elementary school, but even with Hinata and the others, there's a strange sense of distance between her."
Yukino looked at Rumi. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. The problem is with someone who always follows behind everyone else or stays in a corner. A genius who simply doesn't want to communicate with people is probably just too outstanding."
After leaving the woods, there was an open area, and a desolate temple halfway up the mountain marked the end of their orienteering journey. Their task was to retrieve the colorful flags placed inside the temple and eventually descend the mountain back to the starting point.
Standing in front of the temple, Hoshino Hinata quickly took out a flag from inside, while Uchiha Ryo stood in the center of the temple, looking at the dilapidated Jizo Bodhisattva statue.
"Brother Ling, I got the flag!"
"Oh, let's go down the mountain then. I heard that lunch today is a free kaiseki meal. This elementary school is quite wealthy."
Yukinoshita: "...I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that, because of the principal, all the expenses this time were paid by Shuchiin."
That's alright then. But Shuchiin is really extravagant; they can actually book a high-class inn and kaiseki cuisine when taking the kids out to play.
After leading the group of elementary school students back to the inn, this hot spring inn, located on the edge of Chiba Forest, was not large. It was said that after Shuchiin booked all fifteen rooms, only three were left for passersby.
In the hotel's dining room, Uchiha Ryo and his classmates sat together, while Hiratsuka Shizuka drank with the three elementary school homeroom teachers.
At the dinner table, Yukinoshita suddenly brought up the withdrawn child, Tsurumi Rumi. She planned to get to know her, and if possible... Yukinoshita hoped she could help her.
Was it because of some kind of resonance? After all, everyone present, except for Yukino, could be described as extroverted.
Whether it's the "King of Part-Time Workers," Shirogane Miyuki; the "King of Jokes," Amakusa Shino; or Fujiwara Chika and Chitanda, who need no further comment, they probably never experienced loneliness at school.
Perhaps Shirogane Miyuki also had this when he first arrived at Shuchiin Academy, but because he immediately met Uchiha Ryo, he did quite well in the class.
Just as Stand users are always drawn to each other, in the vast sea of people, lonely people often see equally lonely figures.
Uchiha Ryo: "However, it seems like this trip isn't just about us."
Miyuki Shirogane glanced at the long table not far away. "They're probably a group of middle school students. Don't worry about them. I just overheard them talking about some kind of monster in the mountains when I passed by. Such a cringey age..."
Chitanda: "Youkai?!"
Fujiwara Chika: "Rumors?!"
Yukino looked at the two of them and asked helplessly, "What...are you two going to do?"
Fujiwara Chika took a detective hat out of her bag. "If there's a rumor, go find it! Detective Chika is here!"
Chitanda: "The legends of yokai... I always find them rather intriguing."
After saying that, the two got up and ran towards the group of middle school students.
Uchiha Ryo: "...You guys keep eating, I'll go keep an eye on them. Honestly, don't you understand the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'?"
"Meow!"
Uchiha Ryo turned around and patted Yanyun-chan, "I wasn't talking about you, but you can come along too."