CHAPTER 2 - Memorable May (3)

[SAME AND DIFFERENT]

The second day of their school trip to Kyoto was supposed to be an optimal chance for them to assist a professional sniper called Red Eye in killing Korosensei. Everyone worked hard in coming up with ideas and planning out the perfect location where the sniper could execute his assassination.

And just like their previous attempts, Korosensei was able to evade the shots. Based on experience, they were sure that he had already foreseen what was coming to him that day.

Feeling dismayed at their failure, they went back to the inn before night fell. They must admit though that they still had fun going around the places in Kyoto that they have researched about.

After dinner, the girls and boys took their baths separately. Hayami quickly left the hot springs when Nakamura had begun groping the girls' breasts. She wrapped herself in a towel and went to the dressing area where she put on a robe.

She, then, thought to buy herself a hot drink, so she slid the door open to see Chiba climbing down the stairs.

"Are you going to the vending machine?" she asked.

He nodded as a faint blush colored his cheeks at the sight of her fresh from a bath.

"Perfect timing. I'm also on my way there." She trotted on her way and walked by his side towards the end of the corridor.

They both pored over the drinks inside the machine. "What are you getting?" Chiba asked her with a smile.

"Black tea."

This took him by a slight surprise. "Same." Then he pressed the button for their drinks.

After getting the two bottles from the chute, they took a seat on the wooden bench beside the vending machine. They were quiet as they simultaneously sipped and yet, neither wanted to go back to the room.

Hayami decided to speak since it'd be a waste if this moment would be spent without saying anything – "I wonder if I'll be able to sleep after drinking caffeine."

"I doubt we'll be able to sleep early with or without caffeine," said Chiba. With our class, they will surely cause a ruckus before going to sleep.

"You're right. Everyone is still energetic despite what we went through," she uttered, the corners of her mouth turned up.

It was a wonder that no one was tired yet with all the preparations they had done for the past week and the time they had spent going around Kyoto all day. Even Karasuma, who was working full time in the ministry while looking after them as their teacher, did not show a bit of fatigue.

"Maybe because of our physical training," Chiba said.

"Yeah. We indeed have become more active."

Now that their drinks were empty, they started thinking if it was okay to go back especially since both of them did not know what to say further.

Across the corridor, Okajima and Nagisa Shiota caught sight of the two. Sitting together with no one else around, a feeling of jealousy stirred up inside the perverted boy, which was sensed by his blue-haired companion.

"Oi, Chiba! All the boys are gathering up. You better go back!" Okajima yelled with his hand raised.

Hayami turned towards Chiba and asked "Shall we go?" to which he answered with a nod. They both got up and tossed their cans to the trash bin before heading back to their rooms.

***

A beam flashed on Okajima's face upon seeing Hayami sitting alone by the window. Today, they were about to depart to Kyoto Station and go back to Tokyo.

He rushed to her as he exclaimed, "Hayami, let me sit beside you!"

His face was greeted by a bag that Hayami has shoved to him. She would have been fine with him beside her were it not for his scheming expression.

When Nakamura was passing by the aisle, she caught wind of Hayami getting rid of Okajima, who was trying to squeeze himself on the empty seat. Then she saw Chiba climb in on the bus, which sparked an idea inside her mind.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him to where the chaos was. "It should be fine if it's Chiba, right?" the blonde prankster gave the speechless Hayami a wink before pushing the semi-bald pervert further away to the back. "Come on, idiot. You're blocking the way," she berated.

Chiba scratched his cheek while standing there as if telepathically asking for Hayami's permission to take the seat. She whipped her head away and scooted back to the window seat, impliedly telling him that he was welcome to.

'I wonder why Okajima is being aggressive to me lately,' she thought as she leaned on the window, propping her arm up. 'I'll have to thank Rio later for what she did.'

Recently, Okajima has been honing his attention to her compared to the other girls. He would badger her to eat lunch or walk to the school gate with him. Thankfully, Yada and Sumire Hara would save her skin by inviting her to eat with them until she, on her own, would join their table casually during lunch.

She was also relieved that she has an after-school practice with Chiba and it was already an established norm for them to walk down the mountain together every day. With this, she could decline the semi-bald's offer with no problem.

During class, Okajima would sometimes drop his eraser, hoping to arrange a 'holding hand moment' if she picked it up. But it would end up in vain as either Korosensei or Chiba would get it for him instead.

Is it because I'm the closest one being his seatmate? But Kanzaki-san also sits beside him on his right. It would make more sense if he focuses on her instead.

Before she could make any assumptions, an earplug appeared from the corner of her eye. Her eyes darted towards Chiba, who was listening to music during the ride.

She accepted his offer, taking the earplug gingerly and putting it on. As soon as a hardcore punk song exploded her eardrums, she removed the earplug without adieu.

"You like punk?" she asked with a blank look as she returned it to him.

"Mm." He glanced down the earplug on his palm and, then, at her. "Was it not to your liking?"

"It's too much for me."

That's what people would normally say about the genre. "What music do you like then?" he asked.

"I don't really listen to music –" then she recalled something "– although I know how to do jazz dance."

A smile hovered on the edge of his lips, finding it impressive for her to have that skill. "I'd like to see you do it someday," he said.

She faced the front while fixing her hair behind her ear. "If an opportunity allows it."