Field Trip to Another World

Our bus, carrying the students of Midorigaoka Private High School's Class 2-1 arrived leisurely at the inn's parking lot.

We had gathered at Tokyo Station at seven in the morning, taken the bullet train straight to Kyoto, then switched to a chartered bus and headed to the inn. After leaving our luggage in our rooms, we were to have lunch, while listening to the teachers' go over the instructions again, before finally heading out to explore Kyoto.

That was the schedule for the first day of the field trip.

As my classmates disembarked from the bus, the mild excitement and anticipation on each of their faces was obvious. I'm sure I had the same look on my own.

After pulling my travel bag from the bus's undercarriage, I looked around, searching for her.

Aya!

Engaged in a conversation with two friends, Aya Jinnai turned around upon hearing my voice.

What's up, Kosuke?

Even while traveling, her response was as casual as ever, which was somewhat reassuring to me.

Oh, I just wanted to discuss arrangements for the hidden talent show tonight.

Okay, got it. You two go on ahead.

Ah, sure. Have a nice, long conversation.

Her friends chuckled meaningfully as they walked off to the inn with their bags on their shoulders.

Aya Jinnai was the class president for Class 2-1 and also my childhood friend. We've been inseparable since kindergarten, through elementary and middle school—a truly deep-rooted childhood friendship. Just because we call each other by our first names doesn't mean we have a special relationship; it is just a force of habit.

The fact that our relationship had been maintained meant that she at least didn't dislike me, but if nothing changed, this distance between us would continue on indefinitely.

She'd gone from simply calling me Ko in first grade, to calling me Kosuke now. Meanwhile, I'd always just called her Aya.

There must have been a moment to start calling her by a nickname instead, but I missed it, so nothing had changed.

I've always been afraid that changing the name would change our relationship, but there's no way our relationship will remain the same five, ten, or twenty years from now. Somewhere along the line, I had to try and change this stagnant situation.

If there was one adventure I should take on amidst the drudgery of daily life, it would be to resolve our relationship. This field trip, an extension of our everyday life tinged with the extraordinary, was my best opportunity to take that step.

Looking back, I'd passed up numerous opportunities for adventure.

The summer festival when we were in sixth grade.

Valentine's Day in the first year of junior high.

The sports festival in the second year of junior high.

The graduation ceremony in the third year of junior high.

The cultural festival in the first year of high school.

There were countless opportunities for adventure.

After much internal debate, I had come to some conclusions. To avoid total failure, it was better not to take unnecessary risks. You should view your life like a stock portfolio and think about risk diversification. Continuing as childhood friends ensured a steady return for the foreseeable future. I had to think myself lucky when there were many high school boys who didn't have a female friend they could talk to casually.

As a result of my internal deliberations, I’ve kept on putting it off.

But it was time to settle things once and for all. For my own sake.

Using the once-in-a-lifetime of this overnight high school field trip as a springboard, I had decided to embark on the greatest adventure of my life.

If I wanted to obtain the glittering future I envisioned, I would need to take a leap of faith. Even if that risked a devastating counterpunch, such as . . .

I don't see you that way, but let’s stay good friends.

Once I take the plunge, there's no way we can just go back to being friends! The way things were would be completely shattered!

Take the plunge?

Ah, nothing.

I'd have to be more careful. In my eagerness for adventure, my true thoughts had accidentally tumbled from my mouth.

What’s up? You seem more jittery than usual. Have you been looking forward to the field trip that much?

You always seem to stay so cool, Aya.

It’s not that I’m not excited, but I'm not a kid who gets all hyped up over a school trip.

Yet you’ve been sticking post-its on every page.

I pointed to a booklet sticking out of Aya’s travel bag.

The booklet, titled Field Trip Guide, was no ordinary travel guide.

It was a masterpiece I, Kosuke Sawaki, as a member of the field trip committee, had created for this trip.

It contained the travel itinerary, class roster, emergency contacts, information on sightseeing spots in Kyoto, maps, travel tips, and a packing list—all things essential for the field trip.

Hmm . . . well, the recommended spots you picked really hit the mark for me.

She spoke curtly, but with more than a decade of friendship, I detected a hint of embarrassment in her tone. She must've felt shy. That was a good sign. After all, I created that booklet mostly to explore Kyoto with her.

By the way, Kosuke, didn't you say you wanted to discuss something?

Ah, right. About tonight’s hidden talent show . . .

Originally, after dinner, there was supposed to be a karaoke session at the inn. However, we received word just yesterday that the karaoke set was broken, so as a member of the field trip committee, I had to think of an alternative, and thus, the hidden talent show was born.

We had already taken a survey on the bullet train, gathering each person’s unique skill. Based on that survey, Class President Aya and I were set to discuss and decide on the performances.

As I handed over the survey papers, Aya started flipping through them.

Though there were a few blank sheets, the responses mostly brimmed with individuality.

Comedy sketches, magic tricks, rakugo, improvisational theater, swordplay, sumo ring-entering ritual, juggling, impressions of Midorigaoka High School's teachers, air guitar, soccer ball juggling, caricatures, tile breaking, product demonstrations, simon says, extreme pillow fights, grateful sermons, all about linear motors, radish peeling, classroom trials by jury, clearing Xevious with no continue, erotic manga reading, one-man muscle musical, cat cafe, etc . . .

The variety was overwhelming, and each classmate's individual personality shone through even from just listing their talents.

Comedy sketches and magic tricks are fine, but who benefits from an erotic manga reading?

I don’t know . . . but a cat cafe isn’t a good idea either.

Well, there are a few questionable acts, but overall, it should be fine. The teachers will probably turn a blind eye as long as we don't go too far, and even if the performances are clumsy, the travel high will carry us through.

You always have such a stern way of putting things.

Honestly, considering everything, the impersonations of the teachers are likely to be the biggest hit. In this sort of setting, in-jokes are always a safe bet over high-quality acts.

And frankly, the hidden talent show was just a pretext for me to start this conversation. What really matters is what comes next.

So, Aya, do you have any plans for the free time on the third day?

Not really, I might just tour the usual tourist spots with friends.

Ah, I see.

Yep.

I haven't made any specific plans either.

Oh, I see.

Uh-huh . . .

And . . . ?

Well, I mean, since I don't have any plans . . .

Yeah?

Just then, as I was throwing feeble jabs against her impregnable defense . . .

Hey, you two.

Our classmate, Kimura, whom I had known since fifth grade, walked towards us, waving his hand.

I've known Kimura since the fifth grade, so it's been quite a while.

If I had to describe Kimura in one word, it would be "naked."

The guy discovered his talent in fifth grade. During a campfire at a seaside school camp, he performed a naked dance as the fire blazed, sending everyone into fits of laughter and setting the course for his life.

Since then, Kimura had dedicated his life to making people laugh with his nudity.

His tricks included "Naked Kid's First Errand", "Tengu's Mischief", "Time-Traveling Naked", and many more. He had since developed seventy-two different naked party tricks, and during a middle school field trip, he performed a one-man show (an unofficial event not listed in any guidebook) that nearly killed the P.E. teacher with laughter. Even considering that athletes tend to love naked antics, that feat was one for the history books. His achievements were indeed legendary and worth recounting.

Tonight, on the first day of the field trip, Kimura's one-man show was scheduled to be held in the boys' room of the inn.

Sawaki, look forward to tonight! I'm going to show you the culmination of my high school life. I'm going to open the doors to a new world!

With that confident proclamation, Kimura headed to the inn with a spring in his step.

Whether his high school life's crowning achievement of holding a naked performance was praiseworthy or not, I didn't know, but it's certainly one form of youthful vibrancy. As Kimura's friend, I resolved to bear witness to his new world.