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Why are all of you remaining twelve family students assembled here? Besides, it’s annoying to have to talk about the same story I just told the principal, but I’m pretty sure they won’t accept that excuse. There’s also one that might get riled up among them, which is worrying.

“Nagatsuki’s little brother even cheekily came. Were you always this kind of character?”
“I’m not as straight-laced as my older brother.”
“You didn’t even participate in the Kotone encirclement.”
“Not to brag about it, but I don’t have a lot of stamina.”

Nice personality you got there. He’s showing a bright smile, but I’m sure that he’s actually cunning and dark on the inside. He’s similar to Hadzuki in the way that he’s willing to make use of the twelve families for his own gain. I guess this one’s going to be the tactician among the first years. While the older Nagatsuki is relatively harmless, I’ll have to be cautious with the younger one.

“Alright now, it’s time for Kotone’s storytime. We’ll listen while eating lunch. All Q&A is to happen afterwards. We don’t have much time, after all.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll just be seen by the other students if I try to escape now anyways. I give.”

I’m the only person with no lunch here and they just ate without any care. Isn’t this where they’d be tactful and show that they actually got lunch for me? I guess they didn’t have the time for that. They formulated a plan in a hurry and quickly acted on it. They didn’t have the time to buy food.

“Principal, can I get some of the rations?”
“Take as much as you need.”

I’m intimately familiar with the ration storage place. Returning to the principal’s office, I opened a cupboard and took some calorie mate. Naturally, from the principal’s personal stock. I don’t take the actual emergency rations, because those should only be used during real emergencies.

“Well, I’ll start talking now.”
“Go, go, go.”

I told them the exact same thing I told the principal. As they quietly listened and ate, Aya’s face gradually turned grim and Rin had a look of concern. Maybe she’s worried that her sister might act out.

“F̲u̲c̲k̲. It wasn’t just mama?”
“Sis. That’s vulgar.”

Aya sounds really frustrated. Hadzuki seems to be in deep thought. And the underclassmen trio have gazes that just scream “What the heck were you doing?” I’m aware that I caused a ruckus, so I have no grounds for rebuttal. I completely deserve this.

“I seriously should have tagged along.”
“What are you, brainless? Don’t be speaking stupid nonsense.”

Thanks to Minadzuki, there’s no need for me to retort. Hadzuki, there’s no plausible way for you to tag along on our field trip. Why should we have to be with an upperclassman? Besides, imagine if Hadzuki was with us. He might have horribly good synergy with the chaos and make it worse.

“Just so you know, but it was mostly by happenstance.”
“You’re probably about the only person who can escalate a situation just by happenstance, Kotone. Even I would have tried to settle things a bit more peacefully. After all, it’s a once in a lifetime field trip.”
“I feel the same way. I would have never thought of calling mom to liven up the place. Normally, you’d either let the park staff solve the issue themselves or try not to get involved in the first place.”
“It’s just as you say.”

My two upperclassmen criticized my actions. I’m fully aware that I meddled too much. I coincidentally had heavy interaction with my former classmates, so I ended up acting with my past tension and vibes. I might have been the principal offender in the escape incident, but can we all just agree that I was mostly dragged into the other stuff?

“It made for a good memory for everyone, though.”
“Sister Kotone. At worst it could have been a traumatizing event.”
“It was great that it succeeded, otherwise it would have been terrible for the choir club.”
“I’m sure the other students aren’t too happy that they didn’t get to see the concert live. Even with the video screening.”

My underclassmen are telling me off too. Why do I have to get talked down like this so much? I was just obediently answering their request, explaining what happened during the field trip. Feeling miffed, I gobble up a calorie mate and wash it down with coffee.

“That’s what you get for just winging it. You should have planned more systematically like I do.”
“Like hell I could be systematic back then. It was a situation that demanded adapting and improvising. Well sure, I can think of better ways to resolve it in hindsight, but still.”
“The lack of sleep was the issue, right? Still, to be recognized by mama, I’m so jealous. I wanted to sing out there too…”
“Since you likely wouldn’t have made any effort to disguise herself, I probably would have done everything to stop you.”

As expected of the Shimotsuki family’s last line of defense. Still, if their mother and Aya ever team up together, I don’t think Rin is capable of holding them back. For some reason, I have a feeling that their father will join the fun and make it worse. Just a wild idea.

“Will something similar happen during our field trip?”
“Of course not. This upperclassman of ours is just insane. In our case, it’ll just be a regular old field trip.”
“It’s us, after all. I’m confident that if any problems occur, we’ll just ignore it.”

They’re really tearing into me. But I agree, the three first years will probably have a peaceful field trip. Minadzuki has a nasty tongue but is relatively decent, Nagatsuki is cunning, and Rin is used to handling disputes. Enumerating it this way, these kids have some rich personalities. The upperclassmen are just a different level of intensity.

“I mourn the fact that Kotone and I aren’t in the same year. I’m absolutely sure that we would’ve happened upon some crazy interesting situation.”
“I agree with Hadzuki. Kotone’s pretty talented at walking into unexpected events. I’d never have a boring time.”
“I’d rather have none of that.”

Had I been in the same year and class as these two, I wouldn’t last long. I can easily imagine giving up on masking myself, rushing to suppress them without keeping up appearances. They’re only two people, but it’s practically a second coming of my past and I want none of it.

“Whoops, it’s about time for us to go.”
“I’d love to skip class and talk more, but I can’t really do that.”

With all that talking, the lunch break passed in a blink of an eye. There’s only about three minutes until it ends. I was a bit relieved that I’m about to be freed from here, but when dealing with the twelve families, you have to keep your guard up until the very end.

“I still can’t believe that Kotone’s going to our place in the new years. This is going to be super interesting.”
“You have my sympathies, Sister Kotone. I won’t be helping you at all during new years, so good luck with that. With this, I can relax a bit.”
“Wait, what’s going to happen next January? What are you planning on making me do?”
““I can’t wait for January to come.””

They replied with a damn smile. There’s no way I can imagine what the Shimotsuki family is up to, but it looks like my visit won’t just end with some innocuous chatting. I already feel uneasy, but the two of them absolutely refused to elaborate.