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I shut out everything and actually went to sleep. People say that the conversations on the way to their destination are the best parts of a trip, but I have no intention of joining a conversation that’s all about my embarrassing antics. I’ll definitely complain to Aya later. Afterwards, we exited the bullet train and left the station, but we were then greeted by…

“Cold!?”

I’m wearing winter clothes, but the cold still pierces my skin. So this is the world of sub-zero. Looking to my side, the other three are shivering as well. In my hometown, it’s rare for the climate to reach sub-zero temperatures. However, this didn’t dampen my excitement. On the contrary, I’m excited about this rare experience.

“According to our itinerary, we’ll be going by bus next, right?”
“That won’t be necessary.”

I asked Harumi, but I was answered by Akira as she grabbed my arm from behind. My other arm was then grabbed by Mizuki. Why are they restraining me here? I looked to the others to ask for help, but for some reason, they all seemed convinced of what was happening.

“You reap what you sow, Kotone.”
“What did I even do?”
“Why don’t you try recalling the things you did during the field trip and New Year?”

I couldn’t refute Kaori’s reply. She’s right, this is because of what I’ve done in the past. The security team’s caution levels are the highest they’ve ever been. Still, I really do have no plans on causing trouble this time. I desire a peaceful journey.

“We’ve prepared a car for your transport. We’re going to eliminate every uncertain variable that we can, so prepare yourself.”

Aren’t you just trying to restrict my movements? They’re definitely watching my every move, that’s for sure. They’re absolutely going to prevent every opportunity for me to act alone from happening. What should I do? Do I shake them off? No, picking a fight in a place that’s completely unfamiliar to me will just put me in danger.

“Kotone, you’re thinking about escaping, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m not.”

Having been together with me for a long time, it seems like Kaori can read my thought process. In truth, there’s really no need to escape. This trip was organized by Harumi and Miyako; I’m only following the itinerary. I’m completely passive right now, so I don’t plan on causing problems.

“I’ve learned my lesson during the New Year. Things only get worse whenever I actively take initiative.”
“The twelve families or the rogue’s den people will join, after all. The Superhumans vs Armed Forces video I got from Hadzuki was amazing. All of that with no special effects at all.”
“Wait, when did you even get that?”
“It was sent to me by mail.”

Why do those two keep exposing me to Kaori? There’s definitely a catch here. I was sure that there’d be fewer chances of us seeing each other after graduation, but they’re absolutely going to regularly come to the cafe, aren’t they? Are they trying to win over Kaori?

“They plan on using Kaori as an information source.”
“Could you please stop trying to get me involved in stuff?”

No, you’re already knee deep, so it’s best that you give up. With the upperclassmen graduating, it would be impossible to watch my antics directly. In that case, it’s not surprising that they’ll think of gathering information from people close to me. It might be why they’re being especially generous to Kaori.

“Leave the conversation at that. Let’s move.”
“Sorry, Koto-chan, but we’ll be taking the helm this time. No more futile resistance, okay?”

I was grabbed by both arms and dragged away, and the three simply took pictures of me while laughing. They don’t plan on rescuing me at all. With the bodyguards spearheading our trip, they should be able to deal with unexpected trouble. They’ve been trained by recent events.

“How many people are there this time?”
“Four on constant watch, and six more on standby. Even with this, we’ve already limited it to the minimum.”

Ten people in total, huh. It certainly is less than normal. Still, they’re really cautious about me, to the point that they have others on standby. I guess their caution level has sharply increased because I haven’t been behaving recently. At the very least, I should avoid fooling around until they turn back to normal.

“I’ve secured her. Are there any suspiciously vigilant individuals?”
“According to the reports, none. However, those monsters are definitely capable of breaking through our surveillance web.”

Do they really have to be on the lookout for the fools like they’re some terrorists? In this situation, they’re on high alert for nothing. They probably won’t believe me even if I tell them that. After all, the rogue’s den folks appear when you least expect them. Even I can’t predict when I’ll cross paths with them.

“Shall I gather information for you?”
“Stop that. If you ever send anything, there’s a chance that they will come.”

Even Gojima is stopping me. It seems like the demonic rogues’ attack had left lasting damage to the security team. Even I won’t do something that I know could backfire. Since they might actually just come flying here.

“I haven’t told the fools about this outing, so things should be fine.”
“Regardless of what you say, we can’t let our guard down. We’ve already suffered so much humiliation due to that in the past.”

Just what did they do to have Kyousuke grind his teeth in frustration? I know that he had an intense fight with Nako, but did Ruru kick him while he was down? Considering her personality, she’d probably do it for her writing material.

“For some reason, things seem to be a lot different than before. I remember them being friendlier back in summer.”
“You see, Harumi, it’s the result of Kotone doing stupid stuff.”

They’re really intimidating, aren’t they? I don’t really mind it, but at this rate, the girls are going to be uncomfortable. This outing won’t be enjoyable if that happens. In that case, I know what I have to do.

“I don’t think it’s proper for bodyguards to restrain their protectee for their own convenience, as well as intimidating everyone else aside from their assignment. That’ll only serve to expose your identities.”
“There’s no arguing against fair logic. Still, Kotone. This is your fault for dragging us into so many incidents.”
“This is this, that is that. There are times when the ability to adjust is most important. All I want is a normal trip. If there’s something that gets in the way of that, I’ll bare my fangs.”

Knowing what could happen if I went out of control, the bodyguard group all went silent. However, I’m just bluffing here. I don’t plan on going wild in this situation. There’s no reason for me to do so, and since I don’t have a local advantage here, I’m certain to lose.

“What I mean is that there’s no need to be overly tense. Let’s have more fun about this. While this is our outing, you guys are participants as well.”

Since they gave us a mode of transport, we’ll travel together. And it’s always better when there are more people. Instead of going through hell together, let’s all have fun on this trip. We might be different in age, but conversations naturally blossom between familiar faces.

“In short, it’s alright for us to drink?”
“Oi, someone inject some vigilance into this idiot again.”

Okay, Akria has been unleashed. Kyousuke is back to his usual self too. Gojima let out a heavy sigh of resignation, while Mizuki is now staring curiously at our attire. As always, my bodyguards have really characteristic personalities.

“I’ll take your bait. In other words, we just have to make this enjoyable, right?”
“To put it simply, yes.”
“In that case, we’ll make this our pleasure trip and vent out all the stress accumulated up until now!”
“Oi, seriously, someone stop this idiot!”

That’s your job, Kyousuke. There’s no reason for me to stop her when I’m the instigator. The atmosphere has completely changed, and girls are showing wry smiles. I’m really sorry for the extreme ups and downs. But you’ll be fine, as long as you get used to it. Just like me.

“Kotone, will you be skiing or snowboarding? What will you be wearing? Should I choose for you?”

And so the other lady in their group, Mizuki, has seemingly abandoned self-control as well. It’s not like I’m going to do this every year, so I thought I’d just rent equipment. However, I really don’t want to waste time for fashion’s sake. I’ll have to ask Kaori for help to deal with this somehow. I don’t want a repeat of the pre-Christmas Eve disaster.