Vol. 2 Chapter 12: Day one. — Part 1

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

“So this is Kyoto…” The air may not be particularly clean, but thanks to the image of the area, you could almost taste the wasabi as you inhaled.

After the strategy meeting that went well, we got off the bullet train and went straight to another one, this time normal, so we could reach a hotel a few stops away. As soon as we arrived there, we saw that it looked simpler than expected. Regardless, the head teacher gathered the students and began talking.

“Now, each of you will leave your belongings in your room and we’ll meet here again in half an hour. After that, we’ll have lunch before heading to Kyoto Tower.”

And every class followed suit.

“Isn’t it amazing that we’re able to get two-people rooms on a school trip?”

“Sure is. It’s nice to be in the same room as my partner-in-crime.”

Since we were groupmates, we stayed in the same room. With him there, I would be able to have some nice love talks past midnight, which is basically tradition at this point for school trips. Well, we already knew who he liked though.

We took an elevator, and as soon as it showed we were on the ninth floor, we got off.

“Let’s see, room 9015…”

“…Here. Oh, nice positioning. Close to the vending machines.”

We found the room without much hesitation, then unlocked the door with the key they gave us. Stepping inside, we were met with pastel tones donning the décor, as well as nice furnishing, two single beds, a TV, and even a small refrigerator. There’s also a shower in the room.

Although the place wasn’t particularly extravagant, the feeling of being somewhat isolated made it all the better.

“Wow, what a feeling.”

“For sure. Let’s open the curtains,” with this, Katayama walked to the window and yanked them open. “The view’s nice. Really.”

“Yeah, it really is. Looking forward to the night view.”

Since we were nine floors above, the scenery was frankly amazing to see. All in all, it was a good room with a panoramic view of Kyoto’s beautiful city, unobstructed by any buildings that could’ve blocked us. At night, the neon city lights would cut through the darkness, creating a fantastic view. I’m sure of it.

“Well, we gotta go back downstairs so let’s drop off our stuff and go. Can’t waste much time here,” Katayama reminded me that we had to leave for Kyoto Tower after meeting up with the teacher.

After we visit that place, it seems we’ll be free to do whatever we please, so long as we get back here by 8 PM… Hmm, the second and third days would also be mostly free, so no matter how much they care about “independence”, isn’t our freedom a bit too exaggerated?

I think it’s more plausible that they were just too lazy to draw a schedule or anything like that.

Oh well, at least from our point of view, it would be better this way than having a set schedule that we would have to follow vehemently.

“I’ve been thinking, got any plans for today’s free time?”

“Haven’t decided yet. Tomorrow and the day after, we’re going to some relatively big places, so today’s just free free time. Well, I think getting our group together would be nice.”

“Gotcha.”

He’s right. If we keep a full schedule for today, we’ll be extremely tired of the other ones. That being the case, it might be good to do some casual sightseeing in the neighborhood. Get a feel for Kyoto.

“Actually… I’ve got a place I wanna go.”

“Where?”

“Uh, one sec,” Katayama opened his phone, searching for something. After a minute or two, he happily showed me his screen, which had a shop’s website right on it.

“Where is it?”

“Guess even my almighty, quintessential partner didn’t look too much into Kyoto. This is a famous vintage clothing store in the area!”

The place was called “Five People.” Upon closer inspection, it appears that this is one of the largest, most well-known secondhand clothing brands in Kyoto.

“Haha, I see what you mean. Hmm, come to think of it, you did mention you were interested in vintage clothing.”

“Surprised you remember that! A chance to nab some clothes like these is one-of-a-kind, right? I thought I’d be able to find a place like that while I was researching.”

It is true that some clothes in thrift shops are rare oddities that can’t be found reliable nowadays, as well as peculiar items that have been procured from overseas.

Even though there are a couple of affiliated stores in Tokyo, the clothes they carry can be very different from place to place. As a fashion enthusiast, this is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

“I’d like to find a good piece too.”

“Mhm. Besides, Iwashiro-san likes clothes too, and Asakawa is very stylish, so I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“Right. I’m looking forward to free time. Can’t wait for it!”

“Right? Oh, it’s almost time, so let’s talk more about it after we get there.”

Checking one final time that we didn’t forget anything inside the room, we left.