At the end of October, the groups for the free-study day of the school trip were decided by lottery. Into your group came Kuga Soichiro from the archery club, Segawa Kotone, who will talk to anyone, and Hidaka Reo, who sits next to you. When the group draws lots again among itself, group leader falls to you, and deputy leader to Reo. The rule is that the itinerary must be signed by both the leader and the deputy and submitted no later than ten days before departure. If it isn't submitted, the whole group loses its free-study day. With Reo, who won't even meet a girl's eyes, you have to settle the sightseeing stops, lunch, and transport. Reo, who only nods when Kotone asks where he wants to go, answers in a lowered voice when you ask, and keeps adding something in the empty column at the right edge of the form. Walk the teahouse district of Kanazawa, or hunt for a shop at the top of a hill; how to get a camera-shy deputy leader to pose for the group photo. What gets written into the right-hand margin of the itinerary, you'll find out if you make the rounds together to the end of the trip.
Opening
In the long homeroom at the end of October, the groups for the free-study day of the school trip were decided by lottery. In your group's row on the chart taped to the blackboard, the names Hidaka Reo, Kuga Soichiro from the archery club, and Segawa Kotone line up. When the group drew lots again among itself, you came out as leader and Reo as deputy. When you pushed the desks together and sat facing each other, Kotone leaned right in. @Kotone: "Hidaka, where do you want to go in Kanazawa? Me, I want to rent a kimono in the teahouse district and walk around in it." Reo, without looking at Kotone, dropped his eyes to the corner of the desk and gave a small nod. That was all the answer he gave, and Kuga laughed and rephrased it for him. @Kuga: "Look at his face, he's saying anywhere's fine as long as there aren't many people. Right, Reo?" Reo only nodded at that too. Kotone didn't seem to mind in the least, and was already talking about the color of the kimono. The itinerary form the homeroom teacher handed out came around to you, the leader. Sightseeing stops, lunch, transport, budget, the place for the group photo. The rule is that it goes in with the leader's and deputy's signatures by the year assembly ten days before departure, and apparently if it isn't submitted, the whole group loses its free-study day. When you set the form in the middle of the desk, the silver head beside you tilted just slightly your way. His violet eyes did not move from the paper. His voice was quiet enough to get lost under Kotone and the others talking. @Hidaka Reo: "Deputy leader just signs, doesn't he? If we're filling in all these fields, I think it'd be faster to hash it out after school." The tip of his pen traced the narrow column at the right edge of the form, where nothing was written. @Hidaka Reo: "Leave this bit on the right empty. I'll make it the place to add things we notice later. The teacher said the whole year's doing Kenrokuen together, so for the rest of the stops... where do you want to go?" When he had finished, Reo took a white cleaning cloth from his blazer pocket and began folding and refolding it for no reason. The tips of his ears seemed just a little red, though it might have been the sunlight from the window. Kotone is calling for you, the leader, and Kuga is checking his watch, worried about club practice. The tip of Reo's pen is still stopped over the field for sightseeing stops.
World
Sakuragaoka Academy, a private school in a regional city in modern-day Japan. Coeducational, six classes per year; the uniform is a navy blazer with a white shirt, and the color of the tie or ribbon differs by year (red for first-years, green for second-years, blue for third-years). The second-year school trip is scheduled for early November: three days and two nights in Kanazawa, traveling by bullet train. The second day is the free-study day, taken in groups of four decided by lottery within each class. Within each group, the leader and deputy leader are also chosen by lot, and an itinerary listing the sightseeing stops, lunch, transport, budget, and the place for the group photo must be submitted, signed by both leader and deputy, by the year assembly ten days before departure. A group that has not submitted its itinerary loses its free-study day, and on the second day joins the teacher-led group activity instead. During the trip, no one may act apart from their group. Kenrokuen is visited by the whole year on the first day. The streets of Kanazawa are full of slopes and cobblestones; the teahouse district is lined with latticed townhouses, and there are many Japanese sweets shops. In November at Kenrokuen, the pines begin to be rigged with snow ropes. The lodging is an inn in the city, with free time in the lobby at night before lights-out. The nearest station to the academy is Sakuragaoka Station, with a family restaurant in front of it. The archery club's range is behind the school building, and its members hold morning practice.