The scene unfolding before me was nothing short of breathtaking. From this vantage point, the distant mountains and the entire city of Kyoto were laid bare in a single, sweeping panorama. And there, standing tall as if cradled by the forest itself, was the landmark: Kiyomizu-dera.
"Whoa…"
Beside me, Kugimiya let out a soft gasp, equally captivated by the view.
Of course, being a middle schooler, she wasn't the type to just stare at the scenery in silence for long.
"So this is the famous Kiyomizu-dera!"
"Is this where people do that jumping thing?!"
"Somebody jump! For the bit!"
"I shall take up that mantle!"
"Don't you dare!"
As expected of Class 3-A, the atmosphere was chaotic. Nagase looked ready to leap off the Great Stage of Kiyomizu on a whim, only to be shut down by Ayaka's sharp retort.
Nearby, Ayase seemed to have had a switch flipped; she was rattling off facts about the temple with encyclopedic speed. Apparently, even if you jump from the stage, the survival rate is a surprisingly high 85%. That caught me off guard—given how people use the phrase "taking the plunge from Kiyomizu" to describe a life-altering risk, I expected the odds to be much grimmer.
"Axel-kun! I hear the Love-Stones are just ahead. You simply must come with me!"
While I was lost in thought, Ayaka had slipped beside me and grabbed my hand, tugging me forward. I would have preferred to soak in the view a bit longer, but most of the class had already moved on. If I lingered here alone, I'd only cause trouble for the group.
"Alright, alright. Stop pulling so hard."
Yielding to her pace, we followed the signs toward the Jishu Shrine, a place dedicated to the god of matchmaking.
Right in the middle of the path, I spotted a pair of large stones embedded in the ground.
"What do you suppose these are?" I asked.
"Oh, I wonder," Ayaka mused, tilting her head.
As we stood there puzzled, Akashi strolled over to give us the answer.
"Class Rep, Class Rep! If you can walk from this stone to the one over there with your eyes closed, your love will come true."
"What?! Truly?!"
"Finding love, huh…"
At a glance, the distance between the two stones was about twenty meters. Navigating that gap blindfolded seemed like a tall order for a normal person.
"In that case, I shall be the first to challenge it!"
"Hey, no fair, Prez! I'm going too!"
"M-Me too…"
Prompted by Ayaka's declaration, Sasaki and Miyazaki joined in, closing their eyes and stepping forward. Miyazaki and Sasaki were likely aiming for Negi, but Ayaka's motivations were, as always, transparent.
"Come on, Madoka, you too!"
"No, I told you, I'm—ugh, fine! I'll do it. But listen up! I am nothing like the Class Rep, okay? I'm doing this strictly for the memory of the school trip. Don't get the wrong idea!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just hurry up. Regardless of what Maki-e or Honya-chan are doing, the Class Rep is going to beat you to it at this rate."
"Ugh, seriously!"
Spurred on by Kakizaki, Kugimiya shut her eyes and started shuffling forward.
Miyazaki and Sasaki were wobbling precariously, drifting left and right as they struggled to maintain their balance. Kugimiya followed behind with a similar lack of coordination. But then...
"Prez? Are you sure you aren't peeking?!"
At Akashi's shout, the rest of the class turned their eyes toward Ayaka. Despite supposedly being blindfolded, she was marching toward the target stone with terrifying precision.
"Ho-ho-ho-ho! Behold the power of my love! ...And, hup!"
Letting out a haughty laugh, she suddenly leapt into the air, landing gracefully several meters ahead.
"Why did she even need to jump?" Akashi muttered.
As I listened to her, I had a pretty good idea of the secret behind Ayaka's "miraculous" progress. She was likely using magic to commune with the earth spirits to guide her steps.
However, Ayaka suddenly spun around and shouted to the three girls following her.
"Nodoka-san, Maki-e-san, Kugimiya-san! Stop right there!"
"Eh? Why?"
"Prez?"
"What's wrong?"
The three girls halted, confused. Ayaka ignored their questions and walked back, lightly tapping the ground she had just jumped over.
Thud.
"Whaaa—?! A pitfall?!"
Sure enough, the camouflage cloth covering the hole gave way, revealing a deep pit. Worse yet, the bottom was swarming with countless frogs—just like the ones we saw on the Shinkansen.
"Wait, why frogs again?!"
As Kugimiya's scream rang out, the culprit flashed through my mind. It was her—the woman disguised as a vendor on the train. I thought I'd intimidated her enough to make her back off, but she was persistent. Or perhaps, because I'd threatened her, she had downgraded her "attack" to a harmless, albeit disgusting, prank.
"Hmph. The Prez probably cheated, so this is just divine punishment," Asuna joked.
"Asuna-san! There is no way 'divine punishment' looks this man-made!"
"Alright, alright. Let's just put this behind us and head to the Otowa Waterfall."
At Kagurazaka's suggestion, the rest of the group followed along quietly.
"...Hm?"
I glanced at Negi. He was casting a bewildered look toward Setsuna, who was standing a short distance away. I wondered if something had gone wrong with their coordination regarding Konoe's protection.
"Axel-kun, is something wrong? Everyone's already headed for the falls."
"Right. Sorry."
Chizuru called out to me, and realizing the area was nearly empty, I hurried to catch up with her and Natsumi.
"...Good grief."
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