Chapter 237: I Did Hear Your Wish
Chapter 237: I Did Hear Your Wish
They arrived at their destination.
The wide parking lot was full of tourist buses. Climbing Sannenzaka slope from here would lead them to Kiyomizu-dera.
Even though the peak season had passed, there were still many tourists, crowds jostling about.
In that sense, Kyoto’s top attraction really lived up to its reputation.
As soon as they got off the bus, the students expertly took out their cameras. It had become the most important part of travel to snap photos as keepsakes, though no one knew exactly when the trend started. Naturally, the school trip couldn’t be an exception.
Each group huddled with close friends, striking poses. Simple landscape photos weren’t enough for them. They needed people and scenery together to prove they had been there.
Himekoji shook his head and didn’t join in. He was, after all, an early elevated being who had risen above base desires pervert. Hmm… Actually, he’d just taken out his camera to sneak a couple photos of Imouto, but Miura scowled at him fiercely, forcing him to put it away reluctantly.
Come to think of it, when had Miura and Akiko gotten so close? Did that guy have some kind of hobby of collecting beautiful girls? Upon reflection, every girl Miura gathered around him—Yuigahama, even Ebina—were all notably cute in class, weren’t they? And now it was Akiko’s turn? Also, did Miura just think Himekoji was trying to sneak photos of her earlier? Very possible!
Thinking that suddenly made Himekoji feel an unpleasant pain in his testicles. He just coughed lightly a couple of times, pretending nothing was wrong, and walked towards the inner area of Kiyomizu-dera.
He entered the main hall from the entrance. Inside were historical artifacts like the statue of Daikokuten, the iron geta, and a monk’s staff. The huge number of people made it difficult to touch anything personally, which was a slight regret.
Further ahead was the main hall designated as a national treasure. Supported by 139 pillars, it resembled a large stage and was popularly called the “Kiyomizu Stage”, said to be the most famous spot within Kiyomizu-dera. It wasn’t just the Toyosaki students planning photo keepsakes; even general tourists were mixed in.
“Wow, amazing…” Yuigahama bounded forward excitedly, leaned on the stage’s railing, and sighed with admiration. Standing there, you could see the mountains and the buildings of Kyoto spread out below. It truly was amazing.
Just as Himekoji immersed himself in this magnificent view, Yuigahama beside him suddenly spoke to him.
“Ah! Right! Aki, photos! Photos!” Yuigahama fumbled hurriedly and took out a camera from her pocket. The small, pink digital camera was very much Yuigahama’s style.
Photos? No, I’m a man who has risen above such base interests. While that was truly his thinking, Himekoji reached out and took the camera from Yuigahama’s hand anyway.
Yuigahama didn’t react immediately, blinking in confusion and even surprise.
Himekoji took a couple of steps back and pointed the lens at Yuigahama.
“Taking it now, okay?”
After the quick warning, he pressed the shutter.
So, before the electronic “beep” sound, Yuigahama hastily put up a half-hearted “V” sign.
“Here. Thanks to my superb skills, it turned out well,” Himekoji said, handing the camera back. Yuigahama immediately checked the photo.
Digital cameras being able to show photos instantly was really convenient. However, for Himekoji, this “convenience” held the danger of becoming “inconvenient.” If the photo was bad, if it didn’t meet Yuigahama’s satisfaction, she might demand a retake… That’s why Himekoji specifically added, “it turned out well” after taking the shot.
“Oh?” Yuigahama flicked through the photo. “Ah, it’s so cute!”
Eh? Cute? Such blatant narcissism was a bit difficult for the humble Himekoji to accept… But at least it saved him the trouble of a retake. After all, many girls took countless shots in the same pose before they were satisfied. Thinking that brought a slight sigh of relief.
“Eh, no no!” As if suddenly remembering something, Yuigahama flapped her hands. “I didn’t mean for you to take a photo of me… I meant for us to take one together! It’s a rare chance.”
“Ah? T-together? J-just the two of us?” Honestly, Himekoji suddenly felt a bit panicked. Taking a photo with a girl… for him, that was even more shocking than touching a girl’s chest or stealing her underwear! Because he’d never experienced the former! While the latter… well, he was used to it… But being directly asked like this suddenly made it very hard to refuse. He couldn’t find a proper reason to say no!
“W-well, okay then. Let’s find someone to help?” Himekoji forced himself to agree.
“No need to bother someone else for this,” Yuigahama said, taking one quick step sideways to stand next to Himekoji. She adjusted the camera lens to face them. “We might not both be in the shot if we aren’t closer.” She closed the distance a bit more, pressed tightly against Himekoji, and then, suddenly and without warning, reached out and looped her arm around his. Eh? Eh eh eh? Yuigahama’s hand?
A wave of coldness shot uselessly through his whole body! The sudden contact frightened Himekoji. A faint scent of perfume wisped softly along with her movement.
His whole body jerked – So, physical contact? That’s a foul! Foul! Even knowing that, it was already too late to stay calm. Evade, pull his arm out, or pull out the red or yellow card – all the actions he should have done were impossible. He could only freeze there stiffly in that position.
“Say cheese!”
“Click!”
The shutter pressed.
At that moment, Himekoji’s gaze drifted towards the opposite direction of Yuigahama.
In the photo, the two appeared together yet distant.
Yuigahama’s arm suddenly released.
The stage floor made a light sound as she stepped back and turned her head.
“Thank you.”
“N-not a big deal. Yeah, no need to thank me for something this small.”
Though he answered calmly, his heart raced wildly nonetheless.
Why did she act this way? Was it okay? Such naive actions could make most boys misunderstand and desperately fall for her.
If she understood—
“No physical contact,” “Don’t sit at boys’ desks during breaks or after school,” “Even if you forget something, don’t borrow from boys”—she should at least keep these in mind!
“Huh? Akito, y-you’re blushing?”
Yuigahama gasped dramatically, covering her mouth with one hand as if discovering something amazing.
Hidden behind her back, her other fist clenched excitedly.
This inspiration came after witnessing Mashiro and Himekoji interact on the bus.
“What? No! It’s just… unexpectedly hot in Kyoto today!”
Right, why would anyone blush over this? Taking a photo together was ordinary.
Looking around, countless people lined up pointing cameras at them.
For high schoolers nowadays, this was completely normal.
Just a commemorative photo—nothing worth fussing about.
Taking pictures with someone, anywhere, even boys and girls together, wasn’t strange. No, rather, it was perfectly usual.
While Himekoji struggled to convince himself, Yuigahama already ran into the Koyasu Tower following the main path.
“Akito, come quick!”
She waved at him.
Himekoji glanced back. Imouto was still touring the previous spot with Miura and others. Since Nanami was there too, Himekoji abandoned the idea of heading over.
The Kiyomizu stage grew crowded. Himekoji had no choice but to follow Yuigahama inside the tower.
However, upon entering and seeing what she was doing, he couldn’t help but find it ridiculous.
“Hey, what’re you doing?”
“Praying.”
Yuigahama looked up and answered naturally.
“Made a wish?”
“Mm-hm.”
“What’d you wish for?”
“Can’t say it! It won’t come true then!”
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
“It probably wouldn’t come true even if you stayed silent…”
“Eek! Why’d you say that, Akito? I prayed sincerely!”
“Sincerity doesn’t matter here.”
“You… you…”
Just as Yuigahama pointed at him, annoyed, Himekoji explained why—
“Well… maybe it’s late to mention… but if I remember right, Koyasu Tower is for praying for smooth childbirth…”
Himekoji’s eyes drifted unconsciously towards her abdomen.
“Huh? WHAAAAT?!”
Yuigahama jumped wildly backward several steps.
So she truly acted without using her brain? Even without prior knowledge… Koyasu Tower was a World Heritage site! Hiratsuka-sensei had just explained it on the bus!
“You really didn’t know, huh?”
Himekoji slapped his forehead in disbelief.
“N-No! I knew! It’s a World Heritage site! How could I not know…?”
Yuigahama’s face burned red as she insisted stubbornly.
“Knew? Then your so-called ‘sincere prayer’ just now…”
Himekoji’s gaze returned meaningfully to her stomach.
“Aaaah, no way!!!”
Panicking, she waved both hands—flustered and amusing.
“Pfft.”
Himekoji barely held back his laugh.
“I kinda hope your childbirth goes smoothly though…”
Muttering without thinking, something crossed Himekoji’s mind.
“What’d you say?”
“N-nothing…”
What he really meant was:
I hope you and Yukinoshita have kids soon.
He still remembered that mission.
…
Exiting Koyasu Tower, they followed the path.
The crowd flowed toward Jishu Shrine.
Jishu Shrine, within Kiyomizu-dera, was famously devoted to matchmaking—believed exceptionally effective in love and marriage.
Thus, most young visitors prayed here first.
Incidentally, its charms and fortune slips were extremely popular.
Himekoji never cared for such things… except during online game lotteries.
But he was surprised by Hikigaya’s sudden enthusiasm.
“Huh? You’re interested in these?”
He asked when seeing Hikigaya return with several charms.
“Getting them for Imouto and my parents.”
Dead Fish Eyes said and quickly stuffed these things into his pocket.
With the topic ended in one sentence, Himekoji could only awkwardly shift his gaze elsewhere——
Most students in the class were gathered by the “Love Fortune Stone” at this time.
The so-called “Love Fortune Stone” naturally came with all kinds of urban legends.
The one everyone accepted the most was——
If someone could walk to the “Love Fortune Stone” with their eyes closed, over a distance, then that person’s love wish would come true.
If you believed in such a thing, it was better to go for a matchmaking instead.
Himekoji didn’t care much about it, but there were many others who still held hope.
Anyway, it was pretty romantic, wasn’t it?
The girls were all eager to take a turn.
Meanwhile, the boys were secretly watching the situation on the side.
If a girl they cared about tried it, they might think—”Oh no, does she already like someone? Is it me?!”—and their hearts would start racing.
Still, it was fine to hope a bit, right?
After all, as long as it didn’t become action or get exposed, no one would get hurt.
Besides these guys who watched from far away and gathered information, many other boys wanted to try a little. That way, they showed a small bit of how cute boys could be.
However, Tobe, who just stood in line normally, seemed quite careless.
“Aiya, I’m going to do it in one go!”
After Tobe made this loud announcement, Ooka Makoto and Ohira started clapping to cheer him on, heating up the mood.
Tobe returned with a victory pose, then closed his eyes and moved slowly toward the finish line like a zombie.
“Not good! I totally don’t get it! Huh! Really, just go straight? What should I do?”
With his eyes shut, he carefully felt his way forward, but even so, Tobe couldn’t stay quiet and yelled out loud.
“Go straight! Go straight!”
“Hey, watch out!”
“Tobe! Watch your back!”
“Huh?! My back?!”
As these words finished, the unlucky guy got knocked aside when Hiratsuka-sensei rushed past him with great force while overtaking.
It was like trying to stop a speeding car with a weak arm…
“One move finish! Big win!”
The Female Teacher burst out a scary energy field and dashed to the end point in one straight shot.
This shocking scene left Himekoji stunned and speechless.
“……”
Hmm, he decided to take back his earlier words—”If you believed in such things, it was better to go for matchmaking.”
If someone had failed matchmaking countless times already, she might only put her hope in vague things like this?
He felt a bit sad without reason…
He really wished God would save this poor older woman not married yet!
Someone, anyone, marry her quickly!
[Ding!]
[Task Triggered!]
[—Hiratsuka-sensei, I heard your wish for sure!]
“Huh?!”
……
……