{Our Make-Up School Trip (4-1)}

The seafood bowl was just as delicious as it was rumored to be.

However, one miscalculation was that we arrived at the popular restaurant right at lunchtime. When we found the place, there was a bit of a line outside. From the time we joined the queue, waited to be seated, and finally got our meal, quite a bit of time had passed.

By the time we finished eating and stepped out of the restaurant, it was already past 2 PM.

“The sashimi was delicious, wasn’t it?”

Satou-san was clearly very pleased. Seeing her so happy, I couldn’t bring myself to complain about the wait. Even now, after finishing her meal, she still looked like her cheeks might fall off from delight. It must have been really tasty for her.

Seeing her face like that, it’s impossible to be in a bad mood.

“Yeah, it really was. It feels like we’re on a true foodie trip,” I muttered, almost to myself, as I checked my watch again.

It was already past 2 PM.

“It’s already this late… Do you think we should start heading back?”

Satou-san peeked at my watch and asked.

“Considering the train back, that might be a good idea. Plus, we need to return the bikes.”

“True…”

She sighed and slumped her shoulders a little but still gave me a small smile.

“But we’ve got time to take it slow, right? How about we go back even more leisurely than earlier?”

Satou-san, who was always slow but not exactly the safest rider, said this, leaving me unsure of how to respond. I hesitated for a moment before asking the obvious.

“More leisurely than before? Can we go any slower?”

“No, I don’t mean that. Let’s just walk instead of riding the bikes. That is, if you’re not too tired, Yamaguchi-kun.”

I wasn’t tired, and I didn’t mind walking back slowly. It felt strange to walk on a cycling road with our bikes, but if that’s what Satou-san wanted, I was happy to go along with it. Plus, walking meant we could talk more easily.

It felt like there were many things I wanted to say.

That’s always the case with me and Satou-san. When I’m by myself, I think of all these things to talk about, but when I’m actually with her, all those thoughts completely disappear.

Maybe it’s because I feel satisfied just being with her. Or maybe it’s because when I’m with her, a part of me stops me from saying anything that might ruin the moment. Either way, I always end up regretting it when I’m alone again.

I wanted to tell her how lonely it is not being able to see her every day after graduation.

But at the same time, I’m so grateful that we can still meet up like this.

This trip has been a lot of fun, and I’ve been able to see a side of Satou-san that I don’t usually get to see. But since the day isn’t over yet, maybe we can make a few more good memories before it ends.

Maybe I should say those things to her now, while we’re still on this trip. After all, I might be able to tell her things I wouldn’t normally say.

The cycling road was still bright, yet there wasn’t a soul in sight.

It was a somewhat shabby riverbank, and maybe the locals didn’t like it, but to us tourists, it seemed to shine with beauty.

As I was trying to figure out what to say, Satou-san spoke first.

“This trip was fun, wasn’t it?”

She was already in “trip wrap-up mode.”

Fun, she said, using the past tense. It seemed like she was ready to close the book on this trip. It was only 2 PM, we hadn’t even reached the station yet, and she was already mentally concluding the journey. Typical Satou-san, in her absentminded way.

“The trip’s not over until we get home.”

I said this, but even I wasn’t sure how to express my dissatisfaction. My words came out sounding a bit sulky, and Satou-san looked at me in surprise. I panicked.

“Oh, no, I mean, I had fun too. Really,” I quickly added, trying to cover up my tone.

Relieved, Satou-san smiled.

“Yeah, we’re still on the trip, aren’t we?”

Then she turned her gaze to the river beside us.

“It feels like you don’t want to go back yet, right?”

She said it quietly.

It wasn’t a romantic statement in any way, but it echoed what I had been thinking. I didn’t want to go back either. Not because of any hidden feelings, but simply because I wanted to stay with her a little longer. After all, we saw each other nearly every day during high school.

But now, that wasn’t the case. Satou-san would be back at work on Monday, and while I was still on summer break, it wouldn’t last forever. Once school resumed, I’d be back on campus without her, spending my days looking for someone I knew wasn’t there.

If we didn’t make a few more good memories now, I wasn’t sure how I’d manage.

But what about Satou-san?

“Do you think we made up for the school trip?” I asked as we started up a slight incline, the weight of the bikes increasing.

As we reached the top, the road shifted downhill, and Satou-san nodded as if she had been waiting for that moment.

“Yeah, I think it was worth coming.”

“Me too… But I’ve been thinking,” I continued.

“For us, it’s not just the school trip that needs a do-over, is it?”