"Still not here yet…"

Many of the sophomores had gathered in front of the school, awaiting the bus that would spirit them away. Happiness and excitement were sentiments they all shared - All of them, except for Monika.

"Where could they be?"

She, along with Yuri, continued their search until Sayori ran up to them.

"I looked all over, but I couldn't find them…" she said, catching her breath. "You don't think something could have happened to them, do you?"

"Um…" Monika wanted to tell Sayori otherwise, but when she recalled all the unexpected appearances and certain nightmarish events within a short interval, it proved to be a very difficult task. "…I'm sure they're on their way. They still have plenty of time after all."

"…You don't think that I'm being paranoid, do you?"

"I get why, but it wouldn't be a good thing to constantly be worried."

"I know. Besides Natsuki would probably tell me to stop being paranoid and Kiyo would say that I'm thinking too much."

"You would know. You dream scenarios regarding us are pretty accurate so I wouldn't doubt you knowing exactly how any of us would react."

"Speaking of dreams…" Yuri spoke up. "I had a pretty vivid dream that felt strangely real."

Sayori instantly turned towards Yuri. She didn't say anything, but it was obvious that she was interested to hear more.

Yuri cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "I recall sitting snuggly in a chair like a it was a throne, holding a knife in one hand and being covered in blood. I also recall a dream of where my bled-out corpse was being observed by somebody. They were really… as I said, uncomfortably real feeling."

When she opened up her eyes, she was met with stunned expressions.

"…Perhaps this wasn't the best time to say all of that…" Yuri looked away and she fiddled with her hair.

"No, we're happy you can share things like that with us, it's just… When did you have those dreams?" Sayori questioned.

"Never mind. I really shouldn't have mentioned it. After all, it's not like I take it as an omen or anything…"

"If you say so…" Sayori wasn't satisfied leaving the conversation there, but she didn't want to upset Yuri any further. After all the effort they went through to prepare for the exams, she knew everyone should be full of happy thoughts.

"Morning, guys." Shujinkou walked up to the others with Natsuki, greeting them with a single excited wave. "Where are the others?"

"Kiyo said that she'd head up there herself," Sayori answered.

"And Fuyu and Rei are having their mom bring them up there personally." Monika added. "Though Fuyu has mixed feeling about it…"

"And with the first years and third years are heading somewhere different from us… It's too bad Mali couldn't come along with us." A nervous chuckle escaped Shujinkou lips. He didn't even have to guess how the others reacted to his comment. "Though I know I'm the only one who feels that way…"

"Can you blame us? Especially after the whole not waking us up for the exams thing?" Natsuki groaned.

"It's really hard not to have mixed feeling about Mali… And that's at the best of times," Yuri said, frankly.

"It's really complex and it gets more complex every day," Monika admitted.

"I'm really sorry guys," Shujinkou apologized. "I know Mali's been a lot the last couple of days."

"We don't blame you, Shiko. We know you're just trying to be a good senpai to her," Sayori assured him.

Yuri shook her head. "Honestly, I'm still not really fond of how she treats you."

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. In the back of his mind, he had always wondered whether or not it was a mistake to introduce Mali to his friends. If everyone can't get along, would it have been better to have never let them meet?

Of course, he was also sure that it would have been an inevitable meeting given Mali's personality.

"We can table this discussion for later. Right now, the only thing we should focus on is enjoying the fruits of our hard labor." Monika encouraged.

As if on cue, buses appeared in front of the school. The doors opened and from one of them stepped out a familiar face.

"Alright second years, those looking for fun in the sun can head home; We're headed for the mountains!" Tojiko called.

His call was subdued, yet energetic at the same time. And the way he was hanging off the door conveyed a relaxed temperament.

Of course those were just Shujinkou's thoughts. This being only the second time he's seen him, Shujinkou couldn't come to a concrete conclusion yet.

"All right guys, climb aboard; we don't have all day," Tojiko leaped towards the crowd, directing the student's attention to the buses.

"I guess that's one of our chaperones." Monika thought aloud.

"He doesn't look that much older than us," Natsuki noted. "Don't they usually send stingy older guys on these kinds of trips?"

"At least he doesn't seem like a scary chaperone." Shujinkou said.

"And his level of energy is neither too low nor overbearing," Yuri added.

"Well, let's go and board like he said," Sayori said.

Following her lead, the group headed towards one of the bus and as they boarded-

"Hey, Shujinkou." Shujinkou was stopped by their surprise chaperone. "See you passed your exams."

"Yeah. Barely, but I was able to pass."

"That's good. Heard from the principal you pulled off a double nighter for them."

"Y-Yeah…" Moments from his first study day flashed in Shujinkou's mind. There were some good, but the bad turned his face bright red.

"You okay there, Shujinkou?" Tojiko asked.

His mind was stuck on one particular incident and the humiliation that followed.

"Sorry, Shiko can get lost in thought sometimes." After apologizing on his behalf, Sayori pushed Shujinkou into the bus.

Only once he took a seat was he broken out of his trance.

"You know our chaperone, Shiko?" Sayori questioned.

"Not really. We just ran into each other on the 1st exam day. …Well, I ran into him. But he doesn't seem like a bad guy." Shujinkou glanced at the front of the bus. Numerous female students had their eyes on Tojiko as he took a seat. "And he seems pretty popular."

Natsuki's eyes narrowed, and Monika giggled at the comment.

"You're not exactly one to talk, Dummy," Natsuki said with annoyance in her voice.

Confused by what she meant, Shujinkou peeked over his shoulders, utterly baffled to discover he was getting the same stares from behind.

All he could do was sheepishly slump into his seat with red cheeks.

"Fame truly can be a double-edge sword…" Yuri muttered.

…

After what seemed like forever hurdling through a dark tunnel, everyone's faces lit up as light at the end grew brighter and brighter. Once they broke through, they welcomed a land covered almost entirely in snow.

The students gazed at the white surroundings until finally arriving at the lodge.

"Alright, guys, just reminding you that before you do anything else you need to check in and find your rooms," Tojiko instructed.

The moment he stepped off the bus, Shujinkou was paralyzed. His feet sinking into the crunch snow and the cold breeze brushing against his face was almost too much to bear.

"What's up, Shiko?" Sayori questioned.

"…It feels like I haven't seen the snow in years. Like, really see it…" Shujinkou took in the sights, grinning from ear to ear. "All that work was really worth it."

He turned towards his friends, elated.

"C'mon. Let's hurry and check in."

Shujinkou headed for the front doors, leading his stunned companions inside.

Students on this trip were divided into groups of 2 or 3, each one sharing a single room. Everyone in the club accepted that they would most likely share a room with strangers, Shujinkou especially.

However, to their pleasant surprise, which wasn't the case. The girls of the Literature Club were somehow paired among themselves and Shujinkou had a room all to himself.

"I guess we were lucky," Monika said.

"I don't know. Shujinkou getting his own room seems more than just luck." Natsuki replied.

"Maybe there was an odd number of students and Shujinkou ended up alone as a result."

Shujinkou couldn't imagine himself being lucky enough for that, but it was the only explanation that made any sense.

From there, they split off and headed to their rooms. As he looked for his, Shujinkou spotted another friend in the hallway. "Fuyu."

She appeared to be in a daze but was she still able to respond to his call.

"Hey, Shujinkou…" she greeted tirelessly.

"Are you okay? Did you have last minute work again?"

"No… My dad was on speaker and gave me and Rei the whole 'watch out for boys' spiel for the entire car ride."

"Oh…" Shujinkou remembered the conversation he accidently overheard while hiding during his… "bare" detour outside. From what little he heard, Fuyu and Rei's father seemed like the type of man who'd hate any guy they associate with on principal. Of course, he couldn't let her know he already had any thoughts on the matter so he half-jokingly asked, "So, should I be worried?"

"What?!" Fuyu shook her head frantically. "No, my dad would never…!"

"Huh?" It quickly dawned upon Shujinkou why Fuyu was flustered. "Wait, I wasn't trying to say he'd do anything like that!"

Something else Shujinkou still remembered with vivid detail was what occurred the last time a parent was "dissatisfied" with his association with their daughter. "Not to mention what he tried to do during my coma…"

"Shujinkou, I think you thought that last part out loud," Fuyu said.

"Eh…" Embarrassment wouldn't even begin to describe what Shujinkou felt. "I'm sure your dad wouldn't do anything like that."

Fuyu averted her gaze. "Yeah… I mean he could but…"

Shujinkou's expression grew dark.

"But he wouldn't!" Fuyu hastily assured him. "Though if he knew Rei talked to you, he'd probably make assumptions…"

Droplets of sweat crawled down Shujinkou's face.

"But he wouldn't touch you! You have nothing to worry about."

Shujinkou didn't respond.

"No, that's it. I got nothing more to say."

"Okay…" Shujinkou response was quiet, as if he already had one foot in already in the grave. He desperately needed some way to pivot the conversation. "Oh, by the way Fuyu, who are you and Rei staying with?"

"Actually, we've been paired together." Fuyu informed him.

"Really, you too?"

"Too? Who else had been paired together?"

Shujinkou explained what happened when they checked in earlier. He told Fuyu how the others were paired together and how he had his own room.

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with Natsuki comment," Fuyu said.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?" Shujinkou asked.

"No, my hands were full as was to try and make personal room assignments. …It's also above my responsibilities. Maybe it was just as Monika said and we all got lucky."

"I still have a hard time believing that I'm that lucky…"

"Well, you should just enjoy it anyway. As Kiyoko would probably say, 'no use dwelling on it.'"

"That's true. Um, I'll catch up with you later, okay. I want to drop my stuff off."

Fuyu nodded her head and continued walking down the hallway. Shujinkou continued onward and eventually found his room. Stepping inside, the gravity of the situation finally hit him.

Whatever circumstances brought it about, it was nice to have his own room.

"Not a bad looking room."

Shujinkou flinched upon hearing that. Tojiko was suddenly standing behind him.

"Tojiko? Um, what are you doing here?"

The young man casually strolled into the room, examining every inch of it. "Looks like we're roommates."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he asked, "We are?"

"Yeah. Turns out they forgot to book me a room and you were the only one that wasn't paired with anyone."

Tojiko peeked into a nearby closet. In it were a couple of futons.

"So, yeah, I'm really sorry that I ended up ruining you having this place to yourself."

Tojiko peeked into another closet, this one empty. He dropped his bags in it with an audible "thud."

"It's no big deal… I already thought I wasn't lucky enough for something like that anyway," Shujinkou sighed.

Tojiko shrugged.

"Well, you don't have to worry. I'm only here to make sure you guys don't get yourself killed. I ain't gonna be an overly authoritative authority figure."

"Ah…"

Tojiko glanced over his shoulder, instantly spotting the curiosity in Shujinkou's eyes.

"Something on your mind?" Tojiko asked.

"…No, it's just, uh…"

"You're wondering why a random guy like me is one of the chaperones of this trip instead one of your teachers?"

Shujinkou nodded his head, prompting a serious expression on Tojiko's face.

"The answer is simple… I volunteered."

After a brief moment of silence, Tojiko discarded all pretense of seriousness.

"Volunteered?"

"You see, the thing is, I'm an alumnus."

"You're one of our school's alumni?"

Tojiko shook his head. "No, I'm one of the alumni from a certain university out of country."

"Wait, you're from another country?" Shujinkou marveled.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another time." Tojiko waved his hand, as if to emphasize where he's from wasn't important. "Anyway, so my headmaster is an old friend of your principal and asked if he could come over for some business. But being the man that he is, he's too busy to stay for as long as he'd want to, so I decided to help out and… Be his 'eyes' until he gets here himself."

"Oh. That's pretty nice of you." Shujinkou approved.

"Yeah, well, I owe him a lot. Besides, a new environment could be exactly what I need right now."

He makes it sound so easy. Shujinkou felt both amazement and envy over how nonchalant Tojiko was about travelling far from his home to somewhere unknown. "So, what does your headmaster want to do that you would need to be his eyes?"

"Story for another time."

"Oh. Well, how long will you have to wait for him to show up?"

"Story for another time."

"Oh… Well, how'd you end up being one of our chaperones?"

"That's a story I can tell right now. Like I said, I volunteered. I had nothing better going on since I'm here earlier than I probably should be, and I heard that the 2nd years were headed to the mountains," Tojiko explained.

"Ah."

"Like I said, new environment." Tojiko stretched his arms and headed for the door. "Anyway, I'm outta here. You should probably drop your things off and do the same."

Once he reached the doorway, he peeked back at Shujinkou and flashed a teasing grin.

"After all, you wouldn't want to keep your lady friends waiting."

Shujinkou's heart rate spiked instantly.

"Wait, it's not what you-!"

Tojiko was already gone, leaving Shujinkou alone with his final word.

"—think…"

He truly wondered whether or not everyone he met was going to keep making the same assumption.

"Ah well…"

He then felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. On the screen was a message from Monika.

"Okay."

Shujinkou dropped his things in an innocuous corner of the room and started his trek back to the front desk. As he walked through the halls, he noticed other students sneaking glimpses at him.

All he could do was lower his head and push forward.

…

Upon his arrival, Shujinkou found all of his friends gathered together. "Hey, Kiyoko. Hey, Rei."

As per usual, Rei silently waved at Shujinkou.

"You got here fast," Kiyoko greeted. "Though I guess we all did."

"I guess me getting here this fast is the really surprising part." Shujinkou mused. "Oh, by the way Kiyoko, who did you end up staying with?"

"Actually, I booked my own room."

"Really? You must have been confident you'd pass for a while now." Sayori replied.

Kiyoko answered with a simple shrug.

"But still, it is pretty coincidental that everyone was paired of the way they were," Fuyu thought aloud. "It really feels like a deliberate gesture."

"There's only one way I figure that would happen, but she's far away somewhere else right now…" Natsuki said.

"Actually, I'm closer than you think, Natsuki-chan," Mali corrected.

Natsuki jumped out of her seat, falling into Sayori's arms. "Mali?! What are you doing here?!"

Mali glanced at Shujinkou and, with her standard innocent smile, replied with, "Ehehe, why do you think, Natsuki-chan?"

"But weren't you on the trip with the freshmen?" Sayori asked.

"Now where does it say that the trip was mandatory? I figured if I couldn't come up with the sophomores, then I might as well come up here myself," Mali explained.

"Your parents allowed you to do that?" Shujinkou asked.

"Oh, my parents never cared about what I did, my mother especially. In fact, those who're obligated to raise me made sure I had enough money to spend here."

Not another word was said as the second-year students stared at the precocious first year.

"…My what a coincidence that you all ended up in favorable pairings for your room assignments," she loudly announced.

I knew it… Those three words were clearly on everyone's minds.

"…Anyway… What should we do now that we're all here?" Shujinkou asked.

As if waiting for that very question, Monika reached behind her back.

"Actually, I came prepared for that." In her hand were 8 straws, Monika explaining that in this situation, it'd be best to let luck decide who gets to pick the first activity. "Sorry, Mali, I didn't know you'd be here."

"It's okay. After all, I get the feeling no one wants me to pick an activity after the last one I chose."

"Eh…" Monika cleared her throat, an attempt to calm herself down from the uncomfortable memory that popped in her head. "Everyone knows the rules - whoever gets the shortest straw gets to pick the first thing we do here."

With the rules firmly established, the straws were quickly drawn.