Betrayal

18

The bus had barely even pulled out of the school, and Nishikata already knew that he wouldn't be able to get any rest on the journey. He had initially been planning on sitting next to his friend Nakai, but that plan was quickly thrown out of the window after he had seen him get dragged into another seat by his girlfriend, Mano. He made his way over to a pair of empty seats and sat down. As he was staring out of the window, he heard someone sit down next to him. Turning to face the newcomer, he felt his heart sink in his chest.

Akari did not have a great number of friends in her class anymore, and that meant that she had nobody to sit next to for the long bus ride that faced her. She was one of the last to board the bus, and she quickly realized that almost all of the seats were occupied. Moving slowly towards the rear of the bus, she felt a wave of relief flow through her body. Placing her bags on the floor, she started to sit down. A sudden gasp of air came from the person she would be sharing the long journey with. Looking to her left, she felt her mind go temporarily blank.

"Nishikata-kun?"

"H-hey, Akari-san."

An awkward silence started to settle over the pair, seeming to last an eternity. Nishikata couldn't believe his luck. Out of the 30 students in his class, it had to be her that was sitting next to him. He may not have hated her, but he still hated what she had done to his relationship with Takagi-san. It had taken him such a long time to forgive himself for what he had done to her, but he eventually remembered that just wallowing in pity was never going to help him. He worked hard, and had finally managed to rekindle the special relationship he and Takagi-san had, just in time for the school trip.

He steeled himself. After all of the hard work he had put in to his plan, he would not let Akari-san bring his mood down again. This bus journey would be the perfect time for him to go over his plan in his head. All he had to do was to not talk with Akari; surely it would be possible for him to start his trip in a happy mood. Sunlight streamed in through the window, temporarily blinding him. Acknowledging that the sun would put a stop to his sightseeing, he begrudgingly closed the window curtain, sheltering himself from the bright lights.

The bus was loud and packed with energy, and Takagi had been caught up in it. She had been so caught up; it had barely registered in her mind that she hadn't seen Nishikata since he got onto the bus. Suddenly, this thought sprung into her mind, capturing her attention with full force. Looking around, she saw the top of his head two rows in front of her on the opposite side. Unbuckling her seat, she started to move forward, a good idea already in her mind. As she leaned over, she saw who was sat next to him.

Why did it always have to be Akari-San?