Gateways to Casselonia Vol1( Light Novel )

Chapter 2

The day of the field trip had finally arrived, and four large tour buses were in full capacity packed with Adachi Ward Public High School seniors on their way to Saitama prefecture. It was a nice sunny morning with moderate temperatures and a few clouds here and there floating in the blue sky. In other words: it was a perfect day with the perfect climate for enjoying the outdoors.

Way in the back of the third bus on the last row, was Sorata and his friends Takeru, Sousuke, and Tsutomu, sitting almost quietly because of what happened yesterday. Fortunately for the boys, it seemed as though no one else in the school had caught wind of the verbal massacre that they went through. They weren't being looked at weird, and luckily no rumors seemed to be circulating. On the other hand, the noise level in the bus was what anyone would expect if it was crowded; excited students chatting away about anything and everything, and not one of them had a facial expression that differed from the rest. Only in the very back was it so different. Sorata had the seat right next to the window and his deadpan gaze never shifted anywhere else. Takeru was sitting in the seat next to him, and on the other side were Sousuke and Tsutomu. The tension around them was almost suffocating, it was tearing their relationship as a group of friends apart but no one seemed to have the cojones to say anything that could fix it. It was a rare sight to see Sorata in a bad mood such as this. Sure, the boys knew each other for a long time now, but Sorata was never one to stop talking to either of his friends and keep at it. The three boys had to say something to Sorata eventually, but more than anyone, Takeru felt the weight of pressure and the responsibility for the trouble he caused Sorata the day before.

With a pathetic little nervous laugh "Hey Sorata... I was thinking, as a way to make it up to you... you can have half of my share of the barbecue." Takeru's voice changed from insecure at the beginning of his sentence, to completely confident at the end. He definitely thought it was a good deal.

"Don't want it."

"...U-uuh..?" A sound of confusion came out of Takeru's mouth. Out of all the better things he could have offered to make it up to his depressed friend, he suggested food for someone who had their dreams crushed. On the other half of the bus, Sousuke and Tsutomu had their faces planted in their palms, they expected Takeru to come up with something smarter to say and a simple barbecue wasn't going to repair the earthquake-sized mental and emotional damage done to Sorata by Mizuki, the girl he liked.

Sorata kept looking out the window, his facial expressions never changing in the slightest. Once again Takeru mustered up the courage to talk to Sorata "Hey, I'm sorry okay? Like I told you before in my texts, yesterday was all my fault and I have no excuses for what I caused you." Sousuke and Tsutomu were listening in on the apology, their bodies stretching out onto the walkway in the middle of the bus that separated the left rows from the right rows. "There's plenty of other cute and single girls in our grade and I promise you I will do everything in my power to get one of them to like you. So please... just please... let me make it up to you." With his head bowing down pointing to Sorata and his hands together over his head as if praying, Takeru was with all sincerity trying his best to brighten up Sorata's day. After a few seconds of waiting for an answer, the sound of a long sigh broke the silence, causing Takeru to lift his head up slightly to see if the sigh was either a good or bad omen.

Sorata had his eyes closed and he looked tired, but that expression of fatigue on his face seemed more about him fed up with his silent treatment than of being annoyed by his friends. He pulled out two wireless earbuds and an mp3 device from his left pocket "I'll think about it." He mumbled fast and proceeded to turn on the music on his mp3, his earbuds now in his ears. Takeru had the face of a child watching his first ever fireworks show after hearing those words from Sorata. Sousuke and Tsutomu had their thumbs up to Takeru for saving not just Sorata's day, but theirs as well because this was their last year as students of Adachi Ward high, making good memories was just as valuable as breathing for them.