How We Met Again

Chapter 22: The Voice in the Hall

After several more hours of waiting in traffic, all whilst moving at a pace of approximately nothing per hour, the sun was beginning to get dangerously low in the sky, and an executive decision was made to lodge in a nearby ryokan for the night. The bus diverted off of the highway at the next available opportunity (which took another thirty minutes after the decision was made), and the sun had already dropped below the horizon to the west by the time we stopped in front of the ryokan.

"Well, this sucks," Yotsuba said glumly as we waited to disembark. "We had so many fun things planned for during the first day!"

"We can still do them," I said, shifting anxiously from one foot to another. I didn't like waiting in the aisles -- something about it stoked anxiety in my chest. Perhaps a mild form of claustrophobia. "Just... here, instead of the campground."

"Oh, good idea! Uesugi-san, you're a genius!"

"Don't praise me for something that simple," I scowled. "Call me a genius because I'm a genius, not because I thought of something obvious."

"Ok! Uesugi-san, you're not a genius!"

"Hey, wait, that's not what I meant--"

Laughing, Yotsuba stepped forward as the line began to shift, and was soon off the bus. Scowling, I followed, with Itsuki, Miku, and Ichika following suit. Miku had re-applied her headphones, and was tapping away on her phone, oblivious to the world around her. After stepping down from the bus (with a sigh of relief), we milled outside as the teachers discussed various details regarding our lodging amongst themselves. As we stood, snow continued fluttering down around us in thick flurries, rendering everything further than a few metres away invisible. I could hardly see the ryokan in which we were set to stay.

We stood like that for what felt like forever, but was in practice probably closer to only a couple of minutes.

"Alright, listen up!" one of the teachers eventually called over the wind howling around us. "We've managed to negotiate a group rate, so we'll be putting six of you to a room. I've got a list of the groups here. When you hear your name, please grab your bags, and then meet in the lobby of the inn. A staff member will show you to your rooms."

Some grumbling erupted from various parts of the mass of students, but the majority were like myself -- just desperate to get things over with so we could get inside. My back was also stiff from hours on the bus, and the whistling wind was stinging my face, even if my coat was keeping the majority off my body.

Almost immediately, all of the Nakano sisters were called together, along with some girl from another class who I didn't recognize. The four near me walked off, each offering a brief goodbye. Then, I was left alone, shivering in the cold.

Come on, hurry up and call my name.

The teacher continued to go through their list, and my name continued to not be called. My anxiety and impatience continued to grow, and the crowd around me continued to thin. Eventually, there were only about fifteen of us left -- then, finally, my name was called.

"Uesugi Fuutarou. Takeda Yuusuke. Maeda Akechi. Hashiba Hikaru. Tokugawa Haru. Toyotomi Asa."

I was so grateful to be able to grab my bag and head inside the ryokan, my head and shoulders sporting a healthy dusting of snow, that I didn't even particularly care about the fact that I would be sharing a room with Second Place-san. Striding over to the open belly of the bus, I grabbed my suitcase, and hauled it into the lobby.

Shaking off the accumulated snow, I stepped into the warmth, my reddened skin stinging as it soaked in the heat of the indoors. I walked over to where Second Place-san was standing with some other boys, whom he appeared to know.