SPY X FAMILY - OPERATION BIG BROTHER?!

Abruption.

Kaito wasn't exactly thrilled about the field trip. Not when the teacher announced it nor when he and Loid where discussing strategies.  

It wasn't that he didn't find the idea of learning about ancient civilizations interesting—okay, maybe it was—he just wasn't a fan of group activities, especially when they involved other people's enthusiasm.

It was his only his second week  at Eden Academy, and they were all heading to a local museum. Apparently, it was a part of some "hands-on learning" experience, but to Kaito, it seemed like another way for the teachers to kill time while pretending to educate them.

"Alright, class," Ms. Tanaka said as she called everyone together. "We'll be visiting the history museum today. Stay in groups, no wandering off, and remember to respect the exhibits."

Kaito took a seat near the back of the group, hoping to avoid anyone who might try to strike up an overly cheerful conversation. But, of course, that didn't happen. It was the first field trip, and Hiroshi, the overly eager kid who sat next to him, was already buzzing with excitement.

"This is going to be amazing!" Hiroshi said, practically bouncing in his seat. "I'm going to take, like, a thousand photos! Ancient artifacts! Ancient swords! Maybe even a mummy!"

Kaito resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If you take a thousand photos, they might kick you out for being too loud."

"I'll be quiet," Hiroshi said, already pulling out his phone. "But seriously, imagine if we find a real mummy. What if it's, like, still alive? What would we do? Should we run? Or, like, make it our friend?"

Kaito sighed. He hadn't even been thinking about the possibility of mummies, but now he was picturing an army of them chasing after Hiroshi. "You know, running probably wouldn't help. It'd just be a huge mess."

Mia who had been quietly reading the pamphlet the museum had given them, glanced up at them both. "You two are weird. The real question is, what will we learn about these ancient cultures? I'm hoping for some pottery. Ancient pottery is kind of cool."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Pottery?"

"Yeah! They had to be artists, right?" Mia said with enthusiasm. "And it's so impressive that something made thousands of years ago is still intact."

"I'm impressed you're excited about pottery," Kaito muttered, still unsure how he was going to survive this day.

As they filed off the bus and into the museum, Kaito tried his best to ignore the excitement radiating off his classmates. Ms. Tanaka handed out small groups to each kid, assigning them to different sections of the museum.

"Tanaka, Sato, and Forger" she called out, much to Kaito's mild irritation. "For god's sake, be quiet."

Of course. He sighed. Mia was fine—she was easy to talk to— annoying too, but Hiroshi was already making faces at a statue of some ancient king and pretending to be its long-lost descendant.

"Isn't he awesome?" Hiroshi asked, gesturing to the sculpture. "Look at this guy! He looks like he's about to start giving a motivational speech."

Kaito stared at the stone figure. "He looks like he's trying not to fall asleep while giving the motivational speech."

Mia laughed, clearly enjoying their banter. "You're both terrible."

As they wandered through the first exhibit, Kaito found himself a little more interested than he thought he would be. Sure, the pottery was just as Mia had described—impressive in its own way—but it wasn't the ancient art that had his attention. It was the detailed display about the cultures themselves. The old maps, the ancient tools, the way life was so different back then. It was fascinating, in a quiet, non-explosive way.

Still, the trip wasn't all bad. Despite Hiroshi's ridiculous commentary and Mia's unending questions about everything, Kaito found himself learning more than he expected. They stood around a display case showing ancient swords, and for the first time that day, Kaito felt genuinely curious.

"So," Mia said, as she observed the swords in front of them, "do you think they used these in battles or just as decoration?"

"Probably both," Kaito said, leaning in closer. "The swords might've been part of some ceremonial stuff. Or maybe they just had them for status."

Hiroshi perked up. "Like the coolest sword wins the coolest person award?"

"I'd say the sword was more of a 'don't mess with me' sign," Kaito replied, glancing at Hiroshi, who looked like he might just try to challenge someone to a duel.

"Yeah, I can totally see that," Hiroshi said, totally ignoring the sarcasm. "I'd win every duel with a sword like this!"

Kaito couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. For all of Hiroshi's enthusiasm, it was hard not to get sucked into his excitement, even just a little.

They moved to the next exhibit, and for a brief moment, Kaito caught Mia's eye. She gave him a small, almost imperceptible smile, as if to say this isn't so bad after all.

To which he shot back a grimace. Nah, it's worse. 

She didn't say anything in response, but he found himself not entirely hating the company. They weren't exactly friends, but for the time being, they made the whole trip a little more bearable.

By the time they headed back to the bus, Kaito's mood had lifted just a fraction. The field trip wasn't quite the torture he'd expected—though, he'd probably keep his thoughts to himself about the mummy incident that never happened.

As they climbed back onto the bus, Hiroshi gave them both a big grin. "This was great! We should do this again sometime!"

Mia looked at Kaito and shrugged. "It wasn't so bad."

Kaito just nodded, not sure if he could call the day "fun," but admitting, at least to himself, that it had been better than he thought.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Not so bad."

I didn't like this chapter. Please tell me how to fix it.