A Liar's Truth [UNDER FINAL REVISION]

Ch 25: Prince charming

Third-person point of view 

The second day hit like a truck.

After the chaotic travel and short burst of sightseeing the day before, the Class E squad had collapsed in their hotel rooms like dominoes. No one had the energy to even argue.

But morning came anyway. Unforgiving and bright.

They were already out by 8:00 a.m., assembled groggily at the base of Fushimi Inari Shrine, the iconic rows of vermilion torii gates stretching ahead like some divine obstacle course.

Still, they all gathered for a group photo in front of the shrine, Nakamura half-sulking in the back.

They made their way into the shrine area, pausing briefly to admire the fox statues, tie small prayers on wooden plaques, and pull omikuji fortune slips.

Ginka unfolded hers first and beamed, "Great blessing! Look!" 

"Mild blessing," said Hayami, indifferent.

Nakamura groaned. "I got... cursed luck. Again. That's the third time in a row, I swear this mountain hates me."

"Probably reflecting your energy." Hara jokes, considering how she was complaining about the hike even right before entry.

"Should we exorcise you?" Fuwa offered, holding up a bundle of lucky charms like a crucifix.

The climb began.

And within ten minutes, Fuwa looked like she was rethinking her entire life path. "Why are the stairs endless?! Who builds a shrine this long? Were they trying to kill people?"

"This was your idea," Sugaya wheezed.

"No, I just said it looked pretty in photos! I didn't mean I wanted to die on it!"

Chiba, Hayami, and Ginka, meanwhile, walked like they were on a calm afternoon stroll. Ginka twirled her parasol, completely unaffected, even offering to take aesthetic shots of the group from every flattering angle.

"You three are like... built for this," Sugaya gasped. "Do you guys have an extra lung or something?"

"No, we just don't skip out on training." Chiba nods at Hayami's statement. 

"I also have my daily cardio~" Ginka adds with a giggle. 

Then came the near-disaster. One loose step. One dramatic yelp.

Fuwa's foot slipped out beneath her as she stumbled sideways off the path. "A-AHH—"

Ginka, without even hesitating, lunged. Her arm looped around Fuwa's waist, stopping her fall with the dramatic flair of a shoujo manga climax. They paused there, frozen mid-moment.