Tale of Discovery

With both of us having our own thing to do, Kurumi and I separated as soon as we exited the classroom through Permeation.

Unfortunately, this being my third usage of the ability today makes it so that I may use it once more before it becomes unavailable for some time.

And so, while on my way back to the classroom, I deliberate on how and where to hide the newly-acquired weapon.

In terms of looks, it looks more like an oddly shaped gun-toy than an actual weapon with mystique capabilities. So, even if it gets seen, I can have it passed off as a random gun model, as it shouldn't be possible for anyone apart from me to fire it anyway based on what Kurumi said.

As such, I take a look at the uniform I am wearing before accessing the database and looking for a suitable holster.

Naturally, the weapon's odd shape made this process much harder than it would've been for any ordinary weapon, but in the end, I managed to find one that should be good enough.

After taking a look around to make sure that no one is watching, I proceed to take off the jacket and attached the holster to my hips. This holster, in particular, is the type that can hold two pistols on the back, albeit not the ordinary small pistols. It sure makes me wonder what organization or perhaps country would make use of these...

Anyway, after holstering my new weapon, I put my jacket back on and take a moment to observe myself in case of anything looking off, only to find myself looking perfectly normal.

"Alright, I hope that they've already packed their things up," I mutter as I begin walking again.

---

"Shido, Shido!" Tohka excitedly exclaims as she hops on her seat beside me on the bus we're taking to the airport, "What is that?!"

Looking over at what she's pointing at, I find the upper half of a stationary Ferris wheel.

Letting out a sigh, I decide to give her an intricate response with the intention of waning her interest off for now, "That thing over there is a ride that humans most often take for entertainment purposes. You see, those things over there spin from the ground to the top.

"People, which usually is either are families or couples, get on from the bottom and enjoy the ride as their height increases."

"Ohhh~" Tohka utters, "And? Is that all?"

"Indeed," I reply, "You're supposed to enjoy the view of the city from up there along with those with you, that's all."

As such, a Ferris Wheel wouldn't exactly be an ideal ride to get on if I were to consider the fact that we can fly. Leaving the experience itself aside, there isn't much to it.

However, Tohka doesn't seem to think that way as she excitedly says, "Hey, Shido! Let's go there, okay?"

Taking a moment to observe the expression on her face, I release a sigh before wryly saying, "Alright. Someday, we will go."

---

"Excuse me, would you like some beverages?" a pretty middle-aged pushing a cart says while facing the three of us.

To my left, sitting by the plan's window is none other than the ever so amused Tohka.

While to my right, Origami is sitting with her back laid against the chest and her face turned toward me.

She has remained in this position for the past hour, maintaining constant eye contact with me all the way until I had to break my gaze off from hers after being called by the flight attendant.

Anyway, I ignore Origami for now as I take a look at the beverages available before saying, "Yes, I would like a diet coke and..."

Taking this chance to cast a glance at Tohka, I find her gaze focused on a certain bottle of what seems to be orange juice, so I continue, "An orange juice."

Turning to face Origami, I ask, "Would you like anything?"

"Same as you," she instantly responds.

"You heard the young lady," I say as I shift my attention back to the flight attendant, "Two diet cokes and an orange juice."

Hearing this, the woman slowly grabs what we asked for and hands them to us, along with a small straw for Tohka.

From behind us, I hear the voices of several students as they mutter among themselves.

"Seriously, what's with that guy? He has girls glued to him all day!"

"Yeah, even when we're not at school. Weren't the seats supposed to have been predetermined?!"

"So unfair..."

As expected from the males, they were looking for opportunities during this flight.

They would've had one had I not used Indoctrination to make them believe their seats were elsewhere. It was a little hard to pull off with there being so many students around, and the limit of five didn't help much either.

So, I had to resort to the means of compromising with a few groups who also wanted to be together with their friends in order to find ourselves proper seats.

Expectedly, Tamae wasn't all too pleased by our actions, but she wasn't able to do much about it after the students pressured her for a brief moment.

"Origami," I say as I focus back on the matter at hand, "Are you planning to stare at me all the way until we get there?"

"I can't?"

"Well, I don't mind if you do, but don't you find it boring?"

"No," she responds bluntly.

Yeah, as if someone like her would find this boring. Origami is an oddball in more ways than one. Although it scores a lot of points when it comes to cuteness, it can be 'creepy' for some.

I reckon that this is the very same reason she is so unapproachable, as students usually claim.

Leaving all this aside...

Turning around, I gaze at a black-haired girl wearing glasses and is conversing with a female classmate.

Seemingly noticing my gaze, the girl stops talking and glimpses at me before winking once.

"How troubling," I mutter before turning back around.

---

"Finally, we're here!" a female classmate blurts as she excitedly waits in the line to get off the plane.

Currently, Tohka and Origami are both standing beside me at the end of the line.

I deliberately made it so that we're here because I wanted to speak with a certain someone.

"Isn't it about time you dropped this play of yours, Natsumi?" I whisper in a voice low enough only for a certain black-haired girl in front of me to hear.

"I knew you would notice," the girl responds as she turns around to face me, confusing the brown-haired girl right behind her.

As if just remembering her, the black-haired girl, who is actually Natsumi in disguise, turns back around and says in an apologetic tone, "Sorry, Miina, but can you go on ahead without me. I want to talk with Itsuka about something."

"Since when did you know..." her friend replies before her words trail off as she lets out a sigh and continues, "Fine. But, don't be late, alright?"

"Of course!" Natsumi responds, to which the brown-haired girl, Miina, bows slightly before turning around to focus on the line.

Shortly, the line moves quite a bit, leaving quite a bit of space for the four of us left at the back.

"Since when did you notice?" Natsumi finally asks, seemingly unable to keep her curiosity in any longer.

"Right from the start," I casually reply with a smile covering my lips.

"If so, why didn't you call me out?"

"And why would I do that? You went through all this effort just to spend time with us on this school trip. Not only is it adorable, but commendable too."

Despite her being disguised, a red flush cover's the current Natsumi's cheeks as she opens her mouth to say something, but no words escape even after ten seconds have passed.

"Nevertheless, you placed your life in danger by doing something reckless without consulting me. Fortunately, this time the matter was closely related to me, so no major risks were taken, but I can't be sure that there won't be a repeat of this in the future..."

Understanding what I'm getting at, a downcast expression forms on Natsumi's face for a few seconds before it quickly changes to that of blame and fury as she says, "Hey, you were the one who forcefully brought me over to that house! You want to go out and have fun without taking me even after doing that?"

"Good point," I respond, "But that doesn't strike the heart of the matter. You could've told me that you wanted to come with us earlier, and I would've most likely agreed.

"While at it, I might have even found a method you can spend the day with us properly."

Upon saying that, I shift my sight over to the line that is quite a distance away from us now, particularly the girl that seems to be a friend of the one Natsumi has disguised herself as.

"Where is she?" I ask, "The girl that you have disguised as?"

"Uh..." a nervous voice escapes from Natsumi's lip as she seems to be struggling to answer the inquiry.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, I adopt a solid expression and say, "Just make sure to not get caught, alright?"

By saying this, I am asking her to refrain from doing things the original girl wouldn't do. Such as, constantly interacting with me.

This could've been avoided if she had come to consult me regarding this matter earlier, but she didn't. So, I suppose this could work as a punishment of sorts.

But, that's not the end of it. Due to our circumstances, I am unable to hand out an appropriate punishment right now, especially so when there are two curious gazes on my back.

"Whatever," I say, "We should probably get going."

The moment those words leave my mouth, I feel a pleasant softness on both of my arms as both Tohka and Origami seem to take my statement as some sort of signal to hold my arm.

Not minding this, unlike Natsumi who is looking at us oddly, I use my eyes to signal to her to get moving.

Taking the hint, Natsumi turns around and begins walking toward 'her' friend.

Seeing this, I shake my head wryly as I begin to think of what's awaiting me on this school trip...