Y/N POV:

The question persists: How do I one-up what happened this evening? My plan is already set out and awaiting execution. If everything goes right, the last day of the trip will be a night to remember. But will it be enough?

That doubt kept me awake at night, unsurprisingly. Sharing a room with six people isn't the most comfortable situation to sleep in. And even though I'm right next to Nino, the futon just isn't large enough to accommodate us both comfortably. An excellent excuse to cuddle, no doubt. But while that may work to make Nino fall asleep, it does the exact opposite to me. Maybe I'm just not accustomed to cuddling, but neither is her, and she's sleeping like an angel.

Those two factors, coupled with the slightly unpleasant surprise that Itsuki snores a bit, made it almost impossible to get shuteye until it was late in the night. It was cute at first, and not loud at all, but considering how light my sleep has been lately, it just ended up being a nuisance.

According to my internal clock, I got about four and a half hours of sleep. Oh well, if push comes to shove, I'll just drink my entire body weight in coffee to stay awake.

I was the first one to wake. Very silently, I got up and covered Nino with the blanket, proceeding to get a new set of clothes from my backpack and make my way to the inn's common area. Not five minutes after I had sat at a table, I noticed out of the corner of my eye someone taking a seat to my side.

"Good morning." A sweet voice said.

It was none other than snores, aka Itsuki. She was still in the Yukata she wore to sleep, and even though she looked well-rested, her expression still had something a little off about it.

"Sup."

"Why are you up so early?" She asked.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"I'm hungry."

Why am I not surprised?

"I see. So you're gonna grab a snack and head back to bed?"

"That was my original, But seeing that you're also awake, I think I'm going to keep you company."

"Oh, cool. Well, you're welcome to do so."

"I'll just get something from the breakfast buffet. I'll be right back."

On cue, Itsuki got up and made her way to the hotel's restaurant. I was seated on a table by the window, catching up on some reading as snow fell outside. The lounge was completely empty, which was expected from this hour of the morning. Still, it feels odd to have a public space be so devoid of life.

Speaking of odd, something's up with her. Is she still trying to make up for the fight we had on the day of the exams? I thought we were fine, so why is she still feeling guilty?

More importantly, is she still feeling guilty? She didn't look completely serene from the time I saw her just now, but that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with our fight. Something's got her conflicted, that's for sure. The only question is what.

A few minutes later, she came back to the lounge with two lattes and a bagel.

"This one is for you." She placed the latte in front of me, "Do you drink coffee?"

"When the occasion calls for it." I said, "Thank you, Itsuki."

"Ah, don't mention it. Today is going to be a long day, so you should probably get your energy for it."

I took a sip of the warm latte, taking the opportunity to warm my hands a little. Hopefully, she didn't pull a Nino and put sleeping pills on this, cuz if that's the case unless the caffeine and the melatonin cancel each other, this day is going to get a whole lot tougher.

"Is it good?" She said, munching on the bagel.

"Hella. Feels pretty cozy with the snow falling outside and all."

"I'm glad you feel that way." She smiled.

This may sound cynical, but there's no way she'd do such a nice gesture for me without wanting something in return. Out of the five, she is the one I have the least affinity with. The ones I talk to the most are Miku and Nino, but the other two are also pretty amiable. Itsuki is the only one that I'm not entirely sure I can call a friend just yet. At least to me, she sees the relationship as strictly professional, which is why I'm suspicious about this sudden gesture of kindness. It's impossible that she's still trying to make up for the fight. So it must be something else.

"L/N-kun, can I ask you a question?"

There it is.

"Sure."

"Well... it's nothing school-related. I actually wanted to hear your input about something both you and Miku mentioned."

"I'm still willing to answer." I took another sip.

"Okay..."

She paused for a few moments, pondering over the words she'd say next. I knew she was conflicted. She had been since yesterday when, after we arrived from the hot spring, she had already gone to bed. I guess that explains why she woke up so early.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to think about how I'm going to formulate my question."

"Take your time."

She stayed silent for a few more moments.

"There was something you said to me a few weeks back that was really impactful, and I want to find out why." She took a deep breath, like the thing she would say next required a lot of courage to say, "Something about how I maybe I was becoming more 'aware' of love. I want to know why."

"I wonder why everyone comes to me asking about love."

"You tamed Nino."

"Tamed lmao"

"It's true!" She said, "Nino is notorious for being completely ruthless with the boys she rejects."

"Didn't you guys come from an all-girls school?"

"Yes, but that didn't mean she didn't get asked out on almost a daily basis."

"Must have been a nightmare."

"Not for her. She took joy in rejecting them. Nino always had ridiculously high standards for someone to be her boyfriend, and somehow you came along and made her fall head over heels for you."

"And so you think that I'm some sort of love guru because of that?"

"Y-Yeah?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm just a guy. My advice isn't necessarily above anyone else's."

"But you seem way more knowledgeable than anyone I know, so I was hoping you could shed some light on this subject for me."

So this is my reputation now, huh?

"Ok." I pocketed my phone, turning to Itsuki and crossing my legs, "Then tell me. What's going on?"

She blushed, averting her gaze for a few seconds.

"I... gosh this is embarrassing. I want to fall in love."

"Eh?"

"But that's not what I came to ask of you. I want to understand why I feel that way."

"That's... hard to answer considering I don't know your personal life. Why do you want to know this?"

"Because I've never felt this way. And honestly, I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"I have a feeling it's going to have a negative impact on my grades..."

An interesting response... not that weird coming from her, but it doesn't feel entirely sincere.

"I'm not sure if there's any correlation between your academic score and whether or not you're in love with someone. Actually, the only evidence I have shows a positive effect."

"Nino's case is different since you're her tutor."

I was referring to Miku, but that's one more.

"Regardless," she said," it's easier to get distracted. I don't want to have to split my time between a boyfriend and studying."

"But, if you don't mind me asking, why do you want to study so much?"

While the subject of love appeared to leave her embarrassed, this question made her look positively surprised. By this point, she had already finished eating the bagel and was now fidgeting with her fingers while occasionally sipping her latte.

"My mother was a teacher..." She said, "And she was... just the most wonderful woman I've ever known. So warm, kind, and smart... just a perfect role model. And I want to be like her. I want to become a teacher just like her. That's what I'm studying for."

"I see. And why does having a boyfriend or falling in love impede you from achieving this dream?"

"It doesn't impede, but it distracts." She gave a sad sigh, "I know I'm not the brightest person in our class, but I do genuinely want to get high grades just like Uesugi-kun. If I am to become this role model, I cannot let trivial things such as teenage crushes get in my way."

Oh boy, where do I even begin?

"I understand where you're coming from, but a few of your conceptions are a bit twisted."

"Twisted?!" She looked shocked.

"That's not the best word, but the point still stands. For starters, you don't need to be just like Fuutarou. No one does. For starters, your return to studying isn't linear. Think of it as a logistic progression... you know what that is, right?"

"..."

"Nevermind, that was a dumb example. Basically, your result isn't necessarily going to be equivalent to the amount of effort you put in. Dedicating 100% of your waking hours to studying doesn't mean you'll get 100% of the questions right."

"But then how do you two do it?"

"I study a moderate to high amount to exams. I don't score perfect, but my grades are still high. It's simply not worth it to study more than your body can take because you'll just end up becoming unable to retain new information."

"But then-"

"Did you seriously put a padlock on your bag?" I heard Nino's voice coming from behind me.

"Yes, precisely for this occasion." I said chuckling, "Good morning to you too."

"Where's the key?"

"Nino, the cleavage on your yukata is a bit..." Itsuki said.

"It's called persuasion, Itsuki." She said, turning to me once again, "So, where is it?"

"Nino, how would you feel if I went shuffling around the contents of your luggage?"

"It's not the same thing! That bag is not where you're keeping your clothes."

"So you DID shuffle around by backpack! Hmpf, pervert."

"I was looking for the KEY!"

"Keep it down you two. People are still sleeping." Itsuki shushed us.

"Not for long." Nino said, "That's the second thing I came to say. As it turns out, the school is staying at this very hotel."

"What?" Itsuki sounded just as surprised as I was.

"Remember yesterday when Ichika said a ton of people checked in at the same time yesterday? That was them. They were doing some other activity during the day, that's why we didn't bump into them while we were here. But now, we can go back with them instead of having to trouble Ebata-san."

Hmmm... this is a bit troublesome. My plan with Ebata was foiled, but I guess now the school can't stop me from bringing my other bag with me. Let's hope everything works.

...

Nino's POV:

And at last, we arrived at camp.

The school was already at a late schedule, so as soon as we got off the bus, we immediately got separated into our respective rooms. I found it a bit hypocritical that we couldn't share a room with the boys considering that the bonfire is a thing, but whatever. I guess the school doesn't want to encourage 'promiscuous' activities between students.

Not long after orienteering, we began our activities, namely outdoor cooking.

 It was boring, to be honest. We were working with far too simple ingredients, and we were cooking in bulk so there would be no time nor excuse to pay too much attention or care to each individual dish. A shame, really. The school wasn't going to make the students prepare the more refined and delicate dishes, so I had to be content with a simple curry and burnt rice. It wouldn't bother me too much if I had Y/N-kun was here with me, but he was nowhere to be seen. He said he'd be with me for the test of courage, but I wanted to plan with him beforehand.

Is he working on the preparations for the test of courage? If that were the case, he'd be with Uesugi and Yotsuba, but the two are still here trying to finish the dishes.

I decided to look for him after properly instructing my team, and sure enough, he was on the outskirts of the forest where the test of courage would take place, and accompanying him was some guy with a horrible fashion taste who I did not know.

After I stopped judging that guy on his outfit choice, I noticed how Y/N was carrying that suspicious black sports bag he seemed so secretive of.

I know that I'm probably overthinking this. The contents of the bag are probably preparing for the test of courage, but our class isn't encharged with that activity. Plus, why would he put a padlock in it?

I decided to follow them from a distance in an attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"...but why are you coming to me for advice?" Y/N asked.

"Dude, you're dating one of the Nakanos! Who else would I go for advice?"

"You think I'm dating Nino?"

"Aren't you?!"

"Y-Yeah..."

"That's why I came to ask you. Both you and Uesugi somehow managed to date two of the hottest girls in our school. Who else could I go to for advice?"

"The funny thing is that you're the first one to ask me about this subject today." He paused for a few instants, "Listen, Maeda. There isn't a tried and true method to get a girlfriend, so I suggest you give up on Ichika. But other than her, is there anyone else you're interested in right now?"

"There is one girl... Kanade-chan. Do you know her?"

"Naw."

"She's from my class so I thought you wouldn't. Anyway, what do I do about her then?"

"There's an interesting psychological phenomenon... I forgot the name of it, but basically, you create stronger bonds with people when you go through something scary together. Try calling this girl for the test of courage. Maybe you'll get something out of it, who knows?"

"Are you sure that's gonna work?"

"No. But the chances are higher."

"Damn... can't you give me something that guarantees she'll like me?"

"I've said this time and time again, love doesn't work like that."

Maeda sighed, "Fuck... thanks, I guess."

"Don't mention it."

"Do you need help with something here?"

"Just call Nino over here."

"Call Nino?" They both looked in my direction.

Shit. I've been spotted.

"Oi, Nino-chan! L/N wants to talk to you!"

Who the fuck are you calling chan?

I approach the both of them, eyeing this Maeda guy wearily.

"Aight I'll catch you later, Maeda." Y/N-kun said.

"Sure. See ya."

He left, heading back to the outdoor cooking sight.

"Chan... even I don't use that honorific with you." He said.

"You can if you'd like," I said, "You're the only one I'll allow – aside from Ichika."

"I don't know... feels a bit too intimate. I barely use honorifics anyway so whatever."

"Who was that guy anyway?"

"Oh him? Maeda." He said with a slight tone of disdain, "He's about as bright as a black hole... and probably twice as dense. You know, he wanted to invite Ichika to the dance."

"Wow. With those clothes?"

"Yeah, not putting too much faith in him, but what do I know? Anyway, why are you here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. You know you look really suspicious walking around the edge of the forest with that bag, right?

"Sure, sure. These are for the test of courage."

"Oh really?" I teased, "Then why can't I see it?"

He sighed, "Fine. You can."

Y/N-kun took the bag off his shoulder, putting it on the floor, unlocking the padlock, and opening it. I was underwhelmed to see that he wasn't lying. Inside there were a few folded costumes and masks.

"I'm taking these to the forest so that the students encharged with the test of courage won't have to walk around the camp while dressed ridiculously."

"But then are you coming on the test of courage?"

"I don't know... it's kinda boring to me... but if you don't have a partner already, I guess I can go with you."

"Of course I don't, dummy! I want to go with you!"

He paused for a few moments, looking at the forest with a distant gaze. His eyes were darting around the tree as if he was following something."

"Sure..." He dismissively said, still looking at the woods for a few more seconds before looking back at me, "I'll meet you at your dorm at 10. Sounds good?"

"Yeah..."

"Great. I'll take these to the woods. Please don't follow me, else you will get spoiled about the test."

And with that, Y/N made his way inside the forest, quickly disappearing from view on the dense woods.

He was acting really oddly... even a bit dismissive of me. Did I do something to anger him? He's not the type of guy to get mad, but did he?

Was it because of what I did yesterday?

...

A/n:

And I thought my last semester of classes was tough. Good lord how mistaken I was.

Not much to say today, but I wanted to talk about something I've written about a few times already. Specifically the stuff about how to make someone fall in love with you or how to act around them based on their personality, etc. My advice (though I'm sure you've probably caught onto this by now) is that you can't have a formulaic approach to people. Social interaction isn't like a hard science (though it most certainly is hard), meaning you cant input the data on a formula and get the exact instructions of how to act. People and the situations they're involved in are extremely malleable and highly unpredictable, so attempting to standardize them by trying to define their personality type n' stuff never really worked for me. Just trust your instinct. Most often you'll know instinctually what will piss off someone and what will make them happy. Use that to your advantage.

Nice little chat, but I gotta hit the bed now lmao

See you later guys! Take care!!