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Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 40

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Chapter 40: The School Camping Trip Begins (1)

"As you all already know, starting next Wednesday, we’ll have a three-day school camping trip. Today’s homeroom will be dedicated to assigning roles for the event."

Early July—final exams were over, and the summer heat was starting to ramp up. I sat slouched in my seat, drowsy from a full lunch and the warm sunlight pouring through the window, half-listening to Koshimizu-sensei’s announcement.

At this school, first-year students went on an annual camping trip around this time each year.

The itinerary was pretty standard: hiking, river rafting, outdoor cooking, barbecues, a campfire, and a test of courage that doubled as an orienteering event.

The last time I’d been on an overnight school event was back in middle school—a boring “group discipline” camp before I transferred.

"I’ll now distribute booklets detailing the trip. Please pass them from the front to the back."

A booklet was passed to me. I took mine and handed the rest to the student behind me, then flipped through it.

Inside were the three-day schedule, lodging contact info, room assignments, and lists of each class’s groups.

My group—Group A—consisted of Rentarou, Alicia, Kuon, and two others from the back rows: Yukinori Kobayashi and Kaine Ueshima. Six people total.

Judging by the seating, it looked like they just split us up randomly.

"Now that everyone has their booklets, gather in your groups to assign roles."

Following Koshimizu-sensei’s instructions, we pushed our desks together.

"Roles include… group leader, outdoor cooking duty, campfire duty, and even a ‘test of courage’ setup team?"
"Looks like everyone’s gotta do something. Ugh, was hoping to slack off."

We chatted casually as we figured out who would take which role.

In the end:

  • Alicia became group leader.

  • Rentarou took campfire duty.

  • Kobayashi handled outdoor equipment setup.

  • And I got stuck with outdoor cooking.

But the real surprise was…

"Didn’t expect Myaa-chan to volunteer for the test of courage setup."
"Same here. I didn’t think Kyōri would be interested in this kind of thing."
"I just… thought it looked fun? Is that… bad?"
"Not at all. It’s best to let people do what they want."
"I’m just thrilled I get to be on the same team as Myaa-chan!"

The remaining two—Kuon and Ueshima—had volunteered for the most unconventional role: test of courage organizers.

But thinking about it, Kuon was an expert on supernatural stuff. In a way, this might actually be the perfect job for her.

"Hey, Osamu, Kobayashi. Ever heard of the ‘Campfire Love Legend’?"

Rentarou suddenly lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Legend? What’s that?"
"Supposedly, if you watch the final night’s campfire with someone you like, your wish comes true."

…Seriously? That’s as cliché as the whole “confess under the cherry blossoms” thing.

"And… why are you telling us this?"
"…I want you guys to witness my once-in-a-lifetime moment."
"Wait, you don’t mean—"
"Yeah. I’m gonna confess to Kuon! Ask her to watch the campfire with me!"

After his “girlfriend” (more like someone he’d been forced into dating) broke up with him after that incident, Rentarou had been moping.

But then Kuon—who’d just been kindly checking on a depressed classmate—ended up becoming the object of his affection.

Not that she meant anything by it—but pointing that out would just be cruel.

"Uh… good luck, I guess?"
"I’ll… root for you…?"
"Hell yeah!"

At least getting rejected will be a life experience for him, I thought, sighing internally.

"Oh? Looks like we also need to decide test of courage pairs in advance."

Alicia’s comment made me check the booklet again. Sure enough, it said: "Groups must decide test of courage pairs beforehand."

The test of courage was done in pairs of two. And since our group had three guys and three girls, splitting by gender wasn’t an option.

So then—

"How about drawing lots to decide?"
"I’m in."
"Same here."
"Sounds good to me."

Everyone agreed immediately. Arguing over this would just waste time—better to leave it to chance.

I tore six scraps from a notebook, marked them with different colored pens, and shuffled them in my hands.

"No hard feelings, no matter who gets paired with who."
"Got it!"
"O-Okay…!"

Rentarou and the others each picked a slip.

"I got… ugh, Kobayashi?!"
"Can’t be helped. That’s fate for you."

"Alicia-san, let’s do our best!"
"Of course, Kaine."

So Rentarou was with Kobayashi, and Alicia was with Ueshima.

…Which meant:

"Um… Osamu-kun. Let’s do our best together, okay?"
"Ah… yeah. Sure."

Of all the possible pairs—I ended up as the only guy-girl duo?!

Under Rentarou’s intense stare, I could only nod awkwardly back at Kuon.

Notes:

  • Rentarou’s hopeless optimism is endearing but doomed. His “Campfire Love Legend” is a classic trope.

  • Kuon is oblivious to Rentarou’s intentions, which adds a layer of awkwardness.

  • Osamu’s mixed-gender pairing with Kuon is unexpected and sure to create tension with Rentarou.

  • The test of courage setup hints at something beyond a normal school event, especially with Kuon’s expertise.

Next Up:
Rentarou’s Grand Confession™ (Spoiler: It won’t go well.)
Osamu and Kuon’s "Test of Courage" (Spoiler: It won’t be just a test.)
Alicia’s Mysterious Agenda (Spoiler: She’s definitely plotting something.)

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