The Strongest, but the Genre Is Magical Girl

Chapter 264




The uncomfortable truth pushed aside, the day of the school trip finally arrived.

Passport ready, wallet and smartphone laid out on the table—can’t forget those.

If anything, forgetting the passport would be a disaster.

Unlike the somewhat lenient school rules, the airport doesn’t mess around—no passport, no departure.

The adult world is cold and ruthless.

“Siyeon, wake up.”

4 AM, bustling with the alarm.

First task: wake Siyeon up and get her to wash up first.

Even though I told her to set an alarm before bed, her phone shows nothing but a dark screen—no alarm in sight.

Guess she thought I’d wake her up, so she didn’t bother setting one.

What if I was too tired to wake up? What then?

“Ugh…”

After forcing the groggy Siyeon to sit on the bed, I grabbed a pack of frozen dumplings from the fridge and placed them on the steamer.

Our first schedule after landing is lunch, so breakfast is a must.

As I got ready to head out, my eyes finally fully opened.

The sound of boiling water filled the air, and steam poured out of the pot.

I casually lifted the lid, and the dumpling wrappers shriveled—a sign they were done.

Using tongs, I divided the dumplings into bowls—breakfast was ready.

Mixed three spoons of soy sauce and one spoon of mirin in a small sauce dish for dipping.

A silent breakfast without even a “Let’s eat.”

Outside the window, it was still pitch black.

“Don’t forget your passport and wallet. Losing them abroad is a nightmare.”

“Mm…”

Siyeon, half-chewing a dumpling, nodded groggily.

Not sure if she understood, but she stuffed her passport, wallet, and phone into her pockets.

We had already talked to the mascots the day before.

While we’re in Japan, they agreed to a daily allowance of 57,000 won, including delivery fees.

Originally, we tried to settle for 50,000 won, like during our last beach trip, but…

“Pet sitters charge an average of 38,445 won per hour. Honestly, we’re staying home 24/7 for four days. Can’t you give us around 60,000 won a day?”

“Fine, 57,000 won!”

Persuaded by Gomteng’s slick talk, we agreed to bump it up by 7,000 won.

But with the condition that they only spend it on food.

Whether they’ll keep their promise is uncertain, but we’ll see when we get back.

After Chuseok and midterms, the outside air started to get chilly.

Long sleeves were enough, but it wasn’t yet time for winter coats.

The clattering of the suitcase wheels over the pavement.

The noise didn’t fit the early morning, but I dragged it along anyway.

Where did the suitcase come from in a home that never travels?

Of course, it was borrowed.

‘It’s not worth buying two suitcases just for one school trip…’

The suitcase came from Ji-eun, who went to Japan for her honeymoon.

Remembering her long trip, I called and asked to borrow it—got the green light.

So, our suitcases are from Uncle Dae-han and Ji-eun.

I took the large gray one, and Siyeon got the slightly reddish one.

“Did you thank Ji-eun with a message?”

“Not yet… yawn.”

Walking beside me, Siyeon yawned and said she hadn’t sent the message yet.

Holding the suitcase handle with one hand, she pulled out her phone and tapped the screen.

A sleepy-eyed message to Ji-eun.

Looks like she’ll be asleep the whole bus ride.

After arriving at the park where the buses were gathered, we found our class among the scattered students.

Familiar faces in the crowd.

“Did Mari come?”

Dragging the suitcase, I joined the group, and the Class 1 friends greeted me.

“Wow, that suitcase is huge.”

“Borrowed it from an uncle I know.”

After greetings, they marveled at the suitcase size.

Uncle Dae-han, who travels abroad often, always goes for the biggest.

Being one of the smaller ones in class, dragging a suitcase half my size made me stand out.

There was also a small bag that could attach to the handle, but I couldn’t bring myself to carry it.

“Haah, yawn…”

While waiting for the bus, yawns erupted everywhere.

5:25 AM—a time when we’d usually still be in bed.

Our bodies protested, yawning in frustration.

Some friends, unable to fight sleep, sat on the curb, leaning against their suitcases for a nap.

Siyeon’s class seemed similar.

Looking over, I spotted her red suitcase from afar.

Not much different from here, she stood idly near the bus.

Watching her, she suddenly waved at me.

I waved back lazily, continuing the endless wait.

“Alright, attendance check, then get on the bus—”

As the departure time approached, the teachers called the scattered students.

Students sitting near the flower beds got up, dragging their suitcases to the bus.

Seating was one person, two seats—generous enough to place a bag next to you.

Of course, those with ridiculously large suitcases like mine had to stow them in the luggage compartment.

A school trip abroad.

While some dozed off on the bus, others, excited for their first overseas trip, went wild filming vlogs.

In the dim bus, the sound of smartphone cameras clicking.

Occasional video recording sounds.

Teasingly pointing the camera at others, some covered their faces with their hands.

“Ah, don’t film me!”

“You’ll blur it, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Whether others were filming vlogs or not, I didn’t care.

Since they promised to blur faces, I let them film, watching the sunrise outside the window.

6:40 AM.

As we left the early morning behind, the class gradually woke up and became lively.

The bus was fully immersed in the trip vibe.

Making V-signs at friends filming vlogs or snapping photos of those still asleep.

And that excitement peaked on the plane to Osaka.

“Whoa—”

As the plane took off, gasps and laughter filled the air.

Overreactions from students who’d never flown before.

The muffled feeling in the ears, not felt in years.

Some students snapped photos of the view outside.

My first flight memory was the luxurious business class.

Now, in cramped economy, the contrast was stark.

But thinking of it as just a bus ride made it bearable.

‘Honestly, that first time was just too fancy…’

Comparisons are inevitable, but for a flight under two hours, what’s there to complain about?

The plane cut through the clouds, arriving in Japan.

The land of sushi, earthquakes, and vending machines.

The language barrier hit as soon as we saw the Japanese signs at the airport.

Loading our luggage onto the waiting bus, we soaked in the unique atmosphere of Japanese streets.

First schedule in Japan: lunch.

The great restaurant to feed the hungry high school girls was…

[左近]

[本店]

‘What does that say?’

…No idea.

Pulling out the school trip schedule from my pocket, I switched from the unfamiliar language to the glorious Hangul of King Sejong.

Today’s lunch:

[Lunch: Local cuisine (SX Meat Buffet)]

[Dinner: Free meal (¥2000 provided)]

‘Ah, a meat buffet.’

Relieved after checking the schedule.

A meat buffet abroad?

Kind of underwhelming, but the menu was surprisingly exciting.

Japanese meat buffets even had sushi and fish cakes.

…Can you put sushi on the grill?

 

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