After skiing as much as we could, we returned to the ryokan before 19:00.
We hadn't skied enough yet, but it was probably just as well, as we didn't want to leave anything behind.
The end of the second day was approaching, and the night was steadily inching closer. At dinner, Sudō invited me to join him in the large public bath, where I washed my body before relaxing in the hot spring water.
"Ka! It works!"
I'm sure Sudō, who sweats it out during basketball practice on a daily basis, would find it exceptionally effective.
He repeatedly scooped the hot water with both hands and washed his face, seemingly blowing away his exhaustion.
"Yo."
After soaking in the bathtub for a while in a daze, Hashimoto, a Class A student, came up next to me.
I lightly raised my hand in reply, and Sudo raised his hand in unison.
"Well... I've been really tired today."
The class was a great way to get to know each other and learn more about each other.
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened, I've just been worrying about a problem child in my group."
Inwardly, Hashimoto's group had been bothering him since the beginning.
"Well, there's Kōenji."
"Correct. Free activities are supposed to be all hands on deck, right? Normally, if you have a sane nerve, you should be discussing it, but we're all going along with wherever that guy wants to go."
It was obvious that Kōenji wasn't the type to maturely obey, and that still doesn't seem to change even in a group environment that included all classes.
"It looks like you were at the ranch that offered horseback riding today. Was that something Kōenji wanted to do?"
"Why would you ask that? Is it any wonder if you saw the commotion he caused?"
Hashimoto, with his head in his hands, immersed the lower half of his face into the bathtub.
"I only saw him ride through, but did Kōenji come back properly after that?"
Hashimoto remained submerged for about ten seconds, but then he shrugged his shoulders and surfaced.
"After about an hour. We didn't have the mental capacity to continue horseback riding, so we just waited it out."
He then went on to tell us how his free day went.
Sudō murmured his condolences and clasped his hands together.
"We were planning on having lunch at a famous TV restaurant before noon, but that guy Kōenji said he was going skiing. Without even a moment's hesitation, he went straight to the ski resort on his own. I was so exhausted that I didn't have time to have fun. That was the end of our second day."
If they had ignored him and gone to the famous restaurant, they would've violated the group guidelines.
What a pitiful story.
"I was wondering if you guys, his classmates, had any suggestions on how to deal with him."
The school trip was just past the halfway point and there were only two days left.
At least for the fourth day, where there was free time again, the group wanted to follow the choice they decided on.
"He's out of control. I guess there's nothing you can do about it."
Sudō said what he thought.
It sounded cold, but I knew him long enough to know that everyone had already given up on him.
"How about you, Ayanokōji?"
"It's not realistic to try to convince Kōenji. I honestly don't think there's anything you can do about it."
"...It's a ruthless reality."
"But there's one way to do it if it comes down to it."
"What is it? Let me hear it."
Hashimoto, who wanted to know how to de-escalate the situation no matter how small the possibility, bit the bullet.
There was only one move that would guarantee free movement as long as the disadvantages were acceptable.
When I finished telling him the method, Hashimoto nodded his head in agreement.
"Well, that's about all that's left, isn't it?"
"I think you should discuss what to do as a group."
"I'll do that, and we'll consider it seriously."
Hashimoto disappeared back into the bathtub as he thought about it.