54 - The long travel time is mentally tiring (Patreon)

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School trip day three. Since our schedule tomorrow is mostly just going home, it means that we have until today to enjoy ourselves.
Today we will go a short distance away from Kyoto and go to Nara Park in Nara. Travel time is approximately one hour.

“Kazuki, what’s in Nara?”
“Something like a big Buddha statue or... deers?”
“Deers huh...”

It seems that the deers are so used to humans that they are walking on the roads normally. I've never been to Nara, so I'm looking forward to it.

In my dream world, I cannot reproduce humans. It ends up becoming like a doll, which is eerie. In the same way, I cannot reproduce animals.
Thanks to Muu's arrival, the number of animals has increased, but normally, the only way I interact with animals is to go and meet them directly like this.

“Not interested in the big Buddha statue?”
“Do I look interested?”
“No, you don’t”

But, unlike the museum, it's worth seeing, so I feel like even Tadashi can enjoy it to some extent.
Tadashi likes aggressive things. We don’t plan on going to any leisure facilities on this school trip, so it can’t be helped, but for Tadashi, an ideal course would be an amusement park.

If we had any plan to go to USJ in Osaka on this school trip, he would have been even more excited...

“Well, I guess I’ll just admire the deer.”
“They’re more or less something like messengers of god, you know.”

Because of their great numbers, deers don't have the same greatness as Muu, but there is no doubt that they are protected as messengers of god.
When I looked it up on my smartphone, I found out that a long time ago, gods came riding on divine deers or something... I don't really get it, but I get that deers are apparently sacred creatures.

“He─h. But doesn’t that mean the deers were just pets in the end?”

Tadashi said that while looking at my smartphone from the side.

“Hmm... but that's no reason to disparage them.”
“Well, I guess so.”

......

“Seriously, there are a lot of deer...”

After a long bus ride, we arrived at Nara Park.

“Kyaa, don’t eat my bag!”

And immediately, we see a deer eating the strap of someone's bag.
The deers here are used to humans, and although they don't feel wild, they are still wild deers. If there is something moving in front of them, they will eat it immediately.

“Let's go to Toudai-ji while being careful about deers.”

Here, people move in groups rather than independently. Due to tickets and other issues, our movements today are basically group activities.

“Ah, I’m feeding them deer crackers.”
“I wonder if they’re delicious.”
“Why don’t you buy and try it too, Tadashi?”

They’re sold in many places, and since deers can eat it, it’s probably not harmful to humans either.

“I don't recommend eating deer crackers because they have no taste and leave a bad aftertaste.”
“Morimoto-san, have you ever eaten it?”
“There’s no way I have. It's hearsay, you know, hearsay.”

Apparently it's better not to eat deer crackers.

“Heeh, that makes me want to try it instead.”
“Tadashi, so you have that kind of hobby...?”
“I don’t! It’s just curiosity.”

Well, if he really wants to eat deer crackers, I won't stop him. But let’s warn him to prepare a drink before eating them.

After walking for a while, we saw a large building. It is the Toudai-ji where the big Buddha statue is dedicated.

“Ooh! Let’s take a photo.”

Toudai-ji is a large building and looks very photogenic. Other students are also taking photos, and tourists are also taking photos.
There were so many people taking photos that it would be very difficult to take a group photo here.

“Are we going to enter?”
“You don't just come all the way here, look at the exterior, and leave.”

Following the guidance we enter Toudai-ji. There was a very majestic big Buddha statue there.

“This is amazing. Let’s take a photo.”

It seems some students on school trips in the past have given up on taking photos because their smartphones ran out of space to take photos. The circumstances surrounding the taking of photos during school trips are complicated.
Nowadays, the capacity of smartphones has increased, so it won't be full all that often...

That said, there wasn't much to see inside Toudai-ji, so the students quickly went outside. It's more impressive to see from a distance than up close, and you'll want to take photos from there.
I do want to take a photo, but...

“So you'd rather take photos of the deers, huh?”

Tadashi realized this fact along the way.
Of course, there are many people taking pictures of Toudai-ji, but there are just as many people taking pictures of the deers. Since there are not many opportunities to see a deer up close, many people probably take photos of them as a novelty.

“But if you look closely, deers are cute, aren’t they?”
“Yeah.”

If I try hard enough, it looks like I can ride on its back, and I think it can fulfill its role as messenger of god.

[Kyu─n!]
“Eh?”
“What’s wrong?”

Tadashi turns around at the sound of my voice.
I feel like I just heard Muu’s voice...

[Kyu─n Kyu─n!]

Ah, a voice echoes in my head... Could it be that Muu is inside my head when I'm not sleeping? If so, why did it suddenly start crying?

[Kyuya─n...]

...Maybe it’s protesting because I praised the deers? I don't think there is a connection between different messengers, but... I don't really know about gods’ circumstances, so I shouldn't make assumptions.

[Umm... I’m sorry.]
[Kyu─n!]

As I thought about it in my head, I received a reply from Muu. Then it became quiet.
　Apparently it's definitely inside my head. Hmm, I feel like I just saw the most mysterious side of a living being I've ever seen.

“What's wrong, Kazuki?”
“Ah, sorry. I got surprised by a bug.”
“You’re really... or rather, your clothes are being eaten you know.”

When I looked down, I saw a deer eating the hem of my clothes. That's not delicious, you know.
After chewing for a while, it realized that it wasn't delicious and left. Hmm, the part that was eaten is sticky.

“What a disaster. That we were attacked by both bugs and deers.”
“It’s not like we were attacked, though.”

......

After seeing Toudai-ji, we moved a little further and arrived at the five-storied pagoda.
The city of Nara has so many representative buildings that when asked which one represents Nara, it becomes difficult because you have to describe every place you visit as such.

“Oh, it’s the five-storied pagoda, let’s take a photo.”

Tadashi seems to be a photographer today. Will he preserve every building he sees?

“Ah, Nakano-ku...”
“Ooh! This angle of view is perfect!”

And here too, Tadashi's Hiuri Defense continues. Whenever Hiuri approaches me, he would coincidentally get in between me and Hiuri.
Thanks to that, I still haven't spoken to Hiuri on the school trip.

That said, as expected, there is a certain artificiality to it. And finally, someone calls out to Tadashi who continues performing his Hiuri Defense.

“Shindo-kun, can I talk to you a bit?”
“Eh, Ah, Hayashi-san, hey.”

When Hayashi-san threatened him, Tadashi stopped moving. Hayashi-san cares deeply for Hiuri, so she probably can't forgive Tadashi for getting in Hiuri's way.
Hayashi-san takes Tadashi to a corner. I'm sure the interrogation will begin.

As a result of Tadashi being taken away by Hayashi-san, Tadashi cannot perform his Hiuri Defense. Hiuri takes this opportunity to try and talk to me.

“Umm, Naka...”
“Nakano-kun, come here for a second.”

However, Tadashi is not the only one who finds Hiuri Defense amusing.
On the bus on the first day, there was someone who heard Tadashi's story about Hiuri Defense and agreed with him. That was Nakatani-san. Nakatani-san pulled me by the arm and placed me next to Sasa-kun.

“Let’s take a photo─”

Nakatani-san held up her phone and took a picture. That took a moderately long time, and halfway through, Hiuri gave up and left.

“Fuu, I guess it’s like this.”
“Nakatani-san...”
“Hiuri-chan's troubled face, nice. Interesting.”

Nakatani-san makes a slightly evil face. I haven't talked to her much, but is she this kind of person...?

After a while, Hayashi-san and Tadashi returned.

“This sounds good, I'll do it too.”
“Eh, Hayashi-san!?”
“Allright, we’ve got more comrades now!”

For some reason, Hayashi-san decided to also participate in Hiuri Defense. If Hayashi-san, who is in the same class and group, joins in, they will be able to stop all of Hiuri's actions...

“I know what Hiu wants to do after all. I have no choice but to do it too, right?”
“Is that so...?”

I still don't understand Hiuri's purpose though...

“Then, let's keep Hiuri away from boyfriend-kun during the school trip─!”
““Yeah─””

A mysterious group was formed.

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