Days passed, and Rei had survived Mrs. Ishimia's wrath… barely.
Rei had somehow lived through the absolute horror that was Mrs. Ishimia—but not without scars. Mental scars.
At school, Sera was practically vibrating with excitement. "Tomorrow is the trip, Rei!"
Rei sighed, still recovering from his near-death experience. "Yeah, yeah… we need to get snacks and everything ready for tomorrow."
Sera nodded, adjusting the scarf he gave her. Her excitement was contagious.
Rei, on the other hand, was still questioning his entire existence.
Sera waved a hand in front of his face. "Rei? Hellooo? You look dead."
He blinked slowly. "I think I still am."
Sera sighed. "You did survive my mom. That's gotta count for something."
Rei groaned. "Survive? I transcended life and death."
...
After school, Rei and Sera headed to the store to prepare for the trip. The air was crisp, their breaths visible in the cold, and Sera was wrapped up in the scarf Rei had given her.
The moment they stepped inside, Rei's instincts kicked in. His eyes locked onto the snack aisle like a beast spotting prey.
And then—chaos.
Rei went feral, grabbing every snack he laid eyes on, while Sera picked only the essentials like a responsible person.
"Aww, don't do this," Rei whined, struggling to balance his overflowing cart. "If I take more, we can both enjoy them!"
Sera side-eyed him so hard. "Yeah, yeah… whatever, glutton."
The shopping was finally done. Sera had a neat little bag of essentials. Rei? He had a mountain of snacks… and even a few comics for "timepass."
At checkout, the cashier took one look at Rei's cart and smirked.
"Hosting a party, huh?"
Before Rei could answer, Sera cut in immediately. "Nah, this idiot is taking all of this on a school trip."
The cashier blinked. "...You do realize it's just a few days, right?"
Rei proudly crossed his arms. "And? I have a big appetite."
Sera scoffed. "More like a black hole."
The cashier just chuckled, shaking their head. "Well, good luck carrying all that."
As Rei handed over the money, he mumbled, "Worth it."
Sera sighed but smiled. By the end of the trip, she knew she'd end up eating half of his stash anyway.
---
NEXT DAY (Trip time)
The train finally arrived.
As they boarded, Rei collapsed into his seat, exhausted.
Sera, meanwhile, was full of energy, already snapping pictures of the scenery. "You're gonna miss everything if you sleep."
Rei peeked from under his hoodie. "I'd rather miss the loud kids yelling in the next seats."
Sera giggled. "Fair point."
Then—Rei suddenly pulled out the snack bag.
"Alright," he said seriously. "Snack time."
Sera blinked. "Already? The trip just started—"
Rei ripped open a bag of chips before she could finish.
Sera sighed, shaking her head. "You're hopeless…"
But then—she reached into the bag and grabbed a chocolate bar.
Rei gasped dramatically. "Sera… you were judging me, and now you're stealing my snacks?!"
Sera unwrapped the chocolate like it was no big deal. "I never said I wouldn't eat them."
Rei narrowed his eyes. "You… you're a menace."
Sera shrugged. "And yet, you're not stopping me."
Rei groaned but handed her another snack. "Fine, fine. Let's just eat before the others realize we have food."
Sera smirked. "Now you're thinking smart."
And so, Rei and Sera spent the first leg of their trip stuffing their faces with snacks, completely ignoring the chaos around them.
—To be continued
~Rei