Day 66–67: Someone New...

  As the week passed, the cssroom buzzed with excitement when the teacher announced the upcoming field trip to the riverbank. The news brought a wave of happiness, and the entire group immediately decided they would go. Unfortunately, Lily had to visit her grandmother, which made Sam visibly disappointed.

  Seeing this, Kiddy gave him a light pat on the back and said with a grin, "Don't worry, man. You can still hang out with your bros. It’s going to be fun!"

  With that, everyone handed in their money to the css teacher to secure their tickets. Out of the 30 students in the css, only 15 signed up, making the group feel even more special. The teacher reminded them to pack their bags and meet at Lakeside Subway Station at 10 o'clock sharp. The whole group eagerly nodded in agreement, ready for the adventure ahead.

  Kiddy, always the early bird, arrived at Lakeside Subway Station a good 20 minutes ahead of the designated time. The station was still retively quiet, with the morning light filtering through the gss windows. He took a moment to soak in the calm atmosphere before the day’s excitement truly began.

  As he stood by the entrance, he noticed a familiar face walking towards him. It was Felia, one of Lily’s friends from css. Felia had always struck Kiddy as someone who was sharp and quick-witted. She was known for her concise and clever replies in css, and she had a reputation for being honest and straightforward. Academically, she was no slouch either, pcing 7th in the css rankings, just above Kiddy himself.

  Kiddy hadn’t interacted much with her before, but seeing her alone, he decided to strike up a conversation. As they talked, Kiddy found himself chatting more than he expected. Felia was not only sharp in her replies but also thoughtful in her perspectives. They talked about everything from their studies to their hobbies and even shared a few jokes. Kiddy realized that Felia had a depth to her that wasn’t always visible in the cssroom.

  Feeling a sense of camaraderie, Kiddy thought about inviting Felia to join his group(Bro is trying build a pirate crew to find the one piece). He felt she would fit in well with his friends, and it would be great to have another intelligent and lively person around. However, when he brought up the idea, Felia politely declined. She expined that she already had her own group of friends, and she was comfortable with them.

  Kiddy respected her decision, appreciating her honesty. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find us," he said with a grin. Felia smiled back and nodded, and they continued chatting until the rest of the group arrived.

  One by one, the familiar faces of Amy, Sam, Mando, Harry, and the others showed up. The energy at the station began to shift from quiet anticipation to lively excitement as they all gathered together, discussing their pns for the trip. Sam, still a bit down about Lily not being able to join them, perked up when Kiddy nudged him pyfully, reminding him that he’d still have a great time with the rest of the group.

  When the train finally pulled into the station, there was a mad dash to grab seats. The group had perfected the art of sitting together over the years, and today was no different. Kiddy managed to snag a seat next to Amy, who immediately started talking about the different things they could do at the riverbank. Mando and Harry settled in beside each other, already immersed in a conversation about some new gadget Harry had bought.

  Sam, however, found himself seatless as everyone else paired up. Just as he was about to resign himself to a solo ride, their css teacher, Mr. Thompson, plopped down next to him with a wide grin. The whole group burst into ughter at the sight of Sam trying to keep a straight face while sitting next to the teacher. Mr. Thompson, ever the good sport, chuckled along with them, making a few jokes of his own to lighten the mood.

  The train ride was filled with chatter and ughter as they looked forward to the day ahead. The windows revealed glimpses of the countryside as they moved further away from the city. By the time they arrived at the riverbank, they were all buzzing with excitement, ready to make the most of their field trip.

  When they reached their stop at Riverbend Station, everyone was buzzing with excitement. The css was guided to a nearby hotel, where other csses from the school were already waiting. As they entered, Kiddy spotted Eric, who had arrived earlier. They talked for a while, catching up and sharing their anticipation for the trip.

  Soon after, the teacher called everyone together and expined that they needed to form groups for their rooms. Each room would have seven people, as there were five rooms and 35 students from all the csses combined. Kiddy quickly walked over to the teacher and handed in the names of his group members, including Eric. However, he realized they were still one person short.

  Spotting Felia, who had no members of her own group on the trip, Kiddy approached her and asked if she’d like to join them. After considering it, Felia agreed, and the group was finally complete. Together, they made their way to their room, ready to start their adventure at the riverbank.

  As everyone got ready for the outing, the teacher called them out of their rooms, and excitement filled the air. The first stop on their itinerary was a small market near the hotel, where they could shop for antiques and souvenirs for their families.

  The market was vibrant and lively, with colorful stalls and trinkets catching everyone's eye. Kiddy noticed Sam browsing through keychains and caught him picking out a heart-shaped one. Grinning, Kiddy teased him, making Sam blush and quickly hide the keychain in his bag. Amy, on the other hand, was focused on finding something for her parents, picking out a lovely handcrafted piece.

  As Kiddy wandered through the market, he spotted Felia standing by a stall, looking at earrings but seeming indecisive. Curious, he approached her, and she was visibly startled by his sudden presence. Felia admitted that she couldn't decide which color of earrings to choose for herself. Without thinking much, Kiddy suggested she try both on and said he'd help her pick which one looked better on her. Felia blushed at the suggestion, but Kiddy, unaware of how his words might be interpreted, genuinely tried to help. In the end, Felia went with the red earrings, trusting Kiddy's choice.

  Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched from a distance, puzzled by the interaction. Mando, in particur, seemed intrigued by what was going on. However, Amy quickly dismissed their thoughts, saying, "Don’t think like that. As much as I know him, Kiddy is terrible with girls. If he had a girlfriend, he'd definitely have told me." The group nodded in agreement, convinced by Amy's reasoning.

  Suddenly, Kiddy felt an odd, annoyed sensation at the back of his head. Felia noticed and asked if something was wrong. Kiddy shrugged and replied, "I don't know, but it feels like it's something about Amy." He shook it off, though, and the group continued with their shopping, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the market.

  The next stop on the field trip was a nearby farm. Mr. Thompson, the css teacher, wanted to show the students the value of hard work by letting them see the daily operations of a working farm. As the group observed the farmers toiling in the fields, they noticed Sam quietly slipping away from the css, heading toward one of the more distant fields.

  Kiddy, always curious, followed him and caught up, asking, "Hey, Sam, where are you going?" To Kiddy's surprise, a familiar voice called out from the field, "So, you finally found me?" It was Lily, dressed in a simple countryside outfit, her hands dirtied from the work she had been doing on the farm. She looked completely different from the usual school uniform they were used to seeing her in.

  Everyone was taken aback, their jaws nearly dropping at the sight of Lily working on the farm. Kiddy couldn't help but give Sam a knowing grin and said, "So, this is where you found your love, huh?" Sam blushed but smiled proudly, while the rest of the group quickly joined them to say hello to Lily.

  They chatted for a while, catching up on what Lily had been doing. She expined that she was spending time at her grandmother's farm and helping out during the summer, which was why she couldn’t come on the field trip. The group was happy to see her and marvelled at how different she looked in her country attire, but they soon had to leave as the css was starting to move on.

  Before they left, Lily gave Sam a quick hug, causing everyone to blush and teasing remarks to start flying. As they walked back to the group, Felia, who had been quietly observing, asked Kiddy, " Is he Lily's boyfriend?" Kiddy chuckled and replied, "Yeah, but it's a long story." The group rejoined the css with smiles on their faces, happy to have reunited with their friend, even if just for a little while.

  The next destination on the field trip was a beautiful, winding river called Silverstream. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the surrounding trees and sky, but also cold enough to make the students shiver just by looking at it. The excitement among the students was palpable until Mr. Thompson, their teacher, gave them a stern reminder, "No one is allowed to go into the water."

  A collective groan echoed from the group, disappointed that they couldn’t dip their toes into the inviting river. Instead, they continued walking along the riverbank, admiring the serene beauty of Silverstream as it flowed peacefully beside them. After quite a bit of walking, they reached an open, grassy field, with a makeshift volleyball net set up nearby.

  "Let's rest here for a while," Mr. Thompson announced, giving the students a break from their trek.

  Kiddy and Eric exchanged excited gnces, clearly thinking the same thing – a perfect spot for a volleyball game. But just as their excitement began to bubble over, Amy, ever practical, pointed out, "There’s no ball. How are you going to py?"

  Their grins quickly faded as the reality sank in. Defeated, they joined the rest of the group, lying down on the soft grass and enjoying the cool breeze that swept across the field. The disappointment of not being able to py soon melted away as they rexed, listening to the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant sound of the river. For a moment, everything felt peaceful, with no worries or stress—just friends enjoying a calm afternoon together.

  As they y on the grass, enjoying the breeze, Kiddy suddenly sat up with a mischievous grin. "How about a game of truth or dare?" he suggested, looking around at the group.

  Amy raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit cliché?"

  "Come on, it’ll be fun," Kiddy insisted, and after some pyful groans, the others agreed.Eric was the first to go, and without hesitation, he chose dare. Kiddy’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he pointed to a rge tree nearby. "I dare you to climb that tree."

  Amy immediately shook her head. "That’s a dumb idea, Kiddy."

  But before anyone could stop him, Eric was already sprinting toward the tree. With surprising agility, he began scaling the trunk, much to the group's amazement. Within moments, he was perched on a branch, waving down at them triumphantly.

  "ERIC, GET DOWN FROM THERE THIS INSTANT!!" Mr. Thompson’s voice boomed from across the field. Eric sheepishly climbed down, clearly trying to stifle a grin as he received a light scolding from the teacher. Meanwhile, Kiddy was chuckling, clearly proud of the chaos he'd caused.

  The rest of the group, however, wasn’t as amused. Amy sighed, Harry and Mando exchanged knowing looks, sam ughing and Felia shook her head in disbelief.

  "You two are going to get us all in trouble," Amy muttered, half annoyed, half amused, as Eric rejoined them, still smiling like he’d won a prize.

  "Totally worth it," Kiddy said, giving Eric a high-five, while the rest of the group shook their heads, unable to help but smile at the antics.

  After Eric's daring tree-climbing stunt, the next turn in the truth-or-dare game fell on Sam. He hesitated for a moment, gncing nervously at Kiddy, clearly fearing what dare his mischievous friend might come up with. Finally, he pyed it safe and chose truth, unknowingly stepping into Amy's trap.

  Amy's eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in slightly. "Alright, Sam," she began, her voice teasing, "Did you and Lily have your first kiss yet?"

  The question hung in the air for a moment, and suddenly, all eyes were locked on Sam. His face turned beet red as he struggled to find the words.

  "No... not yet," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

  A collective sigh of disappointment escaped the group—except for Felia, who, being Lily's friend, simply nodded in understanding. She already knew the answer, and it didn't surprise her. The others, however, had clearly hoped for a juicier revetion.

  "Come on, Sam!" Harry teased, pyfully nudging him. "You’ve got to step up your game!"

  Amy just chuckled, enjoying the harmless embarrassment she'd caused, while Kiddy tried to suppress his own ughter at Sam's flustered state. Sam, still red-faced, just rolled his eyes and muttered something about being patient, but his grin showed he wasn’t too bothered by the teasing.

  When it was Harry's turn, he boldly chose dare. Kiddy’s eyes lit up with mischief, and a devilish grin spread across his face. Everyone in the group knew that look—it meant something wild was coming. Kiddy pointed to a guy standing in the distance, one of Harry’s friends, and in a deep, almost ominous voice, he said, "You know that guy, right?"

  Harry gulped, nodding cautiously. "Yeah, he's one of my friends."

  Without missing a beat, Kiddy leaned in closer and said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Go tackle him like a bull."

  The group froze for a moment, stunned by the outrageous dare. Amy immediately chimed in, "What...?"

  But Kiddy, now with a pyful, almost childlike tone, urged, "Just do it, man."

  Harry, caught between amusement and disbelief, hesitated briefly. Then, seeing no way out and deciding to embrace the chaos, he sprinted toward his unsuspecting friend and tackled him, not too hard but enough to get everyone’s attention.

  Laughter erupted from the entire css, echoing across the grassy field. Even the teachers, who initially looked concerned, couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. The group, though initially mortified by the dare, found themselves ughing along with everyone else.

  Amy pyfully scolded Kiddy, "You’re such a troublemaker!"

  But Kiddy, grinning widely, shrugged and said, "Look, everyone's ughing." His words seemed to ease the tension, and the group realized that everyone was just enjoying the moment.

  With the mood lightened, they all settled back into their circle, ready for the game to continue with even more excitement and ughter.

  Next in line was Mando, and the tension in the air was palpable. He looked around at the group, clearly nervous about the dares that had been thrown around. Not wanting to take any chances, he quickly chose truth.

  The group paused. They didn't know much about Mando yet, as he was still retively new to their circle. Everyone exchanged gnces, unsure of what to ask. Then, kiddy suggested, "Harry should ask the question! You two talk a lot, and you live near each other!"

  Harry, however, scratched his head, struggling to come up with a good question. Just when it seemed like they were at a loss, Felia suddenly spoke up from the back, her voice clear and direct. "Do you still have a crush on Rose?"

  Her question hit like a bolt of lightning, stunning everyone in the group. Mando’s face turned crimson, and he stammered, "Y-Yes."

  The group erupted in surprise. "Wait, what?!" They all leaned in, eager to know more. Mando, clearly embarrassed, tried to sink into the ground, too shy to eborate.

  All eyes turned to Felia, the one who had spilled the tea. She sighed and decided to expin. "Mando and I went to the same middle school. I heard through the grapevine that he had a crush on one of my friends—Rose. She’s in the same css as Eric now."

  The revetion sparked a wave of pyful teasing. Everyone started poking fun at Mando, who could barely string a sentence together, his face still bright red. The teasing was good-natured, though, filled with ughter and jokes.

  As things finally began to settle down, the group eased back into their usual dynamic, with Mando breathing a sigh of relief. The game continued, but the unexpected revetion about Mando's past crush became the highlight of the day, a story that would undoubtedly be retold many times in the future.

  As the game continued, Kiddy decided to shift the focus. "Next is Felia," he announced with a pyful smirk. However, Felia immediately shook her head. "I don't want to py," she said firmly.

  Amy, quick to respond, shot back, "Then why did you ask a question earlier?" But Felia, ignoring Amy's inquiry, declined once more, leaving Amy visibly annoyed.

  Sensing the tension, Kiddy stepped in to defuse the situation. "Leave it, Amy. She’s only with us for a few more hours. No need to push her."

  Amy huffed but relented. "Fine."

  Kiddy grinned. "Alright, I’m going next! I choose... dare and truth!"

  Amy furrowed her brow in confusion. "Kiddy, you’re only supposed to choose one."

  "But I want to do both!" Kiddy insisted with his usual mischievous energy. Amy sighed, already knowing how he could be, and gave a resigned, "Okay."

  The rest of the group nodded, fully aware of Kiddy's quirks and trusting that Amy would keep him in check. Sam, eager to join in, jumped at the chance. "Alright, then! I dare you to beat Eric’s record for climbing that tree!"

  Before Amy could voice any objections, Kiddy had already sprinted towards the tree, his agility surprising everyone. Within moments, he had scaled the tree with ease, his movements fluid and quick. The group watched in awe as Kiddy reached the top, waving down at them.

  Mr. Thompson, the teacher, sighed and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Amy, why does your group have monkeys in it."

  Kiddy ughed from his perch before leaping from the tree, nding gracefully on the ground. The group gasped at his daring jump, their shock quickly turning into ughter.

  As Kiddy rejoined the group, Amy, with a pyful yet stern look, smacked both him and Sam on the head. "Why me?" Sam protested, rubbing his head."You’re the one who gave that dare!" Amy retorted, giving him a mock gre.

  Kiddy, still ughing, quickly apologized. "Sorry, Amy!"

  But Amy wasn’t letting him off that easily. With a devilish grin, she said, "Alright, Kiddy. If you want to do both, here’s your truth." Kiddy’s ughter quickly turned into panic as he realized what was coming.

  Amy leaned in, her grin widening. "When you went to the shopping mall with your mom this week, didn’t she try her nail polish on you? And didn’t everyone in the shop ugh at you?"

  Kiddy’s face turned bright red as he sheepishly admitted, "Yes..." Then, unable to face the group, he flopped onto the grass, covering his face in embarrassment.

  The group erupted into ughter, thoroughly enjoying the moment. Amy, satisfied with her revenge, gave Kiddy a gentle pat on the back. "That’s what you get for being reckless," she teased.

  With the game winding down, the group decided to head back to the hotel for dinner, still chuckling over the day’s revetions. As they walked, the mood was light, and the ughter continued, making the day feel even more special. The bonds of friendship grew stronger, and even though they had teased and embarrassed each other, they knew that these moments were what made their friendship truly special.

  The day wound down with a rexed dinner in the hotel. The group enjoyed a hearty meal, reminiscing about the day's adventures and chatting about their favorite moments. They talked about the market visit, Lily’s unexpected appearance at the farm, and the truth and dare game that had everyone in stitches. The evening was filled with ughter and a sense of camaraderie that only a shared adventure could create.

  As the night fell, the students returned to their rooms, knowing they would need to get up early the next morning for the journey back. Kiddy, in his usual energetic fashion, decided to start a pillow fight. The room erupted into chaos as pillows flew in every direction. Eric and Sam were in high spirits, while Amy and Felia, exhausted from the day’s activities, sat in a corner, trying to stay out of the fray. Despite their fatigue, Amy couldn't help but chuckle at the lively scene.

  Kiddy eventually called a halt to the pillow fight, insisting that everyone should get some rest. To everyone’s surprise, his command was met with unusual compliance, and the room quickly quieted down as everyone settled in for the night. Kiddy turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep.

  Few hours ter when everyone slept , Sam, Harry, and the other boys hatched a pn to prevent Kiddy from waking up early as he always did. They found a rope and tied Kiddy up, thinking it would be a fullproof way to ensure he stayed in bed. However, their pn backfired spectacurly. When they woke up, they were stunned to find Kiddy already up and moving around, preparing to wake everyone else and pack their things.

  The boys’ disbelief was palpable, and they couldn’t hide their shock. They confronted Kiddy, asking him how he managed to get up so early despite their efforts. Kiddy just ughed, brushing off their questions with ease. He told them to rex and get ready because they were on a tight schedule. He had already packed everyone’s belongings and organized everything for the trip back.

  Amy and Felia, who had been confused by the commotion, listened as the boys expined their failed pn. They looked at Kiddy with a mix of amusement and curiosity, but Kiddy remained tight-lipped about his early morning routine. As the group prepared to leave, the hotel echoed with the sounds of friendly banter and ughter. The field trip had been a whirlwind of fun and discovery, leaving everyone with memories they would cherish.

  The journey back home was filled with animated discussions about the highlights of the trip. The group reflected on their adventures, from the truth and dare game to the surprise encounters, and looked forward to their next adventure together. As they arrived back at school, they were greeted by the familiar sights of their campus, feeling at home.