CH. 72 - A Field Trip to the Farm

 “Tell me why we have to do this again…” Sugawara asks with a worried and anxious look as he walks down a dirt road with a jacket on and a bag on his shoulders.

 “Because Suga, we’re third years now and need to broaden our horizons!.. or.. something like that.” Hikigaya responds with a squint, also carrying a pack on his back. Around them are the rest of the class, all prepared the same way as they look at the farmland and forest around them.

 “I think I’ve done enough broadening in my life… I don’t see how going to some old, creepy barn in the middle of nowhere is going to help me any…” Sugawara grumbles with a sweat as he looks at said old barn.

 Haru laughs a bit while patting Sugawara on the back. The group walks down this dirt road dressed for some cold weather and prepared for the trip. It is October, and many of the plants around are browning. They make their way to a large, old but well kept farmhouse. 

 “It doesn’t help that it’s during the creepiest time of the year…” Sugawara groans some more.

 “That’s what makes this trip cooler.” Shiori says with a smile.

 “Yeah, it does.” Hikigaya agrees. They giggle together in excitement as Lucy nudges Chizuru behind them. They watch as Shiori and Hikigaya act cute together and giggle too, knowing Shiori’s true feelings after what they did together last summer. Touma sweats a bit looking at the house.

 “I-I’m with you, Sugawara… This place gives me the creeps…” Touma says softly.

 “Come on, big guy! Show some spine! This place is nothing more than a historical farm site that the school wants to educate us on. Give us some culture learning or whatever.” Daiki says with a smile while patting Touma on the back.

 “Yeah right. You’re only telling yourself that so you don’t get scared.” Airi says. Daiki sweats a bit at her words.

 “No way! I’m as cool as ice, heh..!” Daiki says nervously. Alice walks next to Suiyoubi and Ryuji for a bit before she looks back and sweats a bit.

 “I get why they want us to spend the night here, being a class and all, but… why are they here?” Alice asks as they look back to see Tsuki, Milo and Riley following them. “Aren’t they second years?”

 “I think so.” Ryuji says.

 “Why are you guys here?” Suiyoubi asks with a head tilt.

 “It sounded fun, so we asked Ms. Samuel.” Tsuki says.

 “I thought the trip would be educational. I wish to learn more about the common folk.” Riley says.

 “I was bored.” Milo says with a smile. The three sweat at their words before Milo speaks again. “I am surprised she let us come. Though I guess she did seem a little distracted.” Milo says as they think back to the day they asked…

“Ms. Samuel, we heard you were sending the class on a field trip, and we want in!” Milo says with her hands on her hips. Tsuki and Riley nod behind her. Samuel seems to be lost in a daydream with a smile on her face as she notices them.

 “Huh? Oh yeah, for sure. Just have your parents sign these.” She slides them a few papers as she goes back to her daydream with a blush on her face and a silly giggle. The three of them grab the papers and smile happily.

Back to the present…

 “What do you think had her in such a daze?” Milo asks. Tsuki shrugs. Kitaro looks at them from a bit ahead then back forward.

 “It’s nice to see those three getting along.” Kitaro says plainly.

“Yeah, maybe they’ll distract Riley so she’ll leave me alone..” Haru says with an annoyed look as Kitaro smirks a bit.

 The group eventually makes it to the front door of the main house. They stand in front of the building and look at it, taking in the scene. Obviously aged but not entirely decrepit. They stare for a moment as no one is outside waiting for them, nor are there obvious signs of life present. Only the sound of the breeze and barn animals in the distance.

 “Do you think they knew we were coming?” Hikigaya asks openly.

“They would’ve had to, right? It was an Iris High sanctioned trip.” Shiori says in response. Sugawara sweats nervously.

 “I don’t like the feeling of this…”

 Suddenly, the front door slowly begins to creek open. Sugawara squeaks and hides behind Haru. Then an old man with a scar across his face leans out of the door with a growl and sharp gaze.

 “What’re you lot doin’ ‘ere?..” He asks with a menacing voice. The group sweats.

 “Hello sir. We are from Iris High on a field trip. We were told we would be spending the night at your farm to learn some of the history here.” Shiori says calmly and clearly despite being a little nervous. He only grunts at them.

 “There ain’t no history to be had ‘ere. Now getta move on.” He says while turning around. The group stands there confused when suddenly a woman’s voice can be heard yelling.

 “Joseph! Are ya being mean to those poor highschool students?!” the woman shouts. Joseph sweats and tenses up.

 “No ma’am! I was just invitin’ them in, is all!” Jospeh, the man, shouts back. He then turns around and smiles at the group. “I’m sorry, y’all! I was just yankin’ your chains. Of course we expected you! Now come on inside, we got the guest rooms all set up for yer stuff!”

 He waves them inside, stepping aside and holding the large doors open for them. The group sighs in relief all at once. They step inside and are met by an older woman with some red still in her grey hair.

 “Hey you guys! Welcome to Green Fur Ranch! My name’s Piper and that there is Joseph. We’re so happy to have you! You can go ahead and go straight to the guest house first to put down your belongings. There’s only eight rooms, four upstairs and four downstairs, so you’re gonna have to double up, but I’m sure that ain’t a problem, right?” Piper asks happily.

 They smile and shake their heads before dropping their things off in the rooms, just like she said. Riley, Milo and Tsuki share a room while Kuzan, Airi and Daiki share another. The rest of the pairs are Haru and Sugawara, Ryuji and Lucy, Shiori and Hikigaya, Alice and Suiyoubi, Hisana and Kitaro, leaving Chizuru to partner with Touma.

 They open the door to the room and look inside. They stare for a moment before they blush, realizing there is only one bed. They both sweat nervously as Touma rubs the back of his head awkwardly.

 “I could sleep on the floor..” Touma offers. Chizuru looks at him sharply with a shocked look, still blushing.

 “No way! It’ll be okay…” Chizuru says, looking down and fidgeting with her fingers nervously. “It won’t be weird to share a bed, right?” She asks softly. Touma blushes even more as he stiffens up.

 “R-right!” he shouts, embarrassed.

 Kitaro sits up on the bed on his phone as Hisana lays down next to him, stretching out. She rolls onto her side and looks at him with slight blushies.

 “It’s not weird to share a bed, right?” She asks as Kitaro shakes his head, still playing on his phone.

 “It’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before.” Kitaro says casually. Hisana looks a little disappointed for a moment but then smiles warmly.

 “Right.”

 Lucy lies on the bed as Ryuji puts their bags on a chair in the room. He stands up as Lucy props her head up on her elbow, looking at him.

 “So, you excited to sleep together as a couple, Ryuji?” She asks while blushing deeply. Ryuji blushes back and looks nervous before looking away and nodding softly. Lucy giggles happily.

 Shiori and Hikigaya sit on opposite edges of the bed with their backs facing each other. They blush as they sit in awkward silence, neither one bold enough to speak until the silence gets to Hikigaya.

 “So when we go to sleep, want me to like… put some pillows between us or something?” Hikigaya offers softly.

 “No, don’t do that! That’ll make it weirder.” Shiori says, flustered, with her back towards him. Her annoyed look softens. “We don’t need that. Not that I’m trying to be weird or anything…”

 “I understand. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, is all.” Hikigaya says back quickly, slightly looking over his shoulder her way.

 “It’s okay… We’ve done it before, so it should be fine…” Shiori says softly, turning around and leaning on the bed towards Hikigaya. He nods softly, facing her more and leaning closer too.

 “It’s not weird for friends to share a bed, right?” Hikigaya asks as Shiori leans closer to him. They lean back on their hands, their fingers touching slightly, facing each other as they slowly get closer.

 “Right.” Shiori says in almost a whisper with the blush deepening on her face. Now so close they could feel their breath on their faces, when suddenly, a voice calls out.

 “Kids! Come on, it’s time for some education!” Piper shouts from the main building. Instantly, Shiori and Hikigaya jump back, both getting to their feet on opposite sides of the bed, blushing like crazy.

 “I guess we better get going!” Hikigaya says suddenly, looking away awkwardly.

 “Y-yeah! Let’s go!” Shiori stutters out as she marches right out the door. Hikigaya watches her go for a moment as the fluster slowly leaves his body with almost a disappointed sigh. Shiori steps outside the guest house and towards the gathering group of classmates with an embarrassed look.

‘That was way too close! I’m supposed to play it cool, like nothing happened! I can’t keep doing this…’ Shiori thinks when Lucy suddenly jumps on her from behind.

 “This is so fun, isn’t it!? O-” Lucy asks excitedly before suddenly stopping, noticing the look on Shiori’s face. Lucy then smirks. “I know what that’s all about. Chizuru and I are gonna want all the deets.” Lucy says as suddenly Chizuru grabs Shiori’s arm and hugs it tightly with a big smile.

 “Yeah we are!” Chizuru says happily. Shiori groans as the class gathers outside the guest house.

 The class forms back together and makes their way around the main building to the area Piper is at, following the trail alongside the house. As they walk, Alice speaks to Suiyoubi.

 “You know, I heard this place has some creepy things going on when the sun sets.” Alice says.

 “Really? I haven’t heard anything like that.” Suiyoubi responds as Mormo pops out of the mini pack she has on.

 “Yeah, well, it’s nothing the Ghoul King can’t handle. But just in case, I think I’m just gonna stay in here.” Mormo says confidently before going back inside the pack and zipping it up. Sugawara hears them talking about Alice’s rumor and gets nervous again.

 “Did you hear that, Haru? Apparently scary stuff goes on at night here…” Sugawara says nervously.

 “That’s just Alice trying to freak people out, Sugawara. Do you think Principal Ai would send us to a dangerous place?” Haru asks softly.

 “No… I guess not…” Sugawara answers quietly. Haru smiles warmly at him.

 “We’ll be okay, Suga, I promise.” Haru says as he gently takes Sugawara’s hand. Sugawara smiles at him a bit, comforted by his words.

 The group makes their way to the back of the main building, where an open dirt area is. There they see Joseph, Piper and another woman much younger than them standing with them.

 “You lot, I would like you to meet our daughter, Vanessa. She’s from the city you all come from, but she has decided to help us on your field trip.” Joseph says with a smile. Vanessa smiles and waves at the class enthusiastically.

 “Hi everyone! I look forward to helping you all learn something new!” She says happily.

 “Okay, the day is still early, so what should we start with?” Piper asks.

 “I think a rough course in growing food on a large farm like this will do.” Joseph says, rubbing his chin.

“Right, let’s show these kids the importance of proper food growin’.” Piper says excitedly. The class droops at the idea.

 ‘How exciting…’ they all think.

 Piper and Vanessa start the class on its tour. They lead them through their farm and describe its historical relevance and importance as Joseph follows behind. As they walk around the side of the building, a wooden door to a dark room a little below the ground is left open.

 As Sugawara walks by, he slowly stops and is intrigued by what’s inside. He leans in a bit to peek only for his eyes to widen before the door is suddenly slammed shut in front of him. He jumps back in fear before looking at Joseph, who has his hand on the wooden door.

 “I suggest you keep up with the group. Wouldn’t want you to get left behind.” Joseph says with a neutral look. Sugawara sweats and nods before quickly catching up to the group. He has a nervous face as he looks back at Joseph, who stares at him intently.

 “Suga, what’s wrong?” Haru asks.

“Uh… nothing…” Sugawara responds. Haru gets a concerned look. ‘What was that?.. A bunch of bloody meat hooks? And what was that bag hanging from one of them?..’ He thinks to himself.

 Sugawara thinks back to what he saw, in the dark room hung multiple old, bloody hooks, and on one of them in the farthest corner, hung what looked like a bloody potato sack roughly the length of a grown adult. As he thinks, Chizuru then raises her hand to get the attention of the farmers. Piper points at her with a smile.

 “Yes?”

 “I see you have a lot of crops and animals, but when you harvest all the food, where do you keep it?” Chizuru asks while lowering her hand.

 “Why, that’s a good question. Most of the vegetables and fruits are alright in a cool location, but the meats are extra tricky. Using a combination of techniques passed down from our ancestors, we’re able to-” Piper begins to explain when Vanessa turns to the class with a blank look.

 “We mostly store them away in our walk-in freezer. They stay edible the longest that way.” Vanessa says plainly.

 “Doh, Vani, would you at least let me make it sound interestin’?” Piper says slightly annoyed as Vanessa shrugs. Joseph then gets a surprised look as if remembering something.

 “Oh, speaking of which, I almost forgot to put it away. I’ll be back.” He says as Piper nods with a serious look. Sugawara notices and gets a determined but worried look. Joseph jogs away and around the corner as Sugawara watches. Not long after he leaves the group, Sugawara then peaks his head around the same corner, snooping around in secret.

 ‘What exactly did you forget to put away?..’ Sugawara thinks with a serious look.

 Sugawara looks around cautiously, trying to see where Joseph went. He then crouches out from behind the wall and to where he thought he saw Joseph go. Crouching silently, he walks a bit before he hears a thumping noise. He is startled and dives behind a large tree where he waits a moment before peeking his head out to see what made the noise.

 There, he sees Joseph dragging a body by a rope around their ankles into the walk-in freezer they saw earlier. Joseph goes down the steps as the body drags behind him. As soon as it's in, Joseph pops his head out, looking around suspiciously before closing the door behind him. Sugawara’s eyes grow wide as he sweats.

 “What..?” he says as his breathing gets heavy in panic, but then he hears his name being called out.

 “Sugawara..!” Haru calls out.

 “Where’d you go..?” Riley calls out too. He hears them from the other side of the building. He quickly rushes back to the group, where they are waiting by a gate. 

 “There you are.” Hikigaya says.

 “Where did you go?” Chizuru asks with a worried look. Sugawara tries to answer casually as to not raise suspicion.

 “Sorry guys! I was… I have to use the restroom. Yeah, I just couldn’t figure out where it was…” He says with a nervous smile, looking back over his shoulder. Piper looks at him for a moment before smiling. 

 “Oh, sorry, dear. Vanessa, would you be so kind as to guide Sugawara to the restroom?” Piper asks.

 “Of course, Ma.” Vanessa answers. She walks to him and motions for him to follow her inside. “Come on, I’ll show you where it is.” She says with a warm smile. Sugawara smiles back nervously as he follows.

 In the bathroom, Sugawara sits on the toilet seat, not using it as it was a lie. He holds his head in his hands as he worries about what he saw and his many other suspicions.

 ‘What is going on?.. I knew this place was scary, but I didn’t expect it to be an actual nightmare! There’s no way around it… that was a real body I saw…’ Sugawara thinks.

 He sweats and sighs as he gets up. He goes to the sink, but before he can turn it on, he hears muffled talking outside. He walks towards the small window and leans closer to get a better listen. There, he hears Vanessa talking to someone in a muffled tone as she isn’t close by.

 “Yeah, I think the little one is getting suspicious. If we’re gonna do it, we gotta do it tonight.” Vanessa says.

 “Alright, I’ll make sure he doesn’t keep snoopin’ around. Don’t want him getting too nosey, now.” Joseph responds. Sugawara’s eyes widen as he hears Joseph and her talk about him. “It’s a little past noon now. Why don’t you and Ma take them in for lunch? I’ll make sure the tools are ready for later.” Joseph says.

 “Good idea. We’re gonna be eating good!” Vanessa says happily. Sugawara finishes up and steps out of the bathroom with his head lowered right as Vanessa comes back inside from around the corner. She is slightly surprised.

 “Oh, Sugawara. You all finished?” She asks. Sugawara has his head lowered for a moment before smiling at her. 

 “Yeah! I’m ready to head back now.”

 They make it back to the group without an issue as Sugawara has a dreadful look. Shiori notices as they walk past her but doesn’t address it as Vanessa whispers something in Piper’s ear.

 “Oh, good idea. Alright kids, we’re gonna head inside for lunch. I hope y’all are hungry cause I’m cooking up a classic family recipe for lunch! Peanut butter and jelly!” Piper says with a big smile.

 “Yay! I love classic family recipes!” Hisana cheers. Suiyoubi droops a little at her reaction.

 “Peanut butter and jelly isn’t a classic family recipe…” she says as Sugawara nervously shushes Suiyoubi.

 “Don’t tell her that!.. You’ll make her mad, and we don’t want that!..” he whispers. Suiyoubi looks at him confused.

 “Okay..?”

 The group goes to the dining room and eats together as Sugawara nervously bites into his sandwich. The others around him laugh and joke happily as they enjoy their lunch, making Sugawara even more anxious.

 After lunch, they head back outside where they are shown different farming tools and cooking equipment that look very old.

 “And we used this for chopping up anything that was round.” Piper says, showing them an odd tool on the bench with other stuff displayed.

 “Check this out!” Joseph interrupts excitedly as he plops a very large and heavy cauldron on the ground before the group. They jump a bit from the loud thump as Piper sighs.

 “Yes, this is quite interesting.” Piper says sarcastically.

 “Exactly. With a cauldron this size, we could even cook up a whole person! Anyone wanna get in?” Joseph asks while glaring at the group with a smile. Sugawara watches nervously as Haru smiles and raises his hand.

 “I’ll get in!” Haru offers excitedly.

“Then get over ‘ere!” Jospeh says as he waves his arm at him. Haru walks to them happily, but Sugawara looks fearful as Haru steps into the pot and crouches down so only his head is peeking above the edge. “How does it feel in there?” Joseph asks.

“Pretty good. I feel like a roast!” Haru says happily.

 “I wish they would cook and eat you.” Riley says while looking away as Haru gives her an upset look. The others laugh at the situation as Sugawara exhales nervously.