It's All About Speed

【POV: Riku】

「Proxima, start the reservation script.」

「On it, Boss. Bypassing the Gion restaurants' CAPTCHA now. Those other bots are amateur hour.」 Proxima's voice vibrated through my bone-conduction gear.

「Done.」 Proxima reported simply. 「Fushimi Inari-taisha at 6:00 to dodge the tourists; a four-top at Gion with a 40% discount from a last-minute voucher; and the shopping spree at Shijō-Kawaramachi has been route-optimized to save about 150 calories.」

I felt the rush of a successful tactical strike. The glasses were exceeding every expectation.

「Send the details to the club group.」

「Sent. Included the "Stonks" meme for flair.」

I glanced over at Yuria. She was frowning at her Pixel 25 Pro, thumb swiping across the screen with zero enthusiasm.

「This spot is 4.2 stars but everyone says the queue is an hour long...」 She looked so dejected, bangs partially hiding her face. Could've just asked if she wanted to dump the work on me.

The group's phones buzzed in unison. Ting ting ting.

Yuria checked the chat. Her eyes nearly popped out as she stared at me, her irritation melting into... actual admiration.

「Damn, Riku.」 Yuria turned her whole body toward my desk. 「I just checked this place and they were fully booked until next month!」

I adjusted my frames, leaning into the "no big deal" vibe. 「Proxima sniped a cancellation three seconds ago. Speed is everything. In the digital realm, the slow get left behind.」

「Not bad.」 Yuria nodded and giving my shoulder a couple of taps. 「I guess the glasses aren't total junk after all.」

「Damn right they aren't!」

「Fine, fine. As long as I don't have to queue.」

Mari turned back and gave me a thumbs-up. Tetsuya just gave a subtle nod, but I knew damn well he was relieved he didn't have to touch that mess of an itinerary.

・・・

「Class meeting! Class meeting!」

Mari's voice rang out clearly during the break. Standing at the lectern with a marker, she looked like she was presiding over a global summit.

「Quiet down!」

The class went dead silent. Akari-sensei was long gone—likely hiding in the teacher's lounge with a milk tea, min-maxing her C.O.R.E builds, leaving the Vice President to manage the Kyōto chaos.

I peeked at Mari. High ponytail, sharp eyes scanning the room. That hair tie might as well have been a queen's crown.

「Day 1: Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera.」 Mari scribbled quickly on the board. 「This is mandatory, so no whining. Sensei said we need check-in selfies for our conduct grades.」

「Okaaay...」 The collective groan from the class was agonizing.

「Day 2... is for your own groups.」

Many already sat bolt upright the moment they heard that.

「However!」 Mari cut through the rising chatter. 「19:00 is the hard deadline for hotel roll call. One minute late and the hotel Wi-Fi gets cut for the whole night. Clear?」

A chorus of protests erupted.

「That's cold!」

「The night is just starting at 19:00!」

「Quiet!」 Mari slammed the marker onto the desk. 「If you want to stay out at night, find your own way back and explain it to Sensei yourself. For your group itineraries, I want them by next Tuesday. Don't make me chase you down like a loan shark.」

Then her voice dropped, and her expression turned even more somber.

「Finally... the budget. Sensei told me that last year, some group literally hired a helicopter from Ōsaka just for lunch. Guys...」

She shook her head, looking both stunned and amused.

「We are students, not money launderers. For this trip, the spending limit is ¥5.000 per person. If you blow past that, it's on your own dime, but don't go showing off.」

I glanced at Tetsuya. He certainly has an eye for quality, I'll give him that. Catching a girl like her—bold, direct, and... yeah, possessing that trademark bite.

「If anyone submits a plan that looks like "wandering around looking at the sky", I'll send it back. List the locations, times, transit.」

I let out a soft chuckle. 「Proxima, if Mari ever becomes Prime Minister, Japan would be under iron-fisted discipline.」

「"If"? More like "once she is"...」 Proxima's tone equally sarcastic.

「Are you... starting to take her side now?」