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and every time it was Miho's turn, she got stage fright, which was funny
because she loved Noh theatre so much. If she had the opportunity to be on an
actual stage, portraying someone else, she would probably be fine. It was only
being herself that made her self-conscious.
    One by one, she called the names
of their classmates. When she got to Kara, she glanced up and Kara gave her a
little wave, which made Miho smile.
    After attendance, she flipped a
page to announcements and immediately her eyes lit up. Then Miho grinned.
    "This year's ensoku will be on Monday," she announced. "The entire school will be visiting
Takigami Mountain Observatory. Appropriate footwear and winter clothing are
recommended."
    Immediately the excited chatter
began. Kara smiled so wide that her face hurt. It felt like her prayers had
been answered. She had just been thinking about how badly she needed a break,
something to take her mind off of Jiro's ghost, and now their Monday classes
had just been replaced by a field trip. The English translation of 'ensoku' was
something like 'far feet,' and from what Kara had read, sometimes they literally
entailed much farther journeys than Takigami Mountain Observatory, but as far
as she was concerned, any field trip would do.
    Mr. Sato tapped his fingers on
his desk and gave the class a dirty look, which would normally have silenced
them but today only managed to diminish the chatter to whispers. When he
frowned and took off his glasses, that had the desired effect. It was like he
had superpowers or something. Anytime he took his glasses off, they knew that
he meant business and that from that point forward any infraction would lead to
punishment. Someone would be kneeling on the hard, cold floor of the corridor.
    "I will see you all at the
end of the day," Mr. Sato said. "Do not let your excitement dull your
focus on your studies."
    Kara smiled. The news of the
ensoku would not dull her focus. On the contrary, it finally gave her something
good to focus on.
     
     
    When the wind gusted, it became
quite cold on top of Takigami Mountain. The morning had begun with a clear blue
sky, but as the day went on it had gradually turned a stark white and then an
ominous gray. Even so, Kara did not feel very chilly except when the wind
picked up. She had worn her new boots over two pair of socks, so her feet were
warm enough. Her new jacket — which Miho loved while Sakura attempted to
hide how much she hated it — had been the perfect choice. When the wind
started to gust she put the hood up and felt very cozy.
    Buses had taken them from school
to Takigami Park, where the cherry blossom festival would take place come
springtime, and they had walked up the long, wooded path to the observatory,
which had taken the better part of the morning. Far feet , Kara had
thought. They've got that part right .
    Now they all sat at outdoor
tables around the observatory eating the lunch they had brought along. Kara and
her friends had claimed a table for themselves. She sat between Hachiro and
Ren, with Miho and Sakura across from her with a third boy, Sora, who sat in
front of her in homeroom. Having Sora join them had been unexpected but not unwelcome.
She was especially glad to have him along because his presence prevented them
from talking about anything having to do with ghosts or curses.
    Her father and Miss Aritomo had
been chaperoning their own homeroom classes, but now that the students were all
eating lunch they had managed to take a few minutes for themselves, eating
quietly at a small table for two at the edge of the observatory. They probably
had the best and most romantic view available, and Kara smiled at the thought. The
views from the observatory were spectacular, not only of the city but of the
bay and of Ama-no-Hashidate.
    As Kara had predicted, her
father had been unable to take them tubing on Sunday and the snowstorm the
forecasts had been expecting had not materialized, so she had spent the