1832 Second Task

Thanks to the eventual arrival of Sawano and the rest of our class, Shiina’s attention didn’t linger on me long enough to recognize me by face.

Still, she did pause and creased her brows when I thanked her for the towel though. Most likely, she found my voice familiar yet she couldn’t match my image to what was registered in her memory bank. Or at least, she didn’t have that much time to think about it yet. The moment she learned my name, that familiarity would definitely click.

Back when Miwa-nee, Minoru, and I met them, it was before sunrise so that’s probably helping my case here. Some lamps placed on the path guided the hikers in the dark and hikers brought flashlights to see clearly.

Sara would possibly fail to recognize me at all since she fell unconscious halfway through being carried by me and that useless boyfriend of hers was even supposed to be from a different college. What was he doing here? Why did she not break up with him yet?

In any case, if someone would recognize me by name then Shiina would by far be the most likely person. She even tried flirting with me back then as well. She only stepped back when she remembered how Miwa-nee and I introduced ourselves; husband and wife. With Minoru as our son, any doubt about that was removed from her head.

“Damn it, Onoda, join our soccer club. My senior can make you a starting player. You can be a forward striker! You’re also great at dodging obstacles.”

A few minutes later, while we were sitting on our asses in our designated spots while waiting for the rest of the Year 1 students, Sakuma blurted that out once he finished catching his breath.

Everyone looked at him but no one disagreed with him. They’re probably thinking the same thing as him.

“Nope. Too troublesome. I am busy enough attending to more important things.”

“What? Busy enough to get close to the girls?” Fukuda interjected with an annoying smirk.

He probably thought that was a jab worth throwing at me. How pathetic.

“Get close to the girls? Are you outdated with the news? I’m already close to them.” I dismissively replied before turning to Hino who looked like he was deliberating whether to support my claim or not, “Ask Hino how close I’ve become with our Class President.”

Fukuda immediately turned his head to his lackey. He narrowed his eyes as though he was going to eat him if he stepped out of his line.

Man. He’s not acting as a leader at all. Is he not one of your close confidants?

“Onoda...” Before Hino could say something, I heard Miyoshi murmuring my name in a cold tone. He possibly wanted to refute but the coward couldn’t form the courage to do so.

Nonetheless, the other boys looked at me as though they were watching a proud playboy bragging about how many girls he hooked up with. Most of them weren’t happy though. Especially Ogawa and Tadano. Nonetheless, since they know what I’m capable of and how I am keeping the girls satisfied despite our incredibly complex situation, they also cannot call me out.

Ogawa was also possibly trying his best to not be provoked by me. Since he’s now trying to court Mami the idiot most likely wanted to focus on her after that desperate confession. Or could that even be called a confession? It was just a spur of the moment in order to alleviate his frustration of seeing Nami and me in an intimate situation again.

Anyway, enough about that cuck.

I knew I shouldn’t rush it if I wanted to create a rift between Fukuda and his lackeys. Mushitani even came over to maybe remind him. Due to that, Hino kept his mouth shut and didn’t answer my question.

“Ah. Forget it. I don’t need you to believe me anyway. Besides, it’s favorable to the girls. It’s enough that the rumors are centered around me.”

Waving my hand, I dropped the topic there and turned my attention back to the front. Sakuma also didn’t push it anymore. No matter what thought of me, he’s still going to have an opinion about how I seem to be in a relationship not just with Satsuki but with all the girls surrounding me.

Anyway, looking up ahead, I saw Sawano and Shiina sitting next to each other. The former was looking embarrassed about why the latter was having fun teasing him. They’re not dating but they’re probably close. Or maybe they’re interested in each other?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Because Shiina was here, it became hard for me to even stand up and check on my girls. They’re now sitting far from us. I could only see them from a distance. At this point, we’re already being divided by our genders.

Around ten minutes after we arrived, the Class 2 boys finished their tasks and were told to rest next to our group. They became obstructions for me and my girls to see each other.

The idea of sneaking into their cabins was becoming reinforced in my head. Even if I will be at risk of punishment when caught, it’ll be worth it if I get to see them.

Anyway, not long after the Class 2 boys, the Class 3 girls also arrived. Among them, I found Maaya and Misaki close to the front. Himeko’s little sister is physically fit, although not as much as most athletes while Misaki is just normal. The forehead girl appeared a little exhausted and she was probably helped by Maaya on their run.

And obviously, Sara was the one leading them. Her injury back then was already healed. I mean, it’s been weeks.

After helping the other designated managers to hand out the towels to the Class 3 girls, she went to chat with Shiina – intruding into the mood being built between the two.

Was she clueless about it? I don’t know. But then again, she’s the type who even asked her friend to accompany her and her boyfriend on a mountain hike. Maybe she was self-important?

Ah. Let’s not judge her yet. Shiina was still pleased to see her anyway. Sawano also seemed to be a close acquaintance of Sara. The three of them resumed chatting while waiting for the rest of the students who were still running up the hill.

Without anything else to do, I spent my time organizing my bag, checking again if Akane packed more than she should. And sure enough, I found some chocolate-flavored energy bars tucked in one corner.

That girl, did she have a Foresight ability?

I pulled out two and gave Sakuma one of them. Among the boys here, I guess he’s still the one who’s still the closest to me.

And from there, all we did was wait until everyone arrived. That took about twenty minutes.

Since it was unfair to the ones who arrived last, the camp managers allowed us to rest for another twenty minutes.

At that point, the sun was already fully visible in the eastern direction.

We left the school at 5:30. The bus arrived here around 6:30. And this first task took at most an hour including the rest.

With the dazzling sunlight warming up our surroundings, the camp managers soon gathered in two groups as well.

Sawano, Sara’s boyfriend, and the other two guys stood before us boys while Shiina, Sara, and the other two women took charge of the girls.

Sawano then stepped up and announced.

“I gathered that you’ve all rested enough. Once again, congratulations on finishing your First Task. Our Camp is just starting. As previously stated, we’re all going to be here until tomorrow. We prepared a lot of activities for you. We, the camp managers will be watching over you, and sometimes, join you in the activity. Let’s all have fun.”

The guy started with a boring speech but I guess he’s lively enough compared to the other three. On the other side, the girls sounded more energetic as they cheered after Shiina finished her speech.

Not wanting to be drowned out by their enthusiasm, someone started clapping and shouting among the boys. I don’t know who but it only takes one leading the charge and everyone soon follows.

For the next three minutes, it became a loud cheering battle between the two sides.

And that’s effective to wake everyone up. Those looking sluggish widened their eyes and found their energy.

A while later, I thought we were going to go to our cabins now but Sawano and Shiina announced our next task instead;

“Okay. Let’s get this rolling while you’re full of energy. Your next task will be... Preparing your breakfast.”