1838 A Monkey sighting a Banana Tree

Is being a comic relief humiliating? Maybe for some. However, for someone like me who’s shameless enough to use it to my advantage, I don’t care what these guys will think of me. Won’t they cry rivers of blood from envy if they find out how close to the truth my claims are?

Right. That’s why Ogawa and the rest can’t even pretend to laugh at me.

Anyway, I’ll let them have their fun. I got some good impressions from Sawano and the rest of the camp managers who thought I was simply joking, after all. That’s a win.

Once the situation calmed down, the allocation of the rooms soon started.

For the three cabins allocated for our class, I truly got grouped up with those three. Our student numbers aren’t based on the alphabetical order of our names but on the order we got accepted into the school.

Thanks to that, it became a little jumbled.

For Cabin 1, Miyoshi, Sakuma, Matsuda and Hashimoto. Most likely, those two who had a history with sports got a little priority for acceptance.

Even if the students enrolling for our school had been in decline for two years, they wouldn’t lower their standards just to fill the quota. It’s still a private school, after all.

For Cabin 2, Fukuda, Hino, Ogawa and me.

For Cabin 3, Tadano, Yamada and Mushitani.

Right. There are only three people in the third cabin because of the silent guy’s absence. They’re lucky to have that extra space. But that didn’t really matter to me.

After being guided to our cabin, I instantly noticed how the interior had changed, or rather, the furniture that was present during our scouting trip had disappeared. There’s not even a stool.

In place of the furniture, four sets of futons, seat cushions, and a circular low table could be seen in a corner. That’s all the commodity they left for us. Even the balcony where we could observe the mountainside was curtained and locked.

They’re telling us not to be distracted and only focus on just doing camp-related things, huh? I don’t mind though. The purpose of this camp was surely to develop our interpersonal skills as well as survival skills. Everyone would be contributing to their activities.

Will there be a penalty if someone doesn’t cooperate? Possibly. But they never explicitly stated it. Maybe this would be recorded as an extracurricular activity and give us points based on the camp managers or the supervisors’ evaluation? Who knows?

I’d just follow whatever they planned and make use of the free times more efficiently than I do the activities.

“Alright! I’ll take this place!” Grabbing the topmost futon and carrying it to one corner, Hino excitedly strutted in. That guy had been in a fairly good mood ever since breakfast. Apparently, since he was one of those who set up the tables, he got to talk with some girls from the other class. He thought he was already on his first step toward getting a girlfriend and this camp would help him with that.

As for Fukuda and Ogawa, they’re obviously still unhappy about the attention I was getting as well as how openly I flirted with everyone.

Though the delusional guy had already toned down his usual murderous glare at me, he wouldn’t just suddenly be okay with my continued presence. On the other hand, the delinquent wannabe was pissed for being unable to make a dent on my reputation with his useless jabs.

I mean, he should just shout that I’m a playboy, no? That would be more effective. But he couldn’t do it. Most likely, he’s still not giving up on Chii. As long as there’s no official confirmation about our relationship, he thinks that he still has a chance.

I guess I’ll have to show him that confirmation during this camp.

Anyway, the two soon followed Hino, grabbed their futons, and picked their place. Given that six people could fit in perfectly in this cabin, we got sufficient space to not be so close to each other.

I also didn’t delay my entry and get the spot closest to the door. That’s the remaining spot left open, after all. Nevertheless, even if I was the one who picked first, I would still choose this one because of one thing. The accessibility to the door.

For the next ten minutes, only Hino gushed out at how excited he was. Fukuda would annoyedly respond to him with a one-

liner essentially telling him to shut up.

Due to that, the guy went to me to tell me about his encounter.

“Yo, Onoda. Are you close to that one girl in Class 4?”

“Who?”

“Yoneda. I saw you approached her earlier during breakfast.”

I don’t recognize the name, but she’s probably one of the girls he interacted with earlier. But because of my stint of going over every table, he must’ve thought I was also on speaking terms with her.

If it’s Class 4... Is it one of Rae’s friends? I mean, I lingered more around them than the rest since they knew me as Rae’s boyfriend. I could only remember Nazuki since she was the closest to her.

“Is that the girl you’re getting the hots for?” I asked.

“Ssh! I still don’t know if I have a chance.” Hino grinned before acting like an idiot by trying to shush me. He’s so obvious. What is he? He’s like a monkey who caught a glimpse of a banana tree on the neighboring island. He’s probably thinking of how to cross and get it.

“Didn’t I tell you that no girl will be unconquerable if you’re dedicated enough? I’m surprised you already got her name.”

He didn’t scare her, did he? I don’t know. I’m more focused on my girls earlier so I didn’t even try to check what they’re doing.

“Yes! I asked her when we were about to get our plates. Heh. She’s a shy one.”

“Wow. Good for you. So, what are your plans? Are you going to use your chances during this camp?”

“You really think I can do it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t seen you two together yet. Why don’t you point her to me when we get to join up with the girls?”

“Oh! Sure!”

Once again, the guy was elated at my suggestion. He’s so simple. Looking at the other two who were listening to our conversation, Ogawa was already looking like he was having a flashback while Fukuda appeared more annoyed.

When Hino returned to his spot, he threw a seat cushion at him.

“You fool. Of all the people you could ask for help, you went to him? Do you want that girl to be stolen by him?”

“Why will he? He doesn’t even seem that interested in her. If you’re not going to support me, just don’t say anything, man. What a way to discourage your bro.”

“I’m saying it for your own good! Your chances aren’t that high.”

“Yeah. Right. You say that because you have the looks but not me. I’m just an average-looking guy. Is that it?”

Somehow even without doing too much, their relationship was already breaking down. I guess that’s what happens if you only focus on the negative instead of cheering for your friend. At least, give him some positives first, right?

Ah. Who am I talking to? I’m only speaking from experience anyway. And historically speaking, the advice I’ve given to boys has yet to see some success. Those five idiots from my Boxing Class were even banned from approaching the Seven Stars Academy. The sickly dude from Third High still hadn’t confessed to Kanno-sensei. And lastly, Sakuma continued to fumble his way into poaching Setsuna-nee’s heart.

“Come on, Fukuda. Give your friend some credit.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear that from you.”

I tried interjecting with them and was instantly met with his hostility. Alright, man. Do your worst.