1842 Encounter

Having visited this place once, I quickly made my way around the various paths leading somewhere, avoiding the other boys who left before me and Sakuma who might chase after me.

I have more than half an hour before our next activity. I have to find a way to use it efficiently, right?

On the way, my head was filled with thoughts on how to accomplish that.

Should I just show up there? But barging in without preparation will be foolish. I mean, even if I acted like I could get permission easily if I wanted to, I doubt they could easily bend the rules for me.

I wasn’t that special.

And even if I somehow got the permission of the camp managers guarding the entrance, could I guarantee that the girls staying there wouldn’t be uncomfortable with my presence? No. I would definitely be going to be like a new monkey at the zoo there. Everyone’s attention would be focused on me. Not to mention, with my current popularity, I might not even get the chance to reach my girls before I get swarmed or kicked out.

That’s not ideal.

According to Sawano, they’re still in the middle of their Third Tasky so... they might not even be at the cabin area.

I guess I should just wander first and hope that I run into them. And while doing so, I needed to get more information. Especially their schedule.

A few minutes in, I found myself emerging from an untrodden path to the area close to the girl’s cabin.

I looked to my left and right, checking if someone was walking to and from there. As I expected, it’s fairly quiet. I continued down that path to scout whether they were still guarding the place. However, I got spotted by someone who... coincidentally was leaving that area.

“Hey, you! You’re not supposed to be here.”

Perhaps because of the distance, they failed to recognize me right away. And with me turning around as though I was about to walk out of the place, I could only hear their footsteps approaching from behind as they chased after me.

A delicate hand soon grabbed me by my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around and the look of surprise immediately registered to the one who called out to me.

“Huh? You... You’re Onoda-kun.” With her hand leaving my shoulder right away to cover her mouth, the woman exclaimed in a lower volume as she muttered my name.

I put on an awkward smile before lowering my head slightly to act apologetic before saying, “Uh. Sorry, Sara-san. I think I’ve gotten lost. We have free time on our schedule and I decided to walk around. Hearing you shout at me made me realize that this is close to the girls’ area.”

Yep. The one who saw me was none other than Shiina’s friend and that Arai’s boyfriend. I couldn’t remember his first name, so that’s that. I couldn’t be bothered to remember him that day, after all. Who goes on a hiking trip without preparation? And when his girlfriend got injured, he couldn’t even help her out, much less carry her on his back to be treated somewhere.

It's still a wonder for me why she’s still with him and he seemingly even joined this camping trip. Given the timeframe, even if he transferred, he’s from a different department. So, the only plausible reason for him to be here was that Sara brought him in.

Looking at her, she looked a little frailer than before. Her eyes were sunken – perhaps because she woke up really early today. Her face wasn’t adorned with too much makeup but it was enough to cover the slight exhaustion on her face.

And even now, her back was hunched a little as though she was in dire need of rest.

Anyway, her outfit was like the other college students, a black t-shirt with a minimalist design on the front and a pair of blue checkered pants with the logo of their college. I don’t know if that’s a uniform or not but even Juri and Setsuna-nee were wearing the same outfits.

Obviously, the reason for that was to easily distinguish them from the other guests of the Akimitsu Hills.

“I see. So, that’s what happened. You’re right. The cabin for the girls is in that direction. If someone else saw you, you could be in trouble.”

Upon listening to my flimsy explanation, Sara’s surprise abated and she put on a gentle smile. I’ve only seen her in pain or frowning when she lost consciousness back then. It was kind of refreshing to see her smile today.

Still, I don’t think she’d be this timid. Like Juri or Setsuna-nee I thought she’d be a little outspoken given that she’s from the same department. Even her friend Shiina isn’t someone who can easily be embarrassed.

Wait. Is it because of me? Possibly.

“Thanks for the reminder, Sara-san. I better take note of this then. It’ll be bad for me if I get in trouble.”

“Yes. You said you’re lost. Can I be your guide?”

Sara looked at me intently as her expression gradually switched back to normal. With her arms dropping to her side, she stepped forward.

I don’t know what’s her deal but somehow, that proposition doesn’t feel like it came out of nowhere. She thought that through after hearing my explanation.

After contemplating my choices, I came to a decision.

I straightened my back and modestly answered, “Uh. I appreciate it, Sara-san but I think I shouldn’t trouble you for this. This place isn’t that huge anyway. Once I toured it, I’d be able to memorize these winding paths.”

Hearing that, Sara clasped her lips together. Most likely, she expected that answer. A second later, she nodded, “Okay. You’re right. Then let’s just walk out of here together. I can accompany part of the way. I’m going to our cabin area. The teachers and professors are also staying there.”

I swiftly nodded. There’s no reason for me to refuse. Furthermore, learning about her destination, an idea popped up in my head.

“Alright. Then, I think I should be the one asking you this, Sara-

san. Do you mind if I accompany you to that place? I mean, I have no set destination. Might as well check on how different your accommodations are to us.”

As I delivered that response, I used a joking tone in the last part.

Upon hearing that, Sara stifled her laughter.

“How different? Onoda-kun, do you think we’re staying in a more luxurious place than yours?”

“Oh. I didn’t say that, Sara-san. You did. But was it like that?” I waved my hands, acting innocent before eyeing her for confirmation.

Sara shook her head right away and denied it.

“No! Of course not. We have the same accommodation. It’s just not as strict as yours.”

“Ah. I see. Does that mean you’re staying in the same cabin as your boyfriend?”

“Eh? That’s not what I meant by it. I’m sharing the cabin with Shiina.” She paused for a moment before matching my gaze again. Then, with her back bending forward, she bowed to me in gratitude, “Uhm... I should get this out of the way first. Onoda-

kun, thank you for your help back then. If not for you carrying me on your back, the situation might’ve gotten worse.”

This woman... And here I thought she wouldn’t bring that up. Looks like she’s just finding her chance to do so. And with me mentioning her boyfriend must’ve triggered her to act.

Naturally, I raised her body right away by grabbing her shoulders. If someone else saw us here, the situation could be misunderstood. Besides, I still carried her back then not because of her. I only did that to help Miwa-nee. If she’s going to thank someone, it should be her.

“You don’t have to do that, Sara-san. Like Miwa-nee said before, helping out another hiker at that moment is just the right thing to do. And actually, I’m glad you look fine now. When we climbed back down, you were still unconscious.”

“... Yes, it was thanks to the two of you. I’ve been meaning to find and thank you both but Shiina said you didn’t leave your contact details. It’s a wonderful coincidence to see you here...”

Well, Miwa-nee didn’t think much of the help she rendered to her back then. Also, I could remember how she showed a hint of jealousy when Sara complimented me while I was carrying her on my back.

Of course, that’s not the reason why we didn’t leave our contact details. Although we didn’t explicitly admit it, we acted like a family of three going on a hike back then. Even though that was technically true, there’s no proof of it. Furthermore, we both believed that encountering them again was a low possibility.

Ah. No. I’ve already considered it when I heard that they’re from the same department as Juri and Setsuna-nee... I guess it’s my fault for not being too cautious.

As I was lost in that thought, Sara continued and this time, she didn’t hold back with the questions she was dying to know about me, “Right. Onoda-kun, can you clear out one detail for me? Miwa-san and you... Aren’t you a couple? You looked so mature back then. How are you still in 1st year? Also, you’re so popular with the girls. I saw you being intimate with them too. Uhh... Sorry. I’m just curious. I think Shiina is also wondering about this.”