Minutes quickly passed. Satsuki and Juri soon returned. Upon seeing us sitting close to each other in a tranquil silence without looking like we had just finished bickering at each other, the two girls nodded in satisfaction.

In the end, I decided to stop pushing to get a reaction from Setsuna-nee. I was afraid that it would backfire and bring us back to step one with her annoyance being a different reason than the previous one. For now, it was best to be satisfied with the discovery of why she seemed so bothered by my presence. I should just wait and see how this would develop from here.

If revealing that to me and hearing my thoughts about it failed to give her peace of mind, she’d probably approach me about it again. Or if not, I’d be able to tell if she once again acted so unreasonable in the future.

“See? I told you he can do it. This is Ruki we’re talking about.” While gracefully clapping her hands slowly, Juri once again opened up with her praise to me.

Of course, she probably took her time to observe us from somewhere hidden. Otherwise, she would find the permeating silence between us suspicious.

Setsuna-nee might’ve acted embarrassed at one point but soon after that, she seemed to return to her energetic self where she’s trying to play her ‘older sister card’ again. I played along with that to satisfy her but judging from how she reacted to it, she’s most likely unamused at my disinterest in engaging with her genuinely.

“If you keep praising this idiot, his head will get big, Juri-nee. But I guess he deserves it this time.” Satsuki snidely picked on Juri’s words. Nonetheless, like the woman, she probably also observed us from afar. She soon turned to her older sister and sat down on her side.

“Nee-san, I take it that you won’t bicker with him anymore. You properly talked to him this time.”

“Yes... We did talk. I’m sorry for troubling you, Satsu-chan. I’m not acting like an older sister.”

Although there was a bit of hesitation at that ‘yes’, what’s important was that she acknowledged it and didn’t make any excuses this time.

Satsuki embraced her older sister, comforting her, “It’s fine to be childish sometimes. Besides, it’s Ruki. I kept being teased by him even after we started dating. It’s aggravating, no?”

“Wait. He’s not teasing me.”

“Really? And here I thought you were mad at him for that. What is it?”

“He’s just annoying in general.”

Without elaborating that properly, she evaded my eyes and turned in the other direction.

Satsuki stared at her sister’s reaction and shook her head. On the other hand, Juri who returned to my side was giggling without hiding her amusement at how her best friend was acting.

Shortly after that, she whispered to me, “Let me guess. She can’t get you out of her head, right?”

This girl... She didn’t need to guess. She probably knew about it all this time. Setsuna-nee wasn’t just venting to Satsuki or Sakuma, Juri was also one of the recipients. Maybe she heard it more than the other two considering they’re always together.

I opted to answer her honestly with my own view of the situation.

“Something like that, yeah. Also, I think we already identified the cause for it...”

“That fast? As expected of you Ruki. Looking at her still acting like that, you still held back in resolving it right away.”

With a sprinkle of her praise, she then commented based on her current observation. Juri really is something else. She might’ve identified the cause for her friend’s irritation but she deemed it impossible to resolve it herself. Hence, she let it fester until it came to this.

If I have to guess, just like that time she brought up taking me out to date to thank me for accompanying her on the scouting trip, her suggestion to bring me here was also done for that purpose. It’s not just because she wanted a chance to spend time with me but it’s also for the sake of her friend who’s clearly troubled by my image that couldn’t stop running in her head.

“No. I don’t think it’s that easy to resolve unless...”

“Unless what?”

“... She could accept that there’s another reason why I keep running in her head.”

“I see... You’re not wrong. It will be hard for her to accept that. She will deny it if we point it out. Moreover, it will just make her look miserable. You don’t want her to hate herself, huh? But Ruki, you can also be wrong, no?”

See. Even without explaining it in length to her, she probably understood the complications of it. Furthermore, she also managed to sprinkle that doubt. The doubt that I might just be jumping to a conclusion here.

Truthfully, I have thought of that. I could just be wrong and she’s just truly annoyed with me. There’s no other meaning behind it.

But the same as my assumption, only Setsuna-nee could determine if it is the truth and what is not.

“Yes... It’s not a certainty yet. That’s why I said it cannot be resolved easily. For now, stopping her tendency to get annoyed at my presence is the most important. And I guess that one was resolved properly.

“Indeed. She looked tamed now unlike earlier. That deserves some praise. Good job, Ruki.”

“Shouldn’t you scold me too? I mean, it’s my fault.”

“Hmm? What’s the point of doing that, silly? Have you not reflected on it yet?”

Ah... She’s right. There’s no reason to scold me for it anymore... Let’s focus on the positive then and drown in praise.

With Satsuki and Setsuna-nee still hugging each other there, I sneakily pulled Juri down on my side, her hand firmly grasped by me.

I thought of asking her to look after Setsuna-nee but upon thinking about it, it’s pointless. She’s already doing that even without my prompt.

A while later, Satsuki and I were escorted back to the small bridge by the two.

We’ve run out of time, after all. Still, we finalized our plans for later. They’ll be coming to pick us up during our free time when the night falls.

From 6 to 8 pm, both girls and boys from the two year levels won’t have any activity within that duration. It’s going to be a preparation period for the campfire gathering and dinner. And unlike breakfast and lunch, the camp managers and perhaps the professors and teachers will be preparing our dinner.

Anyway, when we returned to our hill and rejoined our group, only a few minutes left before we were hollered back to our cabin area. Thankfully, I still managed to get a decent time with my girls and also checked on both Shio and Eguchi-sensei.

Following that, Sawano and company let us rest in our tents for a while before gathering us again for our next task.

We finished it uneventfully and given that it’s still a group activity, Fukuda was forced to cooperate with us...

My threat was already working, I guess?

During the following free time before the next activity, I stayed in our tent and rested until the next task.

Why did I not leave to try and sneak into the other side again? It’s pointless. They won’t be there, after all.

Besides, the next task will be more important...

It’s the designated time for me to deliver that pouch to Shiina.

Soon enough, upon gathering us in line, Sawano announced that the next task would be done individually.

And while he let the other camp managers explain it to the others, he called my name and asked me to follow him.

Yep. He’s going to send me off personally. In this way, no one could question my absence...

“Remember what I said, Onoda. You have to be careful not to be seen by anyone. Shiina will be waiting for you to receive that pouch. You don’t have to return for this task’s duration. I’ll cover up for you.” Sawano solemnly said with her voice sounding like he was sending me off to an impossible journey.

Look at him. Will he be livid if he finds out that this is simply Shiina’s scheme for us to meet?

Most likely. But that’s not my problem, is it?

“I understand. I’ll deliver this to her and... treat the rest as my free time? Is that it?” I replied, confirming things with him.

“Yeah. I apologize but that’s the only compensation I can give you. I appreciate your help though.”

“Ah. It’s cool. I’m glad to be of help.” I smiled, acting like I was pleased to be chosen by him for this task even though Shiina specifically asked for me.

Turning around, I set off and left the area without looking back, leaving the clamor happening behind me. I don’t know if he’s going to remain clueless but well... Like I said, it’s not my problem. Right?