Having caught sight of Sachi, the first that came to my mind was... ‘Why is she there?’. Of course, the answer wouldn't be magically created if I didn’t probe her for it.

So, as sneakily as possible, I made my way to the girl.

On the other hand, Sachi remained stuck where she was, ducking behind the bushes. Her eyes remained focused on me but instead of her initial surprise, it was replaced by anticipation.

This girl... is she getting excited at this moment?

“Your activity hasn’t ended yet. What are you doing here?”

Upon reaching her, I squatted down, leveling my head with hers. I glanced to our left and right before taking a look at the trail she made that would lead directly to their camp.

“I can say the same to you, Onoda-kun.” She impishly replied, her lips stretching to a grin. “Are you going to sneak in again?”

“... No. I’m just watching.”

“That’s a lie.” Sachi shook her head, determining my answer like that without any confirmation.

She’s right though.

“If it’s you, I expect that you’ll come here again. You’re really making use of your time. While every other boy cannot even approach this place, you’ve been here twice already. Bold won’t be enough to describe you, Onoda-kun.”

“Anyway, if you’re wondering why I’m here... I only have a boring answer.”

The girl continued to talk but little by little, our distance seemed to shrink. By the time she was about to tell me her reason, the girl grabbed my arm and pulled me with her, plopping both of us down on the ground at the back of the tree.

Seconds later, we heard footsteps nearby. I had no idea if it was one of the students, camp managers, or supervisors. But it looks like it’s not only me who heard the activity on this side.

Now, we’re once again at a risk of being caught.

Looking at my side, Sachi was more excited than afraid and with her hand tightening around my arm, I could easily sense what was driving her.

She’s probably too bored to stay there and tried wandering here. I caught her before she could get further in and now, her priority switched to dragging me with this ‘fun’ time.

“Girl, you like to live dangerously. You could’ve waited until the end of your activity. Rae and the others will be in trouble if they don’t find you.”

“Eh... I’m not planning to escape. I’m not that bored yet. I only thought of peeking in and returning before they gathered us again. But Onoda-kun, seeing you here is a surprise. If you ask me to stay here with you, I won’t go back.”

Hearing those words, I turned to her and locked my gaze on her face before unleashing an empowered flick on her forehead.

“Ack!”

Sachi expected what I was going to do. She even got the timing right. However, my finger was quicker. Even if it only brushed against her forehead when she pulled her head back, the force of the flick was still enough to make her yelp in pain.

I hurriedly covered her mouth, preventing the noise from traveling far.

Soon enough, the girl’s eyes narrowed to a glare as an indignant expression showed on her face. While rubbing her gradually reddening forehead, she puffed up her cheeks cutely as her muffled voice escaped from the gaps of my fingers.

“What did I say wrong?” She asked.

“Everything.”

“Eh?”

“Look, I get it. I won’t mind asking you to stay here with me since I won’t be able to come in there with the supervisors present. But you shouldn’t cause trouble for everyone. I won’t be returning soon so... can’t you come back after you’ve been given the free time?”

Rather than simply telling her to go back, I decided to cater to what she was probably thinking at this moment. This girl already attempted to hang out with me multiple times but every time, she’d be set aside by me.

I guess I’m doing her a disservice when she asked to be my friend and I’m not even acting like one. She’s not as straightforward as the others and possibly just finds it fun to be close to me after discovering some of my secrets. In fact, I never really thought that much of her interest in me. It’s like I’m taking that for granted, no? Or maybe I’m just really not that interested in her. Nonetheless, she still popped up in my head from time to time.

Haa. I don’t know. It’s hard to determine that.

Looking at this from another angle, Sachi might be the one being considerate to me, not the other way around.

I mean, she’s only showing up when there’s no one around me. And if my focus was taken by my girls, she’d also silently retreat or make an excuse to leave. It’s like she’s aware of her boundaries or her limits. She’s also not trying to compete with my girls. Instead, she always waits for the opportunity to come knocking – just like this time.

“I feel like I’m going to miss my opportunity if I leave now, Onoda-kun. It’s rare to find you alone, let alone get your attention. Even earlier, you’re only there for Fujii-san.”

Sachi lowered her head and I could sense the slight gloominess in her voice.

Recalling the time that I spent assisting them with their tents earlier, I couldn’t say she was wrong. I mean, I was only there for Rae and then Nazuki and Yoneda were like a wall preventing Sachi from also approaching me. They acted like Rae’s shield to prevent someone else from getting my attention. It was unfortunate for Sachi but they’re great friends for my girl.

“Sachi, didn’t you hear what I said? You can come back here once your activity is finished. I’ll hang out with you.” I removed my hand covering her mouth and switched to pinching her puffed-up cheeks.

“Did you say that? Yeah... You did.”

Little by little, clarity seemed to return in her eyes. With an awkward laugh, Sachi let go of my arm and looked up at me.

“I’ll stay here. Like I said since it’s impossible for me to sneak my way in without being caught, I only have limited choices. Either leave or wait here for you until it’s time for me to go back.”

“Wait. You’re not making any sense, Onoda-kun. Won’t you ask me to bring Fujii or any of your girls here?”

“I’ve thought of that but you see... you’re not my lackey or my follower at all. You’re my friend. I’ll feel bad if I use you for that purpose.”

Yeah. Maybe if I was a normal guy or if I was the same idiot from back then, I wouldn’t hesitate to use her for my convenience.

Arisa would probably nag at me again if she heard about this but I just couldn’t turn off my consideration for this girl. As for the reason, it’s probably a mix of my interest and feeling sorry for her.

It’s not bad to spend a few minutes with her if it could satisfy her, right? Besides, I would also have more of a reason to stay here and scout the place more.

“That’s why Sachi, you should go back first and return once they announce the end of your current task. After all this time, I’ll finally be able to grant your request to hang out with me. Although this is probably not that great of a setting.” I continued before caressing her cheek and facing her seemingly dumbfounded gaze.