“Onoda, thanks for helping out Shiraishi earlier.”

Not even a second after I returned, I saw Sawano dashing out from somewhere. The other camp managers looked on at that with raised eyebrows including Sara’s boyfriend. Nonetheless, none of them stepped forward and simply looked on from where they were.

For this guy to thank me as if I’ve done him a favor... I couldn't help but find it quite hilarious.

Is he really this clueless or is he just refusing to look at what he saw the other way?

Think about it, even if Shiina really collapsed out there and we didn’t lie about it, what should be the viable explanation about our entwined fingers? None, right? Or if we push the lie further, it could be because she didn’t want to let go of my hold when I pulled her up.

Either way, this is good for me. I can just play along with him and not bring that up again. Like Shiina said, I need him to not be against me during this camp. It will be troublesome.

The next time I see Shiina, we just have to be very careful not to be spotted by him.

“I just did what I had to, sir. Before I left, they said she was exhausted. If I’m not wrong, she has already returned to the girls’ area.”

“Is that so? Good. I’ll visit her later.”

The guy was elated upon hearing that, he even tapped my shoulder, extending more of his gratitude.

Yep. This guy wasn’t acting at all. He simply convinced himself that there’s no way I would be intimate with Shiina. He knew her for longer whereas this should only be my second meeting with her. He put more importance with the length of their relationship as friends than the too few instances I had with Shiina.

Past his shoulder, Arai was the only one who maintained a crease on his forehead. He’s most likely still trying to overlap my face with someone. He’s just as clueless as this guy. One word will be enough for him to remember me though.

Mountain.

Anyway, after a few more words from Sawano, I continued to our tent.

Of course, everyone, not just Hino, Ogawa and Fukuda, was wondering where I went.

I disappeared at the start of their last activity and I only returned now.

Hino immediately tried to ask me where I had gone. The others then perked their ears, including Sakuma and the like.

To stir this pot that would surely boil if I revealed to them about my escapades, I smirked as I scanned my gaze all around me.

Then, in as boastful a tone as possible, I said, “Where else will I go? Of course, I went to the other side.”

“Yo. Stop joking, Onoda. Some tried to go there and they’ve been stopped without even getting a glimpse of their cabins.” Hino laughingly said.

Yeah. Most of them thought I was just joking. I even saw Fukuda scoffing to mock me quietly.

In any case, that happened, huh? Someone else dared to come. They’re just unlucky then. They probably went there at the same time the girls are also having their free time. Some of the camp managers also left, after all. And at that particular time, I was already with Sachi.

“It’s fine if you don’t believe me. I’ll do it again though. I’m still not satisfied.”

“This guy... Alright. Good luck on that. The day is about to be over. Will you still have any chance to come and sneak in?”

“Who knows? Maybe before we sleep?”

“Dude. You’re asking for trouble.”

“You’ll cover for me, no? I’ll tell Yoneda to pay more attention to you.”

“Yo! You can’t bribe me like that... But I’ll appreciate it... Did you see her?”

“No. Of course not. I failed to sneak inside but I met with someone outside. That’s all I can tell you.”

“... Damn. You sound like you’re not lying at all.”

“I seldom lie. You better remember that.”

“Sure... Sure. Anyway...”

Maybe he’s already thinking that he already had enough of my boasting, Hino soon changed the topic to our next activity. It’ll be a group one too and once that’s done... we’ll be having a long break.

Those onlookers also lost their interest when our conversation switched there and they returned to minding their own businesses.

Still, Sakuma and the others gathered around us, creating another circle that I was forced to join.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Sawano and the others to call for us for our next activity.

This time, we didn’t have to go out somewhere. It’s a simple team building activity that requires us to compete as a group against others.

It’s like a relay of sorts but it’s not just a race but a mix of different activities, like carrying a 20 kilo-sack on our back while doing tire hopping.

It was exhausting, of course considering you have to jump while carrying that much weight. Some even cried out as their legs experienced a cramp.

For the first time on this camping trip, our group won. Thanks to me, of course. Ah. Well, let’s give credit to the other three. I could understand Hino trying to follow in my footsteps but the other two didn’t want to lose against me so they also pushed themselves that hard knowing that they’d be able to rest afterwards.

As for the reward? Well, Sawano granted us more heating packs for the night as well as another can of insect repellant and a packet of insect-repellent lotion.

Yeah. It’s all for our convenience during the upcoming night. Thanks to that, I can probably stake outside the girls’ camp later without being bugged by mosquitoes. A timely reward, I must say.

With the activity purposely made to be finished quickly, we got an excess of half an hour dedicated for everyone to recover from the fatigue. They’re considerate that way.

Unfortunately, when I asked to leave since I didn’t need that much rest, I was turned away.

It sucks, but I could only accept that. Some of them weren’t happy anymore because I got rewarded a skip earlier.

Yeah. Apparently, Sawano announced to everyone that the reason I was getting a skip was because he gave me a different task to stop the others from questioning the decision to let me go.

He’s really great to be on one’s side. Imagine if he started making things difficult for me, I’d probably not be able to leave during free time anymore. That would be a nightmare.

Anyway... waiting for thirty minutes isn’t that long anyway. I could also use that to regain some of my energy...

It’s time for Juri and Setsuna-nee to pick us up, after all. Hopefully, I can also get the chance to check on my girls at the other hill...