Chapter 40: CH 40

Thursday, homeroom time after class. As the teacher had said beforehand, the orientation for next week was explained.

“The schedule is for three days and two nights. On the first day we will walk around the area and do a campfire. On the second day, we will go orienteering as a group, and you will go to a desired historical site.”

Yamaguchi-san got a list of the group members from the teacher and wrote it on the blackboard. Takane-san and I were in different groups – Nakano-san and Watanabe-san were in Takane-san’s group, and Takadera and Ogishima were the boys in that group.

I wondered which group I would be in – as I casually looked at the blackboard, I noticed something.

My name and Asatani-san’s name were not on the list. Yamaguchi-san started writing the names for the last group – and then, our names were listed.

Kiri Asatani, Nagito Senda. These names were included together in a group of two boys and three girls.

“Since there are more girls in our class, Senda-kun and Sato-kun, I’m sorry, but is it okay with you two being in the group with the least boys and more girls?”

“Yes, I’m fine with it.”

“I’m okay with it too.”

Sato-san, a class committee member, turned to me and made a gesture to fix his glasses. He seemed to be saying hello. I knew he was a dependable guy, as I have seen him in class.

When Asatani-san looked at me, she showed her right hand moving with a crunch, but I didn’t know what that meant. All I could tell was that she was, dare I say, cute.

“It seems Nagito-san is in the same group as Asatani-san.”

“Ah, yeah… But only during orienteering.”

This was not the time to be making excuses like that – I made up my mind to look at Takane-san, then,

“Takane-san, we’re in the same group. Take care of me.”

“Please take care of me too, Watanabe-san.”

Watanabe-san, who was sitting in front of me, turned around and was having a friendly conversation with Takane-san. Looking at her profile, Takane-san didn’t seem to be bothered by anything.

“This group will cruise a set course, and when they reach the destination, they will have a short walk around and then take the bus back to the camp. You’re allowed to take your phones with you, so if you see a nice view you can take a picture, although we’ve asked for a photographer so we can get a commemorative photo.”

The homeroom came to an end after the group’s presentation. The members of the same group started gathering, so I joined Sato-kun and headed for Asatani-san’s side of the room.

“Senda-kun, Sato-kun, take care of me, okay?”

“Yeah, take care of me too. Senda-kun has good physical strength, so I’m sure we’ll be able to get around orienteering quickly.”

“Yeah, I’ll take good care of that, but… Course-wise, it looks pretty tight.”

“When I get tired, I’ll ask Senda-kun to give me a piggyback ride, since he’s very strong.”

“Kiri-chan, you’re so bold… Then what about me and Ina-chan?”

“How about if I give Sayu a piggyback ride? Having two class committee members together is like having a strong group, isn’t it?”

Yamaguchi-san was called ‘Sayu’ because her first name was ‘Sayuka’. The fact that Asatani-san and her two friends were in the same group was also a result of the lottery.

Still, I never thought Asatani-san would ask me to give her a piggyback ride – Was that possible with the distance we have as friends?

But next week, it looked like it was going to rain in Hakone.

“Will next week’s forecast be correct?”

“I heard that the weather in the mountains changes easily. Should I bring a raincoat or something just in case?”

“If it rains, won’t we have to call it off?”

While the three girls were chatting politely, I looked at the information distributed earlier and confirmed that orienteering will be held no matter if it rains or shines, but may be canceled if the weather gets rough.

“I have to watch the whole class, so I might leave the group if something happens. Senda-kun, will you be okay?”

“I guess we’ll just have to make do then and there.”

“That’s very kind of you to say.”

You never know what the weather will be like until the day of the orienteering event. The forecast may be wrong and the weather may be fine.

On the first day in Hakone, the entire class went to a shrine near the camp and cooked a pot of rice together. Since I had cooked rice in a rice cooker during a forest trip in junior high school, I did not make any major mistakes, and the curry I cooked at the same time was also very good.

During the campfire at night, the starry sky was beautiful. I thought at the time that the weather forecast would be wrong and that tomorrow would be sunny – But it was not.

The morning of the second day was slightly cloudy, and the air was cool, as typical of the highlands. The starting point was a parking lot in the mountains. After being transported by a bus from the camp, we were briefed and then set off one by one for orienteering.

All first-year classes were divided into two groups, each starting at a different point. The first grade classes were divided into two groups: A and C, E, and B, D, and F. The first grade classes were gathered at the starting point. Among the 100 or so students, I could see Sakai-san.

“Class C, group 6 is on its way out, so our class is next. If anything goes wrong, call right away, and stay on the course.”

“Sensei, what if it rains on the way?”

“The forecast says it won’t be too strong, but the weather is too unpredictable… If it looks like it’s going to get stronger, you can wait for the weather to calm down in a safe place, or make other decisions accordingly for each group.”

Orienteering courses were open to the public, and there were people who conducted maintenance, so any unforeseen problems could be dealt with without problems.

“Now, it’s time to go. Has everyone done their prep work?”

“I’ve heard that stretching before exercises is kind of counterproductive.”

“It’s quite cold. Senda-kun, your winter jacket looks warm.”

“Well, maybe it’ll get hotter as we move.”

Inagawa-san picked at the fabric of my winter jacket – I wonder if the fact that Yamaguchi-san and Inagawa-san were friends in the same middle school as Asatani-san had affected the distance between them.

Asatani-san was also looking a little cold – In another group, Takane-san was well prepared for the hike. Even in her gym clothes, she looked dignified.

When our eyes met, Takane-san smiled and waved her hand. Asatani-san noticed and waved back, and Nakano-san, who was with Takane-san, stomped her feet to warm her body.

Takane-san and the other two groups left first. Takadera and Ogishima, who were in the same group, were walking while talking with the other boy, but were warned by the teacher to line up and walk quickly.

“Then it’s time for the last group to get going.”

“Yes, see you there, Sensei.”

“Sensei will be following you on the same course, so if you stop, Sensei will catch up with you.”

Sato-kun greeted the teacher and took the lead. Yamaguchi-san, Asatani-san, and Inagawa-san followed, and I was the last in line.

“Senda-kun, follow us properly, okay?”

“Y-Yeah… Of course.”

This level of mountain trail would not be too challenging, but it was best to be on your toes.

After walking for a while, the line broke and the three girls started walking side by side talking. I looked around and wondered what Takane-san’s group was doing.

About an hour after departure, the group that left first had an accident. Sato-kun and Yamaguchi-san had to stand by for first aid. They had worn ill-fitting shoes and were unable to walk due to shoe sores.

Asatani-san told Inagawa-san, who was concerned about leaving Yamaguchi-san behind, to “stay with Sayu-chan” – That meant,

“If we pick up the pace now, will we be able to catch up with Takane-san and the others in front?”

Asatani-san and I were walking alone on a mountain path. Asatani-san seemed to have plenty of energy, but she looked a little cold as the temperature hardly rose.

“I don’t think we should change pace, but I’m worried about the weather.”

“I wonder if it’ll start raining.”

“It feels like it’s getting darker, so I’m not surprised it’s going to rain anytime soon.”

“Ah, I see. I’m ‘Kiri,’ so maybe I’m a rain woman?” (T/N: The kanji for ‘Kiri’ means Foggy.)

“I don’t think so. It was a beautiful sunny day for the radio recording.”

“Ah, I see… Yes, it was really sunny that day. I was wearing a disguise, so I was hot and heavy. Nagi-kun, you looked so cool in your outfit then.”

Asatani-san became talkative. After that, however, she stopped talking, and we walked along the mountain path in silence for a while.

“…Nagi-kun, that day…-ry”

In a very quiet voice, Asatani-san said. It sounded like she was saying ‘I’m sorry,’ and if so, what was it for?

“That time… You mean…”

–Just as I was about to ask that, I heard a zap from the entire surrounding forest.

Heavy rain. I took my rain gear out of my knapsack, but before I could put it on, I was soaked – They say mountain weather changed easily, but I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was.

“It’s raining… And it’s raining really hard!”

“This is bad… Let’s take shelter from the rain somewhere and make it through. As I recall, there was a sign earlier that said…”

“Nagi-kun, isn’t that where we’re supposed to take a break?”

“Ah! Let’s hurry over there. Asatani-san, watch your step!”

We ran together to a roof. The circular roof, which seemed to be a rest area, was not that big, and we could still feel the wind when we were under it – But it was better than continuing on the mountain road.

“It seemed fine earlier, but it seems we’re in trouble now… Ah~…”

Asatani-san was not in a bad mood, she said happily – But when she heard a rumbling sound from the sky, her cheerful expression clouded over.

“Asatani-san, may I ask if you’re…”

“I-I’m fine. I’m just, you know, I’m not good with thunder. But aren’t we all?”

“That’s certainly…not something I’m good with either.”

“…What should we do? If we wait, will it stop…?”

It was raining so hard it was pounding off the roof, and the mist was so thick you couldn’t even see a little further.

I wondered if Takane-san was okay. Looking at the map, there was a place where we could take shelter from the rain, so the group that went ahead of us would probably be in that area.

“…Aachoo!”

At that moment, Asatani-san sneezed. She tried to make it sound as quiet as possible, but when I noticed it, she turned red in the face.

“…Nagi-kun, can I ask you to turn around for a minute?”

“Ah, yeah…”

“You should drain your wet clothes too, Nagi-kun. Otherwise, you will lose your body heat.”

That said, there was only so much we could do here. I took off my winter jacket and wiped my wet gym clothes with a towel – With my back to Asatani-san, of course.

“…Hmm…?”

I could hear Asatani-san’s breathing so clearly that it almost drowned out the sound of the rain. I could hear it so clearly.

To distract myself, I looked out the rain-slickened roof.

“…I think this towel is a little small. Nagi-kun, you can look over here now.”

“Asatani-san, I have another towel you can use.”

I held out a towel behind my back. Asatani-san seemed a little hesitant, but after a while she accepted it.

“Thanks, Nagi-kun… This towel smells great.”

There’s nothing better than a good smell, though – But the thought of Asatani-san using my towel from my household was unsettling to say the least.

“…Aachoo!”

Asatani-san sneezed again. After all, it must be cold in this low temperature, even if she just used a towel to absorb the water from her wet clothes.

“…S-Sorry, I’m fine, I wiped up properly.”

“Asatani-san, um… You better avoid catching a cold. Here, can you use this?”I took off my top jersey and offered it to Asatani-san.

There was no way she would want to wear such a thing. It was no wonder she would refuse – But Asatani-san mustn’t catch a cold.

“…Nagi-kun will catch a cold, won’t he?”

“I’m fine, I’m pretty warm with just a winter jacket.”

“No, you need to keep yourself properly warm. I’m fine, so Nagi-kun, you…”

Asatani-san reached out to return the jersey I had offered her – At that moment, there were several flashes around the area and a delayed sound of thunder.

“….!!!”

For a moment, I didn’t know what had happened.

Asatani-san, startled by the thunder, was holding on to my chest. Or more like she was clinging to me.

Would this have happened if I hadn’t tried to lend her my jersey? Well, she’s afraid of thunderstorms, so she had no choice, but did I really think she had no choice? A thought went through my head that had nowhere else to go.

“…Sorry.”

In a small voice, Asatani-san said. It was just a spur of the moment thing, and it could be because she wasn’t afraid of thunder. Before I could ask her that, I noticed that something was wrong with her.

Asatani-san kept her grip on my clothes. Her body was shaking a little and her eyes seemed to be moist as she looked up at my face.

She’s not crying. It was the rain. I told myself- But it didn’t bring me any comfort I thought I would get.

“…Why are we always in the rain?”

What was Asatani-san talking about? Memories that I thought I had sunken deep surfaced with irrepressible clarity.

The first time we promised to go out together, it was also raining in Shibuya that day.

Asatani-san did not show up at the appointed place. I thought at the time that her sudden inability to come was something she could do nothing about.

Was it this kind of ‘nothing we could do about it’ that made Asatani-san give up on me? Or was that irrelevant? And she just felt she couldn’t go out with me, and that’s all there was to it?

Now I could ask. I also have a desire to find out what happened that day.

–But wasn’t that a betrayal to Takane-san?

If we were ‘friends,’ there was no need for me to know. What happened while I thought I was dating Asatani-san had to be forgotten, even if only gradually.

“Today… How did Nagi-kun feel about being in the same group with me today…?”

“…To tell you the truth, I was a little surprised. I didn’t know it was even possible.”

“Was it because you didn’t want to be in the same group as me?”

“That’s not true. I don’t think that at all.”

Saying this just sounded like an excuse. I couldn’t believe that it’s so hard not to feel anything when you were in a group with your ‘ex-girlfriend’.

Even though we ended up doing nothing that was typical of two people in a relationship. Even if Asatani-san said she was my ‘ex-girlfriend’, there were not enough events between us to support that–

“…Look at me and tell me.”

“……”

I was unable to make eye contact. As if she could see my inner thoughts, Asatani-san said that.

I couldn’t come up with any words. All I could do was just look back at Asatani-san who kept looking up at me.

“… Kidding. Nagi-kun, you seem to be pushing yourself, so I’m a little concerned.”

“Of course not…”

It was easy to say ‘no problem’. But that lie should not be told to a ‘friend’.

“…Sorry. I might have been pushing myself a bit. It’s hard to stay in the same group with Asatani-san and remain the same.”

“…Me too. I thought it would be better if Takane-san was with us. But Sayu-chan and Ina-chan are both my important friends.”

“Is there something you want to talk about with Takane-san…?”

“Mhmm, not that.”

Then why? – Before I could say so, Asatani-san lowered her eyes.

She told me to look at her, but she looked away. Was it because she was trying to say something that couldn’t be easily said?

“If Nagi-kun and Takane-san are together, I…”

–At that moment, I heard a vibrating sound coming from my knapsack. There was an incoming call on my phone.

“…It’s okay.”

I moved away from Asatani-san and checked my phone. It was Takane-san who called me.

“Yes, hello, this is Senda.”

[Hello, this is Takane. Nagito-san, is the heavy rain okay?]

“Yeah, I’m fine. Is Takane-san okay?”

[Yes, I’m at a rest stop on the hiking trail. It’s also a shelter in case of an emergency.]

“Good. What about Nakano-san, Takadera and the others?”

[We got caught in the rain on the way here, so now we’re drinking something hot to keep us warm.]

“Takane-san, don’t let your body get cold.”

[…Yes. Nagito-san, are you with Asatani-san and the others?”]

“Right now, Asatani-san and I are taking shelter from the rain. On the way, we were separated from the rest of the group members… But don’t worry, we’ll be there when the rain eases off–”

“–Oi! Kiri-chan! Senda-kun!”

This voice – It was Inagawa-san, who was supposed to be with Yamaguchi-san and the others. Other voices that sounded like teachers could also be heard.

[Nagito-san, is there something wrong?]

“Ah, the teachers are here. Thank you for calling me, Takane-san. I feel much more relieved.”

[Yes… Nagito-san, please be careful.]

When I hung up the phone, Asatani-san, who had been looking at me the whole time, smiled. It seemed to me that Asatani-san was affirming that I spoke honestly about the situation.

The rain had eased a bit while we were under the roof. A car was parked at a distance – I guess that’s how they transported people who had shoe sores.

“The thunderstorms have subsided a bit, so let’s go a little further down the road to the rest stop and stay there. I hear some of the other kids in the class are there too.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Asatani-san did not move immediately, but looked at us. She still looked a little cold – We should move before she caught a cold.

“Asatani-san, let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

We rode in a car arranged by an orienteering course maintenance contractor and traveled by car off the walking mountain road.

It was a little disappointing that we could not finish the course by the regular route, but the weather condition didn’t leave us much choice.

“Kiri-chan, your hands are getting really cold. I’ll warm them up for you.”

“Thank you, Ina-chan.”

“Senda-kun, I’m glad you could join us safely. Still, you moved around more than I thought you would.”

“I thought I’d get an early start on the weather. I’m glad you found us.”

While talking with Sato-kun, we arrived at the rest area where the other groups were taking shelter. As we got out of the car and entered the building, Takadera and Ogishima ran up to me, and for some reason we ended up high-fiving – Was it an exaggeration to say that we were glad each of us were safe?

Asatani-san raised her hand towards Takane-san and approached her. Takane-san also raised her hand in return, and they seemed to be talking about something together.

“Nagisen, how was it with you and Kiri-chan? …Joking, I don’t mean to tease you, but this is quite serious.”

“We had to go on our own for some reasons, and we got caught in a rainstorm, but we’re both fine.”

“Ah, you’re very calm. Does that mean I have nothing to worry about?”

“It’s not every day in orienteering that you have to worry about something like that.”

“There was thunder and lightning, didn’t you get scared?”

“……”

“Ahaha, you’re so flustered. We didn’t have that problem, but we got pretty wet on the way here. We were all talking about how we wanted to get in the hot springs as soon as possible.”

After a brief conversation with me, Nakano-san went to Takane-san and Asatani-san.

“Senda, I’m really glad to see you alive again.”

“Bad weather in the mountains can be a bit of a nerve-wracking experience, even when you think you’re going to be okay.”

“We’re going out for Golden Week and I was thinking what would happen to us if we had lost you…”

“Takadera is the one who said that, not me.”

These two were tough, I thought to myself, while impressed in a strange way. Perhaps my reaction was strange, but Takadera and Ogishima looked doubtful.