Chapter 1842 Encounter
?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.
“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.”