Two outcasts who look down on each other share an innocent first kiss. - Chapter 10

The trees rustled like waves.

My shoes pressed into the damp fallen leaves.

The sweat that had soaked into my long sleeves was quickly cooled by the mountain’s tranquil air.

“Are you all right, Harrison?”

At the sound of Clarence’s voice, I lifted my head and answered, “I’m fine.”

The moment I spoke, my toes caught on an exposed tree root, and I stumbled forward with a startled, “Whoa!”

Instinctively, I thrust out my left hand to catch myself, but before I could hit the ground, Clarence grasped my right arm, steadying me.

“That was close,” he remarked.

Embarrassed, I lowered my gaze to the sun-dappled ground and mumbled, “T-Thanks…”

We were on a mountain trail.

The sounds of rustling leaves, the hum of insects, and the cheerful voices of my classmates ahead filled the air.

Flanking the dirt and gravel path were towering conifers, whether cedar or cypress, their dark green foliage stretching endlessly.

At times along the way, a sheer drop loomed just a meter to my right, a cliff where a misstep could send me tumbling ten meters below. This was true wilderness.

It was the last troublesome event before summer vacation—the dreaded school retreat.

There was a lodge at the mountain’s peak, where the entire class would be staying overnight.

I hadn’t done any hiking since a school trip in elementary school. The only exercise I got outside of gym class was the daily walk to and from school. To me, these steep inclines, the countless steps, and the uneven terrain felt like mortal enemies.

Because of that, I had naturally ended up among the stragglers at the back of the group.

At least Clarence, who wasn’t particularly athletic himself, was keeping pace with me.

It was both a relief and a source of shame.

If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have cared whether I tripped or fell, as long as I didn’t get completely lost in the woods.

…But still, at least I was better off than Sumino.

I glanced over my shoulder.

About twenty meters down the wooden steps we had just climbed, I could see a small figure stumbling along, closely watched by one of the teachers.

Sumino…

She was so petite that the backpack she carried looked more like a first grader’s school satchel, tugging her backward as if she might topple over like a turtle.

From this distance, I couldn’t see her expression, but judging by her sluggish pace, I could easily imagine the despair on her face. Sumino’s lack of athletic ability put mine to shame.

…It had been over a month now.

We had spent about a month walking to school together, eating lunch together, playing games while talking on the phone at night.

But after I moved, the time we had spent talking and the time we had spent not talking had become nearly equal.

The memories were beginning to fade.

The days between May and early June were already turning into something distant, like a dream.

I had been naive.

I had assumed that soon enough, we would start talking again.

That time would simply smooth things over, and we’d go back to how we were before.

But the truth was, neither of us were the type to take the first step.

We had never had many friends, nor had we ever truly fought with anyone before.

Which meant neither of us had ever learned how to make up.

I had foolishly believed, without any real reason, that if I just apologized for what I said, and she forgave me, things would magically go back to normal—like an event in a game triggering at the right moment.

Clinging to that wishful thinking, I had taken the easy way out.

I did nothing.

And in doing nothing, three days passed. Then a week.

Before I realized it, the right timing had disappeared entirely.

Every morning, I still left my house at the same time, just barely making it to the train on time, walking the same route.

But now there was a distance between us. The kind that made us strangers.

On the train, we entered through different doors, standing at opposite ends of the car.

I was still aware of her, though.

Always, from afar.

And before I knew it, I had lost the ability to tell whether it was still okay to talk to her at all.

I should have apologized before it got to this point.

Most people learn that kind of thing long before high school.

But I hadn’t.

And so, a month later, here we were—separated by twenty meters, silently climbing a mountain.

…Pathetic, really.

Where had that version of me gone, the one who scoffed at romance and friendships, claiming they were meaningless?

Clearly, I hadn’t let go of anything.

Just before I turned back, I thought I met Sumino’s eyes.

But it was probably just my imagination.

After dropping off our belongings at the bungalows, we gathered in groups and moved to the campsite.

The clearing was surrounded by trees, with a large covered cooking area at its center.

Inside were several stone and concrete fire pits—the main stage for today’s activity.

We were going to cook our own meal.

“First, let’s divide up the roles! I’ll make the curry!”

The one who declared this first was Edmund.

Tall and always wearing a necklace, he was the kind of person someone like me would find intimidating—your typical socialite.

For some reason, he was close friends with Clarence and often hung around him.

The most memorable thing about him was how he had teased Clarence about Eleanor before.

“Then I’ll help with the curry. Someone needs to keep an eye on Edmund, after all,” said Victor with a bored sigh.

Victor was Edmund’s friend, and by extension, an acquaintance of Clarence.

If Edmund was the classic extrovert, Victor was the rebel.

I’d never seen him threaten anyone, but his sharp, almost feral gaze gave off a wild air.

He looked like a lone wolf, but that wasn’t entirely accurate.

More often than not, he got roped into Edmund’s antics, sighing as he reluctantly went along.

Despite his rough appearance, maybe he wasn’t such a bad person after all. Probably.

With Clarence and me included, the four of us made up a group for this school retreat.

Of course, it went without saying that this group was formed because Clarence invited me when I was left out of the selection process. I owed him for that. Having a reliable partner in gym class was a blessing, even if two out of the four members were the type of people I wasn’t particularly comfortable with.

Not that I was in any position to complain.

“So that means we’re in charge of cooking the rice. But either way, we can’t do anything until we gather firewood first.”

Clarence’s voice was calm and logical.

At his words, Edmund folded his arms and muttered, “Oh yeah, that’s true…” Then, after some thought, he turned to me.

“But we also have to collect ingredients and do the prep work… Hey, Harrison, could you go gather the firewood?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah, sure.”

“Appreciate it! Let’s go, Victor! First, onions! We need onions!”

After patting my shoulder in an overly familiar manner, Edmund took off toward the teacher distributing supplies, Victor following close behind.

He was the kind of person who found joy in every little thing. People like him probably looked forward to school events like this.

For me, though, it was nothing but a hassle.

That said, this time wasn’t too bad. At least I was given a proper task instead of passively standing around, looking like I was slacking off.

“…You okay?”

Clarence, the only one who stayed behind, looked at me with mild concern.

“Ah… n-no, I mean… it’s something that needs to be done anyway.”

“Edmund doesn’t have much tact. If something bothers you, you should speak up.”

“No, it’s fine…”

…I really needed to stop starting every sentence with no.

I didn’t think I was this bad when I talked to Sumino.

Clarence and I split up to gather firewood, collecting dry branches and fallen leaves.

You’d think that in the mountains, there’d be an abundance of firewood. But finding the right kind proved difficult, as other groups were competing for the best pieces.

At this rate, we might have to ask another group for extra wood.

That would be the worst-case scenario.

It would mean talking to someone I had never spoken to before.

I had been picking up branches at the edge of the campsite when suddenly, a shadow entered my vision from above.

Thinking someone wanted to use this spot, I glanced up—and froze.

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

I met Sumino Mikage’s gaze.

She stood there, holding a plastic bag filled with branches and dried leaves.

Her expression said everything—I messed up.

“………………”

“………………”

The distant chatter of our classmates echoed in the background.

I had no idea what to say in this moment.

What words should I use?

How was I supposed to break the silence?

Neither of us spoke. Instead, we quickly averted our eyes and turned away, pretending we hadn’t seen each other.

…This was probably another perfect timing.

If I had just set aside my hesitation and said something—anything—things might have been different.

But if I were the kind of person who could do that, I wouldn’t be this way in the first place.

Still, I had to.

If I wanted to rid myself of this awful, lingering regret, I had to summon the courage to speak.

I had done it once before—when we exchanged our first greeting through the window.

“Alright! Next up! We’re in charge of starting the fire, so Harrison, go rinse the rice!”

Edmund shouted like a hero in a shounen manga as he and Victor prepared to light the fire.

With that, I grabbed the precisely measured rice and made my way to the water station.

I turned on the faucet and let water pour over the rice.

The moment my hands dipped in, a sharp chill stabbed my skin.

Was it because of the mountain air?

Cold water should only be refreshing when you drink it, not when you’re washing rice in it…

Feeling slightly irritated, I started stirring the rice in the water—

“Ah…”

A familiar voice reached my ears.

I turned around.

Sumino stood there, holding a pot of rice, her eyes slightly widened in hesitation.

“………………”

“………………”

In the distance, the fire-starting team was shouting excitedly.

“Ugh, it’s not lighting!”

“It’s catching, it’s catching!”

Without a word, Sumino placed her pot beside mine and turned on the faucet.

She plunged her pale hands into the water—only to immediately recoil.

“Cold…!” she whispered in shock.

This was it.

This was the timing.

The water here is freezing, huh?

That was all I had to say.

A simple, casual comment.

Just that, and I might finally break through the invisible wall between us.

Just that, and this awkward tension that had loomed for so long might finally crack.

But.

“………………”

“………………”

The only sound that filled the silence was the dull splashing of water as we washed our rice.

I always missed the timing.

Even when I realized it was now, I never acted.

It had never been in my nature, and it certainly wasn’t going to change suddenly today.

Think about it.

That time at the window…

Even then, I had stayed silent for twenty whole minutes before saying anything.

Give Up…?

No.

There will be another chance.

I understood why we kept running into each other like this.

All I had to do was say it.

Just like with the water earlier.

This time, the timing didn’t matter.

As long as I said it before we finished rinsing the rice.

Say it.

Say it.

…Say it!

“…O-”

My throat closed up, just like on that first night we spoke.

I forced my vocal cords open, shoving through the resistance with the words I had prepared in my mind.

“Were you… forced into this too?”

It came out clumsily, but at least it was audible.

We kept running into each other because we were being given the same kinds of tasks.

Gathering firewood, rinsing rice—mundane, uninteresting chores.

Even if we had stopped talking, in the end, we were still similar.

“…Not really.”

Sumino’s reply was awkward too.

“I’m just… doing what I can.”

There was a slight sharpness to her tone, but somehow, that made me feel relieved.

It hadn’t been erased.

The month we had spent together since May—

Hadn’t been erased.

It was still there.

Inside both of us.

That alone was enough.

I kept stirring the rice in the icy water until my fingers went numb.