If We Could Stay Like This

After arriving at the campground, we checked in and were shown to the tent that had already been set up for us.

Apparently, they had recently been making various improvements so that casual visitors drawn in by the camping boom could enjoy themselves more comfortably. The staff had taken care of all the troublesome parts for us.

“Just throwing people straight into nature is a bit much for kids these days.”

True to those words, the grounds also had a shop and several cottages. Apparently, plenty of people wanted the option of relaxing in nature without actually getting too close to it.

In the end, casual participants made up the largest group in any hobby. It was only natural that lowering the barrier to entry would work better than catering exclusively to experts.

A large number of children were running around the campground, which had been carved out of the forest. Judging by the several adults supervising them, they were probably part of some kind of club.

“It’s pretty popular.”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it’d be this well developed.”

When I’d come here before, it had only ever been mentioned in passing. Now they even had a proper website and were actively promoting the place.

“In the end, adults think of the same things kids do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Revitalizing the village. The adults who’ve lived here all their lives probably feel even more attached to it and even more worried about its future. So I was just thinking that Misuzu and the others aren’t the only ones working hard.”

“Yeah. I think everyone’s doing their part too.”

That was probably why there was no sense of despair here, despite this being a rural area suffering from a declining birthrate. Everyone was trying, in their own way, to change the present situation.

We left our luggage inside the tent and put our valuables into shoulder bags.

“For now, wanna take a walk around?”

“Yeah. Wait a second. I’ll be ready right away.”

“No rush.”

Since it was right in the middle of August, the sunlight was brutal. I was worried about heatstroke, so we should probably buy drinks from a vending machine before heading out.

Looking at the campground map on my phone, there was apparently a walking trail through the woods, as well as a river along the way where people could play. We could kill some time there, then take it easy with a barbecue starting in the evening.

…………Wait, didn’t we naturally end up with only one tent?

We’re sleeping in here together tonight?

I mean, until just a little while ago, that would’ve felt perfectly normal. But things were different now—or at least, if I suddenly brought it up now, it would feel insanely awkward.

—She likes me. Not as a brother, and not simply as family. In some other way.

Whenever that possibility crossed my mind, I couldn’t help feeling restless.

Yūha came outside. When she saw me standing there with my arms crossed, glaring at the tent, she tilted her head curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

“That’s what you say when something is wrong.”

“Do I look like I’m lying?”

“Rokurō, you only ever look like you’re lying.”

Fair enough. Still, she hadn’t figured anything out yet, so I cleared my throat and changed the subject. Dodging uncomfortable topics was another specialty of mine. If there were a national championship for muddying the waters, I was confident I could beat even a tea master.

“Whatever, let’s go. Come on, shoes on. Hurry, hurry.”

“I hate it when you suddenly rush me!”

Clapping my hands rapidly, I forcibly raised the pace of everything she was doing. Yūha, who was easily swept up by it, looked like she was struggling just to put on her shoes in her panic.

“Too slow, too slow, too slow. The sun’s gonna set.”

“What is wrong with you!?”

“Don’t say that.”

“Rokurō, you’re awful! Seriously awful! You have no kindness at all!”

“You’re so noisy.”

“Haaah? You’re the one who started this, and now you’re calling me noisy? Besides… Huh? What were we even talking about?”

It seemed I had successfully scrambled her thoughts. Taking advantage of the timing, I started walking.

“Whatever, let’s go.”

“Wait—ugh, seriously!”

After finishing with her shoes, Yūha hurried over and fell into step beside me. From right next to me, she glared upward at me. When I raised the corners of my mouth in a smug grin, she trembled with anger and went, “Nnggh!”

Well, I was still one step ahead of her.

The two of them walked side by side along a forest path dappled with green light.

There was the sound of the wind, cicadas, birds, and some unseen creature rustling the leaves. From far away came the loud laughter of children.

It was far from silent, and yet “quiet” suited the place perfectly. Trees covered everything as far as the eye could see, making it feel as though they had been cut off from the outside world.

Some bird called out, and Rokurō murmured,

“Do you know what bird that was?”

“Huh? No. Do you?”

“Nope. I don’t know either.”

“Then why did you ask…?”

Without even looking at the puzzled Yūha, Rokurō continued walking calmly. His profile looked slightly stiffer than usual.

(He’s not nervous… right?)

Surely Rokurō, of all people, wouldn’t get nervous simply from walking beside Yūha. More likely, he was just finding it annoying to come up with conversation topics. His expression probably looked stiff because he still hadn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s fatigue.

After they walked a little farther, the young man suddenly muttered,

“It sure is a forest.”

“It sure is.”

And that was the end of the conversation.

Yūha blinked several times, thoroughly confused inside.

(…That’s it!?)

After they walked a little farther again,

“It’s hot.”

“Yeah.”

The two exchanged a grand total of six syllables, then continued walking.

Yūha was deeply bewildered by this unprecedentedly intermittent attempt at communication.

“Um… Rokurō?”

“Mm?”

“You don’t have to force yourself to talk.”

“I’m not forcing myself to talk.”

“Really?”

Rokurō answered curtly and nodded. Yūha knew that when he reacted like that, it wasn’t because he was in a bad mood, but because something was troubling him.

“Did you maybe have something else you wanted to do today?”

“No. I didn’t have any plans.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

She still didn’t understand, so she lightly bumped Rokurō’s arm with the pouch in her hand.

“What was that for?”

“No reaaason.”

“What’s with that?”

“You’re acting weird, Rokurō, so I’m gonna act weird too.”

The young man tilted his head, and the girl flashed him a grin. If she didn’t know what else to do, then she could just smile. She knew that as long as she did that, things wouldn’t take a turn for the worse.

Rokurō let out a short breath and smiled as though giving up.

“You’re weird.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Rokurō.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They only needed to stay ordinary.

Just as they always had, now and from here on out. If only the two of them could remain exactly as they were.

Even though Yūha had long since known that such a thing was impossible.