Chapter 41: Encounter During the Outing
Leisurely time always passes quickly. Holding each other while watching the scenery and enjoying the gentle breeze, it was suddenly three in the afternoon before they knew it.
Ren released Hitori, stood up to stretch his body, then looked at her. "Bocchi-chan, still have energy? Let's go explore somewhere else."
"Yes."
Hitori always followed Ren's lead. They left the lakeside and wandered to other areas of the campground.
Their first stop was a small grove. Unfortunately, wildlife was scarce and hard to encounter. After walking for a while, they only heard the rustling of leaves playing with the gentle wind.
This led Ren to ponder a question that had previously puzzled him: weren't people who operated in the wild afraid of mosquito bites? Even mosquito coils didn't seem entirely effective.
Setting aside these random thoughts, Ren took Hitori to the reception area, which resembled a highway service station. After resting together, they headed back toward the campsite.
Their exploration lasted two and a half hours. The lakeside near evening was cool, even somewhat chilly.
Ren was fine with it—he feared heat more than cold. Hitori was even better off, as her tracksuit, which protected her, now served as a warm jacket.
"Oh? Aren't those Ren and Hitori? You're here camping too?"
On their way back, someone called out to them in surprise.
Ren looked over and saw Yuno, holding a bag of dried branches in one hand and an axe in the other, standing not far from them.
"Yeah, what a coincidence."
Ren nodded, feeling both surprised and astonished. This seemed to be the second time he'd unexpectedly run into Yuno—the last time was when she interrupted them under the school staircase.
"Where's your tent? We might be heading the same way. How about walking back together?"
Yuno smiled faintly, her face showing the delighted expression of running into classmates outdoors.
"Over there. If it's on your way, let's go together."
Ren pointed toward his tent. Yuno then confirmed it was indeed on the way, since there was only one area open for tourist camping. Hitori, meanwhile, didn't dare speak.
Currently, Satou gave her the most terrifying vibe. Although Yuno seemed less intimidating, she was still scary.
They then returned to the lakeside camping area. Coincidentally, Yuno's tent was pitched not far from Ren and Hitori's, with no other tents blocking the view between them.
"How coincidental~"
Yuno smiled even more delightedly.
"Did you come alone?"
Not seeing anyone else with Yuno, Ren inquired.
"Yes, solo camping. It's relaxing and leisurely, isn't it? Ren, would it be alright if I joined you for dinner? It gets a bit lonely by myself."
Yuno nodded, then twirled a strand of her hair tied with a red ribbon that hung in front of her. Her expression was somewhat embarrassed yet expectant, with a hint of unease and loneliness from being alone.
Her emotions were rich and full, indistinguishable from genuine feelings.
"Is that okay, Bocchi-chan?"
Ren had no particular objection. This was camping—even without Yuno, it would be difficult to make any breakthroughs with Hitori during dinner. So, having Yuno join wouldn't really affect them.
But he still needed to consider Hitori's opinion, since she was shy around strangers.
However, if possible, Ren would quite like Hitori and Yuno to become friends.
Yuno currently gave him a much better impression than Satou. He had offered help to both of them, but Satou ended up clinging to him, while Yuno didn't and seemed to be a very gentle person.
Someone like that becoming friends with Hitori probably wouldn't put too much pressure on her.
"I... I don't mind."
Facing Yuno's gentle smile and affectionate gaze, Hitori shrank back slightly and voiced her thoughts.
And so, Yuno brought over her campfire bucket for starting fires and ingredients, then later moved chairs over to join Ren's table.
Next came the dinner preparation. Since they were out having fun, Ren naturally wouldn't have a normal meal—he'd prepared barbecue and cola, which had been kept chilled in a cooler in the trunk.
Yuno had brought regular ingredients, and like Ren, she'd also brought a fish.
Since it was barbecue, grilled fish naturally couldn't be missing. After discussing, they decided to go with whatever was most convenient—Ren would handle the charcoal and grill the fish while Yuno prepared the seasonings. As for Hitori, who couldn't cook, she could only serve as the mascot on the side.
Watching Ren and Yuno working together in division of labor, Hitori felt like she was the outsider at this moment.
But one of her great strengths was knowing not to insist on helping when she might just make things worse.
While grilling the fish, Ren was also preparing the barbecue. The grilled fish he was making was the kind he really liked in his previous life—with bean sprouts and sour bamboo shoots as the base, adding a package of hot pot seasoning, then boiling it with water. After pressing the grilled fish on top, he'd add some tofu and other ingredients—basically whatever people liked to eat. This method not only worked as grilled fish but could also be eaten like hot pot.
After a while, the aroma burst forth and drifted into the distance, tempting everyone's taste buds.
"Gurgle—"
"Gulp..."
Just as Ren had almost finished preparing the meal and they could start eating, a protesting sound from a hungry stomach reached everyone's ears.
"?"
Ren looked at Yuno and Hitori upon hearing the sound, only to see them both shaking their heads to indicate it wasn't them. When having barbecue, who would honestly wait until everything was cooked before eating? They'd been eating skewers as they grilled them, so they wouldn't get hungry enough for their stomachs to thunder.
"Hello... Actually, I'm the one whose stomach made that sound, onee-sama, please give me something to eat! I'll pay!"
Just as they were looking at each other in confusion, a girl's voice came from behind them, somewhat embarrassed but lively and cheerful.
It was only then that Ren and the others noticed a strange girl had come up behind them. Because it had already gotten dark, they hadn't noticed her earlier.
The girl had some grass and leaves stuck in her hair, as if she'd been adventuring in the woods, or maybe she'd slept on the grass without tidying up afterward.
Most importantly, why did she also have pink hair?
Ren was quite surprised looking at this girl with long pink hair—did he have some kind of universal pink hair attraction law?
"Come over first. Are you lost?"
Ren was the one in charge among the three. Given the time, he invited the unfamiliar girl to come over and speak.
As the other person approached, Ren and the others could finally see her appearance clearly—pink hair, blue eyes, with an animated and adorable expression, showing no trace of shyness.
"No, I just wanted to see Mount Fuji printed on the thousand-yen bill, but I got so tired from cycling here that I accidentally fell asleep until now. Hello, I'm Kagamihara Nadeshiko."
The beautiful girl named Kagamihara Nadeshiko introduced herself while explaining the reason for her request for help.
Why does she seem a bit careless?
To come all the way here just to see Mount Fuji on a banknote, only to end up so exhausted that she fell asleep on the spot and slept until evening—Ren thought no normal person would do something like that.
"I'm Ren Watanabe, this is my classmate Yuno Gasai, and this is my girlfriend Hitori Gotou. If you're hungry, feel free to join us for dinner."
After confirming Nadeshiko's situation, Ren introduced everyone while inviting her to share their meal. They had prepared plenty of ingredients, so adding one more person would help avoid waste.
"Thank you! You're all such kind people. Let's eat!"
Whether she was genuinely careless or just a bit scatterbrained, Nadeshiko acted as if she were completely at home, clasping her hands together to say the customary mealtime greeting before digging in enthusiastically. She didn't seem to consider herself an outsider at all, as if she had been starving for a long time.
Was she a foodie, too?
Her ravenous, almost desperate eating didn't bother Ren and the others; instead, they found it somewhat amusing. It was clear she was really hungry. And so, dinner continued, only this time with an extra pink-haired girl and an additional pair of chopsticks.