Part-1 Ch-05 Ep-02

 There are bruises, but no sprains or other injuries.

I rotate my joints in slow circles to check for any hidden damage. When I slid down the slope, I managed to fall properly to some extent, so it seems it didn’t result in anything serious.

The lessons I took since childhood, thanks to my parents’ philosophy of “It’s better to know how to break your fall in an emergency, so judo too,” ended up being surprisingly useful here. That said, this is just my personal experience, so good kids should not imitate it.

“Whoa, Asahina-kun, what about you? Are you hurt?”

Asahina-kun had chased after me and slid down the mountain slope together with me. He seems fine at a glance, but I check just to be sure.

When I ask, he replies, as expected, “I’m fine,” and I finally let out a breath of relief.

I look at his profile as he dusts off the wood chips and dirt clinging to his clothes with light pats. The hair that had probably been styled with gel or wax is a little disheveled, and near his ear, though easy to miss at first, I catch sight of a transparent piercing. He really does feel like a completely different type from both Todoroki-kun and Kagami-kun.

“More importantly, Nagase-san, you’re calmer than I expected. I thought girls would panic or cry more in situations like this.”

He probably said it without any malice, simply because he genuinely thought so.

If I hadn’t been able to predict this happening, I might have panicked too.

More than that, I am furious at myself for messing up and triggering the lost-in-the-woods event in my place instead of Maki.

I am also relieved that Maki didn’t get injured or lost.

“Well... yeah. I’m actually pretty freaked out on the inside. I feel really pathetic for dragging Asahina-kun and everyone else into this. If anything happens, I’ll become your shield or whatever it takes, so don’t worry.”

I decide to tell him honestly what I am thinking. If something happens to a capture target at this point, it could affect Maki’s future. I want to avoid that.

At my reply, he stiffens for a moment as if caught off guard, then bursts out laughing.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Eh, what? Did I say something funny?”

“Ah, no, sorry. You just completely deflated the tension. Nagase-san, you’re amazing. I actually have experience with outdoor stuff in forests and rivers from when I was in the Boy Scouts, but to be honest I was pretty scared. Still, since there’s a girl here, I didn’t want to look uncool, so I was trying to act tough and keep it together. I never thought you’d be the one protecting me. Ahahahahahaha!”

“I see, so Asahina-kun is scared too.”

“Yeah, we slid down farther than I expected, and honestly I’m terrified right now.”

I see.

So behind the line in the game, “I’ll take care of it somehow, so don’t worry,” there was this kind of feeling hidden.

In that case, just how much anxiety had the in-game version of him been suppressing?

The gap between his flashy appearance and moments like this is probably what makes him popular with girls, I thought.

Anyway, the two of us are currently lost.

I’m sure help will arrive soon, but being in a forest where you have no idea what could be lurking is genuinely frightening.

I am just about to ask Asahina-kun whether we should move a little to find an open area or if staying put is safer in situations like this when...

There is a loud rustling sound, as if something is pushing aside bushes.

We immediately stop talking and freeze on the spot. Whatever it is seems to be zigzagging as it approaches, drawing closer little by little.

“A-Asahina-kun, w-what should we do...”

“I-I don’t know, it might be the rescue party... But in this area, there could be bears or something...”

At those words, the blood drains from my head.

I know I cannot win against a wild animal like that. I don’t have the resolve to fight something like that in the first place.

I desperately want to run at full speed, but making noise could attract its attention.

On the other hand, it could be teachers searching for us, or it could be a large wild animal. In other words, we have no idea.

While we stand frozen, it comes closer and closer. Judging from the sound, it is large; definitely not a small animal.

It really does sound like... a bear.

“——N-Nagase-san, anyway, get behind me right now...”

“I-It’s okay. A-Asahina-kun is someone needed for the future story developments, s-so here I will...”

“Story... what did you say...?”

Asahina-kun repeats my words with a puzzled expression. He probably thinks I’m saying strange things because I’m panicking. That is about ninety percent correct. It is correct, but the remaining ten percent is something I am saying with complete clarity.

Soon, the thick grass begins shaking visibly at a distance close enough for us to see it.

If the thing turns out to be a large wild animal, the moment our eyes meet, we will never be able to escape. At the very least, I have to let Asahina-kun get away.

This is all for Maki's sake.

“Hey, I’m telling you it’s really dangerous, so get behind me...”

Asahina-kun grabs my shoulders with a serious, frantic expression.

“No way. If you do that, Asahina-kun will be the one in danger...”

I push his hands away, desperate.

While we stubbornly argue, saying “I will” and “No, I will”...

“——Hey, you two, what on earth are you doing?!”

...the large creature—no, my childhood friend, her face filled with desperation—comes crashing toward us at full speed, forcing her way through the grass.