The next morning, I was sitting at my usual seat, reading a book.
Thanks to the discount coupons, I had ended up buying more gear yesterday than I'd originally planned.
The truth was, I had actually been interested in mountain climbing and trail trekking for a while.
Communing with nature without anyone getting in your way—as a hobby, it was pretty close to perfection.
As for inviting Shinonome along, that had been more out of consideration for the old man than for her.
If his beloved daughter dropped out of high school and turned into a delinquent, it would break his heart.
The shock might even throw off the flavor of his tantanmen. In other words, I was simply protecting the future stability of my diet.
By the way, why had Amanatsu been sitting at her desk this whole time, glaring resentfully in my direction?
The plastic bottle of green tea gripped in her hand was completely crushed out of shape.
Right around then, Shinonome walked into the classroom.
She stopped right beside my desk, her gaze turning sharp and piercing.
Yet she quickly averted her eyes, a faint murmur slipping past her pouted lips.
"...Mornin'."
"Yeah, morning."
Saying only that, she walked away.
A dull thud echoed through the room.
Slipping from Amanatsu's hand, the plastic bottle rolled across the floor and bumped to a halt against a desk leg.
Without even trying to pick it up, she just stared at me, her face completely drained of color.
After school, in the club room.
Sitting across from me at the table, Amanatsu was in a foul mood, caught in a bizarre loop of repeatedly twisting the bottle cap open and shut.
"I just... can't make sense of this."
"Make sense of what?"
"...You looking out for Shii-chan, Hatsukade-kun. It feels like... well, like it's none of your business."
She was a handful too, wasn't she?
To her, it probably looked like I was reaching out a helping hand to Shinonome, which had sparked her jealousy.
Too bad for her, though; the one I was actually looking out for was the old man standing behind Shinonome.
Besides, I had no intention of forgiving someone who couldn't even apologize.
"In the first place, why did you suddenly decide to invite Shii-chan?"
"I ran into her at her place on Saturday, so things just ended up playing out that way."
"Whaaa?!"
Once again, the bottle slipped from her fingers and went rolling.
Frantically scooping it up, she leaned all the way across the table.
"W-What do you mean, you went into her house?! Is that what the morning greeting was about too?! Just what kind of relationship is this?! G-Give me an explanation that makes sense!"
We're customer and clerk, obviously.
I was about to say it out loud when I remembered that Shinonome had been hiding the fact that her family ran a ramen shop.
Watching the light in Amanatsu's eyes turn increasingly murky, I realized this was turning into a real headache. Matching her posture, I leaned forward and dropped my voice to a whisper.
"Amanatsu... this is strictly between you and me, got it?"
"Fwah? W-What is it all of a sudden?!"
"The truth is, Shinonome's family has a Samoyed."
"I already know that, though?"
"Right. Well, I happened to run into Shinonome while she was walking the dog around town. It was just so cute that I ended up following her home."
"What about our Hulk? Isn't that practically cheating on him?"
Why would it be?
Ahem. Clearing my throat, I pulled my face back into a serious expression.
"If everyone found out I followed a girl all the way home just because I got lured in by a dog, that'd be pretty embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
"You actually have normal human feelings like that, Hatsukade-kun...?"
Between Shinonome and Amanatsu, what on earth did these girls think I was?
Leaning back against the chair, Amanatsu let out a low groan and took a sip of tea.
"Well, if that's all it was, I guess it makes sense."
Seemingly convinced, the sharp edge faded from her eyes.
Amanatsu was so easily duped that it was starting to make me genuinely concerned for her.
"Setting that aside, I'm looking forward to the trek this weekend. But man, the overnight stay is a huge hurdle. What am I going to do about my makeup...? There's no way I can show my bare face, so I guess I'll just have to sleep with it on."
"You looked perfectly fine the way you were, though."
"Yeah, right. You can only say that because you've never seen my real face, Hatsukade-kun... Wait a second. What did you just say?"
"I mean, when I went to your place, you didn't have any makeup on."
"Hawawa..."
Letting out a tiny shriek, Amanatsu knocked over her drink and tumbled straight out of her chair.
Having doused her own head in tea in spectacular fashion, she whimpered, "I can't go on living anymore..." Glaring resentfully up at me while forcing a strained smile, she slowly gave me a thumbs-up.
"...This is a secret between the two of us too, okay?"
◇
The trekking course was located about a two-hour bus ride from our high school.
A series of mountain ridges encircled a completely cloudless blue sky.
The forest trail at the foot of the mountain that our group was following wasn't particularly steep. It was a gentle, pleasant path—just right for a casual stroll.
The handout distributed to each group listed an assignment to photograph specific wild plants, flowers, and trees; our goal was to find and document all of them.
As the sub-leader, my job was to act as timekeeper, making sure our group kept a manageable pace and returned on schedule.
That said, we had plenty of time even if we took it slow, so there shouldn't have been any need to obsess over the clock. Or so I had thought, anyway...
"Shii-chan, that gear is super cute. Where'd you buy it?"
"At a shop with Sakura and the others..."
"Huh, I wish I'd gone too."
"...Maybe next time."
True to form, Katsurama was hovering around Shinonome the entire time, which dragged down our group's overall walking speed.
Look where you're going, will you?
Probably due to a lack of stamina, Shinonome was already breathing a bit heavily from having to hold a conversation while hiking.
"You okay, Shii-chan? Getting tired? Want me to carry some of your stuff?"
Katsurama, you're the problem here.
"N-No, it's fine..."
Good grief, the rest of this trip was looking bleak.
Trailing at the very back of the line, I raised my voice.
"Katsurama, get ready to take some photos and head up to the front."
"...Why should I?"
"I'm pretty sure the wild wisteria on our list is blooming up ahead. You're the recorder, aren't you?"
At that, Hiiragi parted her lips in surprise.
"How do you even know that? Are you psychic or something?!"
"Can't you catch that distinctive sweet scent drifting on the breeze?"
"Now that you mention it... maybe?"
A relative of mine lived out in the middle of nowhere, and wild wisteria always bloomed along the walking paths there.
It had a strong fragrance, so the scent stuck in my memory.
Hiiragi's eyes sparkled as she beamed at me.
"Whoa, awesome! Are you secretly one of those guys who can do literally everything?"
You're the kind of girl who only creates unnecessary work for everyone else, though.
Masanori nodded in approval.
"Making Hatsukade the sub-leader really was the right call after all."
For some reason, Amanatsu looked as puffed up with pride as if she were the one being praised.
Katsurama, on the other hand, clicked his tongue in petty frustration, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye as he stalked forward.
And I didn't miss what happened the very next second.
Katsurama caught his foot on a tree root sticking out of the ground, twisting his ankle with a nasty crunch...
A fleeting grimace of agony flashed across his face, but out of sheer embarrassment, he immediately pretended nothing had happened.
Then, he glared back at me as if the whole thing were my fault.
I told you... look where you're walking.
◇
By the time we reached the turnaround point, the sun was sitting directly overhead.
We ate our lunch in a small clearing, and just as everyone was finishing up, Shinonome—who was on supply duty—pulled out some snacks from her backpack.
While she had almost no responsibilities during the hike itself, her one job was to bring snacks for the group. That said, everyone had brought their own anyway, so it was really just an added bonus.
Out came brightly colored gummies, animal-shaped cookies, and the like.
However, Shinonome tilted her head in confusion as she picked up an item wrapped in a white hand towel.
Unwrapping the bundle...
"This is the worst,"
she muttered, burying her face in her hands.
"I told him I didn't want it, so why did he sneak it in anyway...?"
What emerged was a Ziploc bag filled with chashu pork jerky.
Since it was such an unusual treat, the rest of the group swarmed in, peppering her with curious questions.
Looking utterly mortified, Shinonome scrambled to explain.
"It wasn't my idea! My dad just told me to take it along if Hatsukade was in my group."
"Why for Hatsukade?"
When Masanori tilted his head in bewilderment, the color instantly drained from Shinonome's face as she realized her slip of the tongue.
"U-Umm..."
All she had to do was come clean and admit her family ran a ramen shop, yet she just sat there in front of Masanori, her eyes darting around in a panic.
I reached into the bag and bit into a piece of the jerky.
"Shinonome's dad and I have a bit of a connection through his work."
"Oh, really?"
Well, it wasn't a lie.
Apparently satisfied with the answer, Masanori reached in too. "Mind if I grab one, then?"
"Man, this is great."
I couldn't have agreed more.
To think he'd turn chashu pork into something like this—I never would have come up with the idea.
Shinonome really ought to be prouder of her father.
Thinking that, I glanced over at her, only for her to sharply turn away.
She really was a difficult one to deal with.
While everyone happily munched on the snacks, Katsurama alone continued to bore daggers into me.
"That gear looks good on you, Hatsukade. Looks easy to move in, and the design's cool too."
When Masanori complimented my outfit, Hiiragi raised her hand with a grin.
"We all went shopping together to pick it out!"
"Really? That's... quite a miraculous combination of people."
"Ehehe, he meekly tagged along because we baited him with discount coupons! It was super fun having Nakina and Shii-chan there too."
The shift in Katsurama upon hearing that was instantaneous and dramatic.
Glancing back and forth between Shinonome and me, his face twisted into an expression of pure, venomous hatred—a look you'd never imagine coming from the class's usual punching bag.
When the time came to resume our trek and I moved to slip on my backpack, Katsurama deliberately slammed his shoulder into mine as he walked past.
Without a single word of apology, he just kept going.
...What are you, twelve?
Bringing up the rear, I kept my eyes on Katsurama's back as we moved along the path.
He no longer had the breath or composure to make small talk with Shinonome.
Trudging silently down the forest trail, he was drenched in sweat.
His ankle must have been killing him.
Whether he was too embarrassed to admit he'd clumsily sprained it or not, he was clearly pushing himself past his limit just to match the front group's pace.
There was no way he could keep this speed up for long anyway.
Pulling up alongside his dragging steps, I called out to him.
"Hey. If your ankle hurts, let Masanori know."
"...It doesn't hurt."
Without even attempting to hide his foul mood, he snapped back at me.
"Just so you know, trying to hide an injury looks way more pathetic."
"Tsk, what's it to you?! Mind your own damn business!"
"My job is timekeeper. If you push yourself until your foot gives out completely and you can't walk, we're not going to make it back to the lodge on time."
"I told you I'm fine!"
Right, then.
To test his claim, I gave his throbbing foot a light tap with the tip of my shoe.
"Aaargh...?!"
Dropping instantly to a crouch, Katsurama glared up at me as if he were staring at an absolute monster.
"A-Are you insane?!"
"See? It does hurt."
"S-Shut up!"
"You're being way too self-conscious. Nobody's going to look down on you just because you twisted your ankle. Look."
I pointed toward the front of the line.
Centered around Hiiragi's cheerful chatter, the others were briskly marching ahead.
"None of them have even noticed us. They don't care."
"Don't lump me in with an outcast like you!"
Struggling against his stocky frame, Katsurama forced himself back onto his feet, grimacing in pain.
"I can't stand you. You think you're intimidating me? I know you've always looked down on me with those smug, mocking eyes!"
"Excuse me?"
"You've been silently toying with me this whole time just because I let slip to Shii-chan who Masanori has a crush on, haven't you?!"
"I haven't done anything of the sort."
I wasn't mocking him; I was simply appalled by him.
"I see right through you. You've got your eyes on Shii-chan, don't you? That's why you're pissed off that I'm close with her!"
What on earth was this guy even blabbering about?
Misinterpreting my silence as confirmation, Katsurama let out a mocking snort.
"No girl in her right mind would ever fall for a cringe-ass loner like you. If you wanna rat me out to Masanori, go right ahead! He'll just laugh it off and forgive me anyway, so you won't hurt me one bit!"
I'd always known he was pathetic, but I hadn't realized he was this far gone.
"That's just Masanori being generous; it doesn't change how small-minded you are. You haven't solved a single thing."
"What did you say?!"
"Also, while we're on the subject, let me give you a piece of advice. Give up on Shinonome already. Anyone with eyes can tell you don't stand a chance."
"You bastard...!"
"If you really can't let it go, you'd better change your approach. As things stand, she clearly just finds you annoying."
"Don't you dare look down on me!"
Losing his temper completely, Katsurama grabbed me by the collar. In response, I gave his sprained ankle a swift kick; letting out a pitiful squeal, he collapsed onto the dirt like a sack of potatoes.
Without missing a beat, I called out toward Amanatsu and the others ahead.
"Hey! Looks like Katsurama just hurt his foot! Let's take five so we can check on him!"
Finally noticing our absence, Amanatsu and the rest of the group stopped and turned back toward us.
"You son of a..."
As Katsurama hissed curses under his breath, I simply gave a light shrug.
If he had stubbornly kept walking like that, he would've ended up doing serious damage to his ankle, so he really ought to be thanking me.
Then again... once we got back to the lodge, he was probably going to whine and complain endlessly, which was bound to be a pain in the neck.