space-time singularity

Dumb-ass. I am a stupid dumb-ass.

I have been planning this trip for weeks and thinking about it was the only thing that kept me sane. I even prepared that Spotify playlist just for this hike, only to waste two hours getting lost from the bus stop to the hiking trail instead of the designated thirty minutes, so I ended up consuming precious energy, my phone's battery life, and most of my water supply. And about four kilometers from the start of the trail, I stepped on a puddle of mud. The supposed good day to unwind is turning to shit.

"What am I even doing here?" I sighed whilst leaning against the tree, not even caring at this point if I'm sitting on dirt. My mind is about to spiral down that existential crisis drain again. Who would want to climb a mountain alone without music and water? I'll only be forced to be alone with my own violent thoughts. Should I just go back?

"Daijoubu?"

I opened my eyes. There are two suns now. Wait... No, those are eyes. Really yellow ones. There's a person bending over me, looking at me with such child-like curiosity.

"Uh... Daijoubu, I guess. Sorry, I don't speak Japanese" I reply to him.

"Oh, that's okay!" he beams. "Why are you on the dirt?"

I was pretty sure there wouldn't be a lot of people hiking this trail today because it's a Tuesday, and the blog I read said that not a lot of people go here. And so far, he's the first person I've encountered, that's why I was pretty confident that if I sat on this dirt no one would even notice and disturb me.

"I'm just resting."

The person laughs, "We're not even halfway to the peak and you're already tired?"

I glared at him, which makes him laugh even harder. I was lying of course, I'm not that tired, I'm just annoyed at what's been happening and how nothing is going my way.

"Do you want some water?"

Yes yes yes, I really do. But it would be unwise to accept drinks from a foreign stranger, wouldn't it?

"Oh, don't worry, it's not poisoned," he assures me, as if reading my mind, took a sip from his big-ass water jug, then offered it to me. I accepted and thanked him.

"I'm Bokuto Koutarou. What's your name?" he says with a beam.

"I'm Rey," I tell him as I get up from the ground.

"Nice to meet you, Rey-chan!"

"Uh, thanks. Nice to meet you too... Bokuto-san." He smiles widely at the nickname and started walking beside me as we head on with the hiking trail.

I don't think this guy would be leaving me alone any time soon.

--

"So what brings you here?" he starts the conversation.

"You mean hiking? I guess I was hoping to find some peace of mind and unwind or something," I reply. "What about you?"

"Our trainer advised me to."

"Trainer, huh? So you're an athlete?"

"Yes!" he answers proudly. "I'm a volleyball player."

"Cool... What team do you play?" I ask him, trying my best to keep the conversation going even though I don't know any volleyball teams in Japan.

"Japan National Team," he says, putting his hands on his waist and puffing his chest, looking really proud.

"Woah, seriously?"

"Yes! And we're playing for the Olympics next year that's why our trainer advised us to take a break for some time before we start with extensive training," he tells me with such enthusiasm.