Date Her Instead Vol. 2

Chapter Eighteen: Here

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In a small patch of grass that wasn't touched by bushes, trees or any other plant life, Kanako sat on her knees. If a person had happened upon her in that moment, they would've thought they were witnessing something holy. A girl sitting on her knees, spotlighted by the moon, holding her hands together and keeping her head bowed. It was a scene that would almost look mystical. But it was far from that.

The truth was, Kanako was on her knees because her legs felt too weak to stand. Part of what had led to that was that Kanako hadn't eaten much at dinner. Proceeding to then argue with Michi and run at full speed left her feeling a little lacking in energy. But that wasn't the only factor. The other thing that had led to Kanako falling was fear. At first, she had simply wondered where she was. She had looked around, trying to remember which direction she had come from. Unfortunately, when unfamiliar with a forest, all the trees look the same.

Kanako had thought about just picking a direction she felt was right and going with it, but considering how high the chances were of her getting even more lost, she decided that'd be a bad idea. So, ultimately, Kanako stayed put. She had no clue if anyone would come look for her, but considering she was with such a small group, it was only a matter of time until someone came for her. But, as time passed, Kanako began to feel more and more worried. Sunset turned to night, and night created a rather spooky atmosphere. Being all alone in the woods in near pitch-black conditions had begun to put Kanako very on edge.

At first, she had only been wondering when one of the girls would come find her, but that question turned into wondering if anyone was even looking. Thinking talking with Michi would only take a little bit of time, Kanako had left her phone inside the cabin. "If I had known this would happened, I would've brought it with me," Kanako had sighed to herself earlier. With no way to call for help, all she could do was wait.

But waiting was taking its toll and with night fully in charge of both the ground and sky, Kanako was becoming more scared by the minute. The nocturnal creatures seemed to be particularly active. Or perhaps that was just Kanako's imagination. A rustle here and there caused her to whip her eyes back and forth all around her, trying to determine if she was in any danger, but she never saw anything. A couple hoots from owls caused Kanako to jump, and the snapping of a branch was enough to make her squeal out in fear.

It was all of these little moments that added up and culminated into the scene of Kanako kneeling. It wasn't for religious purposes, nor was she doing some sort of meditation. Simply put, Kanako had fallen to her knees from hunger and fear, she had clasped her hands together in some attempt to calm herself down, and her head was down because staring at the ground seemed preferable to potentially seeing beady eyes sticking out through the bushes. The girl was quivering, feeling so scared that something might happen to her or that she'd never be found.

On top of it all were Kanako's own personal worries. "First Akio-kun, and now Mi-chan..." she muttered to herself. It was beginning to feel like, in one way or another, everyone was leaving Kanako behind. Akio and Michi kept pushing Kanako away, and Haruna and Chiyo seemed to keep changing for the better. In a way, it felt fitting to Kanako that she was sitting all by herself in the middle of the woods. Seeing everyone around her change in the ways they were, it made Kanako feel alone. Mixing those feelings with her current state of being scared, tears began to fall from the girl's eyes.

She wanted them stop, but no matter what she did or told herself, none of it made any difference. "I'm... all alone..." she sobbed. It was all too much. Her feelings for Akio, her fighting with Michi, her rollercoaster relationship with Haruna. Each one of these stirred so much emotion within Kanako. Then there was the deal she had with the boy she loved, her own personal insecurities that kept bubbling up to the surface and now her current predicament: lost in a forest in who-knows-where Hokkaido.