"Mmm... Good morning everyone... hm?"
The first one awake the next day was Mayu, but as she gave her morning greeting, she found that she was the only one to have made it downstairs. "How unexpected... I would've thought at least-" Mayu began to comment to herself, but stopped as she walked over to the window and glanced out it. "Ah, there she is."
The girl she was referring to was Itsuki. Being in track, it had become something of a habit for her to get up early, whether it was because of scheduled practice or for her own sake. "For as much as she complains about practice, she certainly appears to be working hard," Mayu said to herself with a laugh. Currently, Itsuki was stretching, but in between each one she'd do a few sprinting take-offs before moving on to the next exercise.
"Wow, Itsuki-chan looks totes serious," a voice suddenly said from behind Mayu. Startled from her peace, she whipped around to find Chiyo standing and staring out the window as well. "C-Chiyo! You surprised me," Mayu said, recovering. "Haha, sorry, sorry! I guess I was surprised too, seeing that," the gal said, motioning with her head at Itsuki. "Yes, I suppose something like that would seem surprising considering what you know about her," Mayu said. "But practicing is all a part of her routine." "I see..." Chiyo said softly as she continued to watch.
Taking a good look, Mayu noticed that Chiyo was fully dressed and seemed ready for the day. Her hair was done up in her typical high-side ponytail, and today's outfit consisted of a tightly-hugging yellow t-shirt with a picture of a koala on it, and very short jean shorts. Another accessory of note to go with her small stud earrings and thin, golden bracelets was an item resembling a scrunchie that was tied around her left thigh.
Considering her own appearance, which was a simple, deep green blouse and a long, white skirt, Mayu couldn't help but feel a little dull in comparison. Typically, she wasn't one to really think about her looks much. After all, Mayu had kept her appearance relatively the same for most of her life, so there had never been much to think about in the first place. But, when put side-by-side with Chiyo, it was a point that was hard to ignore. Simply put, Mayu felt slightly inferior.
"Oh, that's really cute Mayu-chan!" Chiyo said, commenting on the girl's outfit. "O-Oh, you think so?" Mayu said, getting caught off-guard. "Yep, yep, you bet! It's so cozy! I know I couldn't pull that off!" Chiyo said. Mayu smiled. "How is it that you always know what to say?" she thought. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In previous study sessions the two had had together, Mayu had gotten similar feelings of inferiority, only to have them washed away by Chiyo with her gushing compliments. "She really is a good person," Mayu thought, then aloud, "Thank you for the compliment," completing the statement with a slight bow.
"...Why're you so loud in the morning?" a very disgruntled voice said. When Chiyo turned around, her face lit up. "Mi-chan! Good morning!" she called, running over to glomp onto her. "Agh! No! It's too early for thiiiis!" Michi whined. She was too slow, still trying to get fully awake, and Chiyo managed to latch onto her. "Guh... get off me you weirdo..." Michi moaned. "Sorry! Just had to get my Mi-chan energy for the day!" Chiyo said as she let go. "What does that even mean?" Michi mumbled as she looked away.
Gradually the other girls joined the rest, with Kanako, Haruna and then Jasmine coming down the stairs. "G-Good morning everyone," Kanako said. "Heya Kana-chan. Did'ja sleep well?" Chiyo asked. "W-Well, it's always hard to sleep in a new place..." Kanako said shyly. "Really? I slept fine," Haruna commented. "That's because you sleep like a log Haru-chi," Jasmine said. "What?! No I don't!" Haruna protested. "Huuh? Why're you getting mad? That's not even a bad thing..." Jasmine said, still a little sleepy. "Whatever," was Haruna's only response.
With everyone awake, it was time to make breakfast. Having the selection that they did, the cooking club members (minus Itsuki) were able to make quite the variety. Pancakes, eggs (both scrambled and a couple of mini omelets), cut-up assorted fruit and French toast all filled the table that they had managed to find while cleaning the day before.
"Hey, something smells good!" Itsuki said as she came back inside. "Oh, Itsuki-chan you're just in time. Breakfast is ready," Mayu said. "Sweet! Let me just wash up real quick!" Itsuki said as she ran up the stairs. "Y'know, it's pretty nice that all this food was already here," Jasmine commented. "It's kinda weird though too. Like, if they came to stock the fridge for us or something, why didn't they just do the cleaning too?" "W-Well, they are letting us stay here for free, so the least we can do is help clean up a bit," Kanako pointed out. "Alright everyone," Chiyo announced. "Dig in!"
Once breakfast was finished, it was time to decide what the day's plans would be. "Maybe we could go hiking?" Itsuki suggested. "That sounds like a lot of work," Jasmine said. "What if we played a game?" Mayu said. "Did anyone even bring cards?" Haruna asked. "Ooh, I did!" Chiyo said excitedly. "I-I did too actually," Kanako said quietly. "It's so nice out though! We should be outside!" Itsuki half-said/ half-whined.
Curious about the silence, Chiyo turned to the girl next to her. "You're pretty quiet Mi-chan. Is there anything you wanna do?" "Not really," Michi answered in a mopey but somewhat aggressive tone. "Come on, can't you think of aaaannnnyyything?" Chiyo pushed. "Nope. Besides, we spent our whole first day cleaning. I'm sure whatever we end up doing will be lame just like that too." "If you're not even going to suggest something then why don't you keep your stupid mouth shut," Haruna spat out. "Excuse me?!" Michi yelled. "What the hell did I even do to deserve that?! This annoying bimbo asked me a question, so I answered!" "Ugh, is it seriously gonna be like this between you two the whole trip?" Jasmine moaned in annoyance. "No one asked you!" Michi shouted back.
"That's enough, Mi-chan."
"Wha-? I don't have to listen to-" Michi began to say to Chiyo, but she stopped. The look the gal was giving her was one that seemed to have a lot of complex emotions, but out of it all, two stood out: sadness and anger. "She's never... looked at me like that before," Michi thought, surprised by Chiyo's reaction. "Tch. Fine. Whatever," was all the girl had left to say before clamming up again.
"S-So, um... should we just go outside?" Kanako suggested. "Yeah! That's a great idea Kana-chan!" Chiyo said, quickly bouncing back. "Let's just go out into the great outdoors and see what happens!" "U-Um, that's not really what I meant..." Kanako tried to say, but she wasn't heard. "Okay everyone! Let's go! Outside, outside!" Chiyo said happily. Rising from their seats, the group all headed toward the front door.
"Yay! Look at this beautiful weather!" Chiyo exclaimed as she stood on the porch to take it in. "The sun is shining and it's not too hot! It's the perfect day to-" As Chiyo raved on, she noticed everyone else standing stock still behind her in a line along the deck. "Huh? What's up guys?" she asked. "U-Um... Chiyo? Y-You might... want to turn around," Haruna said as she pointed past the gal. "Hm?" Chiyo let out, doing as she was told. Following her best friend's finger, Chiyo's eyes landed on the sight that had attracted everyone's undivided attention.
It was a bear.
"..."
Specifically, it was an Ussuri brown bear, a type of bear native to Hokkaido. Similar to the grizzly bear in appearance, its short and fuzzy hair covered its entire body and its small face wore a look suggesting it was docile. Now, if one knew anything about this type of bear native to the area, they'd know that they're actually shy and have virtually no interest in attacking people. Of course, when placed in front of such a creature, things like personality traits aren't generally the first thing to come to mind.
The entire line of girls stood completely still, all turning white as a sheet at the sight before them. "T-That's a bear, right?" Kanako asked fearfully. "W-W-Why is it s-so c-close to the c-cabin?!" Itsuki panicked in a whisper. "Huh. Cool," Jasmine commented as she snapped a picture.
Currently, the bear was scratching away at a tree only a little ways away from the porch and hadn't yet noticed them. It was more preoccupied with getting the treat it had found under the bark. However, most wild animals don't take long to sense danger, and it was only seconds later that the bear turned to look at group.
"It-It-It sees us! It's going to charge! It wants to eat us!" Michi screamed at the top of her lungs before booking it back inside. Her reaction caused most of the other girls to scream out in panic as well, with the rest of them following close behind. The only one not to react was Jasmine, who had to be dragged in by the arm by Chiyo. Unbeknownst to the girls though was that they weren't the only ones who had been frightened. Michi's sudden shriek had also sent the bear into flight mode, causing it to dash away in the opposite direction.
"I'm never going outside again!" Michi yelled as she trembled behind the couch. "That was quite scary," Mayu said, breathing a sigh of relief. "W-What was it doing anyways?" Kanako asked. "Maybe it was looking for food," Haruna said, still feeling a little shaken as well. "Aw, it's gone," Jasmine said as she stared out the window.
"Huh? It left already?" Chiyo asked, joining Jasmine. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't see it from here anyways," Jasmine said. "Who cares?! It's probably still out there waiting for us! I bet as soon as we step outside again the beast will maul us!" Michi shouted, still cowering. "Mi-chan, you're making me freak out again!" Itsuki whined. "It's okay everyone. We're safe in here. Just take deep breathes and relax," Mayu said calmly. Itsuki and Michi followed her advice and breathed deeply. "Feel better?" Mayu asked. "Well, kinda. That was still really surprising though," Itsuki said with a sigh. "How about you Mi-chan?" Mayu asked as she turned to the other girl who was now standing up again. "I'm fine, I guess..." Michi answered uncertainly.
With all of the girls back inside (and some too fearful to go back out), they had to try to come up with something to do that wouldn't take them beyond their safe confines. "Hey, what about cards?" Chiyo suggested. "It would kinda suck to stay indoors though..." "Feel free to take on that bear for us then," Haruna said jokingly. "Leave it to me! I'll take it down in one punch! Ya!" Chiyo said proudly as she put out a punching motion, her actions causing some of the girls to laugh.
*****
It was a couple of hours later that Chiyo suggested that the group should go swimming. "Swimming?!" Michi shrieked. "What if that animal is still out there?!" "Come on, there's no way that bear is still around!" Chiyo replied casually. "Don't tell me you want to swim in that creek?" Jasmine asked with disgust. "Well duh, where else would we go?" Chiyo stated. "Besides, all we've done for the last two hours is sit here! I'm booorreed and I wanna do something fun!" "Then go by yourself," Jasmine said flatly. "But I want everyone to go!" Chiyo retorted.
Eventually, after several more minutes of back and forth, every girl agreed with Chiyo. Some of them (Jasmine and Michi) mostly agreed just to shut her up, but regardless, it was decided that they'd be swimming. So, they all went upstairs to get changed.
Once they were all changed, everyone came back downstairs. "Hey, you girls all look fantastic!" Chiyo said happily as she looked around the room. Firstly, there was Mayu. She was wearing a simple, black one piece that held tightly to her frame. It was a perfect fit for her personality. Next there was Itsuki. She was wearing a bikini that was white with small little watermelons decorating it all over. It matched well with her summer-tanned skin and toned frame.
Following those two was Michi. She was wearing a purple-colored one piece swimsuit, designed similarly to Mayu's. However, the difference was that the back of Michi's swimsuit dove down in a V shape, going all the way to just above her lower back. Next was Jasmine, who was wearing a bikini-style swimsuit. The top part was a traditional design and was pink, with a little extra band wrapping around underneath. However, the bottom part was black, looking more like latex shorts as oppose to a typical bottom piece of a bikini.
Moving on, there was Kanako. She had put on a brilliant blue colored one piece. It was strapless and had a ruffle all around the top, drawing a fair amount of attention to her chest. Certainly a bold choice for a girl like Kanako, but after going back and forth at the store last year, she had ultimately went with the one she was wearing because she was hoping to appear a little more fashionable.
After her was Haruna. Much to several people's surprise, she was wearing a bikini. It had a strapless black top, with the fabric designed in a sort of ribboning pattern and the center was held together by a metal ring in between her breasts. The bottom was also black, with both sides having similar rings as well. If it had been up to Haruna, she would've never worn this type of swimsuit in a million years. However, just as Haruna had been about to put on the one she had brought, Chiyo had come bursting in and handed her the black bikini. Before Haruna could even react, Chiyo also took the original swimsuit, leaving Haruna little choice but to put on the one given to her.
"Haru-chi, that's looks great!" Chiyo said. "I knew I pick the right one for you!" "Why'd you even have one for my size?" Haruna asked, still a little irritated. "Hm? It's not like it was hard. After all, I just needed one that was meant for flat chests," Chiyo snickered. Haruna went to say something, but before she could Chiyo slid up to her and whispered, "Hey, aren't 'cha gonna compliment Kana-chan on her swimsuit? She looks pretty hot y'know." "C-Chiyo!" Haruna yelped, turning red from the comment.
"Is everything okay?" Kanako asked, coming over to the two girls. "H-Huh? Oh, um, y-yeah..." Haruna stuttered out. Then she stared at Kanako. "Y-Your, um... swimsuit, it... i-it looks... good..." Kanako looked at Haruna, surprised by the compliment. "T-Thanks," she said shyly. "Y-You too... I-I didn't think you'd wear a bikini." "Oh, right. Chiyo picked it out, so..." Haruna replied sheepishly. "God, I feel so embarrassed right now! This is so awkward! Just kill me!" she then screamed inside.
While the two girls continued their interaction, Chiyo walked away to give them some space, smirking all the while. It was then however that she noticed a pair of eyes staring daggers at her. When Chiyo turned, she saw Michi standing some distance away. "Oh, Mi-chan!" Chiyo called, skipping over to her. "Why're you staring at me, hm? Are you admiring my swimsuit?" The suit Chiyo had picked was part store-bought and part her own design. It had originally been a simple red bikini, no different than any other style one would see in pictures or at beaches. But, once the gal got a hold of it, she made it her own, decorating both the top and bottom all over with fake rhinestones. Now any time light hit it, it sparkled.
Of course, while the design was flashy, that hadn't been what had caught Michi's attention. Rather, it was what the fabric was holding that had made her feel particularly irked. Looking down at her own chest size, then back and Chiyo's before turning back to look at her own again, Michi turned her back to Chiyo. "Tch. Who'd admire that anyways?" she scoffed. Chiyo was a bit surprised at first, but then a smug expression spread across her face. "Aw, Mi-chan, it's okay. Little ones are cute too," she said as she went to tease Michi. "Eh?! Ah, no! Stay away from me you freak!" Michi screamed as she tried to evade Chiyo's grasp.
"So like, are we gonna swim or what?" Jasmine asked, inadvertently saving Michi. "Absolutely!" Chiyo said proudly, like she was responsible for it. "Girls, to the water!" So with a point of her finger, the group began to make their way outside. Once they were out, they all took a subconscious look around, just to make sure that the bear had truly left. "See, I told ya! No bears here!" Chiyo proclaimed. "W-Whatever," Michi muttered. With that, Chiyo and Itsuki were the first ones to dash to the creek.
"It's cold!" Itsuki shrieked gleefully. "That's probably because of the mountains," Mayu said as she came over to join them. Slowly, she began to put her toes in the water. "Come on Mayu-chan, hurry up!" Itsuki said as she went to pull Mayu in. "Ah, Itsuki-chan wai-" Mayu tried to stop her, but it was too late. "Kya!" Mayu let out as she landed in the water. "Geez Itsuki-chan!"
Soon enough, Haruna and Kanako also got in, and even for as reluctant as she looked, Michi joined in as well, leaving only one girl left ashore. "Whaddya doing Jas-chin? Come in, come in!" Chiyo called, splashing some water in the other gal's direction. "Didn't you guys just say it's cold? And like, the ground's gonna be all... muddy and gross... and who knows what's in that water..." Jasmine said. "Aw, don't be such a scaredy-cat! Have some fun!" Chiyo said as she copied Itsuki's move, dragging Jasmine into the creek. "Eeeek!" she let out as she fell. "Ewww! Seriously, look at this!" Jasmine then said as she pulled her hand out from the creek bed. It was covered in mud. "Hahaha, Jas-chin got dirty!" Chiyo laughed. "Not that that's a first," she tacked on. "You..." Jasmine said before rocketing up. "Come here Chiyo!"
For a while after that, the girls all played around in the sun and water, splashing each other and managing to get along (even if a few of those splashes were particularly aggressive between Michi and Haruna). Chiyo kept messing with Jasmine, which got her pushed into the creek a few times, and Itsuki even had a fish swim up against her leg. She had shrieked in fear at first, but then laughed once she saw what it was.
Once everyone was tired out, they got out of the water and proceed to take turns washing off anything that came out with them from the creek in the bath. After the girls were cleaned up and they were all changed, the timing worked out that it was time for dinner. After having so much fun outside, Chiyo suggested that they eat out there too, so they all gathered and sat around on the porch (careful to avoid the still-present hole).
When dinner was over and everything was put away, it wasn't long after that several of the members of the group began to feel sleepy. The first ones to call it a night were Jasmine and Itsuki, and shortly after, Michi and Mayu followed suit. It was beginning to look like the night would be similar to the way last night was, but Chiyo, Haruna and Kanako all felt tired as well, so ultimately it ended up being an early night to wrap up day two of the camping trip.
Of course, just because everyone was in there rooms didn't mean that everyone was asleep. When Haruna got up to her room, she found that the light was still on and Itsuki was just sitting on her futon. "Huh? Didn't you say you were going to sleep?" Haruna asked. "Yeah, but then I started thinking about how much fun we had today and I got all excited and couldn't sleep!" Itsuki said happily. "You sound like a little kid," Haruna said. "Did you not have fun today Endo-san?" Itsuki asked. "W-Well, I wouldn't say I didn't..." Haruna answered. It was quiet for a moment, then Itsuki spoke.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" she began. "I guess," Haruna replied with a shrug. "How come you used to be so mean to Kana-chan?" Haruna turned and looked at Itsuki with a surprised look before turning away. "T-That's, um... i-it's kind of a long story," Haruna tried to dodge the question. "Actually, I'm surprised Kanako didn't tell you." Itsuki flopped onto her back on her futon and sighed. "Yeah. Kana-chan's one tough nut. She's a great friend of mine, but whenever it comes to personal stuff like that, she just seems to clam up." "I didn't know that. Maybe I never noticed..." Haruna thought as Itsuki continued. "And then, if you try to keep asking her, she gets mad. Like, serious mad! And boy, when Kana-chan's angry, she sure is scary." "Tell me about it..." Haruna sighed, remembering her moments of being a victim of Kanako's wrath. "It's like you're too afraid to say anything in defense." "I know right?!" Itsuki said, bolting back upright. "One time, I accidentally forgot to study for a few tests in a row, and Kana-chan lectured me about it for 20 minutes! I guess she got tired of my complaining or something, which I get, but like, 20 minutes?! Geeeez!"
Haruna moved to lay out her own futon and put it in line (but not quite up against) Itsuki's. "When we were little," Haruna began as she sat down. "Kanako got this really bad haircut. I thought it was hilarious, so I kept making fun of her. After a while, she had apparently had enough, because she snapped on me and went on a tirade about every single aspect of my appearance. I was so in shock I don't even think I spoke for the rest of the day."
Itsuki was staring and Haruna, and Haruna looked back over at her. After a moment of silence, the two broke out into a fit of laughter. "Wow, Kana-chan can be really scary huh?" Itsuki said as her laughing slowed. "I know. And she doesn't even realize it!" Haruna said back. When the laughing completely stopped, Itsuki smiled. "Y'know Endo-san? When I first found out who you were, I always thought you were pretty scary too." "Really?" Haruna said. "Yeah. I mean, any time I saw you, you were yelling at someone," Itsuki said. "But, now that I'm getting the chance to know you, I've realized that you're actually pretty nice."
Haruna stared as Itsuki went on. "I'm glad that you're friends with Kana-chan again too," she said with a beaming smile. "R-Right..." Haruna said quietly. "Oh, by the way, I've been dying to know something," Itsuki said. "What?" "How come you and Kana-chan always hold hands? I tried asking her once, but she wouldn't say," Itsuki asked. "H-H-Huh?! W-Well, um, t-that's because..." Haruna stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "W-We're just that close?" "I guess that makes sense. Well, my curiosity is satisfied! Good night Endo-san," Itsuki said, proceeding to then burrow under her covers.
"I'm glad she bought that," Haruna thought with relief. "Although... it's not like it's really a lie..."
*****
"So Kana-chan, last night we were too tuckered out, but how about tonight we have a little girl talk?" Chiyo said playfully. "Like what?" Kanako asked. "Hmm. I guess I can't ask who you like since I already know, sooo... how about if you've made any progress?" Chiyo asked. "P-Progress?" Kanako repeated. "Umm... not really... Unless you count going backwards..." she mumbled that last part. "Oh, right. The whole 'it's not a date' thing with Akio-kun," Chiyo remembered. Kanako nodded sadly. "Don't worry about it girl!" Chiyo said cheerfully. "No need to dwell on the past!"
Changing her approach, Chiyo went with a different question. "So like, with that deal of yours, how're things going? Is Haru-chi being a good girlfriend?" "G-G-Girlfriend?!" Kanako panicked at the word. "I-I mean, that is what she's supposed to be in this deal, s-so you're not wrong, but putting that way is a little..." "What? You don't daydream about going on dates with Haru-chi?" Chiyo teased. "N-No way! Of course not!" Kanako insisted with a wave of her hands. "We're just friends! There's no way anything more than that would happen!"
Chiyo stared, then sighed. "Y'know Kana-chan, at this rate you're gonna grow up to be a real heartbreaker." "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Kanako asked. "Well, tomorrow's another busy day, and this gal needs her beauty sleep. G'night Kana-chan," Chiyo said as she crawled into her futon. "H-Hey, Chiyo! Explain yourself! What did you meeaaannn?" Kanako pleaded as she shook Chiyo, but she got no response. Whether the gal was actually asleep already or just ignoring her, Kanako didn't know, but either way, she knew she wasn't going to get any answers.
Giving up, Kanako got into her own futon. "What did she mean, heartbreaker?" Kanako wondered as she tried to get to sleep. "It couldn't have been about Haruna right? After all, we're just friends and we're both girls. I know she doesn't think of me as any more than that." But, even as Kanako thought that, the image of Haruna smiling the night they had tea at her house came to mind. Remembering it made Kanako's face feel a little hot. "Why did I think of that moment just now?" she wondered. As she rolled over, Kanako had one final thought go through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.
"I wonder... what made her smile like that?"
End of Chapter Sixteen.