Volume 14, Chapter 4: Intro - What it Means to Like Someone

It was just after 6:00 in the morning, right about when the inside of my tent began to heat up, when I heard a voice coming from outside.

Uhm, Ayanokji-senpai, are you awake yet?

Please wait a second, Ill be right out.

I emerged from within my tent, responding to Nanases call.

Im sorry to bother you so early in the morning.

I was already awake so its fine. We need to start tidying up and get ready to head out soon anyway. Whats up?

I took a look around at the other tents and noticed that nobody else had woken up yet, so I kept my voice to a whisper.

Its about Ike-senpai. Do you think I said a little too much last night?

Well, rather than having said too much To me it felt more like you just called it like it was.

While I did think that she had gotten a bit too involved in his personal matters, it seemed like she had more or less reflected on it.

Thanks to you, Ikes managed to get back on his feet. Or, I guess its more like hes managed to finally take a stand. I think he appreciates what youve done for him.

You think so?

I nodded immediately, but she still seemed somewhat unconvinced.

I feel like Ike-senpai is in a sort-of precarious position right now. Im afraid that yesterdays discussion might backfire and cause him to act recklessly Thats why Im not sure if we should split off from them right away.

Its not that I dont understand how you feel, but

While I was also worried about Ikes mental state, traveling together with them would come with great risks of its own. Our groups each had completely different Tables, so there was no way to predict where our designated areas would be.

Depending on this next designation, we might have to head off in entirely different directions.

Given that, I found myself wondering whether her feelings were genuine or perhaps something more artificial.

If it was the latter, was she simply looking to keep me from going to the designated areas?

No, a move like that felt far too weak and short-sighted.

At some level, I couldnt exactly dismiss the idea that she might hold me back, but

Its no good, huh I thought so. If we split up with them, it would probably be impossible to meet back up again.

Well, lets see

I wouldnt say it was the best idea out there, but I guess it wouldnt be entirely impossible to implement.

There would still be ways to keep an eye on Suds group and stay on top of our own affairs at the same time.

Its extreme, but as far as meeting back up with them is concerned, it shouldnt be that difficult. Its just a matter of deciding on a meeting place in advance. Even if its a long distance away, as long as we have the stamina left to walk, it should still be possible.

Be it designated areas or Tasks, the days obligations always came to an end by the time 5:00 PM came around.

In other words, we were basically free to do whatever and go wherever we wanted from 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next day.

Thats true and all, but

Of course, whether or not this was actually the correct course of action was another story altogether.

The further away our designated areas were from each other, the tougher it would be to decide on a suitable meeting place.

In any case, we should probably wait and see what designated area they get first.

If their route was completely different from ours, then itd be for the best to give up on the idea sooner rather than later.

After packing up camp and eating breakfast, 7:00 AM came around and with it the announcement of the first designated area of the day.

H7, huh?

I wouldnt say it was the worst outcome, but it certainly wasnt ideal by any stretch of the imagination.

It wasnt clear whether wed be able to make it there within the next two hours or not.

However, if we didnt make it there in time, it would be our second missed area in a row.

In which case, if the next area ended up being randomly designated and showed up somewhere off to the west of the mountain range, wed really be in a pinch.

It would be quite troublesome if the randomly designated area were to happen at 9:00.

Under the assumption that everything went smoothly for these next two hours, wed probably only reach I7 or I8 at the very most.

Of course, its not like it would be impossible to reach H7 in two hours, but

Getting Nanase involved in something so drastic would come with an equivalent amount of risk.

We can always choose to conserve energy and miss the area for a second time.

The point reduction penalty only began once a group had missed three area designations in a row.

So in that sense, even if we didnt make it to H7, we should still be fine

That being said, should the situation turn dire, we could very well be subject to the mercy of our destination, forever unable to find our way to the designated area in time.

Sud, what designated area did you get?

We got I8 so if you two are goin the same way we can head out together. Im fired up so lets get this done!

While our destinations were different, our routes would, for the most part, be the same.

However, this turn of events was far from convenient. In fact, I felt more inclined to call it unfortunate instead.

Thanks to this, I would be prevented from taking any extreme measures.

If we were to go all out trying to get there, Ike and Hond would certainly not be able to match our pace.

Were heading in the same direction again, so how about we stick together until we have to split up?

I figured we might as well travel together with them since we probably wouldnt reach our area before the time limit anyway.

After all, Ikes situation was still a concern, and wed at least be able to collaborate should something happen along the way.

Sure thing. You down, Kanji?

A-ah, of course.

Ike looked somewhat flustered as he responded, the memories of last nights conversation probably still fresh in his mind.

Nanases presence, that of a stranger, had helped to spur Ike forward.

And while this had been an unfortunate beginning to the third day, there at least seemed to be some upsides to it working out the way it had.

Under normal circumstances, Ike would crack jokes and try to smooth-talk Nanase, prattling off about how cute she was or something, but that wasnt the case here at all. It would be undeniably outrageous if he acted that way after everything he said about Shinohara just last night. However, given that Ike was exactly the type of person who did undeniably outrageous things from time to time, the fact that he was showing restraint now may very well be proof that he was beginning to change.

Well, anyway. I guess Ill lead, so you all can just follow me.

With that, Ike rolled his shoulders, stretching them both out in their full range of motion before taking up the lead and setting out. He had gotten much more lively ever since we started traveling together with them. After all, a false show of courage wasnt all that different from the real thing.

You dont seem to be enjoying this very much, Ayanokji-senpai. Your expression is quite stiff.

Its nothing out of the ordinary.

Is that so?

While it was true that I was somewhat bothered about our designated area, I felt pretty confident that I hadnt let it show on my expression.

Theres no use worryin bout that. Ayanokjis always got that sorta look on his face.

Sud chimed in, having heard what we were saying from over his shoulder.

I wasnt sure if I should be thankful for his support or offended by it.

Well theres your answer.

I had slightly mixed feelings about it, but in the end I just went along with Suds explanation.

Sud let show a mischievous grin before heading up to the front and striking up a conversation with Ike.

Youre still thinking about Ike-senpai, arent you Ayanokji-senpai?

Youre reading too far into it. Im glad to see that hes grown up a bit, but honestly outside of that Im not sure what youre referring to.

Is that so?

Since there was a chance that Ike and Sud might overhear what we were saying, I cut our conversation short.

As he was now, Ike was certainly more energetic than he had been yesterday, so it wasnt incorrect to say that he had grown up in a mental sense. In that respect, the response I had given Nanase technically hadnt been a lie at all.

However Most of this growth was superficial. This was nothing more than the first step of his journey of change. Depending on the situation, his progress may stagnate, or possibly even go through a major regression.

People are not so simple that they can change just because they want to, a truth that Nanase also appeared to be well aware of. And to that end, she wanted to have me understand it as well. From off to the side, I could tell that her gaze was fixed on Ike as he walked in front of us, and upon seeing this, I couldnt help but wonder to what extent her thoughts were really about Ike.

From just ahead of us, Ike and the others raised their voices in surprise.

A wild bird had suddenly spread its wings from further within the forest and took off into the open sky.

It was the type of special, firsthand look at nature that wed probably only get to experience on an uninhabited island like this.

At any rate, if I wanted to find out the truth about Nanase, my only real option seemed to be traveling together with her, at least for the foreseeable future.