There were many mountains around the village originally, but it wasn’t a complete mountain village like you’d imagine in Korea.
If you wanted to find a village like that in Tokyo, there would certainly be plenty, but well.
So, the way to go camping was a bit far. It took about two hours by car.
Even when I went to the beach in Tokyo, I took the train, so it never felt that far.
It would have been nice to go with Mako, but since Mako’s father was with us, we took different cars when we left.
By the way, even though he had a slightly blunt impression, it seemed like he was much kinder than he looked since he arranged such a gathering.
Was it a slightly different atmosphere compared to Kagami? There were times when Mako was often alone because she was a bit busy.
“……”
I wondered what the two of them were talking about in the car. I imagined the scene of that blunt father talking to Mako.
Um, it wasn’t too hard to imagine.
Mako was kind to everyone. She must be friendly to her dad too.
On the other hand, our car was a bit quiet.
Usually, when I get into the truck, Kagami drove, but now it was Uncle who was driving. Kagami and I were sitting in the back seat.
It wasn’t awkward. After all, we had been together for the past year. Even if we weren’t sharing the same room, we treated each other like guests.
Sometimes, we talked about our daily lives. I shared stories from school, and Kagami talked about what happened at work. Uncle also shared his experiences.
Back when I was an elementary school student, Kagami didn’t really tell me much about things from her work.
Maybe she didn’t want to let her daughter know about her hardships.
Kagami started sharing those stories after I begged her to tell me first.
I had a homework assignment about learning about my parents at school, and I asked Kagami about it. After some thought and hearing it was for homework, she finally answered.
For reference, Harumi and Yuuki’s father was said to be an “office worker.” Hmm, he didn’t look like one to me, though.
Uncle worked at a nearby carpenter’s shop, and he could even go to work without taking the car in the morning. Kagami worked at a supermarket here. It seemed like there was a shortage of people, so Kagami, who had obtained a driver’s license just in case, ended up moving things with the truck unexpectedly.
So, it seemed like he earned more than at the ramen shop he used to work at.
“Um, so, Koto Ne-chan, are you studying hard at school?”
“Um… I’m not sure.”
I guess Uncle thought it was a bit awkward not to say anything on the way, so he spoke first, and I replied that way.
That was sincere.
I did study, but I wasn’t studying too hard. I didn’t particularly want to be first anymore. I felt like I let some enthusiasm slip away while running away.
Since Mako was a studious child, my grades stayed good simply by studying together naturally.
“I think I’m doing just fine.”
After thinking that, I corrected my answer.
Uncle, looking at me through the rearview mirror, smiled slightly.
“You don’t need to study too hard.”
Kagami wrapped her arm around my shoulder and replied.
“Just take it easy.”
“Uh-huh.”
I naturally answered while being close to Kagami.
Time, no matter how solid a wall it is, eventually breaks it down. When thousands of years go by, with the flowing wind, the flying sand, and the falling drops of water, even the biggest rock gets worn down, but the human heart is much softer than such rocks.
The wall that had been between Kagami and me had slowly crumbled over the past ten years. Kagami always held me naturally, and I always leaned against Kagami’s warmth naturally.
That warmth felt good. I liked that soft arm that moved gently as if worried I might get hurt in her embrace.
The safest place in the world.
I thought so.
I didn’t think too much about whether it made sense or not.
“……”
Uncle watched us for a moment and then shifted his gaze back to the front.
And he gently drove the car.
Mako’s car was going ahead.
There weren’t too many cars on the road.
*
Aside from my extremely young childhood, it was the first time setting up a tent since I did it in the military.
Um, I had set up tarps before. It was the large tarps used during events. Was it during my college days when I was working part-time?
Tents in 1999 weren’t that functional or light, but they were much better than having the poles completely disassembled.
Clack, clack, clack. Following Uncle’s hands, the poles were assembled, and the tent stood sturdily on the ground. As I pulled the tarp tightly over the somewhat flimsy frame, a sturdy tent that likely wouldn’t collapse or fly away was set up.
It seemed like it would fit four adults perfectly, so it looked spacious enough for me, Kagami, and Uncle. They probably deliberately chose such a tent. To be considerate.
…Always grateful to them.
It was obvious, but the surrounding atmosphere wasn’t like a soldier who arrived just tired after a march.
Everyone around the tent had smiles on their faces. It was summer, but the forest was pretty cool, and the surroundings were beautiful.
“Koto Ne!”
Mako ran over, waving her hands.
“Wow, the tent is huge!”
And she admired the tent that Uncle had set up.
“Haha, isn’t it?”
Uncle had a rare goofy look on his face.
We still didn’t know much about Uncle. It had become a kind of rule not to dig too deep into each other’s backgrounds.
However, I at least knew that Uncle wasn’t very good at acting.
He wasn’t incapable of lying, but… how should I put it, it was still a little awkward for him to talk to Kagami. But thankfully, the neighbors seemed to accept him as simply the “blunt dad who isn’t honest.”
Mako knew Uncle well since she had often been to our house. It must have been hard for him to keep a cold face in front of Mako.
“Did you set up a tent? Want to see?”
“Sure.”
I answered that way and looked up at Kagami.
Kagami smiled softly.
“Just don’t wander too far away.”
Nodding at that request, I followed Mako.
In the first place, Mako’s family and my family came together for the trip. The distance wasn’t far enough that we couldn’t see each other’s tents.
“Oh.”
Mako’s family tent wasn’t that big. Maybe because only two family members came, it wasn’t necessary to have such a large tent.
Still, it didn’t seem insufficient for an adult and a young elementary school daughter. On the contrary, it looked ample; it could be a three-person tent.
Unlike us, they had already taken out camping chairs and utensils. It looked way more serious than I expected.
…How should I put it, it felt a bit nostalgic.
I had gone on trips like this with my family before. My younger sibling was much younger than me, and my parents were much older than Kagami.
I hadn’t done anything spectacular while camping. We didn’t go far; we just played in the valley and then returned to the tent to eat.
Even so, sleeping outside seemed really special and nice to me. Well, I learned as an adult that a house is definitely necessary, but still.
Moreover, it was now 1999. All the tools we were using were straight from that era, so seeing them laid out like this filled the air with a thick nostalgic atmosphere.
“Let’s have fun today!”
Mako shouted, raising both arms in the air.
For some reason, it felt like I had to do the same, so I raised both arms above my head.
“Uh-huh!”
From behind, I heard pffft, as if something burst, and when I turned around, Kagami was covering her mouth with both hands, looking at me.
She wasn’t laughing, surely.
However, from Kagami’s perspective, I must have looked just too cute.
…Thinking about it again, I’m in the upper grade of elementary school now. I’ll be a middle school student in a few years. Just like Miho-san said.
“……”
Did I just act too childish all of a sudden?
I hurriedly put my hands down again.
Mako tilted her head in confusion, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer.
*
As I expected, it was just fun even if we didn’t do anything special.
We didn’t have a campfire; we just lit a camping lamp and boiled some water, but it was still enjoyable, and even though we made curry, which wasn’t anything special, it tasted great just like that.
Mako and I excitedly chatted about this and that. Most of what we talked about were stories about the fun we had together or funny incidents from school.
The adults slowly sipped their tea or coffee while enjoying our stories.
Somehow, this atmosphere itself felt strangely dreamlike.
I began to worry that I might have already fallen asleep.
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