Knock.
“Ah?”
A tiny knock that breaks the trance after finishing my meal.
I look up at the sky as my hair is gently brushed by a cold hand.
“Huh? It’s raining?”
Da-eun seems to have received the raindrop’s visit too, as she lifts her head to follow me.
And then tilts her head.
“There was no mention of rain today, so it should stop soon, right?”
Pitter-patter!
“Whoa?!”
“Wow. Impressive.”
The moment Da-eun finishes her sentence, the few drops that were falling turn into a steady stream, soaking the ground.
To think a single word could change the weather.
Is this real magic?
Of course, it’s not really because of Da-eun’s words, but the timing is just too perfect.
We fled into the tent to avoid the pouring rain.
Pitter-patter.
The raindrops kept hitting the tent’s ceiling as if feeling jilted for missing us.
“Strange. The weather didn’t seem like it was going to rain…”
“Right?”
Rain is pouring down on a clear night sky where stars are clearly visible.
I know the weather is inherently fickle, but it’s still a bit disappointing.
Looking up at the starry sky felt exceptionally nice.
Since coming to Earth, I hadn’t looked up like this.
“Kana, do you know? In fact, the stars you saw aren’t actually stars but satellites. Ah, satellites are artificial structures that orbit celestial bodies…”
“…Did you really have to say that now?”
“Puhehe… just kidding! They say such rumors circulated in the past, but since the explanation got out, most of them disappeared. So, what Kana saw were indeed stars.”
“Wow. That’s such a fascinating fact. Thanks for sharing.”
“Anytime!”
“…”
Let’s not talk anymore.
Rather than exchanging foolish banter with Da-eun, I redirected my gaze outside the tent.
I could see the rain falling outside, stretching like an awning from the ceiling.
It was falling so heavily that the divot in the ground was overflowing with water.
I considered going out again after the rain stopped, but it didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.
Thud.
“Going to sleep?”
“Yeah. It’s late, and there’s nothing to do, right?”
“Wow. It’s already this late? I guess I should get some sleep.”
Da-eun, hearing my words, fusses about and changes into her pajamas.
While she’s doing that, I lie on the sleeping bag I had set up in advance.
It wasn’t as soft and comfortable as my bed at home, but compared to the days I had to sleep on the ground, it felt like a royal bed.
As I nestled into the cozy sleeping bag and enjoyed the sound of the rain—
“…It’s me.”
“…Mhm.”
“Kana, wake up.”
“Whyyyy…?”
Suddenly being shaken gently and greeted with a soft voice, I snapped back to reality.
…Did the rain stop already?
I listened closely, but the sound of rain that had been hitting the ceiling a moment ago was gone.
It was a nice lullaby, though.
“We need to have breakfast. I was thinking of eating the leftover meat from yesterday. Are you not going to eat, Kana?”
“…What breakfast at this time?”
It had barely been a moment since I finished dinner, and now I was just about to fall asleep; why is she talking about breakfast already?
Da-eun was babbling nonsense again.
Dismissing her words as mere ramblings, I grumbled and buried myself deeper into the sleeping bag, only for Da-eun’s voice to come crashing down.
“What do you mean what breakfast? We’re eating breakfast precisely because it’s this time! The sun is already high!”
“…What?”
“It’s actually later than usual!”
Bang!
I shot upright as if kicking the sleeping bag aside.
The outside, which had been dark earlier, was now brightly lit.
“…??”
I blinked, unable to grasp the situation.
…Why?
“Puhehe. You fell asleep without even noticing morning arrived as soon as you lay down?”
“Did I fall asleep?”
Seriously, I barely even shut my eyes!
“Yep. You’ll never know how worried I was all night, you probably didn’t dream of it at all!”
“…?”
“I was so concerned someone might carry you away while you were sleeping soundly that I did nothing but worry. So, the reason you slept soundly was all thanks to me!”
“…Sigh.”
Ignoring Da-eun, who was gloating about her supposed heroics, I moved to follow the sound of birds outside the tent.
“Ahh! Kana! You can’t go out in your pajamas?! You need to get dressed first!”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Gah! You have to listen to me, okay? A girl shouldn’t behave so recklessly like that. You shouldn’t show off your skin carelessly!”
“…What? Is this showing skin?”
I looked down at the clothes I was wearing.
The sleeves barely covered my palms, and the hem of the pants tickled my ankles.
Along with the buttons cinched tightly.
“I don’t think so? And there’s no one else around, anyway.”
“Still, you never know! You might run into someone out hiking…!”
“Okay, fine.”
It’s not like I was going far, I was just stepping out for a moment, yet she was making such a fuss over it.
Blocking my ears and rolling my eyes, I quickly put on an outer garment.
“Am I good now?”
“Hmm…”
Da-eun still looked unconvinced as I stepped outside.
Squish.
My feet hit the ground, producing a soft squishing sound.
Seeing puddles everywhere, it appears it rained continuously after I fell asleep.
Maybe that’s why the air felt so much fresher with every breath.
While I was savoring nature, Da-eun was busy behind me.
She quickly prepared fried rice using the leftover meat and rice from yesterday and opened up some retort food for soup.
Before I knew it, she had conjured up a rather decent meal.
By the way, I thought we had quite a bit left; did we have this much?
With each scoop of the spoon, I was delightfully rewarded with meat.
“Hehe, you’re eating well! Is it tasty?”
“Yeah.”
“Then how about some vegetables?”
“Pass.”
Trying to sneak in an upsell there, huh?
Not a chance.
After finishing a quite simple yet not too shabby breakfast, we packed up the spot where we had spent the night.
“Camping is all good, but cleaning up is a hassle… Aah, Kana! You shouldn’t pull it out like that.”
Tearing down the tent, organizing the trash.
It seemed like ages had passed as we did everything.
“…Since it’s come to this, how about we eat lunch before heading back?”
“I won’t stop you if you want to do the dishes one more time.”
“Ugh…”
Da-eun, who didn’t want to do the dishes, hopped into the car.
Inside the car on the way home, the atmosphere was a bit more subdued than when we came.
‘…Home, huh.’
The word slipped into my mind, prompting a soft smile to form.
“…Hehe.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Shake shake.
“Nothing, just mumbling.”
“Hmm? …If you say so! By the way, should we stop at a rest area on the way back? Let’s fill up gas and eat something delicious!”
“It’s fine if I can hear it.”
No need to ask for my permission there.
But still, something about it was grating.
It felt like she was sure I wouldn’t refuse.
“Wait, do you really think just saying let’s eat something delicious means I’ll agree?”
“….”
“Why are you silent?”
“D-do you possibly think… I agreed to that? Hahaha.”
“Look me in the eyes and say it clearly.”
“Taking your eyes off the road while driving is dangerous.”
“That doesn’t seem like something someone who danced while driving would say.”
“I didn’t entirely dance! I just got a bit carried away….”
So that’s why she always seemed to offer me food when proposing something to do.
Now it makes sense.
As I glared at Da-eun, who was pretending not to notice, the car smoothly glided along the road.
“Hot.”
“But it’s tasty, right? Eating alone gets boring; eating with Kana is just right.”
We stopped at a rest area along the way and bought some snacks called Deli Manju to share.
It felt like I vaguely remembered eating it a very long time ago, but who knows, I can’t properly recall.
As I devoured the pudding and sausage skewer, the satisfaction welled up nicely.
“Can you hold on for a second?”
Swish.
“All done. Hehe, seeing you eat with sauce on your face, you really do look like a kid.”
“Then Da-eun is a kid too?”
“…Hah! When did that happen?!”
She was laughing at others while being unaware of the bright red sauce smeared around her mouth.
With her face stained red like the sauce, she tried to wipe it off, raising the corner of her mouth.
“This is crazy… When did I even get this on me?”
“Babbler.”
“…Whoa!”
Da-eun inhaled sharply, suddenly serious.
Then, she spoke in the most serious tone.
“…Can you say it once more for me?”
“What?”
“The thing you just said. Just once more. Please?”
Babbler?
If she asked, I would do it, but why would she want me to say that?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Da-eun suddenly yelled.
“That’s not it!”
“Gah?!”
“Just once more! Seriously, only once more!”
“I’ve already done it once. Why do you want me to say it again?”
“Because it’s cute, so I want to record it. The last one was cute, but the first time you said it was the cutest. Can you do it again like earlier?”
“…No. I’ll absolutely not say it again.”
“Ugh…”
I thought something serious was happening.
This is just ridiculous.
When I shook my head at Da-eun, she puffed her lips in a pout.
“Well, I guess I have no choice but to tamper with the black box…”
“….”
I’m not sure what a black box is, but I know that Da-eun is plotting something silly.
If it weren’t while I was driving…
I smacked my lips, soothing my disappointment.
While we were chatting, the car didn’t stop, finally coming into a familiar area.
Having only been here a few times, it felt strange to be so comfortable already. Was this because I subconsciously thought of this place as home?
After a short procedure, the car came to a stop in the underground parking lot.
“Do we not have to take this with us?”
“Oh, right. It’s too bulky to leave at home, so let’s just leave it here.”
“Got it.”
Despite only grabbing what was necessary, my hands were full.
Still, considering all the work we put into planning the trip and the efforts during it, I felt guilty leaving it all to Da-eun.
So I helped Da-eun carry the luggage into the elevator.
“How was it?”
As I watched the numbers rapidly changing on the display, Da-eun quietly approached and asked.
Although it was a sudden question, I quickly understood what she meant.
So, I nodded.
“Yeah, it was fun.”
“…Hehe. I’m glad you found it enjoyable.”
Da-eun, who had initially widened her eyes, relaxed them and grinned widely.
Ding dong.
The elevator doors opened as we reached our destination.
“Whoa!”
With a little effort, we picked our bags back up.
Since our house was right in front of us, Da-eun’s footsteps became lighter than they had been just moments ago.
Singing a little tune, Da-eun opened the door.
“Phew…. We’re back!”
At the same time, she uttered the customary greeting you always say when returning home.
Usually, I would respond to that, but since Da-eun had been out with me, there was no one to reply to her.
“Yeah, so you’re back?”
“…!”
…That’s how it should have been.
A strange voice echoed inside the house where there was supposed to be nobody.
Da-eun stiffened, as if she hadn’t anticipated this situation.
“…”
Clutching our luggage tightly, I raised my guard.
As footsteps approached, the owner of the voice revealed themselves.
“…Oh my?”
A middle-aged woman’s eyes widened in surprise upon spotting me.
…Somehow, she looks familiar.
Staring at her face in an attempt to pinpoint where I recognized her, the answer I’d been pondering suddenly came to light.
“Um, Mom…?!”
“Ah.”
So that’s it.
The reason it felt oddly familiar was that it was indeed her.
Looking at her face that made me think, ‘Is this what Da-eun will look like when she grows up?’ I nodded in understanding.
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