Next morning.
I woke up in the early dawn, probably because I wasn’t used to this sleeping arrangement.
“Ugh.”
My body was a bit sluggish, so I tossed and turned, only to then realize I was completely trapped in Kagami’s embrace.
I did bring a summer sleeping bag, but it was still quite warm to sleep in. Kagami had quickly brought an extra summer blanket so that the three of us could sleep separately if we wanted.
Next to me, the uncle was sleeping, facing the tent wall rather than us — my blanket was almost rolled up tight next to him.
I guess I had tossed and turned while sleeping, causing my blanket to get half tangled up.
But judging by the fact I was still covered by the blanket — indeed.
I was sharing a blanket with Kagami.
“Mm…”
I tightened my arms around Kagami.
When normal people raise a child, they tend to gain weight when their body shape gets out of whack, but Kagami still hadn’t at all.
Maybe it was because she didn’t eat much, or perhaps it was due to how hard she worked.
Hmm, perhaps it was just that her genes were that amazing. After all, Kagami was quite tall for a girl.
It’s a bit… uh, disappointing that those genes didn’t quite make it to me.
In elementary school, I was slightly bothered by being shorter than Harumi and Yuuki, but those worries melted away once we started playing together.
Even though I was still a bit shorter than the two of them, my height was by no means insignificant.
Kagami’s warmth was always comforting.
From when I was a young child, to my high school years, and even now. Regardless of her appearance, Kagami’s hugs were always as warm as a mother’s embrace.
It was summer, so the dawn wasn’t extremely cold. The weather was rather humid, and moving around felt like it might make me sweat a bit, but I didn’t really want to leave this warmth.
How long could we keep living like this?
Even if everyone else around us fell away, I didn’t want to part from Kagami.
“Koto Ne.”
Kagami murmured in a sleepy voice.
There were lots of things to do yesterday. After setting up the tent, we had to spread out our belongings and help prepare meals. Plus, after we ate, we cleaned up too.
Even when Mako and I tried to help, the adults insisted they would take care of everything and told us to go play.
Since Kagami worked hard during the weekdays, it’d be nice if she could take a break on this relaxing day. After all, the only people who enjoy camping are ultimately those who come along to have fun.
…When I was my current age, I would probably have that kind of vibe anywhere I went.
“Are you awake?”
Noticing that I was tightly hugging my own body, Kagami wrapped her arms around me too.
“I want to sleep a little longer.”
As I mumbled that, Kagami let out a soft chuckle.
Then, still holding me, she seemed to have fallen back asleep, her breathing evening out.
It felt like Kagami was a calming presence for me, and I also seemed to be that person for her to feel at ease with.
I thought… how fortunate that was.
Being able to have a family next to me, wherever I go, is nothing short of a blessing.
*
When I think of camping, I imagine a one-night, two-day schedule. There isn’t any special reason behind it; after all, since we’re sleeping outside, I guess it’s just natural to think we wouldn’t stay for long.
However, we had a two-night, three-day schedule. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.
When I think about it, the car we came in was a truck. It was packed with supplies, so bringing along things for two nights and three days isn’t really a problem.
Mako’s family vehicle isn’t small either. With just two people, packing enough for four was plenty.
Mako’s dad and the uncle seemed to have become a bit friendlier with each other. They weren’t noisy like you’d expect, but were casually chatting while holding light cans of beer in hand.
I think they even went fishing in the valley yesterday.
Considering the uncle’s personality, making friends shouldn’t be that hard after all.
“Koto Ne, Koto Ne.”
Mako slightly tugged my wrist and called me.
I liked it when kids called me like that. Saying my name twice meant they had something they really wanted to say to me, right?
Plus, it meant I’d blended in well with the kids.
“Today, I think we’ll sleep together.”
“Uh?”
“I told Dad I wanted to sleep with you.”
“Ah…”
After hearing that, I tilted my head in thought.
How?
“With Koto Ne’s mom, I can just go with you.”
Oh, I see.
In that case, it didn’t seem weird. After all, it’d be kinda strange for just the two of us to sleep with the uncle, or Mako’s dad. …It doesn’t seem quite right for three adults to sleep together. Even if I trust them completely, what would the surrounding people think?
“I see.”
I nodded my head.
Then, looking back at the uncle, I noticed him lifting his beer can slightly towards us with a wink. Had the story already ended?
Even though it might not be entirely accurate, Mako didn’t completely see Kagami as her mom; however, since they had hung out enough when she visited my house, it didn’t seem to create too much discomfort.
At first, I thought she was a bit shy, but perhaps she just spoke with a quiet tone, and in reality, she was pretty much a chatterbox.
Seeing Mako beam with a smile, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
*
We weren’t just camping anywhere; we were at a proper campsite, so there were adults around.
There were already quite a few people on the path we were walking.
Not that it was crowded like in a busy town, though.
The main gathering area with people and the building that managed the campsite were quite far from each other. If we walked, it’d take barely ten minutes.
Given that the campsite is within the mountains, I guess it made more economic sense to just carve out paths rather than clear the entire mountain area.
I was just stepping out to quickly grab some snacks, and as we walked towards that management office, somehow, it ended up just the two of us on that path.
Since the path wasn’t long, we knew we’d see people again soon, so we weren’t overly scared or anything.
Kagami would probably catch up with us soon too. I told her to go ahead while I searched for my wallet, and she said she’d follow.
But that short moment turned out to be some kind of opportunity for Mako.
“Koto Ne.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad to become friends with you.”
“…….”
I looked at Mako with a bit of surprise.
I hadn’t done anything.
Wasn’t it rather her instigating the friendship by reaching out first?
“It’s just that I didn’t really connect with the other kids in my class… it’s like I transferred at a kind of awkward time…”
Ah, I see.
I suppose it does take about a month for friendships to form among classmates.
And above all, that neighborhood wasn’t particularly large. Kids from all over the town gather at the school.
As expected, more than half the kids in class already know each other’s faces.
If you’re a child coming from far away, it might feel somewhat challenging to intrude.
Since I was in a similar position, we bonded quickly, and before I knew it, I found myself hanging out with the other kids — that seemed to be Mako’s story.
….
Hmm, but I still don’t feel like I did anything.
I had my doubts about it, but ultimately, it didn’t really matter. It was a nice story nonetheless.
Right. Even though I might lose touch at the end of this year, I’d still have made friends worth remembering for life. There was no reason to cut off my relationship with Mako.
So—
“……”
My thoughts were suddenly cut off.
“Koto Ne?”
Since I didn’t respond and was staring at Mako, her face turned a bit pale with concern.
The warm atmosphere abruptly fell silent.
“Mako.”
“Uh, um?”
Mako, thinking she might’ve done something wrong, replied with a pale face.
“……Let’s go back in the direction we came from.”
“Huh?”
“Go call an adult. Ah, no. Don’t call them. Call the police. Tell them to call the police.”
“Koto Ne?”
“Quick.”
“W-What’s wrong, Koto Ne…?”
“Bear.”
I whispered softly.
“…….”
Mako’s face had turned ghostly pale.
I was staring intensely over Mako’s shoulder.
Come to think of it, wild bears hadn’t gone extinct in Japan’s mountains… had they?
Surely if this was a managed campsite, they would’ve checked for such things around.
“Go.”
“K-Koto—”
The bear stirred and moved its feet.
Clearly toward us.
Even in the broad daylight, its eyes glimmered in the dark shade of the trees, and its mouth was stretched open and red.
Oh,
Kagami’s on her way here too—
I was engulfed in a chill that seemed endless.
Something felt off.
This was an accident that could’ve happened at any time, and even though I thought it was dangerous, there was something nagging at the back of my mind, something was incredibly strange.
Yet more than the abnormality.
Before I could even finish that thought, I found myself pushing Mako away to the side.
The bear’s mouth, distinctly marked with excessively black fur, was opening up.
I found my arm stretching forward on its own.
Mako needed time to escape.
That’s all I could think of.
The next sound I heard was the weighty sound of something charging.
Then came the noise of something snapping with a crunch.
Screams.
Screams.
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