The president of the class put up her hand. "Is not the purpose of the camping activity just to acquaint new students with the surroundings? Why did sensei announce it to us?"
"This is because one of the students in this class has not engaged in this activity for the past two years; as a result, he must take it this year with the first graders." Teacher gave an explanation. She yelled a name after that, saying, "Sensei hopes you can take it this year, Daichi Nishiyama."
Daichi instantly straightened up when his name was called. He got to his feet and said, "Yes, Sensei," in a respectful manner.
Then Daichi sat down on the table and folded his arms. To be honest, he was mortified that the teacher had revealed it to his peers.
"She could have called me to the office and told me directly, so why does it have to be announced in class anyway? Sometimes I find this sensei a little annoying." Daichi complained bitterly.
•~•
As Daichi was about to leave the building after school, a few students stopped him.
They are students from the extracurricular painting club and Daichi also member of the club.
"Nishiyama-san."
"Uh, you guys. What's up?" Daichi gave a less than enthusiastic response.
"In the last few days, why haven't you joined in on club activities? Has something happened?" one of them inquired.
Compared to other students, the members of the painting club were unique. They avoid engaging in gossip and are typically more reclusive. They sometimes even neglect the outside world in favor of perfecting their painting abilities, leaving them ignorant of what is going on in the world.
Daichi sighed inwardly. He was reluctant to be honest with the students in the painting club.
"I am just not feeling well." Lovely as always, Daichi smiled.
Daichi bid them farewell after mumbling a few random excuses. He encountered Akira outside the gate, leaning back and holding a can of cold drink.
Daichi inquired, "Why are you still here?"
"Waiting for you."
Akira and Daichi walked hand in hand.
"Hey, Dai-chan, you really must go camping? Do you think that is okay? It is possible for you to meet Shuhei Yoshimoto. If you meet him, your feelings will undoubtedly be stirred."
Daichi cast a disgruntled glance at Akira. "Meeting Yua Miyagi makes me feel more troubled than him."
"Eeeh, that's right! Yua Miyagi is a first-grader."
Half-resigned, Daichi shrugged his shoulders in response. "There's nothing that can be done. Prior to leaving for home, Sensei cautioned me not to skip out on camping activities this time."
"Ah, I see."
Akira turned and looked toward their nearby school. Camping activities usually take place on the hill behind the school.
"This activity is similar to treasure hunting and traditional camping. Why does it take place annually and participation is required?" Akira muttered in confusion.
"I didn't understand that either for almost three years in Sakuraoka," Daichi added.
•~•
The appointed weekend has arrived.
There is a gathering of students in the field. All of them are first graders, with the exception of Daichi, who is the only third grader who participated in this activity.
The nature lovers club's leader, Mr. Sakaguchi, is the teacher in charge.
Mr. Sakaguchi is a tall, stocky man in his mid-40s with brownish skin; he looked more like a soldier.
"Welcome to the annual camping event of Sakuraoka School. The person in charge of this activity is me, Kendo Sakaguchi." The introduction was given by Mr. Sakaguchi. "This is not your typical camping experience. This fosters our love of the natural world and introduces us to it as well."
Mr. Sakaguchi cast a quick glance at the lined-up students. He said, "Practicing basic survival skills in the forest will be the main focus of this activity, which will take place over the course of one day and one night."
The students gasped when they heard Mr. Sakaguchi mention the program's title. Since "Survival in the forest" sounded so dire and frightening, they could not stay still.
Daichi included. He started to feel frightened and got goosebumps.
"Could this not be harmful, Sensei? Indeed, there are a lot of mosquitoes in the forest, along with other potentially harmful creatures like poisonous snakes and spiders. Dangerous spots include twig-covered holes and steep cliffs, particularly when the ground is slick. When someone trips and falls..."
Daichi voiced his concerns, and Mr. Sakaguchi answered right away.
"Don't worry. Because the forest on the hill behind the school is always kept up, you can be sure that there are no potentially hazardous plants or animals there. It is quite secure."
Mr. Sakaguchi spoke with such assurance. Daichi wanted to counter, but Mr. Sakaguchi was on his way with his explanation already.
"Pay close attention. First, you have to gather edible plants and fruit from the forest for each other's dinner. There will not be dinner if you can't find the ingredients."
Someone from the back row raised his hand. "Most people are unable to distinguish between edible plants and fruit. What happens if we unintentionally consume the toxic ones?"
Mr. Sakaguchi replied, "Don't worry, you will be provided with a guidebook before entering the hill forest."
"In addition, a map is included to ensure you don't get lost. This is where you will end up when you go camping at night. So make an effort to arrive here before dusk so you can pitch your tent." Opening the map, Mr. Sakaguchi indicated a large red dot in the middle of the forest.
"Sensei, may I ask a question? Will there be a tent provided since we did not bring any supplies?"
"Tents are provided, yes." Mr. Sakaguchi gestured toward the supply pile behind him. "All right, that should be enough to explain. Do any inquiries come up?"
There was silence from the students waiting in line. Seeing as Mr. Sakaguchi believed there were no complaints, he began handing out a bundle of folding tents, instruction manuals, folders, and a big bottle of mineral water all contained in a bulky backpack.
"Has everyone received their fair part?"
"Yet already." The students all responded at once.
"This is the final step before you enter the forest. Select your team by drawing the lottery numbers in this box. Every team will have two members."
When the students learned that they would have teammates, their initial feelings of fear and pessimism gave way to a hint of excitement.
The students take turns going forward to draw lots one by one.
"A teammate is someone who receives the same number." Mr. Sakaguchi provided guidance.
As soon as they had taken their lottery numbers, the students got to work finding their partner numbers.
Daichi was the next to move forward. His hand trembling, he reached for the lottery box.
"Please don't pair up with Yua Miyagi. God, please hear my request. Please don't!" While he unfolded the lottery paper, Daichi prayed in silence.
Number 7.
Daichi turned around looking for anyone who wasn't paired yet, asking; "what's your number?"
"Number 16."
Then Daichi moved on to the next student. "What's your number?"
"12, senpai."
"Ah, not really. Well, what about you?" Daichi approached the fat, curly-haired student.
"Mine is number 6."
At this time, Mr. Sakaguchi gave other instructions; "Those who already have a team, may enter the forest now."
The students began to enter the forest in pairs.
Seeing that, Daichi felt worried, especially since almost everyone had found their partners and entered the forest.
"They've started coming in. So what about me? If I'm late coming in, I might not be able to reach the camp point on time." Daichi complained. "Is my number an odd number that doesn't have a match?"
Even though he complained, Daichi still didn't give up. He approached a small group of students who were still busy matching lottery numbers.
Daichi takes a quick look and notices that Yua Miyagi doesn't seem to have found her partner either.
"Don't tell me... My partner is Yua Miyagi?!" Daichi's heart pounded. Not a flutter of love, but a flutter of nervousness full of reluctance.
One by one the small group began to pair themselves off. There were really only a few people left, including Yua Miyagi.
Daichi closed his eyes, resigned. "So be it, if my partner has to be her, just surrender!"
Daichi made up his mind, taking a step forward towards Yua Miyagi.
However, a hand touched his shoulder from behind.
"What's your number?" The person who touched Daichi's shoulder asked.
The beautiful young man turned around. "My number—" he covered his mouth when he realized the person behind him was Shuhei Yoshimoto.
He was about to look away, but his eyes caught the sacred number he had been looking for all this time.
Number 7!
it was the same number as the lottery number in Shuhei Yoshimoto's hand.
"Eeehh?"
Daichi froze. Repeatedly confirmed that Shuhei's number was indeed 7, and not the letter L.
"It's really number 7!"