42 Chapter 41

"It's sooo hot!" I whine as we continue along the path.

"Enjoy it. It'll get super cold as soon as the sun sets," Yacchan tells me, tugging on his shirt to keep it from sticking to his skin. I guess he does have a point. It will get quite cold up here. Suddenly I stopped walking. Past the trees I see an eerie looking building. It looks kind of like a school. "What are you looking at?" He glances over my shoulder at the place, "Oh, that! It's a school and dorms. I heard the third years were the last ones to use it. But now since there's one built at the foot of the mountain it's closed. It's been completely abandoned since." 'So Akemi and the other third years had used it, I'd have to ask them about it sometime.'

"Don't tell me where I'll have the courage test in that run-down building?!" Toono huffs.

"Oh no." Yacchan explains, "They'll have it on this path though."

"It sure looks creepy.." I note.

"Yeah, they haven't done any maintenance on it. It's just been left to rot away." I catch my foot in a rock and slip, but Yacchan is quick to grab a hold of me. He doesn't seem to so much as flinch as he slips his arms effortlessly around my waist. "That was close, you good?" I nod. But I had nearly forgotten what a nice body he had since unlike the rest of these boys he doesn't have a habit of randomly stripping.

"Watch out," Toono calls ahead from a couple feet behind us. "The floor is really uneven."

"I'm sorry," I reply, getting to my feet quickly and dusting myself off.

"It's okay," he smiles brightly, "That's what cooperation is about!"

We rush ahead to catch up with the third years. Shikatani shrieks, and we're worried something has happened. But he clings to Itome out of defense as he points out the beetle. I quietly hear Itome whisper to him, " You'll be okay." What a weird but sweet pair.

"Come on, look! The last stamp is just a little ways away!"