Crying

Arisu Sakayanagi, the class representative of 1st Year Class A at Chiba Municipal Sobu High School.

Her silver short hair, rich in texture, and her name, which sounds like it's from a fantastical world, often gave her an otherworldly, fleeting atmosphere.

She had extraordinarily high academic achievements, but due to her congenital heart condition, she was prohibited from participating in any athletic competitions. As a result, whenever there was a physical fitness test or related exam, she was always "defeated without a fight."

For the physical exams, she would apologize to her classmates for dragging them down. Although Japanese high schools allowed students to skip physical exams with a hospital note, doing so still resulted in point deductions.

Kotomi, who usually didn't pay much attention to the affairs of other classes, knew that Arisu Sakayanagi was a fellow first-year at Sobu High School, but she didn't know that she was the class representative of Class 1-A.

Over the past two days of exams, Kotomi had been too focused on finishing early, napping on her desk, and drawing Bleach vs. Naruto on her scratch paper. She hadn't noticed that Arisu Sakayanagi had been sitting in the very front row of the classroom.

So when she saw Arisu standing before her, greeting her personally, Kotomi was taken aback. After a brief moment of surprise, she extended her hand in return, shaking Arisu's soft hand with a smile, and said:

"Nice to meet you, Arisu-san. How did you know my name?"

"Your performance during the exams was quite eye-catching. Finding out your name was a breeze~ I hope we'll be in the same exam room for the next test," Arisu replied with a light laugh. She then slightly tiptoed closer, leaning toward Kotomi's ear, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, whispered:

"Long time no see. You've changed a bit, but in my eyes, you haven't changed at all, little Kotomi~"

After finishing her sentence, Arisu donned her beret, picked up the bag she had left beside her, and, with the help of her cane, slowly walked out of the classroom. Before leaving, she even reminded everyone, "There's no homework today, so feel free to pack up and head straight home after class."

Kotomi stood frozen in place, replaying Arisu's whispered words in her mind, trying to figure out what they meant.

Could it be… that they had met a long time ago?

Kotomi racked her brain, trying to recall any memory of knowing Arisu Sakayanagi before this, but nothing came to mind.

"Kotomi… Kotomi… Kotomi…"

 Yukino Yukinoshita's gentle voice pulled Kotomi out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong? You've been spacing out for a while now, and the classroom is nearly empty."

Now that Kotomi had snapped back to reality, Yukino's voice returned to its usual cool tone, but there was an unmistakable hint of concern hidden beneath it.

"Could it be that you were mesmerized by Arisu-san's beauty?" teased Seiko Kirigiri, who had been helping Kotomi pack up her stationery. She smiled mischievously, adding, "After all, Arisu-san isn't just academically gifted—she's also one of the school's top beauties. Some students have even started debating whether Arisu or Kotomi is more beautiful since both of you have similar hair colors and are both short-haired."

"Eh… there's really such a debate going on? And I didn't even know about it?" Kotomi was genuinely surprised, stunned that people were discussing her appearance.

Is this what it means to be a beautiful girl?

Well, considering that someone as beautiful as her—whose looks could outshine gems and whose talent could make the sun and moon feel inferior—was being talked about, wasn't it perfectly normal?

In fact, if no one were talking about her, that would be the problem.

If that were the case, Kotomi could definitely imagine grabbing a classmate by the collar and shouting, "I'm this beautiful, why aren't you talking about me? Start talking about me now!"

Yes, she'd absolutely do that.

Leaving the Class 1-A classroom, Kotomi knew that, since the monthly exams had just ended, club activities wouldn't resume until tomorrow at the earliest.

She soon spotted Megumi Kato, Yui Yuigahama, and Mashiro Shiina waiting for her not far away.

"How did the last two exams go, Yui?" Kotomi asked immediately after approaching them.

Yui flashed a proud smile and gave Kotomi an OK gesture before jokingly adding, "I'm super confident. Just wait—my name will be right at the top of the rankings!"

"You're being a bit too overconfident," Kotomi chuckled, gently tapping Yui on the head.

Seeing this playful exchange, Megumi Kato's eyes flickered with a subtle, fleeting expression before returning to normal.

"Kotomi, you haven't asked how I did," Mashiro chimed in after finishing a bite of her baumkuchen, having overheard Kotomi's conversation with Yui.

"Ah, I almost forgot. How did you do, Mashiro?"

Mashiro, pouting her adorable cheeks as if bothered by not being asked first, simply replied with two words:

"Secret."

"…"

Hearing this, Kotomi could only smile helplessly. Was Mashiro jealous? She wasn't sure, but if she was, it seemed that Mashiro was just as good at getting jealous as Aimi.

After leaving the school, Yui had to go pick up little Yuka from Hanamaru Kindergarten, so she left first.

Today, once again, it was just Kotomi and Megumi Kato walking home together.

As they walked, Kotomi noticed that Megumi was unusually quiet today. Normally, they would chat all the way home, but today, Megumi seemed off, as if something was bothering her. She only responded occasionally when Kotomi initiated conversation.

Seeing this, Kotomi started to panic a little.

—Could I have done something to upset her?!

But when she thought back on the day, apart from seeing Megumi Kato at dismissal, their earliest interaction had been that morning on their way to school. Even if she wanted to upset Megumi, she wouldn't have had the time or opportunity, right?

Kotomi glanced at Megumi. Although she seemed just like her usual self, with no discernible change in tone, Kotomi had a strong feeling that something was off. Megumi's mood wasn't good.

Moreover, it seemed likely that her moodiness had something to do with Kotomi herself.

Realizing this, Kotomi became distressed. What could she have possibly done to make the usually calm and good-natured Megumi unhappy?

Normally, the most effective way to solve this kind of problem would be to hug Megumi tightly and start whining affectionately, then ask what's wrong. Kotomi was just about to do this when she suddenly realized that such a tactic was only suitable for lovers—not for the current state of her relationship with Megumi!

She couldn't just find a secluded spot, strip down, and hug Megumi, making their relationship go from friends to lovers, then use this method, right?!

Setting aside how plausible that idea was, Kotomi still didn't know what Megumi Kato's feelings toward her truly were.

Such a method required mutual affection, where both parties only had a thin wall separating their relationship, ready to break down at any moment. But what if Kato still only saw her as a friend?

If Kotomi suddenly stripped down and clung to her naked, wouldn't that be incredibly awkward?

She needed to figure out a plan to ask Megumi what was wrong.

As Kotomi mulled over her thoughts, an idea suddenly struck her.

Just go for it!

An idea flashed in Izumi Kotomi's mind—why not just ask directly?

She couldn't think of a roundabout way to probe into Megumi Kato's feelings, so she decided to stop overthinking and ask her directly.

However, even though she would be straightforward, she couldn't ask too bluntly. If she asked Megumi about it while feeling off, she might just get a dismissive response like "it's nothing" or "I'm just feeling a bit down."

She needed to shift her emotional tone a bit.

After taking a moment to collect herself, Kotomi stepped forward and blocked Megumi Kato's path.

Not knowing what her first words should be, Kotomi thought about Megumi's cold behavior earlier, though she still didn't know the reason.

Suddenly, a wave of grievance welled up inside her, and before she knew it, she made a sound like she was about to cry:

"Mmnn..."

Perhaps because she dwelled on it too much, real tears started to fall, trickling down her cheeks and hitting the ground with soft "drip drip" sounds.

"Kotomi?! What's wrong!" Megumi was startled when Kotomi suddenly started crying out of nowhere. She hurriedly asked, full of concern.

Seeing the tears on Kotomi's beautiful face, Megumi felt her heart tremble. She immediately thought, Why is she crying? Who made her cry? Did someone bully her? Whoever it is… they're unforgivable!

Believing that Kotomi had been bullied without her knowledge, a storm of anger surged within Megumi's heart.

"Did I… did I upset you…?" Kotomi asked with a pitiful expression, her teary eyes glistening like autumn water, gazing up at Megumi.

Megumi's heart almost melted on the spot!

"Eh? Upset? Upset with you? Of course not! How could I ever be angry with you?" Megumi quickly denied, realizing that Kotomi's tears were because of her. The storm in her heart immediately calmed down. She moved closer and gently wiped away Kotomi's tears with her hands.

Normally, Megumi could stay composed, even indifferent, but seeing Kotomi's tear-streaked face made her want to comfort her at all costs.

"Then why were you ignoring me just now..." Kotomi asked, still with watery eyes.

It wasn't that Kotomi was faking her tears; she initially planned to, but somehow, real tears came out instead.

She sniffled, embarrassed by how things had turned out.

Was my acting really so bad that I accidentally cried for real?

"Just now?" Megumi thought for a moment, realizing what Kotomi was talking about.

Leaning forward slightly, her bright eyes gazing softly at Kotomi, Megumi poked Kotomi's dimples playfully and said:

"I was just focusing on planning something earlier, and I can't really multitask. But I didn't expect this silly girl to take it to heart and even cry over it. Aren't you ashamed?"

With a smile tugging at her lips, Megumi used her delicate, soft hands to wipe away Kotomi's tears. A gentle, intimate atmosphere seemed to envelop the two of them.

"Planning something?" Kotomi blinked her big, tear-filled eyes, her curiosity piqued.

"Didn't you mention before that your hometown is in Yamanashi Prefecture?" Megumi asked with a light chuckle.

Kotomi nodded. During one of their chats with Yukino, Yui, and Megumi, she had casually mentioned that her hometown was in Yamanashi Prefecture. It was something she had said offhandedly, so she hadn't thought much of it, but Megumi had remembered it clearly.

"Pine Wood Campground is a well-known campsite in Yamanashi. I've always wanted to visit, but I couldn't make it during the summer vacation. So, I'm planning to go during winter break instead," Megumi explained with a smile.

"Pine Wood Campground? I went there once during my first year of middle school. The scenery was really nice, but we didn't have camping gear, so we just had a picnic and went home in the evening," Kotomi replied.

Yamanashi, as Kotomi's hometown, is often associated with fruits like grapes, peaches, and cherries, as well as specialties like houtou noodles, Shingen mochi, and simmered abalone.

It's also known for its stunning views of Mt. Fuji, and it's home to one of the five Fuji lakes—Lake Motosu.

Although the other four lakes are also in Yamanashi, Lake Motosu is the most popular among camping enthusiasts.

Yamanashi has many such popular camping spots, including Pine Wood Campground, which Megumi mentioned.

Perhaps due to the abundance of campgrounds, many camping enthusiasts consider Yamanashi one of the top destinations for outdoor activities.

"Pine Wood Campground is near Fuefuki Park, so it's the perfect place to visit during the holidays," Kotomi added. Then, realizing something, she gasped and asked, "Megumi, are you planning to go camping in Yamanashi during the winter break?!"

"Bingo~" Megumi responded, making a playful hand gesture as if to say, "Correct."

"Thanks to my grandparents' influence, I've loved camping since I was little. To celebrate my acceptance into high school this summer, my grandpa gave me a lot of camping gear, and my grandma bought me a new tent and sleeping bag as gifts."

"So your grandparents are also camping enthusiasts?" Kotomi was surprised to hear this.

"Apparently, they met each other while camping. Even now, despite their age, they're still in great health, probably thanks to years of camping. Every year, they ride their motorcycles to different campsites around Japan."

Megumi then checked the date on her phone and smiled wryly. "If I remember correctly, they're probably riding to Izu right now."

"Riding motorcycles to Izu…? That's incredible," Kotomi murmured in awe.

"For them, the motorcycle ride is the best part of the journey, so they always choose campsites that are far away."

"So, you were thinking about planning a camping trip to Yamanashi during the winter break?" Kotomi asked.

"More specifically, I'm planning to go camping in Yamanashi by myself. I got my motorcycle license over the summer," Megumi said with a proud little hum, clearly feeling pleased with herself.

"You're going to Yamanashi by yourself? But if it's during the winter break, I'll be in Yamanashi too."

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for! When I arrive in Yamanashi, I want to visit Fuefuki Park with you, then camp together at Pine Wood Campground for the night. You've never slept in a tent before, right?"

"No, I haven't," Kotomi admitted, shaking her head.

She had never camped in a tent before. In her previous life, she couldn't afford to go camping—just checking the prices of camping gear online made her wallet cry in despair.

In this life, she had just recently reincarnated and was still a student, so other than long holidays, she didn't have much free time to go camping.

Besides, Kotomi considered herself a pure homebody. If Megumi hadn't brought up camping, it's likely she would never have considered it on her own.

"Then it's perfect. You'll be in Yamanashi during the winter break anyway, so why not camp with me? You don't have to rush home at night; just sleep in the tent with me. It's really comfy~" Megumi invited, her smile growing brighter.

"Eh? But if I'm going to spend a night outside, especially at a campsite, I'll need to convince my grandparents and parents first," Kotomi replied hesitantly.

"Don't worry. Once we're in Yamanashi, I'll come visit your house. I'll explain everything to your parents and grandparents personally," Megumi said confidently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

This left Kotomi wondering, Could it be that Megumi was planning this camping trip all along?