CH. 112 - Camp Activities on the Second Day

Later, after the rest of the day has gone by and the sun has set, two girls sit under a blanket with a flashlight on in the middle of the floor of their cabin. They giggle and whisper in the dark when someone slowly approaches. Suddenly, the blanket is ripped off them as they look up shocked.

“Well well. What do we have here? Secrets without me?” Lucy asks with a smirk. Shiori and Chizuru look at her with wide eyes before shaking their heads in unison. “Oh yeah? Then what’re you doing?” Lucy asks. Chizuru smiles smugly.

“We’re gossiping!” She says. Lucy raises an eyebrow.

“About what?” She asks. Chizuru and Shiori blush as they look away awkwardly. Lucy stares at them before smirking and sitting down with them, tossing the blanket around all three of them. “I see. Well, I’m sure you little girls could use some guidance, so allow me.” She says. The girls start talking softly, trying not to be rude. Suiyoubi reads a rather odd, old book on her bed before she looks over at the girls. She smiles before getting up and approaching.

“Mind if I join you guys?” She asks, not sure what they’re talking about but wanting to be included, anyway. The girls look at her, then smile happily.

“Of course!” They say. Suiyoubi then lays down on the tummy on the bed next to them as they continue. Alice and Hisana then step out of the bathroom together, chatting happily before they notice the other girls. Hisana looks offended.

“Hey! No fair! Us girls are supposed to be gossiping together!” Hisana whines as she rushes over. Alice follows with a skip as they step next to the group.

“Then come on in. Nobody said you can’t join.” Lucy says with a smirk.

“Yeah, what she said.” Airi says, surprising the others. They look up to see her sitting on the top bunk bed with a smile.

“How long were you up there?.” Shiori asks softly.

“Oh. The entire time. I heard everything~” she says while smirking and blushing a little. The girls blush back, embarrassed, before another voice speaks up.

“If we’re telling secrets, I got some good ones about Kuzan here.” Daiki says with a smirk as Kuzan blushes and pushes his face away with a whine. Airi then falls back over the top bunk, hanging over the edge upside down and glares at the boys.

“Uh, no. This is for girlies only. Which means only Sugawara can join.” She says as Sugawara sweats.

“If that’s the case, then I’m good…” he says. Airi shrugs.

“Suit yourself.” She says, flipping back up. The girls continue talking as the boys look confused but shrug it off, stepping away. Hikigaya then smirks at Haru.

“Want to sneak around the campsite in the dark like secret spies?” He asks. Haru stares at him with a droop.

“You mean cause even more trouble and mischief for Ms. Samuel to deal with?..” he asks before smiling brightly. “Hell yeah!” he shouts as the boys rush out excitedly. Kitaro and Ryuji watch them go before Kitaro sighs.

“Whatever. Might as well.” He says, walking with them.

“Someone’s gotta make sure they don’t die.” Ryuji says with a smile as he follows. Alice watches them go before a boom is heard outside and Haru screams. Alice winces as she stares out the door.

“How does he manage to do that?..” she asks softly as the girls continue their gossip.

“So, what should we talk about now? Obviously, discussing our love lives might be a bit boring since we’ve all basically got partners.” Chizuru says openly to them. Hisana sighs happily as she holds her hands together, pressing them against her cheek as she smiles.

“Ah~ Kitaro…” she says. Lucy sweats as she looks at her.

“You know you’re not actually together, right?..” Lucy asks softly.

“Again, I’m not really into that kind of stuff.” Suiyoubi says as Alice looks at her before looking at the group.

“Yeah, and I’ve never even had a partner-” she says before Shiori presses a finger to her lips, shushing her before gently sliding her finger down. Alice blushes as she nods.

“What about you, Airi? You seem to spend a lot of time with Kuzan and Daiki. Got anything spicy to share?” Lucy teases. Airi looks surprised before answering.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I do. Honestly, they just kinda hang around me. Not that I mind, though.” Airi says with a soft smile.

“You ever think about, like, dating them or anything?” Shiori asks, trying to be involved even if she's not very good at this.

“Nah, I’ve never really thought about them that way. Besides, Kuzan is like way more into boys than girls and Daiki’s like a brother to me, sorta. Step brother, I guess.” Airi says. Somewhere else, in a dark corner of a building, Kuzan and Daiki get shivers at the same time.

“What’s up?” Sugawara asks.

“I dunno. Somebody might be talking about us.” Daiki says.

“Whatevs. It’s cool.” Kuzan says casually as Hikigaya and Touma smile at them.

“Hey guys, check it out!” Haru calls out. Behind them, Haru tries to light a fire on the ground before sparking two rocks together into some tinder. The fuel ignites and slowly starts burning as Haru smiles.

“Ah ha! Firyah!” he shouts proudly as the others stare at him blankly.

“Haru. Why?” Hikigaya asks before the fire starts sparking erratically. Haru’s face drops.

“Uh oh.” he says. The others all look shocked.

“Haru!” Kitaro shouts before there’s a small boom and Kitaro screams playfully. Back in the cabin, the girls giggle.

“Hehe, that’s fair. I guess the weird romances in our lives have just settled out.” Shiori says.

“True, but every other aspect of our lives has stayed rather unconventional, wouldn’t you say?” Suiyoubi asks as Lucy chuckles.

“You could say that again.” She says.

“Yeah! From fighting monsters to facing off against powerful- blehf!” Alice begins before Chizuru and Lucy cover her mouth and look at Airi. She looks confused.

“What? You know I was there when you and Hikigaya fought at Holden Manor and Green Fur Ranch, right?” She asks. Shiori sweats and smiles a bit.

“Y-yeahhh. We just needed to stop her before she gets going on her vigilantes heroes ranting she does.” Shiori says nervously.

“She could go on for hours.” Chizuru says with a smile. Alice lights up and nods, trying to say something excitedly, but her voice is muffled behind the hands. Airi giggles at them.

“You guys are so weird. I hope we stay friends after highschool. That’d be awesome.” She says softly. The others look at her and smile before letting Alice go. “Speaking of weird, I heard you guys literally gave Shiori and Hikigaya a love potion? That, like, actually worked. You’ve gotta tell me how that went.” Airi says happily as they smile.

“It didn’t really take effect until like months later and when it did… I honestly struggle to recall what happened.” Shiori says with an embarrassed blush.

“I don’t. Not only did we catch Chizuru and Touma making out passionate style, Shiori and Hikigaya almost started having sex on the living room floor! Haha!” Lucy laughs as Chizuru and Shiori get embarrassed.

“Yes, due to their… rather strong bodies, I didn’t account for their resistance when making the potion so it took a while to kick in.” Suiyoubi explains.

“And you can like actually do that? Like, consistently? The magic stuff.” Airi asks excitedly. Suiyoubi nods with a hum as Airi perks up. “Okay, now that’s crazy. I always thought magic wasn’t real or was just for show. How does it work? Do you cast spells? Do you need a wand? Do you have old books that tell you what to do?” Airi asks enthusiastically as Suiyoubi sweats with a soft smile on her face.

“W-well, I guess I could start from the top.” She says softly before the girls trail off on their new found topic. Outside, the boys wander back towards the cabin, all of them slightly burned and smokey from Haru’s fire.

“Main, we’ve gotta stop letting Haru make fires…” Hikigaya groans as Touma nods.

“I guess I take after my dad… he’s awful at not blowing himself up…” Haru says with a hollow look.

“At least it was fun though, right?” Daiki asks with a big smile, shaking off the smoke. Ryuji smirks and nods.

“I suppose letting Haru blow me isn’t so bad.” Kuzan says with a flirtatious smirk as Haru looks away, embarrassed. Sugawara huffs, then takes Haru’s hand firmly.

“I’ll do the blowing, thank you.” he says with a huff. The others look surprised as Sugawara blushes deeply in embarrassment. “I-I-I mean, you know, boyfriend! Hehe…” he stutters, then droops in defeat.

“Well, I don’t know much about all that, but what I do know is I’m hoping tomorrow brings a day that’s just as fun as this one!” Daiki says proudly as the others smile at him.

The next day, an arrow stabs right through a target on some haystacks. Alice lights up as she turns to look at the others. Despite not hitting the best score, she’s ecstatic nonetheless. Kitaro and Chizuru high five her as Kuzan steps up. He fires an arrow, getting a slightly better score before Shiori steps up. She pulls back the bow and focuses, taking a breath before launching her arrow and striking dead center. The staff is surprised as the others cheer for her. She smirks smugly as Hikigaya smiles and rolls his eyes. He lifts his bow confidently and pulls back, determined to show her up, but he pulls a little too hard and the bow snaps in his hands.

He’s startled for a moment before staring blankly as the others try to hold in their giggles. The staff member watching is shocked as Samuel just pats her on the back. Chizuru then steps forward and draws her bow with her tongue out. She shakes a little as she struggles, but she lets go and launches the arrow, hitting the target very close to center. She smiles wide as the others are pleasantly surprised and cheer for her. Soon after that, the staff members lead them down a path to a more open, barren field part of the camp.

“Okay. How many of you know the history of Camp Circle V?” the staff asks. The class stays silent as they walk, leaving the staff member with a droop. “Okay… well, this camp used to be home to a small village of original settlers. As time went on, the villagers eventually branched out and developed the nearby towns you probably saw on the way here. But locals never forgot this place, which is why they turned it into a historical campsite!” She explains happily.

“That’s cool and all, but why lead us through some empty field to give us this lesson?” Kitaro asks as the other staff member smiles.

“Because the place we’re taking you requires a bit of understanding to really grasp how incredible it is.” He says. The class starts to get excited hearing his words before their attention is drawn elsewhere. They stare with wide eyes as they stop.

“This here is the original Camp Circle V.” the staff says as the class stares at a fairly large fort made of thick tree logs and light metal works. “It was built almost 200 years ago. Obviously not impressive compared to the technology we have today, but back then, the villagers put all they had into making this fort that still stands strong to this day.” She explains as they step closer. The class looks around the main gate, checking out the old wood and size of the fort with interest. The staff watch them for a moment before smirking.

“Wanna go inside?” He asks. The class snap their heads his way with shining eyes.

“YES!” they shout together. Soon, the large gates are pushed up as the class enters the main area of the fort.

“Despite being as old as it is, studies have found no sign of structural instability. The villagers who made this fort were truly masters of their craft.” The staff says.

“Every door, staircase and bridge works just like they’re supposed to. With minor polishing every now and then from the camp keepers.” The other staff says as they watch the class walk towards the tall walls and staircase doors, looking around. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Go ahead and explore it!” She says as the class lights up and rushes around and into the fort. Some rush up the tight staircases while others wander the halls of the tall walls. As they do, Shiori and Hikigaya stand in the main area, looking around happily.

“I’m not much of a history guy, but this place is sick.” Hikigaya says with a smile.

“I find it very inspiring. I’m gonna have to write down some ideas when we get back home.” Shiori says before they both stop, hearing a loud voice call to them.

“Hikigaya the terrible! I challenge you!” Haru shouts as he leans one foot against the top of the wall. “I dare you to try and siege my fortress!” Haru shouts with a big, challenging smile.

“Now why would I go and do that?..” Hikigaya says through the gritted teeth of his playfully irritated look.

“Because you can never help yourself when Haru challenges you to anything.” Shiori says, crossing her arms. Samuel looks concerned as one of the staff leans to her and smirks.

“This always happens…” she says as the other staff approaches them with a flag and multiple waistbands with smaller flags strapped to them.

“Alright. Here’s how this is gonna go down. You will split into two teams, designated by the red and green flags. The red flags will defend their fortress from the invading green flags. If they can for ten minutes, the defenders win. And if a team is totally eliminated, they lose.” He says while handing out the flags to the class rushing his way. Hikigaya shakes his head as he puts on a green flag waistband before looking surprised as Shiori walks past him wearing a red flag.

“Shiori? What’re you doing?” He asks. She smirks at him over her shoulder.

“What? Is my puppy gonna be anxious without me around for a few minutes?” She asks flirtatiously as Hikigaya blushes. He then smirks and stares at her with determined eyes.

“Don’t blame me for what happens next.” He says as she blows a kiss to him before walking into the fort. The teams are set and the defenders take their positions throughout the fort. Haru takes the big red flag and makes his way to the highest point he can on the main wall. He slams it down boldly as he stands firm.

“Teams in position? Ready? …Begin!” The staff shouts as the green team rushes in through the main gate, splitting up, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Some rush into the corridors while others rush straight up. Hisana stands in a hall on the second floor wearing a red flag as Daiki rushes down the hall towards her.

“I’ve got you now!” He shouts, reaching for her flag. Hisana looks at him casually before quickly spinning out of the way, tripping him in the process. He stumbles forward before slamming into the wall. He groans a little as Hisana smiles at him, leaning over him.

“No touchy.” She says before taking his green flag. Elsewhere, Sugawara, wearing a green flag, steps out onto a raised platform in the main area. He looks around before spotting a ladder that leads straight to the top of the walls. He smirks before quickly climbing up.

“Heh. No one will expect an external assault.” He says to himself. He gets to the top and pops his head up but stops with a shocked look, looking up to see Lucy, Airi and Suiyoubi standing above him. He blushes and sweats nervously before slowly going back down before he’s quickly grabbed and yanked up with a yelp. On a different tower of the top walls, Ryuji and Touma, wearing red flags, step through the staircase entrance to the wall path. Touma struggles to get through, almost getting stuck. Ryuji looks at him and smiles before helping him.

“I guess these smaller corridors are difficult for a big guy like you, huh?” he asks, pulling Touma’s arm through before hearing footsteps stomping up his way. He thinks for a moment before smirking and whispering something to Touma. Touma is surprised but nods. Kitaro and Chizuru rush up the stairs happily before suddenly stopping. They look confused as they see Touma sitting in the doorway, totally blocking the path forward. Kitaro pokes him as Touma chuckles. Kitaro then starts pushing him with Chizuru’s help, but he won’t budge.

“Move, big body!” Kitaro grunts. Touma and Ryuji giggle as Chizuru grunts too.

“Baby bear! Please!” She says. Touma’s eyes widen as he gets up and out of the way quickly. In that moment, shocking Ryuji, Kitaro dashes through, grabbing both of their flags. He smirks over his shoulder as he holds them up proudly. Ryuji pouts a little as Chizuru smiles at Touma.

“Thank you, baby.” She says cutely as Touma blushes and smiles, nodding. Somewhere else in the large fort, Shiori slides to a stop at the end of a hall as Hikigaya does the same at the other end. They stare at each other for a moment before they smirk at each other, and Shiori takes off. Hikigaya rushes after her down the hall before she runs down the tight spiral staircase. He steps down quickly as she goes as far down as she can, only to realize the bottom doesn’t lead out anywhere, only to a small room with a single tiny window letting sunlight in. Shiori hears the steps quickly approaching and turns around only to be met by Hikigaya grabbing her by the wrists and pushing her firmly against the wall. They pant for a moment as he holds her arms up next to her head. She smirks at him before speaking.

“I think you took a wrong turn. The flag is up there.” She says, pointing a finger up. Hikigaya leans in closer as he responds.

“I think I found my prize just fine.” He says with a smirk. Shiori blushes as she playfully flirts back.

“Oh yeah? You’re really gonna abandon your team just for little ol’ me?” She teases.

“Oh, I’d do a lot for you.” He says back, leaning even closer.

“Prove it.” She tempts in a breathy whisper before Hikigaya presses his lips against hers firmly. It doesn’t take more than a moment for Shiori to open her lips, letting Hikigaya slip his tongue into her mouth. They kiss passionately as Hikigaya’s grip loosens on her wrists, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. Hikigaya then stops kissing her lips and moves to her neck, nibbling and sucking gently. Shiori sighs in pleasure.

“Hiki.. here, really?.” She asks softly.

“The others are busy.. why not?.” He responds, not removing his face from her neck. Shiori smiles in bliss as she slides her hands down his back, around his shoulders and along his waist when suddenly, she grabs onto his flag and rips it off the waistband. Hikigaya is stunned as Shiori rushes up a couple steps then turns to face him.

“Wai- huh? What?” Hikigaya stutters out as Shiori giggles.

“Looks like I won.” She flaunts his flag at him as he pouts. She then smiles lovingly at him with a deep blush on her cheeks. “But maybe I’ll reward your courage later..” she says softly as Hikigaya blushes a bit, but before he can say anything else, Shiori rushes off. Hikigaya huffs before smiling and stepping up the stairs.

“Victory!!” Alice shouts as she raises the flag in her hand, standing over Haru’s limp body hanging over the edge of the wall. Hisana claps happily as Lucy grabs her by the shoulder and drags her away.

“You’re not supposed to cheer, we lost.” Lucy says.

“Ohhh. I see.” Hisana says as she’s dragged away. Soon, the shenanigans of the day come to a slow stop as the birds of the forest call out over the setting sun. The class is let out for free time as the sky turns a dull pink above their heads. Chizuru, Lucy, and Shiori sit on a hill a little ways away from the main area of the camp, overlooking it with short little trees around them. They sigh in pleasure as they look over the forest and the camp with happy smiles on their faces. 

“This is the best.” Chizuru says warmly as she feels the gentle breeze blow through her hair.

“You can say that again.” Lucy says while pulling out a lighter and igniting a blunt she put in her mouth. Chizuru looks at her, shocked.

“Lucy! How did you even get that on the bus?” She asks but gets no response as Shiori leans forward and looks at her with a taunting look.

“I thought you were the one against going camping? Yet here you are enjoying it more than us.” She says. Lucy takes a deep breath in from her roll before she answers.

“No no, what happened was I was the reason we went camping. It was all my idea.” She says before huffing out a thin cloud of smoke. Chizuru sweats as she speaks.

“I don’t think you can smoke that here…” she says softly.

“It’s cool. It’s a plant. I’m just returning it to its natural habitat.” Lucy says, before inhaling again, then giggling, small clouds of smoke coming from her nose as she does. Chizuru sighs as Shiori smiles at her. Lucy puffs again before lifting it towards the girls. “Want some?” She asks. Shiori shakes her head.

“Nah, I don’t wanna waste it. I don’t really feel like letting loose like that right now.” She says. Lucy motions it towards Chizuru a bit as she shakes her head firmly.

“No no, I’m not really a fan of that stuff. You know that.” She says. Lucy shrugs before putting it back in her lips.

“Worth a shot.” She says with a soft smile. The girls sit together in silence for a bit, just leaning back and listening to the peaceful sounds of the forest. Chizuru then takes a deep breath in with a soft smile on her face before she speaks.

“I’m so happy..” she says softly as the others look at her and smile warmly. “I really.. didn’t think I’d make it this far.” Chizuru says quietly. Despite her smile, her eyes convey a soft sense of sadness or anxiety. The other’s looks turn to more concerned ones before Lucy speaks up, putting her hand on Chizuru’s.

“Chizuru…” she says with a concerned look. Chizuru smiles a little with an awkward look.

“I know, I know. I promised not to bring up those feelings so much. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood...” she says softly while looking down. “I just… I think sometimes that I’m not strong enough. Sometimes just doing daily tasks becomes difficult and I… get scared.” She says softly with a gentle smile, trying not to be a downer. Shiori looks unsure what to say, and so does Lucy for a moment before she smiles and wraps her arm around Chizuru’s neck, pulling her in close.

“Well, don’t be! You’re gonna live until you’re 200 years old, remember? You promised.” Lucy says cheerfully as Chizuru giggles.

“I did, didn’t I?” she says as the girls giggle. Shiori smiles warmly at the sight of her friends and looks down a bit.

“Hey, guys?” She says. They turn and look at her, surprised. “I know you’ve kinda already explained it to me before, but.. how did you guys meet? I know you’ve known each other for a long time, right?” Shiori asks shyly. Lucy smirks as Chizuru smiles a big smile.

“Yeah! Lucy and I met in kindergarten. After that, she introduced me to Ryuji. And he introduced me to Haru!” Chizuru explains.

“Kinda funny how that works, huh?” Lucy asks with a smile. Shiori nods with a giggle before looking at them excitedly.

“And you said Hikigaya joined you guys in fifth grade?” Shiori asks. Lucy smirks as she moves the roll around her mouth a bit.

“Look at her, getting all excited just mentioning that boy.” She teases as Shiori blushes, embarrassed. Lucy giggles before smiling softly. “That loser came way later. It was, in fact, fifth grade, I think. Something like that.” Lucy says casually, not giving it much thought.

“Yeah, one day during recess, while we were playing, we saw this lonely kid with grey hair. He was so sad looking!” Chizuru adds with a laugh. Shiori smiles warmly as she learns more about Hikigaya. 

“And he came from the same elementary school I went to, right?” Shiori asks. Lucy shrugs a little.

“I’m pretty sure. He never talked much about his life before moving. Apparently he was kind of a loner there too.” Lucy says with a teasing look before smirking.

“Although, he did talk about one girl in particular a lot.” She says, gazing at Shiori. Shiori looks surprised before Lucy looks away with a smile. “But that’s a story for another day. Chizuru was way more interesting back then.” Lucy says. Chizuru blushes and rubs the back of her head bashfully.

“Nooo, I was just like all of you.” She says with a smile.

“Yeah right. We were all basically loners, but you tried making friends with every person you met! Even if it never turned out so well.” Lucy says, bumping Chizuru’s shoulder a bit. She sweats a bit as she smiles and looks away.

“Yeahhh, they usually would start picking on me because of my hair.. but like I said, I’m proud of my hair! I think it makes me look cute!” Chizuru says, clenching her fists proudly in front of her chest. The others giggle.

“Hehe, super cute.” Shiori says softly.

“That’s true. At least it kept things interesting. Ryuji and I would take care of things as Haru comforted you with those stupid faces he’d make!” Lucy says with a laugh, thinking back to those times.

“Then Hikigaya came along and made sure every bully stayed far, far away!” Chizuru says, swinging her fist out as if demonstrating his past actions. They laugh as Shiori smiles warmly at them.

“It sounds like you guys always loved each other very much.” Shiori says warmly.

“Are you kidding? I can’t stand this girl.” Lucy says sarcastically as Chizuru gets a shocked look. Shiori then giggles.

“I can tell!” She says. They all laugh until Chizuru sighs softly with a warm smile on her face.

“Honestly, you two are the best things to ever happen to me. I don’t know how I could ever show how much you mean to me.” Chizuru says warmly while staring into the sky. Lucy smiles before pulling in Shiori and Chizuru for a side hug.

“I hope you feel the same way too, Shiori! Now you’ll never get rid of us!” Lucy says with a laugh as Shiori blushes and smiles awkwardly.

“I don’t want it any other way.” She says softly as the three girls smile and giggle together, holding each other tightly on this hill as if promising to never let go, as they overlook the camp and forest around them.