Camping

“Man, it’s been a while, hasn’t it, Aisa-chan, Manami-chan?”

“Ah! It’s Uncle!”

“It’s been a while…”

The camping day arrived in the blink of an eye. Once Mom got the idea, she contacted Takanishi-san’s mom, and it was just a matter of coordinating the dads’ schedules. Apparently, their days off lined up almost immediately.

By the way, the parents of both families get along way better than Aisa and I do. Well enough that they arranged for a private tutor for us without me even knowing.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

Aisa and her family came to our place by car. The uncle driving waved at us cheerfully.

“Oh, you’re not riding in our car, you’re in theirs.”

“Huh?”

Why?

“Our car’s back seats are folded down to fit both families’ stuff.”

“Wait, nobody told me that.”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Just go already.”

Seriously…? Neither our car nor the Takanishi family’s car is exactly spacious.

Naturally, cramming three people in the back means getting real cozy.

“So, why am I stuck in the middle…?”

“Sorry about the tight squeeze.”

“No, no, it’s totally fine… I mean, sorry for intruding.”

Couldn’t they have put someone smaller like Manami in the middle…?

As I was thinking that, Aisa spoke up.

“Kouki, you get carsick, right?”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.”

I’m not great with vehicles. Seeing the scenery up front helps me keep it together.

Still, Aisa remembering that about me? That’s pretty thoughtful.

“Thanks.”

“Mm.”

“We’ll take breaks here and there, so even if it’s cramped, bear with it, okay, Kouki-kun?”

“Oh, sorry about that. Thanks a lot.”

With that from Uncle, we hit the road.

◇

“Manami?”

“…”

Not even five minutes after we set off, Manami started snoring softly.

“Oh my, does having Kouki-kun next to her make her feel that safe?”

Auntie said that, but having her lean on me in front of our parents feels… kinda nerve-wracking, to be honest.

“Don’t worry, Kouki-kun, I’m not gonna say something like, ‘You can’t have my daughter!’”

With even Uncle acting like this, I felt even more awkward.

For some reason, Aisa was gripping the sleeve of my shirt tightly. No need to worry, I’m not gonna steal Manami or anything, so relax.

◇

“We’re here!”

Manami, who woke up when we hit the mountain roads and had been chasing the passing scenery, bolted out.

“You okay?”

“Somehow…”

The winding mountain roads got Manami all hyped up, but they did a number on my stomach.

“Sorry about that, Kouki-kun.”

“No, it was definitely better than our car…”

For some reason, my dad gets all excited behind the wheel and tore through those mountain roads like a maniac. If I’d been in his car, I’d probably have hurled the moment we arrived.

“Kouki! Take a breather, then help with the luggage!”

“Got it.”

Three guys to handle the work. Time to pull my weight.

◇

“Why am I doing this alone…?”

“Need help…?”

“No way, Aisa-chan, you’re on cooking prep duty!”

The first thing to do at a campsite is set up the tents. Two families, so two tents. Normally, you’d split the work by family, right? So why are my dad and Aisa’s dad teaming up to set up one tent together…?

“Kouki! How’s it going?”

My overly enthusiastic dad called out to me.

“It’s gonna take a while.”

“Yeah, figured. Don’t worry, we’ve got this side covered.”

“Worry about me, would ya…?”

In the end, I got stuck setting up the tarp all by myself. Brutal…

Setting up a tent is way more efficient with two people. Doing it alone means you can’t hold and pull at the same time, so it takes at least twice as long. And the result…?

“Man, our Aisa’s gonna have a tough time unless Kouki-kun takes her off our hands.”

“If anything, our Kouki’s the one who’s gonna have it rough.”

“Hahaha!”

“Oi! You drunks, get to work!”

Both dads were already half in the bag.

Still, they’d managed to set up the tents, the tarp, and even got the barbecue fire going, so… I guess it’s fine? Is it fine?

“Kouki, is the fire good to go?”

“Yeah.”

The dads handled the fire-starting but left everything else to me. As soon as I finished the tent, Aisa came over with the ingredients.

Surprisingly, Manami was actually helping with the cooking prep. But you couldn’t take your eyes off her, since she’d say stuff like, “I saw a video the other day that said cicadas are edible, Kouki-nii!” Gotta make sure no weird stuff ends up on the grill…

“We’re counting on you, Kouki!”

“Just stay quiet, you drunks…”

I lined up the no-fuss stuff on the grill—frankfurters, meat, corn on the cob.

Aisa was preparing something called ajillo, I think? She focused on seafood and arranged it on the grill. Manami was chopping ingredients for curry.

“You sure it’s okay to leave her to it?”

“Probably…?”

Mom and Auntie were keeping an eye on things, but both of them are the type to egg her on. I just prayed no cicadas would show up in the curry…

“Oh, Manami, you caught something?”

“Ehehe! Pretty cool, right? Look!”

I glanced over at Manami and Uncle talking—

“Huh?!”

“A snake…”

“It’s fine! This one’s probably not poisonous!”

“‘Probably’ doesn’t cut it!”

“Hahaha, relax, relax. This is an Aodaisho, non-venomous.”

[T/N: Aodaisho is known as japanese rat snake.]

Uncle laughed as he took the snake from Manami and started playing with it on his arm.

“So, edible?”

“Spare me…”

Seeing a bit of Manami’s dad in her, the barbecue lunch officially kicked off.

◇

“Climbing experience?”

After lunch, while exploring the campsite, I spotted some intriguing words.

“Climbing, like that Olympic sport?”

“Uh… bouldering or something… right?”

But there weren’t any artificial walls around. Looks like they were using the natural rock faces.

“I’m in!”

Manami loves anything that involves moving her body, so she was all for it.

“Might as well give it a shot.”

“Sure, why not.”

We figured, why not, and signed up with a casual attitude.

After getting the rundown and putting on borrowed gear like protectors, we took on the rock wall.

“Oh! This is actually kinda fun!”

“Man, this is tough…”

The instructor made it look so easy, climbing effortlessly, but actually doing it was a whole different story. I kept slipping and falling onto the mats below.

“Impressive as always, Manami…”

“I hope she doesn’t get hurt…”

Looking up, there was Manami, clinging to a rock wall so steep it was practically parallel to the ground, scampering around like it was nothing. How is she moving like that while basically hanging from the ceiling…?

“Her feet are above her head…”

“Well, you know, it’s Manami…”

The other participants were just as dumbfounded, staring up at her in awe.

In the end, Manami conquered nearly every wall, coming back with a certificate and a huge haul of prize snacks, grinning ear to ear.

“She’s really something else…”

“Ehehe! Let’s eat these together tonight!”

As I reached for the bag of goodies from Manami, I noticed something off.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Kouki?”

Aisa looked at me with concern, but this probably wasn’t just my problem.

“My arms… they’re killing me.”

The strain of using muscles I don’t normally work was already hitting me.

“What? Really?”

Manami was totally fine, but she’s built different. And by that logic, Aisa was probably in the worst shape.

I glanced at her…

“Oh… this is… worse than I thought…”

Sure enough, she could barely lift her arms. She hadn’t noticed because she was caught up in the fun.

“You okay?”

“Mm… no… this might be pretty bad…”

Supporting Aisa, who was walking stiffly, we headed back to the tents.

◇

The mountains are cool even in summer.

The sounds of cicadas and other insects, unlike their usual clamor, felt almost poetic out here. Especially as evening turned to night.

“So, what’s the plan for that?”

Both dads had passed out drunk and were snoring away in the bigger tent.

“Those two won’t be up for a while. We’ll take that tent, so you guys use the other one.”

“Huh…?”

“Just so we’re clear, if you try anything with Aisa-chan or Manami-chan, you’d better take responsibility…”

“What kind of warning is that?”

Before I could process, Mom slipped off to the other tent.

“What’s up, Kouki?”

“Uh… looks like we’re sharing a tent…”

“What…?”

Aisa froze. Yeah, I get it. Even with sleeping bags, sharing a cramped tent with a guy probably isn’t her idea of fun.

“I’ll go talk to Mom again—”

“No, it’s fine.”

I was about to ask our moms who are still awake to switch, but Aisa grabbed my sleeve.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, Manami…”

“Oh…”

Seeing Manami’s eyes sparkling as she held her bag of snacks and a deck of cards, Aisa and I steeled ourselves.

◇

Lured in by Manami, the three of us squeezed into the tiny tent, munching on snacks.

“This is so fun, Onee-chan! Kou-nii!”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Sure is.”

Manami’s been buzzing with energy all day at this long-awaited camping trip. Even factoring in that she was the only one napping during the drive, she’s got enough momentum to drag us into games until tomorrow morning if we let her. Though, honestly, she’ll probably just crash out of nowhere and fall asleep. At least, that’s how she used to be.

“Oh, Revolution!?”

“Huh?”

“Hehe! I knew you were hoarding all the strong cards, Onee-chan!”

“Counter-Revolution.”

“Whaaa!? Kou-nii! That’s cheating!”

“It’s not cheating. I win!”

“Muu!”

“Oh, with this turn order, I’m out too.”

“What!?”

“Fufu.”

When Manami loses, it’s on to the next game. Which means, up until now, she’s been winning non-stop. She’s freakishly good at anything she loves, whether it’s sports or games… that’s Manami for you.

“Mmu! Alright, next up is this one!”

“Hold on, we should start getting ready for bed soon.”

“Ehh, sleep already?”

“You don’t have to sleep yet, but you’re the type to just pass out when your switch flips off, right?”

“Nyahaha!”

Aisa must’ve been thinking the same thing.

I can still remember how she’d be making a racket one second and then collapse like a puppet with its strings cut the next. I figured she might’ve outgrown it at this age… but if Aisa says it’s still a thing, then it probably is.

“Here, Manami’s toothbrush.”

“Thanks!”

“Got your towel?”

“Yup!”

Watching them, I got a glimpse of their usual dynamic. Lately, they’ve been showing me this side of themselves more often, and it really makes the whole “family” vibe feel even stronger.

“Kouki, you ready?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

Our parents haven’t stirred from their tent since earlier. Their tent’s bigger and looks way more comfortable.

Both dads were driving since early morning, so they’re probably wiped out… Well, my dad seemed to be having a blast, but still, he’s gotta be sleepy.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The walk to the water station means trudging through uneven ground for a decent distance. Flashlight in hand, the three of us left the tent.

◇

“No one’s around, huh?”

Manami said, practically dancing as she walked. Everything’s fun to her.

The campground’s water station is one of the few lit-up facilities. At night, bugs naturally swarm the lights, but to Manami, even that seems entertaining.

“Okay, that’s kinda gross…”

“If even you start acting like Manami, we’re in trouble…”

Aisa said as she started washing her face.

I’d heard from Akitsu that Aisa doesn’t go heavy on makeup, but it’s not like she wears none either. Is it okay to wash it off like that?

Then again, I don’t even know if she put any on after showering post-climbing…

“What’s up?”

“Nah, never mind.”

Aisa gave me a curious look but went back to washing her face. If she’s not worried about it, no big deal.

I moved to start brushing my teeth, but a wave of muscle soreness hit me again.

“Even brushing my teeth is a no-go…?”

After all the tasks I’d done, I still couldn’t figure out what triggered the soreness in my arms. Pushing or pulling stuff was surprisingly fine, but holding things? That was rough.

I’m glad dinner was curry. If I had to use chopsticks, I’d have been in trouble… It’s calmed down a bit, but earlier, even holding a drink was a struggle.

“Kouki… could it be…?”

“You’re probably gonna feel it too, Aisa.”

Aisa’s probably got it worse than me. Her face turned downright despairing.

“Hmm? Hmmm?”

Manami, toothbrush still in her mouth, mumbled, What’s wrong?

“It’s the muscle soreness. Aisa, brushing your teeth’s gonna take forever.”

“Mmm!”

“Maybe rinse your mouth out first…?”

Manami was desperately trying to say something. When I nudged her, she quickly rinsed and came back.

“Why don’t you brush her teeth for her, Kou-nii?”

What is she even saying…?

“Onee-chan! Onee-chan!”

While I stood there dumbfounded, Manami tugged Aisa over and whispered something in her ear.

I could hear Aisa muttering quietly, “Seriously…?” She’s definitely being fed some bad ideas.

“Aisa, I don’t know what she said, but—”

“Kouki, I was thinking… maybe you could help me out?”

For real…?

“…Nah?”

That’s not fair, asking like that.

“I mean, it’s better to brush properly, right?”

“Well, yeah, I guess…”

My heart skipped a beat as Aisa looked up at me, mouth slightly open.

“Here, Kou-nii.”

“Alright…”

Manami handed me the toothbrush with toothpaste already on it.

I’ve never brushed someone else’s teeth before… How do you even do this?

“Come on, come on! Hurry up!”

“Alright, alright.”

Urged on by Manami’s excitement and Aisa’s nervous expression, I slipped the toothbrush into Aisa’s mouth.

“Nn!”

“Did that hurt?”

“N-nn.”

Aisa’s eyes signaled she was fine. I started brushing slowly, from the back molars. What is this… I’m so nervous.

“You okay?”

“Nn.”

Unable to talk, Aisa seemed oddly childish, but her cheeks gradually flushed, and her teary eyes started giving off this weirdly alluring vibe.

Holding her chin to keep her steady, we’re so close it’s kind of overwhelming…

“Done!”

“Nn-nn!”

“No need to thank me, just go rinse.”

Why is brushing someone’s teeth so heart-pounding…?

As Aisa stepped away and I let out a relieved breath, Manami leaned in close to my ear.

“Pretty nice, huh?”

I couldn’t say a word, just clammed up.

◇

Back at the tent, we played some board games for a bit before crawling into our sleeping bags.

“Love talk! Love talk!”

“Manami, do you even know what that means?”

“How rude!”

To get Manami, who was still raring to play, to settle down, we’d convinced her that the classic move was to hop into bed and dish about love. And now she’s like this.

Honestly, what’s there to talk about with just the three of us…? Well, those two might have plenty to say. They’re getting confessions left and right every day.

“We don’t have much to share, but I’m curious about you, Kouki.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Nah, unlike you two, I’ve got nothing going on…”

Like, seriously, nothing. Shockingly nothing. I’ve been completely out of the loop on that stuff since middle school.

“Really? Kou-nii, didn’t some girls in my class ask for your contact info?”

“Huh?”

For some reason, Aisa tried to sit up but got tangled in her sleeping bag and flopped over. What’s she doing…?

“That was just for cheer squad stuff, it was necessary.”

“Ehh… but their faces totally said it wasn’t just that…”

If that’s true, maybe I can look forward to second semester a bit… Or not, since Aisa’s glaring at me, so I’ll just stop thinking about it.

“Kouki, you’re pretty close with Rikako, right?”

“Rikako? That the girl you were arm-in-arm with the other day?”

“No, that was someone else.”

“Kou-nii…”

Hold on, why am I getting scolded…? Both of them are just, like, friendly with everyone, right…?

“Akitsu’s like that with everybody.”

“Hmm… Rikako talks to everyone, sure, but I feel like she only gets that close with you…”

That’s probably just because she sees me as, like, family or something, so she lets her guard down.

“Muu… Kou-nii, you’ve got a lot going on…”

“No, no, no…”

If this counts as “a lot,” then I’m making zero progress…

Even if, hypothetically, I fell for Akitsu, she’d probably pick up on it and gently nudge me to give up. I’d be crushed if that happened.

“What about you two? Getting confessed to every day, and no one’s caught your eye?”

“Hmm, for me, like half of them are girls, so…”

Well, yeah, that makes sense for Manami. Her commanding presence as the Goddess of Victory on the sports field has this cool charm that captivates guys and girls alike. Though, knowing her usual goofy self, it’s hard to picture.

“What about you, Aisa?”

“Me?”

“You’re getting confessed to a lot, right…?”

“Onee-chan doesn’t even register people she’s not interested in, so she probably brushes off confessions and forgets about them.”

That’s a bit much… But, well, it’s Aisa, so maybe.

“That’s not true! I properly turn down every single one.”

“No one’s been good enough for you?”

With all those confessions and not a single yes, I can’t figure out what kind of person Aisa’s looking for.

Lately, we’ve been spending more time together, and her charm is impossible to ignore. If I’m not careful, I could easily fall for her…

But seeing this side of her, her standards seem impossibly high…

“Ha…”

“What…?”

I was hoping for some hint about what kind of person she’s into, but both of them just gave me flat, unimpressed reactions.

“Well, looks like Kouki’s safe for now…”

“Yup, Onee-chan.”

“Ha…”

The two sisters, somehow in perfect sync on something I don’t get, sighed again, and with that, the first day of camp came to a close.

◇

The camping trip is one night, two days. So today’s the second and final day.

“Are we going somewhere today?”

By the time I woke up, Aisa was already outside the tent, prepping breakfast. I asked while eating the meal she made.

“Hmm, I don’t think we’ve decided anything specific.”

Aisa answered, glancing at the tent where our dads were still sleeping.

Our moms apparently got up ages ago and went for a walk. They sent a message saying they wouldn’t be back for a while.

“Did you sleep okay?”

Aisa, in an apron while cooking, called out to me.

“Yeah.”

I thought I’d be too aware of Aisa and Manami to sleep, but between waking up early and all the climbing and other stuff, I was so exhausted I fell asleep shockingly fast. I’m in no position to tease Manami about it.

By the way, Manami insisted on starting another board game after all that and, predictably, started dozing off mid-game, so Aisa and I stuffed her into her sleeping bag. She’s still sleeping like a happy log.

“Oh, a message.”

When Aisa-san tells me to check my phone, I see a message from Mom.

Before I can even read it, Manami-chan bursts out of the tent.

“Bath time!”

“Bath…?”

No, wait, more importantly—

“Manami-chan, fix your clothes properly before coming out.”

“Wah! Don’t push, Onee-chan!”

I catch a glimpse of Manami-chan, and she’s probably just in her underwear below. Must’ve taken off her pants in the sleeping bag and stayed like that.

“Did you see?”

“No…”

“Oh, really? Even though they were pink.”

“Huh? Weren’t they blue…? Oh.”

Aisa-san glares at me with half-lidded eyes. Wait, is this my fault…?

“Ha, I need to make Manami-chan be a bit more careful…”

“Please do.”

Once things settle, I check my phone. As Manami-chan said, it’s about heading to a nearby bath.

It’s not mixed bathing, so don’t get your hopes up, it says. Well, obviously…

“So, we pack up, go to the bath, and that’s it, huh?”

Aisa-san murmurs.

Thinking about it like that feels kinda… lonely.

“Summer break’s just getting started, right?”

“Is Kouki-nii gonna take us somewhere?”

Aisa-san tilts her head with a smile, and my heart skips a beat.

“…Where do you wanna go?”

“Huh? For real…?”

I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot more time with Aisa-san and Manami-chan this summer break.

If that’s the case, deciding now or later doesn’t make much difference, I guess.

“Kouki-nii! Me too!”

Manami-chan leaps out of the tent and clings to me.

“Hey! Manami-chan!”

“Hmm? Wanna hug too, Onee-chan?”

Manami-chan calls out while hanging onto my back. No way Aisa-san would do something like that…

“You’re making Kouki-kun uncomfortable.”

“Eh? Kou-nii, are you uncomfortable?”

“Uh, well…”

It’s hard to answer…

“Kouki-kun… hurry up and tell Manami-chan she’s making you uncomfortable…”

Aisa-san says that, but seeing how much fun Manami-chan’s having, I hesitate to say it.

“If you don’t say it… I’ll hug you too…”

“That’s…”

What kind of threat is that…? But, like, Aisa-san hugging me would be all kinds of trouble.

Even Manami-chan’s starting to look a bit more… feminine lately, and it’s already making me hyper-aware.

“So, what’s it gonna be?!”

Aisa-san steps closer with a huff.

“Alright, alright. Manami-chan, stop it.”

“Ehh… fine.”

Manami-chan reluctantly lets go. Phew… good. That should satisfy Aisa-san—

“Was it really that bad…?”

For some reason, she’s pouting, lips pursed, looking a bit sulky.

What was I supposed to do…?