The forest felt livelier that morning sunlight spilling through the leaves, the sound of laughter echoing between the trees, and the rustling of dozens of students pretending they weren't lost.
Our team wasn't doing much better.
Miyuki, Yui, Natsumi, Souta, and I had been walking for twenty minutes, and all we had found so far were mosquito bites and Yui's questionable sense of direction.
"Are you sure this is north?" Natsumi asked, squinting at the map.
"It's north-ish," Yui said proudly, spinning the map upside down.
I sighed. "You're holding it backward."
"Details," she said, waving me off.
Miyuki laughed softly beside me, covering her mouth. "You should let her lead, Haruto. Maybe she'll lead us to the treasure by mistake."
"Yeah," I muttered, "or into a bear's den."
As we walked, my mind wandered. The forest was calm, almost peaceful too peaceful. I still remembered the night before, the secret I carried like a quiet storm inside me. But right now, surrounded by my teammates and their chatter, I let that part of me fade into the background. At least for a while.
Then, just as I started thinking this "treasure hunt" might actually end with us finding nothing but more trees, Natsumi pointed toward a rock formation.
"Hey… is that a cave?"
Everyone turned. A dark opening yawned between the rocks, half-hidden by hanging vines.
Yui gasped dramatically. "Treasure cave!"
Souta frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no way the teacher would hide anything in there."
But I felt something an instinct, maybe. "Wait," I said. "Let's check it out."
Souta rolled his eyes. "Total waste of time."
"Then wait here," I replied, walking toward the cave entrance.
Miyuki hesitated for a moment, then followed me. "You're not going in alone."
"Neither am I," Yui said, dragging Natsumi along. "Let's go!"
Souta stayed outside with his arms crossed, mumbling something about "idiots with flashlights."
Inside, the cave smelled of damp earth and something metallic. Our flashlight beams sliced through the dark, bouncing off uneven walls. The air grew cooler as we moved deeper in.
After a few minutes, we reached a small hollow where three narrow tunnels split off in different directions.
"Well," Yui said, "this is officially creepy."
Miyuki hugged her own arms. "Which path do we take?"
I crouched, studying the ground. "If I were our teacher, I'd hide the treasure where no one would expect. She always helps the students who come last… so probably the third path it looks the roughest."
Yui blinked. "That's… actually kind of smart."
"Thanks," I said. "It happens sometimes."
"But what if it was our P.E. teacher who hid it?" Natsumi asked nervously. "He'd put it somewhere hard to reach, right?"
Before anyone could answer, a squeak echoed from somewhere above us. The sound bounced through the tunnels.
Miyuki froze. "Was… was that a bat?"
Yui pointed her flashlight upward a small black shadow flapped across the ceiling. "Yep. Definitely bats!"
"Great," Natsumi whimpered. "Darkness, damp air, and bats. I love this game."
I sighed. "Alright, we'll split up. It'll be faster."
"Split up?" Yui repeated. "That's how horror movies start."
"It's just a cave," I said. "I'll take the third path with Miyuki. You two take the first one."
Yui looked like she wanted to argue but shrugged. "Fine. But if a ghost eats me, I'm haunting you."
"Noted."
Deeper in the Cave
Miyuki followed close behind me, her hand lightly gripping my sleeve whenever the ground dipped or the shadows seemed too deep. Her flashlight trembled slightly in her hand.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I just… hate small dark places."
"It's okay," I said softly. "Stay close."
Every few steps, I could feel her presence the warmth of her near me, her breath catching whenever a sound echoed too suddenly. For a moment, the silence between us felt heavier than the darkness.
Then something glimmered faintly on the ground ahead a small wooden box, half-buried in dust.
"I think that's it," I said, crouching down. I brushed away the dirt and pried it open.
Inside was… a plastic skull.
Before I could even react, Miyuki let out a small, startled scream and grabbed my arm. Her sudden pull threw us both off balance we fell backward, the flashlight spinning across the floor.
We landed hard, me on the cold stone floor, her almost on top of me. The beam of light caught her face wide-eyed, flushed, strands of hair falling over her cheek.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The air between us felt still, charged. Her breath brushed against mine. The smell of her shampoo mingled with the damp cave air.
"Haruto…" she whispered.
I blinked, realizing just how close we were her hand still clutching my shirt, our faces inches apart. My pulse stumbled. For a second, I didn't know whether to move or speak.
She smiled nervously, looking away. "Sorry… I didn't mean to pull you."
"It's fine," I said, sitting up quickly, trying to clear my head. "Just… didn't expect that skull."
Her laugh was small but genuine. "You didn't expect me either."
I chuckled. "You got me there."
For a long moment, the two of us sat there, the flashlight casting soft circles of light on the walls. She looked at me again shyly this time, her eyes reflecting the glow.
Something unspoken lingered between us, but before either of us could say more, footsteps echoed down the tunnel.
"Haruto! Miyuki!" Yui's voice called. "You alive?"
We both scrambled to our feet just as Yui and Natsumi appeared, out of breath and covered in dust.
"What happened?!" Yui asked, staring at the open box.
"I found this," Miyuki said, pointing at the skull.
Natsumi shrieked. "Why is it staring at me?!"
Haruto couldn't resist. He picked it up slowly, holding it at arm's length. "Boo."
All three girls screamed in unison.
I burst out laughing so hard I nearly dropped the skull. Yui smacked my arm. "Not funny!"
"It was a little funny," I said, grinning.
"Haruto!" Miyuki tried to sound angry, but she was laughing too now, her earlier fear forgotten. "You're terrible!"
"Guilty," I said, still chuckling.
Even Natsumi couldn't help laughing once the panic faded. We all stood there, giggling like kids who'd gotten caught doing something stupid.
When we finally left the cave, Souta was waiting outside, arms crossed. "Took you long enough. Find anything?"
I held up the skull. "Treasure."
He blinked. "You're joking."
"Actually," I added, turning it slightly, "there's something inside." A small golden plastic token clinked from the hollow skull our treasure marker.
Yui gasped. "No way!"
Natsumi whooped. "We actually found it!"
Souta stared, speechless. "You've got to be kidding me."
I smiled faintly, meeting his eyes. "Guess the cave wasn't a waste of time after all."
As everyone cheered, laughing over the absurd "treasure," I glanced briefly at Miyuki. She was smiling too, brushing dust from her hands. But when our eyes met, something softer passed between us not the tension from before, but something new, uncertain, almost warm.
Maybe it was the thrill of the hunt.
Maybe it was just the cave light playing tricks on me.
But for the first time in a long while, I felt something other than anger.
Something almost like peace.