The forest sun had climbed high, spilling golden light through the leaves as we continued our search for tokens. The air smelled of pine and earth, and the faint sound of other groups laughing carried through the distance.
We'd already been walking for almost an hour. My shirt stuck slightly to my back, and the map in Yui's hand looked like it had gone through a small war.
"Any idea where we're going?" Natsumi asked, peering over her shoulder.
Yui pointed confidently toward a random direction. "That way. I think."
"You think?" Natsumi said flatly.
"It's called intuition," Yui replied with a grin.
I sighed, glancing at the compass hanging around my neck. "Your intuition's been wrong five times already."
"Six," Miyuki added, giggling softly beside me.
Yui pouted. "You guys have no faith in me."
I smiled faintly. "We have faith. Just… selective faith."
We followed a narrow dirt path for a while until the forest opened up into a small clearing. In the center stood a massive old tree, its roots spreading wide like veins through the earth.
"There!" Natsumi pointed. "Something's under that root!"
We all rushed over. Sure enough, a small wooden box was wedged between two thick roots, half-covered by moss. I crouched down, brushed off the dirt, and pried it open.
Inside was another golden token.
"Three tokens already," I said, holding it up.
Yui pumped her fist. "We're unstoppable!"
"Don't jinx it," I said, tucking the token safely into my bag.
From there, we kept moving, searching the forest for more clues. Birds chirped above us, and a cool breeze brushed past our faces. The noise of running water reached our ears after a while, soft but steady.
"Is that… a river?" Miyuki asked.
We followed the sound until the trees parted to reveal a shallow, wide river glittering in the sunlight. The water looked clear, clean, and inviting.
"Ohhh, finally!" Yui shouted, dropping her bag and running toward the edge. "I'm going in!"
"Wait, what?!" Natsumi yelped. "You can't just"
Too late. Yui had already splashed her feet into the river, laughing loudly. Miyuki smiled, setting her bag aside. "It's not deep. Come on, it looks refreshing."
Before anyone could protest, she stepped into the water too, shoes and all.
I watched as she laughed, the sunlight dancing off her wet hair. For a moment, she looked completely free no walls, no secrets, just pure laughter echoing through the forest.
"Come on!" Yui called out. "Join us!"
Souta hesitated. "We're wasting time. The teacher said"
"Relax, Souta," I cut in, pulling off my shoes and rolling up my pants. "We've got time."
He opened his mouth to argue, but I was already in the water. It was cold, but it felt good a sharp, clean chill against my skin.
Miyuki splashed water toward me with a mischievous grin. "Haruto, you look too serious!"
I blinked. "What hey!"
The next second, I splashed back. She laughed, shielding her face, but I caught her arm and pulled her closer, sending another wave of water right at her.
"Haruto!" she squealed, laughing uncontrollably. "That's not fair!"
"War's not fair," I said with a grin.
Yui joined in, and soon the air was full of water droplets and laughter. Even Natsumi, who had sworn she wouldn't get wet, gave up and waded in.
Meanwhile, Souta stood on the shore, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"Are you all kids?" he snapped. "We have to find more tokens!"
I turned to him, still half-smiling. "Don't act like an old man. We're just cooling off."
Yui called out, "Come on, Souta! Don't be a statue!"
But he didn't move. His eyes flicked toward Miyuki, who was still laughing beside me, brushing her wet hair back. I caught the flash of irritation on his face brief, but sharp.
Miyuki turned and smiled at him, almost apologetically. "Just for a bit, Souta. Then we'll continue."
He didn't reply. Just turned away and muttered something I couldn't catch.
The mood dipped for a moment, but Yui quickly broke it by throwing a handful of water at Natsumi again, and soon everyone was laughing.
For a while, everything felt… normal. Just a group of friends having fun. Miyuki's laughter carried over the river, and when her eyes met mine, she smiled soft, shy, a little uncertain.
Time passed without us noticing. When the sun had climbed high enough to burn the water into a sheet of gold, we finally climbed out.
I handed Miyuki a towel from my bag. "Here."
She blinked, surprised. "You brought two?"
"Always prepared," I said with a small grin.
She laughed softly. "You're full of surprises lately."
We dried off and changed into the extra clothes we'd packed. The forest breeze was warm against my skin, carrying the smell of water and grass.
After packing everything up, we moved on, still laughing about how Yui had almost lost her shoe in the current.
The trail curved again, leading us to a small clearing where a weathered wooden shrine stood half-hidden by the forest. The structure looked old, maybe abandoned, but it had a quiet charm.
Yui gasped. "It's so cute! Like a secret temple!"
"There's something there," Miyuki said, pointing toward a small offering box near the base.
Sure enough, inside it was another golden token.
"That makes four," I said, dropping it into our pouch. "We're doing well."
"Because of me," Yui said proudly.
"Sure," Natsumi said dryly. "Because of your 'intuition.'"
Everyone laughed. Even Souta managed a thin smile though it didn't reach his eyes.
The clock struck one as we made our way back toward camp. The sunlight filtered through the trees, painting long shadows on the path. Everyone was tired but smiling, talking about lunch and teasing each other about the river fight.
But as we walked, I caught Souta watching Miyuki again. His smile was gone now, replaced with something else quiet, restrained, but unmistakable.
Jealousy.
I looked away, pretending not to notice, though I could feel the tension ripple through the air like the current of the river we'd just left.
Still, I smiled faintly to myself.
For the first time in a long while, I felt alive.
And that alone was dangerous enough.