The mountain air was crisp, the sunlight gentle, and the distant sound of cicadas hummed softly as the class began their long hike up to Kawamura Mountain Lodge.
Aoi was already regretting her life choices.
"Whyyyyy did I wear cute sneakers instead of actual hiking shoes!?" she groaned, dragging her feet dramatically.
Haruto, walking beside her with a steady pace, gave her a look. "You said you read the itinerary."
"I did! I just… didn't think we'd start hiking right away!"
He sighed, suppressing a chuckle. "You thought we'd get carried to the top?"
"That would've been nice!"
"You're unbelievable."
"I prefer the term adorable but unprepared, thank you."
---
Their team — which included a few of their friends — followed behind their group leader, a cheerful girl named Reina, who somehow had the energy of ten people.
"Come on, Team Two! Only half an hour left!" Reina called.
Aoi gasped dramatically. "Half an hour!? I might die!"
"You've said that three times already," Haruto replied.
"And I've meant it every time!"
The others laughed, but secretly, Haruto found it kind of… cute. She was red-faced, hair messy, and completely exhausted — yet somehow still smiling through it.
---
When they finally reached the lodge, Aoi collapsed on the grass.
"I can't feel my legs."
Haruto crouched beside her, offering his water bottle. "Here."
She blinked. "You're giving me your water?"
"Yeah. You need it more than I do."
She took it slowly, then smiled. "Thanks, Haruto-kun. You're surprisingly nice when you want to be."
"I'm always nice."
"Uh-huh," she said, smirking. "Tell that to the time you stole my pudding from the fridge."
He sighed. "Are you ever going to let that go?"
"Never," she said with mock seriousness, "it's part of my emotional trauma now."
---
That evening, after dinner, everyone gathered outside for the campfire.
The teachers set up a ring of logs and a large flame flickered under the night sky, sparks dancing upward like fireflies.
"Alright, everyone!" their teacher said. "You can roast marshmallows, tell stories, or just relax. No wandering off too far!"
Aoi grabbed her stick eagerly. "Marshmallow time!"
Haruto watched as she carefully held one over the fire.
"Don't hold it too close," he warned.
"I know, I know—"
FWOOSH!
Her marshmallow immediately caught fire.
"WAAAH!" she yelped, waving it frantically until the flame died out.
Haruto couldn't help but laugh. "Called it."
She pouted, cheeks puffed. "This is a hate crime against my dessert!"
"Here," he said, sliding one of his perfectly toasted marshmallows onto her stick.
Her eyes softened. "…You're giving me yours?"
"Yeah. You'll just burn another one."
She grinned, taking it. "You're lucky I like you enough to accept this peace offering."
He froze for half a second. "Y-you what—?"
"I said I like marshmallows!" she quickly corrected, laughing as his face turned pink.
"Right…" he muttered, looking away.
But his heart was already racing.
---
Later that night, most of the class was inside, playing games or chatting.
Aoi and Haruto wandered off to the edge of the campfire area, sitting side by side on a wooden bench.
The stars stretched endlessly above them — a river of light across the night sky.
Aoi hugged her knees. "It's so pretty…"
"Yeah," Haruto said quietly. "It is."
She tilted her head. "You weren't even looking at the sky just now."
He blinked. "…What?"
"You were looking at me."
He froze. "I—I wasn't—"
She laughed softly, bumping his shoulder. "Relax, I was kidding. Mostly."
He sighed, smiling despite himself. "You're impossible."
"That's what makes me fun, right?"
"Yeah," he said after a pause, his voice gentle. "It does."
For a while, they sat in comfortable silence — the crackle of the campfire behind them, the cool breeze brushing past their hair.
Then Aoi whispered, "Hey, Haruto-kun… thanks for today."
"For what?"
"For staying beside me. Even when I was being a total mess."
He smiled faintly. "You weren't a mess. You were just… you."
She looked at him, her expression soft.
And maybe it was the flicker of firelight or the way the stars reflected in her eyes — but for a second, Haruto thought she'd never looked more beautiful.
---
"Haruto-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise we'll go on more trips like this someday? Just the two of us?"
His heart skipped.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "Promise."
Aoi grinned. "Then it's a date."
He blinked. "Wait—what—"
But before he could finish, she stood up and stretched, turning toward the firelight again.
"C'mon," she said, smiling brightly. "Let's not miss the ghost stories."
Haruto watched her walk ahead, laughing with the others, her voice bright against the night.
And even though he told himself not to read too much into it…
He couldn't stop smiling.