Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

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Chapter 3

THE MEANING OF FREEDOM

The questions Kouenji asked Sakura and I had been ontime On day 3, I left the base camp just before noon and turned irl who ca from behind

“Gasp, gasp, pant… what are you planning to do now, Ayanokouji-kun?”

Sakura ca forbreasts moved up and down

“Have I not tied a handkerchief to a tree? I’ out”

I wanted to confirm if it was true at an earlier date but I hardly had the time to do it

“Wow…… I know I shouldn’t coht? I’d be a hindrance, but…………”

“You shouldn’t do it Aren’t you worried about the various rumours in circulation?”

“It doesn’t bother me at all Besides…… mumble mumble”

With a whisper, she coughed soh I drew my ear near, I couldn’t comprehend it Her voice was that low

“I don’t think this would be a fun thing to do, though? After coreat pains, I think it’d be better for you to have a little fun… even though I don’t have a fun side myself”

I decided to turn down Sakura’s proposal with an appropriate excuse But…

“Well, doing that is fun for me!”

Sakura recoiled, feeling badwords, our eyesher face

“Flustered… Ahhh, in other words, this will be different! Urghhh!! …”

…I didn’t know exactly what Sakura was saying All I could tell was she’s an interesting girl She only had to show this part of herself to others

“Well then, should we go together? There’s a condition Later, even if we get in trouble, you won’t blame yourself”

“It’s okay!?”

She replied while hiding her face with her hands What kind of exchange was this…

On the way, finding the silence weird, I decided to kill ti could be more aard than the lone sound of crispy and crunchy footsteps on the soil

“Are you doing ith the girls’ company? For this kind of life, you can’t do it alone”

“Nuh-uh, not at all I don’t even talk to the else”

As if I was e a strand of hair with er

“I really can’t do anything I can neither study nor do sports, I’”

“That’s not true at all Sakura-chan is i steadily”

“Ehhh? Me, i? Hahahah…… No way”

“It’s true Maybe you rowing”

I conveyed these things, not only by words but also through my behaviour It’s effective for types that aren’t confident like Sakura It was the first time Ithey could ring out inand looked ateyes Like those words didn’t co to find the trueof my words

“It’s okay Sakura can make new friends soon School will be even more fun”

When our eyes aze and looked down

Even the fact

that shein only one reaction froreat difference from e first met

“That said… it seems like that man retired after the incident”

That man worked at an electronics retail store located on the school’s premises That man was an extreravure idol… No, he wasall his tie but if there was a chance, he would attempt any contact with her and I understood he was up to so

“Thanks for that time… It’s all thanks to Ayanokouji-kun”

“I didn’t do anything Sakura has been saved only because Kushi+da became close with you and because Horikita and Ichinose cooperated, while I was like a bystander Apart froe happened from that incident?”

Even though the stalker left the school grounds, it’s also possible to h the internet

“Yeah, it’s all ok Now, the bulletin board’s people are also taking a little break”

This was by way of precaution, right? I think they ood choice

“And yet, even if you were nervous and frightened when you were an idol, you always had a dignified expression”

“About that…… basically, I wanted to take photographs by myself”

“Long ago? Were they selfies in the azines?”

Sakura, who heard it, answered with a little bitter smile

“It didn’t go well at all and I took much more time than others Also, a cairls to reduce the number of people involved as much as possible Besides… as if I ithout emotion when I erased myself, I could endure it e point, I stopped doing it”

Because she talked without pausing, Sakura suddenly paused a moment and breathed in and out The case of the stalker see for the better

Before our eyes, there was quite a thick bunch of trees I left Sakura’s side and went ahead to lead and open a path If Sakura ended up hurt because of the branches, there’d be a lot of trouble Then, after continuing walking for a while, I felt that the front of the path was beco steep so I decided it’d be better to take a break soon

I looked back I never thought that looking back, I would see Sakura tre shoulders

“Let’s take a break It’ll take a little while longer to reach the destination”

Sakura would be exhausted if alked on such a wild trail for 30to look a little happy

I searched for a big tree that could protect us with shade fro hotter and hotter I sat down between the roots in a space where two people could sit well However, Sakura, maybe for precaution or round was uneven, and it would only hurt if she sat there

“Sit down here”

“Is it okay?”

“Here is good But on’t ever get enough rest in this place”

“Mhm, yes…”

After the short interaction, Sakura sank down next toher distance It’s a distance where the sleeves of our gyhtly

“Nature is a, isn’t it………… I just like to spend a lot of precious ti around for a while”

“Considering that Kouenji seeh for the school that tended to it with great care Going to a jungle overseas would have brought ers”

“When we departed at the beginning, I was very depressed I had no friends, nor did I enjoy travelling And I thought it’d be better to confine myself to my room Because like that, it’d be the same as always But then, this happened We’ve been told this would be a trial…”

I placed my back on the tree and Sakura looked up at the sky

“But, this ether even for a little I never had the opportunity to chat with you like this at school, Ayanokouji-kun…”

It see within the deep woods, wrapped in nature, brought a feeling of calmness

“I e could stay like this forever!”

“Yes, that would be nice”

It was still the third day since we had coest ti with Sakura I wondered if this was soement between people who did not have friends

However, it did not feel strange and it did not happen in vain As Sakura said, I felt like the distance between us had shortened a little

It wasn’t a love affair or so like that, but indeed, we becaed so suddenly that I did not even understand when it had begun to actually change

“Hital camera, we could have taken the best photos…”

Sakura made a thumbs-up with both her hands, but instantly she felt eret showed on her face

Certainly, ca memories A certain form remains intact

As I reital caht that this moment must be a perfect shuttered chance for her

So that a certain forital camera

“However, e enter the photo, does that mean that we also mess up the scenery?”

“If there is Ayanokouji-kun, then it seems that it’ll be the best one Ah! No!! I ether with a friend!”

Sakura kept denying what she said, shaking her face It’s genuinely natural At that point, I had conclusive evidence

While sitting side by side, I suddenly stared at Sakura

At first, Sakura did not notice thatsilence continued, she finally noticed it

“Wh… What? What is it?

“Hey! Calm down Be quiet”

I firmly held Sakura, who had fallen into a panic, on both her shoulders

“Kyaaaaa!!”

As I held Sakura’s body closer tosnatched by a snake I took a peek at Sakura over her head I saw so on Sakura’s hair Even I, who didn’t know a lot about insects, could easily identify it It’s e commonly call “a caterpillar”