Vol 1 Chapter 13 (1/2)

It was still dim outside the next morning when they got up.

The three of them had a light breakfast and finished their preparations to depart.

Unable to bear the awkward silence that hung in the air, Touya finally spoke up.

“…Hey, somebody say something already.”

Homura remained silent while biting her lip.

“Hinooka, I’m not angry about you forgetting to wake up anymore. Senpai managed to get up first on her own anyway…”

Senpai and Touya had prepared breakfast on their own, while Homura had crawled out of the tent just as they were finis.h.i.+ng up. Ever since then, Homura hadn’t spoken at all no matter how much Touya called out to her.

“You too, senpai.”

On the other hand, Misasagi-senpai was just moving around silently, and whenever Touya said something to her, she would blush and curl into herself like a wilted flower. She’d been like this ever since she got up.

“There’s nothing wrong with your physical condition, right, senpai?”

“No, I’m fine…”

Senpai nodded and spoke in a voice that could barely be heard.

She didn’t appear to be suffering from a hangover like Touya had secretly feared, but she was burdened by self-loathing and so ashamed of herself that it was pitiful just looking at her.

“……”

The three of them sipped some instant coffee after their meal.

The sun still hadn’t risen above the forest trees, but the chirping of birds could already be heard all around them, completely waking them up as they started to act for the day.

Touya defiantly tried to blow away the silence.

“Yesterday evening was really fun. That stone bath was awesome! It actually made me feel relieved to see senpai cut loose like that.”

“But I should have remained the most level-headed as the club president…”

“It’s not that big of a deal. Rather, it was quite beneficial for me—”

Touya exaggeratedly scratched his head and purposely left himself open for a retort, but Homura still remained silent as she chewed on her cup. His attempt to lighten the mood had failed.

“Sorry… If you could give me another ninety seconds, my self-reflection mode will end, so…”

“Ah, yeah. Sure.”

No matter what Touya said, the mood remained like this.

Homura and the others departed from the t-spot and once more returned to the path leading to the mountain ridge that was their destination.

After a while, Homura suddenly stopped walking and spoke up.

“Let’s go back already.”

Touya and Misasagi-senpai turned around in surprise and approached her with puzzled faces.

“What? Go back? From here?”

“…Hinooka-san.”

Senpai walked up to Homura worriedly.

“I don’t want to go any further.”

Touya spoke without hiding his anger.

“The relay camp is just ahead, you know? You can already see it just beyond that mountain ridge. It’s a really easy path compared to the sunken road we walked yesterday, you know?”

“…Are you tired, Hinooka-san? Do you need to rest for a little bit?”

“No. I just don’t care about the mission or whatever anymore and want to go home…”

Homura stared at the Transport Ring on senpai’s finger.

“Can’t we immediately return to Earth from here with that ring?”

“……Hinooka—”

Touya tried to draw near Homura angrily, but Misasagi-senpai stopped him gently and spoke in a calm tone.

“We can. However, it’s a method that’s used for emergency withdrawal and one that we want to avoid using as much as possible. We might not necessarily return to the club building’s transport room if we do that. In order to avoid accidents, it’s necessary to return to the base camp where we can stabilize the transport.”

“…Then I want to head straight back to the base camp.”

“……”

Misasagi exchanged glances with the disappointedly crouching Touya, and then firmly made up her mind and spoke.

“Very well. We’ll go back.”

“W-Wait, senpai. The goal’s right in front of us, you know?”

“No… Touya, please don’t be angry and listen.”

Facing the other two, Misasagi-senpai spoke formally.

“I’m the one who forced Hinooka-san into this without sufficient preparation. Even after the falling accident yesterday, Hinooka splendidly managed to cheer up and come this far. There’s no need to worry about the mission. This is our goal.”

Touya still didn’t seem convinced, but he was unable to say anything after hearing all that and so just nodded in response.

“Hinooka-san, don’t worry about it—saying you can’t do it when you can’t is very courageous. The trip back will be a constant downhill route, so we’ll arrive by noon.”

Senpai smiled and gripped Homura’s hand as she said that, and the warmth of her fingers shocked Homura and made her come back to her senses.

Even so, she was unable to say anything, and could only start walking after senpai who had changed course. Homura was the one who had wished for that, after all.

“……”

Touya’s silence as he pa.s.sed her stabbed into her heart.

The sky was dyed in the pink color of dawn.

Homura followed silently a bit behind senpai and Touya as the two of them talked. Senpai’s kind expression when she turned to look back sometimes made Homura unable to calm down inside.

On the other hand, Touya completely ignored Homura and didn’t turn around even once.

“……What’s with you…? Who was the one who brought me into the Exploration, huh…?”

Irritated, Homura picked up a pebble and threw it.

Even then, Touya continued to ignore her, even though he definitely had to have noticed.

Her fourth throw at last hit the back of his head.

“Oww… Hinooka, you…”

Touya turned around, but then came to a stop in shock.

Tears were flowing down Homura’s cheeks as she glared in frustration. Even so, she didn’t wipe away the tears and endured them while sniffling.

“…Kuh…”

Unable to bear it any longer, Homura turned her face down and crouched down right where she stood, and Misasagi-senpai gently approached her.

Even as she felt senpai’s hand on her shoulder, Homura threw another rock at Touya.

“…Stupid… Stupid Touya… What’s with that sword, it’s just for show…”

“W-What?”

“…I was really scared… I was alone while the rest of you were asleep…”

Homura sobbed.

Senpai and Touya exchanged looks.

“…Did something happen last night?”

Homura nodded.

Coming down to his knees next to Homura, Touya bowed his head apologetically.

“I see… Sorry, for not noticing.”

“……”

“…Can you tell us about it, Hinooka-san?”

Homura quietly nodded at senpai’s words.

Finally feeling relived, Homura haltingly told them both about what happened last night.

Even after hearing her story, Touya seemed dubious.

Senpai also considered it with a meek expression.

“—It might have been a herd of mountain dogs. I once heard howling in this area a long time ago… But they might have come close again after the Exploration Club started to use this route less frequently…”

“It might just be a misunderstanding on my part… or a dream… that I saw.”

As Homura mumbled while rubbing her swollen eyes, Touya tried to cheer her up.

“That sounds so weak-hearted, Hinooka. It doesn’t sound like you at all, you know?”

Homura glared at Touya with a sidelong look.

“Then do you believe that I encountered a human?”

“Ugh… That’s… You should have woken us up back then.”

“Well, sorry about that…”

“Did you talk with them?” asked senpai.

Homura weakly shook her head.

“No, they didn’t say anything.”

Touya picked back up his baggage and stood up.

“Shall we return to the t-spot near the river and examine the area?”

Homura’s body trembled at Touya’s suggestion.

Misasagi-senpai anxiously watched her reaction.

“…No, let’s not. It’s enough if we do so at another time. We’ll go back using a different route, crossing over the rival shoals to hide our scent.

“I see. Roger.”

As senpai and Touya began to resume the journey back, Homura called out to stop them.

“I’m sorry, senpai, Touya-kun, but—”

As the two of them turned around, Homura deeply bowed her head towards them.

“I want to walk till the very end. To the relay camp at our destination. To the top of that ridge.”

Touya happily looked over at Misasagi-senpai.

Still concerned, Senpai questioned Homura.

“Are you all right with that? Even if it’s an easy route, it can be dangerous if you don’t properly concentrate.”

Homura nodded with a serious face.

“Please let me do it. If I give up here, I… won’t be able to forgive myself.”

“……”

As senpai considered it, Touya urged her.

“Let’s go, senpai. Hinooka is strong when it counts.”

“Very well.”

Senpai smiled.

“Then let’s work hard for just a little while longer, everyone.”

“Yes!”

“Yeah.”

As if competing with the sun, the three of them climbed the last of the mountain ridge path.

Today was also clear weather, and the temperature quickly rose.

After an hour of climbing without breaks, they finally caught sight of the cabin that lay at their destination.

It was at the top of the mountain ridge, with a few trees growing here and there and a beautiful view to behold. They had arrived at the destination for their mission this time, the relay camp.

There was the old tree there that stood tall like the king of the mountain ridge, and on it was a lightning rod that had been installed by the Exploration Club, making it look like a crown.

“We made it!”

The cabin made by the Exploration Club had awaited them while enduring the wind and snow at this alt.i.tude.

They used pliers to remove the nails attached to the door to keep it shut.

“It really is a relief to see something man-made after so long,” Touya murmured as he used the tool in an experienced manner.

“Sorry, Touya-kun. We can’t stay here that long…”

Misasagi-senpai climbed up a nearby tall boulder and threw pieces of gra.s.s into the air while watching the wind.

“What’re you doing? Are you going to fly in the air?”

“That’s correct, Hinooka-san.”

“Heeh?”

“Want to try?”

After saying that, Misasagi-senpai pa.s.sed Homura a spool of string attached to the kind of handle you grip with both hands, and then she headed downwind. Doing as she was told, Homura drew out the string as senpai pulled it with her from the other end.

Touya came over at that point after having finished un-nailing the door.

“Senpai, should I move all our preserved food into the cabin?”

“Yes! Please do!”

Senpai spread out a white cloth that she had been carrying under her arm and swiftly a.s.sembled it together with a series of curved metal pipes.

“…Oh, a kite?”

“A kite? That’s a kite? Touya-kun, I’ve never handled a kite before, you know?”

Just as Touya had said, what senpai had spread out before her chest was a small kite.

“Heh, how lucky you are, Hinooka.”

“Hah? Are you a little kid?” asked Homura in disbelief.

“You don’t have much footing, so be careful! Here we go!”

“Eh, already?”

Senpai suddenly threw the kite into the sky.

Instantly, the kite stretched out the string as it flew horizontally, and then began to ascend as it caught the wind.

“Wawah, so strong!”

Homura was on the verge of being carried away with the kite, but Touya caught her and held her back from behind.

“The string, extend the string!”

“Which part!? Where!?”

“The reel brake, use that!”

Touya’s hands overlapped with Homura’s fingers to grip the spool of string.

While repeating the process of loosening the string and stopping, loosening the string and stopping, they manipulated the string handle and made the kite run across the sky in a zigzag fas.h.i.+on, gradually making the white kite climb up and grow small from their perspective.

“…Wow.”

“…It’s already a dot at this point.”

As the two of them held their breath and watched the path of the kite, Misasagi-senpai came over to them while looking up at the kite happily.

“It’s high enough now. Here, take this.”

Saying that, senpai held out a hammer.

Touya hurriedly separated from Homura and accepted it.

“H-Hinooka, don’t let go!”

“I got it, don’t worry.”

Touya then hammered the stake which poked out from the fulcrum of the thread handle into the ground to fix it in place while Homura kept hold of it.

After confirming that the kite was stable, the three of them returned to the cabin.

Inside the cabin, there were two bunk beds and one small desk. It also served as a storehouse for materials such as sleeping bags and food ingredients for emergencies.

“This place is really dreary…”

“Yeah.”

Senpai smiled bitterly.

“The wind is also noisy at night, making it hard to sleep.”

As she said that, senpai placed the contents of the durable case she had been constantly carrying onto the desk.

“Ah, that’s the state secret thing.”

“Yes. Thank you for waiting. This is the crux of our mission this time.”

It was a lump of wires, coils and miniature light bulbs.

It had been compacted together quite well, but the main parts that Homura could distinguish consisted of telephone receivers and vacuum tubes. This was her first time seeing actual vacuum tubes.

It was clearly some kind of communication device, but even so, it was the size of twenty cellphones.

“This is a wireless transceiver. I made it myself.”

“Amazing, you managed to make all this, senpai?”

Misasagi-senpai patted the transceiver in a slightly proud manner.

“I got the blueprints from an expert in Nutellan physical phenomena, but I’m the one who actually constructed it. It’s true that it took a lot of effort, but it wasn’t that hard to figure out how to make, you know?”

“Haah…”

To Homura, people who could make things like vacuum tubes or portable game devices themselves were beings who existed above the clouds. Yes, speaking of above the clouds—

“Ah, then does the kite act as an antenna?”

“Yes. It’s a makes.h.i.+ft antenna.”

“Senpai, why did you make all this yourself?”

Misasagi-senpai held out her finger and the Transport Ring on it.

“When transporting, it’s difficult to carry over tools whose functioning you don’t personally understand, especially complex things like this. Semiconductors don’t work properly on Nutella either, so currently this is the best method for making a telephone call here.”

She softly put it down on the desk.

“Of course, that’s only if it works right—”

Senpai took out another part. It was a hand-powered electric generator. She affixed it to the desk with a clamp and installed the handle.

“This cabin is called a relay base because it lies at the halfway point between our base camp and the base camp of Hiyos.h.i.+zaka High’s Exploration Club.”

“I see. But when you say halfway… this is still just the halfway point after coming all this way? It’s far, way too far.”

“That’s why our objective is to make a relay station for radio waves on this mountain ridge and finally make it possible to communicate between base camps.”

“I see~. So our mission was to act as the Kansai Electrical Safety Inspection a.s.sociation♪.”

“More like NTT DoCoMo1.”

“But isn’t Hiyo-High only three stations away from Seiran? It shouldn’t be that far, even if you walk there.”

“That’s true on Earth. But at this lat.i.tude on Nutella, the straight-line distance between locations is changed to twenty times more than on Earth.”

“Twenty times more!? Hiii… Then other schools must be even farther away.”

“Yes, they’re far… very much so.”

Touya sighed while lightly turning the handle of the set-up transceiver and watching its condition.

“Nutella’s surface area is also the same as Jupiter’s, you know? It’s a hundred and twenty times the size of Earth. This much was written on the pamphlet, remember? What are you getting all surprised at now—”

“Wait, please stop, the order of magnitude is getting too big and exaggerated and making my brain overheat.”

“It’s not an exaggeration.”

Either way, Homura felt dizzy at it all.

“It’s wonderful that this world is so wide and huge. Now, let’s start the communication experiment while the kite is still stable.”

Though she said that, Misasagi-senpai herself was the most eager of them all.

“If it works well, we should hear the beacon from Hiyos.h.i.+zaka High’s base camp. They have the same device installed over there as well.”

They drew out the antenna wire from the stake used to keep the kite in place and connected it to the transceiver inside the cabin. The kite seemed to be steadily rising, but there was no way to tell what would happen in the afternoon if the weather became rougher.

Touya and Homura took turns rotating the generator.

Once the vacuum tubes warmed up, noise soon began to leak out from the transceiver and the sound of a beacon could be clearly heard.

Puu, pii, puu, pii, puu…