kscans

Chapter 216 - The World Never Waits

I placed the firewood I'd brought from the truck bed next to the neatly stacked stone fire pit—a creation of magic.

Just as I was about to start loading wood into it, Mia-san stopped me.

"We need to split the wood before we put it in the pit."

"Huh? But it's already split..."

The firewood she'd brought was likely purchased from a home improvement store.

It was already cut into quarter-sized pieces, which seemed perfectly fine for lighting a fire.

"Of course, we can use it as is, but it's better to have thinner pieces when you're first getting the fire started."

"I see..."

Her explanation made sense, and I picked up a piece of firewood.

"Which is why you should take this hatchet—"

—CRACK!—

"Eh?"

"Oh..."

Mia-san gave me a strange look as I tore the piece of wood in half with my fingers, right along the grain.

"...Was that not okay?"

"It's fine, but... No! Kyouta-kun, you have to experience splitting wood properly! The non-gorilla way!"

"Who are you calling a gorilla?"

Mia-san, who had produced a wooden chopping block from somewhere, held out the handle of a hatchet to me.

"You know to follow the grain, right? Now, lightly press the blade of the hatchet into the wood... yes, that's it. Now, swing it down onto the block with a 'moderate amount of force'!"

Following her instructions, I brought the hatchet-embedded wood down on the block.

With a satisfying thwack, the wood split cleanly in two.

"This is... actually pretty satisfying."

"Right? With our strength, we could easily split firewood with magic, but there's a certain 'elegance' to doing it like this... though I didn't expect you to use your bare hands."

"Well, I just thought I could do it, so I went for it."

It was true, this was how they always did it in anime.

But it was obviously faster to do it by hand. Still, there was something addictive about this inefficient method.

I was almost mindlessly splitting wood when Mia-san called out.

"That's enough wood splitting for now. We'll use the unsplit logs later to feed the fire. The fire pit is all checked out, so let's light this crumpled newspaper and frayed twine."

"Got it."

"Oh, but before that. I'm making a fire directly on the ground this time, but many campsites don't allow that. It can cause a wildfire, you see. This place is fine, though; their website said it was okay."

"What?! Then how are you supposed to have a campfire...?"

A campfire without a fire is like curry without fukujinzuke pickles. A fukujinzuke extremist would weep at that comparison alone.

I can enjoy curry without them, but it's undeniably incomplete. The relationship between campfires and camping is just as inseparable.

"It just means you can't have a fire directly on the ground. You have to use that."

With a smug look, Mia-san pointed her thumb at a metal box on legs.

It had a V-shaped depression, and the inside was slightly blackened—proof that something had been burned in it.

"It's called a fire pit stand. You put the firewood inside this and burn it."

"Ah, now that you mention it, I think I've seen one on a TV show."

"See? Most campgrounds nowadays require you to bring one of these. If you ever go solo camping in the future, Kyouta-kun, please be careful. When in doubt, just ask the campsite manager."

"Yessir."

"Excellent! Now, let's begin the ignition process!"

"Right!"

"So. I'll let you choose: will you use the 'Ring of the Flame Horse' or this 'firestarter' here?"

Mia-san showed me a stick she was holding.

"Oh, I've seen that in TV dramas. You scrape the rod part with a knife or something."

"Exactly. You know your stuff! Well, a knife is scary, so in my case, I'll use the included striker... this metal plate here."

Dangling from the handle of the firestarter she was holding was a thumb-sized metal plate on a string.

That must have been the striker.

"So, which one will you use? Of course, me doing it is also an option."

"Then... since I have the chance, may I use that?"

"That's what I wanted to hear...!"

I took the starter from Mia-san, who was beaming and giving me a thumbs-up. Apparently, it's better to wear gloves to protect your fingers, but she said we'd be fine.

I held the rod over the twine, which I'd placed slightly in front of the center of the pit, and scraped it with the metal plate.

But it didn't work like I'd seen on TV, and I tilted my head.

"Huh...?"

"Heh... how nostalgic. I had a time like that, too..."

Mia-san seemed to be lost in a distant memory, but I was focused.

If I used too much force, I might break it, and more importantly, fumbling around would be uncool. I changed the angle of the metal plate and tried a few different things.

"You mustn't rush, Kyouta-kun."

"Whoa..."

I was a bit startled when Mia-san suddenly crouched down next to me.

She was close enough for our shoulders to touch, and a pleasant scent wafted from her. My heart skipped a beat at her beautiful face being so near.

"Instead of just scraping the surface, try to move it with the feeling of 'shaving' it. The rod is made of magnesium, you see. If you give it a sharp 'scrape!' with the striker, it's surprisingly easy to shave off. That will create sparks, which you want to land on the frayed twine."

"I-I see."

Feeling a bit flustered by her cheerful smile, I did as she said.

This time, sparks flew easily and a small flame ignited on the twine below.

"Ohh..."

"You have a knack for this, Kyouta-kun! Y-You wild child!"

"That's not a compliment, is it?"

"Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding. Now let's touch the newspaper to this twine, and then start placing the firewood on top. Make sure to leave a path for the air to flow—"

Mia-san was preparing the fire with such genuine enjoyment, her face so close that I found it hard to concentrate.

Her long elven ears were twitching up and down slightly, and their tips would occasionally brush against my earlobe.

It was so ticklish that I had to shift away a little.

My heart just couldn't take it.

"Alright, the fire is growing nicely. Now, let's cook the rice in this mess tin!"

"Whoa, that thing."

"Yes, that thing!"

Mia-san stood up and brought over a black mess tin from a nearby table.

It was an item I hadn't seen in person since my elementary school camping trip. I was starting to get excited.

"I've already put the rice and water in, so we can heat it right away!"

"W-When did you...?!"

"Hmph... how many solo camping trips do you think I've been on?"

Mia-san smugly assembled a tripod and hung the mess tin from it.

"It was worth soaking the rice in a separate container before we left...! With this, we'll have delicious, freshly cooked rice in about twenty minutes."

"A-Amazing... By the way, were you always alone? Didn't you get... lonely?"

"Kyouta-kun."

"Yes."

Hmph.

Mia-san gave me a knowing smile.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about solo camping as if it's something shameful or lonely. As long as you follow proper etiquette and have fun, a camping trip is a great success. It's not all about making noise with a large group of people."

"Right."

"If you insult solo camping again, I will smash a full-power magic spell into the back of your head. Understood?"

"I'll be more careful from now on."

"Good."

Those eyes were serious. She really meant it.

Never equate solo camping with being a loner. I made a solemn vow in my heart right then and there.

"Ahem! Next, let's get ready to grill the meat! We'll use this fire pit stand for the grill!"

"Oh, so that's why you had it set up already."

"Usually I do everything with either the fire pit or the stand, but there are two of us today. I'll make plenty for a growing boy like you, Kyouta-kun."

"Thank you."

"Alright, let's get this one lit up nice and quick."

Mia-san deftly lit the twine inside the fire pit stand and arranged the firewood on top.

She was much faster than when I was helping. She was clearly very experienced.

"Okay, Kyouta-kun. Please get the grill out of that backpack."

"Okay."

"And... another application of magic. A simple cooler box, with the help of 'Water-Ice Magic,' can perform just as well as a home refrigerator! Your meat and fish are safe!"

"...Actually, wouldn't a modern cooler box be fine for half a day without magic? With some ice packs, it should be enough."

"You're naive, Kyouta-kun. If you underestimate today's global warming, you'll end up with a very sad story...!"

"Yessir."

From Mia-san's intense expression, I could guess what had happened.

She must have made a mistake during the summer...

"I'll provide the water with magic, so once you've washed your hands, let's start grilling the meat. The rice in the mess tin should be ready at just the right time."

"Understood. Thank you."

"Not at all. I'm the one who should be thanking you for coming with me today."

With that, I washed my hands in the orb of water she created in mid-air and stood before the grill.

"By the way, Kyouta-kun. Do you know the difference between yakiniku and barbecue?"

"Huh? Um, the difference between English and Japanese...?"

"Heh heh heh. Actually, 'yakiniku' is when you grill the meat and eat it right there on the spot. 'Barbecue,' on the other hand, is when you finish grilling most of the ingredients and then serve them on a plate—"

*

And so, after feasting on grilled meat and freshly cooked rice.

"The dishes have to be washed at the designated water area, you know. In this case, it's next to the lodge where the reception is."

"I see. And that basket is for...?"

"Hehe. This is really handy for washing dishes. I can do something like a dishwasher with magic."

"[Water-Ice Magic] is really versatile, isn't it..."

I learned about campsite dishwashing etiquette, marveled at the convenience of magic, and was awed by the modern civilization that could rival it.

"Kyouta-kun! I found a good tree, a really good tree! Let's hang up the hammock!"

"A hammock? But won't bugs and stuff crawl on you?"

"It's fine. I actually got some insect-repellent magic potion from Grandmother! If we burn it like incense, there won't be any problems!"

"If Aira-san heard that, she'd probably get angry and say, 'You should have given me that last time.'"

It was my first time in a hammock, and I almost fell out face-first trying to get in.

"The joy of a hammock isn't just about sleeping... it's about this radio and this mystery novel."

"...Meaning?"

"Swaying in a hammock, listening to music on the radio, while reading a mystery novel... it makes you feel really, really smart!"

"That sounds like something a moron would come up with."

"Come on! Just try it before you judge. It's surprisingly relaxing!"

Dubiously, I swayed in the hammock and listened to some jazz, and I had to admit, just as she said, I felt my mind grow calm.

"It's a little early, but let's get ready for dinner!"

"Huh? Oh. Is it that late already?"

"When you think of camping, you think of curry... but! Tonight, we're going with pasta!"

"Pasta?"

"The sauce will be a special tomato sauce with the sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions I brought. And... believe it or not, we're going to break the noodles and put them in a small pot!"

"The thing that makes famous Italians furious?!"

"Yes! This is the only time there's absolutely no need to do it! In fact, you can easily bring a large pot even when camping, so this is just for fun!"

"Well, in that case, we have to do it!"

"Yes, let's do it!"

We both giggled like kids as we broke the pasta in half and boiled it in the small pot.

Her special meat sauce was delicious, but the pasta itself was just... normal. We shared a wry smile, admitting that breaking it in half hadn't made it feel special at all.

Time passed like that, and before we knew it, it was night.

Under a sky full of stars, she partially deployed her [Arcane Gear] staff.

"Now, now, Kyouta-kun. Why do you think I chose a campsite that's unpopular and not even properly cleared?"

"Huh?... To avoid running into a group of extroverts?"

"Wrong, unfortunately. Well, it's true I'd rather not run into a group like that. But the real reason is this."

Mia-san raised her staff, then slammed its butt forcefully into the ground.

In that instant, her mana spread through the staff, and stones began to pop out of the earth one after another.

In no time at all, the stones assembled themselves into the shape of a large tub. Then, an earthen wall rose to surround it, and I immediately knew what it was.

"No way... an open-air bath!"

"Yes! Soaking in a self-made bath while gazing at the starry sky... that is the true pleasure of Mia-style camping!!"

Mia-san struck a powerful victory pose, but I couldn't remain calm.

I'd been enjoying camping with her as if she were a senior of the same gender, but she was a woman so beautiful that 100 out of 100 people would agree. And she was busty.

For her to mention an open-air bath in a space where it was just the two of us, a woman who looked like she'd stepped out of an adult video game... it was too much for a healthy high school boy.

The manager, the old woman, had already gone home in her car. It was truly, genuinely just the two of us.

I had no intention of 'doing anything,' but even so, it was hard on my heart.

"[Water-Ice Magic] can produce water or ice at will... which means it's also easy to heat water. Well, boiling it is a bit of a challenge, but keeping it around forty degrees Celsius is a piece of cake."

"I-Is this okay...? You know, with everything..."

"Don't worry. Any water with soap or shampoo will be properly contained in this water basin; I can even separate it with magic. I've already confirmed that it's okay to dispose of it in the drain area. As long as I return this bath and wall to their original state before we leave, we won't have damaged the campsite. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that my magic skills were honed through this very process...!"

"No, that's not what I meant."

I shook my head at Mia-san, who was speaking as rapidly as Aira-san does when talking about anime.

"Um, you are here with a guy, so... maybe you should be a little more cautious."

"...Ah."

My words finally seemed to register, and Mia-san's cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

But, perhaps because she was older, or perhaps just out of sheer stubbornness, she gave a small cough and met my gaze again.

"O-Of course, I trust you, Kyouta-kun. Usually, I bring a golem to stand guard just in case, but I don't have one this time. It all depends on your self-control, but I'm sure it will be fine."

"W-Well. Right. Of course I won't peek or anything..."

"But, you're right. In that case..."

A sly grin spread across her face.

Leaning forward slightly, Mia-san looked up at me. With the movement, her magnificent chest swayed with a gentle bounce.

Her chest, pulled by gravity. From her collar, I could see a faint glimpse of her white cleavage.

"If you do peek, Kyouta-kun, there will be punishment. I'll make sure you experience something very, very embarrassing, so be prepared."

"I'll take that to heart...!"

My cheeks were burning. I turned my face away from her, trying to cool it in the night breeze.

"Excellent. Well then, I'll go get my change of clothes. You should get ready too, Kyouta-kun. Oh, is it alright if I go in first?"

"Yes, of course, that's fine...!"

"...Or would you like to get in together?"

"Wha—?!"

I couldn't help but shout as I spun back toward Mia-san, only to see her wearing a smile identical to Aira-san's.

"I'm kidding. Were you hoping I was serious?"

"N-Ah, guh...!"

She cackled at my reaction and headed for the truck.

But unfortunately for her, my eyes are [Spirit Eyes].

Even with the limited light sources, I could clearly see that Mia-san's ears had turned red.

Don't tease me with a kamikaze attack when you're just going to get flustered yourself. It's really, really bad for my heart...!

Despite that little episode, the open-air bath was as wonderful as she had claimed.

While I was standing guard outside the wall, I was tormented by the faint sounds I could hear... but when it was my turn, and I soaked in the hot water while looking up at the night sky, I was filled with a sense of wonder.

My neighborhood would be considered rural by most standards. If you look up at the sky, there's almost nothing blocking the view. Late at night, the lights from the houses are off.

But being out here, in the midst of nature... maybe it's just my memory playing tricks on me, or the environment making me feel this way, but...

The sky was so beautiful.

...Of course.

It didn't take long for the impure thought that Mia-san had been in this very water just moments before to start swirling around in my head.

What can I say? I'm a sadly vulgar man.

In any case. After finishing my bath and changing, I sat down in a folding chair. A small table separated me from Mia-san's chair.

The night breeze felt pleasant against my warm body. In front of me were the pitch-black mountains. Above were the stars and a crescent moon. Strangely, I began to feel a sense of luxury.

And I'm a guy who frequents dungeons, I thought to myself, but somehow, this situation felt strongly like something out of the ordinary. In a good way.

There was no smell of blood, no sharp sense of crisis.

Just a gentle breeze caressing my cheeks.

"Here you go. Coffee."

"Ah, thanks."

A coffee cup was placed on my side of the table, and I gave a small nod.

An LED lantern, the same kind I use in dungeons, sat in the middle of the table, and she placed her own cup on the other side of it.

"I put a lot of sugar and milk in, is that okay?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Heh heh heh. Actually, I chose the beans myself and brewed this. Don't tell Grandmother, okay?"

Mia-san winked at me from her chair.

When a beautiful woman does it, even a cheesy gesture looks good. I felt my heart skip a beat, and to hide it, I asked a question.

"Why is it a secret from the Professor?"

"One time, I was grinding coffee beans in the kitchen, and Grandmother was watching me from behind the door with a sad look on her face. I'll never forget that look, as if to say she'd been betrayed."

"The Professor did that?"

"Yes. That Grandmother did."

I couldn't help but laugh as I pictured the scene.

"She doesn't seem to mind store-bought coffee, but I guess grinding it from beans was unforgivable."

"That's quite something... but why did you go to the trouble of getting coffee beans yourself?"

"It's a shallow reason. About a year ago, I took a trip to another prefecture and saw some middle school-aged girls brewing coffee at a campsite. It just looked so cool."

"I see..."

"And now I've become particular about the beans. You absolutely must not tell on me to Grandmother, okay?"

"...Is that a dare?"

"No-it-is-not."

I chuckled at Mia-san as she pouted.

Somehow... I felt like I'd known this person for a long time, but thinking back, it hadn't even been half a year since we met.

Perhaps because we'd entrusted our lives to each other so many times, those few months felt incredibly dense. It was fair to call us comrades-in-arms by now.

"Oh, by the way, Mia-san."

"What is it?"

"While I was in the bath, you were walking around the wall a lot... is something wrong?"

Her mana had been moving back and forth on the other side of the wall, and I'd been a little curious.

At first, I thought she'd sensed an enemy, but it didn't seem like that at all.

Her movements were... indecisive.

"...Let's change the subject."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to talk about something serious now. Let's drop that topic."

"Ah, okay."

I didn't know what it was about, but Mia-san shook her head, a bead of cold sweat on her brow.

I had no intention of pressing the issue, so I readily agreed.

"It's about whether... we'll continue going to dungeons."

"...So that's what you were debating while I was in the bath."

"Huh? Oh, yes. That's right. I suppose it was."

I took a sip of coffee and let out a small sigh.

"...Honestly, I still don't have an answer. Aira-san and Erina-san told me not to rush it, but..."

"...Me too."

Softly, she said that, then took a sip of her own coffee before continuing.

"Logically, I know that something like that won't happen so easily again. But logically, dungeons and Awakened Persons are themselves existences outside of logic."

"Anything can happen... We thought we understood that, but everyone forgot. We assumed that dungeons were closed-off spaces."

"What if there's another intrusion? What if the impact makes the gate unusable? What if the intruder has power equal to that dragon?"

Her worries were the same ones I had considered.

A dungeon. It has a name, but it's an unknown territory that hasn't been fully understood.

I once heard somewhere that people give names to things they don't understand to feel like they do.

This is exactly that. We got comfortable, thinking we understood this unknown existence, when in reality, it was a danger zone where anything could happen.

"...What should we do?"

"What, indeed."

We both leaned back in our chairs and looked up at the sky.

As the saying goes, look to the heavens in times of trouble, but of course, the moon gave no answer.

The crescent moon seemed to be smiling, as if to say, 'Figure it out yourselves.'

"...I think we have enough of a buffer. Both in money and in power."

"..."

I listened to her words.

"If we stop and think calmly, we're plenty strong. There are millions of Awakened Persons, but 'B-Rank adventurers' are a mere handful. And we're among the top of that handful."

"...But someone will surpass us eventually."

"There aren't many people who have both the talent and the drive to reach this rank. And as long as the one who surpasses us isn't a villain, it's not a problem. If they'll fight monsters in our place, then all the better."

"If we don't go to dungeons, we'll get weaker."

"I heard that it's at a pace of about one level per year. In that sense, I think we have a buffer."

"...What if we get caught in another stampede?"

"That would be a problem."

"What if the monsters in that stampede are stronger than we are now? So strong we can't even escape in one piece... like that dragon."

I remember the image of Byakuren being swallowed by the aurora-like light.

His silver back disappeared in less than a second. If that golem, whose performance was comparable to a 'B-Rank adventurer,' hadn't sacrificed himself to protect us... someone would have died.

It might have been me. It might have been Erina-san. It might have been Mia-san.

Next time, Aira-san, the Professor, my parents, Shizuku-san and the others might be there too.

When that happens, we...

"But. Isn't it originally the Self-Defense Force's job to deal with situations like that?"

"That's how it should be. But the world doesn't always work that way."

"You're right..."

Both she and I have come to a conclusion in our rational minds.

The reason we're forced to stop is... out of 'fear.'

It was overwhelming. It was absolute. Even now, if I close my eyes, I can vividly recall the majesty of the great dragon, each and every one of its scales possessing immense power.

—What if we encounter something like that again?

—What if we can't escape next time?

Just thinking about it makes my legs freeze.

I feel resentment and anger. But fear wins out.

"............"

Silence dominated the night. In a space where not even the chirping of insects could be heard, my thoughts just spun around in the same place.

I'm missing something, something to shake off the fear that clings to my entire body.

Is it a desire for revenge, reckless courage, or confidence? A piece of the puzzle whose name I don't even know is missing.

Finding it will surely take time. Or else, it would require some kind of drastic 'shock therapy.'

And—it seems that time is not something I'm going to be given right now.

I shot up from my chair and deployed my [Arcane Gear].

"Kyouta-kun?"

"Mia-san, get ready."

In the forest, where neither the lantern's glow nor the moonlight reached.

Even so, my eyes could perceive the dark, blackish shine of mana.

An inhuman presence. The strange flow of mana that could not belong to any ordinary creature, a feeling I had grown accustomed to.

"Enemies. The fun camping trip is over."

A beast-like growl tore through the peaceful night.