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Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 8 - Chapter 3




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Chapter 3 – Our First Journey 2

I usually felt tired after waking up, but not today. 
Whereas most mornings it was impossible for me to pull myself awake from sleep, my mind now felt perfectly clear. 
I stared at the ceiling for a few moments before shifting my gaze towards my right hand—the one resting outside the covers. 
No longer was my hand wrapped around Adachi's. They'd come apart at some point. 
Were my restless sleeping habits the reason why? That appeared to be the case. 
My hand felt slightly warm, and in some way, it was as if Adachi was still there. 
I pulled the blanket away and got up. It was still pretty dark around. What time was it? I checked the clock on the wall—as well as the corner of the room to make sure that my bag was still there—before taking a glance at Adachi. She was sleeping peacefully with her face pointed my way. So were the other three. I didn't even have to check their beds to know that; their snores were proof enough. So then, what now? Should I go back to bed? I stood there for a moment thinking about that. 
However, as I quickly realised, there was something that I should probably take care of now while I had the chance. 
I grabbed my bag, and careful as to not make a sound, exited the room. 
The sounds of my footsteps as I made my way through the hallway were absorbed by the carpet. Sensing no other living beings around, I walked down the stairs before soon enough arriving at the lobby. The souvenir store there appeared to have already been opened, though by the looks of it, it didn't seem as if they'd had any other customers before me. I greeted the person behind the counter as I bought a jam bun. So, this ended up being my very first travel purchase, huh? I couldn't help but laugh a little. 
There was a vending machine installed in the hallway. Crouching in its shadow, I put down my bag and held out the jam bun to it. 
"You awake?" 
"Good morning", Yashiro responded after popping her head out. I could see her eyes light up as she noticed the bun. 
"Here's your breakfast." 
"Ooh!" 
Still inside the bag, she took the bun off my hands, pulled the wrapping open, and began munching. 
"Is it good?" 
"Delicious." 
That was good. Even better was that she managed to eat the bun before anyone saw her. 
I had to say, it was pretty funny, her being here. 
I found myself feeling a bit worried for my sister. Was she doing okay with both me and Yashiro gone? 
"I just hope she doesn't miss me too much." 
"I should've asked Shou to come with me." 
"No, I definitely think you shouldn't have." 
Whereas Yashiro might have defied everything we knew about the universe, my sister was just a regular little girl. 
It didn't take Yashiro all that long to finish eating the bun. I went ahead and quickly wiped her mouth clean of jam. 
"Thank you very much." 
No, no. I was only doing this because I didn't want my bag getting dirty with either jam or bun. 
"I appreciate the food, Shimamura." 
"Hahaha." 
Having said that, she once again disappeared inside the bag. She was like a small animal of some sort slipping into its nest. 
That was all I got. A mere "thank you". 
"Hahaha." 
Then again, I guess I shouldn't complain; there was no purer form of gratitude. 
Had she actually given me something in return, something concrete, that would've made it a form of exchange, not a favour. 
Was this a factor Yashiro had considered when choosing how to respond? No, she hadn't. Of course not. That went without saying. 
"Now then", I stated to myself as I picked up my bag. I remembered reading a manga once about a delinquent taking care of a cat they'd found behind their school. Was this how that person had felt? Perhaps. Speaking of which, just last year, Adachi too had been a delinquent, hadn't she? I couldn't help but laugh thinking about that. 
I'd just been about to get up with the intention of returning to our room when I heard a voice behind me. Making sure that the bag remained hidden, I swiftly turned around. 
I ended up being the one to greet her. 
"Yo." 
"Good morning." 
It was Pancho. How could I tell her apart from Sancho? Well, her hair was slightly longer. Her forehead was also wider. Wait, no, or was that the other way around? Regardless. 
One look at the state of her hairdo made it clear that Pancho had just left bed. Her bangs had been combed up, and in a similar manner, the jersey she'd been using in place of a pyjama appeared creased all over. Another contributing factor to her messy appearance were her pants; their legs were slightly too long, resulting in her constantly stepping over them. Speaking of stepping on something, that was very much the fate her shoes had suffered; the backs had been smashed completely flat. 
I had to say, running into Pancho here was the last thing I'd expected to happen. Moreover, never had I imagined that she'd actually go out of her way to approach me. 
"You're up pretty early, huh?" 
"Stole the words right out of my mouth." 
Though awake, her eyelids still appeared quite heavy. She stood still in front of the vending machine, and after thinking about it for a few moments, pushed the button labelled "tea". A second later, she realised she'd forgotten to put in any coins. 
"How embarrassing." 
Her cheeks turned slightly red as she pulled out her wallet. It was as if she felt embarrassed due to me being around. 
"I wasn't expecting to run into another student." 
It's so early, she added while rubbing her eyes. Right, it was. I mumbled something to that effect her way. Having now inserted the required coins into the machine, Pancho went ahead and pushed the tea button again—twice this time. Two plastic bottles came out, and after picking up both those as well as the change, she took one of the bottles and held it my way. 
"Here." 
"...Thanks." 
What reason did she have to buy me one? I wasn't quite sure. Clutching her bag, Pancho walked over to me. 
You could hear her throat purr as she took a large sip of the tea. After that, she let out a sigh. 
I proceeded to stare at the opposing wall, and standing next to me, Pancho did the same. 
She remained motionless even after I sat down for a second time. 
Was she not going to leave? Apparently not. 
What now? Should I open the bottle she'd given me and take a sip? I found myself getting quite restless as I wondered what to do next. 
It ended up being Pancho who broke the awkward silence. 
"Hey, err. Adachi and you, are you... like that?" 
No hesitation. No anything. She just said it. 
My initial reaction was to respond to her question with silence. I simply didn't know what else I was supposed to do. 
It didn't seem that I was the only one who found the situation bewildering; skipping past my reply, Pancho went ahead and clarified: 
"Oh, but don't get me wrong. I'm not planning on laughing at you or anything. I won't tell the others either." 
You can trust me, she added in the form of raising her arms slightly. Looking at them more closely, I had to say, her muscles were actually quite firm. 
More firm than her mouth, that was for sure. 
"You're pretty buff, huh?" 
"I do work out, so yeah." 
Through what bizarre logic did having muscles make one more trustworthy? Hmm... Well, whatever. It wasn't like it mattered. 
Let's just say that there was sincerity to her muscles and leave it there. 
"You're free to think that", I responded in the vaguest way possible to her earlier question, earning myself a short mumble as Pancho moved her eyes to look the other way. 
"So... You're like a couple? A lovey-dovey couple?" 
"Are you really a high schooler?" 
There was something about her choice of words that very much made me question her age. 
"I am, I am", she stated back. I still wasn't convinced. "I'm a prime example of one. You know, what's it called... Tsum Tsum? Yeah. I play it all the time." 
"Oh, really now." 
It seemed that she only knew the name. So did I. Still, I had to wonder, would a "prime example" of a high school student really be playing Tsum Tsum? That I wasn't so sure of. 
"Hmm... Well, anyway. Yeah." 
"If you don't know what to say, then you don't have to force yourself to say anything." 
"That's a relief." 
A hollow laugh left Pancho's mouth as she closed her eyes. A second later, she opened them and glanced my way. 
"So, a couple?" she asked again. This time, she'd managed to fix her pronunciation. 
"Hmm. Yeah, I guess you could say that. A couple." 
Adachi had asked me to go out with her, and I'd said yes. There was really no other word to describe our relationship, was there? 
"I've... never come across a couple before." 
"Is that so?" 
"Yep. Oh, I mean, a female couple. Yes. I did hear some rumours a while back, about there being two girls in our school dating, but you know how it is. If you're not directly involved, then they're just that, rumours." 
A faint blush appeared on Pancho's face as she said this. It appeared that she was reflecting on herself. 
Did she perhaps have a person at school who she loved? And was that why she felt the matter didn't concern her? Maybe. 
"Right." 
I twisted the cap of the bottle and pulled it open. After thanking Pancho for a second time, I then brought the rim to my lips. 
What flavour was this? Soft flavour? "Soft" was what it said on the label. 
Whatever the case, I did enjoy the taste. 
"All things considered... Hmm, yeah." 
"What?" 
"We're getting in the way, aren't we?" 
With her knees bent ever so slightly, Pancho stared at me as if waiting for a reply. 
"I've never felt that way. That you're getting in the way." 
"I just mean, wouldn't you prefer having the room for yourself? For like, you know..." 
"For what?" 
"Err..." 
This time, she hung her head and hid her face behind her hands. I could see her peeking at me through the gaps between her fingers. 
"I'm sure you know what I mean." 
"No, I don't." 
"Like, making out and stuff?" 
"Not on a school trip." 
"So, if we weren't here, you would?" 
All these questions back to back. It kinda made me think: Would we? 
We'd never gone further than a kiss on the forehead. 
Hmm... I guess that counted, huh? 
"We're still at the pen pal level." 
"Pen pal? What's that?" she asked back, confused. It didn't sound like she was playing dumb. Rather, I got the impression she genuinely had no idea what I was talking about. 
She wasn't familiar with the term "pen pal"? I could feel a great generational gap between us, which was strange considering that we were the same age. 
What other word could I use here? Hmm... 
"Like, email friends." 
"Huh? Friends." 
"Well, let's say email lovers then." 
"It changes on a whim?" 
Pancho proceeded to shake her shoulders. What was I supposed to say to that? I really didn't know. I could feel a faint smile appearing on my face as I turned my head to look the other way. 
If I had to summarize our conversation so far into a single word, I'd say that it had been quite pleasant. 
Pancho appeared to share my sentiment; though certainly restless, she too could be seen smiling. 
"Say, what are things like between you and Adachi?" 
"Huh? Err, normal?" 
"Just normal lovers? How does that work?" 
"Sorry, but I don't really know what else to say..." 
I wasn't lying; that genuinely was how I felt. What did the lovers of the world spend their days doing? I had no idea. 
As if pushing her jaw up, Pancho went ahead and closed her mouth. 
"Oh, I see." 
Judging by her constant questions, it made sense to assume that all this went a bit outside of her field of expertise. She waited a few moments before continuing: 
"Do you go on like, dates or whatever? Where?" 
"Umm... I guess we sometimes drop by the nearby mall." 
"Same, huh?" 
As us, she quickly added in the form of pointing at herself. I gave her a nod in response. 
"That counts as a date?" 
"Does it not?" 
I had not meant to say that. No, the words had simply slipped out from my mouth. Though Pancho still appeared doubtful, she ended up assuming the role of the one nodding her head this time. 
"Hmm... Well, still. I feel like I get it somehow." 
"Get what?" 
Seeming almost proud of herself, Pancho went ahead and leaned slightly forward before stating the following: 
"When you go on dates, Adachi is always worried about her appearance—even more so than normal. She takes a long time to prepare. You on the other hand, Shimamura, you always show up wearing just your regular outfit. Am I correct?" 
"Err, well..." 
I was about to say no, of course she wasn't correct, but as I looked back and thought about our previous dates... Hmm. 
"Yeah. I guess I can't deny that things do tend to go like that." 
Hahaha, I laughed in a slightly dry voice while looking away. 
I'd never really been aware of that myself. Not until just now. Should I perhaps start paying a little bit more attention to it going forward? 
Just as Adachi was my girlfriend, I was her girlfriend too. 
"That's the impression I got talking with you. You're much more, how to put it, lax than what I thought." 
"Lax, huh?" 
I'd definitely heard that be said about my face post getting up from bed. I kinda wanted to see what it looked like for myself, though sadly, I'd never had the opportunity; by the time I managed to get to the mirror after it was pointed out to me, my face had already gone stiff. 
Not to say that any of this had to do with Pancho's comment. It didn't. 
A short gap appeared in the conversation as both of us stopped for a moment to take a sip out of our respective bottles. 
I would have let Yashiro have a sip too had Pancho not been here, but alas. 
The hallway still remained empty except for us. I could not sense a soul anywhere nearby. Only the faint hum of the vending machine echoed through the silence. 
"Do you mind if I ask you something a bit upfront?" 
Again with the questions. I signalled something to that effect to her using my eyes, prompting Pancho to press the cap of her tea bottle against her lower lip. 
"I don't want to make you angry. But, I'm going to ask anyway. I don't often get to meet people like yourself, you see." 
"Hmm, I suppose." 
"Huh? You mean, you know of others?" 
The images of Hino and Nagafuji appeared in my mind. 
"No, not really." 
"Right. Exactly", she stated eagerly. You could practically see her face shining with curiosity. 
"Go ahead then. I can't promise I'll be able to answer, though." 
Judging by the way the corners of her mouth rose up in response, I'd say that it was fair to assume that Pancho found my answer satisfactory. 
She then slowly opened her mouth and asked the following: 
"You like girls, right, Shimamura?" 
"Hmm..." 
Right off the bat, I'd been hit with a question I struggled to answer. What to do? 
I hardly had enough experience when it came to falling in love with people to make a fair comparison. 
"You ever look at the girls in our class and go like 'gosh, they're pretty'?" 
"'Gosh'...?" 
Feeling a bit flustered, I pointed my gaze up towards Pancho, only for her to continue staring at me. 
"Err, no. I don't think so." 
"You're blushing, aren't you?" 
She'd seen right through me. A faint smile appeared on Pancho's face as she scratched her cheek. 
"What about Adachi?" 
"Adachi likes... me, I guess." 
"Oh?" 
"Boy or girl, she never looks at anyone besides me." 
"Ohh?" 
Her attempts at gasping in surprise certainly left something to be desired. 
"Figures. Like I said, lovey-dovey couple." 
"Hahaha..." 
She really liked that term, didn't she? Lovey and dovey. As the name suggested, it required two persons worth of affection. 
Hmm... We had that, didn't we? Yeah, probably. 
"Who knows where it'll evolve from there, though." 
"Right. Evolve." 
"You ever stare at a girl's chest and think like 'I want to sque— Ahem. 'I want to touch those'?" 
Why did she feel the need to correct herself? I wasn't sure. Also, I would have much preferred if she didn't go out of her way to wiggle her fingers in the air. 
"No, not really. Well, sometimes I see people with really big ones and think 'Huge!', but that's pretty much it." 
Then again, I suppose everyone shared that sentiment. Take Nagafuji for example. Could anyone walk past her without thinking that? I doubt it. 
"Hmph. Still, your eyes must wander occasionally, right?" 
Pancho followed this question by pushing her chest slightly forward with her hand on her hip. 
...If I had to estimate, I'd say that hers were similar in size to Adachi's. 
Moreover, she sure was acting careless here. That was the impression I got staring at her from below. 
"Would you let me touch them if I said that I wanted to?" 
Was that right? Was it even possible for things in this world to work out that easily? I had no idea, but decided to ask her anyway just to see. 
Life that simple would be like living in a Sea Paradise. 
Despite having been pushing it forth mere moments ago, Pancho now proceeded to hide her chest. You could hear her mumbling to herself as she thought about how to respond. 
"Well, you are pretty cute. I might let you do it once. Wait, but... Are you like, big into it?" 
"Huh?" 
Never before had anyone said something like that to me. Was I into it? Into touching breasts? 
I could feel a strange tremble running through me—one that I knew I ought to keep to myself if at all possible. 
"Sorry, but I think I'm gonna have to decline." 
Pancho followed this apology by waving her hand at me. Reality often was harsh. 
"Oh, okay. I think it's for the best, honestly. I feel like Adachi might have murdered me if she ever found out." 
Really, simply discussing the matter might have already been dangerous in and of itself. 
"You see, she gets jealous quite easily, that girl." 
Quite? More like, extremely. Sometimes I felt like you'd need a hundred of me to fill her world. 
What to me was lovey-dovey was lovey-dovey-lovey-dovey-lovey-dovey to her. 
"Judging by your face... Ah, yes. I think I understand." 
The corners of Pancho's mouth rose to form a faint smile. The way she was acting here made it seem like she'd found something. 
"You understand what?" 
"That Adachi's the sort of girl who only focuses on one thing at a time and pays little attention to anything else." 
Oh, wow. Though I didn't show it, I did feel quite impressed. 
Good eye. 
"I still prefer jello to jealousy", stated a muffled voice from within my bag. I gave the thing a quick kick on the side. 
"Hmm?" 
Pancho had a look around us. As for me, I proceeded to pretend like I hadn't heard anything. 
"Well, whatever. This place is pretty old. I guess it only makes sense for it to be haunted as well." 
Was it really okay for her to just leave it at that? Not that I was complaining. 
"Moving on. Now, I apologize beforehand if this sounds a little inappropriate." 
"Would fit right in with your other questions." 
My rebuke was met by an awkward cough. What was she going to ask this time? What direction would she lean into? I could feel my chest tightening just a little bit as I prepared myself for what was about to come. 
Pancho opened her mouth, and sounding just a little quieter than before, spoke the following words: 
"Have you ever seen her naked? Adachi, that is?" 
"Yep. Yesterday." 
"Yesterday!?" 
Taken completely aback by my response, Pancho ended up smacking the back of her head against the wall behind her. It didn't seem like it hurt, though. Must have been the result of that training she'd talked about. 
How exactly did one train one's head? Smacking it against increasingly hard objects seemed like an option, although if you did that, I kinda felt like you'd end up breaking your skull before making any sort of progress. 
"Yesterday... Oh, you mean at the bath?" 
It seemed that she at last understood what I'd meant. 
"Were you thinking of something else?" 
"Huh? Oh, err..." Pancho mumbled to herself. You could see her cheeks turning red. "I was just wondering if you meant like, you know. When you were alone in the room... Yeah. Yeah!" 
Twice she made that sound. Whatever it was meant to imply, she sure said it forcibly. 
"Yeah." 
"Yeah, yeah." 
She was starting to sound like an instrument of some sort. After taking a moment to calm down, Pancho decided to go for yet another question: 
"Which one of you confessed?" 
"Adachi." 
Was I going to tell her everything about us? I guess so. 
"Right. Makes sense. Hehehe." 
It kinda bothered me the way Pancho giggled to herself. 
"Why? Why does that make sense?" 
"Well, it's just, you don't seem like the type that's really interested in other people." 
Despite the soft tone of her voice, the actual contents of her remark pierced right through me. 
"Like, while you do get along with those around you, it feels like on the inside, you don't really care either way." 
"......" 
"Ah, wait. Maybe that's not quite it..." she quickly began correcting herself. I'd yet to get a single word out. "I guess it's wrong to say that you don't care about anything. That sounds pretty negative. What I mean more is the thing we talked about with dressing up for a date. Yeah, something like that. You accept things the way they are. It doesn't matter to yo— Wait, no. No, no." 
She just kept going. 
Never had I expected a classmate who I'd frankly not interacted with all that much to show this level of knowledge about me. 
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel slightly frightened. Were Adachi and I really that transparent? 
"Is it that obvious?" 
"It used to be much more. Now, not so much, I don't think." 
"What would you say we're like now then?" 
"Hmm? A lovey couple, of course." 
No "dovey" this time. The "lovey" though, it still continued haunting me. 
Then again, for whatever reason, I kinda got the impression that Adachi would have no problems with others viewing us that way. 
"Everywhere I go, it's always lovey-dovey." 
"I bet that for you, even air appears tinged in the shade of love." 
"I sure hope not. That sounds scary." 
Air was clearly transparent. As for love... I guess it was red. 
What else was red? Adachi, I suppose. Her cheeks and ears certainly had a strong reddish tinge to them most of the time. 
Similarly, the splatter of blood that had flown out of her mouth as she confessed her feelings to me had been red as well. 
"Still, given all this, the fact that you're with Adachi must mean that you like her quite a bit." 
It was this casual remark which brought me back to reality. 
She was speaking in a very calm tone of voice, almost as if the whole matter had nothing to do with herself, which was exactly why her words wound up reaching my defenceless heart uninterrupted. Like light flowing into a cavern beneath the waves, they filled me from the inside. 
I shifted my gaze upwards, and what I saw sparkling there above me appeared much more dazzling than the hallway's lights. 
"Right." 
Perhaps that was so. 
I liked Adachi. Right. 
Paying little mind to the impact her remark had on me, Pancho went ahead and continued: 
"If you ever feel like you need some time together, just let me know. I'll drive the wheels number three and four away and leave the room for you lovebirds. Oh, wait... Hmm. I guess it'll be a bit, how to put it, difficult sleeping there after the fact. Very vivid." 
A thick, almost muddy sound left her mouth. It was as if she was drowning on land. 
"I appreciate it, but the sentiment alone is enough. Really." 
We were on a school trip here. Of course we wouldn't do... anything of that sort. 
One of these days. One of these days what? I attempted to recall that image hidden in the far corners of my mind. 
Sadly, I wasn't able to do so; as if they'd drifted outside of a picture frame, those thoughts quickly became inaccessible for me. 
All attempts at viewing them were bound to end in a headache and little else. 
"Oh, and feel free to spend the day however you want. No need to stick around with us." 
"Right back at you. I'd hate to see you making concessions for our sake." 
"Okay." 
Pancho showed no real signs of disagreement. She simply accepted things how they were, and I had to say, I quite liked that. 
"Alright. That was fun", she declared, pulling herself away from the wall. 
I tended to agree; the conversation we'd just had felt significant to me in a lot of different ways. A big part of that was the fact that I didn't often get to talk with people about this sort of stuff. 
I'd really opened myself to her, and now, I could only hope that her lips wouldn't turn out to be completely loose. Perhaps she trained her lips as well? Let's hope so. 
"I think what I liked the most was learning that you're far more interesting of a person than what I thought. Now then, time to head back." 
Having said that, Pancho turned around. Her feet and her shoes—the heels of which were squashed as previously mentioned—made a very unique sound as they came in contact with the floor below. 
It was only when she turned the corner that I remembered I'd been holding my breath. 
A large sigh escaped my mouth. Alongside the air, I could feel the beginning of a headache that'd been bothering me fade away as well. 
I really had talked a lot with Pancho. And I do mean that; it was to the extent where, had this world been a different one, a darker one, I might very well have ended up becoming her next victim. Good thing she'd been so accepting of it. If not, Adachi might have ended up being hurt as well. 
"Want some tea?" I went ahead and asked my bag. A second passed, after which a snow-white hand appeared from within. Scary, scary. "Poke out your head as well." 
"Whoop." 
I gave the bottle of tea to this strange creature now staring at me. 
"Slurp, slurp." 
What a sound. It was not at all what I would've expected one to make when drinking tea. 
"It's not easy being you, is it, Shimamura?" 
"Hmm. I suppose not." 
"Now then, I'm off to sleep." 
"Good night." 
No sooner had Yashiro disappeared inside the bag than the faint sound of her snoring reached my ears. 
Truly, what a simple creature she was. I found myself getting just a little jealous. 
I tossed the bag over my shoulder, and just like Pancho had earlier, began making my way back. 
The first thing I noticed as I arrived at the room was that the door had been left open. Had Pancho anticipated that I'd be following after her? That seemed like the most probable explanation. I walked in, and there, I saw that the other three were still asleep. I could tell as much based on the mounds their futons formed. Speaking of Pancho, she'd pulled the curtains of one of the windows aside and was currently staring outside at the trees bathing in the morning sun. Their leaves still appeared slightly dark, indicating that the night had not fully passed by. I took a moment to stare at them myself, and doing so, I could practically smell dirt in the distance. 
After a moment of that, I walked over to where Adachi was sleeping and crouched down next to her. The way she wiggled back and forth made it clear that she wasn't a fan of the light shining in. I decided to give her a slight shake—just enough to wake her up. 
My plan worked, and soon enough, Adachi opened her eyes. 
"Good morning", I stated softly, causing an expression of shock to appear on her face. She was shocked? Shocked over what? If I had to guess, I'd say that it was probably the fact that I'd gotten up before her. 
That, or perhaps her mind still remained stuck in the events of yesterday. 
It took Adachi a few moments to focus both her eyes and her mind. 
"Good morning, Shimamura." 
Having said that, she shifted her gaze downwards, only to realise that we were no longer holding hands. She looked so sad—so reluctant to part. 
In the corner of my vision, I saw Pancho nodding to herself with her arms crossed. 
What was her position in all this? What was the position of any of us? I couldn't help but laugh a little thinking about it. 


Our destination for the second day of the trip was a theme park. That's what it said in the guide. 
We'd gotten on the bus immediately after breakfast—indicating just how tight our schedule was—and were currently heading there. Why was it that the air felt so cold? Was it because we were surrounded by mountains? Perhaps. 
Just like it had been last night, the sky once again appeared clear and without a single cloud. 
Now, I had to admit, what I said earlier was bit of a lie: The bus wasn't going to take us to the theme park directly. Instead, there was a certain place we were going to be dropping by before that. 
"Apparently, the theme park is Holland themed. What comes to your mind when you hear the word Holland?" I asked Adachi sitting next to me, earning myself a short "nothing" in response. She shook her head from side to side as well, only for her cheeks to turn red immediately afterwards. It was as if she'd remembered something. Hastily, she shifted her gaze away from me towards the window. 
"I'm not even going to ask." 
"I-It's nothing." 
"Back to visiting Planet Nothing, are we?" 
This slight bit of teasing earned a pout from Adachi as reflected on the window. 
Staring at her, I noticed that the road behind her was gradually growing both narrower and steeper. 
It appeared that we were heading towards a mountain this time—not the one near which the guest house where we'd stayed the night at was located, but a different mountain. I wasn't especially excited for it. Why? Well, mostly because mountains were a pretty common sight where we were from. 
Every now and then, bits and pieces of the conversation I'd had with Pancho earlier that morning would appear in my mind. 
There was a part of me that couldn't help but feel like this experience was going to prove to be immensely meaningful going forward. That said, what had left the biggest impression on me was the whole lovey-dovey couple thing, which in itself hardly mattered one way or another. Perhaps there was no reason to think back to it after all. Perhaps not. Only one single thought remained as I cleared my mind of the rest, and as if guided forth by it, I shifted my gaze towards Adachi. 
Her face appeared painted in a faint tone of red similar to that of leaves after the arrival of fall. 
I liked her. I liked Adachi. There was no denying it. In situations where I would've pushed others away, I let her stay. Her presence, I didn't mind it. I didn't mind being with her. 
How much further would that be able to take us? How much further were we planning to go? 
At present, the two of us had come to the corners of Japan. That led me to wonder, what next? What would be our next destination? 
I spent quite a long while thinking about that. Meanwhile, the bus at last arrived at the foot of the mountain where we'd been headed. 
Even I knew the name of this one. I also knew that it was an active volcano. 
The bus didn't take us directly up the mountain, but instead, to a large parking area located in its vicinity. As we were soon told by the teacher, this was where we would be stopping. But why? Looking around, I could see many other students tilting their heads, clearly just as puzzled by the turn of events as I was. 
No sooner had the bus pulled to a stop than those questions were answered. 
It was as if we'd entered a cloud. 
In all directions, we were surrounded by thick fog. 
"I can't see anything", Adachi commented, her face practically glued against the window. By no means was she the only one doing that. Like them, I too found myself caught just a bit off-guard; not once in my life had I ever experienced fog quite this dense. 
In the midst of this confusion, the teacher ordered us to take a step outside the vehicle. We were also told to avoid moving around carelessly. Now, what constituted for that, careless movement? That was something we weren't told. 
Though I did wonder for a moment what I should do with my bag, I ultimately ended up tossing it over my shoulder. Why? No reason in particular. I guess I figured that she—that being Yashiro—might find the fog intriguing or something. 
We were placed in a line, and one by one, the students before me stepped outside the bus. Their reactions, their screams and gasps, filled me with a mixture of both curiosity and dread. I looked over my shoulder, only to see Adachi following closely behind. She didn't seem nearly as interested as I was. 
Soon enough, my turn came. 
"Whoa." 
It only took an instant for the world around me to turn grey. No longer could I see anything. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate; to be more precise, I could only see the fog. I turned around for a second time, and just like that, the entire frame of the bus had been wrapped in mist. 
A series of voices belonging to the other students reached my ears from within the darkness. It was impossible for me to accurately gauge my distance to them, and as a result, I found myself panicking just a little bit. Worth mentioning as well, the temperature of the air here was just slightly lower compared to the guest house where we'd stayed at, causing me to shiver. 
What was the saying that used to describe a situation of this nature? Lost at sea? Hmm... No, that didn't make much sense. For one, I was on land, not at sea. 
"What am I thinking of... Surrounded from all sides? No... Oh, I know. Lost in a maze of fog." 
At last, it came to me. Done with that matter, what I did next was have a look around me. Everywhere I looked, things were shrouded in fog. It all looked the same. How was I meant to tell which direction to head? 
I was walking around without a clear goal when all of a sudden, a person's shoulder randomly appeared from the mist. Whoa! It took the shoulder coming about thirty centimetres from my face for me to finally notice it. Just another reason for me to not wander around too much, I suppose. 
Sadly, that realization came to me too late; by the time I thought about turning back, the bus had already vanished from my sight. Moreover, the same Adachi who I was sure had been standing just behind me was no longer anywhere to be seen. 
Was I heading towards the bus, or was I heading away from it? There was no way for me to be sure. 
"Shimamura." 
It was then that I heard it. Adachi was calling for me. 
"Adachi!" 
I called her back. Shimamura, Shimamura, I could hear her yell. From where? I wasn't sure. I found it difficult pinpointing her exact direction. 
As it turned out, things looking the same in all directions had the effect of rendering even your ears unreliable. Who would've known. 
I tried putting all of my five senses to use, but to no avail. I was lost. Completely lost. 
"Where are you?" 
"Over here." 
Assuming that Adachi was going around looking for me as well, the chances were low that we would randomly run into one another. That said, as I couldn't imagine that she'd be willing to simply stand still, it seemed that I'd have to stop my search for the time being. 
As I stood there, the voice of the teacher currently gathering up the other students reached my ears. I still had no idea what direction it was coming from. It seemed to me that it had been very reckless to let us leave the bus in the first place, although then again, I doubt that even the teacher had ever before experienced fog quite this thick. 
Seeing how the fog couldn't last forever, the worst case scenario was that we'd have to wait around for some unspecified amount of time. 
It wasn't the case that I disliked that—not moving. Hardly. 
I threw my bag over my shoulder once more, and while focusing my ears on Adachi's faint voice, turned to face in front of me. 
A thought crossed my mind as I stared at the wall of endless fog: Was this what a world without Adachi was like? 
"......" 
Impassable, exhausting fog sapping me of my last traces of willpower as far as the eye could see. 
In some ways, this scenario bore quite a similarity to the days which I had idled through during my first year in high school. 
Were things to remain this way, I'd never be able to go anywhere. That was what I'd thought. 
And yet, now, here I was. Somewhere completely different. Somewhere completely new. 
A thought surged through me: I had to find Adachi. 
I wasn't sure why it happened—perhaps the strength of my sentiment had reached her—but in the next instant, I heard a voice speak to me from within my bag. 
"To the right." 
Right? I asked in the form of extending my hand into the direction I'd been given. 
The tips of my fingers came in contact with what seemed to be the shoulder of a person. Through the fog, that person touched my hand. Though they appeared shocked at first, almost hesitant, after running their fingers against the tips of mine, whoever it was went ahead and grabbed me tight. It was there that I too realised what was going on. The strength of the person's grip, the way she squeezed my hand, it could only be her. 
Her touch let me know that I'd been correct before my eyes did. 
"I found you, Shimamura." 
 



As if parting the mist, Adachi came to me. 
She took my hands and squeezed them tight. Instantly, I could feel myself relaxing. We'd parted ways for less than a minute, and yet, for whatever reason, the feeling of separation I'd experienced had hit me so much harder than it usually did. Judging by her utterly defenceless smile—an expression not often seen on her face—Adachi very much appeared to share my sentiment. 
We continued holding hands just like we had last night before going to bed. 
This time, it was the fog that concealed us. 
"Thank you." 
These words of gratitude were not aimed towards Adachi, but rather, at my bag. 
"Well then, I'm going back to sleep." 
"Alright." 
Mixing together with the sounds of the birds in the distance, a series of cartoonish snores soon reached my ears. 
"Who are you talking to?" 
"Just myself. Now... I know I already said it once, but this sure is something else." 
Adachi was right there in front of me, yet already, all but the hands which I was holding had vanished from my sight. 
Naturally, this also meant that there was no way for me to tell what sort of an expression she had on her face. 
And yet, I felt her presence. Though I couldn't see her, I knew she was there. 
Our hands tied us together. They formed a bridge between us. 
"Why don't we walk around a bit?" 
I knew that we should follow the teacher's orders and group up with the others, but I just didn't feel like it. 
I'd been going around with the sole goal of looking for Adachi. Now that I'd found her, I no longer had an objective in mind. Wherever I went, it was all the same. None of it mattered. 
"Even if I kinda forgot about it myself, the fact remains that we're delinquents. That's right. Bad girls." 
Was this badness of mine spreading to Adachi too as she held my hand? Yes, it was. No doubt about it. 
It was this conviction—this belief—which had led me to ask her to come with me, to ignore what the teacher said and just do what we wanted. 
While I still couldn't see her face, the way Adachi moved her arm up and down made it clear that she agreed with me. 
"Let's go." 
"Okay." 
"I don't think I'll get another opportunity to walk hand in hand with you anytime soon, so yeah..." 
What exactly did she mean by that? It took me a few moments of staring into the fog to figure out the true meaning behind her words. 
"How odd. You're not usually one to worry about that sort of stuff." 
"No, I... I don't care. It's just, I figured you might, Shimamura..." 
Me? Adachi was taking my feelings into consideration? I couldn't help but feel like it'd been a while since the last time this had happened. 
Was it the case that too much blood had flowed into her head last night at the bath and she had looped back around to being calm and collected? 
If so, then perhaps allowing her to gaze at my body as she pleased had been worth it after all. 
...That was a joke. Yeah. Moving along. 
"Still acting all good, are we?" 
It was especially strange given that we were clearly delinquents going against the teacher's orders. Was there any point to that, to bad girls pretending to be good? Was there any point to what we were doing here in the first place? Yes, there was. It was what my heart desired, and I was doing my best to fulfil its wishes. 
I wanted to walk through the mist. I really did. It was as simple as that. 
The two of us, Adachi and I, continued walking towards what lay before us. We were walking forward. 
Though others might not be able to see it, for us, this path appeared firm—unshakable. 
"Do you know what I thought when I lost you in the fog?" 
"Hmm?" 
I could feel Adachi's fingers grasp my hand ever so much more tightly. It was as if she was pulling me towards herself. 
"If I lost you, if you were no longer there... This is what every day would be like for me." 
"......" 
Was it due to the mist blocking our vision that, instead of my face, Adachi was now peering directly into my mind? 
That, or were we perhaps this similar deep down? 
"...Shimamura?" 
Should I say it? Or should I not? I ultimately decided to go for it. If nothing else, my face was hidden, so I didn't need to worry about that. 
"Me too." 
"...Huh?" 
"I thought the same thing." 
Hehehe, I laughed, leaving just a bit of vagueness behind my words. Adachi didn't seem to enjoy the way I was teasing her, and as if ringing a bell or something, she went ahead and squeezed my arm. 
"Say that again. Please. One more time." 
"Nope. The fog is about to clear up." 
Why did that matter? Well, if the fog really did clear up and Adachi saw me saying something like that to her... Then it'd be really embarrassing. Yes, embarrassing. 
"Err, no? It's still here, the mist." 
"Hmm, I wonder. Maybe I'll suck it all away." 
Stating aloud this nonsense, I went ahead and continued walking forward, still unable to see anything. 
It was hard to explain why, but in some ways, it felt as if I'd stepped into the future. 
A memory of the scenery I'd witnessed on the boat came to my mind. 
There I'd been, in the middle of the ocean, watching over a vast field of nothingness. 
The destination we were heading towards appeared completely shrouded in mist. 
And yet, I didn't feel uneasy. Not even slightly. 
Whether I could see a thing or not, it mattered not one bit. 
As long as we were together, as long as Adachi was there by my side, I could make sense of it all, even through the mist. 
A fresh new sensation unlike anything I'd experienced before filled my mind; for the first time in my life, I felt truly invincible. 


After that was done with, we took the bus to the city as was planned and went on a stroll through the theme park. 
It was a pretty interesting place, honestly. Flowers everywhere. Adachi and I even decided to break away from the group at one point. 
And yet, even so, what left the largest impression on me that day was the time we'd spent within the mist. 


For the second night of the trip, it'd been decided that we'd be staying over at a hotel. The building was far longer vertically than the guest house had been. 
I couldn't help but imagine a slice of castella cake as I stared up at it. 
Those were my first impressions. I tried sharing them with Adachi too, only for her to call me a weirdo. 
It went without saying, but a single hotel room was nowhere near large enough to house five people. Because of that, each group had been given two to share. 
No sooner had I asked her about this than Pancho made the following statement: 
"We three will sleep together. You take the other room..." 
How blatantly considerate of her. As for the other two, they didn't seem to hold any particular objections—not that they could've objected even if they wanted to as Pancho swiftly proceeded to drag them away using her muscular arm. I guess it made sense; having us around was sure to kill the mood again just like it had the previous day. 
And so, we were left with just the two of us. Well, technically three, I suppose. Then again, as only I knew of Yashiro's presence, there wasn't really much point to counting her, was there? No, probably not. Regardless, what I did next was place my bag next to the bed before sitting down on it and taking a deep breath. 
"That was quite the day." 
Apparently, we still had an hour to go till evening dinner. 
I had no doubt in my mind that were I to lay down, that hour would be gone before I knew it. 
Knowing that, I would have much preferred it being three hours instead. 
What now? A part of me kinda just wanted to roll backwards and let nature take care of the rest. I ended up nearly succumbing to those desires when all of a sudden, I happened to notice Adachi wriggling about on the bed opposite to mine. She had curled up in a ball with both of her knees pressed tightly together. 
"Is something wrong?" 
"It's just the two of us..." she muttered nervously. Yes, that was right. That was the situation here. Personally, I couldn't help but feel like it was a bit too late to be worrying about it. 
"Yes, and? Aren't we often like this, with just the two of us? Like, at my home and stuff?" 
And at the sports hall, just to give another example. 
"Well, yes, but this is different. We're in a hotel room..." Adachi stated, her eyes pointing at the ceiling. No longer was she mumbling. If anything, I'd say that she was speaking a lot faster than normal this time. So, this being a hotel room was the core of the problem? Yes, yes. Made sense. 
"I sense danger." 
"Huh?" 
"Eek~." 
I went ahead and wrapped my hands around the same parts of my body that she'd been focusing on at the bath as if to conceal them. What parts were those? You're just going to have to imagine it. Then again, given how intensely she'd been staring at me, it could very well be that she'd already obtained the power to see through both my arms and my clothes alike. I think that was commonly referred to as the power of imagination. 
Judging based on the flustered expression that appeared on Adachi's face, it seemed safe to say that she had reached the same conclusion. A few mumbled words left her mouth, although how exactly they were meant to connect, I honestly had no clue. 
"I think I'll ask you to explain what you mean some other time after we get back." 
With that, I took off my shoes, rolled down onto the bed, and got comfortable. 
Lying on my left side, I extended my arm towards Adachi. 
"Care to join me, Adachi?" 
My invitation was at first met with silence. It was only a second later that Adachi took a step backwards in a very dramatic fashion. 
"I... I sense danger." 
"It's fine. I trust you." 
Not that I had ever doubted her. The extents of her kindness and courage, I was more than aware of both of those. 
That said, Adachi did also have a tendency to occasionally act completely against my expectations. It was that part of her which made her the person she was. 
"I figured you'd prefer it this way." 
There were two beds, yes, but they did have a distinct gap between them—a slight bit of distance. 
Why exactly was that a problem? Well, let's say that we were to have a conversation with each of us lying on their own bed. It'd take some time for our voices to reach the other person, and given what we'd gone through today, I honestly felt like I might fall asleep while waiting. 
Even now, it was genuinely difficult for me to not yawn. 
I needed something to keep me awake, and that something was Adachi. 
"If you'd like, then please. Come." 
"A-Alright then." 
Hesitantly, Adachi crept over to my bed before falling on top of it as if she'd hit her knees and tripped. She followed this with a roll, resulting in her forehead bonking against my shoulder. 
"Geh!" 
By no means was this something I'd describe as her grazing me softly. No, it genuinely hurt. 
With a big red circle in the middle of her forehead, Adachi proceeded to stare at me without a word. 
As for me, I chose to meet her with a smile. 
"Welcome in." 
"R-Right." 
These sorts of indecisive responses had recently become a habit of Adachi's. 
Now then, what was it that she'd been seeking? What was she after here? I had a pretty good idea. 
"Do you want to rest your head against my arm? Or do you want me to rest mine against yours?" 
Which one, I repeated in the form of shaking my hand in the air. With an uneasy look on her face, Adachi proceeded to stare at my arm for a moment before at last opening her mouth: 
"Both, I think..." 
"Ohh? Well, sure. Why not." 
I placed my arm under Adachi's head, and she did the same with hers. Though it was kinda awkward, especially the way our arms just kinda rested on top of each other, in the end, we both got to experience each other's softness—as well as the weight of their head. Sure, we could've taken turns, but where was the charm in that? 
I could feel Adachi's hair tickling my hand as I relaxed my body. 

 


"So, how was the school trip for you?" 
I asked her that like a mother would. As I'd recently come to realise, our relationship did have that sort of a side to it as well. That said, there was something about this arrangement that I couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant towards. For one, I was far too young to be a mother. Often I found myself wondering, couldn't I just be her big sister instead? That role was one I was already used to playing. 
"Hmm... Kinda okay." 
That was more or less what I'd been expecting. Adachi was pretty bad in groups. 
It only made sense for her to react to a school trip this way. 
"But, you did like the bath, didn't you?" 
"I liked seeing you n—Err, wait. No. Nothing. Stop being so mean..." 
I could feel the arm which I was resting against thud my head. 
"I'm just joking. Anyway, I do more or less feel the same way." 
There had been a lot of enjoyable things that had happened, don't get me wrong. I'd also been made more than aware of certain factors. And yet, despite all of that, my impression of the trip remained the same. 
"I guess it's because this still feels like I'd gone somewhere with my parents." 
I'd gotten on an airplane, yes, but I'd not paid for the ticket with my own money. 
For the current me, this was where my limit—my boundary—was found. 
Lying on the bed, I stared at the upside-down view before me. 
The curtains of the window were open, and beyond them, a night sky without a single cloud could be seen. 
"Apparently, days following a cloudless night tend to be foggy." 
"Hmm..." 
"It just goes to show, you can't tell beforehand what tomorrow will bring." 
For example, I obviously had no idea I was going to meet Adachi the day before it happened. 
And yet, this was where we now found ourselves, lying on the bed next to one another. 
Just who could've predicted that? No one. 
What appeared within the mist of tomorrow was a world yet unknown. 
"I do sometimes wonder, how far would we be able to go together? I'd really like to find out and see." 
With my head resting against her hand holding her in place, I stated those words to Adachi. She didn't offer me much of a response. 
I suppose I couldn't blame her; I'd yet to explain what I was even talking about. Regardless, I went ahead and continued. 
"This was where we got to now, but what about in five years? What about in ten? Where will we be then, how far will we be able to go? I think about that often. The future might be clouded in mist, but I want to head towards it anyway." 
I had no confidence in my ability to make any sort of progress were I to wander the darkness by myself. 
Yet, with Adachi by my side and holding my hand, I was sure that I wouldn't get lost. 
Speaking of Adachi, she was now staring at me with her eyes wide. I had to say, the fact that she wasn't blinking left me a bit worried. 
"I'm not sure if I really get what you mean." 
"Right." 
"But, it's fine. It doesn't matter. What does is..." 
What I'd said didn't matter? How rude of her. 
"Ten years... Do you still want to be with me... after ten years?" 
Repeating only the part which mattered to her the most, Adachi sought confirmation. 
Ten years, huh? 
It was just a random amount of time I'd picked. It had no deeper meaning. And yet, at the same time, there was also a part of me that felt differently. 
I decided to choose those feelings to convey to her. 
"Yeah, I think I might." 
Adachi really was the only person towards whom I felt that way. 
In the same way, though it might be on a different level, I too was the only one Adachi thought about. 
The amount of sentiment between us, it was more than enough for us to continue existing together. 
I did not need an impetus stronger than this to choose which path to take. 
Adachi's eyes still remained open. However, unlike before, they now appeared as if they were sparkling. 
The expression on her face was the same one she'd made when she found out that we had been placed in the same class. 
"It might take ten years if not more, but next time, let's travel overseas with just the two of us." 
The same trip I'd turned down at first, I now suggested myself. As I did so, the face of another girl appeared in my mind. 
Once we got back home, I really did need to talk with her. 
"Wait, when you said 'how far', you meant it literally?" 
"Huh? You don't want to?" 
Travelling somewhere far away was going to take money. It'd also take time. All in all, it really wasn't as simple as just doing it. 
No, we'd need to do it together. 
Adachi proceeded to shake her head from side to side. This caused her hair to rub against my arm, and if I'm being honest, it kinda hurt a lot. 
And yet, there was something about that pain which too felt pleasant. 
"It'll be foggy tomorrow." 
"Right..." 
Hand in hand, we'd once more traverse that fog. 
And so, night fell on our small journey. 
It acted as a beginning, a promise for more to come. 


"I'm home." 
"Welcome. Souvenirs, please." 
"Souvenirs, huh? Alright then. Why don't you try looking into that bag over there?" 
My sister did as told and pulled the bag which I'd hauled to the hallway earlier open. Or at least she tried; before she could, the thing opened on its own. The "souvenir" then popped out. 
"Ah! Yachii!" 
What exactly was the source of the sound effect that accompanied her? I had no clue. 





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