In. Out. In.
In. Out. In.
The day before the Club MT.
Dormitory Warden's room.
A bag was sitting on the bed.
An empty bag.
I was standing in front of it, agonizing for 20 minutes.
Whether to put the game console in or not.
The most difficult decision of my life.
If I put it in.
→ I can play in the tent at night.
→ But what if the light from the console leaks out of the tent?
→ It becomes, "Hey Ian, what are you doing?"
→ It becomes, "I was playing a game."
→ The stares come.
→ I get involved.
If I don't put it in.
→ I can't play games for two days and one night.
'.............'
Put it in.
Took it out.
Put it in.
'Ah, fuck.'
Took it out again.
I agonized for 10 more minutes.
Conclusion.
Put it in.
Tucked tightly between the towels.
Wrapped in a blanket so the light wouldn't leak out.
At the very bottom of the bag.
'It's for emergencies. Only when I really can't take it anymore.' I rationalized, zipping it shut.
The rest of the packing was simple.
Clothes to change into.
Towel.
Toiletries.
Toolbox.
'Toolbox?'
It's for Dormitory Warden duties.
Is it right to bring a toolbox when going on a Club MT?
But what if something breaks outdoors?
What if a tent pole snaps?
'Let's take it.'
Morning roll call.
"If anyone is going on the Club MT today, please bring your luggage down to the first floor."
I said.
One line added to the usual roll call where I only call out room numbers.
There was no murmuring among the girls.
Of course not.
The only club going on an MT this time is the Herb Club.
Roll call over.
3 minutes.
On the way back to the Dormitory Warden's room, there was a paper bag in front of the door.
'.............'
Again.
I opened it.
Herb Cookie.
This time, the shape was different.
It was leaf-shaped.
There was a note tucked in the side.
[You're going on the MT, right? Please have this as a snack.]
[I'm looking forward to Hallen Hills.]
[— Room 302]
'.............'
Leaf shape.
Because they're a Druid?
Or is it just a leaf?
'I don't know.'
I took a bite of the cookie.
It wasn't burnt.
It was sweet.
The herb scent was subtle.
'The taste has improved again.'
I put the cookie in my bag.
Next to the game console.
Next to the toolbox.
'The inside of my bag is getting increasingly bizarre.'
10:00 AM.
In front of the Greenhouse Annex.
A carriage was standing there.
The Teaching Assistant was already there.
A leaf was stuck in their hair.
There were more stuck in there than usual.
They seemed excited.
"Ian-haksaeng! You're here?"
"............Yes."
"The weather is great today! Perfect for herb gathering!"
The Teaching Assistant seemed quite excited too.
Thor-sunbae appeared carrying a large bag.
"Junior! Are you ready?"
"............Yes."
Hana-sunbae followed behind.
"Ha. This is the last MT. It feels new."
Riel waved.
"Ian-donggi~ Looking forward to today?"
Four people.
Five including me.
Aria hasn't arrived yet.
'.............'
Kaiden too.
1 minute later.
I saw two people walking from over there.
Light purple hair.
Brown hair next to it.
Aria and Kaiden.
They were coming together.
Kaiden was carrying Aria's bag for her.
Aria was walking with her head down.
'.............'
'Still haven't sorted things out, huh.'
Kaiden said something with a smile.
Aria nodded.
Small.
They arrived.
"Hello."
Kaiden greeted brightly.
A gentle voice.
Aria said "............Hello" with her head down.
She glanced at me.
0.3 seconds.
'.............'
'............Don't look up.'
As expected.
Kaiden's gaze came.
0.5 seconds.
Coldly.
It immediately relaxed.
Returned to a smiling face.
'.............'
6 people.
2 days and 1 night.
Outdoors.
'Will I survive?'
Carriage.
It was a 6-seater.
A structure where 3 people sit facing each other.
The Teaching Assistant got on first.
Thor-sunbae got on.
Hana-sunbae got on.
One side was full.
The remaining seats.
The 3 seats opposite.
Kaiden got on first.
Sat on the inside.
And looked at Aria.
Gestured.
"Aria, sit next to me."
Naturally.
Affectionately.
Aria stopped in front of the carriage.
'.............'
I saw her expression.
I tried not to look, but I saw it.
The social outcast's intuition went into overdrive again.
She was smiling.
Her mouth was.
Her eyes weren't.
If she sits next to Kaiden, she has to be stuck with him for half a day.
Next to a guy she hasn't sorted things out with yet.
Half a day.
Aria's feet didn't move.
'.............'
'I don't want to care.'
But I can see it.
'Just don't be visible, or something.'
If she's that obviously uncomfortable, it's impossible not to see it.
'Fuck.'
I got on the carriage.
I sat next to Kaiden.
"............."
Kaiden looked at me.
It was the seat for Aria.
I sat there.
"............Ian?"
Kaiden's smile stiffened for 0.3 seconds.
He looked at Aria.
Aria was looking.
He turned back.
Immediately.
"Haha. You got on quickly."
The carriage departed.
Clatter, clatter.
The distance between my shoulder and Kaiden's.
It wasn't even a span.
Every time the carriage shook, our elbows almost touched.
The body heat of the guy who was wary of me was right next to me.
'.............'
I looked out the window.
Trees passed by.
They kept passing by.
'Said it would be half a day.'
'It's going to be a very long half-day.'
Afternoon.
Hallen Hills.
Got off the carriage.
The air was different.
It wasn't the air of the city where the Academy is.
Smell of grass.
Smell of dirt.
Smell of trees.
'Ah.'
I knew this smell.
It was the smell of the territory.
The smell I had smelled every day for 15 years.
The wind blowing from the ridge where I used to roam to find food.
'A familiar sensation.'
The Teaching Assistant looked around.
"Wow, this place is nice. Just like Ian-haksaeng said."
"Oh. The air is good."
"It definitely looks good for herb gathering."
"Look over there. Something is already growing."
Aria was quietly looking around.
Her light green eyes were sparkling.
The girl who couldn't even go to class because she was hiding under her blanket.
Was out here, eyes sparkling.
'.............'
'Did I do well to come?'
The Teaching Assistant clapped.
"Now, then, we should set up camp first, right? Let's pitch the tents!"
The Professor took the tents out of the bag.
A lump of folded fabric.
Poles.
Stakes.
Ropes.
Spread them out on the ground.
"............."
6 people looked down at the tent parts.
Silence.
"How do you set this up?"
Thor-sunbae picked up a pole.
Turned it this way and that.
"Do you insert it here?"
He tried to stick it in the wrong place.
"Doesn't look like it."
Hana-sunbae looked at the stakes.
"Don't you drive these in first?"
"No, you have to spread the fabric first."
"Don't you put the poles on top of the fabric?"
The Teaching Assistant looked at the manual.
The manual blew away in the wind.
"Ah."
Riel chased after it.
Aria was standing there holding the rope.
An expression that said she didn't know what to do.
Kaiden confidently grabbed a pole.
"I'll try."
He inserted it.
The direction was reversed.
The fabric twisted.
"............This isn't it."
'.............'
I was watching from behind.
From the corner.
15 minutes passed.
The tent was still a lump of fabric on the ground.
It was actually more tangled than at the beginning.
The Professor wiped the sweat from their forehead.
"Ian-haksaeng."
"Yes."
"Do you happen to know how to set up a tent?"
'.............'
6 pairs of eyes turned to me.
'Stares again.'
"............I have done it before."
"Oh! Then could you help us out?"
Since I couldn't say, 'No. I want to stay in the corner.'
"............Yes."
I put my bag down.
I looked at the tent.
Untangled it.
Pulled out the poles.
Spread the fabric on the ground.
Checked if the ground was flat.
Cleared the stones.
I've camped near the territory dozens of times.
My body remembered.
Inserted the poles.
In the exact position.
At the exact angle.
Drove in the stakes.
Attached the ropes.
Pulled them taut.
The fabric went up.
It took shape.
3 minutes.
The tent was standing.
"............."
6 people looked at the tent.
"Hey."
Thor-sunbae opened his mouth.
"3 minutes?"
"The thing we couldn't do for 15 minutes?"
Hana-sunbae uncrossed her arms.
The Teaching Assistant's eyes sparkled.
"Ian-haksaeng, where did you learn this?"
"Just... from doing it often in the territory."
"Camping in the territory?"
"Yes. The territory is a bit rural."
Riel laughed.
"Ian-donggi, you're full of surprises. You really lived in the wild."
"Rather than lived..."
"Can you set up the rest of the tents too?"
'.............'
There were three tents.
Separated by gender.
One men's tent.
One women's tent.
One Teaching Assistant tent.
"............Yes."
Second tent.
3 minutes.
Third tent.
2 minutes 30 seconds.
It got faster as I got used to it.
Three tents stood side by side.
I placed the entrances facing southeast, considering the wind direction.
Near the spring.
The spot I marked on the route.
"............All done."
Thor-sunbae clapped.
"Hey Ian, how did you..."
"Just from doing it a lot."
Kaiden smiled.
"That's amazing."
He was smiling.
His mouth was.
'.............'
Next.
Fire.
"I brought firewood for the campfire, but is there anyone who can start a fire?"
The Professor asked.
I thought they could start it with magic.
They said the Druid department is nature-friendly, so they avoid using magic fire as much as possible.
"It's better to start it the natural way."
The Teaching Assistant said seriously.
'The natural way.'
6 people stood in front of the firewood pile.
Thor-sunbae grabbed the flint.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
No sparks flew.
"Why isn't this working?"
Hana-sunbae snatched it.
Tak. Tak.
Sparks flew, but it didn't catch on the firewood.
"You need to lay down twigs first."
It came out of my mouth.
'Ah.'
'My mouth ran ahead again.'
"Twigs?"
"Firewood doesn't catch fire immediately. Lay dry twigs underneath. Put dry grass on top of that. If you strike sparks there, the grass burns first. The heat burns the twigs. Then the firewood burns."
"............."
"And the angle of the flint is too high. If you lower it to about 30 degrees, sparks fly better."
Silence.
'Why is everyone looking at me?'
"............Should I do it?"
They picked up dry twigs from around.
Dry grass too.
Laid them under the firewood.
In order.
Grabbed the flint.
Tak.
Sparks flew at once.
Caught onto the dry grass.
Blew on it, "Hoo."
The grass burned.
The twigs burned.
The firewood burned.
The fire rose.
It was warm.
"Oooooh."
Thor-sunbae marveled.
"Ian, what are you really? A survival expert?"
"I had to start fires in the potato field a lot."
"Potato field again?"
"............Yes."
The Teaching Assistant looked moved.
"As expected of a Druid major! You're becoming one with nature!"
'No, I just started it to roast potatoes.'
Evening.
The sun set.
We did the herb gathering in the afternoon.
The Professor led us up to the hillside.
Found the Purple Evening Primrose.
It was really there.
Exactly in the spot I remembered.
The Teaching Assistant almost cried.
"Ian-haksaeng... how did you know about this?"
"Just because I've been here before."
While they were gathering, I was picking other herbs in the corner.
Quietly.
Alone.
But questions kept coming, "Ian, what's this?" "Ian, can I eat this?"
'I want to be in the corner.'
But I answered.
Because I knew the answers.
Because these hands have touched every single type of grass in the barren territory for 15 years.
Night.
Campfire.
The fire was burning.
The fire I started.
6 people were sitting around.
The Professor brewed Herb Tea.
Evening Primrose tea.
"We're brewing it right away with what we gathered today. This is the charm of an outdoor MT."
Thor-sunbae took a cup.
"Oh. The scent is good."
"It's subtle."
I was looking at the fire.
Corner.
Slightly behind.
It was warm.
It wasn't bad.
Aria was sitting next to me.
I don't know why she sat next to me.
Maybe there were no other seats.
Or maybe not.
Aria was also looking at the fire.
The firelight was reflecting in her light green eyes.
"............."
"............."
There was no conversation.
Two social outcasts were sitting side by side next to the campfire.
Without words.
But it wasn't particularly awkward.
'.............'
It was strange.
Usually, when I'm next to someone, there's pressure to say something.
But next to this girl, that wasn't there.
Aria didn't talk either.
Maybe she couldn't, rather than didn't.
Anyway, it was quiet.
Does she feel similar to me?
Tatak-
Tatak-
Only the sound of the fire echoed.
Then.
Kaiden stood up.
Came this way holding a cup.
"Aria, want another cup of tea?"
A soft voice.
A gentle smile.
Aria looked up.
"............I'm fine."
"Are you sure? It's a bit cold. Wouldn't it be good to drink something warm?"
"............."
Aria hesitated.
Kaiden tried to sit next to Aria.
Then.
"Ian-haksaeng~"
The Teaching Assistant called.
"I think we need to bring more firewood, can you bring some?"
The pile of firewood stacked by the carriage.
Had to walk a bit from here.
"............Yes."
As I stood up to go.
I saw Aria.
In that moment where Kaiden was trying to sit next to her.
Her body was hunched over.
'.............'
'Fuck. I see it again.'
I tried not to look.
But I see it.
'.............'
I stopped.
"Aria."
Aria looked at me.
"There's a lot of firewood, I can't carry it alone. Let's go together."
Aria blinked.
"............Me?"
"Yes. Because you're close by."
'Because you're close by.'
'That's the whole reason.'
'It's true.'
Aria hesitated.
Looked at Kaiden.
Looked at me.
"............Okay."
Stood up.
Kaiden was frozen.
In the position he was about to sit in.
"............."
I didn't look.
I won't look.
But I felt it behind my back.
A gaze.
A cold gaze.
Because a social outcast's back is sensitive to gazes.
Walked.
Aria followed from the side.
Half a step behind.
Moved away from the camp.
The firelight got smaller.
It was quiet.
"............."
"............."
Two social outcasts walked side by side.
Without words.
The firewood pile was visible.
I picked up firewood.
Aria picked one up too.
A small one.
"............Dormitory Warden-sunbaenim."
"Yes."
"............Thank you."
Aria bowed her head.
Her ears were red.
Her hands holding the firewood were clenched tight.
"............It's just because there's a lot."
Carried the firewood back.
Put it in the fire.
Tak.
The flames rose again.
Kaiden was sitting in his spot.
Not next to Aria.
In his original spot.
The Teaching Assistant stood up.
"Well, let's wrap it up for today. We have a second round of gathering tomorrow morning, so let's sleep early."
One by one, they stood up.
Thor-sunbae stretched.
Hana-sunbae tidied up the cups.
Riel went to the women's tent saying "Good night~".
Kaiden said to Aria.
"Good night, Aria."
"............Good night."
Aria went into the women's tent with her head down.
Kaiden headed toward the men's tent.
Kaiden and I in the same tent.
Thor-sunbae too.
The three of us.
'To think I'm in the same tent as Kaiden.'
Kaiden went in first.
Afterward, Thor-sunbae pushed me saying "Ian. You go in first."
Went in.
It was cramped.
Kaiden was settling in on the right.
Thor-sunbae lay down on the left.
In the middle.
My spot.
Lay down.
The distance between my shoulder and Kaiden's.
It wasn't even a span.
'.............'
I heard snoring from the left.
Thor-sunbae was already asleep.
Within 30 seconds of lying down.
This person is a happy person.
The right side was quiet.
'Is he asleep?'
I don't know.
But something...
'............Fuck. The killing intent I feel from the side must be my imagination, right?'
Killing intent on the right.
Snoring on the left.
'Ha.'
'I was really about to break a new record today.'
'I had even prepared the potions perfectly.'
'I had even memorized all the boss patterns.'
A bluish light was leaking from inside the bag.
Standby mode.
The boss is waiting.
I know too.
I want to do it too.
But killing intent is coming from the right.
'Ha.'
'Life.'
Closed my eyes.