Glamping - 3
The girl who had climbed back into the car felt an anxiety she hadn't felt in a while all at once.
Every time a bird sang, memories of Haru resurfaced.
The memory of arguing with her about who would feed the capybara first came back.
Her insides were bubbling.
Thoughts that didn't become words rattled at the corners of her mouth before being swallowed.
Every time they stopped at a rest stop, her father came to mind.
He always bought snacks saying the only thing left from the trip would be memories.
Every time, her father would argue with her mother.
He didn't raise his voice, but he would snap at her for not understanding each other.
Every time other cars overtook them, her mother came to mind.
She always thought of safety, sitting the girl on her lap and telling her stories.
Her father would grumble while looking at her mother, saying he'd drive.
“Ugh…….”
The sensation grew stronger the closer they got to the ranch.
Once the calm mind broke, the fear spread uncontrollably.
Every time her ears got stuffy, she swallowed saliva.
Every time her throat clogged, she drank water, and when nausea hit, she opened the window.
She felt a prickling sensation in her chest.
Was it the strong wind, the pressure, or perhaps…… the smell of the livestock farm felt from afar.
The girl swallowed a dry spit at the familiar yet unpleasant scent and looked at Haru.
Even though they arrived at the parking lot and the car stopped, she stared blankly for a long time.
“Rin?”
“Ah, yes.”
“……We should go check in.”
“Yes, sorry.”
“Be careful getting down.”
The girl got down from the slightly high pickup truck like jumping down.
Every time she breathed, the clear air unique to high altitude pressed against her chest, and she felt her feet floating.
“Can you walk?”
Haru, watching her, handed her the carry-on and looked at her with worried eyes.
It was good to let out emotions.
She felt relieved, thinking it wouldn't crash like at the viewpoint.
But now it seemed like it would slowly break.
It felt like she couldn't rest, struggling, and when she got angry, she couldn't express it and would collapse.
“I’m okay. Really, I’m okay.”
“Rin.”
“H, if it’s hard……, I’ll say it. Right now, I’m really okay.”
“……Okay.”
Haru didn't say more at Rin's answer.
It was obvious she was overdoing it, but she still believed in her once and took a step.
“Reservation for Haru-nim and Rin-nim confirmed. Please come this way.”
After checking the reservation on the phone, she was guided to the tent for the overnight stay.
The tent wasn't small, it was huge.
It was just made of cloth, but it felt like building a house.
That feeling was even stronger because of the structure inside like a shoe rack or a middle door.
“It feels bigger than the photos.”
Haru murmured blankly at the feeling.
She had collected so many photos of places she wanted to visit someday that she was tired of them, but when she actually saw it, all she thought was that everyone couldn't take good photos.
No, was it not the problem with the photos but the furniture placement?
Because of the large lounge in the center or the bed not on the wall but in the center of the tent making it look narrow.
Anyway, the fact was it was big.
It felt like forcibly making one small room look like a wide house.
Haru stood blankly for a long time at that feeling, then glanced at the carry-on placed by Rin on the middle door and hugged her.
“It’s okay, I covered it with protective film and locked it.”
“U, um.”
“Few other guests……, and the middle door had a key.”
Now, when leaving, she had to leave the carry-on outside.
When at home, she wiped the wheels and put it in the room, but now she had to leave it behind.
At that thought, Rin breathed heavily for a long time, then closed her eyes tightly.
She gathered her resolve.
She had pushed herself to go see animals and recall memories of family, but she couldn't sit down here.
Thinking that, Rin moved her feet that wouldn't let go.
“Whew.”
Her body was slightly trembling as if she had been in a warm place.
Her stiff neck made her hunch her shoulders as she looked at Haru.
Haru saw the pamphlet given at the reception that Rin was looking at.
According to the course Haru applied for, there would be free time until evening, then barbecue time in the evening.
“Um, until evening there's some time, the facilities inside are all free, right? Can I use them?”
“U, um.”
“There’s a foot bath inside. Let's go together.”
Haru took Rin's hand and pulled her, and Rin, tense at Haru's words, moved her feet.
The place where the two's footsteps met was a modern building.
To stack a building three floors high, it had to be concrete, right?
Thinking that, as she entered, the sound of the ventilation fan was heard, and Rin looked at the guide sign inside the building.
There were many animal caricatures drawn.
There were sheep, cows, and puppies.
“Ah, it says there are herding dogs.”
“Herding dogs…….”
Rin followed Haru's words but couldn't hide the awkwardness.
In an era where drones fly, raising sheep by keeping dogs was honestly strange.
“Shall we go see them?”
“Ah, no.”
Separately from those feelings, she couldn't see the animals.
Tomorrow she would have no choice but to see them, but until then, she didn't want to.
She wanted to avoid them for as long as possible.
So Rin quickly moved her feet to the foot bath listed on the guide sign, and Haru, watching the girl fleeing at a trot, followed slowly.
Inside the foot bath, there were people using other tents.
A young couple with a boy who looked about 5 years old, an elderly couple who seemed to have retired, and a couple who hadn't gotten married yet with the sound of breaking eggs.
It wasn't crowded, but a cheerful feeling was strongly emanating.
And Rin carefully sat in a corner, dipping and removing her feet in the flowing water.
Since it's a foot bath place, it shouldn't be cold, is it hot?
At that thought, Haru put her hand in but soon tilted her head.
It was definitely high temperature, but not at a level that could be called hot.
Although Rin's skin was thin, it should be okay…….
“The water is slippery.”
“Um?”
As Haru kept tilting her head, Rin hesitantly said the reason she kept dipping and removing her feet.
“Ah.”
And Haru nodded at the sensation she felt in her hand.
It was definitely strange sensation of the water.
“It's groundwater, so that's why.”
She didn't know details, but since it was a hot spring, the water there was like that.
Haru sat next to Rin and put her feet in, and at the clear difference in the unfamiliar feeling compared to when she put her hand in, she burst into laughter.
“It tickles, really.”
Still, since it was transparent water, the ingredients probably weren't that different, amazing.
Haru recalled the science class she hadn't thought of at all after graduating high school.
Nothing particularly came to mind.
The science class at school had taught physics energy, atomic numbers, flame reactions, etc.
Still, the science class at school came to mind unpleasantly.
Why?
Haru tilted her head for a moment, then looked at the small foot next to her own and took Rin's hand.
“Um……?”
“It feels good because it's warm, right?”
“Y, yes…….”
Thinking back, I hugged the kid who was an elementary student at the time and said it.
Thinking about it now, it was a bit funny.
I told the kid who read fairy tales at school about kinetic energy, vectors, atomic values, chemical formulas, etc.
What was I thinking at the time and spouting words I didn't know?
It seemed like I was talking excitedly because the girl was listening…….
“Puhu.”
Haru, without realizing, burst into laughter and held Rin's hand tightly.
She leaned her head on Rin's hand first and hummed a tune, and Rin looked at Haru's face, then dropped her head down.
Her feet were visible.
Neither was perfect.
Haru's feet showed signs of long walking, and her own feet showed signs of being worn out.
Calluses and wounds were visible, and Rin felt ashamed and fiddled with her toes.
If it was feet that moved busily like Haru, it wouldn't matter, but feet that were damaged like self-harm were embarrassing.
After curling her toes as hard as she could, she lifted her heels and pulled her feet smoothly.
Then Haru turned her body, sat down, placed her foot on Rin's instep, and laughed with a creak.
“Barbecue sounds good in the evening.”
“Will we do it?”
“No? I know my cooking skills well. How do you grill with gas or charcoal?”
“……Eh.”
“Rin, grilled meat is better than burnt meat, right?”
At Haru's bold words, Rin blinked.
How should she take it?
Rin was bewildered, looking at Haru's face, and then burst into laughter.
Before she could think what to say, she laughed at Haru's face as if she was happy.