School Camp Doesn't Exist

I’d seen this place many times before, the place where my dreams take me. A place where something happened, or is going to happen.

Akito walks around the still-vacant gym, a place frozen in time. The chairs remain on the floor, but this time there’s no mess to clean, no problem to solve.

This place exists for a purpose, it has to.

Akito runs his hand across the cold bricks in the wall, the sunlight cresting in displaying the dust in the air.

THUNK

Akito turns to a loud noise from behind him, emanating from the stage, and begins to walk over cautiously.

As he approaches the stage, another loud noise directs him to behind the stage.

This noise seems to be trying to direct him somewhere, and his curiosity is getting the better of him.

He enters the doorway, and heads up the stairs, the noise shifting from a slamming metal-like noise to a more natural sound. Something like water.

What is it I’m looking for? What’re you trying to tell me?

SPLASH

This came from behind him, a closet seemingly out of place in this production room.

He opens the doors, and finds a cardboard box.

This must be what I was looking for.

Akito reaches in and rummages through old paper scraps, until his hand hits something solid.

What’s this? Feels like….

Akito pulls out an old watch, the hands completely broken off.

What am I supposed to do with this? Just another broken prop from a play!

Just then, light footsteps rushed up the stairs, slamming into the door.

THUNK

With that noise, Akito woke up, back to himself on the bus, alongside his friends. Back to reality.

“Alright everyone! We’ve (finally) arrived at our destination!”

Instead of excited cheers to this knowledge, the teacher is met with yawns and stretching, which leaves her a bit saddened.

Akito wakes up Kenji, who barely wakes up, but stands and stretches nonetheless. Takuma and Ryu are already up and off the bus, waiting for them outside.

They’re sure excited about this trip. Either that or…

Akito’s thoughts are cut off by Miki, Fumiko and Rei walking over toward them, Takuma happily signaling them over.

“He never shies away from anything, I envy that about him” Kenji whispers under his breath, looking at the same sight Akito is.

“I do too, but that’s what makes him him” Akito replies, Kenji lightheartedly laughing back

“You’re right about that,” Kenji replies, standing to get his back.

“I envy you sometimes too, Kenji” Akito softly says
“Me? Why’s that?” Kenji replies, in a confused tone

“Because you always know how to diffuse a situation” Akito answers, a happy smile shot toward Kenji

“I guess you’re right about that! Now let’s go meet ‘em outside!” Kenji exclaims, seemingly rejuvenated at the comment Akito made.

Akito and Kenji head out of the bus, Umi just behind them, unknown to the 2.

They all meet up together, but as they’re about to start talking, a teacher gets everyone’s attention with a loudspeaker.

“If I could get everyone’s attention! For just a moment!”

You already have it as our teacher, loudspeaker’s a bit overkill

The teacher hands over the loudspeaker to a worker at the reserve, and she begins explaining that we’re free to camp up wherever we want, just make sure to grab the proper equipment, which they would provide from the store in front of us. She also explained that, to limit the overflow of people in the store, only 1 person per group can head in to gather the needed supplies.

“So who’s gonna go from our groups?” Ryu asks, seeing if anyone would volunteer

“I’ll do it!” Takuma immediately replies, Akito and Kenji looking at him in surprise

“Do you know the first thing about camping?” Kenji jokingly asks

“Nope!” Takume replies, a beaming smile on his face.

Kenji, Ryu and Akito all share the sentiment that sending him would be a bad idea.

“Didn’t you say you’ve camped before, Akito?” Ryu asks, Akito averting his eyes to look away from Ryu.

“Yea, but that wa-”

“Perfect! You can go then!” Takuma happily volunteers Akito for the job, Akito a bit taken back by this, but still agrees.

“Alright, I guess I could” Akito begins his walk toward the store, with Umi quick to follow.

“Has she ever been camping before?” Kenji asks Miki skeptically while pointing at Umi and Akito

“Has who done what?” Miki replies, unsure of what Kenji is talking about.

She looks over to where Umi was, Miki still thinking she was there.

“Well, I guess that settles that” Miki says out loud, letting an exhausted exhale out

She decided for herself, maybe that won’t benefit us, but this time i’ll accept it.

Miki turns back and begins talking to the boys, Fumiko and Rei joining in on this conversation.

Akito walks into the store, thinking about what to get for his group, when suddenly, Umi grabs his sleeve, successfully getting his attention

“Oh, Nishikawa-san! I guess you got roped into this job too, huh?” Akito assumes, a light smile following his words

“I guess so…” Umi replies, a nervous laugh following

The two begin browsing the aisles, thinking on what to get for their trip. Neither know really how to break the ice in this awkward time, so they linger in silence.

They make their way to a section where firemaking kits are, Akito grabbing two off the shelf, to which he hands one to Umi.

Umi looks around nervously, as if making eye contact would’ve killed her right then and there. Akito notices this, but chooses not to comment.

They begin walking once more, putting more tools like a cooking pot, a pan, and a fishing rod.

“...Have you camped much…Azuma-kun?” Umi nervously asks, attempting to break the ice.

Akito pauses in his tracks for a moment, then answers

“A bunch when I was younger, but I can’t say I remember all the times I’ve went”

“Did you enjoy it?” Umi questioning further, trying to grasp the situation

“It wasn’t all bad” Akito flashing a smile at Umi, reassuring her she made a good call on the trip, whether he meant to or not.

Akito begins to walk forward, Umi clenching a fist from the nerves that just released.

As selfless as I want this choice to be, I know in my soul that I’m doing this for me. All of this isn’t to benefit anyone else, but I can sit here and lie to myself as long as it takes to make it real. I want him to know how I feel, but is what I feel true? Are the feelings toward him real, or will my heart guide me astray once more?

A faceless person flashes into Umi’s mind, her eyes closing as she’s visibly affected by this person. She walks to catch up with Akito, and they start looking around again.

…

After some time, everything they need has been gathered aside from the tents (Akito thought leaving the most popular item last would save foot traffic)

Akito and Umi head toward the tent section, where only a few tents remain on higher shelves.

“Looks like everyone grabbed the reachable ones. This might be a bit difficult” Akito states, then climbing on their cart to reach them

Umi, concerned for Akito, goes toward where he’s standing and holds his leg along with the cart for stability. Akito pulls one of the tents out.

2 person capacity, huh? That means….4?

Akito carefully grabs 4 tents from the shelf, and as he steps down he slightly loses balance, Umi’s grip tightening on both the cart and his left.

Akito reaches for the shelf to rebalance, which works, allowing him to safely descend.

“Thank you, Nishikawa-san” Akito thanks Umi for helping him

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it” Umi’s face grows red, her clearly worried about Akito’s safety but trying not to let it show.

Akito looks back up at the shelf.

If this shelf was any higher, we both might’ve been screwed.

A single stray tent falls from the rack, unknown to Umi, who was its primary target.

“Look out!” Akito shouts, Umi lost in thought, looking up to see the tent about to make a collision.

Umi’s eyes tighten, bracing for impact. An impact that never occurs.

What’s going on? Was it further away?

Umi opens her eyes to see that Akito actually caught the tent just above her head. She focuses on the current situation, where Akito is mere inches away from her now.

She averts her gaze, which Akito notices and backs off.

“That was close! Are you alright?” Akito asks, his face slightly flustered from the proximity he was just in.

Umi’s breathing steadies, with deep and consistent breaths.

She must be in shock from the tent. If that hit her then…then I would’ve been at fault. It would’ve been all my fault.

Akito walks away, giving Umi the distance after the event that he thought she needed.

In Umi’s head, she’s not phased by the tent in the slightest, but a singular event left her starstruck.

…

Akito and Umi head to the front desk to confirm the items, Umi lagging a bit behind still.

“Is that everything you’ll be using?”

Is that everything? No seriously, is there anything I forgot?

Akito closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

You didn’t forget anything, you grabbed everything you needed, everything the groups needed. You have everything you need.

Akito’s mind flashes back into a younger year, with a taller male figure asking the same question.

“Did you forget anything?”

This image quickly dissipates, Akito reopening his eyes.

Even if he was here, I doubt we would’ve got anything different.

The cashier gets a bit confused at the long pause Akito’s taking, but just as she’s about to ask if he’s alright he makes eye contact with her, then makes a half-hearted smile

“Yes, thank you.” Akito cordially responds

Kid must’ve been deep in thought.

“Have a nice weekend!” the cashier sends them off with a few final words, Akito and Umi thanking him for his help.

They exit the store together, parceling up the equipment to everyone before Akito walks the cart back to the store.

As he walks to the store, he notices a few of his classmates, who seem rather close. There’s a female and male, with the girl in the man’s arms. Akito’s gaze fixates on them as he walks.

What is it that they have? A connection? Is that what true connection looks like? Maybe I'm too far to see it, if I get closer will I see? If I reach out my hands, can I feel the connection between them?

Akito looks toward his hands, which are pushing the cart.

Is it strong enough to grab, or is it something delicate, needed to be grasped with the utmost caution? Are my hands strong enough to hold it?

A picture of a translucent, red string appears in Akito’s mind. He reaches out for it, but no matter how close he feels to it, it’s always out of reach. Just when he’s about to grab this string, he falls into a deep mental chasm, continually falling.

Akito zones back into reality, after putting the cart back and making his way to his friends.

“People’ve already headed to find a good spot. We should probably do the same” Ryu states, the group agreeing.

A few groups of students are seen heading down a path, Takuma pointing it out to everyone

“This seems like a good place to start!”

Just above the trail, there’s a sign that reads START, which Takuma did not notice.

The group seems “stunned at this revelation” with Takuma awaiting the group’s action.

Kenji can’t help but let out a chuckle.

“He might be on to something here” Kenji sarcastically says, Takuma thinking it’s him receiving a compliment.

“Thank you! Now let’s get going!”

The group stands in disbelief that he didn’t take that as an insult, Takuma heading to the trail. After a moment of shock passes, everyone catches up to Takuma.

As they head down the path, everyone’s preoccupied on finding a spot to talk to each other.

Takuma points to a clearing

“Is this a good spot?”

The spot is essentially a swamp, everyone silently passing on it.

Kenji pats Takuma on the head

“It was a great spot, but maybe another group should get it before we do” Kenji softly explains, which goes over really well with Takuma, striving once more to find a location.

“That logic makes literally no sense, Hitonoka-kun” Miki states defiantly

“Why doesn’t your group set up there then?” Kenji jokingly suggests, accidentally getting a bit too close to Miki in the process.

Ryu grabs Kenji by the collar of his shirt and pulls him back, out of Miki’s space.

“What was that for man? Just having fun” Kenji tries to brush it off.

Ryu doesn’t reply, and they continue on. Miki stares at Ryu’s back as he walks, but with Miki being as defiant as she always is, doesn’t end up thanking Ryu.

Ryu glances back, and they make eye contact. This exchange was all they needed for recognition, without a single word between them spoken.

They continue walking, until Akito spots a less-used trail, and they head down it, quickly finding a spot to set up.

“Leave it to the wilderness expert to find a perfect spot! Nice going!” Takuma excitedly cheers, Ryu and Kenji giving their thanks in their own ways, with Ryu giving a simple nod and subtle smile, and Kenji slapping him on the back, flashing a thumbs up.

The area is fairly open, clearing with a few larger rocks and a singular large tree isolated from the rest of the trees. There seemed to have been a tree next to this lone one, at least long ago, but has since fallen over and been covered in grass, with the main tree’s roots slightly intertwined with this log.

This place looks familiar, maybe all campsites end up looking the same?

Akito’s previous camping trip with his family overlaps on top of the scenery in the current location, almost the same layout and everything.

“Not a bad find, Azuma-kun” Miki says to Akito, accepting his location with some push back but that’s to be expected.

“You saved us from a long trip! Thanks!” Rei thanks Akito, him nodding and giving a half-smile as a response.

“Regardless of who found the location, setting up will also take time” Fumiko states

That was more of a mission statement than a thank you, but I’ll take it

“Y…”

Akito turns his attention to Umi, who hasn’t said a word since the store.

“You’re a lifesaver…for finding this spot. Th-thank you…” Umi shyly thanks Akito.

She’s probably still a bit stiff from what happened with the tents…with what I almost caused her. I should act normally, maybe that’s what could help.

“I just happened to find the trail, it was more luck than anything” Akito tries to push it off

Akito goes to join everyone else, Umi remaining where she stood. She reaches down and grabs her left wrist with her right hand, almost restraining herself from reaching out, then turns her eyes to the log on the ground.

“Umiiiiiiii! Hurry up!” Miki and Rei call over to Umi, who quickly walks over.

The 2 smaller groups slightly disperse, where Rei, Takuma, Fumiko and Akito are beginning to set up their first tent. Akito goes to set it up, but Takuma insists on helping.

“You found the spot, the least I can do is set up some easy tent!” Takuma shines a blissfully unaware smile at Akito, to his slight confusion.

Akito is a bit skeptical about this, but lets it happen anyway.

Setting up a tent isn’t too hard, there are instructions after all.

“To set this up correctly, we must follow the instructions” Fumiko suggests, handing the booklet to Takuma.

“I can see it in my head already, no need for instructions! Just a little of this, and this over here…maybe?” Takuma sets the tent up, the other 3 just letting him do his thing.

Somehow, Takuma is almost finished with the first tent, to the surprise of everyone.

How did he? Is he just a naturally gifted assembl-

Akito’s thought is cut off as Takuma finishes putting the last pole, the entire tent collapses in heartbreaking fashion.

Takuma falls to his knees, a single tear rolling down his face.

“I saw it…I really did”

Akito goes to comfort him, but Rei beats him to this, and begins patting Takuma on the head to console him.

“As expected, if it’s not exactly as described it will not function as intended.” Fumiko coldly states, beginning to set up the tent herself.

“Let’s see how you do then!” Takuma says, saddened that he failed.

Fumiko finished the tent in a significantly shorter amount of time.

“Following the steps always leads to the correct end” Fumiko states again, a slightly proud look on her face.

As she reaches her peak pride level, the tent collapses. One of Fumiko’s left eyes twitches as a reaction.

We should seriously set these up. I guess I have to show them what’s what

“I’ll lend a hand, should be pretty easy”

“Why didn’t you help sooner?” Takuma questions.

I wanted to have faith you’d do it.

“I wanted to see if you’d actually need my help” Akito smiles back, and they begin setting up their tents.

…

They finish setting up the tents, and go to check on the other group, who are just about done setting theirs up.

“You need any help finishing up?” Akito asks Ryu

“Nah, just some last touches, thanks though”

Akito and Ryu look over to Kenji and Miki setting up a tent, about the same pace as Ryu and Umi are at.

“I think we’re both good”

“I can help if you need!” Takuma offers, with everyone politely declining after the display.

Akito and Takuma begin setting up the inside of their tent, essentially just putting their bags in it and unrolling the sleeping bags.

“I think these next few days are gonna be super fun!” Takuma excitedly shouts

I think that, regardless of what happens, these next few days are going to change something. Nobody knows what that change might mean, but after they happen we can’t turn back to before.

“I think you’re right”