Hike!

Trees stretched as far as the eye could see, covering mountains with a makeshift canopy. Grass rustled beneath their feet. Leaves swayed back and forth, catching on the wind. Birds chirped, singing a happy tune. Even as the time tolled, these places would live on, maybe not in the same form it first appeared, but always everlasting until the world's final days.

The Mountaineering Circle was one of the few that explored this beauty. Well, 'explore' wasn't really the right word. It was more of an interest for the unusual, something outside the scope of artificial intelligence. They were city kids, after all. But that did not make them incompetent. They took their planning seriously, from the equipment they brought to the formulas they needed to know. With safety out of the way, their eyes sparkled as they took in the mountains of Hinohara.

"I'm borreeeedddd..."

...well, everyone except one.

"Could you not shift around so much?" Microwave complained. "It's hard carrying you when you're so heavy." It adjusted its grip under her legs, hoisting her a bit higher. Its legs creaked under the strain, not from the weight, but from the bits of dirt and rock that had somehow weaved their way into its joints.

"How dare you! I'm as light as a young maiden!"

"Young maidens aren't that light either."

"...fair. But I'm still bored," she said, collapsing back down. After seeing the same monotonous woods for so long, she had long since given up trying to find something entertaining. Her focus shifted to creating some entertainment of her own, mostly through conjuring magic. Of course, she hadn't forgotten that she couldn't really use magic at the moment. That immense pain from trying was the reason Microwave carried her. Still, it was more stimulating than nothing.

"Hmm, I wonder I should conjure up a fire--"

"Don't even think about it," it scolded more harshly than usual. "Are you trying to set the entire forest on fire?" Although there was greenery all around, there were plenty of vines and dried sticks that could be used as tinder. A small, uncontrolled spark might easily have unfathomable consequences. Because of that, all Mountaineering Circle members had to know a few water spells, not that she could use one at the moment.

"Fine..." she intoned, almost sarcastically.

"What are you two even doing?" At some point, the Vice President had looped around to the back, watching over the pair tiredly.

"I think it's kind of cure," the President commented. "How about I get on your back Sumiko~"

"Absolutely not," the Vice President immediately shot down.

"Then you can get on my--"

"No."

"Boo~"

"Haah. Why did I even come along on this trip?" the Creator muttered. "I wanted something more exciting, like a bear. Or bandits. Or bandits riding bears."

"You definition of 'exciting' is terrifying," the Vice President shivered, the President agreeing with a thousand nods. "Can you not just enjoy the bounties of the forest? We would never find a place like this in the city."

"All I see is grass, grass, and more grass."

"There are some trees too!" the President interjected.

"Don't play her game Chiruno," the Vice President sighed. "She's just looking for..." she trailed off, looking off to the west. Although it was a bit hard to see through the trees, there was a clear trail of gray smoke rising.

"Hey, Sumiko. I don't think there are any towns over there, right?" the President asked, noticing the smoke trail.

"As far as I'm aware. It could be other campers, but the smoke should be more white than gray," the Vice President confirmed. "Did someone use fire magic in the forest? But they should have someone able to cast water magic then. But we can't just leave it alone...

"Okay. Yamamoto, Shimoyanagi, and Matsumoto. I want you three to follow me and Chiruno to investigate the smoke."

"""Right!"""

"Mori and Fuke, I want you to lead everyone else back to the campgrounds and notify the Village Hall about the situation. This could be a wildfire."

"Got it." "Yes, Vice President!"

While the students weren't trained for disaster management, they were still members of the Mountaineering Circle. They knew such dangerous cases could occur. As such, the group immediately split in two -- one towards the smoke trail and the other back to Hinohara village.

"And where do you think you're going?" the Creator said atop Microwave's back, stopping it in its tracks.

"Weren't you listening to what the Vice President said?" Microwave responded, a bit flabbergasted.

"Of course I did..."

"Then we need to make our way down--"

"...and that's why we'll follow them," she happily announced.

"...are you serious?"

"Deadly serious." Although it couldn't see her face, it knew that expression she was making: one of pure joy, like a child whose finally found a toy to play with.

"Now, let's go."