Cute as a Rabbit

Yujiro has been acting a bit strange so far ever since we arrived here. A few strange addon questions followed by a strange cough that he claimed was caused by dust or something. Well, as long as he’s not making dumb jokes or annoying us, I don’t care what the reason is.

Sighing as I sit down near the campfire that’s barely managing to stay lit, my mind wanders from him to Ayumi. I place a hand on the end of the scarf she had wrapped around my neck just a few minutes earlier. The velvet fabric seems to have a lingering scent of her. The warmth radiating from the scarf also makes me feel toasty. I can see why she brought it with her.

Staring deep into the flickering flames, the sound of the fire is the only thing I can hear as I rub my hands. How long have I’ve been in this club? A month? Maybe two? I don’t even remember. Then again, it’s been a long time since I’ve done any fun activities. Days really seem to have went by.

A smile seems to sneak on to my face as I think about it. I wonder if Aika’s already with Kaito and Sakura right now, playing together and laughing. Never completely alone. I wonder why I’m still here by myself right now when I can be with two of my best friends.

As I let out a small sigh, I hear footsteps behind me. Not turning my head to see who it is, the person sits next to me. Since I’m looking down, all can see are their pants and shoes.

"Chilly weather, isn’t it?" A friendly voice asks. Lifting my head, I see Mr. Izumiya, his eyes skimming the sky with a calm smile on his face.

I reply with a nod.

"Man, I kind of regret having the club come here at this time of year. I should have listened to the principal." He says.

"I think it’s alright." I reply. "We’ve only had just one other trip besides this. I’m sure all the club members would have complained about only going on one campout for this year more than the cold air."

Mr. Izumiya slightly turns his face towards me but all I can see is the glare reflecting from his glasses. "You’re probably right." He silently laughs and looks around at all the club members who are all happily with their own friends.

"So what are you doing here all by yourself?" Mr. Izumiya asks me.

"Just staying close to the fire to keep me warm." I reply as I hug my arms.

"Well, you seem to have brought a thicker coat than me to stay cozy." He exclaims and gestures towards my neck. "Nice scarf as well."

"This?" I place my hand on the soft fabric. "It belongs to Ayumi."

"So it does." He replies as he slowly leans back and sits up like he just realized something. "Anyways, where is she and your other hyped pal?" He asks.

"I don’t know where either of them are at the moment. Maybe inside their tents?" I guess. Mr. Izumiya swivels his head around and then points at an area.

"Well, there’s one of them." He declares. I turn to see who he’s pointing at.

Yujiro’s with another group of people right now. Laughing as usual with his bright smile on his face, all I can think of is how he can never be left out. He can always find someone to play with. But out of all the people he could truly be friends with all the time, he chose me and stayed by me.

Wait, I really should stop being so dramatic! I quickly pinch myself to let me stop thinking but somehow, I pierce myself a bit too hard than I anticipated and let out a small cough and jerk forward from holding my breath too long.

"Are you alright Haruki?" Mr. Izumiya asks as he turns at me a bit worried.

"Yeah, I’m fine." I reply as I cough repeatedly but less intense than the first one. Taking in the cold winter air, I sat back straight again.

Why do I feel like I can’t be like any of them anymore? I used to be as hyped and excited for adventure like all those people are like right now. But instead, I’m resting on a log quietly with only a teacher as my companion.

"You should go walk around for a while." Mr. Izumiya suggests as he stands up. "Just sitting here would be a waste of time when you can see this gorgeous scenery up high in the mountains." Mr. Izumiya gives me a gentle smile before he heads off.

I continue to sit there as I think. He’s right. I should just enjoy myself here. I didn’t come here to dwell on my past. Standing up, I stretch my legs and swivel my head from side to side trying to see where I should go.

Well, Yujiro is occupied right now so that leaves only Ayumi. But I don’t know where she is. I don’t really think I could just go around and find her easily so for now, I should just find a quiet place to enjoy myself.

The forest seems to be empty as I leave the camp. The sounds of laughter and talking slowly fades away as I farther and deeper into the wild. Once I’m far enough for me to be able to just hear nature, I take a deep breath and skim my eyes around the bushes.

Sakura and Kaito had found a lot of animals this way just by staying quiet and being curious. I’m sure I can do the same. It’s been a while since I’ve done stuff like this. I bend down and stop moving. I have to make sure I don’t scare the animals away. Just let them appear when they’re comfortable.

I wait as I just place my hands together and listen for any sounds. The sound of rustling, the sound of the wind, just any sound that’s peaceful. I’m syncing in with the smooth flow of nature.

My patience seems to pay off because I hear some rustling just after waiting for a few minutes. Don’t move yet. Just wait a bit longer. The rustling slowly gets louder until it seems to sound more like footsteps. Footsteps?

Turning my head, I see a shadowy figure getting closer behind me. "What are you doing out here alone?" It’s Ayumi’s voice. She walks next to me and crouches down.

"I thought I would see some animals while I’m here," I reply.

Ayumi smiles. "Sounds fun. Have you seen any animals yet?"

"I thought I just heard one," I hinted toward her appearance.

"And it was me, wasn’t it?" She asks. I nod.

"Well, you are like a rabbit, so it’s fine,"

"How am I like a rabbit?" Ayumi looks at me.

"Because, you know. You’re cute." I tense up as I finish my sentence. I didn’t mean to say that. My body seems to freeze and my eyes are just staring at the bushes in front of me. I don’t hear Ayumi answering. I’m in trouble.

"I see." She replies. Even though I’m sure five seconds hadn’t passed after I said that, it felt like I’ve been crouching in this position for the last five minutes. Ayumi crouches down besides me. "So you think I’m cute?"

Turning my head towards her, I’m greeted by Ayumi’s smiling face. I blush immediately and stand up as I avert my gaze.

"Anyways," I brush my pants and look back towards the direction I had came from as I take a few steps back. "We should get going back soon." I suggest.

"It’s not dark yet." Ayumi exclaims, still crouching. "Come on, you came here to find some animals. Stay."

Right now, I really want to get back to camp after what I’d just said. But her pleasing face just can’t make me say no. Besides, my legs are really numb after all that crouching. Taking a deep breath, I look at Ayumi.

"Alright. But just for a few more minutes." I lay down on the grass next to her instead of crouching since my legs are almost asleep.

"You know, I don’t think we’ll be able to see animals today," I say as I rest my head on my arms.

"I don’t mind," Ayumi replies as she gets down as well. "As long as you’re here, we can talk to each other and not be bored."

I seem to slightly blush but I smile at her and look at the bushes. All we need to do now is to stay still and wait. It should be easy. The ground is soft, it’s quiet out here, and best of all, Ayumi is right here with me.