Aoyama used the steel bar to push aside a thick patch of ferns blocking his path.
Sweat rolled down his jaw and fell onto the damp soil covered in layers of decaying leaves.
” Aoyama-kun, your pace has slowed down.”
Utaha’s voice behind him was slightly hoarse, though her tone remained calm.
“Are you running out of stamina?
If you are, I suppose I could reluctantly let you use my shoulder for support.”
Aoyama didn’t turn around.
“I’m watching the ground.”
“There are traces of animal activity around these plants.
If my judgment is correct, running water shouldn’t be far from here.”
“Oh?”
Utaha pushed aside a hanging vine, revealing her sweat-covered face.
“Even now, you can still maintain such impressive observation skills.
I’m not sure whether I should praise you or be wary of you.”
“Wary of what?”
“Wary that you’re secretly some kind of serial killer.
After all, isn’t it suspicious that a normal person could remain this calm after seeing an entire bus full of dead classmates?”
Utaha tilted her head slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing through her crimson eyes.
“Though, as a novelist, I can understand.”
“An imagination that’s too vivid needs an equal amount of rationality to keep it balanced.
Otherwise, people would have gone insane long ago.”
Aoyama finally stopped and turned around.
His 1.88-meter-tall figure looked unusually imposing among the dense trees.
His black hair clung to his forehead from sweat, but his eyes remained clear.
“Utaha-san.”
His voice was calm.
“Your throat is probably just as dry as mine.
Saving your energy and talking less would be the smarter choice.”
Utaha lightly licked her cracked lips.
The motion carried a strange hint of allure in the dim forest.
“Ah, I’ve been found out.”
“But Aoyama-kun, how many fruits are left in your backpack?”
Aoyama weighed the backpack in his hand.
“Four.”
“We’ve been walking for almost three hours.
Based on the normal water consumption rate of an adult, if we don’t find a water source soon, we’ll start showing obvious signs of dehydration tonight.”
“What kind of symptoms?
Dizziness?
Hallucinations?”
Utaha continued walking behind him.
“By the way, I have an unfinished novel outline saved on my phone.
Unfortunately, the phone broke in the crash.”
“If I die in this forest, that novel will never see the light of day.”
“Thinking about that is rather frustrating.”
“You won’t die.”
Aoyama pushed aside the bushes ahead, his voice filled with certainty.
…
Utaha followed behind him as the two continued through the dense forest.
After another forty minutes, the terrain gradually began sloping downward.
“Listen.”
Aoyama suddenly stopped.
“What?”
Utaha nearly bumped into his back.
She quickly stopped herself and fell silent, focusing on the sounds around them.
“Rushing water…”
The faint sound of a stream came from somewhere in the distance.
In the silence of the forest, it sounded like music from heaven.
Utaha’s eyes brightened slightly before she returned to her usual lazy expression.
“Looks like your survival knowledge isn’t just for show, Aoyama the explorer.”
The two quickened their pace.
After pushing through the final wall of dense vegetation, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A small stream, about three meters wide, wound through the valley.
The water was crystal clear, and smooth pebbles at the bottom reflected the sunlight with a gentle glow.
“Finally!”
Utaha instinctively rushed forward two steps before forcing herself to stop.
She turned back toward Aoyama.
“Aoyama-kun, should we test the water first?
Or drink directly?”
Aoyama was already crouching beside the stream.
Instead of drinking immediately, he dipped the steel bar into the water and watched carefully for any reaction on its surface.
“Flowing water, no strange smell, clear color, and aquatic plants growing on the bottom.”
He reached his conclusion.
“This should be relatively safe mountain spring water.”
The moment he finished speaking, he scooped up the water and began drinking deeply.
The cold liquid flowed down his throat, feeling like rain finally falling onto dry, cracked earth.
Seeing him drink, Utaha stopped holding back as well.
She knelt beside the stream and drank just like him.
After drinking four or five handfuls of water each, the two finally recovered.
Aoyama wiped the water from his face and took the thermos and the box of condoms from his backpack.
He opened one, carefully positioned the opening beneath the stream, and let the water flow inside before tying it shut.
A simple water pouch was completed.
He opened a second one and filled it the same way.
Utaha watched him work with practiced efficiency for a while before speaking.
“…It really did come in handy.”
“I told you.
Condoms have more uses in the wilderness than people imagine.”
Aoyama carefully placed the filled thermos and the two “water pouches” into his backpack, separating them with clothing so they wouldn’t move around too much.
Utaha’s mouth twitched.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only let out a small hum.
“What now?”
“Finding water was only the first step, right?”
She sat on a flat stone beside the stream.
The bottom of her school uniform skirt had been splashed slightly wet, but she didn’t seem to care.
Aoyama walked along the edge of the stream, observing their surroundings.
“Before sunset, we need to accomplish three things.
Find a safe campsite, make a fire, and get food.”
“What about this area?”
Utaha looked around.
“We have water, and the terrain is relatively flat.”
Aoyama shook his head.
“Too exposed.”
“Wild animals will come here to drink at night.
Staying here would be like placing ourselves inside their dining area.”
“And look over there.”
He pointed toward a spot downstream.
“There are tracks from a large animal.
It could be a wild boar or a deer.
This place won’t be safe after dark.”
The two continued following the stream upstream for about two hundred meters before discovering an ideal location.
A massive rock protruded from the hillside, creating a natural stone overhang.
Beneath it was a dry patch of flat ground, with a mountain wall behind them and bushes providing cover on one side.
The open area in front allowed them to observe their surroundings clearly.
“This is the place.”
Aoyama put down his backpack.
“Utaha-san, could you collect dry branches and fallen leaves around here?
Get different sizes.”
“I’ll look for larger pieces of wood and see if I can find some food while I’m at it.”
Utaha stood up and brushed the grass from her skirt.
“Understood.”
“However, Aoyama-kun, will I be okay staying around here alone?”
Aoyama thought for a moment, then took out the lighter from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Take this first.
Use it to make a fire.
It should help keep away some snakes, insects, and other small animals.”
Utaha accepted the lighter, her slender fingers brushing over the metal surface.
“…Be careful.”
Aoyama nodded.
“If anything happens, shout as loudly as you can.
I’ll be nearby, so I should hear you.”
With that, he picked up the steel bar and disappeared into the forest.
Utaha watched his back fade among the trees and let out a quiet hum.
“You’re surprisingly reliable at a time like this.”
She lowered her gaze to the lighter in her hand, remained silent for a moment, then bent down and began collecting dry branches nearby.