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“Wow….”

In an instant, the scenery changed, and Pang-pang mumbled blankly.

All we could see before us were dark mountains.

I regretted rushing out a bit. Of course, we had prepared quite diligently over the past few days, and even Pang-pang joined in the preparations, so we had more supplies than I had expected.

Naturally, since the baggage was for two people, the amount of food was just enough for two to get by. However, since we were working together, it would take a bit less energy, so we could hopefully last longer.

With two tents and two sets of bedding, in the worst-case scenario, one could serve as backup for the other.

…But no matter how much I tried to comfort myself, the fact remained that we had come out abruptly.

Human emotions are quite important. Suddenly facing this situation left my mind a little hazy, unsure of where to start.

“…First, let’s find a good place.”

I said that, and Pang-pang nodded.

For some reason, her face didn’t look worried at all. Despite the situation, Pang-pang seemed simply cheerful.

Or perhaps she was just pretending to be bright? Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

We both turned on our flashlights and walked along the night path.

Soon enough, we found a somewhat level area. For now, we decided to set up camp there for the night.

After pitching the tent for two, we sat outside for a short rest.

“If I had known this would happen, I should’ve just bought a two-person tent.”

Watching Pang-pang say that… well, it strangely didn’t irritate me. If it had been my old self, I definitely would have snapped or gotten annoyed.

But oddly enough, after spending time with Pang-pang and chatting about this and that, my heart had calmed down a little.

I was still feeling down, but yes, there was still one thing I had to say.

“…I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”

“Hmm?”

At my words, Pang-pang blinked.

“Why is it your fault?”

“They probably came looking for me.”

The person from upstairs said they were looking for Pang-pang, but they probably only mentioned her name. The likelihood of them really coming to catch me was much higher. Knowing that Pang-pang and I were friends, they must have thought they could find some clue about me if they caught her.

Since Ji-hye is at the orphanage, it would be hard to abduct her, and Ha-yoon is a magical girl from the get-go. To find someone who would bother me ‘around me,’ it could only be Pang-pang.

Isn’t Pang-pang, who really poses no threat to anyone, just an innocent girl? Magical girls might think differently, but in the end, since they can’t overpower me, I can’t say she would bring any serious harm.

“Really?”

Pang-pang tilted her head.

“If you really don’t know the reason, then it’s also my responsibility. It might have been something trivial that turned into this because of me.”

Of course, the chances of that were slim.

Pang-pang pondered for a moment about how to respond to what I said, then simply shrugged her shoulders as an answer.

I was a bit taken aback by how she accepted it so readily as if it were completely normal.

“Good thing we just ate outside before this, huh?”

“…….”

And after I said something hopelessly positive, I once again found myself at a loss for words.

But, well.

Yes, that might not have been so bad after all.

In the end, I let out a slightly hollow laugh.

*

“Tomorrow let’s look for a place where we can settle down a bit more.”

James said that inside the tent. James was lucky. His bag could possibly become his home. Though to James, that bag probably wasn’t any different from my one-person tent right now.

“True. I wonder if there’s any abandoned place or something.”

I sighed deeply as I replied.

It’s not really a good thought. Usually, abandoned places have more enthusiasts than expected, so there might be people sneaking in at midnight.

It’s not like they’d come looking for me specifically, but thinking that someone could come in while I’m asleep is a bit concerning.

Yet, if I built a cabin somewhere, that would attract attention for sure, so it really is a problem in many ways.

It’s not for nothing that they say life outside is tough.

Just as I was about to close my eyes with a heavy sigh—

Ziiip.

I heard the sound of the zipper opening on the entrance of the tent, where I had come in, causing me to jump up in surprise.

“What, what are you doing!?”

Thinking I needed to grab something, I lifted the bag—

“Oh, hello?”

Beyond the opened door, I saw a faint silhouette of Pang-pang.

“Pang-pang?”

I mumble in disbelief, putting the bag down again as she crawled inside.

My tent isn’t exactly spacious for living. It’s just enough to prevent the wind from directly hitting the sleeping bag.

Sure, two people could lie down, but lying side by side fills the tent to the brim just with our shoulder widths. If one more sleeping bag came in, it would be even more cramped.

“What’s up? Why? Is there something wrong with the tent?”

“Um, no, it’s not that.”

Pang-pang, innocently spreading her sleeping bag next to mine, replied.

“It’s just that, how should I put it? Since we’re out here together, it feels a bit strange to use separate tents.”

“…….”

“Honestly, we’ve slept in the same room for quite a while now. To be truthful, um, being alone in such a cramped tent is kinda scary.”

“……Really?”

“It’s still winter, right? The sound of the wind is louder too.”

Seeing Pang-pang awkwardly laugh, I found myself momentarily speechless.

“……Okay.”

In the end, I couldn’t refute her any further and just lay down.

Yeah, she wasn’t just someone who came along because of me. What argument would I really have?

Now that I’ve brought her along, I have to take responsibility to the end. After all, this mess started because I crashed into her home.

Pang-pang spread her sleeping bag and crawled into it. I turned my body slightly to create space for her to slip in.

We lay side by side like that.

“Hmm.”

For some reason, sleep wouldn’t come, and my mind was wide awake. I found myself staring up at the low ceiling of the tent for a while before finally speaking.

“……I should’ve bought a two-person tent. Right?”

“True.”

Pang-pang smiled in response to my words.

Goodness.

Did I just focus too much on the weight?

I let out a light sigh.

*

When I woke up, it was dawn.

It’s unavoidable. Sleeping on the ground isn’t exactly a delightful experience. Plus, yesterday it was so dark around us that there wasn’t time to find a better spot.

Only after crawling out of the tent did I realize there was a grave right nearby.

Pang-pang looked at the grave too and fell silent for a moment. I wondered if it was a well-maintained grave or not. Judging by the overgrown weeds around it, it might not have been cared for, but I couldn’t be sure.

We hurriedly packed up the tent and took our leave.

Before leaving, I didn’t forget to bow twice. Pang-pang awkwardly followed behind me and bowed as well.

“Let me know if you get hungry or thirsty. We’ll have to walk all day anyway.”

“Got it.”

Pang-pang nodded at my words.

I knew very well that a perfect spot for resting wouldn’t suddenly pop up right in front of us. That’s why we prepared ourselves to walk all day.

If things really don’t work out, we could always move randomly again and start looking from scratch.

As we walked along the road, trying to avoid being seen, we gradually made our way through the overgrown trees.

Onward, onward.

We had to climb up a bit, to where cars could see us, but fortunately, no cars stopped to look at us. It seemed Pang-pang’s face didn’t make it to the news after all.

What kind of epic journey did we look like to others? With large bags on our backs, I was just glad we appeared that way.

I wondered how Pang-pang’s home was doing right now.

…It wasn’t just a room for sleeping. Even though it was a rented room, it held all of Pang-pang’s cherished belongings.

Well-maintained items that exuded affection, each and every one of them.

Was someone rummaging through it, having a field day? Were they possibly tearing off the floor or walls to figure out where we had gone?

…My existence sure is a bother to many people.

I heard the sound of the circuit on my wrist spinning. I even felt a slight vibration.

I thought about whether that was a good or bad thing. Having the power to fight is good—but I had hoped for that power for different reasons, so I never wanted it to come to this.

We took a few hours to find the path that connected the road to the woods.

And around the same time, we found an abandoned village at the foot of the mountain.

Was that a good or bad thing?

Staring blankly at the dilapidated houses that hadn’t been lived in for quite some time, I thought about it.

We found a place to stay, but it was still more shabby than anywhere I had lived before.

…How far down this chosen path would I roll? I couldn’t even grasp it.

 

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