‹Gin›

I woke up to the sound of the rain's pattering somehow very close to my ears. I looked at the time which said 7 in the morning, yet it felt like it was just a sunrise when in reality, the clouds are frighteningly dark and the visibility from the rain was pretty bad. Just as I came to, the sound of snoring has added to the downpour.

I found myself at a passenger seat of a car with the chair inclined to as much as it can get. There was no one in the driver's seat and so I looked at the back seats… seeing my four friends passed out sleeping in very uncomfortable ways.

I once again looked at the outside from the windshield, and I could not recognize where we are from what I could see in the midst of the rain.

But suddenly it all became clear to me.

"…

Oh, right… we're stranded on a mountain…"

▪ ▪ ▪

It was the start of May.

Nagi has, for the most part, been getting better from the conundrum that hampered him from doing anything for a few weeks… or more than two months. Upon exiting the Room, or the Void, his mental condition had gotten better with a bonus of a stronger body after withstanding twice the planet's gravity.

Shiro, after hearing about what happened to her significant other, rushed into Gin's household with a bag full of change of clothes. One sound of a sharp slap later that was heard even through Capy_nina's stream from downstairs, she had started scolding Nagi loud enough that her voice is going head to head with the whir of a vacuum cleaner.

The days have gotten warmer.

Coincidentally, their group's free time have suddenly lined up with each other, and so murmurs of an outing were starting to become louder and louder. Evident with the presence of Nagi and Shiro in the neighborhood, their plans have become much more concrete, and a final decision began brewing at a dinner hosted in Gin's house together with Jean, Akira, and Ginji.

"Camping on summer, huh," Akira mumbled to himself.

"There aren't a lot of spots that we could find, but the few of them are fortunately good ones.

I'm gunning for a lakeside camp, though," Rin recommended.

"I feel like the mountains would be a good choice," Ginji butted. "The temperature would probably be colder there."

"You have to consider the bugs!"

"I feel like we'd get bugs on any place we settle at…"

"Can I get an opinion, Potato?!"

"Hrm… I'm honestly fine with anything… I'm always up to be the driver, anyway."

There is a reason why Gin does not take on a role to lead. One trait of him that Rin has to go through is his laziness to decide when given different options, unless it is a choice where he has to put his foot down if their lives literally depend on it. In this case, he views this trip as something that would not endanger them, as astonishing as it may sound.

He would, if not figuratively, just be a useless blob within the discussion table that is slowly melting while the others duke it out.

"Hahh… forget I asked."

In the end, they had to settle the choice with democracy, with Gin being the tie-breaker in the event that it happens.

But between the mountains, the lakeside, and the riverside, the mountains got three votes which settled their destination for two days and one night.

Thus, by the time the second week of the month was approaching, the seven of them were all set. Gin has borrowed a van that would fit all of their belongings and gear, while Rin had decided to bring her car after confirming that the uphill roads to the mountain is safe for her sedan.

"Give me a ping when you two are on the way, okay?"

"Got thaaaat. Sorry we'll be late."

"Nah. Go pick up your mom first. That's more important than this."

Rin and Shiro then watched the van go further away from their neighborhood. Due to an emergency where trains in the Capital are suddenly out of order, Rin's mother is suddenly stuck in the neighboring city. She could have chosen to call a cab, but Rin insisted that she gets picked up as Sumi has plants and potted spices that must be handled carefully.

In her estimate, she would be two hours behind the van that would have nearly finished the three-hour drive by then.

"You really could have gone with other, Shiro…"

"And leave you stressed out and tired from back to back trips alone? No way. I'd rather keep you company if it gets tough.

I can also drive if you get tired… but I just got my license so I still need some getting used to."

"This is why I love you, Shiro-chan."

"Everything for you, sweetie."

"You know, Gin's probably the kind that would get jealous with an obvious joke like that if he gets upset when I spend more time with a cat than him."

"I didn't strike him to be like that."

"He's still a growing boy, I tell you."

East of the island towards a mountain somewhat close the Pacific Ocean with a total of 1.2 kilometers of elevation on its peak, the van has taken sight of an uneven mountain even from the distance, but Gin had taken notice of the dark clouds brewing even further on the horizon in every chance he sees what is behind the great, big view.

It was not uncommon to have an accurate weather forecast betrayed by the unexpected, as guerilla rains happen quite most especially in the hotter months of the year. In anticipation to an impending inclement weather, Gin picked up the pace as it would be difficult if they were to meet with rainfall while ascending the mountain roads.

"Just checking, all of us in this van can drive, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Anyone else has experience in uphill hairpins and challenging curves?"

"We were together on the traffic training, you know," said Akira.

"Only Akira, huh… can I ask you to go on the wheel just in case it rains while we're climbing?"

"Sure…?"

"Sorry if that was unexpected for you, but thanks."

A trauma that he did not have suddenly became clearer in Gin's mind as they got closer to the mountain. It was not even the same place, but visions of a heavy downpour on a mountain road kept appearing in his mind. It was bearable for the most part, but it did not take him long to realize that it was a memory of Eijiro that separated him from his family from that point on.

Nevertheless, the men were able to avoid the rain and safely arrived at the grounds where they would camp. Beyond the open space more than halfway towards the total elevation that is used for camps, which they had to themselves for the day, the mountain was surprisingly untouched and lush. There were little to no signs of deforestation, but there were clear indications for places that are off-limits as most of the area is still home for wild animals like rabbits, deer, and even boars.

"Is the signal good here, Jean?"

"Eh, it's so-so. Anyway, Ringo and Shiro said they're on the way."

"Should we set up now?"

"Let's not, at least for now," Nagi then pointed to the sky with the dark clouds hovering over their heads.

"I'll go collect some firewood, then. It'll suck not having light tonight, yeah?" with an axe, a rope and a raincoat on his hands, Gin set out and hiked higher to the mountain while the others survey where they could set up tents and a tarp shade.

And just as a drizzle is starting, Gin returned with an absurd amount of firewood underneath the raincoat draped over it. In the end, he returned with a tarp tent set up and slabs of stones gathered where they could start up a fire and put their things down to not get them wet. He then wrapped them tightly on a spare tarp so that absorption of moisture from the air would be mitigated.

By the time the rain has gotten stronger, Gin had parked the vehicle very much beside the tarp in the event that they have to bring to things back inside and take shelter from the rain. But for the time being, the five of them managed to fit under the covers and brought out their own folding chairs as they mindlessly watched the quickly disappearing sight of the scenery below due to the fog.

"You know… I really would have cracked open one if it's later in the day right now."

Breaking the silence enveloped under the white noise of the rain, Akira sighed, itching to take a can of beer from a cooler box they have brought with them.

Hearing that, Jean looked at the other three which looked back with either a head turn or a look of disagreement.

"You suddenly sound the most alcoholic right now," Ginji threw back at Akira.

"Can't help it! I haven't had a break from the school in a while, so at least try to sympathize with me wanting to let loose.

Oh, wait, my reasoning won't go through to you, huh, Mr. Flextime?!"

"You're sounding so much like Akira Bentley right now, man."

"What do you meeeaaan? You weren't even at Blue Ink when that was a thing with me."

"Blame Gin for leaking that information, then."

"Raining is fun…" Gin mumbled, completely detached from the conversation and watching the rain as though he could see every individual droplet.

But the uphill of this camp has suddenly went downhill with a single call ringing from Gin's phone.

"Rin? Are you near now?"

"Oh, thank goodness. Are you guys at the site and safe?"

"We are…? Did something happen?"

"Thankfully there's signal there… Can you put the call on loudspeaker, Gin?"

"Okay… everyone can hear you now. But seriously, what happened? You sound kind of in a panic."

"Well, you see… we actually turned back, and we're at the foot of the mountain. There's a reported landslide… but it's too big that the road isn't passable."

"You mean that there's a landslide down here somewhere?"

"That's what I said! Hahh… I'll send you a picture of it. Is the signal good enough there to see pictures?"

"I think it can bear it. Just send away."

Without the call dropping, their group chat has received an image, that even at a first glance, the sight was enough to make their hair stand up.

A massive landslide has carved a piece of the mountain away and uprooted trees, blocking the road, as if a huge dead end had always been there putting a sharp halt to the concrete path. What was not seen in the image was a small building that the campsite owns, fortunately evacuated, but completely buried in the weakened soil.

"Okay, now that's really bad."

"Don't you guys dare try and drive down for now. Who knows if there are more landslides especially in this rain?"

"Okay, we'll go stay put. Even if we drive, it's not like…"

At that very moment, the five men looked at each other finally realizing the severity of the situation. The campsite only has one path, and it was the road that they took, and also the one that Rin drove on.

"Oh, shit.

O-Okay, assuming that there's no way for us to actually descend, where are you guys going to stay at?"

"We already booked a hotel nearby. We're not leaving this place without all of you."

At the tip of Gin's tongue were the words "That would be really expensive," but he refrained hearing the concern on Rin's voice.

"Alright, you two take care. I think we can handle ourselves here… although are there any news on how long it'll take to be cleared out?"

"A rescue team hasn't arrived yet, but just from what I've seen, I don't think it can get done within the day… or even a full day."

"That's going to be rough, huh.

Well, you and Shiro go take a rest in your hotel. Especially you, Rin, since you're not yet used to driving that long.

We'll try to do what we can do here. If you get worried, just call us periodically. We have the car and a battery pack, so we'll stay charged."

"Okay… please be safe…"

"We will."

Once again, only the sound of the rain was heard, and even deafeningly so.

"The firewood you collected might have actually came in clutch," Nagi nudged Gin.

"I suddenly want to crack open a cold one…"

"See?!"

"I wasn't serious, you dingo.

But you heard that. Can we agree that the camp is as good as cancelled?"

"Or… if we get a good weather, we might as well do it since we're stuck here for who knows how long until we can get out of here?" Ginji shrugged.

Jean however was in a bit of disagreement, "How can you be so calm about this…"

"Well… let's assess our situation first."

The camp grounds has a running water line, which they have confirmed to still being connected and unaffected by the landslide. However, there is no electricity, which is why they will have to rely mostly on a portable power pack that can store a sizeable amount of power and can be charged using solar cells, that is in ideal situations where sunlight would be ample.

As for their food, they have estimated that with the absence of Rin and Shiro, they would have about two days’ worth of food-

"Honestly, these can last us up to four days if you guys don't mind not eating much in a day. You'll feel starved, though," Gin surmised as he continued staring at their supplies.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"How can you say that with a straight face?!" Akira exclaimed.

"My first months in the White Room was rough, yo. I was absolutely crap at managing my supplies at first that I had to ration my food for ten days before the other Exiles sent me more.

I thought I was going to die from hunger first before dying from giving my torso a slash."

"So I really had it good, huh…" Nagi sighed.

"Also… we could just request for air rescue, couldn't we?" as if he was the one with the soundest mind, Jean brought up a rational suggestion.

His voice heeded, but Gin argued, "I don't think we're really in that much of an emergency for now. I think the ground we're on is stable, and we have the van to worry about secondly, with our lives firstly, still."

It was however not the response the four of them were expecting. They know that Gin values life more than anyone between the five of them, knowing what it's like to devalue his own life among other times. His words then somehow sounded a little immature.

But as to what Gin's rationale is, he wishes to know what exactly is the extent of their survival ability, as he would consider his experience in the accelerated room as an outlier and does not translate to dire situations in the real world.

He is always reminded that the worst may come for them at any moment in time, regardless of their current situation. Without the intention of undermining his growth as a person, he is aware that his negative outlook would be extremely difficult to expel, or he probably would not be able to in the first place, as it has long become an intrinsic part of him.

To his err, he did not exactly express his own reasoning, and while the others do not exactly agree with his argument, they mutually thought that more extreme circumstances would benefit more to that degree of rescue efforts. And besides, they thought, this situation could result to a valuable experience to all of them.

~ ~ ~

By the time the day reached sundown, the rain has gotten reduced significantly to a mere drizzle that barely tickles on their skin. Uncharacteristic of summer, the temperature has dropped further due to the rain, and add to that them being at a mountain.

"Wait, so all of that rain was only due to a guerilla thunderstorm?"

"Least unexpected Orio moment, yeah?" Ginji shrugged and sighed, as though airing his grievances rooted from all the floods he had suffered.

It could be said that Orions have a different definition of what they consider as rain. As Akira had just questioned, unexpected thunderstorms coupled with monsoon rains in the country could range from small showers to heavy downpours, which, more often than not, is the latter. His eyes however widened after seeing the most recent weather forecast.

"Guys… we might be in for a wild ride tomorrow…"

Thus all of them flocked towards the phone screen showing a satellite view of a spot of cloud the same size as Orio's island at least a hundred and some kilometers east of the country. It however did not have a distinct formation similar to a tropical cyclone which makes it a level below it, being a low-pressure area.

"Welp, we're toast," Ginji joked and scoffed.

Based on the forecast, there is a very slim chance of it turning into a cyclone, but a low-pressure area is not something to be simply ignored. It may not have strong wind forces, but it could bring about high levels of precipitation that could last for several hours with its passing.

"Well… the sky is clearing up, so I guess there's still until tomorrow before it rains down on us."

With that, Gin took out a stone slab they had gathered out from the tent and grabbed pieces of firewood he had cut earlier. In no time, he was able to start a fire without a fire starter, and only with a flash of friction possible with his strength.

"Aaaanyway, what are we going to do with our sleeping situation?"

With Akira's question came new decisions. They mutually agreed that it was not worth it to build tents with the threat of more rain in the next day.

"I guess we're all sleeping in the car tonight… That would suck but we'll just have to deal with it."

"I'm sleeping under the tarp, though," Gin raised. "You guys are free to join me since the space is big inside. Even if it rains, I don't think it will leak."

"Dude, it'll get cold out here," Ginji said as though as he was in disagreement, all the while shaking Gin's hand telling him that he would join.

"That's two. Anyone else?"

"Nah, that just means more space for us in the van tonight."

By the time that the sky had truly darkened and stars peeked out from passing clouds, the campfire has gotten bigger to make room for their food in which they chose to get through the ones that would go bad first if left unattended. And in the middle of that would follow a foolish decision of emptying out their cooler box as the remaining coldness of the beers would go to waste, or at least that is what they think.

~ ~ ~

"It feels weird that we have an entire mountain to ourselves," Ginji thought loudly inside a sleeping bag.

"Don't go wandering out in the wild if you're tipsy, man."

"Why do you also always jump to the conclusion that we're drunk just because you never feel it?"

"Sorry I'm built different."

"Shut your trap."

"But maaan, we're supposed to be going home tomorrow but we couldn't because of that damn landslide."

"That's the first time I've heard you complain today."

"I was just holding it in, but I don't really mind it as long as we're safe here."

"That's fine and all with us, but what's our game plan tomorrow? Knowing you, you'd probably say we'd have to prepare for the worst."

"Honestly, we should just stay at the car when it rains, but I'll act if we're really in trouble. If we get out of this fine, it's one hell of a story to tell, though."

"You've gotten a bit carefree, huh."

"Maybe just a little. I guess I've been in a bit of a cheery mood for more than a year now. That has never happened to me since so this all feels new to me."

"I would have guessed you will be with Ringo well and all. Let's try to survive so you keep that cheery energy.

Besides, you have a graduation ceremony to attend to."

"…

Now I really need to come out of this alive."

▪ ▪ ▪

"Hello, may I know if this is Mr. Gin Sakato speaking?"

"Yes, that would be me? Who is this?"

"I am from the rescue operation. The name is Kyle. Ms. Akanami relayed your number to me. Are you all okay there?"

"We are. Please don't worry about us. May I know the situation?"

"We started around 4 in the morning on the cleanup operation, but I apologize to tell you that it might take us until night to support the collapsed ground and clear the road."

"I understand, please take your time. But… isn't it going to rain around the afternoon today?"

It was around 8 in the morning, and even as Gin asked on the phone, he looked up at the sky with no signs of the sun but only dullness brought by the clouds.

"It shouldn't hinder the operation as long as we don't experience very inclement weather. I hope you will be patient with us."

"Alright. Thank you very much for telling us. I hope you all stay safe out there."

"Same to you."

And so the call dropped.

"What did they say?" Jean worryingly asked.

"They said that they'll be done at around night… which I highly doubt. We should just expect that we'll be here for another day or two because of the upcoming rain.

G, pass me the shovel?"

"Catch."

"Oop, thanks. I'll climb for a bit. Don't go looking for me."

"Where are you going?"

"To take a dump."

~ ~ ~

At 5 in the afternoon, the sound of rain had gotten deafening.

Underneath the tent was still dry, but all of them were underdressed from the sudden drop in temperature brought by the torrential rains. Therefore, they could not even set foot outside in the unusually dark summer afternoon.

And as if the situation could not get any worse, they received a call.

"Hello, Mr. Kyle?"

The sound from the other side of the line was quiet. Apart from the occasional voices in the background, there was no noise of the rain that could be heard.

"I'm very sorry to inform you, Mr. Sakato… but I think the clearing operation would last a bit longer."

"I guess activities could not continue due to the weather."

"There is that, but there also the problem where more of the ground collapsed at the same spot, and the road took quite a lot of damage that needs to be repaired."

"Man, nature is scary."

"And I'm afraid that it might take more than a day, but we would be able to resume in the time the rain lets up."

"Ooohhh, so it'll probably take three more days, then," the cynic within Gin has started to emerge.

"I see. Thank you again for telling me. If anything happens there, can I trust that we can call this number?"

"Yes. We're sorry for the delay, but I hope you stay safe."

"Thank you very much."

A heavy sigh has left Gin as he tries to quell the temper that has come from the stress and the fact that he is starting to lose patience from the sudden changes in their situation. Add to that the realization of important matters that are to come in the following weeks in which he would not accept being away from.

"How are we doing on food?"

"I think we'll have at least until tomorrow, but I think we can spread it to until midday the day after."

Between five people, even they would not have thought their food supplies would last as long as that, but it was still the responsibility of Jean to give out a reality check as he assesses their rations.

"We still have some gas on the portable stove… should we open the rear hatch to boil some water?

After we all eat, let's just try and get some sleep. Not like we're going anywhere, but it'll probably clear up tomorrow."

It was not exactly the situation for anyone to suggest to watch a show in the middle of being stranded, but they fortunately have the means to do so despite the circumstances, thus Nagi propped his computer to the dashboard of the vehicle for several hours to take the edge off the situation they are at. Even so, the rain picks up in strength every hour which made it difficult to get a proper and straight sleep.

"Doesn't it… kind of feel like it's gotten scarier?"

At 3 in the morning, Jean has raised a concerning question that broke the silence inside the van.

Turning around from the passenger seat upon turning on a lamp, Gin, who had a minimum of an hour of sleep, could see that among them, Nagi and Akira are the only ones asleep.

"Haven't slept a wink, have you?"

"Yeah… I just can't seem to stop thinking about anything, really. I always hear about the fear of not being able to wake up, but it's giving me so much discomfort being aware that you can't force yourself to sleep."

"When we get out of this place, that's a valuable story to tell Haru-san."

"So this was how she felt all this time…"

"It could get worse when you keep having the same experience. I wish we have earplugs, but…"

"But you will probably hear the sound of your internals, in turn," was what Gin wanted to add, but swallowed. He knew well that putting that thought would only make one to consciously think about it, which is why it would be better not said than otherwise.

"Well, it will probably get quieter tomorrow so maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a late start to the day."

"Not like we have anything to do," Ginji added.

"Oh, we will probably have."

"…?"

"Let's just try our best to get some sleep."

▪ ▪ ▪

Thus, we are back at the beginning of the chapter.

The rain had weakened on the following hours but only completely stopped at around ten in the morning, or at least that is what they believe as the first one to wake up at that time was Ginji. Needless to say, all of them woke up to numerous notifications of messages and missed calls, which they attended to first and foremost.

"Gi-"

"Before you panic, I just sound like this because I just woke up and not because I'm somehow stuck on rubble. The rescue team briefed us with what happened yesterday and we're still fine here.

We just didn't get any sleep last night that's why we're up late."

"My goodness, that's great to hear… But what are you doing right now? I could hear the sound of the van."

"Nah, just Nagi warming up the horse-drawn carriage. It got really cold out here last night because of all the rain. Heck, it's still cold."

"I wish I could say the same…"

"Ma'am, you're in an air-conditioned hotel. I bet it'll get hot in here as well once the sun comes searing down on us.

Anyway, we still don't know when we'll be able to get down."

"I really want to see you, though…" unreasonable a demand it may be, Gin felt a pain on his chest hearing the worry from Rin's voice on the other line.

"As much as I want to jump down, I don't have enough grip on my shoes and it's too risky to move around when I don't know the layout of the place.

Wait for us, okay?"

"Mhm… Love you…"

"I love you toooo, Rin. I'll give you a big hug when we get back after I get to take a shower."

"You really don't sound that alarmed…"

"Way better than twenty guns pointed at me. Besides, I'm just irritated this happened when this was supposed to be a graduation trip for the three of you. We're just glad that we're not really in any urgency.

Let's talk again later. Have some stuff to do here."

"Okay…"

Almost at the same time, the call ended with the car's engine shutting off.

"Funny how my manager messaged me more than Shiro," Nagi grunted as he rests his head on the wheel.

"You better have told them what's going on."

"I kind of said first on Witter that I'm extending my break and fell asleep. Then my manager spammed my DMs."

"Can't you do a Witter Space instead?"

"Oh, that's a good idea. Maybe I'll try tonight if the weather gets good."

"What are we even thinking when we're here trapped on a mountain…

Anyway, out of the van, we have some things to do."

As per Gin's request, they laid out all of the food they have remaining, setting aside those that they will have for a brunch. It was as Jean said, even eyeballing it leads them to a mutual conclusion that they would run out of food by tomorrow which gave them their first urgency in this situation, which could be said that it was fortunate that this only happened now than sooner.

"So this is going to be our main problem, huh…

At worst, we'll probably be stuck here for a few more days so we need to solve our food problem."

"If it's in the woods, I can probably try doing some foraging, but don't get your hopes up since I haven't done that in a while," Nagi brought up.

"At least we have that option. But really, I don't know how to do that so I'll leave that to you.

I'm just glad that we're not in the middle of the ocean eating leather… or each other and drinking urine."

"You really just have to put a dark twist on everything, huh, Gin?"

"Well, that's on me, but you're probably going to have the same idea I'm having right now, and it's probably the only thing I can do in this situation, personally.

If push comes to shove, we'll probably go hunting for game meat on the other side of the barrier. Any disagreements?"

"Wait, have you even hunted before?" Akira asked, half-serious, and half-joking.

"Nope, never. But I think I can choke a deer or a boar if we ever find one."

The response was then met with unfavorable looks.

"I was joking. We could probably make some wooden spears… but if it really gets difficult, I'll place tackling as our last option."

"You sound like you're raring to go, though…"

"Do we shake on this?" asked Nagi.

The meeting was then ended we handshakes across the five of them signing their agreement to a plan that they never have thought they would even talk about in the first place. Immediately, Nagi took the center and began directing.

"Alright. Then, I'd like to ask Gin and G to scout the off-limits zone since they're the most physically capable among us. We don't really have the luxury to think about whether it's legal or not to hunt here if we'll end up dead from starving anyway.

If the weather gets better, I'll pitch our tents but I'll need some help. I'd also like anyone to gather some more firewood or we can get them dried since everything here is pretty much damp.

In the event we actually get meat… let's just leave the cooking to Gin and Jean. They'll probably make magic out of it."

"We can't guarantee that."

"You guys brought spices though so those better help.

Nonetheless, I think we got a long day ahead of us."

They could not exactly recall when was the last time they had worked for a single thing or purpose, and they did not think that the time it would happen again will be for survival.

The scouting team had jumped over the barrier and with Gin leaping straight onto a tree.

"Looks like you're finally in your natural habitat, huh?" Ginji jested.

"This mountain officially has one monkey living in it."

At initial sightings, nothing much can be seen even from a higher perspective, thus leading the two of them to move from one place to another until they found clear evidence of wildlife from a single hare escaping at the tiniest sound.

"Have you butchered a rabbit before, Gin?"

"You're seriously asking me that? Are you fine with seeing blood, though?"

"Why ask?"

"We're going to remove the blood from whatever we get, of course."

Immediately, he got an image in his mind on how it would look like.

"Can't say I do since that looks like entirely different from getting slashed."

The layout and the nature of the land would be considered a disadvantage for Gin as every step, whether on the ground or tree branches, produces a rustle. And so at this very situation, he could only rely on his physical abilities to compensate from his inexperience.

"If we actually find a deer or boar here, how long will that actually last us, Gin?"

"We're honestly better off with small animals in this case… and I'm just realizing this now. With the temperature and no refrigeration, we can't really leave meat out for a while.

Change of plans, I guess. We'll look for rabbits and birds rather than large ones."

"I'll have the land. The air's all yours."

"I gotcha."

Meanwhile, Nagi on the grounds mainly mans building the tents while Akira drops off wood that can be used for a campfire.

"What are you doing, Jean…?"

In the midst of taking a break, Akira found Jean sitting with a stick between him and a rock, with a knife on his hand.

"I took the large sticks from the stuff you got. Gin and G could probably use them for something. It honestly looks like how we expose the lead of a pencil back in the club, yeah?"

"S-Sure… but a giant pencil. Just be careful of your jewels, though."

Upon feeling a massive chill in his spine, Jean put down the blade.

With everything seemingly ready, Gin and Ginji ate ahead for what would most likely be a long stint in the forest with the primitive tools that Jean prepared for them, as it would be better to do the foraging when there are still a lot of light in the day.

The sun had finally appeared around the afternoon after two days without it in Orio. Scorching as it may have been in just a few minutes of the ball of light being out, the solar cell extension of the battery pack was immediately taken out to charge under the sun.

"This power station is really saving our asses right now, huh."

~ ~ ~

"We're back."

Three and a half hours since they left, Gin and Ginji returned from higher up the mountain with sticks on their shoulders where hanged four hares and three birds on them, while they found the other three sitting idly under the shade of the tarp.

"Jeeeaaaannn. Your break's up. We have a lot of meat to go through."

"At least give yourself a breather…"

Seeing as how the two of them look muddied up from all sorts of elements sticking on their clothes, the three put their foot down and stripped them off and was blasted with water as a hose was found nearby the running water.

A short break however costed them the remaining light as they found themselves still in the midst of cleaning the meat at sundown. So as to make things faster, Gin and Jean had given the others a crash course on how to clean a carcass, although they had to make do with what they know as it was also their first time butchering a rabbit.

A simple glance at the spice jars stashed inside the van made them reflect that this over-preparedness staring from bringing a battery unit that could power a house for several hours to bringing spices had made the situation a little better for them. And after finally reaching a consistent rhythm and learning from things that needed improvement, they felt that the following days would be brighter for them.

▪ ▪ ▪

Two days later.

Immediately upon the descent of the van to the foot of the mountain, paramedics hurried towards the five that was stranded.

As routine checks were ongoing, even from quite a ways away, his eyes caught the sight of Rin and Shiro whose faces bearing worry despite the many reassurances that they are safe.

It has been more than a year since he last felt the uncertainty of not seeing one another leaving him with a feeling of fulfillment and yearning after overcoming a challenging situation. In spite of the emotions boiling up inside him upon seeing Rin, he could only wave at her from afar, until they receive clearance from the rescue team.

…

"My word… I feel like I'm in heaven. Feels like I haven't been in a bath in forever…"

"Don't ascend just yet."

"Woah- You were there, Rin?"

With their return, two more rooms in the same hotel were opened to accommodate them, where Rin had moved into where Gin is before they leave the next day towards home.

From the side of the door where she is leaning on, she could hear the fatigue from Gin's voice amidst the sound of the water overflowing from the bath.

"You owe me a lot of stories for worrying about you."

"I wish we could have taken pictures up there, but we were too preoccupied."

"We really should have just gone lakeside," Rin sulked.

"Well, we're definitely not going to the mountains anytime soon with this. But in hindsight… I think a part of me had fun out there regardless of the situation."

"You don't say."

"I'm serious, hahaha. When you're disconnected to the world with only you and the mountain… well, for the most part, you learn some new stuff especially when you're trying to survive. And I feel like I've bonded with the boys in a new way.

Still, it sucks that we got stuck there."

"That's why Shiro and I will drive home tomorrow."

"Wait, are you sure you can handle a van?"

"Of course I can! I sometimes pick up supplies for Claude either with a van or a truck."

"Whaaaat… You never told me."

"…

How long are you going to stay in the bath?"

"Milady, I just got in. And I can't get out with you on door."

"Hmph… Just be quick so you can rest," the voice had gotten farther from the bathroom, although holding a bit of impatience on its tone.

"We still have dinner, though."