"Ah"

My voice leaked quite loudly.

While I was deep in thought, Hirata tapped me on the shoulder and I was forced back into reality.

"Are you alright, Ayanokouji-kun?"

I glanced to the side, Hirata looked worried about me.

I turned back to the bushes, but the feeling I had earlier was gone.

The tense and terrifying sensation that pierced my bones earlier….

I rubbed my eyes a little, in confusion, I took a deep breath and cleared all my thoughts.

I turned towards Hirata and said that I was fine.

At first, he was a little hesitant but he decided not to ask any further and returned to the tent.

"H-hey, Nori-san. Can you come with me to the toilet, I want to pee. "

The one standing in front of the girl's tent, was Shinohara Satsuki. Looks like she called her friend to ask her to accompany her to the toilet.

The toilet is a bit far from here, it's a good idea to ask your friend to take you to the toilet. In the darkness of this night, something might happen.

I entered the tent and found almost all of my classmates lying peacefully in the tent.

I lay down beside Sudou.

Slowly looking into my eyes, I tried to enter a calm and comfortable dreamland.

"Heh, it can't be helped, I'll go too, Shinohara-san."

I could hear a small sound coming from outside the tent.

It's not very clear, but I can hear it a little.

"Karuizawa-san is coming too?"

I opened my eyes when I heard Karuizawa's name called.

Looks like the girls went to the toilet together.

I don't hear their voice anymore, which means they already leave.

I wanted to close my eyes again and fall asleep, but something kept me awake.

It was a feeling of discomfort and a bit of worry.

Somehow, the feeling of tension I felt earlier returned to me.

I looked at the flashlight that was near my bag, wondering if I should go and see the girls too.

And the answer is yes.

In addition, my curiosity about the previous feeling of fear rose in my heart.

I want to know why my heart is beating so fast.

That fear, I want to know.

I've never felt it, or experienced it. I want to know.

Without thinking, I took a flashlight from my bag and walked out of the tent. Turned on the flashlight then walked towards the leaving girls.

The gloomy mood returns, I wonder if I'm the only one feeling this.

Cheerful little whispers could be heard.

I jumped the river through the boulders as a stepping stone to cross the river, of course, this path is the only way to get to the toilet on the other side.

Are you wondering why we keep the toilet away from the tent?

That's because, near the tent used to store food and change of clothes, there are also towels for eight people and tissues.

When I got close, I turned off my flashlight and walked.

"Eh?"

Karuizawa and Nori who noticed my presence let out surprised voices.

"What are you doing here?"

Karuizawa was the one who greeted me first.

"...Just checking something."

She looked a little dubious with my answer, she crossed her arms and glared at me.

"Huh? What kind of excuse is that, you want to peek right? Just like Ike-kun and Yamauchi before. Well, you're close to them, so it's only natural that you're like them."

She answered with sharp and piercing words. Even though I'm friends with them, it doesn't mean I'm like them either.

Wait…

"Ike and Yamauchi?"

"You don't know? Before, they hid behind the bushes over there and stared at us with disgusting lustful gazes."

Shit sherlock…

Does it have anything to do with them?

No, I don't believe it.

The feeling of being stalked by something terrible, there was no way it was coming from the two of them. I'm used to being watched since childhood, even for a second I can never escape the eyes of the supervisors there, this isn't something that comes from humans.

The only logical reason was that there were quite a few wild animals here.

But schools should put the safety of their students first, not put something dangerous like that here.

Right now, I'm a little worried about Ike and Yamauchi.

"Where do they go?"

"Hah? You ask me? I don't even know! They went into the forest and disappeared just as I shouted at them."

Karuizawa was annoyed and pointed to the northwest, right among the big trees and grass.

Are they really hiding there?

No... were they really there in the first place? Or is it something else? I don't know if I should doubt what Karuizawa said but seeing what really happened shouldn't be a problem.

I decided to stay and wait.

"What are you doing now?"

Karuizawa seemed annoyed by my presence.

"I'll stay here until you come back."

She was shocked, unable to figure out my real purpose, I explained to her that I also wanted to use the bathroom afterward. She couldn't deny it and nodded silently.

After a while, the girls finished using the toilet and returned to their tent. Shinohara was a little surprised to see me here, but she didn't decide to question it.

It seemed she didn't have the strength to argue.

Normally, she would argue with male students like Ike all day long.

After confirming that the girls left me alone, I immediately took action.

Turning on the flashlight, I pointed the light at the bushes and walked slowly closer.

The bushes moved as if to indicate that something was at play there.

I strengthened my guard.

Through the bushes, I walked through a fairly deep forest.

Slowly, the moonlight above the sky began to dissipate as I dived into the dense, lonely forest.

I walked about 30 meters into the forest, trying to find any traces or clues to the whereabouts of someone who had passed here a few minutes ago.

Of course, every step I do not forget to provide some traces to make it easier for me to come back later.

"There is nothing here."

The damp soil should leave a clear mark if someone were to pass by.

Ike and Yamauchi went into the forest just as Karuizawa was shouting at them.

However, there was no sign that anyone had ever been here.

Did they both turn around? But how come I didn't notice their existence. The time gap shouldn't be too big when I come and when they leave.

"Something's weird," I mumbled.

Somehow, when I looked into the depths of the forest in front of me, the tree branches moved faster in the wind and prevented me from going any further into the forest.

Sometimes, I hallucinate every big tree beside me slowly getting closer to me, as if it's moving, and ready to attack me at any moment.

My instincts told me that I should go back soon.

In the first place, I didn't come to look for Ike and Yamauchi, but to satisfy my curiosity.

Fighting the strange feeling called "fear" and dragging my feet here, and here I am now. Among these big trees, in the middle of the forest, far from where my class camp was, on the school's uninhabited island, where the first year special exams were taking place.

The moonlight couldn't pass through the leaves between the trees so the only light I could rely on was this flashlight.

I turned around and walked back to where our camp was….