6/16

Yui and her friends decided to go to Junes to buy ingredients for tomorrow's camping trip.

"So, what should we make for the cookout?" Yui asked everyone.

"I've been debating between ramen or curry." Yukiko stated.

"I'd like curry!" Chie said.

"Me too!" Yosuke chimed in.

"Curry it is, then." Yui said with a nod.

"I'm going to go get something. I'll be right back!" Yosuke said as he walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?! We're supposed to be shopping for ingredients!" Chie called out to Yosuke.

"Never mind him. Let's be sure to get the best ingredients for this curry." Yui told Chie.

"Let's see now. Carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, green peppers...radishes?" Yukiko listed off.

"Those all sound pretty good. Though I'm not sure you put radishes in curry. Hey, it could work." Yui commented.

"Are radishes the same as turnips?" Chie asked.

"No, they're quite different. Are you suggesting we put turnips in the curry?" Yui replied.

"You know, Yosuke seems like a picky eater. I wonder what kind of stuff he'd like in the curry?" Chie muttered.

"Chie, do you use potato starch for curry?" Yukiko asked.

"Huh? Of course you do…" Chie replied, sounding unsure of herself.

"No you don't!" Yui interjected.

"Why not? Then the curry won't thicken." Yukiko stated.

"You don't use potato starch for that. You use roux. Junes should have cubes of it around here."

"Look! Chili peppers! It isn't curry if it isn't spicy!" Yukiko said as she grabbed a handful of peppers.

"Are we making Japanese curry or Indian curry? Because Japanese curry isn't supposed to be spicy." Yui asked.

"You know what? Let's just get everything that seems right. This is gonna take too long if we keep debating it." Chie impatiently said.

"I somewhat know how to make curry, if we could just…" Yui began to say.

"How about kimchi? Or some ground pepper!" Chie suggested, ignoring Yui.

"We'll need some special ingredients to make the curry pop!" Yukiko enthusiastically stated.

"I heard something on TV once. I think it was something like...chocolate, coffee, yogurt...let's get mint chocolate! I love mint chocolate!" Chie replied.

"How about seafood? That'll make the sauce taste better!"

"Uh, girls? We're making curry, not hotpot! And what about the Tonkatsu sauce?" Yui nervously said.

"Ooh! Good thinking, Yui! Oh but it isn't curry without beef, is it? We should buy pork too, to go along with the seafood." Yukiko commented, not really listening to Yui's concerns.

"I'm all for that! More meat for us!" Chie chimed.

Yui sighed and facepalmed at the predicament she was in. She had a nagging feeling that the cookout was not going to go well if this was the plan.

"OK...you two aren't listening to me. I'm going to go buy some stuff for myself. I hope you two can take care of the curry for us." Yui muttered as she walked away.

Yui quickly changed her mind and walked back, taking Chie's hand.

"Try your best, OK? I'll see you at the checkout." Yui told Chie quickly.

Yui swiftly planted a kiss on Chie's cheek before departing for real, leaving Chie surprised and confused.


Yui met up with the others outside the checkout lanes, observing Yosuke holding a concealed bag, along with Chie and Yukiko holding bags filled with food, much of it inappropriate for curry.

"I hope you don't intend to use all of that…" Yui commented.

"Well, we remembered to get the stuff you mentioned before. Tonkatsu sauce, roux, we even got coconut milk." Chie explained.

"That's great! Do you want me to help you cook the curry at the camping trip?"

"Actually Yui, me and Chie wanted to try cooking it ourselves just this once. I hope we're not hurting your feelings, I just wanted to get some practice in." Yukiko stated.

"But we're all eating the curry. Isn't it best if we all pitch in and make sure it's good?"

"Relax, Yui. Yukiko's got the Amagi name behind her cooking. I'm sure it'll turn out great!" Yosuke told Yui.

"Have you even eaten her cooking before? Also what did you even buy?" Yui asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's a surprise…" Yosuke said slyly.

"Geez, I hate the sound of that…"

"Oh, before I forget…" Yui spoke up.

Yui pulled out a mint chocolate bar from her bag and gave it to Chie.

"That's for you, not the curry." Yui said with a smile.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that! Thank you, Yui!" Chie said with a gleam in her eyes.

The four of them went separate ways, more or less prepared for tomorrow's camping trip.


6/17

Today was the day of the camping trip, and while Yui was less than thrilled to attend, she was at least looking forward to being with her friends, and especially Chie. Upon arriving at the campsite, the students wasted no time, immediately setting out to collect as much trash as they could find. Yui was helping Yosuke for about an hour, lightening the mood with small conversation and jokes.

"Man, picking up all this trash is murder on my back!" Yosuke complained, carrying a large trash bag over his shoulder.

"You're too young to be complaining about that. You don't see me whining. Then again, I have gotten quite a bit stronger since Chie started training me." Yui replied, straining significantly less than Yosuke.

"What's up with that anyway? I tried to ask Chie about it, but she got all uptight about it."

"I'm sure the way you asked her must have bugged her. There's not much to it, really. When we were trying to save Yukiko, I needed a way to get strong quick, and Chie being the only martial arts expert I knew, she seemed like the best choice given the time we had. The fact we became closer friends because of it was just a bonus."

Yui made sure to pick her words carefully, as she didn't want to disclose anything Chie wouldn't want Yosuke to know about.

"Be honest, do you like me or Chie more as a friend?"

"You know you can have multiple best friends, right?"

"Never mind. I can't believe somebody just tossed a whole bike on the mountain! I swear, litterers should have to pick up their own garbage."

"*chuckle* Are you sure it wasn't your old bike?"

"I think I'd recognize my own bike! Well, at least we can look forward to lunch! I can't wait to try the curry."

"Oh, right. The curry…"

"Speaking of which, I really should go help them with that."

"It's OK, you should stay with me and take care of this trash. Chie and Yukiko have it handled."

"I probably should have told you this earlier, and I wouldn't say this within earshot of them, but they're not very good at cooking."

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Well, I don't actually know what Chie's cooking is like. But Yukiko's? Let's just say her folks at the Amagi Inn do most of the magic."

Yui started thinking back to the bento Yukiko made for her. If Yukiko wasn't able to make something as simple as a bento…

"Listen, I really have to go! You can take care of these for me, right? Bye!" Yui quickly said, dropping her trash bags at Yosuke's feet before running off.

"Hey! Get back here and help me!" Yosuke shouted.


Chie and Yukiko were standing over the curry they had made, staring awkwardly at the resulting mixture.

"Um...should we taste it?" Yukiko asked Chie.

"Um...you first!" Chie replied.

"Hey Chie! Hey Yukiko!"

Yui ran up to Chie and Yukiko and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Hey Yui! Uh...the curry's done." Chie told Yui.

"Yeah...I was afraid of that." Yui replied.

"Where's Yosuke?" Yukiko asked.

"He'll be here any minute. Mind if I check the curry?"

"Sure. I'm sure it's good!" Chie said, her voice wavering a bit.

Yui sighed and took a look in the pot where the curry was stored. She couldn't smell anything, which was already a bad sign, and she noticed black bits and pieces that didn't look like aniseed or anything similar. Yui felt a sinking pit forming in her chest just looking at the curry.

"Uh...maybe we shouldn't eat this…" Yui stated.

"What?! You haven't even tried it yet!" Chie complained.

"Chie, I don't claim to make good curry, but I know how it's made. I've seen it firsthand. It's not supposed to look like this…"

"So, it's no good?" Yukiko asked sadly.

"Hey guys! How's the curry?" Yosuke called to them, having taken care of the trash bags Yui left for him.

"Oh, hey Yosuke! Uh...it's done!" Chie told Yosuke.

"Great! I'm so hungry!"

"What are you doing, Chie?" Yui asked.

"We spent all this time making it! We have to at least TRY to eat it." Chie retorted.

"Counterpoint. What if we get sick from this?"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Yukiko asked.

"*sigh* OK, how about this? We all taste it. But don't use the rice, just in case." Yui suggested.

"Curry without rice? OK then." Chie mumbled.

Yui, Chie, and Yukiko each took a scoop of the curry and poured them into a plate, one for all four of them. Even as they handed the plate to Yosuke, Yui felt regretful.

"Yosuke, I'm telling you this as a friend. Don't do it. I'm not kidding." Yui urged Yosuke.

"Nah, you just want it to yourself!" Yosuke responded.

"OK fine. We're all going to take a bite of it. Same time. No chickening out."

Chie and Yukiko reluctantly took a spoonful of curry, Yui and Yosuke following suit.

"Ready? Now."

All four of them took a bite of curry. The moment the food entered Yui's mouth, she knew it was inedible. Worse yet, she was instantly overcome by a wretched and vile taste. Almost at the same time, everyone spat out the curry and began coughing and gagging. Yui had to lean on the picnic table to keep herself upright. Chie and Yukiko had fallen to their knees, barely maintaining consciousness. Yosuke had possibly the worst reaction of all, falling over on his side and making choking noises. After Yosuke recovered, he began fuming.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Yosuke shouted at Chie and Yukiko.

"I've never seen anything like this…" Yui whispered, still in shock at just how terrible the curry was.

"Curry is supposed to be really spicy or kinda mild! This one just stinks! It's somehow both gritty and slimy!" Yosuke continued to rant.

"We had some trouble mixing it together…" Yukiko admitted.

"But we made it with lots of love…" Chie said desperately.

"Please don't sugarcoat it, Chie. This is horrendous. I feel bad for making us even try eating it." Yui stated, shaking her head.

Realizing that there was no getting around their mistake, Chie and Yukiko bowed their heads in shame.

"Sumimasen...we're really sorry…" Chie whimpered.

"Sumimasen…" Yukiko repeated.

"Don't worry about it. It's partially my fault. I knew you two weren't the best at cooking, and I should have helped you, even if you told me not to." Yui said diplomatically.

"Now what? Our group is the only one without a meal. All we have is plain rice." Yosuke asked.

"Well, we at least have that." Yui said, choosing to look at the positives.

"Agh, I don't feel good. I think that 'Mystery Food X' poisoned me!" Yosuke said dramatically, clutching his stomach.

"Are you alright? Let's get you some medicine. We can go get some from the medical tent." Yui told Yosuke.

Yui looked over at Chie and Yukiko, who both appeared dejected. She flashed Chie a gentle smile, making sure Chie knew that all was forgiven.

"Stay here. We'll be back."

"OK…" Chie said quietly.

Yui went with Yosuke to get him stomach medicine, leaving Chie and Yukiko to the curry. Not even bothering to try the curry again, they resorted to taking slow bites of the plain, unflavored rice.

"If only the curry was remotely edible. We really screwed up, Yukiko." Chie whimpered.

"There's always next time. Let's take this as a lesson learned." Yukiko said optimistically.

"We should have had Yui help us. She's my girlfriend! She would have loved to help me cook! What was I thinking?"

"Even if you two are dating, it doesn't mean you have to do everything together. We wanted to do it ourselves because we wanted to learn on our own. I'm sure she realized that, so she let us try to make the curry."

"I guess. Still, I feel bad leaving her out of it."

"Mmm! That curry looks good! Can I have some?" Another girl commented.

Chie and Yukiko looked up and saw Hanako Ohtani standing over the curry.

"Oh, hi Hanako-chan. Uh...help yourself!" Chie nervously said.

Hanako took a generous helping of the curry and sat down next to Chie and Yukiko. Chie and Yukiko anxiously watched as Hanako took a bite of their awful curry. The resulting reaction, however, was completely unexpected.

"I've never had curry like this before! What's in it?" Hanako chimed.

"She was able to eat it?!" Yukiko thought to herself.

"Gross..." Chie thought as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.


Yui and Yosuke were able to find the tent with medical supplies, supplies managed by the health association students to ensure there was first aid for every student in attendance. The majority of the health students were off taking care of other things, leaving only one student to watch other the tent: Naoki Konishi.

"Oh great. It's him…" Yui groaned.

"Excuse me." Yui said.

"Hm?" Naoki replied.

"Do you have any stomach medicine? Yosuke ate something bad." Yui explained.

"My stomach is revolting. You gotta help me." Yosuke pleaded.

Naoki glared at the two, but still chose to lend the medicine to them. As Yui took the bottle from him, she noticed his grip was firm, almost as if he had second thoughts. Whatever grudge this boy held, Yui couldn't let it go.

"Naoki-kun. Can I call you that?" Yui asked.

"No." Naoki spat.

"Listen. I don't know what your problem is with Yosuke, or me. But it's not healthy to hold these feelings." Yui gently said as she handed the bottle to Yosuke.

"Nobody else cares. Why should I?"

"Why? Because they feel sorry for you? Because your sister was killed and they wish they could go back and prevent it?"

"I've seen the look in their eyes. They pity me. I'm just someone to be pitied to them. And they all ask the same things. 'Do you hate the killer?', 'Is your family doing alright? It must be hard'. It's empty sympathy, nothing more."

"I'm not sure why you feel that way. There's only so much to say when they're an outside observer."

"Why'd you even bring this up? Is that all you want to talk about?"

"No. But I also don't want hard feelings between us. We kind of got off on the wrong foot before, when we met in the health office. Even if you hate me, I want you to know that I don't hate you. Or even dislike you. Is that fine?"

"...you're weird."

"I'm used to it."

"Whatever. Throw away the bottle when you're done."

With that, Yui and Yosuke walked away, leaving Naoki to sulk.

"Yosuke?" Yui asked Yosuke.

"Yeah?"

"How come Naoki doesn't like you?"

"I don't really know. Maybe it has to do with me being close to Saki."

"Hm...hey, I'm going to go get something. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, sure. The medicine's helping a little."

"Alright. Meet me back with Chie and Yukiko."


Yui got back at about the same time as Yosuke, holding something in her hands.

"Hey everyone." Yui greeted.

"Hi." Chie replied.

"What's that you got?" Yosuke asked.

"I had my suspicions that Chie and Yukiko wouldn't do well making the curry. That's why I bought this from Junes, just in case." Yui explained.

Yui showed her friends a box she bought from Junes.

"This is a curry kit. It's got almost everything we need. It's not quite enough for four people, but we can still cook it and split it. This time, we'll do it together!"

Yui's friends celebrated and they all got to making the new curry.


"We'll just add a little more chili powder, and then it should be done. Simple as that!" Yui explained as they finished making the curry.

"Wow! It looks way better now!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Sorry there's no meat though. I couldn't figure out how to bring it with me."

"That's the least of our worries, Yui! You're so awesome!" Chie said gleefully.

"I think I get it. You were very helpful, Yui!" Yukiko stated.

"I only told everyone what to do. Actually doing it yourself without supervision is something we'll have to practice another time. For now, let's eat!" Yui said as she scooped out the curry, carefully splitting it into equal portions.

"Hey Senpai! Something smells good!"

Yui and her friends turned to see Kanji walking over to them.

"Kanji-kun! What are you doing here?" Yui asked.

"Honestly, I didn't really want to go on this camping trip, but they said they'd hold me back if I didn't. Also, the freshman tent is so quiet. Nobody's talking or anything." Kanji explained.

"I wonder if that has anything to do with you…" Yosuke said quietly.

"Come join us! We just finished making curry." Yui told Kanji.

"You mean it? Awesome!"

Kanji sat down and ate curry with his friends. Though the portions were spread thin, it was a filling meal for everyone.


Later that night, Yui, Chie and Yukiko shared the same tent, passing the time by chatting.

"Thanks again for showing us how to make curry, Yui! You're the best!" Chie told Yui, giving her a warm hug.

"No problem. I believe in you two. Even if your cooking is awful, the only way to go is up. So, I think I've decided. You know how you've been training me?" Yui said.

"Yeah?"

"I think it's my turn. I'm going to invite you and Yukiko over to learn how to cook. It's going to be intensive, and I won't be easy on you two. When we're done, you won't even recognize your cooking from before!"

"I'm pumped just thinking about it! OK, it's a plan!"

Yui played with Chie's hair, causing both of them to giggle.

"Hey Chie, how do you get your hair to look this nice?" Yui asked.

"Um...this is pretty personal, so keep this between the three of us. This isn't my natural hair color. I use hair dye." Chie admitted.

"Really?! You could have fooled me. It's a great color you've picked."

"What about you, Yui? Silver hair is very uncommon." Yukiko asked.

"Believe it or not, my hair's natural. Probably some genetic condition."

"Can I...can I touch your hair? Please?" Chie asked.

"I brought my hairbrush. Feel free. Don't braid it or anything though." Yui stated.

Yui pulled out her hairbrush and gave it to Chie, who proceeded to gently brush Yui's hair and play with it in her fingers. Yukiko felt inclined to join in, holding another handful of Yui's hair.

"Maybe we should visit a salon one day. Wouldn't that be fun?" Yukiko suggested.

"Does the Amagi Inn do anything like that?" Yui asked.

"Not particularly. It's mostly food catering and hot springs."

"Your hair is so pretty, Yui. Maybe I should grow mine longer." Chie commented.

"You don't have to. I like your hair. Short hair is more athletic. Stays out of the way when fighting." Yui replied.

"That's true. I wouldn't mind growing it just a bit longer though."

"You do what you like, Chie. Do you like nicknames? Should I give you one?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure my name really needs one. I guess the closest thing might be Sato-chan. Someone called me that one time in middle school."

"Not bad. But at this point, I'm inclined to call you Chie-san."

"Yui, I have a personal question…" Yukiko asked.

"Go ahead." Yui replied.

"I was wondering...how did you find out you liked girls?"

"Hm...it's an interesting story. I think it was some time in middle school. At first, it was a crush on a classmate, which I couldn't wrap my head around, then it was seeing a magical girl in an anime and thinking she was cute. I don't remember what it was called though." Yui explained.

"That's funny. My experience was kind of similar. For me, it was the side character in an action movie, Blessing of the Red Lion. It's no fair she never got a partner!" Chie stated.

"For me, I read about a photographer in a romance novel who had a crush on both a man and another woman. It was called 'Memoirs of the Heart'." Yukiko told them.

"Of course, soon after I realized I liked other girls, I also came to realize how generally frowned upon it was. There are places that don't mind, but unless you know for sure, it's something you have to keep to yourself. I was never ashamed, but I was cautious, and that was how it was at my previous school up until I came here. I can't imagine how quiet you two have had to be." Yui thought aloud.

Both Chie and Yukiko glanced at the ground.

"I've never told my parents that I liked girls. I guess I was really nervous about saying anything. But they love me to death. I've broken so many things on accident, and they still care for me unconditionally. If I ever work up the courage to tell them, I'm sure they'd be fine with it." Chie responded.

"I'm glad to hear that. And I think so too, from what little you've said about them." Yui stated.

"It's not important for my parents to know. But someday, I'll have to tell them. Until then, I'll improve myself so I can impress whoever I wish to love. Boy or girl." Yukiko said.

"That's the spirit! Well, we should be getting to sleep. Don't want King Moron to come by and scold us." Yui stated.

"Yeah. Good night you two!" Chie said.

"Good night!" Yukiko replied.

Yui, Chie, and Yukiko curled up in their respective sleeping bags and did their best to fall asleep. Tomorrow would hopefully be a better day.


6/18

The next morning, Yui and her friends gathered at the waterfall.

"Well, we're here now! Time to go swimming!" Yosuke exclaimed.

Yui fidgeted nervously, while Chie and Yukiko looked annoyed.

"No way! Not in the same water as you! Go swim by yourself!" Chie spat.

"I was kind of looking forward to it, but now I have second thoughts…" Yui muttered.

"I'm still tired. You can all go ahead without me." Kanji groaned.

"Aw come on! You two owe us for messing up the curry." Yosuke stated.

"They don't owe anything, Yosuke. Let it go!" Yui defended.

"Oh wait! I just remembered! We didn't bring our swimsuits!" Chie made an excuse.

"That's right. We forgot. Unfortunate…" Yukiko played along.

"*chuckle* Not to worry!" Yosuke chuckled.

Chie and Yukiko gawked in surprise as Yosuke pulled out a pair of swimsuits from his camping bag.

"Tada! From Junes' summer line! I'm sure they'll fit you perfectly!" Yosuke said with a grin.

"That's what you bought from Junes the other day?!" Yui asked.

"Dude, that's messed up…" Kanji commented.

"Ugh! Alright then!" Chie grumbled as she snatched a swimsuit from Yosuke.

Yukiko reluctantly took the other swimsuit and went with Chie to change.

"How come you got one for Chie and Yukiko, but not me? I mean, I already have my own, but…" Yui asked Yosuke.

"Oh, uh. I didn't really know which one to get for you, that's all. Also, you brought yours? Sweet!"

"Ew! Keep your enthusiasm to yourself!" Yui squirmed as she walked away to go change.


Chie and Yukiko had finished changing into the swimsuits Yosuke bought for them, and were mustering up all the courage they had to walk back. Chie's swimsuit consisted of green shorts with a yellow fabric belt and a red, orange, yellow, white and lime striped top. Yukiko's swimsuit was a white top with red lining, paired with a white bikini bottom with a short skirt over it.

"I hate how well these fit. Did he just happen to get our measurements right?" Chie growled.

"They look good, admittedly. Oh, I'm so nervous!" Yukiko whispered.

"Where's Yui?" Chie asked.

"I'm not here!" Yui called out from inside the forest.

"Huh? What are you talking about? We can hear you over there!" Chie called back.

"Please don't come over here!"

Chie and Yukiko walked over to where Yui was hiding: behind a large tree.

"Come on, Yui. We all have to go back eventually." Chie tried to coax Yui.

"We don't have to! We could just stay here and leave Yosuke out to dry! Because right now he deserves it!" Yui retorted.

"Can we at least see what yours looks like? Please, Yui?" Yukiko asked politely.

Yui sighed anxiously as she stepped out from behind the tree. Yui chose to wear the swimsuit she bought from Junes on Children's Day: a blue bikini with a frilled top and a miniskirt. Chie and Yukiko gasped at how pretty Yui looked.

"Wow Yui! You look gorgeous!" Chie chimed.

"Oh! Th-thank you, Chie!" Yui replied with red cheeks.

"You picked that out yourself? You have good taste!" Yukiko added.

Yui's mind was still in a flustered panic, especially because she found Chie and Yukiko's swimsuits to be just as beautiful as hers.

"You, you both look great yourselves! Especially you, Chie. It's very...sporty!" Yui stammered.

"Thanks! Come on, now. We have to go face Yosuke."

"Do we really have to?"

"I really don't want to either. But I'm surprised to see you so nervous, Yui. Did Yosuke say something to you earlier?" Yukiko asked.

"Not really. He was just...kind of being a creep. So, nothing unusual."

"*sigh* Let's just get it over with. And hey, maybe we can just enjoy swimming together and pretend he's not there." Chie suggested.

"OK…" Yui muttered.

Chie took Yui's hand and led her back to the waterfall with Yukiko. They saw that Yosuke had changed into orange swim trunks, in anticipation for the swim. Just before they were within vision of Yosuke, Yui let go of Chie's hand.

"Sorry we're late…" Yui spoke up.

"Took you long enou–" Yosuke began to say, before staring in awe at the girls.

"Hey! Stop staring!" Chie shouted.

"This is embarrassing. Just say something already…" Yukiko whispered.

"Man, I knew you two would look good, but not THAT good! I'm sure when you two grow up, you'll look pretty hot! And Yui...I gotta say, you're probably the best looking one!" Yosuke fawned.

"You think so?" Yui asked quietly.

"Definitely! Ah, my heart can barely take it! Don't you agree, Kanji?"

"Leave me out of this!" Kanji barked.

Yui felt deeply uncomfortable, and could tell by Chie and Yukiko's expressions that they were just about ready to burst from embarrassment. Yui and Chie made eye contact, and in that moment, made a mutual agreement.

"Get him." Yui said to Chie.

"Yeah!" Chie replied.

Before Yosuke could react, Yui and Chie ran up to him and pushed him off the cliffside and into the water below. Yosuke shrieked in surprise and shock as he splashed into the cold water.

"Agh! It's freezing in here!" Yosuke complained.

"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to go swimming?" Yui taunted Yosuke.

"You didn't have to push me in!"

"You had it coming!" Chie said as she pouted.

"Uh, Kanji? Are you OK? You're staring at Yosuke." Yui asked Kanji.

Kanji turned to look at the girls, his nose suddenly bleeding.

"Huh?" Kanji asked.

"Kanji!" Yukiko shrieked as she pushed Kanji away.

Kanji fell into the water next to Yosuke, making a fuss as his clothes became soaked. He then began to sneeze as the cold river began to affect him.

"What'd you do that for?" Yui asked Yukiko.

"Creep…" Yukiko muttered.

"I don't think he was gawking at us…" Yui pondered.

"OK, I think I'm going to jump in now. They look kind of miserable. Feel free to join in if you want." Yui told the other girls.

"Wait! Do you hear that?" Chie stopped Yui.

"Hear what?" Yukiko asked.

Yui, Chie, and Yukiko turned their attention to upstream, where they heard Mr. Morooka vomiting into the river after consuming too much alcohol.

"Ewww! No wonder nobody came here to swim!" Chie shrieked.

Yosuke and Kanji stood in horror as they realized that the water was tainted. Yui slowly and carefully stood back up from the edge.

"Uh...sorry guys…" Yui apologized.

Yui decided to give up on any activities for the day, asking Chie and Yukiko to meet with her back at the tent. As the girls walked away, Yosuke and Kanji managed to pull themselves out of the river, hoping to do everything they could to wash the scent of vomit from themselves.


Author's Note (6-9-22): I was considering whether or not to leave the camping trip out, as I felt many of the interactions and moments in this part of the game hadn't aged well. I decided to take the opportunity to allow for further development of the relationship between Yui and her classmates, which led to new ways to expand the story. Out of the major scenes represented in this fic, this chapter has taken the most creative liberties, while hopefully still making it a worthwhile read.