Chapter 38: How to enjoy one’s time, part 1.

“So after setting up the desk, the chairs, and the like, what should we do?”

Once it was all set up, we needed a fire to start cooking. Though we didn’t bring a portable stove, it was the last of our prep work in general.

“I wanna chop the firewood I just bought and make some feather sticks. Videos are all I know about it, though.”

“What’s that?”

“You cut the firewood in a way that makes it more flammable, or something along those lines.”

“Gotcha. Then let’s do that first.”

Regardless, we all decided I’d be the one to chop the firewood, and that the boss would be the one to light up the fire.

“Takasaki, you’re going to use the machete, right? Be careful not to hurt yourself.”

“Yes, yes.”

The firewood we bought from the receptionist was already cut down to some extent, so all I had to do was to split it into smaller pieces one after another on the wood-chopping table. While it was just another activity, I found it surprisingly fun. So I figured it’d be a nice experience for other people to have, as well.

“Would anyone like to give it a shot?” I suggested the bunch.

“I’ll do it.”
“I won’t.”
“Nah, I’m good. Busy right now.”

Sadly, though, the only person who showed a modicum of interest was the boss herself.

“Please be careful, boss,” I cautioned her before tilting my head, confused. “What are you doing?”

“No amount of sunscreen is too little. UV rays are the enemy of womankind, so I prepared a countermeasure.”

It was a tarp, a device to shield one from the elements of nature, which the teacher had prepared for us once she found out none had any. After struggling with the poles and hammering them in with a hammer and tongs, the teacher looked up at the tarp, which had been successfully completed, and put her hands on her hips with a swagger.

“So? How is it?” She was incredibly pleased with her own accomplishment.

“Oh, very camp-like! Plus, we’re dandy even if the weather changes.”

“Mhm, mhm! You have me to thank for that.”

Even the teacher seemed to be enjoying the outdoors somehow. Maybe she was more keen on this sorta stuff than she first let on.

“Whew, break time.”

With that said, she sat down on a folding chair, pulled a cold one from the cooler box, and swigged it down. Her voracious thirst was enough to make me question what alcohol is all about. I wondered if as I grew older, I would start drinking as much alcohol as I do water.

Looking at the teacher chilling on her own, I looked around to see what the others were doing. The boss still chopped the firewood with a machete. Actually, a more accurate word would be “tried.” No matter how many times she swung it, she could not separate the pieces properly, so she tried to pry them open with her own hands. Despite having a hard time, she seemed happy.

My eyes then wandered until they landed on Yuki, who, for some reason, relaxed while sitting on the chair I had just bought. Her eyes were closed peacefully, and she seemed to not even be there in heart and spirit. But I was still sure I’d still have my quiet time with my lovable books later.

‘Kay. I still have a ton of energy left, so I think I’ll prepare some feather sticks out of the firewood I just chopped.

“Takasaki, I don’t think this thing will catch fire…”

“I know…”

Though I tried to light a fire with the few feather sticks—or things that resembled one—I’d just made, not an ember would fly for the life of me.

“I saw a little spark, but that’s it.”

“Is this even possible?”

“…”

The boss looked extremely sad.

“Want me to look it up on my phone?”

“Yeah…”

Thus, the boss couldn’t resist lifting the ban on smartphones. According to our research, it was easier to just ignite some tissue or unraveled string, then spread flame from it as a starting point. We tried the tissue method, and while a bit of fire rose from the bark, we weren’t able to make it bigger. Soon as it started, it flickered into oblivion.

Growl…

The sound of an empty stomach cut through the silence. It had come from the boss.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

The clock had already struck 2 PM. It was late for lunch, but we still had yet to eat something. I couldn’t bear the boss’ sad look, so I just had to say something to her.

“Today isn’t the last day of our camping trip, so let’s just use a lighter for now.”

I watched as the department head nodded and, reluctantly, began to light the fire with the lighter. It had taken quite a while for us to get a decent ember before, but now it was done in a jiffy. Thank goodness we had it with us.

She then proceeded to prepare our lunch—four bowls of udon, which only required heat to get ready.

“Boss, we might not have made a fire properly today, but I had a ton of fun making the feather sticks. Here, I’ll give you a knife after we eat, so why don’t you try it later?”

“I’ll do it!” A little glimmer flickered in her eyes.

Her response was better than I’d expected, and soon she was up and running, having found a new purpose. What a lovable simpleton, a word used in its best meaning possible.

After the four of us finished eating, I told the boss roughly how to make the feather sticks, then went to the chair I’d taken the trouble to prepare and started reading.

T/N: Guys, I want your honest opinion: are you enjoying this?

I honestly feel like the author forgot the setup for this story, and I’m having a hard time finding the will in me to keep translating this anymore. The story got pretty convoluted, lost its footing, and is now something even less than a rom-com. There are just zero developments.

Do you want me to keep updating this, or should I just drop it?
Ugh, I hate dropping series, but this is just too much…