I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

At that moment—

Two shadows were quietly watching Kim Yu-seong and Rika dancing from afar.
"Was it really okay to let her have him? You really wanted to dance with Yu-seong, didn’t you?"
To Karen’s sudden question, Sasha shrugged and replied.

"It’s just a folk dance. Giving that up doesn’t change anything. As long as Yu-seong ends up staying by my side in the end, I don’t care about the process."
"…You’ve got nerves of steel."
"And what about you? Weren’t you hoping to make a good impression on Yu-seong?"

Karen also shrugged in response.
"I decided to let Rika have tonight. Like you said, I think there’ll be plenty more chances."
They all started from the same place.

The only difference was who met him first.
And since Kim Yu-seong hadn’t shown any particular interest in anyone yet, they all still had a chance.
That was what Sasha was pointing out.

"There are going to be plenty more events ahead. And when the time comes, I won’t be stepping aside like I did today. Just for tonight… consider this a reward for the courage you mustered to save your friend."
"Hmph, listen to you brag."
As Karen scoffed and shoved her hands into her pockets, Sasha scratched her head and sat down beside her.

"You did good earlier."
Surprised by the unexpected praise, Karen looked at Sasha for a moment before grinning.
"You too."

The two of them sat together where no one could see them, quietly watching the campfire logs burn.
***
All things must come to an end.
And the logs that had caught fire soon turned to ash and faded away.

With the final event of forest school— the campfire— now finished, everyone was quietly heading back to their tents, filled with lingering emotion.
Walking slightly ahead, hands clasped behind her back, Rika asked,
"Ryu-chan, how was forest school for you?"

Hearing that, I quietly recalled everything that happened over the past three days and two nights.
Doing environmental clean-up, the cooking competition, the test of courage where I fought a bear, visiting the Marine Eco Park, treasure hunting, and even dancing a folk dance I’d never imagined doing at the campfire.
Thinking about the grad student I used to be, it was absurd how densely packed those days had been.

Even when I’m an adult, I’ll probably remember this trip fondly.
"It was fun."
"Hehe, me too."

Smiling radiantly, Rika waved just before heading into her tent and said,
"Good night, Ryu-chan."
"Yeah, you too, Rika."

Before it got too late, we all went into our tents and slipped into our blankets.
The last day of forest school passed quietly like that.
***

We woke up early the next morning and took down [N O V E L I G H T] the tents before heading home.
Since all the equipment had been rented from the camping site from the beginning, it was only right to return everything neat and clean.
Unlike setting them up, taking down the tents we’d stayed in for two nights didn’t take much time.

Naturally, dismantling is easier than assembling.
Once we’d returned all the tents, we left the camping site early in the morning.
On the way from Chiba back to Tokyo—

Just three days ago, the sightseeing bus had been buzzing with excitement over the trip, but now it was eerily quiet.
After camping out in an unfamiliar environment for two nights, it made sense that everyone was completely drained.
Among the students of Class 2-B, I was the only one who looked perfectly fine, but with the low energy atmosphere, doing anything felt off, so I just played games on my phone until we arrived at school.

"Okay! Don’t go out partying just because we finished early! Go home, rest up, and come back tomorrow with smiles!"
Matsuda, who had worked hard leading the students as the second-year supervisor over these three days and two nights, clapped his hands as he declared the trip officially over.
With that, the second-year students who had gathered in front of the platform on the field began scattering in all directions.

"See you all tomorrow!"
"Go home and get some good rest."
"Bye~ bye~"

After exchanging goodbyes, we all began our early walk home.
But realizing we were headed the same way, Yaguchi muttered in surprise,
"Come to think of it, we’re all going in the same direction."

Unlike the class rep, Sasha, or Satoru who lived in different areas, the four of us, including myself, were all headed to Setagaya via the same subway line.
To be honest, if there was anyone here that was most awkward to talk to, it’d be Yaguchi Maiya.
With Sakamoto Ryuji—at least we were both guys, and after bunking together in the same tent for two nights, we’d opened up a bit. But with Yaguchi, we barely had any interaction at all.

Even over the past two days, most of the few exchanges we had were indirect, routed through Sakamoto.
She probably felt just as awkward around me.
Naturally, even though the four of us were walking together, we split off into pairs and chatted separately.

It was as if there was an invisible wall between us.
Perhaps realizing that a bit late, Sakamoto Ryuji chuckled and said,
"Now that I think about it, you two have hardly ever spoken to Yaguchi, right? Despite how she looks, she’s actually really shy."

"Ryuji!"
Yaguchi scolded him, her face red as she peeked out from behind his back, but Sakamoto didn’t stop his meddling.
"But she’s a good girl. I’m not just saying that because she’s my childhood friend—she’s genuinely kind."

"Aaaugh…"
Yaguchi lowered her head, blushing hard.
With her exaggerated movements and reactions, it was clear—she was definitely the true heroine of this world.

Thanks to Sakamoto’s meddling, we spent the entire train ride home listening to his explanations about Yaguchi Maiya and their relationship.
Basically, the two had known each other since kindergarten and had never left the neighborhood they were born in—a pair of born-and-raised Tokyoites.
Their parents were acquainted, so they naturally grew close, and that bond brought them to where they are now.

Cliché, but undeniably textbook childhood friend material.
"My family runs a small martial arts dojo. Um… Kim-kun, if you ever feel like doing something other than weight training, you’re welcome to stop by anytime. I’m sure my parents would love to meet you."
"Huh? Ah… Thanks for the thought."

While we chatted like that, we arrived at Chitose-Funabashi Station.
Sakamoto and Yaguchi waved as they got off first, and Rika, who was getting off at the next stop—Seijo—also got ready to say goodbye.
"Well, I’ll be going. You get home safe too, Rika."

Rika hesitated for a moment, then said,
"Um, Ryu-chan, Jo…"
"Jo?"

I tilted my head, repeating the sound.
Finally, Rika spoke with determination.
"Get home safe! And don’t forget to put ointment on your injury!"

…That was it?
I gave her a wave, telling her I’d be fine, and watched her quietly until the subway doors closed.
Rika waved back enthusiastically, then leaned her back against the subway door.

And just like that, the long, long three-day forest school trip came to a complete end.
***
When full-fledged summer hits, the rainy season begins.

And when the rainy season comes alongside the heat, the humidity rises with it—and so does the general human irritability index.
With June almost over and July right around the corner, I was still being pestered by Fuma-senpai.
"Kim Yu-seong, it’s not too late even now. Become my husband."

"Kim Yu-seong, if you agree to become my son-in-law, I’ll throw in a rare secret technique."
"Kim Yu-seong, if you want… I can do things like this, or even things like that."
"Kim Yu-seong…"

"Kim Yu-seong…"
"Kim Yu-seong…"
"Enough!!"

At first, I tried to ignore her completely, but the more I did, the more persistent she became—that’s just the kind of woman Fuma-senpai was.
In the end, utterly defeated by her relentless stalking, I raised the white flag and asked her honestly,
"Senpai, don’t you want a love marriage?"

Fuma-senpai blinked, then placed a hand over her chest and said,
"I’ve already decided to dedicate this body of mine for the sake of the clan. If that ends up being a political marriage, then I will gladly offer myself."
"I understand that’s your stance. But even so, you don’t want to spend your life with someone you don’t love, right?"

"That’s… true."
"I’m the same. So our opinions are going to remain forever parallel, aren’t they?"
But Fuma-senpai replied boldly,

"Kim Yu-seong, I get what you’re trying to say. But your logic has a fatal flaw."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You’re assuming I don’t have feelings for you."

And with a confident expression, she declared,
"I think you’d make a fine husband. Which means my mission for the rest of this semester was decided from the very beginning."
I’ll make sure you remember that I’m the number one bride candidate.

"Don’t underestimate a ninja’s persistence, Kim Yu-seong."
Fuma-senpai said it with a dead-serious face.