Mountain, I Bought It – Living in Another World Isn’t Bad Either

Chapter 4. Struggling Through a Reckless Camping Trip (2)

“Is… is this a dream…?”

The first words that came out upon waking up. Lying inside the tent, they slipped out unconsciously.

Suddenly, looking outside, it seemed that it was already past noon, as the sun was tilting.

“Ah, crap, I need to unload the stuff quickly.”

In a hurry, I took down the large backpack that was placed on the passenger seat. Inside were clothes, towels, and other essentials.

In the trunk at the back of the car was a large plastic basket bought from a nearby home center. It was filled with a set of camping gear.

“Whoa, it’s heavy…”

Even though I was the one who loaded it into the car, why does it feel so heavy now?

After unloading all the gear, the first thing I set up was the mini table. Next to it, a folding chair. Placing the fire pit, it finally started to feel like camping.

I plopped down on the folding chair. Looking up at the sky, the blue had slightly tinged with red. It was already evening.

Even though I arrived at the campsite so early, how long had I been sleeping?

“Alright, first, fire. I need fire.”

I found a bundle of firewood among the unloaded items. I knew from countless videos and books that it wouldn’t light up immediately. I scoured the surrounding woods for dry grass and broken branches. I wished there were pine cones, but maybe the vegetation was different here—I couldn’t find any.

I arranged the firewood in the fire pit and placed dry grass and branches underneath.

“And then, the fire starter…”

I stuck the lighter into the dry grass and lit it.

“Light up… light up…”

Whispering as if casting a spell, the fire gradually spread to the firewood.

“…Phew, thank goodness…”

It would have been cooler if I could have used a fire starter and made it blaze up instantly, but that’s too advanced for a beginner. Maybe next time… or the time after that…

“……”

I silently stared at the fire. Truly mindless.

With the crackling sounds, time flowed on relentlessly.

“It’s quiet…”

I was slightly startled by the volume of my own muttering. The sounds of the wind and insects were so clear, making me acutely aware that I was alone in nature.

Growl~

The sound from my stomach reminded me that I was hungry. I opened the cooler to check its contents. Before sleeping, I had eaten a convenience store rice ball, but since this was a camping trip, I wanted to properly enjoy a camp meal.

I took out a 500ml water bottle and a ziplock bag of pre-measured, unwashed rice that I had prepared before leaving home.

I had experience with cooking rice in a mess tin back in elementary school, but this was my first time as an adult. I couldn’t afford a proper mess tin, so I placed a mess tin, solid fuel, and a mini stove I bought at a dollar store on the table. I also placed a retort curry from the same dollar store in a cooker.

Yes, retort. If this were a real camping trip, I should probably cook from scratch… but right now, I want to take the easy way out. Although, it’s a bit pricier retort.