COTE: YEAR 2 REACTION

Chapter 10: Who am『I』?

The sky grew dimmer and dimmer by the second as the overall visibility of our surroundings began to get much, much worse. The wind was also getting stronger, and at times a particularly fierce gale would come and violently blow down the slope.

Sotomura started laughing, albeit creepily, "BUHAHA! Dull skies, signs of heavy rain, poor visibility, these are just plot devices manga authors use to set up a classic action fight scene. Boys and girls, strap on your seatbelts, shits about to go down." he declared, his words punctuated by the ominous creaking of his chair as he leaned back and forth, almost as if he was immersing himself into the characters on screen.

Despite all of this, the good news was that we were nearly finished with our journey to the top. All we had to do now was follow a relatively smoother path heading down the other side. Of course, we'd still have to make sure not to lose our footing somehow on our way back down, so we couldn't be too careful.

"I'll be fine now that we've come this far. My bag... I'll carry it again from here."

"Are you sure? I'd like to avoid wasting time later by having to go through the process of handing it over again."

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you very much for helping me."

I looked to confirm once more just to be sure, but she seemed confident, so I returned her bag. However, rather than slinging it over her shoulder and wearing it as she had earlier, she stood still and stared at it as she held it in her hands.

"Either that or it's gonna be a confession. Sorry if I got your panties in a twist, folks." Sotomura apologised sheepishly.

"Don't sweat it. No one here really takes you all that seriously," Mori quipped casually, almost as an afterthought, earning a few 'Oof's from the nearby students.

"H-Huh? Y-you're joking, right?" The former stammered.

A few 'Don't mind!' echoed through the crowd.

"So? Ready to go?"

I asked her this, but she didn't even try to respond. It didn't seem like the type of behaviour you'd expect from someone who was in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Ayanokōji-senpai, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"It's seemed like you've been thinking about something ever since you first came out of your tent this morning."

"Don't you mean our tent, Ayanokouji-senpai~" Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amasawa chimed in with a playful smile. The timing and gall of this girl.

"Why do I hear sudden soviet union noises?"

"Her parents definitely dropped her when she was a baby. One too many screws loose, that one," Kei said, seemingly displeased.

"I wish my parents had dropped me when I was a baby. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to suffer through this." Someone lamented.

"Don't say that, besto friendo! Be proud that you witnessed the greatness of Ayanokouji-kun. This is your 'I was here' moment!"

No, to be precise, I'd say she's had this air of curiosity about her from the moment she first asked to accompany me.

"So... you noticed after all, huh?" Nanase didn't seem very surprised by this as she just nodded along as she spoke.

"There's a reason why I've been sticking close to you these past few days, Ayanokōji-senpai."

"Is it because of the warm and safe arms of his?"