In This World, It's Us. - Daerin.

Chap. 6

Daily's pov.

We have the whole day ahead of us, And it's just starting now, maybe?

But, if you pretty much consider it, it's actually very exhausting to the fact it may also kill you.

Timeskip..

Tpp

The sun was beating down as Daily watched Hanji, her partner and long-time rival, wading ankle-deep in the shallows, eyes narrowed in determination. Hanji was on a mission: find a crab for… some reason Daily didn’t fully understand but was happy to watch play out. Hanj, her ever-competitive spirit blazing, was clearly set on showing off her crab-catching skills, and Daily couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how serious she was taking this.

Suddenly, Hanji let out a loud yelp and jerked her foot back, stumbling in the sand and losing her balance. She was standing there, hopping on one foot, her other foot clutched in her hand, when Daily noticed it: a small, rather irritated crab still clinging to Haiko’s toe.

Daily’s laughter erupted before she could even try to contain it. She doubled over, clutching her stomach, as tears pricked her eyes. “Ayan, karma! Tinamaan ka rin!” she managed between gasps, laughing harder every time Hanji shot her a glare, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration.

“Tumigil ka nga kakatawa at tulungan mo ako?” Hanji said, exasperated. But Daily could only giggle harder, the image of Hanji overconfident stride cut short by a tiny crab now etched permanently in her mind.

After a few more seconds, Daily finally regained enough control to gently pry the crab off Haiko’s toe. But not before snapping a mental picture of her rival in this very moment—the fierce, unbeatable Hanji bested by a beach crab. “Pantay na tayo ngayon, ano?” she teased, a playful glint in her eyes as Hanji rolled hers, still glaring but with the tiniest hint of a smile creeping through.

And timeskip again.

Daily and Hanji, still recovering from the earlier crab incident, had a new mission: collecting logs for the class bonfire. Their teacher had given them the job, probably hoping the task would keep their competitive energy focused on something useful.

Daily trudged along with her eyes scanning the ground for driftwood, glancing over occasionally at Hanji, who, predictably, was taking the task as seriously as if it were a scavenger hunt with a trophy at the end.

“Alam mo,” Daily smirked, holding up a decent-sized branch she’d just found, “baka kung mabagal-bagal ka maglakad, hindi ka susugurin ng susunod na alimasag na madaanan mo.”

Hanji rolled her eyes but shot back, “Bahala na. Kailangan natin ng tamang mga kahoy, hindi ang koleksyon mo ng mga tingting.”

“Ay, pasensya naman, eksperto sa pangongolekta ng kahoy,” Daily quipped, twirling the branch in her hand dramatically. “O sige nga, ikaw na ang mag-lead.”

Hanji didn’t hesitate. She turned on her heel, stepping a bit more cautiously this time, and led them toward a cluster of driftwood up the shore. The two of them worked mostly in silence, Daily tossing in a few sarcastic remarks every now and then, and Hanji replying with that signature eye-roll or muttered comment.

But as they gathered a respectable pile of wood, something shifted. The beach was growing darker, and the quiet sounds of the waves mixed with the muffled voices of their classmates somewhere in the distance. Daily, brushing the sand off her hands, glanced over to see Hanji, who was examining a piece of driftwood with a strangely thoughtful expression.

“Ayos ka lang, Hanji?” Daily asked, genuinely curious for once.

Hanji snapped out of her thoughts, nodding quickly, the focused look gone. “Oo naman, tinitingnan ko lang kung… tama ang laki,” she said, brushing it off but with a faint smile that Daily noticed this time.

By the time they’d gathered enough wood and were heading back, their usual rivalry felt a bit lighter, softened by the shared task and quiet companionship. And as they neared the fire pit where the rest of their class waited, Daily couldn’t resist one last playful nudge. “Sa susunod na makipag-sabayan ka sa alimasag, tawagin mo ako. Ayokong makaligtaan iyon.”

Hanji chuckled, shaking her head. “Siguraduhin mo lang na handa kang makisabay. Hindi ako babagal para sa’yo.”

And timeskip again..

-reminder!
Edited ! I mistaked Haiko as Hanji🥹

TBC!!