Just Smile Forever~A Mikaze Ai Fan-Fiction

Reasons for Happiness?!

"Um...where are we?" I mumbled, after beginning to believe that every tree looked the exact same.

Ai-senpai frowned, "we're going to where the three of them should've been, to get the water," he gave me a sidelong glance, "would you be lost as well without me?"

I nodded sheeplishly, "I probably would. I'm not very good with directions, I think. I can never understand maps, so you can just see how it would go without one."

His face unbelivably quirked into a smile, "finally, something you didn't manage to learn from books. I was beginning to think that you were a lot like me."

I glanced back at him, surprised, "did I seem like I knew everything because of the books I read?"

He nodded, "I rely on books just as heavily, though, so I really shouldn't be the one talking. Books are amazing resources that us humans have seemed to start abandoning just simply because of the Internet. But there's an irreplacable value for these books."

I hummed in agreement, "but I guess it can't teach you real life skills, eh?"

"Real life?" Ai-senpai echoed.

"Yeah, like knowing which way's north," I replied, looking around, "I'm completely lost right now."

"There's north," Ai-senpai pointed to our left, "but we've been walking east this entire time. The station should be right in front of us."

"How do you know all this?" I asked wistfully, "I think if I had half of your sense of direction, I would never get lost."

He shrugged, "it's just using your surroundings. Just look at the sun. Haven't you learned that it rises in the east and sets in the west?"

I scratched my head, thinking, "um....I think I've heard about it somewhere....?"

Ai-senpai sighed, "you really don't know where you are. If I were to leave you right now, I don't think you would meet another person for at least a month."

I widened my eyes, "would you leave me? Don't. Please?"

He tilted his head slightly, as if considering it, "well, now that you actually mention it....it might be a good learning experience."

"Learning experience?!" I echoed in alarm, "don't you dare! There might still be bears around here! My parents would never let me continue as a composer!"

Ai-senpai only smirked in response, and I gaped openly back at him, "don't you even think about it! Walk in front of me!"

He frowned, "I don't like walking in front of someone. It makes me feel like they're following me."

"Well, I am! So go!" I half-pushed him in front of me.

He let out an annoyed sigh, and grabbed my hand. I stared at our joined hands in shock, and back at his expresionless face, "what are you doing?!"

"If you don't want to lose someone, you hold on to them, don't you?" Ai-senpai asked, "I got that from my data. Is it wrong?"

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion, "well.....I guess that's what we do but....." I looked at our joined hands, not sure how to explain it to him.

"Well, if it's not wrong, then let's go! We're wasting time here," Ai-senpai huffed, without listening to my response. He practically dragged me onwards, until I recovered from my shock.

I hurried to match his fast pace, and involuntarily smiled. His hand surprisingly felt warm and comfortable.

"Here we are," Ai-senpai stopped at the watering station. The clearing was empty.