"Um, we've pretty much finished exploring our assigned area, but we haven't found anything useful," Uesugi Hara said, breaking the silence first. His tone was a little awkward.
He'd failed to stop those ridiculous fantasies about his "good buddy" from running through his head again, so he hurriedly tried to change the subject.
Meanwhile, Kamuro Masumi, lying on his back, had let her thoughts wander elsewhere. Uesugi's back was so firm, and even through his clothes, she could feel the solid muscles of his chest. He was surprisingly well-built. How had she never noticed before?
Wait! Why was she thinking about this? Had the sun gone to her head? Kamuro Masumi abruptly snapped back to reality, her cheeks growing even hotter. All she could manage was a vague, "Oh."
"Since there's nothing here, I'd like to check out the area Katsuragi and the others were assigned. We might find something there," Uesugi Hara added.
"Oh." Her reply was still just one soft little word.
Uesugi Hara: ?
Uesugi Hara stopped walking. What was up with Kamuro? She'd been acting weird ever since he'd picked her up, barely saying a word and constantly spacing out. Was her foot hurting so much she couldn't even talk?
He couldn't help glancing back, only to meet Kamuro Masumi's hastily averted gaze. He swallowed his questions and kept walking.
Since Kamuro Masumi didn't object, Uesugi Hara made the decision for them. "Then let's go see how things are going over by Katsuragi, and head back afterward."
"...Okay." It was so hot. It was making her all fuzzy-headed.
The two continued on. The breeze through the trees carried the fresh scent of leaves, but did little to dispel the subtle tension in the air.
"Kamuro, take the water from my pocket and give me a drink."