The Next Day
“Maomi, sorry to keep you waiting. C’mon, get in!”
I was waiting for Yuma at the station’s traffic circle and stood frozen.
It wasn’t because Yuma’s smile was dazzling. It was because I was staring up at the roof extending over the driver’s seat.
It was a spacious sleeping area, big enough for two people. A cab-over…
What Yuma was driving was a camper van with a living space attached to the back of the truck cabin.
It was a model I had seen in an outdoor magazine. I think it was compact for a camper but could sleep five adults and had amenities like air conditioning, a refrigerator, a toilet, and a hot shower. But I remember the price clearly, over 10 million yen. It was one of the cheaper ones, but still…
“Did you rent this for practice? This is a huge production, I’m surprised!”
Our plan was day camping. You can often go to places empty-handed, rent equipment, and buy food on site. But this sparkling clean camper van…
I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Aren’t you overdoing it?” to the excited Yuma.
So instead, I cheered, “I’ve always wanted to ride in one of these!” from the comfortable passenger seat with a great view.
“Yeah, the campground today doesn’t have toilets, water, or electricity, so I thought this would be more convenient.”
“Huh? That campground is definitely not for beginners, is it? We don’t do serious camping like that.”
“Hehe, but the location is my best-kept secret spot, so look forward to it. Let’s have a BBQ with a great view!”
“Oh…”
It seemed there was a reason for this extravagant setup. I peeked at the back seats, which I had been too intimidated to look at directly.
The sofa looked incredibly comfortable, and with outlets and water, the living environment was perfect. We could go on a long trip with no problems.
Okay, I thought. If the destination is a place where we can make the most of this camper, I’ll just trust Yuma.
We escaped the city traffic and got on the highway, driving north for about an hour. We stopped at a roadside station to get vegetables and meat, and then I asked him to stop by a liquor store.
Yuma said, “You can drink. You’re more fun when you’re cheerful, Maomi.”
So I figured it was a good time to use the beer vouchers he had given me.
“Hey, about those beer vouchers you gave me… did you give them to the wrong person?”
When I opened the packet to pay for a can of beer, the vouchers were a bundle. I counted roughly 100,000 yen worth.
It was way too much for a thank-you gift. But Yuma laughed as he put the beer in the back refrigerator.
“Because you saving me is my treasure. So this is still not enough. Just think of it as a sign of how incredibly happy I was.”
Yuma’s sincere words warmed my heart, but had he forgotten how he had been starving and depressed?
Just when I was relieved that he had recovered, I started to worry about his financial sense.
He said he had a lot of savings, but was it even true?
If he was just a spendthrift with no real savings, that would be terrible.
“Yuma, I appreciate the thought, but you have to be careful with your money, okay? 100,000 yen is a large sum, you know? Oh, and I’m splitting the rental fee for this camper with you! No more paying me back or anything, let’s just be even!”
“You’re so conscientious and cute, Maomi.”
As I was still bewildered by Yuma’s carefree response, the camper van entered a lush mountain road. There were no prominent signs or oncoming cars, just a narrow road leading deeper into the forest.
It’s Saturday, right? Is there really a campground in a place this deserted?
Despite my concerns, the camper van drove through a tunnel of autumn-colored branches. Suddenly, a refreshing blue sky appeared.
In the bright, open space in the middle of the forest, there was a hammock swaying between the trees, a small babbling brook, and a cute little bridge.
There was only one large clearing. We parked the camper van in the center. When the door opened, the scent of greenery caressed my cheek.
The lush trees rustled, and the stillness was so profound I almost forgot it was a campsite.
“What a cute place! It’s more like a hideout or a secret base than a campground!”
“You like it?”
“Yeah!”
“I’m glad. I worked so hard to find it, even though I didn’t know what I was doing, just to make you happy.”
That’s right, Yuma worked so hard for me, even though it was his first time camping!
The expensive beer vouchers, the camper van, the campsite that felt so special.
None of the things he chose were within my imagination. But when I thought that these were all the result of his hard work, my eyes welled up with emotion at his sincerity.
We worked together to set up the tarp, with Yuma’s still-clumsy hands, and while I assembled the table and chairs, Yuma prepared the BBQ grill.
He told me to “just relax,” so I opened a can of beer and settled in.
It was hard to believe this was his first time camping and he was incredibly skilled. The fire was lit perfectly, and the BBQ was perfectly prepped.
A large, colorful skewer of meat and vegetables was placed on the table, and the cooking was superb.
“This is delicious! You didn’t need a practice run. You’re already a perfect 100!”
Yuma, who was sitting across from me, didn’t touch his food. He just stared at me. The rustle of the trees went on for a short time, and then Yuma’s voice dropped.
“No, actually, I already had a practice run.”
A practice run? We were here for a practice run for day camping, so what did he mean by “today’s practice run”?
“Since it’s just the two of us, I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me, so I rehearsed setting up the tarp and the BBQ.”
“Beforehand? By yourself?”
“With my family’s worker, Tanaka.”
“You went out of your way to ask that? I could have just taught you.”
“Because I wanted you to recognize me as a proper man as soon as possible. I’ve been thinking that since the day we met. That was the driving force that made me, the broken version of me, want to get better.”
The edges of Yuma’s eyes were as red as the autumn leaves. A red leaf fluttered onto his casually styled bangs, making it look like a scene from a movie.
“That day, you didn’t give up on me, Maomi, and that’s when a new life began for me.”
His gaze was so intense I hesitated to blink. “That’s an overstatement,” I wanted to say, but the words withered and disappeared in my throat.
“I really love you, Maomi. I wanted to prove that with everything I’ve done up until today. I wanted you to know that even though I was a broken, hunched mess, I can do anything for you. I’d be happy if that got through to you, even just a little.”
Oh yeah, I called him “Hunched Boy” back then. His image of staring into the abyss was now blurry, but Yuma showed me his gradual transformation with fixing his appearance, straightening his back, puffing out his chest, and smiling with joy. He now looked unsure of himself, with his brows lowered, yet also somewhat proud.
My heart felt a tickle inside. He’s so cute, so earnest. Ah, it’s too late for that now.
I’ve been feeling that way about him from the beginning.
“I got the message. I’m happy.”
Yuma’s cheeks colored like autumn leaves, and I felt a bit of heat on my cheeks too.
“You won’t treat me like your little brother anymore?”
“Yuma is Yuma. I think you’re an earnest man. The way you try so hard is cute… no, it’s cool.”
“Then, will you be my Maomi, and not just one of my friends?”
“Saying ‘mine’ all of a sudden… it’s kind of embarrassing…”
I stood up and reached out. I took the red leaf that was still on Yuma’s hair and tucked it into my own hair behind my ear.
“Then, Yuma, should we come here just the two of us next week? Can we get a reservation…”
Yuma’s eyes lit up, and he tilted his chair back and stood up. Startled and frozen, I was lifted up like a sack of rice and carried into the camper van.
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