The country path was quiet. Fresh green sprouts had emerged from the weeds by the roadside, and some had even bloomed into tiny white flowers. Neatly arranged farmland stretched out on both sides, already filled with water that reflected light like shining mirrors.
"Hey! Sato-oneechan! Where are we going to play?"
The group wandered leisurely while chatting and laughing. Koshigaya Natsumi walked at the front beside Miyauchi Hikage with both hands behind her head, then suddenly stopped and turned around to ask.
Sato immediately stopped talking with Fujimiya Konomi and looked at her helplessly.
"Weren't you the one who asked me to come out and play with you? And now you're asking me?"
Koshigaya Natsumi had always been the fearless type. Hearing that, not only did she show no shame, she even curled her lips.
"But this is the countryside. There's barely anything to do!"
"And now the snow's gone too. The water in the stream is still freezing cold, so we can't even play there."
"Yeah, it really is pretty boring."
Miyauchi Hikage chimed in from the side.
Her personality was quite similar to Koshigaya Natsumi's. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Koshigaya Natsumi had been deeply influenced by her. Both of them were mischievous troublemakers who liked running around and jumping everywhere, completely incapable of sitting still. The moment they settled down, they would feel bored.
Without much enthusiasm, Miyauchi Hikage suggested, "How about we go to Natsumi's house and play games or something, like Monopoly or shogi?"
"Even Hikage-oneesan herself doesn't sound motivated. It'd definitely be boring, right?"
Miyauchi Renge mercilessly exposed Miyauchi Hikage from the side, her calm little face looking as though she had already seen right through her.
Yeah, just walking around like this really was pretty boring.
Although he always felt countryside life was relaxing, sometimes it also felt dull.
That was what Sato was thinking.
Suddenly, he noticed a patch of green swaying under the chilly early spring breeze near the foot of a distant mountain.
Those were bamboo trees, right?
Thoughtfully, Sato turned toward Fujimiya Konomi and asked, "Konomi, when do spring bamboo shoots come up?"
Fujimiya Konomi paused for a moment, then thought about it before answering, "Probably around this season?"
"Huh? We're going to dig spring bamboo shoots?"
Miyauchi Hikage and Koshigaya Natsumi, who had originally been walking at the very front, instantly rushed over in front of the two of them, their eyes shining brightly.
"Bamboo shoots?"
"We're going to dig spring bamboo shoots?"
"That sounds great! It's exactly the right season for it! Do we need tools?"
"I'll go home and get some!"
"I'm going too! Let's meet where the mountain path starts!"
Whoosh!
The two rushed over in a flash, fired questions and answers back and forth, then disappeared just as quickly, leaving everyone still standing there completely stunned.
Those two...
"Senpai Hikage and Senpai Natsumi suddenly got super motivated!"
Ichijou Hotaru watched the two figures sprinting away and covered her mouth in surprise.
Beside her, Koshigaya Komari placed her hands on her hips and sighed helplessly while shaking her head.
"She only gets motivated at times like this."
"Sato niichan, are we going to dig bamboo shoots?"
Miyauchi Renge walked up in front of Sato and looked up at him as she asked.
"Mm."
Sato rubbed Miyauchi Renge's head and nodded. Looking at the two figures in the distance, he let out a sigh.
At this point, even if he did not want to go, he had no choice but to.
"What are bamboo shoots?"
Kanna tugged on Sato's sleeve from the side and asked with her wide blue eyes.
"To put it simply... food."
In an instant, Kanna's eyes lit up brightly.
If there was one thing the little blue-eyed dragon loved most, then aside from eating there was probably nothing else.
...
At the foot of a nearby mountain.
As a rural area, Asahigaoka did not have much besides mountains. Looking around, green mountains could be seen everywhere.
After entering the mountain from here, there would be a large bamboo forest.
They did not wait long before Miyauchi Hikage and Koshigaya Komari came running over carrying little hoes and baskets.
"Oho! Sorry to keep everyone waiting!"
Koshigaya Natsumi waved the little hoe in her hand while greeting everyone from afar.
Koshigaya Komari immediately frowned and shouted loudly at her, "Natsumi, don't wave something dangerous around while running!"
Standing behind them, Sato suddenly laughed.
"For one brief moment, Komari actually felt like the older sister."
Fujimiya Konomi gently smiled while looking at Koshigaya Komari.
"Everyone, let's head up the mountain together!"
After reaching the group, the two excitedly called out, then immediately charged ahead.
Not long after entering the mountain, they arrived at the dense bamboo forest.
Sato quite liked bamboo forests. Normally, dense bamboo groves did not have many tangled bushes growing within them, so aside from the slender bamboo stalks standing tall, the place felt relatively open.
Mainly because the underground bamboo roots intertwined so densely that they prevented many other plants from growing.
In his previous life, the plant he saw most often beneath bamboo forests was one called flat bamboo root. Its leaves were narrow and about two fingers wide, and it bloomed with flowers mixed in white, pale purple, and bluish violet, with yellow stamens. During blooming season, they covered the ground beneath the bamboo forest.
It was just that he had never seen them here.
"Digging bamboo shoots, digging bamboo shoots! Hikage-oneesan, let's compete!"
"A competition? Sure! Let's see who digs up the most!"
"Hmph hmph, Hikage-oneesan will definitely become my defeated subordinate!"
"If you want to beat me, you're still a hundred years too early!"
Miyauchi Hikage and Koshigaya Natsumi exchanged fierce words at the front, their gazes colliding violently as though sparks were crackling through the air.
Finally, the corners of their mouths curved upward at the same time.
Whoosh!
In an instant, two gusts of wind shot through the bamboo forest.
Leaving behind only two baskets and two little hoes where they had stood.
"They really are idiots."
Koshigaya Komari pressed a hand against her forehead helplessly.
"Komari-senpai, let's go too!"
Ichijou Hotaru called out excitedly to Koshigaya Komari.
"Me? I don't really want to."
Koshigaya Komari hesitated a little. It was not very ladylike, after all.
"Senpai!"
Ichijou Hotaru launched a teary-eyed assault, and the attacked Koshigaya Komari immediately surrendered without resistance.
"Fine, I'll go with you."
Koshigaya Komari and Ichijou Hotaru took one little hoe, while Kanna and Miyauchi Renge took the last one.
In the end, only Sato and Fujimiya Konomi remained where they were.
"So... we're just waiting to eat?" Fujimiya Konomi's expression looked somewhat strange.
"Yeah, we're just waiting to eat."
Sato replied in an especially pleasant mood. Sometimes it was nice to steal half a day of leisure from life...