Stealing Spree

Juri letting me choose what to do could be interpreted as her passing me the baton on how we’d go down this path. Going back to the camping center would mean I was also backing out at this. And if I chose the log cabin… then that meant, I didn’t want this moment to end abruptly.

From her words alone, she’s widely aware that we already crossed a certain line that defined our friendship. It’s already more than that. And for her, two things were blocking her way to complete that step. Her propriety and morality.

However, for us to progress to this point, she already bent both of those to a certain extent and the only thing left was for them to break, releasing her from their restriction.

But thinking about it, I initially got interested in her not because of her appearance. It’s those two traits that made her really great. That’s why I’m afraid to break them. If she threw those away then what would be left of her?

What a dilemma, right? If only there was a way to leave those two intact…

And yep. There’s none. I’d be betraying all of them if I ever made Juri mine and then keep her in the dark about what kind of relationship she entered.

In any case, this was just all in my head. Who knows? I might be the only one thinking about this and when the time comes, she’d reject me… Would that be embarrassing? I don’t know. But I guess that would be better than seeing her hurt.

Anyway, I still ended up picking the log cabin after some deliberation. And it’s already been five minutes since we moved from where we were.

Juri said it was nearby but we had to cross a stream at some point which soaked our feet for the second time today. There’s a small bridge but it was away from our location so… rather than waste more time going there, we braved it while hoping not to slip.

Ah. Right. Our boots weren’t tall enough to keep water from entering them. And so, to save it from being flooded in, we had to remove them and walk barefoot.

I asked her if I could carry her but Juri refused, saying she didn’t mind getting mud on her feet. We could still wash it later, after all.

Around five minutes later, Juri finally stopped and pointed somewhere in front of us that was seemingly a dead end, or in other words, we had to squeeze in between the trees to pass through it. And with the rain still not letting up, she had to lean closer for me to hear what she was saying.

“Ruki, there. Past these trees, there should be a huge boulder that helped hide the cabin from the eyes of most campers. We only have to circle around it and we’ll see it. I hope it’s still there or we’ll be forced to wait for the rain here… It’s getting colder…”

Right. Even though I managed to pull her to cover before she could be drenched in the rain, the temperature in the forest was truly lowering by the second. It wouldn’t be long for us to start quivering from the coldness.

And looking up, there was still no indication that the rain would cease at any moment. There were still occasional thunders and lightning which somehow raised the intensity of the rain. Furthermore, with the sun blocked by those rainclouds, our surroundings were already dark. The risk of staying outside was rising for us.

Who knows? Even if the caretakers of this forest were keeping wild, dangerous animals out of the forest, there could still be something out here that could threaten us. Like a snake or an insect.

“Alright. Let’s go. I’ll go in first. Also… use this to cover your head.” I took off my jacket and handed it to her. Since the umbrella wouldn’t really fit in the narrow space between the trees, I had to fold it.

Although she was confused at first, Juri smiled and nodded before draping it on top of her head.

With that, I entered the small opening between the trees before stretching my hand out for Juri to take.

I pulled her in and we started moving towards the boulder. Yep. It’s really there. It’s taller than me. Possibly something that rolled down the mountain many years ago.

Fortunately, after going around that boulder, we easily spotted the log cabin.

Although she called it small, it’s actually more like a house. There’s a porch and from outside, it looked like there’s an attic.

However, its surrounding was filled with tall grass. Possibly, no one was using it or it had been neglected by the caretakers.

Well, that’s not a problem anyway. I led the way, parting those tall grasses as I kept my hold on her hand.

By the time we reached the covered porch of the log cabin, I could already feel the water seeping from my shirt and pants.

As for Juri, only her shoulders and sides got drenched, thanks to those wet grasses.

When I turned around to face her, the girl was biting her lips in frustration as she observed my current state… “I think I made a mistake in telling you about this place, Ruki. Look, instead of becoming safe from the rain, I got you this drenched.”

She hurriedly brought out her handkerchief and tried to wipe my face with it.

Seeing that, my lips stretched into a smile as I leaned my face closer to make it easy for her. And while feeling her gentle caresses, I replied, “You gave me a choice and I chose this. No need to beat yourself for it, Juri. Besides, you know why I chose to go here instead of going back.”

“… That.” Perhaps embarrassed to admit it, Juri averted her gaze.

However, her arms continued moving, wiping my face and neck dry. Despite the coldness seeping through my skin, I couldn’t help but feel warm inside… This woman is really something else.

After a while, she handed my jacket back and we moved over to the door. We didn’t come here to stay on the porch, after all.

Thankfully, the door wasn’t locked at all. It opened with a light push.

Because there was no source of light inside and it’s dim outside, we couldn’t see anything. That didn’t pose a problem though.

Remembering everything that my girls packed, there’s also a flashlight there… It made me wonder if they predicted that the weather would be like this. It’s a coincidence, right?

“Amazing… What else do you have in that bag?” Juri couldn’t help but comment upon seeing me pulling the flashlight out and lighting our way.

“There are also snacks in here and the leftover tea and coffee earlier. We won’t starve in case the rain continues for more than an hour.”

“I’m ashamed. You’re more prepared than me… And it’s close to lunch. I thought I can treat you in a restaurant before we move to the last place but because of this rain…” Juri’s voice trailed there as she lamented our situation.

Well, I didn’t comment on that anymore and we just made our way inside, closing the door behind us.

Although the air was a little humid, it’s definitely warmer than the outside. Furthermore, I thought the floor would creak or break from our steps but it’s still surprisingly sturdy. There was also no dust particles blocking our view which meant… this place was probably cleaned regularly…

But why leave those tall grass outside? Ugh… Maybe to prevent campers from coming inside? Possible.

In any case, Juri, while relying on her memory moved to a hanging oil lantern on a pillar close to the middle of the cabin.

I told her I would check first if it had any oil but even before I could approach her, she already lighted it up.

“Heh. I knew it was still here. Ruki, look. We can sit there.” Juri said as she turned to me with a childish grin on her face while pointing at some wooden table set that was already tested by time.

With the light from the lantern hitting her face, I couldn’t help but stop in my steps to revel in her picturesque image.

Perhaps noticing me stuck staring at her, Juri tilted her head as she made her way back to me.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, concern once again making its appearance.

I shook my head and answered as I slowly enclosed her in my arms, “If I say I got dumbstruck by your beauty, will you believe me?”