Chapter 13: Round the Fire
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After an eventful and exciting day enjoying the outdoors. There was only one thing left for the students here to do before their time was done. That was to hang around a campfire cooking over some delicious tender meat.

Tahiko stared at the cooking food intently with his mouth slightly agape. Drool began to fall out from it as his body prepared itself for a wonderful meal he hadn’t had in ages. The sizzling as the fat burned over the flames aided in causing him to feel more starvation.

“You’re looking hungry.” Fukuna sat besides him and commented. The boy was joined along with her and Chisa as the students sat around the campfire. They had relocated themselves back onto school ground. A nature preserve wouldn’t allow for people to be starting fires due to the risk of wildfires. Something that would go against the entire idea of a conservation area in the first place.

“I haven’t had a meal over a flame for a while now.” The last time he had by most people standards wasn’t long ago at all. In fact, it would just have been two weeks ago to the day for him. However, as someone used to having this be a part of his daily activity, to losing it because people didn’t typically do that here was hard on the boy. “I wish it were easier to do so around here.”

Tahiko was careful with his words. Chisa was someone who didn’t know his past, so it would be wise to prevent others from finding out where he came from. In a sense, his relationship to her was interesting in the fact that she was the closest person to him that didn’t know that he came from the world of Enatis.

In her eyes, he was a normal, albeit strange boy her age. So to him, he was able to see how others viewed him on a regular basis. “And I’m glad we all get to partake in consuming some fire cooked meat.”

Though that would mostly include most of the people in his year. There was one person who seemed not so mysteriously missing. Amasa didn’t care about eating some meat char and burned on a fire. But she couldn’t just leave without the boy, so the girl was somewhere nearby. Just not actually sitting with everyone else.

“Ah, don’t worry about her.” Fukuna played it off as no big deal. “She’s always being a gloom and doomer. Not to mention it’s not like anyone’s friends with her.”

“Well, what do you think, Ida?” He asked the less talkative girl.

“I don’t have any problems with her.” She replied. “But, it looks like she doesn’t want to talk to any of us. And I’d hate to be a bother.” In essence, she agreed that there was no point in the desire to bringing along Amasa to join them.

“I’d hate for her to miss out on such wondrous food.” He said, feeling out numbered on his feelings. No one seemed to want to push that girl out of her shell. He couldn’t even tell why she felt that way in the first place. It wasn’t as if the pair grew up together like most siblings would. “Perhaps, even if we do not talk I should save one for her.”

“You’re always so worried about people who don’t care about you.” Fukuna placed her hand on his arm, trying to convince him not to bother. “While at the same time, you’ve got someone like me who actually wants to be with you. Isn’t that good enough?” It seemed all so unfair to her. That he would bother to always have in mind that girl who was mean to him. The girl was already a bit miffed he decided to go out and spend so much time with this random other girl in Chisa whom he barely knew.

“I owe her a lot.” He responded. “But don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate your care for me.” Chisa looked on in their conversation in silence. She could never find a way to naturally come into the conversation unless a question was asked of her. It was just so difficult when one of them just so happened to be Fukuna of all people. A fairly popular girl. While the other was someone most people, including herself, knew little about.

“Fine, she is your sister after all.” Fukuna relented. As much as it might annoy her, there was no argument against him. “Just don’t waste all your time with her.”

“Great.” He got up and rushed past everyone. As a boy used to enjoying fire cooked meals. He knew exactly when they would be finished cooking and lacked the fear of getting close to the fire to grab himself a couple of pieces. After that, Tahiko went to where he was certain Amasa was hanging out at. Which wasn’t hard to seek out seeing as it was just behind a tree. “Kind of dark here, don’t you think?”

“I don’t care.” She replied, not budging from her spot. “And why are you here? Everyone else is by the fire.”

“I just wanted to give you some meat.” He said, offering the piece reserved for her. “Surely you must be hungry after our hectic day.”

“No I’m not.” She replied, but her stomach had a different response. It growled in starvation from the scent of the perfectly cooked chunk of meat right before her. “Fine, maybe a little.” She turned her head away in embarrassment of having him hear that.

“I don’t believe it to be a problem if you eat here, right?”

“Right…” She relented and took it from his hands. As much as she would’ve liked to shove it in her mouth so it’d be in her hungry stomach sooner, the girl did want to maintain some semblance of manners and dignity. “It’s delicious.” She said after taking a small bite.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Tahiko, on the other hand, popped it up into the air and let the hot piece fall right into his mouth. “Ahh! It’s still a bit too hot.” He stuck his tongue out in pain and spoke in a muffled manner due to it.

“Idiot.” She chided him once again for being so reckless. “If that’s everything, you can go now.”

“Why do you not wish to join all of us by the fire?”

“I figured there's a catch.” That was why she was reluctant to accept his kind offer. This boy was adamant on getting her to go make friends and be sociable despite it being against her wishes. “Why are you still bringing that up?”

“Because, it just seems like a lonely life.” He replied. “To do so on purpose just seems counter intuitive.”

“Well, I might seem weird to you. But let’s be honest, you’re weird to pretty much all of us.” She got upset with his constant attempts that the girl spoke her mind to him. “You don’t belong here. Ever since you came along, my life has been a complete and utter disaster. I get stuck with people I either don’t like or care about. And you’re always doing something reckless that embarrasses me in the end.”

“I see…” He hung his head down in sorrow. “I apologize for inconveniencing you.”

“You really don’t have to kneel before me.” She replied, feeling a bit guilty for yelling at him. But at the same time, he was getting onto her last nerves. “If you want to make me happy, just leave me alone…”

“If that is your wish, I shall follow.” He did as she asked and returned alone back to the fire.

“Did she like it?” Chisa asked upon his arrival.

“She did enjoy the food.” He responded a lot more dejected than when he left them. “I suppose she really doesn’t want to be with us.”

“See, I told you that downer was going to get to you.” Fukuna consoled him in the only manner she knew how. That being to insult the girl. “Amasa’s a nobody. No one really cares about her, and honestly she probably likes it better that way.”

“Plus, it’s not like you can’t see her.” Chisa also attempted to make him feel better. “She’s your sister, so you live together and stuff. If she doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but you, then that should be fine, right?”

“I suppose it is.” He laid back onto the hard dirt floor they were sitting on. “Because I guess that’s just the way she is.”

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