"Masao, you're so slow."
Jahy stood at the doorway, complaining with obvious irritation.
At this moment, she was fully geared up: holding a crossbow she had made herself, with a paper handgun crafted by Tanaka Masao hanging at her waist. She even had a hat on her head to block the sun.
Yukinoshita Yukino was standing off to the side as well, her gaze fixed on Tanaka Masao.
After the weapons were finished, Jahy had insisted on going to get revenge on the crow. Yukinoshita Yukino checked the time and realized it was already close to noon, so she agreed to the idea.
It was almost lunchtime anyway. With that timing, it would be hard to concentrate on studying.
It would be better to get this out of the way first, then eat lunch, and study properly in the afternoon.
After discussing it, the three of them planned to head out together.
The main concern was that Jahy might get bullied by the crow again. Although crows aren't particularly dangerous animals, being careless could still result in injuries.
Eye injuries weren't impossible either.
While getting ready, they originally thought the two girls would take longer—but in the end, it was Tanaka Masao who delayed them the most.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Tanaka Masao said,
"Sorry. I was chatting with a friend and got held up."
Suddenly, he noticed the look of shock and disbelief on Yukinoshita Yukino's face.
"What's wrong, Yukinoshita-san? Is it really that surprising that I was chatting with a friend?"
Yukinoshita Yukino felt a bit awkward. Hearing something so unexpected, she hadn't quite managed to control her reaction.
"Sorry… it's just hard to accept all of a sudden. After all, at school, Tanaka-kun doesn't have a single friend."
"Stop chatting already. Let's go, or I'm leaving without you."
Seeing the two of them still talking, Jahy urged impatiently.
She looked exactly like a bored, irritated kid during New Year visits, when the parents get absorbed in conversation and refuse to leave.
"Okay."
Tanaka Masao and Yukinoshita Yukino responded as they started walking, continuing their conversation.
"Just because I don't have many friends at school doesn't mean I can't have friends outside. And also, Yukinoshita-san, there's something you said that was wrong."
"Oh? What was it?"
Yukinoshita Yukino recalled what she had just said. It didn't seem incorrect.
[Could it be… my grammar was wrong?]
Tanaka Masao said proudly,
"You said I don't have a single friend at school—but aren't you my friend?"
"…Me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino pointed at herself, momentarily unable to process it.
She had even suspected her wording was off, but never once considered that Tanaka Masao would call them friends.
Are the two of them friends?
Given how much time they spent together every day, and the fact that they could even invite each other over, calling them fairly close friends wouldn't be strange at all.
But Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't made a friend in nearly ten years.
As a result, she wasn't even sure anymore what "friend" really meant.
For a moment, she simply couldn't accept it.
Instinctively, Yukinoshita Yukino fell back on her usual line of reasoning.
"Tanaka-kun, if we're talking about becoming friends, then first we need to define what a friend is."
This time, Tanaka Masao didn't retort. Instead, he seriously thought it over.
"The definition of a friend… should be someone you can talk to, and when you meet again next time, you can still keep talking. If that's the case, then they count as a friend, right?"
"Just that?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was genuinely surprised. His definition of friendship was astonishingly simple.
"Then how do you define it, Yukinoshita-san?"
"Friends…"
After thinking for a moment, Yukinoshita Yukino spoke.
"So-called friends must understand each other, resonate with each other, stay together, support each other, shine together. They share a spiritual connection, can intuitively grasp every movement and expression of the other, encourage one another, and stand together through hardship."
The more Tanaka Masao listened, the more violently his eye twitched.
"Yukinoshita-san… are you talking about making friends, or searching for a lifelong partner?"
Yukinoshita Yukino blinked, confused.
"Aren't true friends supposed to accompany each other for life?"
"Uh…"
Tanaka Masao was momentarily speechless.
"If we're talking about best friends, then yeah, it can reach that level. But getting a best friend is really hard.
And no two people can just become best friends right from the start.
There are ordinary friends, good friends, and best friends.
The bond deepens gradually through continued interaction."
What Tanaka Masao said made a lot of sense, and Yukinoshita Yukino agreed.
"You're right. Relationships between friends deepen over time."
"Then… so between us—"
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at the slightly expectant Tanaka Masao, then turned her head away coolly.
"As for Tanaka-kun, you originally had no chance. But since you look so expectant, I'll reluctantly allow you to be an ordinary friend."
"Eh~? Just an ordinary friend? I thought we were good friends."
"Not satisfied with being an ordinary friend? You want to be a good friend? You've still got a long way to go before that, Tanaka-kun."
By normal standards, Tanaka Masao and Yukinoshita Yukino could absolutely be called good friends.
But with Yukinoshita Yukino's pride—and tsundere tendencies—there was no way she'd admit that so easily.
The day she openly acknowledged Tanaka Masao as a good friend would mean things had gone far beyond just "good friends."
"Please tell me the strategy for evolving."
"Dame~ (Nope)."
In high spirits, Yukinoshita Yukino smiled and walked ahead, ignoring Tanaka Masao.
"Tanaka-kun can figure it out on his own."
[Is just figuring it out really enough? It feels like trying now would actually lower my affection points.]
...
The three of them walked along like it was an ordinary outing, arriving at a small forest nearby.
It was similar to a natural park, covering a fairly large area and located in a somewhat remote spot, with not many buildings nearby.
Some small animals lived in the forest. As for large animals—setting aside whether the resources here could support them—even if they could, there wouldn't be any.
After all, this was an open area. If a large animal ran out and hurt someone, that would be a serious problem.
Looking at the path through the forest, Tanaka Masao asked,
"Do you know where that crow is?"
"Of course. Follow me."
Relying on the sensing ability granted by the magic stone she carried, Jahy could clearly detect the location of nearby magic stones.
Seeing Jahy head off in a direction without a path, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help feeling worried.
"Won't we get lost?"
"It's fine. This forest isn't big. Even if we get lost, as long as we keep walking in one direction, we'll get out."
Hearing Tanaka Masao's words, Yukinoshita Yukino put her worries aside and nodded.
"That's true. Let's hurry and keep up—don't get separated."
"Okay."