“Are you going to become friends with Itsuki-kun…?”

“Itsuki-kun and I need to get closer…?” Aya-chan tilted her head in confusion, as if she wanted to say, “But we’re already close.”

Well, maybe that’s just my wishful thinking.

“Yes, Aya-san. I’ll explain it in more detail later, but Resonance becomes stronger when people have more similarities. But aside from your age, you and Itsuki-kun aren’t that similar, are you?”

Not sure if even our ages are the same… I kept that thought to myself and simply nodded.

Thinking back to when I resonated with Hina without doing anything special, it seems like Resonance might be influenced more by physical age than mental age.

“That’s why I’d like you both to create something that will connect you.”

“Create something? Like what?” I asked.

Shirayuki-sensei answered directly, “Memories.”

To summarize what Sensei explained next:

First of all, the fact that Aya-chan and I are already close is important. But that alone won’t strengthen the Resonance. What we need to do is create a shared experience between us.

That’s because Resonance works on the principle of Sympathetic Magic—”things that are alike have the same properties.”

The quickest way to create this shared connection is by making memories together. And now that she mentions it, making memories does seem like an easy way to build common ground.

Though, given my past life, I don’t have many significant memories, so this idea might be tainted by my own wishful thinking again. Still, how exactly are we supposed to make memories together?

From my experience in my previous life, I know that memories are something you gain from doing things. They don’t just come to you while lying around. If you spend all day doing nothing, the only thing that will come to you is a vague sense of anxiety about the future. Trust me, I know.

“That said, making meaningful memories isn’t easy… So, we’ll try a few different things! First, hmm… let’s see…”

As Shirayuki-sensei pondered, looking down in thought, a whistle sounded from outside the window. Looking out, I saw my father gathering students and giving them instructions.

Sensei, who had also been watching, suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! Come to think of it, there’s something perfect here at the camp.”

“Something perfect?”

“I’m going to talk to Souichirou-san for a moment.”

Tilting my head in confusion, I followed Sensei as she led us outside.

We caught up just as my father and his group of students were preparing to head somewhere.

“Souichirou-san!” Shirayuki-sensei called out.

“Hm? Oh, Shirayuki. What is it?” My father stopped and instructed the students to continue on ahead. The middle-school-aged kids glanced at us curiously before following his orders and walking off in pairs.

While watching them leave, Shirayuki-sensei quickly explained the situation.

She told him about the Resonance attempt with Aya-chan, how something inside had rejected it, and that we now needed to wait before trying again. Additionally, she mentioned that we wanted to strengthen the Resonance by creating shared experiences between me and Aya-chan.

And to do that, she asked if we could use the camp facilities.

Father listened silently until Sensei finished, then nodded in agreement.

“Understood. If that’s the case, Itsuki and Aya will be under my supervision.”

“R-really? Thank you so much!”

“Of course. It’s perfect timing, after all. Don’t worry about it.”

Despite his formal tone, I could tell my father was pleased about something. I didn’t miss that hint of excitement.

After finishing his conversation with Sensei, Father turned to Aya-chan and me.

“Let’s move to a different location. The place we’re heading to is more suitable.”

“Where are we going?”

“The Jukai (Sea of Trees).”

“…Wait, what?”

“I said the Jukai,” Father repeated and started walking, motioning for us to follow.

When you hear “Jukai” in connection with Mount Fuji, even I know what that refers to. Isn’t that the famous haunted spot where people… well, people who don’t want to be followed go? I know about it.

Why are we going there?

As I followed my father, puzzled, he quickly explained.

“It’s a simple recreation activity. Most exorcists work in pairs, so learning the importance of cooperation is crucial. We’ve prepared a small challenge to teach this.”

“What kind of challenge?”

“You’ll use a paper map to navigate to your destination. It’s not difficult, but even the fastest pair will take about two hours. Spending that much time together should help strengthen your bond.”

“I see…”

I wasn’t sure how “simple” my father’s version of “simple” really was, but it seemed like a straightforward task. It sounded like the kind of activity you might do in elementary or middle school.

“You two should try it as well. I have a spare map.”

“What if we get lost?”

“Hmm… I don’t think it’s that difficult, but if anything happens, use your magic to signal me. I’ll come to the rescue.”

“Okay, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Leave it to me.”

Father handed me a folded paper map, which I opened to find a blue circle and a red circle marked on it. A few paths connected the two points.

“This is the map. The blue circle is the starting point, and the red circle is the goal. Normally, we wouldn’t give you a map with paths marked, but this is a special case.”

Father chuckled as he said that.

He’s calling it “special,” but I think he’s just lowered the difficulty for us since we’re less experienced. Honestly, without those marked paths, I’d have no idea where to go.

“We’re here,” Father said as he stopped. Aya-chan and I, who had been studying the map together, looked up. Your next read awaits at m v|l-e’-NovelBin.net

We had arrived at the entrance to a dense forest. A well-maintained path ran through the towering trees, almost like the entrance to a campsite deep in the woods.

As I gazed at the path ahead, Father pointed to the blue circle on our map.

“We’re here. Just follow the path on the map, and you should make it out. There may be a few surprises along the way, but try to enjoy yourselves.”

“Okay, we’ll be back soon!” I called as we set off.

“I’ll be waiting at the red circle,” Father replied, waving us off.

And with that, Aya-chan and I stepped into the Jukai.

The moment we entered, the light dimmed. Even though it was late July and nearly August, it felt cooler in the shade of the trees.

Mmm… This feels nice.

I’ve never been the outdoorsy type, but I think I finally understand why some people enjoy it.

As I was reveling in the cool air, Aya-chan, who had pocketed the map, apologized softly.

“I’m sorry, Itsuki-kun. It’s my fault we have to do this.”

“It’s not your fault, Aya-chan.”

I shook my head immediately. The problem wasn’t Aya-chan herself—it was whatever was inside her.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Thank you, Itsuki-kun!” Aya-chan smiled, pointing forward excitedly.

She took a few steps ahead, her energy clearly lifted, before turning to face me.

“This way, Itsuki-kun!”

“Don’t walk backward, you might—”

Before I could finish my warning, Aya-chan tripped on a root sticking out of the ground and fell backward.

“Watch out—!”

I quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back up… and in that instant, my consciousness was swallowed into Aya-chan’s world.

Everything went dark for a moment.

When I opened my eyes again…

“…Huh?”

I was standing all alone in the middle of a forest.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep