Track 1

Taking a bath at this hour, Raito? How unusual.

Yeah, I’ve got to head out first thing in the morning. I was planning to take an early bath and call it a night.

Heading out that early? Where are you going?

Oh, I still had it in my pocket… Here.

...An invitation?

“Gather, New Humanity! Slurp Some Noodles! The Rookie-Scouting, UMA-Finding, Fifth-Dimensional Ramen Exchange Camp”...?

Doing a field survey workshop on some easy mountain trails while hunting for UMAs, then wrapping it all up with homemade ramen to bond with your peers... It’s a flawless, beginner-friendly event that covers every base!

The organizers actually asked me for advice regarding this, and as a token of gratitude, they invited me along.

However, though they claim it’s for beginners, this mountain is a genuine hotspot for UMA sightings... So, it’s no exaggeration to say that I recovered from my injury just for this day.

I see. In that case, be careful not to get hurt again, and have fun.

Uh huh—… Whoops.

Looks like you got a paper cut.

Haha, right after you told me to be careful, too.

Here. Use this.

!

A shumai-patterned bandage…

Heh, just like back in high school. Whenever I think of the ‘you’ I knew in the past, the first things that come to my mind are these shumai-patterned bandages.

If we’re going by that, then my impression of you was that you were someone who was always beaten up for some reason.

Haha, you got me there!

…Remember when we ran into each other behind the school building? Instead of reporting me to a teacher, you just handed me a bandage.

You looked pretty surprised to see me like that back then, so I figured that would’ve been the last of it—

But then you handed me a bandage another time, too. It had the same shumai pattern and everything. I think I was the one left surprised that time!

Is it really that strange to give a bandage to someone who’s hurt?

...No, not at all. You sure haven’t changed one bit, have you?

Thank you, Yukikaze.