Inside the forest the class is clustered into groups as they continued to go deeper into the forest. Erie is busy looking at the plants she sees and she tends to get left behind sometimes. She’s so fascinated by the nature and she felt inspired to draw it if she just had a pen and paper.

                A few steps away she saw a red flower lying on the forest floor, its size the size of her hand. She examined it with utmost care, she looked up to tell her friends what she found but no one else was there. The group was already somewhere far away from her. Her heart thudded nervously, she’s lost.

                Erie looked around her to find a clue where they went but she found nothing, just rows and rows of trees. She’s already starting to panic when a voice speak behind her.

                “You know, you should pay attention to your surroundings.” said the voice. Erie whirled around to find Ohjiro leaning on the nearest pine tree, looking bored. He looked at her and then to the flower she was holding.

                “Ohjiro!” she exclaimed, she didn’t realize that the day would come where she will be so happy to see him.

                “Hey.” he said walking towards him.

                “I’m lost.” she complained.

                “Yeah, I can see that.” he said and took the flower from her.

                “Are you lost too?” Erie asked.

                Ohjiro smirked and handed her the flower back. “No. I know the place as much as my friend does.”

                Erie smiled at him hopefully. “You can get us back on the beach then?”

                “Yeah.” he nodded absent-mindedly.

                “Yay!” she clapped. “Let’s go.”

                “We should walk towards that way.” he said pointing on the south corner of the forest.

                Erie followed Ohjiro but stopped instantly when she felt a throbbing pain on her right foot.

“Aw.” she complained. Ohjiro stopped and looked at her.

                “What’s wrong?”

                “My right foot hurts.” she said sitting on a boulder to check her foot.

                “I’m not surprised; you’ve gone a long way.” Ohjiro said examining her foot.

                He turned around and crouched so that Erie was facing his back. “C’mon, I’ll carry you.”

                “No it’s okay. You don’t have to do that.” she protested shaking her head.

                “I insist.” Ohjiro said.

                Erie reluctantly wrapped her arms around Ohjiro’s neck and her legs to his body. He carried her full weight and they set to walk, Ohjiro carrying her behind his back like a backpack.

                When they emerged outside the forest, the light hurt her eyes. Erie thought that Ohjiro will put her down already but he continued to carry her on the cottage where she and her friends stayed.

                Once inside Ohjiro set her on the sofa and went outside. He came back with an icepack and a first aid kid on his hands. He put the icepack on her pained foot and Erie sighed in relief.

                “Where did you found the flower?” Ohjiro asked after a few minutes.

                “It was just lying on the ground.” she answered touching the flower that was now tucked on her ear.

                “It’s rare you know.” he said. “I only saw that flower once when I was 7.”

                “So you’ve been here before?” she asked counting the years.

                “Yeah, every summer, with Yuichi and the others.” he answered. “It felt like a long time.”

                Erie took the flower and twirled it on her hand. “Is this beach a resort back then?”

                “Nope. It’s just an ordinary vacation place of the Maki’s.” Ohjiro shrugged. “And then Yuichi’s dad decided to make it like this.”

                “And you don’t like that?” she asked curiously.

                “It’s fine, I guess. We just don’t go at the main hotel.” he replied.

                “Why not?”

                “It’s too noisy there, blocking the peacefulness of the place.” he complained. “I think we only stayed there once.”

                Erie looked at Ohjiro as he continued to tend her aching foot. She’s trying to picture what this place looked like nine years ago, or how Ohjiro looked like when he was seven, seeing this flower for the first time. She smiled as he pictured him trying to discover the wonder of that forest. Erie was still looking at him when an image crossed her mind.

                The image was so real that she froze. Erie remembered now who the boy that sometimes appears on her dreams. She even made a painting of her dream with him; she remembered who the guy outside the Art studio is.

                Erie was looking straight at him. It was Ohjiro, she saw sure of it.

                Ohjiro looked at her curiously, wondering why she fell silent. “Are you okay?”

                “Have you ever been at the Art studio?” Erie asked ignoring his question.

                Ohjiro frowned but answered her question. “Yeah, I go there on Saturdays. Why?”

                Erie shook her head and gave her the most dazzling smile pulling the flower close to her heart.