Fortunately, Alan did not stay at our house.

After asking my parents, I heard that he had booked a hotel in this area for the weekend.

‘So the threat to stay at our house was a lie from the beginning.’

Somehow, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been fooled.

“Well, I guess he’ll lay low for a while. We’ve seen each other’s faces and talked… There’s nothing else to see, right?”

Playing together was a story from a long-forgotten childhood, and now we’re at different schools and live in different places.

Originally, human relationships naturally drift apart when contact becomes infrequent…

So I was guessing on my own that Alan’s visit to Connecticut was just a once-in-a-few-years thing, like a class reunion.

Now that we’ve seen each other’s faces and done what needed to be done, he won’t come again, I thought.

But what’s this?

“Juno, Alan. Shall we go out together with your parents like old times? We’ll go to the adventure park and the aquarium. We could even go hiking.”

“That sounds great! Alan, do you remember? The Mexican restaurant we used to go to often, the four of us.”

Alan nodded with a smile.

“Ah, I remember. It’s the one run by Uncle Bob, right?”

“Yeah, Bob is still running the restaurant. He got married and had a child too. He’ll be delighted to see you, Alan!”

I looked back and forth between Alan and my parents with a dumbfounded expression.

The week after Alan left, when I came downstairs basking in the leisurely weekend sunshine, Alan was in the living room.

Moreover, he was sitting side by side with my parents, even making plans to go out together.

“You, you what. Why are you here again?”

I pointed at Alan with a bewildered face and asked. Mother covered her mouth in surprise.

“Hey, no matter how close you are, that’s not right. How can you come out in your pajamas, Juno!”

I looked at my perfect pajamas with a burgundy background and blue checkered pattern, then raised my head.

“That’s not the issue. Why is Alan here again this week? In Connecticut?”

“Why not. The weather’s getting warmer, it’s nice to play. We told him to come over anytime. It would be nice to go hiking and have dinner together like old times. I hear the food at Alan’s boarding school is poor, so he always goes out to eat something delicious on weekends.”

“Oh my, then of course we should buy him something delicious. It’s nice that Alan took the time to come, it reminds me of the old days. Back then, we’d put Juno and Alan in the backseat of the car and go to eat crayfish…”

My parents chatted and laughed, ignoring my bewilderment.

Alan glanced at my parents, who were delighted at the prospect of a picnic after a long time, then approached me and said,

“It’s nice to get in touch after a while and be close like before, isn’t it?”

“Hey, what’s nice about…”

Then I turned my head in annoyance, but changed my mind and immediately smiled gently.

“…Isn’t it tiring to come and go from New York to here? Why do you come so often? Play with your New York friends. You must be exhausted from studying and closing dungeons on weekdays.”

“Ah, not really. I see the school kids every day living in the dorm. As I said earlier, we finally got in touch. It’s also nice to go out like old times, as uncle and aunt said.”

Alan said this with a bright smile on his face, without a trace of malice.

I had indirectly told him to stop coming so often, but it didn’t work at all.

“Ah, but coming without notice is still…”

Then father burst into hearty laughter.

“It seems Juno is upset because Alan hasn’t been in touch for a long time. Don’t just be close with the New York kids, Alan. It makes Juno feel sad, you know.”

“Ah, that’s really not it!”

I objected to my father’s sudden interjection.

But no one was seriously listening.

Damn it!

In the end, that day it was cloudy so we couldn’t go hiking, but we had a meal at an old Mexican restaurant nearby, did some light shopping, and then came home to watch a horror movie together.

We popped popcorn ourselves and mixed it with caramel sauce, had delivery kebabs for dinner, and even made strawberry ice cream for dessert before watching a comedy show.

‘What’s this? For something I said I didn’t like, it seems I enjoyed it too much.’

But it was delicious…

Anyway, that’s how one of my golden weekend days disappeared in the blink of an eye.

I couldn’t properly focus on the movie because I was so conscious of Alan.

‘And I really thought he wouldn’t come again, but…’

Contrary to my wishes, Alan came to Connecticut the next weekend too.

And the weekend after that.

Even the weekend after that!

We went to the aquarium, the museum, and even the adventure park we often visited as children. We even ate banana and chocolate flavored bubble ice cream that we used to eat when we were eight years old.

My parents were delighted to have someone to play with every time Alan came.

On the other hand, I was drained.

And, the next week, Alan came again.

It had already been a month.

* * *

Alan’s weekend visits became a new content in my parents’ lives.

The two of them, who liked active things, had already made a list of things to do when Alan came on weekdays. The two, who originally loved sports and active things, seemed to have found a good partner instead of Timothy.

And the result of that was today’s camping trip.

A container campsite made in a forest dense with trees.

We set up a tent in front of our reserved container accommodation and prepared for a barbecue.

I muttered, stepping on gravel with a dark face.

“I want… I want to stay at home. This is a nightmare.”

I was completely drained from the outdoor activities that had swept through the past month. My weekends had disappeared like cotton candy washed by a raccoon, melting away.

Tears of an introvert welled up in my two eyes.

Of course, I had no problem with stamina thanks to my ‘Academic Monster’ title and the physical training I’d undergone in the training ground.

But for an introvert like me who loves home, forcing outdoor activities during the weekend was too much. It felt like my HP was being depleted just by breathing outside.

Even after training, I should be peacefully lying in bed to recharge my energy…

Not only outdoor activities, but I also had to be mindful of Alan who suddenly joined in.

Even when I rested, it wasn’t really resting, and even when I played, it wasn’t really playing.

Not knowing any of this, Alan was helping my dad light a bonfire in front of the container.

If he had just come to Connecticut every weekend, I would have been less bothered.

But…

[New York High School Dungeon Team Suppresses Another D-Grade Gate.] [New York High School Dungeon Team Closes 7 D-Grade Gates and 3 C-Grade Gates, B-Grade Soon?]

While coming to Connecticut every weekend, he diligently attended school on weekdays and even closed gates.

And with far superior numbers compared to our school’s dungeon team.

Moreover, in New York, they could enter C-grade under supervision without fulfilling the number of days required to close D-grade gates. It was because of the different laws in each state.

I gritted my teeth, feeling like my blood was boiling.

And after staring at that distant black back of his head, I steeled my resolve and approached Alan.

“Alan, let’s talk.”

At my words, Alan turned his head to look at me. Seeing him open his green eyes wide like a gentle lamb, I silently pointed to the forest over there.

Alan looked at the coniferous forest and nodded.

“Uncle, I’ll be back after talking for a moment. This fire won’t go out if you keep adding fuel.”

“Alright. Don’t go too far, Juno, Alan. Alan, take care of Juno a bit.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Alan gave a gentle smile before following behind me. We entered the forest far enough to be out of sight from the campsite, but not too far.

Once we were out of my parents’ sight, Alan wiped the beaming smile off his face and looked at me.

Instead, a relaxed expression appeared.

“So, you said you had something to talk to me about?”

Because of the coniferous trees towering high into the sky, a shadow naturally fell across Alan’s face.

I swallowed, feeling an inexplicable strange sensation, and asked.

“You, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you all along.”

“Huh? Me?”

Alan pointed at himself with a puzzled look.

“Yeah. But I couldn’t bring it up in front of my parents because I felt awkward.”

I hesitated for a moment. Alan waited with his arms folded until I chose my words.

His lively green eyes became calm, and soon they sank as if exploring me.

At that moment, I grabbed the front of Alan’s camping vest.

“What…”

And I pushed Alan against the tree behind him.

Thud.

The tree shook and vibrated slightly as Alan’s back hit it hard. Fortunately, the two of us were well overlapped and hidden by the thick tree trunk, so my parents wouldn’t be able to see us.

“What… What are you doing?”

Alan, who had been relaxed all along, seemed a bit flustered. His green eyes wavered, shaking left and right, and his voice cracked.

I looked up at Alan with a serious face, undeterred.

“Alan, you. You come to Connecticut every weekend, but on weekdays you close gates at school. Almost twice a week.”

“…That’s right. But why?”

Alan raised his straight eyebrows upwards, as if it was an unexpected topic.

That look seemed both tense and wary.

Alan placed his hand on top of mine, which was gripping the front of his vest. He seemed to be debating whether to remove my hand or not.

With a firm resolve, I gripped the vest even tighter and opened my mouth.

“Then are you actually the same as me…”

My face was reflected in Alan’s eyes, which were like verdant foliage.

Inevitably, my voice trembled faintly. I barely managed to ask in a complicated voice.

“Are you an Academic Monster like me? Do you want to get into a good college too?”