The Humanity Club | ✓

41. Hiro's Big Windup -- rip-off anime, coming soon

CHAPTER 41

          How did I get here again?

          "Hey, can you give me a hand?"

         I rose my gaze to focus it on Hiro beckoning me to take some things off his hands. My eyes travelled between the many bags he had knocked over his shoulders and underneath his armpits then down towards the child who was tugging at my pants on this forest trail.

Behind him were several other toddlers, their third-grade teacher and other adults trailing shortly after. All of them carried their own separate haul of sleeping bags and tents in tow.

If you hadn't guessed it by now, I was going camping. Again.

As to why, now that was quite the funny story I should definitely enlighten you on. But if you could spare me the slightest moment...

Returning my blank stare towards him, I held up my hands. "Little kids, you heard Hiro. He wants us to give him a hand."

I clapped at once, in a slow meaningless movement. Accordingly, the adorable six-year-olds glanced at my action and soon chimed in, some even whistling and whooping for him to give it his best shot. Hiro who didn't have a baseball cap on to shield his face exposed a glare menacing enough to give the children the heebie-jeebies.

"Miyu-chan!" they screamed, all racing to hide behind me. "That guy is scaring us!"

I gave the nearest kid clinging to me the most a proper hug, my focus on Hiro in a deadpanned manner. "Ah, let's run away before he eats us."

Hiro wasn't taking my tease to be pleasurable at all. As if a switch had been flipped, he barked with even more hostility, "Hoshino!"

The kids screamed once again, cowering behind me further. This time I returned a frown.

"Hiro, stop scaring the children."

Hiro hissed like a snake about to devour its prey. "You're the one making it more complicated than it needs to be! I only asked you for help!"

          "You asked for a hand," I corrected. "Thus, I gave you one."

          "I swear with you it's always the littlest technicalities—"

          "Wah!" the child in my arms bawled, tiny hand curled around the fabric of my shirt. "I don't want to be eaten by that boy!"

          "Miyu-chan, save us!"

          "He's going to swallow us whole!"

          As more children began to whimper, Hiro had erupted like a volcano.

          "You brats! Be quiet! I'm not eating anybody!" I awkwardly veered my gaze, pushing out my lips but Hiro had already extended a finger towards me. "Hoshino, see what you put into their heads— Hey! Don't whistle and pretend you're innocent! You started this—"

          "You guys are definitely energetic," chuckled Megumi-san, their teacher, when she arrived.

          I nudged aside the kid in my grasps, whispering to settle them all down before Hiro actually went to eat us. After they sniffled and promised they'd be strong, I jogged over to her.

          "Need any help carrying those bags?"

          She gladly flashed me a weary smile and handed me a bundle of sleeping bags. "Thank you, dear."

          "Don't mention it." I smiled but when I turned around and saw Hiro glaring blatant daggers into me, I could only send him a shrug. He did realize that he agreed to this entire trip, right?