It took a decent amount of time to move through the woods, so as I shuffled along the path, I took a look at my surroundings. Apart from the trees and the protrusion of roots in the ground, I couldn’t see any life on the forest floor. There were no grasses, no ferns, no mushrooms—nothing, save for the trees, all of which were fully grown. It was as if anything shorter than an average adult simply didn’t grow here.

To my left, I could still see the slope of the main road. Though it still towered above me, I noticed it beginning to get lower as I continued down the path. However, it was hard to tell for sure, namely due to all the muck in my view, which was forcing me to travel more slowly. Funnily enough, in this condition, I found it easier to move around in the pitch black of night than through the forest during the day.

After a while, I reached the end of the path. But from what I could see, there wasn’t anything up ahead, apart from more trees. But that raised the question of where everyone else had gone.

“Hey, could you get a move on it?” I heard a gruff voice speak. I looked in front of me and saw a tree towering over me. So this must be one of the trees that left the clearing. But why was it sticking around here?

“What are you doing here?”

“Trying to survive!” The tree responded. “What’s it to you?”

“Look, there were a bunch of things who looked a lot like me that came this way. Have you seen any of them?”

“Oh, those guys,” the tree replied. “You’re with them?”

“Yeah, could you tell me where they went?”

“Fine!” The tree responded. “What do I have to do to get some peace and quiet?”

Suddenly, a tendril wrapped around me, lifting me in the air towards the trunk of the tree. And then, in rapid motion, it threw me. Different shades of green rushed around me as I zipped through the air. And then, in an instant, it stopped, and I saw the sky above me.

Trying to get my bearings, I looked around. In front of me, I saw a large body of water, though not as large as the lake. It looked like a river, but it didn’t seem to have any current. Behind it were some trees as well as mountains further out, which curved somewhat at the edges of my periphery. And to my left, I saw a bridge going across the water, looming above me, both my size and the river’s valley likely playing a part.

But interestingly, to my right, alongside the coast, I saw a group of trees that looked very abnormal. Many were missing branches or leaves; several even had cracked—or even outright broken—trunks, though they were still standing upright despite this. The roots of the trees were exposed, at least partially, and some of them were dipped underneath the water, like a straw or a fishing rod. I could even see some trees walking in the water, which to most would seem absolutely bizarre. They looked to be heading toward a small island in the middle of the body of water, which was also crowded with trees. So, this must be where all those trees went. But how did they all know to go here? And for that matter, why were they all sticking around?

“There you are, Ishikawa-san!” a voice said, jolting me out of my reverie. I looked back to see Aikawa. “Glad to see you made it!”

“Thanks…” I replied after a moment. “Do you know where the others are?”

“Oh, they’re out and about, here and there.” Aikawa responded. “Most of your guys went in the water to bathe.”

I looked down towards the water’s edge, and I couldn’t see anything, aside from trails of unidentifiable muck flowing away from it.

“You want to join them?” Aikawa continued. “It sure looks like you could use a bath yourself!”

I went down toward the water, prepared to go in and dry off. But then I froze. I recalled the peasant skipping stones in the lake. I remembered how each rock sank into the waters below, never to be seen again. Each and every one of them was etched into my mind. However, unlike then, I had the ability to move. So why did I still feel scared?

I looked into the murky waters in front of me. How deep did it go? Would I be even able to get out? After all, pebbles sink. These thoughts crowded my mind. I knew I told that girl not to let fear stop her, but it turned out fear could be very powerful.

“Are you going to go in?” Aikawa asked, shaking me out of my thoughts.

“Maybe later,” I replied.

“Ok, then would you like to hang out with the rest of us?”

Since I had come all this way, there wasn't much point in heading back to the clearing just yet, and if I wasn’t going to get in the water, then I might as well join them.

“Oh, um, sure, I guess." I replied.

“That’s the spirit!” Aikawa spoke as he began to move. “Come’on, the others were wondering where you were.”

“Where exactly are they?”

“Up at that ledge.” Aikawa replied. “Just follow me.”

I looked over to my right and could barely make out several members of the group lounging together on top of a nearby perch, in front of the trees.

As with many things, moving toward the others took more time than it would have when I was human. Even with my movement restored, I was still a rock, and it looked like that wasn’t going to change.

“Welcome, Ishikawa-kun,” Oyakawa said when we arrived.

“Hello, Oyakawa-sama.” I looked at the others, noticing that there were not any rocks present among them. “Where’s Kouji?”

“He’s down with the others.” Oyakawa replied.

“Are you sure he’s okay, being in the water?”

“Don’t worry,” Oyakawa responded. “I’m watching him.”

“Ok…”

I paused for a moment.

“So, then what are you guys doing?”

“Oh! We’re just enjoying the view,” she replied.

“I see.”

“Why don’t you get in the water too?” Oyakawa asked.

“I—I don’t really need to.”

“Are you scared?” she asked.

“No, why would I be?”

There was a brief pause.

“Well…” Oyakawa began. “Ignoring your fears isn’t going to make them go away. You have to confront them head-on. And in your case, you need to take a leap of faith.”

“Yeah, I already know all about that.” I said, recalling the jumps I made yesterday, going up the slope.

“Then go for it.”

“What?”

“Jump into the water. Take that leap of faith.”

I paused.

“I can do it later.” I replied.

“Later may never come,” Oyakawa said.

“Hey, could you guys get a move on it?” A voice shouted, interrupting the group. It was Yabuki. “This is supposed to be my space!”

“Who went and decided that?” a necklace with an incomplete chain—and whose name I didn’t remember—spoke.

“I did!” Yabuki shouted. “Now beat it!”

However, he was severely outnumbered, and it seemed that he knew it.

“I said beat it!” He shouted again.

We simply stood still.

“Grrr.” He began to back away after a moment. “Lousy little good for nothing.”

However, as he was backing away, he touched the root of a tree, which quickly grabbed onto him.

“Eep!” he yelped.

The tree turned towards us, with Yabuki wrapped around its root. It only had two large branches attached to it, jutting outward from its left and right sides. The tree towered over us, and we remained motionless in anticipation of what it would do. However, the tree simply chuckled in a deep feminine voice.

“Good morning, little ones.”

There was a pause.

Eventually, one of the necklaces spoke up: “Y-you’re—”

“A tree? Yes.” The tree spoke while continuing to hold a speechless Yabuki in her root. “Has this one been disturbing all of you?”

What would the tree do to him if I said yes? Would she crush him with her roots? Or throw him into the deepest depths of the river? However, despite how much of an asshole Yabuki was, he did not deserve either of those fates.

“No, just let him down.” I said. “He isn’t worth the trouble.”

“Sure,” the tree replied as it gently placed Yabuki back on the ground.

“Thank you,” Yabuki whimpered to me.

“Duly noted…” I responded coldly.

“I—I’m going to excuse myself now.” He stammered as he slithered away, presumably to find another place to sit.