Peter and Hojo Tetsuji headed to a nearby shop to bring back barbecue equipment, leaving Aozawa and Furusawa Kyoichiro with nothing to do.
Meanwhile, the girls took charge of washing the meat and vegetables. They squatted by the river, using the clear stream water, occasionally scooping some up to splash and play. The girls' laughter, as pleasant as silver bells, rang out. Only in the bloom of youth can one witness such a scene—a dreamy moment belonging exclusively to high school girls.
Aozawa couldn't help exclaiming, "This is great. It makes all that earlier exhaustion worthwhile."
"You hardly did anything," Furusawa Kyoichiro retorted. He had set up almost all six tents single-handedly, while Peter spent more time recounting his past exploits than actually helping.
