"Hurry!" the monk urged, as he sped Azuki towards the trees. "How far is the camp, Shota-kun?" Shota took to the air.

They broke the tree line, running down a narrow trail, wider than a deer track. Humans used this route.

"One and a half, maybe two cho. Watch out for the gravel!"

"Meters, Shota-kun," Yuta thought sternly, hoping to distract the children from what he suspected was peril. What he suspected fed on fear. "We're supposed to use 'meters' now. That's ...