Jiro Hirayama originally wanted to dodge, but mountain climbing really takes a toll on your strength.
He really didn't have the strength to dodge, and could only watch as Amy 'accidentally' fell onto him.
Jiro Hirayama was just about to scold her when Amy had already pushed herself up from the ground and sat upright.
Jiro Hirayama figured there was nothing else to say.
Maybe it really was just an accident.
Yeah, that's probably it.
Experiment Maniac Jiro—Never-Can-Spot-a-Schemer—Hirayama, actually believed Amy!
Seeing Jiro Hirayama didn't react, Amy instantly understood.
So that's what works on Jiro Hirayama!
No wonder last time at the hotel was a bust!
She was just using her usual tricks for Western men on Jiro Hirayama—and of course it failed!
Western men and Eastern men are totally different.
Especially since Jiro Hirayama grew up in a traditional, male-dominated family—he's not like those Western guys who melt at a little damsel-in-distress act!
Once you figure out what works on Jiro Hirayama, it's easy!
Amy immediately switched up her game plan.
There are thousands of types of men—there's always one you can conquer.
So as long as she acted clumsy and casual, and didn't directly challenge Rona Muir, she'd be fine.
On one hand, she'd lower Rona Muir's guard; on the other, she'd gradually win Jiro Hirayama's favor, then quietly eat away at his defenses step by step.
And finally, she'd pull off something big—no way they'd see it coming!
Amy steadied herself, deliberately keeping a bit of distance from Jiro Hirayama to show she wasn't trying to pull a scam or set him up.
Sure enough, Amy's move earned Jiro Hirayama's approval.
Ha, men are all just big, clueless oafs.
Once they'd rested enough, the two continued climbing toward the summit.
If it were just Amy, she'd have zipped up in no time.
But now she had to look out for Jiro Hirayama, so she slowed down and kept pace with him, bit by bit making their way to the top.
By the time they reached the summit, it was exactly noon.
Along the way, they'd buried countless bottles, each smeared with different drugs to attract different kinds of bugs.
After burying the last bottle, Jiro Hirayama said to Amy, "Go set up the tent. We're spending the night here. Some bugs only come out after dark."
Amy immediately turned and got to work.
Just thinking about sharing a tent with Jiro Hirayama tonight had Amy buzzing with excitement.
Could tonight be the night she gets her chance?
Jiro Hirayama personally caught several types of bugs, labeling each bottle and carefully stowing them in his backpack.
These were rare, precious materials for his experiments.
If they were in Japan or N City, these would be hard to find.
These insects only live out in the wild, and they're super rare.
If this place weren't so deserted, you'd probably never run into them!
Jiro Hirayama was completely oblivious to Amy's excitement, still calculating in his head how many more experiments he needed to run to reach his goal.
Amy was a pro at logistics—even if she couldn't match South Star in the killing department, she was unbeatable at support.
In just half an hour, Amy had pitched the tent, dug drainage ditches, scattered bug repellent, set up a cooking spot, and gathered enough firewood and dry grass to last the whole night.
Basically, she nailed all the logistics.
Jiro Hirayama finished packing up, tied everything up, and stuffed it into the tent, ready to find a spot to wash up and rest.
Amy walked in holding a tricolor flower, dirt still clinging to its roots. Blushing, she handed it to Jiro Hirayama and said, "Finding this kind of flower here is such a surprise! There's a local legend about it—if two people in love find this flower, they'll stay together forever."
Normally, any guy would instantly get what Amy meant.
He'd either politely turn her down or just go with the flow and sleep with her.
But not Jiro Hirayama—he's the king of awkward, clueless, and over-the-top.
Want to know what Jiro Hirayama said to Amy?
Jiro Hirayama looked at Amy strangely and said, "Didn't you say you were single? Like, single since birth? Why are you picking this flower? Should I catch you a boyfriend so you can be together forever?"
Apparently, that jab wasn't enough, so Jiro Hirayama went for another: "But I'm a married man. I'm not single. What, jealous much?"
Amy gritted her teeth.
She wasn't jealous or envious—she just wanted to punch him!
Aaaaargh!
Why is this guy so hard to crack?!
Why does his brain always work in such weird ways?!
Jiro Hirayama snatched the tricolor flower from Amy and immediately started a sweet video call with Rona Muir: "Honey, look what I found! There's a local legend that says whoever finds this flower will be with their true love forever!"
On the screen, Rona Muir couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Aren't you a bit childish? But it is pretty!"
Jiro Hirayama immediately replied, "I'll bring seeds back so Cecilia Gu can plant them for you!"
Rona Muir teased, "If Cecilia Gu plants them and gives them to me, shouldn't I spend forever with Cecilia Gu instead?"
Jiro Hirayama thought for a moment, then crushed the flower and declared, "I'll bring you a specimen instead! Dried flowers are still flowers. As long as you stay with me forever, that's enough!"
Rona Muir burst out laughing: "Okay, enough of that—I'm going to bed! We're in different time zones, you know!"
Seeing Rona Muir laugh until she cried, Jiro Hirayama stopped teasing and said honestly, "Alright, go get some sleep."
Then he hung up.
Rona Muir on the other end of the call was left speechless for ages!
What a dork!
Doesn't he know how to say something sweet?
Just hangs up without warning!
How does a guy this clueless even have a wife? The universe must have a sense of humor!
Hmph!
Amy sat nearby, having listened to the whole exchange between Jiro Hirayama and Rona Muir, and felt absolutely wrecked.
All her careful plotting just turned into Jiro Hirayama's way of sweet-talking Rona Muir!
Talk about heartbreak!
But Amy wasn't one to get discouraged so easily.
If one plan fails, she just comes up with another.
The big pot outside Amy's tent was bubbling away with steam.
They'd brought plenty of rations for the trip.
But while gathering firewood, Amy stumbled across a wild rabbit, made quick work of it, and brought it back for stew.
Now the rabbit was cooked and dinner was ready.
Amy quickly packed a military lunchbox full of rabbit and, blushing, brought it over to Jiro Hirayama: "Mr. Hirayama, I caught this rabbit by accident. Give it a try..."
Jiro Hirayama stared at the rabbit meat in the lunchbox, giving Amy a weird look.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Amy asked uncertainly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Had Jiro Hirayama finally noticed how amazing she was?
Had he finally realized she was even better than Rona Muir?
Was he finally falling for her?
Was he finally getting a clue?!
But Amy's excitement vanished the moment Jiro Hirayama opened his mouth.
"There are rabbits on this mountain? Awesome! Tonight we can have pheasant!" Jiro Hirayama said approvingly, already promoting Amy from temporary assistant to temporary chef.
"What...?" Amy froze. Where did things go wrong?
Why does Jiro Hirayama never play by the rules?
Even Eastern men aren't this weird!
Jiro Hirayama said seriously to Amy, "I always thought you were pretty useless and dumb."
Amy: "Heh."
"Didn't expect you to be so good at logistics. I guess I'll temporarily forgive you for killing my test subject," Jiro Hirayama said seriously. "You're in charge of dinner tonight."
With that, Jiro Hirayama grabbed his lunchbox and went off to eat in comfort.
Amy: "Heh."
She seriously wanted to punch someone!
No, no, she had to keep smiling!
If she wanted to leave this place alive and live her own life, she had to endure, endure, endure!
Amy turned away and viciously tore into the leftover rabbit meat, as if she were gnawing on Jiro Hirayama himself—she just wanted to bite, bite, bite him to death!
Ha, men really are just big, clueless oafs!
Maybe she'd overdone it at noon, because Amy finally stopped hovering around Jiro Hirayama and went off to rest in the woods.
Jiro Hirayama didn't think it was weird for Amy to go off and rest.
Yeah, he didn't notice Amy's mood at all—he didn't even get why she'd be upset.
Even if she was upset, what did that have to do with him?
It's not like he's anything to her!
Catching bugs was way more important!
After eating his fill, Jiro Hirayama spent the afternoon resting comfortably in the tent.
Around four in the afternoon, Jiro Hirayama got up and ordered Amy around: "Amy, go collect the bottles from halfway up the mountain. Leave bottles one through eight, bring the rest back!"
"Yes, sir." Amy swallowed her frustration and went to work.
When Amy returned, Jiro Hirayama carefully took the bottles, labeled each one, packed them up again, and said, "Tonight, you’ll keep watch over bottles one through eight halfway up the mountain."
Amy's eyes went wide: "What? You want me to keep watch? How am I supposed to rest?"
Jiro Hirayama looked at her like she was nuts: "Of course you rest halfway up the mountain!"
"And the tent?" Amy swallowed the rest of her words: Who's going to sleep in the tent I set up?
For once, Jiro Hirayama actually got what Amy was hinting at and answered matter-of-factly, "Me, obviously! You’re here to help me, so you keep watch over the bottles. What, you expect me to do it?"
Amy: ...
Ha ha ha, seriously, men are all just big, clueless oafs.
She must be blind to think Jiro Hirayama was right for her!
Whatever, she picked him, so she'd stick it out no matter what.
She'd settle the score with him later!