That was a fair point and given her profession it had been a silly question to ask, but it had seemed fair in the moment. At least he knew her well enough that it was just the tips of his ears that found themselves temporarily holding the signs of minor embarrassment as he ducked his head for a beat. "Of course, it would make sense then that you could make this climb multiple times."
He considered the offer, then shook his head. "I think I will make it. It's less that I am exhausted and more that each step feels like it could be the one which lands me on my face." Said simply, because clearly he was still making the treacherous walk, and it felt silly to whine about it. "Non. The greatest part of no longer being a high school student is no one is able to force me to participate in physical education anymore, not even you." He got all the exercise he needed back home by walking most places, that was good enough for him. "At most I would come to keep you company, nothing more." That was probably a lie though - even as much as he didn't enjoy exercise, if she really wanted to convince him she was capable.
The corners of his mouth lifted up into a slight smile. "I like the sounds of that plan much better." Mention of the excursion yesterday was met with a head shake. "It was meant to be a relaxing tour around the island. We would see the landmarks, hear some interesting facts - there was even talk of potentially having worthwhile animal sightings." It was probably clear from the slightly put out tone he was speaking in that, that plan had not panned out in the slightest. "Instead the only sight I really saw was my own eyelids, as apparently sitting on a small rocking boat does nothing but make me wish to heave over the side of it." He shook his head ruefully, not at all surprised by the turn of events really.
Her distraction tactic also had the desired result of making the walk less tedious, his mind not nearly as focused on each wobbling rock as they made their way closer to the lighthouse entrance. "From Evan's point of view, as well as the lovely photos he managed to snap, it seems like it was a lovely trip for everyone else though. The tour guide pointed out a few spots along the tour that would probably hold your interest as well." Rubbing the back of his hand along his forehead. "Have you managed to explore much of the island, or has your family distracted you?"