Inside the hotel's temporary operations meeting room.
"If I told you, President Hina, you'd just stay up working again!"
The blue-haired girl, trying to explain why she hadn't informed Hina at the very first sign of chaos, suddenly broke down.
"I… I just wanted the President Hina to get some proper rest! Uwaaahhh!"
Seeing Ako suddenly wailing, Hina looked confused.
"W-wait… what are you talking about? Me? Rest? Why?"
"Uh, President Hina…" Iori glanced at Ako, who was sobbing intensely, and carefully said,
"Ako-chan actually means…"
"…That you've been under too much stress lately." Chinatsu added.
"Stress? Me?"
Hina looked even more bewildered. "…Why do you say that?"
Ako sniffled and explained.
"B-because… the last time, the President Hina said the coffee I made was good… Normally, Hina wouldn't say that kind of thing…"
"Coffee… Ah." Hina paused, then recalled the moment. "Was it when we were discussing the joint operation with Schale? Sigh… Ako, you misunderstood."
Facing the puzzled administrative officer, the white-haired girl spoke firmly.
"The reason I said the coffee was good wasn't because I was stressed… quite the opposite, I was in a really good mood at that time…"
Having observed quietly for a while, I couldn't hold back.
"I knew it! Hina only said your coffee was good because she had the chance to work with me!"
"Wha…!" The white-haired girl gasped in shock, her expression changing drastically.
Ako, finally finding a vent for all her pent-up frustration, started yelling at me.
"You didn't need say that! And your ego is way out of control! How on earth did you come to such an absurd conclusion?!"
"I was thinking it. My ego's not out of control! Hina clearly remembers what happened back then, right?"
"That's just because the President Hina was in a good mood and happened to remember! And the person who suggested plastering her room with her own photos is a complete narcissist!"
At this, Hina's face, already flushed, suddenly went pale, her pupils narrowed to slits as she exclaimed.
"Sensei's photos!?"
Ako and I, mid-argument, instinctively turned our expectant, agreeing gazes toward her.
"Hina, you really want to see them too, don't you?"
"President Hina, you think it's strange too, right!?"
As soon as the words were out, despite the air conditioning being perfectly set, I shivered uncontrollably.
A heavy pressure washed over me.
Hina, completely annoyed after being teased too much, glared at me with icy eyes.
Chinatsu and Iori cast glances that were part disdain, part exasperation, part sympathy, and a little mix of satisfaction.
"Ahahaha, um... Ako-chan." I turned to the shivering Ako. "Suddenly I realize, Hina really does need a rest. Look, there are dark circles on her forehead."
"…Those aren't dark circles."
Hina suddenly approached and punched my stomach!!!
[Punishment of sin silences the arrogance of the proud]
Shut up! I was just joking to lighten the mood! And she didn't even hit that hard!
…Otherwise, how could I have bypassed the Shittim Chest's defenses?
I gritted my teeth and made a semi-pained expression.
Hina, having vented some anger and perhaps realizing I was faking, ignored me and continued.
"Anyway, I roughly understand what happened. Even if you did this out of concern for me, there should have been other ways."
Receiving my silent nod, Ako hurriedly apologized.
"S-sorry…"
"But…" Hina's lips curved slightly. "It's true I got a full night's rest over these past two days… Hmm, not bad."
She must have been referring to the pleasant experience of me applying sunscreen.
As the slight ache faded, my mind perked up again.
"But let's be clear," Hina continued, "I realize now that rather than just zoning out doing nothing, I feel more at ease when I'm working…"
No wonder people mistook her for a workaholic.
She's really a lazy girl who hates trouble, wants to escape busy work, and plans to marry me.
"Phew… anyway, because of someone acting on their own, this summer training camp has been a complete mess. If we return like this, I'm sure the Pandemonium folks will say all kinds of nasty things… Hmm, no choice. I've decided."
Hina spoke seriously.
"From now on, we'll restart the summer training camp."
Iori sensed something bad. "Um, President Hina… that means…?"
As expected, the white-haired girl, now in work mode, declared.
"From now, no one may enter or leave the beach. We will follow the 36-hour hellish training schedule I prepared. No free time, and yes, this includes staying up all night. You've all enjoyed summer these past two days, so a bit of hardship should be bearable. This way, the Pandemonium raccoons won't have anything to complain about."
Even though everyone was physically and mentally exhausted, they knew better than to oppose her.
Satisfied, Hina nodded and looked at me.
"And you, sensei? Anything to say?"
I knew Hina asked this because she wanted me to stay with her until it was all over.
But at a time like this, I had to speak fairly.
"I have an opinion."
"…What is it?"
"First," I said calmly, "I agree with restarting training, but there should be sufficient rest, at least no all-nighters. If Pandemonium complains, I'll handle it."
At these words, everyone except Hina looked at me with gratitude.
Hopefully this goodwill doesn't go unappreciated.
"…Although I appreciate your concern," Hina said, "we don't have the luxury of slacking off. And that would trouble you too much."
The latter part was the key.
I shook my head, insisting.
"Training is important, but rest is equally important… Moreover," I looked at Hina meaningfully,
"during training, I can't leave either. Right?"
This was our agreement...
If Hina wanted me by her side, if she wanted proper rest, she must also rest properly alongside me.
A devious trick, but undeniably effective.
"…Sigh," the girl mused, understanding the unspoken implication. She let out a long sigh.
"I understand. Necessary rest will be provided. But…"
Amid the low cheers of relief from the others, Hina stepped forward, smiling softly.
"As an exchange, the thing you missed before… we'll do it after training… okay?"
"Mm."
The two of us exchanged a quiet smile.