"Suzune, what's wrong?"
Hearing the scream, Amane quickly turned around to check on Horikita.
"It's nothing, I just tripped and seem to have twisted my ankle."
Horikita, who had been distracted, accidentally tripped over a rock hidden in the mud.
Fortunately, Horikita had some training, and her foundation was still somewhat solid. She managed to stabilize herself shortly after losing balance. Although she stumbled a few steps, not falling into the mud was already a blessing.
However, the unfortunate part was that while she didn't fall, she twisted her ankle.
Horikita tried to stand up, barely able to walk, but the pain in her ankle made her frown deeply.
"Oh, you really are clumsy when walking, aren't you? You always call me an idiot, but it looks like Suzune, you're not much different."
"Hmph, I'm not like you. I was just a little distracted..."
Horikita's voice trailed off, and her face flushed slightly. She was too embarrassed to tell Amane what she had been distracted by.
However, Amane didn't press the issue.
Instead, she used the faint starlight to examine Horikita's foot.
"There are no external injuries... but I'm not a professional, so I can't really tell anything. It would be better if it were dislocated, my bone-setting skills are quite good."
As soon as Amane finished speaking, she felt a pain on her head.
"Are you not wishing me well? Dislocated? Twisting my ankle is already painful enough!"
Horikita glared at Amane irritably.
"I'm just being honest."
Amane's aggrieved look made Horikita feel a little soft-hearted.
"Never mind, let's go back first. I think we're not far from our camp."
The location where Horikita and Amane were currently standing offered a relatively open view. Looking into the distance, they could already vaguely see the outline of the lighthouse.
"It's probably about a half-hour walk. Suzune, with your twisted ankle, if you force yourself to walk, it might take one or two hours."
Amane estimated the approximate distance and told Horikita the time it would take to return to camp. But when Horikita heard it would take one or two hours, her eyes widened.
"Are you kidding? If it takes one or two hours, the sun will be up, won't it?"
Horikita Suzune glanced at her watch.
The time was past two in the morning, almost three.
She had spent three or four hours just looking for Amane. The only reason she was able to find Amane was because of the occasional candy wrappers along the way and the obvious footprints after the rain.
Horikita only had a bit of trouble when the rain had just started.
After that, following the footprints made it much easier.
But she had overlooked a simple yet crucial thing.
What if the footprints weren't Amane's?
At the time, Horikita, only focused on finding Amane as quickly as possible, hadn't considered this question. She subconsciously assumed the footprints belonged to Amane and followed them all the way.
It could only be said that Horikita was lucky; the footprints were indeed left by Amane.
Even after catching up to Amane's trail, they still wasted a lot of time going in circles.
It was already around midnight when she found Amane.
"There's no helping you."
Amane reached out and pinched Horikita's cheek, then scooped her up into her arms.
"Amane, what are you doing? Even if my foot is injured, I can walk back. Put me down quickly!"
The strong-willed Horikita couldn't accept Amane carrying her back. Even if it meant walking until dawn, she didn't want to return this way.
"Be good, don't move around. We'll be back soon. Hehe, Suzune's face is so soft and warm. I've wanted to pinch it for a long time."
Amane laughed triumphantly.
Usually, Horikita was the one bullying her. Today, she finally had such an opportunity and took advantage of it to get revenge.
"What nonsense are you talking about..."
Horikita felt her face burning and turned her head away, trying to avoid Amane's gaze.
But as she turned her head, she buried it right into Amane's embrace.
"Ah, Suzune... no, don't, don't rub against me randomly!"
Amane, her face flushed, softly chided Horikita.
"Don't call out so strangely! I'm just leaning here, I haven't moved at all!!!"
...A person's night always brings a sense of loneliness.
But for those accustomed to loneliness, the night is a sanctuary that grants them peace.
The night can conceal all sorrow, loneliness, and even filth, yet it is also where these things breed.
At this moment, a man, feeling a slight sense of loneliness, stood alone on the hilltop, overlooking the sneaky ants below.
"Perhaps tonight won't be so boring either."
The moonlight tore through the clouds, casting a faint glow upon the land.
The man, who had been groping his way in the dark, couldn't help but be overjoyed at the sight.
"This is it, this is Class D's camp... Damn it, a journey that should only take an hour was hit by a torrential downpour. How unlucky. How am I going to explain this to that Katsuragi fellow tomorrow? What a headache."
Hashimoto, looking disheveled, mumbled softly.
He had just planned to sneak into Class D to connect with Amane when he encountered a torrential downpour. Then, in his haste, he not only fell but also tore his tracksuit. How truly unlucky.
Due to the plan not keeping up with changes, Hashimoto's timing had deviated significantly from his schedule.
Originally, the journey was planned to take one to one and a half hours, with a round trip of no more than three hours. The conversation only needed to be completed within an hour to return before midnight.
Now... everything was ruined. He was destined to be unable to explain to Katsuragi what he had been doing yesterday.
But this wasn't the worst part.
Because he just realized.
Class D's camp lighthouse was too quiet at this moment.
There wasn't even a single tent on the clearing; everything was neatly packed away.
The lighthouse door also appeared to be tightly locked.
Although the restrooms Class D purchased were still in place, it was clear that the personnel had already left.
"Damn it, has Class D changed its base?"
Changing bases was a troublesome matter, but not impossible.
Occupying the lighthouse was too conspicuous, so changing to another base was understandable.
But... Hashimoto only knew about this one base. If Class D really moved, where would he find Amane?
Just then, Hashimoto suddenly noticed that the shadow on the ground looked a bit off.
There seemed to be a figure on the small hill behind him... Hashimoto swallowed with difficulty.
The figure remained motionless, with no sign of greeting.
Could it be... Despite some fear, Hashimoto still turned with difficulty to look at the top of the small hill.
A male student, with a tracksuit draped over his shoulders, was looking down at him with an indifferent expression.
Upon seeing a familiar face from Class D, Hashimoto finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter who it was, as long as the other party was human, it was fine.
"Hey! Why are you the only one here? Where did everyone from Class D go? I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class A, and I have something to discuss with Miyako-san."
Hashimoto Masayoshi?
Ayanokoji's lips curved slightly. He had finally waited for someone from Class A.
In that case, his mission was probably complete, right?
Seeing that Ayanokoji didn't answer his question, Hashimoto became a little uneasy. He remembered that the other party was a student from Class D... Could he have asked the wrong person? Just in case, Hashimoto decided to confirm with the other party again.
"Excuse me, which class are you from, and what is your name?"
"First Year Class D, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
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