Three days had passed since the Uninhabited Island special exam ended.
Nothing particularly special had happened during these three days. If there was anything noteworthy, it was probably the controversy sparked by Classmate Kanzaki being forcibly sent back to school.
Class B even erupted in large-scale conflicts over it, but these were not things Horikita was concerned about.
Because from now on, the class represented by Class B had already changed hands. As long as they could maintain their current point advantage until the start of the new term, Class D would undoubtedly replace them and become the new Class B. The previously high-and-mighty class, once considered unshakable and stable as a rock, would completely fall into the abyss, becoming Class D.
It would be extremely difficult to climb back up after that.
Horikita Suzune would not give Ichinose and her classmates a chance to recover.
Aside from the minor stir caused by Class B's situation, everyone on the cruise ship had been enjoying themselves immensely these past few days.
Freed from constraints, they indulged in the joys of the holiday, often seen in groups at buffets, cinemas, or karaoke, releasing their pent-up stress.
Of course, there was also a portion of people who had no interest in such indulgence, mostly boys, who roamed the cruise ship like rutting beasts searching for targets.
Horikita often heard rumors about new couples forming in various classes, or who was seen holding hands at the outdoor pool yesterday.
Horikita usually paid little attention to these matters. Ever since the exam ended, her nerves had been constantly on edge.
There was still over half a month left of the holiday. Would the school really be so thoughtful as to let them spend the rest of their vacation on this luxury cruise ship?
Horikita's prolonged tension made her feel somewhat anxious. She had intended to chat with Amane-san, but no matter how many times she called Amane-san's phone, it went unanswered.
When she went to Amane-san's room, Karuizawa and the other girls all said that Amane-san had left the dorm early in the morning and hadn't returned yet.
Finally, Karuizawa offered a suggestion.
"If you're looking for Amane-san, why not try the buffet? Amane-san seems to be very keen on eating lately; sometimes she stays in the buffet from morning till night."
Keen on eating, and staying in the buffet from morning till night.
This information sounded quite unreliable, but Horikita still chose to believe it, as being keen on eating was indeed one of Amane-san's hobbies.
But unfortunately, Horikita scoured the entire large buffet restaurant back and forth and still didn't see that familiar figure.
However, Horikita did hear rumors about Amane-san in the buffet.
Tales like a smiling white-haired girl eating for a full eight hours, akin to urban legends.
"Where could Amane-san be? I've pretty much checked all the places I could think of. The only place left that I haven't looked is probably…"
Horikita's gaze drifted to the end of the passenger cabin floor, which was the living area for first-year boys.
If Amane-san couldn't be found in the girls' living area or public spaces, the most likely place left would be the boys' living area.
"Amane-san shouldn't go to a place like that…"
She had also heard recently about girls entering boys' rooms at night.
Horikita still believed that Amane-san was definitely not that kind of person.
Because… she should be more interested in cute girls than boys.
Horikita gave up the idea of going into the boys' living area to look for Amane-san.
She began to wander aimlessly around the cruise ship alone.
Instead of painstakingly searching for Amane-san, it was better to just stroll around; perhaps Amane-san would pop out from some unexpected place.
This would also help to ease her mood.
Unknowingly, Horikita arrived at the outdoor swimming pool area.
The outdoor swimming pool area had always been a place where first-year students gathered.
Boys would boldly display their well-built physiques, while girls in bikinis would laugh and play in the pool, attracting many lustful gazes.
Facing such a chaotic crowd, it was impossible for no one to feel uncomfortable, but Horikita chose to ignore the girls in bikinis in the outdoor pool. She was already used to it, so she wasn't surprised.
Currently, the person attracting attention here was First Year Class D's Kushida Kikyo.
She was happily playing around with girls from other classes.
Her bouncing form attracted countless desirous gazes. Kushida enjoyed being the center of attention, occasionally responding to those gazes with a sweet smile, using it to incite some beautiful fantasies in the boys.
Horikita gave Kushida, who was deliberately showing off her figure, a disgusted look, then headed to a nearby resting area.
In such hot weather, just walking outside for a short while made her feel sweaty.
No wonder everyone was hiding in their rooms or running to the pool to play.
It seemed like there wouldn't be any discoveries by continuing to wander around, so it might be better to go back… Just as Horikita was about to return to her room to wait for Amane-san's call, an inadvertent glance caught her attention, locking onto two familiar figures in the corner.
Shiina was sitting under a parasol, seriously holding a book and murmuring something, looking as if she was telling a story to someone.
And the one sleeping comfortably on Shiina's lap was Amane-san, whom Horikita had been searching for half the day without a trace.
Amane-san was sleeping soundly on Shiina's lap at this moment. From the portable mini-fan placed nearby and the faint glimpse of juice in the ice-filled cooler, one could tell what a wonderful life Amane-san was enjoying here.
Horikita took a few deep breaths, trying her best to control her emotions, then approached Shiina.
"Shiina…"
"Shhh—"
Shiina put her finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Horikita subconsciously swallowed the greeting she was about to say.
"Amane-san just fell asleep."
Shiina's serious expression looked very cute.
Horikita was initially fooled by Shiina's demeanor, but within a few breaths, Horikita immediately realized.
You told me not to speak, so what were you doing just now?
Shiina's actions seemed to be to protect Amane-san's sleep from being disturbed by outsiders, an act likely done out of kindness.
But to Horikita, such an action seemed like an assertion of ownership over Amane-san.
"Classmate Shiina, what were you doing just now?"
As if knowing Horikita would still speak, Shiina took off her headphones and put them into Amane-san's ears, then turned off the music playing, so as not to wake Amane-san.
"I was reading a fairy tale to Amane-san. Amane-san insisted that I read her a fairy tale or she wouldn't be able to sleep, so I just picked a random one for her as a bedtime story. It seems to work very well. Classmate Horikita, would you like to take a look? I think it's quite interesting."
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