After a few minutes, the ship finally docked at the island's port.
Without much hesitation, everyone filed out one by one. Only to be briefly stopped by a staff member already waiting near the dock before being directed further in.
"…Why are they acting like high schoolers going to an amusement park?" I murmured, walking beside Anathasia as we exited last, watching everyone disappear deeper into the island.
Glancing around, I had to admit it—
The footage Arianne showed back in the classroom was pretty much a one-to-one match with reality.
"This place…" I said quietly, eyes trailing over the pristine port and crystal-clear waters. "It's honestly really well maintained."
Anathasia nodded, casually slipping her hands into her shorts' pockets.
"Yeah," she agreed. "But maintaining an island this big…"
Her gaze swept across the shoreline before settling on the path leading toward the facilities.
"I'm guessing it costs a lot. Like—a lot a lot."
"Honestly?" I glanced down at the water shimmering under the sunlight.
"It probably dwarfs a million—"
"Um…"
We both turned.
Arianne stood just behind us, letting out a soft laugh as if she'd been listening for a while.
"Why are you two debating expenses instead of, I don't know—enjoying the scenery?" she asked, amused.
Anathasia and I exchanged a quick glance before smiling back at her.
"That's… kind of a habit," I admitted. "I have a tendency to calculate costs without thinking."
"I picked it up from him," Anathasia added, nodding once.
Arianne laughed a little louder at that.
"I see…" she said, turning around and motioning for us to follow.
"That must be why the two of you get along so well."
She paused briefly before heading down the path toward the center of the island.
"Come on," she added casually. "Everyone's already there."
Without another word, we followed her along the cobblestone pathway leading deeper into the private island.
After passing through a stretch of jungle surrounding the main water park, a tall building came into view.
"That's where you'll be staying for the week," Arianne said offhandedly. She glanced back at us and handed me a card.
"Room 407. Seventh floor. Just swipe that at the door."
With a small wave, she turned away.
"I'll see you two later."
And just like that, she was gone.
Faint laughter and excited voices from our classmates echoed somewhere in the distance, the water park itself sat a bit farther away from the building. A hotel, most likely.
"I didn't think we'd be staying in the same hotel room again this soon," Anathasia said, glancing at me.
I looked back at her.
"The last time was eight months ago, though."
"Eight months is basically eight seconds to me," she replied, tilting her head up to look at the building.
"…Right."
With a sigh, we stepped inside and headed straight for the elevator.
The numbers on the sliding doors ticked upward until they finally stopped at the seventh floor. Only then did the doors open.
We stepped out and walked down the hallway, checking the room numbers one by one until we reached 407, right at the end.
For some reason, it offered a perfect view of the horizon beyond the island.
After swiping the card, the door unlocked with a soft click.
Anathasia immediately rushed inside and practically dove onto the bed, bouncing slightly before burying her face into a pillow.
"Ah… yes," she mumbled, voice muffled.
"This is what I'm talking about…"
I left her to it and started unpacking the essentials. Snacks, bottled water, a few things we'd probably need later.
She continued rolling around on the bed for a bit before finally stopping. When I glanced over, she was sitting upright, staring at me from across the room.
I was already on the couch.
Then, without warning, she appeared beside me.
Now she was wearing her long, flowy skirt and a blue cardigan, my shirt draped loosely underneath. She leaned in, peering at my phone screen.
"What's that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's Noah," I replied, scrolling as more messages came in.
"He's cussing me out for not inviting him."
I sighed.
"Though this trip's only for Class 103, so… yeah."
She nodded, pulling back and sinking into the couch beside me, arms folding loosely.
"Vacation, huh…" she hummed.
"I doubt we'd even get wet anyway."
She shrugged, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The first day passed without us even stepping into the water park.
Instead, we ended it with a long walk along the beach on the other side of the island. Where some of our classmates, especially the couples, lingered well past sunset.
As the sun dipped behind the horizon, a gentle but cold sea breeze slowly picked up. It caught Anathasia's hair first, letting it flow freely—
While for me—
"Pfft… looks like your hair doesn't like you," she murmured between snickers.
My expression flattened as my hair whipped straight into my face, completely opposite to hers.
"…Does the wind hate me or something?"
"Maybe?" she replied innocently, wearing that slightly vexing smile I hadn't seen in months.
I shook my head and tied my hair into a messy bun, making sure it wouldn't blow back into my face again.
A low whistle escaped her lips.
She stared at me for a moment before lightly clapping her hands together.
"Ah yes," she said dramatically.
"Thank you for blessing my eyes with such magnificence."
Before I could respond, she pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures while I was still tying my hair.
My expression deadpanned even harder as I bit down on the hair tie, gathering the last few strands.
"Shheems lhuk yur havin' tha time uh yur loife, huh?"
"You're eating your own words," she replied quietly, then snapped one last picture.
"And yes."
After finally securing my hair, I looked at her flatly.
"You really are shameless," I said dryly.
"It's getting dark," I continued after a moment. "Let's head back."
She nodded before putting her phone away as we started walking toward the building.
But by the time we got there—
"But like I said… I heard people talking inside Abe and Dunaleff's room!" a voice insisted.
Anathasia and I exchanged a glance before stepping closer to where a small group had gathered.
"What's wrong?" I asked, looking at the girl in the center. Her hands were trembling.
"She said there were voices coming from your room earlier," another student explained.
"But everyone else swears they saw the two of you walking along the beach just before dusk."
The hallway fell quiet.
[…You said ghosts don't exist,] I glanced at her again, my expression flattening.
[They don't,] she replied without hesitation. [What they heard was probably a copy of myself I made to grind my account while we were taking a walk.]
[…How addicted are you to that game?]
[Yes.]
I froze, staring at her in disbelief while internally facepalming.
After a moment, I took a slow breath before stepping forward, forcing a smile.
"Okay, let's just… calm down, alright?" I said. "There's an explanation for everything."
I shot a brief glance back at Anathasia.
She immediately looked away, hands behind her head, whistling like she had absolutely nothing to do with this.
"That said… I think it was just Anathasia's phone acting up earlier since she left it behind," I continued through my forced smile.
"She has a weird habit of using random voice packs as alarms, you see."
[Okay, now teleport your phone back to our room.]
For a second, Anathasia's brows furrowed slightly.
[Why—]
I leaned close, whispering into her ear.
"Just do it, or do you want to get exposed?"
She stiffened, then begrudgingly nodded. I turned back to everyone, keeping my smile plastered on.
"We can go check if you want proof," I added.
But before we could move—
"By the way…" a guy suddenly spoke up, looking me up and down.
"Who are you again? And where's Abe?"
The hallway went silent.
Behind me, Anathasia immediately looked away, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.
My face twitched, my smile faltering just for a split second.
"I'm… right here," I said slowly. "Y'know…?"
His eyes widened.
He looked at me again, head to toe.
"…Oh. Oh shit. My bad," he blurted, stumbling back a step.
"Your hairstyle was different, so I couldn't—"
Everyone stared at him.
Then at me.
And for some reason, the group nodded in quiet agreement.
"My bad, man…" he said, offering me a slightly crooked smile.
"Didn't recognize you back there. I thought you were just another girl."
I inhaled sharply, then let it out, giving him a wry smile.
"Don't sweat it," I said.
"I'm used to it by now."