The night air carried a cool, sharp sting.
A lantern hung on the cave wall, its slightly murky light casting a hazy glow, occasionally revealing shadows flickering on the wall.
At the entrance of the cave, several layers of cardboard boxes were stacked to block the cold night wind.
Kaoru lay motionless.
Without a pillow, he had to use a sanitary pad as a makeshift one and the blanket was shared among several people.
Of course, he was sleeping with the boys, but that didn't stop the girls from lying nearby.
"How does it feel to have a mixed-gender sleepover?"
Kamuro Masumi ears twitched slightly as she stared at the cave ceiling above, seemingly uninterested.
"The environment is terrible. I might not even be able to sleep tonight."
For the girls, it was hard to feel happy about such a dreadful living situation.
If it weren't for the need to fit in, some of the more timid girls might have shed a few tears.
"You should talk to Katsuragi. He'll probably let the girls use all the tents" Kaoru Mitoma said.
"We boys can tough it out, but it's not safe for the girls to sleep outside."
"Really?"
A girl voice piped up from beside Kamuro Masumi.
Honestly, if she hadn't spoken, Kaoru wouldn't have noticed there was someone next to Kamuro.
"Why would I lie? Do you really want to sleep outside?" Kaoru knew that if the girls complained a bit, Katsuragi and the boys would definitely give in.
At that moment, someone next to Kaoru chimed in.
"Yeah, it's really inconvenient for you girls to sleep outside." The speaker was Morishige Takuro, whom Kaoru remembered as a member of the Sakayanagi faction.
"Is it really okay?" the girl seemed a bit embarrassed.
"Switching would be more troublesome. It's only six nights anyway" another boy sitting nearby added.
He was also from the Sakayanagi faction, named Matoba Shinji.
The girl then looked at Kamuro.
Kamuro pursed her lips and then stood up decisively.
"Well, if that's the case, we'll just have to go along with it. Yamamura, let's go sleep in the comfortable tents."
The girl beside her quickly stood up as well, finally giving Kaoru a full view of her.
Perhaps she had bathed before bed, as her long hair was left loose, cascading down to her shoulders.
A few strands drifted over her chest, which was slightly full, and as she moved, a faint scent of her hair wafted over.
She was still dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and long pants, her figure mostly concealed, but her fair skin glowed softly under the lantern light, almost as if it were dewy, making one wonder if it would really feel like squeezing water from her.
Kaoru glanced at her, noticing that her petite buttocks were well-developed, not as flat as most girls', with a distinct curve that was enough to stir a man desires.
This girl was none other than Yamamura Miki. When Kaoru first arrived in this world, he had already noticed her.
After all, not everyone has a wish and especially not such a perverse one.
Although they had never spoken before, Kaoru knew that Yamamura Miki was also one of Sakayanagi Arisu people.
Watching them approach Katsuragi, Kaorucouldn't help but glance around, realizing that he seemed to be surrounded by the Sakayanagi faction and in a central position at that.
Hashimoto had just returned from the restroom and, seeing an empty spot next to Kaoru, naturally lay down, casually asking.
"Where are Kamuro and Yamamura?"
"Katsuragi cleared out the tent so the girls could rest inside."
"I see." Hashimoto paused "But why are you staring at me?"
"Nothing, it's just the first time I've felt so close to a bunch of dudes." Kaoru averted his gaze.
He couldn't exactly say he wanted to move somewhere else.
"Hahaha, that's so gross." Hashimoto laughed unrestrainedly.
Kaoru sighed deeply, deciding not to dwell on what the Sakayanagi faction was thinking and just go to sleep.
However, Hashimoto suddenly leaned in closer, whispering in his ear.
"If it doesn't harm Class A, I'll support you in your game with the princess."
Kaoru silently opened his eyes, meeting Hashimoto deep gaze.
"If Sakayanagi heard that, she might kill you."
Hashimoto chuckled, then leaned back, resting his hands behind his head, murmuring as if reflecting.
"You're different from Katsuragi. Katsuragi would definitely lose to the princess, but I can't figure you out…"
At that moment, someone turned off the lantern, plunging the entire cave into darkness.
"I'm quite curious how you'll help Katsuragi defeat the person the princess mentioned."
Hashimoto shifted, adjusting to a more comfortable position, seemingly not giving Kaoru a chance to respond and said dismissively.
"The light's off, finally time to sleep."
Just like the Katsuragi faction, the Sakayanagi faction followed Sakayanagi Arisu because they believed she could lead Class A to greater victories.
If a more suitable option arose, some might immediately switch sides.
Kaoru closed his eyes, no longer thinking about these matters.
*****
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka suddenly opened his eyes, scanning the tent and as expected, seeing the boys sound asleep. He silently got up, quietly slipped out of the tent and then approached the girls' tent, expressionlessly rummaging through a backpack.
Since the tent interior was too cramped, Class D had to leave their personal belongings outside.
The reason Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was rummaging through the backpack wasn't because he wanted to steal anything, but to confirm something.
"A digital camera?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka took the camera out of the backpack and inspected it briefly.
There were no signs of use and no data was stored on it.
Before disembarking, the homeroom teacher would check everyone's luggage, so theoretically, no one should have been able to bring a camera off the ship.
Moreover, this didn't belong to anyone in their class.
This was Ibuki Mio backpack, the C-class student they had taken in the previous night.
When Hirata Yousuke organized a scouting mission to gather food, Yamauchii Haruki and the others found Ibuki Mio in the forest, battered and bruised.
Although Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was present at the scene, he didn't do anything, merely watching as Yamauchii forcefully brought Ibuki Mio back.
Upon returning to the camp, after Hirata and Kushida understood the situation, they immediately agreed to take Ibuki Mio in.
They couldn't leave an injured girl out in the wild, especially since Ibuki Mio mentioned that she had been exiled from C-class due to some dispute.
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