Night had fully fallen.
The lanterns outside the tents only illuminated about five meters around them. Beyond that, the light dimmed and the visibility gradually faded.
After tidying up the outdoor area a bit, Seika, yawning, was the first to head back into her own tent.
Before they'd left, the rental shop owner had told Chisato's group that four tents would be enough, so they'd only rented that many.
Of the three remaining tents, the smallest one was—unsurprisingly—occupied by the only male in the group, Chisato.
As for the other six girls, the sleeping arrangements didn't particularly matter since they were all female.
That said, based on their relationships, it was almost certain that Eriri and Utaha would share a tent, just as they had at the hotel earlier.
While the other four had gotten along well with them these past few days, squeezing anyone else in with them might've felt a bit awkward.
That was how most people saw it—except one.
Ryo had her own plans. She stepped away from her friends and walked over to Eriri and Utaha.
"Can I stay in your tent tonight?"
The request came completely out of the blue, and Utaha made no attempt to hide the surprise on her face.
Eriri looked at Ryo's emotionless expression but couldn't detect anything more.
Based on their past interactions, if anyone were to ask to stay with them, Eriri would have expected it to be either Nijika or Ikuyo, since they were more cheerful and outgoing.
Ryo, on the other hand, was usually quiet and didn't speak much at all.
"Of course you can. You're more than welcome."
That was her immediate response, even as she analyzed the situation inwardly.
The others were slightly puzzled by Ryo's sudden request, but didn't think too much of it.
Only Hitori had a vague idea of what it meant.
And later, just before bed, Ryo quietly confirmed Hitori's suspicion with a soft whisper at her side:
"If I'm in the same tent with them tonight, they probably won't dare try anything, right? That'll give you a chance to sneak into the President's tent without interruptions.
Don't fall asleep tonight—make the most of the opportunity. I want to hear all about it afterward."
Leaving those words behind, Ryo drifted away, concealing her efforts and glory.
Hitori's heart began to race.
Suddenly, someone placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her. She turned around and saw Ikuyo smiling, slightly puzzled.
"What are you doing spacing out here? It's freezing—come back to the tent already."
"Ah… coming!"
Hitori saw that Ryo had already ducked into Eriri and Utaha's tent and zipped it shut.
Just imagining the idea of being in the same room all night with people she'd only just gotten to know made Hitori's toes curl in embarrassment.
And the reason Ryo did all this… was entirely for her sake.
Hitori quietly thanked her in her heart, then turned and went back to her tent.
The tent was double-layered for cold protection, and there was a portable heater inside, so it was very warm—just like being in a hotel room, not cold at all.
Nijika was laying out the bedding for the three of them to sleep together that night.
It looked a bit cramped, but just right. Even though they didn't go to the same school, it felt like a school trip where they got to live together.
Hitori, thinking about the action she was going to take later tonight, quickly undressed and crawled under the covers, casually responding to the other two's conversation and pretending to be very sleepy, her eyes slowly closing.
Seeing this, Nijika and Ikuyo didn't push further, and after turning off the lights, they too climbed into bed.
"It's so dark outside. Looks like the others have turned off their lights and are sleeping too."
"Yeah, living in the city, I'd never really noticed how dark the night can be."
"Let's go to sleep early. Bocchi-chan is already asleep."
"Mm, good night."
"Good night."
"..."
Lying on the edge, Hitori listened as the conversation between the two ended and quietly let out a breath of relief.
In the dark yet warm environment, her eyes were wide open—she wasn't sleepy at all.
It was probably past nine o'clock now…
She didn't dare check her phone, worried the light or noise would wake the other two.
So she just lay there, thinking about all sorts of things while quietly waiting for time to pass.
She wasn't sure how long had passed, but when she could hear the steady breathing of the others and noticed they hadn't shifted in a while, Hitori carefully sat up and pulled her phone into the blanket.
She turned the brightness down as low as possible, then peeked out, using the faint light to check the state of the tent.
Ikuyo and Nijika were both sound asleep.
Good. Next is…
Bzzz bzzz!
The phone's vibration was incredibly loud in this utterly quiet space.
Hitori's heart nearly stopped. She gripped her phone tightly and shoved it under her pillow. After confirming the others hadn't been woken by the sound, she carefully pulled it back out to check.
It was a message from Ryo.
[Have you left yet? The two on my side are already asleep.]
Hitori typed:
[Not yet…]
Then, after a pause, she added:
[Thank you, Ryo.]
Ryo only replied with an OK hand emoji and said nothing else.
Hitori quietly dressed, making no sound as she slowly slipped out of the tent. Using her phone for light, she made her way to the entrance of Chisato's tent.
But now that she was actually here, she hesitated. Should she announce herself from outside, or sneak in like she just snuck out?
After pacing back and forth in indecision, she chose the latter.
The reason was simple—the tents were close together, and she didn't know if Chisato was asleep or not.
If she called out and he didn't respond, she might wake the others instead.
With that decision made, Hitori swallowed hard.
She didn't know how Chisato would react to her sudden visit, but since things had come this far—and Ryo had gone through so much trouble for her—there was no turning back.
She reached out and grabbed the zipper, slowly pulling it down.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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