"Sakura-san, which room are you staying in on the cruise ship? I just want to check on Horikita. The room number is all I need — you don't have to come back specially." Houtarou said hurriedly.
Airi was truly kind — when she heard he was going to check on Suzune, she immediately offered to return from the celebration party.
Her absence from the party likely stemmed from concern about leaving Suzune alone in the dorm.
After ending his call with the kind-hearted Airi, Houtarou continued walking through the ship's cabin.
He felt a twinge of regret. If Suzune was unwell, Kikyō should have known.
Just recently, that conniving girl had been throwing away garbage at midnight while practicing speeches about caring for Suzune to gain her favor. Her frustration at failing to win Suzune over had been obvious.
Yet now that Suzune was actually sick, Kikyō had made no effort at all, despite always waiting for such an opportunity.
It seems your friendship with Suzune remains a distant dream, Kikyō—
Lost in these thoughts, Houtarou arrived at room 2312, which Airi had identified as the room she shared with Suzune and Kikyō.
The room wasn't very large, but all Class D students appeared to be staying in this row.
2310, 2311, 2312... Here it is.
He pulled out his phone as he approached, confirmed the room number 2312, and dialed Suzune's number from his contacts.
Ring! Ring!
No answer came.
This was strange. Standing at the door, Houtarou, with his superhuman abilities, could sense someone inside.
Was Suzune refusing to answer his call?
That seemed unlikely — she had never ignored him before.
Which could only mean she couldn't answer the phone. In other words... something might have happened!
Bang!
Without hesitation, Houtarou raised his left foot and kicked the door lock.
Crash!
The door burst open, revealing the scene inside.
A black-haired girl was crouching down, her white T-shirt half-rolled up and track pants removed, wearing an elegant set of black lace underwear.
When Houtarou kicked in the door, they both froze.
Time stood still.
Suzune: "..."
Houtarou: "..."
Their eyes met in mortifying silence.
Taking in the scene, Houtarou quickly understood the situation.
Suzune was changing clothes. And her underwear was... rather sophisticated. This was definitely not a good time for a visit.
"Excuse me!" He slammed the door shut and backed away.
But since the lock was now broken, the door wouldn't stay closed. He had to return to hold it shut, standing with his back turned so Suzune could finish changing.
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Thirty minutes later, after tracking down ship staff to repair the door lock, he invited her out.
They made their way to the deck, returning to the bar counter where they had sat a week before.
As always, Suzune ordered plain water.
"Why did you think I was in trouble just because I didn't answer your call?" She asked, maintaining her dignity despite seeming puzzled.
While inviting her out, Houtarou had already explained that his rash actions came from genuine concern, not any desire to intrude.
"You've never ignored my calls before." He said, "When I sensed you were in the room but not answering, something felt wrong."
"Oh." Suzune grew quiet.
Having grown up without friends, she understood his thinking. When someone she wanted to reach didn't respond, she too would wonder if they were ignoring her or if something had happened. Their thought processes were remarkably similar.
Was he really that worried about her?
"Indeed." Suzune said, "After boarding the ship, my body felt very heavy, so I went back to the dorm to rest. I felt sweaty and took a shower."
So that explained the scene he had walked in on — she had been changing after her shower. Her cold from last week had apparently returned.
"Well then…" Houtarou said, getting straight to the point, "Give me your hand."
It takes three days to form a habit and a week to reinforce it.
He and Suzune had started holding hands on the ship, continuing the practice daily on the island.
The stated reason was to gain experience points to resist Kikyō's charm, and she had cooperated each time.
But...
"I don't want to continue this." Suzune said firmly.
"Why?"
The Restoration Ability required physical contact to activate. Without touching her skin, he couldn't treat her.
"Because it's pointless — we hold hands every day, yet you still can't resist Kushida's influence." Suzune said sternly, "In this plan, I only received 10% of the 300 Class Points you earned — just 30 points. Meanwhile, you let Kushida guess the leader and gave her 50 points, even though I'm the one who cooperated with you."
She clearly felt he was showing too much favoritism toward Kikyō.
"About that…" Houtarou said with understanding, "It was to pacify Kushida."
"Pacify her?" The word caught Suzune off guard.
"Yes." He nodded, "Do you think this exam is truly over?"
"What do you mean?" She sensed new information coming.
"Remember Mashima-sensei's announcement on the ship a week ago: 'Now begins this month's first special exam'. We usually assume there's one exam per month, but that wasn't explicitly stated. Considering they're using such an expensive cruise ship — would the school be satisfied with just one exam?"
"Ah... I see your point." Suzune nodded.
Indeed, using a luxury cruise ship just to transport students to an island for one exam would be wasteful.
If she were the school, she too would plan multiple exams on the ship. Which meant...
"It's June 22nd now. Based on the school rules we know, exams typically happen at month's end. There will likely be another exam. The ship is still circling the island with no sign of returning to school, so the exam will probably take place right here on board. Though we know this much, we don't know the exam's content or format. Our best strategy is to gather as much student support as possible to prepare for whatever comes."
"I see." Suzune nodded.
Now she understood why he had supported Class B and worked to increase Kikyō's influence.
In other words, they would need that girl's help for the upcoming exam — before making her take the fall.
"And considering this point, while some Class D students are truly hopeless, they wouldn't listen to you at all. Having Kushida speak up would definitely get better results." Houtarou said.
Mm. This explanation aligned perfectly with her thoughts.
Suzune felt at ease now. Initially she had suspected favoritism, but as she considered it further...
"Can we hold hands now?" He asked.
Suzune: "..."
This explanation proved he hadn't been won over by Kikyō — rather, it was precisely because he remained immune to her influence that he could manipulate her so effectively.
Which meant... her hand-holding training with him these past few days had served its purpose after all.
Thinking this, Suzune extended her palm.
Her fingers were slender and fair, though due to her illness, her body temperature was slightly elevated.
Their hands clasped together, bringing a warm, comforting feeling.
〖 Do you want to use Enhanced Restoration Ability on Suzune Horikita? 〗
Yes!
〖 Please select the restoration time period. Choose within the past week from now. 〗
Choose to restore Suzune to her healthy state from yesterday.
"Eh?"
At that moment, Suzune's clear pupils showed a hint of surprise.
Her whole body tensed up. She must have felt the changes happening within.
That heavy feeling instantly vanished, and her foggy head became clear. This was the familiar sensation of instant healing she had experienced once before.
Just then, Houtarou withdrew his hand.
Suzune stared blankly at her left hand that had just been holding his. She was now questioning her reality.
Previously when her body had suddenly recovered and improved, consulting with Airi had led to the conclusion that it might be due to falling in love.
The power of love was mysterious, like a miracle.
But Suzune had immediately doubted Airi's explanation.
After all, this was reality. How could it be so dramatic?
Looking at the books Airi had borrowed from the library — just fantasy novels like Peter Pan — she realized Airi must have been caught up in romance stories.
And afterward, Suzune had held hands with Houtarou several more times, once each day, without feeling anything special.
But now... that feeling had returned.
Though she wanted to deny it, the moment her skin touched Houtarou's through their joined hands, an incredible sensation of renewal swept through her body. All her symptoms vanished instantly.
Could she actually be in love with him?
Suzune, who had never experienced — or felt any need to experience — romance in high school, found herself lost in thought.
"..."
"Hey, you two are from different classes, yet whenever there's free time, you're always together."
A familiar voice cut through her thoughts.
Neither Houtarou nor Suzune bothered to acknowledge it.
"Let me guess, are you two dating now?" The voice continued, "And here I thought you actually liked Ichinose—"
Houtarou: "..."
He glanced at Suzune, who remained fixated on her hand, oblivious to Kakeru's presence.
Mm. She had definitely noticed the changes in her body.
But this interruption was becoming irritating. Houtarou rose from his seat.
"Congratulations on getting zero points in this exam, Ryūen."
Kakeru: "..."
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