Shiina fumbled to turn off her alarm.
Silence returned to the small tent.
Shiina rubbed her eyes. Using the moonlight filtering through the small window on the tent, she saw that Amane, lying not far from her, was still sound asleep. Only then did she pat her chest, trying to calm her nervous emotions.
If she had woken Amane up just now, all her previous efforts would have been in vain.
"Amane... Amane."
Shiina softly called Amane's name.
Finding no sign of Amane waking up, she carefully walked out of the tent, draped in her sportswear.
A hazy mist spread from the sea to the campsite.
Even in the early hours of a summer day, Shiina felt no warmth by the sea.
Although the scene before her was calm, she felt an inexplicable chill constantly rising in her heart, making her shiver involuntarily.
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
Another sportswear jacket was draped over her shoulders.
Shiina, startled, was about to speak, but the next second, her lips were gently touched by a finger.
The other person made a shushing gesture.
"If you make too much noise, you'll wake others up."
Shiina looked around, and only after making sure no one else was awake, did she lower her voice.
"Amane, why are you awake? Did my actions just now wake you?"
Shiina felt a little regretful. The early morning was when people were most sleepy, but also the easiest time to be woken up.
Perhaps it was precisely because of her shouts just now that the sleeping Amane was woken up.
But in that case, she wouldn't be able to go clock in under Amane's watchful eye. Wouldn't that be shooting herself in the foot?
"Just now, I seemed to vaguely hear a cute girl calling me, and then I woke up. Speaking of which, Hiyori, why are you up so early? Is there something you need me for?"
Sure enough, she had accidentally woken Amane up.
She had only intended to test how soundly Amane was sleeping, but she hadn't expected to mess things up instead.
"That… I couldn't sleep, so I got up to enjoy the sea breeze."
Shiina casually made up a lie.
But she immediately noticed something.
The sea was unusually calm today. Let alone a sea breeze, the air was so dry that one couldn't even feel any airflow.
The only way to confirm airflow was by the mist rising from the sea level.
"There's no sea breeze now. Is Hiyori going back to rest?"
Amane's persistent questioning put Shiina in a dilemma.
If she went back now, Amane might chat with her and she would probably miss the clock-in time. After all, the nearest clock-in point was over a hundred meters from the camp.
The four points were not close to each other, and just running a full circle around all of them would take at least five minutes.
"I still can't sleep, so I'm going to clear my head a bit more. If there's no sea breeze, admiring the stars isn't bad… It seems to be getting foggy."
The sky was a hazy gray. Let alone starlight, even the moonlight became blurry.
"If you can't sleep, we can chat. It's too cold outside, and you might catch a cold."
Amane gently placed her hand on Shiina's shoulder.
It seems there's no way to shake Amane off… Shiina smiled somewhat forcedly. Although she considered herself quick-witted, it depended on the opponent in front of her.
Facing Amane, she could never treat her as an enemy, but Ryuuen's orders went against her inner thoughts.
She had to confront Amane head-on this time, at least until the plan was fully activated. Before that, she absolutely could not let Amane guess the key card holder's identity… or rather, the current key card holder's identity.
"I was afraid of disturbing you, Amane. Since you don't mind, then just chat with me… Oh dear."
Shiina suddenly clutched her abdomen, a pained expression on her face.
"Hiyori, what's wrong? Do you need me to find Sakaue-sensei for you?"
"No need. I just have a stomach ache. Amane, you go back and wait for me. I'll go to the restroom and be right back."
Shiina finished speaking, clutched her stomach, and ran towards the forest.
That was indeed where the makeshift restrooms were located.
But… "Hiyori is so adorably foolish. How are you going to the restroom without taking anything?"
Amane sighed helplessly.
Shiina was not someone skilled at lying.
It should be said that she had done her best to get this far.
On the other side, Shiina was running and checking the time. There was less than three minutes left until the clock-in time of four o'clock.
This meant she had to run the entire way to clock in.
Otherwise, there would be no way to visit all the points within the allotted time.
After completing one clock-in after another.
Shiina arrived at the last clock-in point, which was the well behind the small cabin where Sakaue-sensei rested.
There were fifteen seconds left. With a quick swipe, her task would be complete.
Drip.
The number on the clock-in device by the well changed.
The eight-hour cooldown began to recalculate.
Rushing against time, Shiina finally completed the card renewal at the last second. This meant the next clock-in time would be twelve noon.
Her morning clock-in task was successfully completed.
"That was close… just barely."
Shiina leaned against the well, breathing heavily with lingering fear.
Such a tight clock-in was quite thrilling for her.
Although being a few minutes late wouldn't be a big deal, in Shiina's opinion, if a standard was set, it should be strictly followed.
"It's getting late. Amane must have fallen asleep waiting, right?"
Shiina's face showed a relaxed expression.
Just as she was about to get up, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
Instantly.
Shiina's body stiffened.
The damp feeling of that hand made Shiina shiver.
Behind her was a well.
Immediately, various horror stories related to wells flooded Shiina's mind, and Shiina was so scared that tears began to well up in her eyes.
The thing behind her had no intention of speaking.
She knew that if she turned to look, something terrifying might happen, but Shiina's curiosity kept urging her to turn her already stiff neck.
Finally, Shiina caught a glimpse of the monster behind her with her peripheral vision.
Long white hair covered her face, obscuring her features.
One could vaguely make out the eerily pale skin in the darkness, and the ominous purple afterglow flickering beneath the white hair.
"Ghost!!!!!"
A scream echoed throughout the entire Class C campsite.
Beep beep beep beep beep.
Shiina's watch, which monitored her physical condition, immediately emitted a piercing alarm. In an instant, everyone in the camp was startled awake, coming out of their tents to see what had happened.
"Shiina? Is that you?"
The first to be woken up was Sakaue-sensei. He cautiously approached the back of the house and loudly questioned the figure from behind.
The white-haired girl seemed to hear the movement behind her, and her head slowly turned around.
The white mist dissipated.
The soft moonlight shone on the girl's delicate features. Her fair skin under the moonlight was like the most exquisite white jade sculpture carved by a deity, captivating anyone who saw it.
Those purple eyes, which had previously been as terrifying as a demon's, now blinked with a dewy innocence.
"Hiyori seems to have fainted."
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