Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri, and Kato Megumi found no other opportunities during the training camp to seek out the girls and understand their seemingly complex relationship with Jhin. Once they entered the practical phase, the daily material they had to learn was even more demanding than the theoretical classes.
At the same time, Jhin's generous sponsorship led Gin Toudou to decide to advance the second Antarctic Scientific Expedition to November. Departing during this period would conveniently avoid the dangerous natural phenomenon of the polar night, better guaranteeing the personal safety of these young girls.
The original four-day training camp was extended until four days before their departure. During this time, all members spent their days at the mountain inn, except for brief trips home on weekends.
Incidentally, dinner in the days that followed was collectively prepared by Jhin, Nijika, Komine Sachi, and Amane. When Yumiko Samejima, from the Antarctic Expedition's kitchen squad, came to report to Gin Toudou and check on how these 'friends bringing kids along' were doing, she managed to snag a free meal.
After the meal, she clung tightly to Gin Toudou's thigh, begging her to assign the four head chefs to the kitchen squad. She insisted that even if they did nothing but cook and left everything else to others, it would be worth it.
Naturally, Gin Toudou rejected this request. However, after glancing at the mouth-watering delicacies on the table, she changed her tune, saying she might consider letting those four take on a bit more responsibility in the kitchen.
Time flew by. After the girls finished the training camp, Nijika, Ryo, Tamaki Mari, and Shirase Kobuchizawa all returned to school once. They were praised lavishly, serving as tools to expand the school's influence.
The remaining girls went home to pack their luggage. Gin Toudou told them that each person was allowed only one hundred kilograms of items, and this weight limit included their own body weight. Many of the girls worried about this.
Fortunately, Jhin solved their troubles. He told them not to worry about the weight of their luggage. As long as they controlled their body weight within 150 jin (75 kg), the shipping would be handled by his company.
As for how the luggage would be shipped, Jhin simply stated it was a company secret and inconvenient to reveal at the moment. In reality, he just used a large storage space to collect the luggage sent by the girls. The storage device itself was no bigger than a standard suitcase and weighed only a few kilograms in hand—extremely convenient.
On the day of departure, the group mightily took their passports and boarded a plane to Singapore. They would stay there for a day and a night before heading to Australia, the continent closest to Antarctica, where they would board the Antarctic Expedition's research vessel. All travel expenses during this period were enthusiastically sponsored by the Synapse Investment Company.
After the plane landed, the girls, stepping onto unfamiliar land, paired off in twos and threes, intending to wander around Singapore. Fortunately, they remembered to first settle into the booked hotel and didn't wander too far.
When assigning rooms, Jhin found drawing lots every time too troublesome, so he decided to treat this lottery result as the final one—it would remain fixed from now on without change. Suou Amane and Irisu Makina moved in abnormal sync, clasping their hands together and praying devoutly, hoping to be assigned to the same group as Jhin.
The Goddess of Luck did not smile upon them because of their prayers. The ones assigned to Jhin's group were Hitori Gotoh and Kita Ikuyo.
"Bocchi-chan, you're finally in a group with Jhin. That's really great."
Facing Kita Ikuyo's congratulations, Hitori Gotoh stared at the red lot in her hand. Under everyone's watchful eyes, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted magnificently. Jhin caught her just in time, preventing his girlfriend from getting a large bump on the back of her head.
"Kita, could you please help Bocchi-chan with her bag?"
"Mm. I didn't expect her to faint from sheer happiness."
Are you sure she fainted from happiness? Why do I feel like she was scared into fainting by the gazes of certain people?
Jhin picked up Hitori Gotoh, while Kita Ikuyo walked ahead with the room card and luggage. As soon as they arrived at the room, Nijika and Ryo came over to visit and check on Hitori Gotoh's condition.
"Jhin, is Bocchi-chan awake?"
"Not yet. Based on my experience, it should take another ten minutes or so," Jhin said as he took off Hitori Gotoh's shoes and placed her on the soft bed.
"Let's go out for a stroll once she wakes up." It was Nijika's first time going abroad, and her excitement was palpable.
Looking at the ahoge spinning non-stop atop Nijika's head, Jhin couldn't hold back a retort: "Nijika, is that ahoge on your head really not a Bugle?"
"Regarding that, I think it looks more like a player's play button." It turned out Jhin wasn't the only one who thought Nijika's ahoge had a unique shape; Ryo thought so too.
"You two are so rude! Isn't this just normal hair?" Nijika's left cheek puffed up like an inflated pufferfish, clearly dissatisfied with their comments.
Jhin took out his phone, snapped a photo of the top of her head, opened the editor, and changed that triangular ahoge into a "||" shape. He showed it to Ryo: "Ryo, now it's a pause button."
"Pfft..." Ryo stifled a laugh. "Jhin, you really are a genius."
Seeing Jhin prank Nijika's ahoge, Kita Ikuyo clamped her hands tightly over her mouth. She hid to the side, facing the wall and trembling all over, giving Nijika the maximum amount of respect due to a senior by not laughing out loud to her face.
"Hey! Jhin, what did you do to my photo?"
Nijika, waving her claws and baring her fangs, tried to rush up and snatch Jhin's phone. Unfortunately, she was blocked by Ryo, the "accomplice." Jhin chuckled and continued to doodle on the photo.
He copied Nijika's ahoge and placed another one side-by-side, then turned the phone to show everyone.
"This is Nijika in fast-forward."
He then drew a replay symbol and placed it on top of Nijika's head.
"This is Nijika on replay."
"Genius, pure genius! Jhin, you are the modern Da Vinci!" Even Ryo, who wasn't good at expressing emotions, was grinning from ear to ear, let alone a cheerful girl with rich emotions like Kita Ikuyo. She clutched her stomach, which hurt from holding back laughter, and curled up on the bed, trembling non-stop.
Nijika was both angry and amused. Taking advantage of Ryo being weak from laughter, she struggled free from her restraint, snatched Jhin's phone, deleted the photos, and cleared the 'Recently Deleted' folder—her movements flowing like moving clouds and flowing water, completed in one breath.
Feeling that wasn't enough to vent her anger, Nijika turned the camera around, took a photo of everyone else, and sent them to herself, deciding to find time to draw some ridiculous looks for them as well.
Hitori Gotoh woke up early amidst the cheerful atmosphere. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, completely unaware that she had been caught in the crossfire of her boyfriend's antics and that Nijika had taken her photo in preparation for "revenge."
"Bocchi-chan, you're awake. Let's go out and play!" Nijika returned the phone to Jhin, pretending nothing had happened, and greeted Hitori Gotoh with a smile.
"Ah, okay. Did something happen? Everyone seems to be laughing very happily."
"Nothing at all. Hurry up and put on your shoes."
____
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