Cooling Down

Sunlight streamed through gaps in the ship's rail, casting alternating bands of light and shadow across their clasped hands.

A few Class D students farther back happened to catch sight of the scene.

Hoshino Kanade's profile was calm as he gazed intently ahead. Sweat still clung to his jaw, yet he carried a steady air, as though nothing around him could disturb him.

Kiyona tilted her head slightly, her long lashes lowered. Her gaze seemed to rest on their joined hands, yet also seemed fixed on empty space.

A few damp strands of hair clung to her porcelain-white neck. Amid the crowded, sweltering line, the two of them seemed to exist inside a tranquil little world of their own.

The sea breeze stirred Kiyona's hair, and a few strands brushed across Hoshino Kanade's arm before briefly tangling and drifting away.

Their clasped hands remained quiet and steadfast amid the noise and heat.

"Hey, hey... No way..." A boy gaped and jabbed his companion with an elbow.

"Seriously! We're packed into this sauna in weather like this, and now we have to be force-fed... dog food?" Another boy dramatically clutched his chest. His tone was full of complaint, but his eyes shone with amazement and teasing, as though to say, "I knew it."

"Could you two show a little restraint? Spare a thought for us single people, would you?"

Hoshino Kanade paid them no mind. Instead, he quietly tightened his grip on Kiyona's hand.

Kiyona said nothing either, though a faint blush slowly spread from her ears.

Just then, a soft voice, tinged with curiosity and concern, came from behind them:

"Huh?... Sou, you're sweating so much."

Shiina Hiyori seemed to have just finished getting ready. She had the small backpack they were required to carry on her back.

The sea breeze stirred her silver-gray hair, and her deep violet eyes clearly reflected the beads of sweat on Hoshino Kanade's temples.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on his obvious discomfort and his right hand, held by Kiyona. Pure concern showed on her face. "Does holding hands like this... help you cool down?"

There was no doubt in her tone, only the innocent curiosity of someone wondering about a physical phenomenon.

As if to find out for herself, Shiina Hiyori naturally took a small step forward.

Without a trace of hesitation or awkwardness, she reached out with her fingers, cool to the touch.

Very gently, she briefly pressed a fingertip against Hoshino Kanade's free left wrist.

"!" The sudden chill made Hoshino Kanade's body tense instinctively.

Shiina Hiyori looked up and met Hoshino Kanade's gaze. A pure, warm smile bloomed across her face. "See? My hands are cool too."

Her words held nothing but a sincere desire to help. "If you're feeling hot, Sou... would you like to hold my hand too? Maybe... it'll feel more comfortable?"

As she spoke, she openly held out her left hand to Hoshino Kanade, palm up, fingers slightly curled in a silent invitation.

Her pure, innocent concern stirred the heart.

Hoshino Kanade's heart skipped a beat.

He wasn't oblivious. The affection hidden beneath Shiina's pure gaze was as clear as the coolness of her fingertips.

And in his right palm, Kiyona's steady, soothing coolness—and the feelings that had long since taken root in his heart—were just as real and weighty.

He turned to look at Kiyona beside him.

He needed to know how she felt.

Kiyona was already looking back at him.

Her expression remained perfectly calm. Her cool eyes paused for an instant on Shiina's outstretched hand, then lifted to meet Hoshino Kanade's gaze.

At once, Hoshino Kanade felt Kiyona's fingertip tap his right palm, so lightly it was almost imperceptible, yet unmistakable.

It wasn't a sign to stop. It was permission.

Kiyona even gave him the faintest nod.

Catching Kiyona's subtle but firm response, Hoshino Kanade felt his last trace of hesitation vanish.

Warmth mingled with a flutter of excitement in his chest. Without another moment's doubt, he raised his left hand.

He placed his palm against Shiina Hiyori's waiting, cool one, then clasped it firmly.

As their fingers interlaced, it seemed as though the three of them had drawn together the air around them in the scorching heat.

Shiina Hiyori's hand in his left was soft and delicate, cool against his palm; Kiyona's hand in his right offered a steady, soothing chill.

The two kinds of coolness were entirely different, yet equally comforting. They spread up his arms, strangely easing both the heat around him and the stirrings in his heart.

"Mm..." Shiina Hiyori let out a barely audible sigh of contentment, as if her "cooling plan" had been perfectly proven. Her smile grew brighter and warmer, and her violet eyes curved into crescents.

"...It's cool and comfortable, isn't it?" She felt the warmth from his hand mingling with the coolness in her palm, and her satisfaction was plain to see.

"Mm, it works really well. Thank you, Shiina." Hoshino Kanade's voice was lower than usual, touched with excitement.

His left hand closed slightly, enveloping Shiina's cool hand more snugly in his palm.

At the same time, his right hand returned an even firmer squeeze to Kiyona's.

Feeling the steady hold of his hand, Kiyona glanced at Shiina Hiyori's purely contented smile. The ripples that had inexplicably stirred in her heart settled once more.

She understood Shiina's innocent affection and cherished Hoshino Kanade's feelings for her. The harmony between them now came from a tacit trust that needed no words.

She turned her head slightly and looked toward the shoreline, drawing ever closer.

Feeling the warmth of his hand around hers, Shiina Hiyori looked up at Hoshino Kanade's calm profile and Kiyona's permissive expression, then gave Kiyona a grateful smile.

For her, being able to help Sou and get along with Kiyona in perfect understanding was the greatest happiness she could ask for in that moment.

The Class D students watching from behind: (⊙ˍ⊙)(⊙ˍ⊙)(⊙ˍ⊙)(⊙ˍ⊙)(⊙ˍ⊙)