The second day on the Uninhabited Island.
Uesugi Hara woke from his sleep. The time displayed on his monitoring watch was only five in the morning.
He rubbed his aching lower back and sat up. His whole body felt like it had been dismantled, and he couldn't help muttering, "What a terrible experience. This is even worse than sleeping on a wooden bed."
The ground inside the tent was uneven. Even with a soft mat laid down, it couldn't keep the hard ground from digging into him. He hadn't slept soundly all night.
Fortunately, when he'd returned from Class C last night, he'd grabbed some mosquito repellent. Otherwise, he'd have even more red, swollen bites all over him now.
He looked around the tent. The others were still asleep, brows furrowed, their breathing rising and falling.
Carefully lifting the tent flap, Uesugi Hara remembered the lounge chair the boys had brought back last night. "I'll lie down for a bit and catch up on sleep."
Two lights still shone in the corner of the camp. Though an opaque curtain hung over the entrance, it wasn't dark inside, and he could still see where he was going.
As soon as Uesugi Hara spotted the lounge chair, he stopped. A small figure was curled up on it.
He approached quietly and recognized the familiar silvery-white hair. He raised an eyebrow, surprised that this young lady, who usually carried herself with such poise, would be curled up here asleep.
"Tsk, you sure know how to make yourself comfortable," he muttered.
A soft cushion lay on the lounge chair. She was sleeping on her side, her silvery-white hair scattered around her. Long lashes rested gently against her cheeks, and a faint smile touched her lips. She looked especially peaceful, as if lost in a