The Sauna Room's Whispered Secrets, the Hope Cruise Reaches Its Destination

The third deck of the Luxury Cruise Ship.

Ayanokoji made his way to the sauna area, full of anticipation.

Today, he wanted to experience what a sauna felt like.

He had imagined it countless times, but what was it actually like? He was curious.

He'd only ever learned about it in a social studies class at the White Room. Now, he finally had a chance to try it for himself.

Was it really... that amazing?

The more he thought about it, the more impatient he became, and he quickened his pace.

?

What were all these people doing standing here? And why were they holding little square slips of paper?

Confused, he squinted to get a closer look:

"Queue number: 98"

Never mind. Staying in his room wasn't so bad.

Mmm... Ah~

Inside Sauna Room Number One.

A series of breathy, enticing moans echoed from within.

Hoshinomiya lay limply on the sauna bed, constantly humming suggestive sounds that made the masseuse's face turn red.

Ichinose, beside her, wasn't quite so uninhibited, but her face was flushed and her whole body limp. Her breasts had been squashed into two persimmons between her body and the bed, but their firmness and fullness were still apparent.

Though Hoshinomiya was older, her skin looked no different from Ichinose's: equally taut and smooth, dewy as a young girl's.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I think we need to pay special attention to the movements of Sakayanagi and Katsuragi in Class A, as well as Ryuen in Class C."

"Ah~ Mm..."

"What about Class D?"

"For Class D, I think we only need to keep an eye on Horikita and Hirata," Ichinose said with a smile.

"Surely there are others, too... Ah~"

Hoshinomiya twisted her waist slightly and turned her head.

"Koenji? I think he's excellent academically and physically, but he doesn't seem very involved with his class..."

"No, there's someone else~"

"Hmm..." Ichinose blinked. "Do you mean Ayanokoji-kun?"

"That's right. My intuition tells me he's someone we need to keep a close eye on, too."

"I don't think your intuition is all that reliable, Sensei..."

Ichinose pouted. Then she was surrounded once more by the homeroom teacher's breathy moans...

Ah~ That feels great!

Inside Sauna Room Number Two.

Ike and Sudo let out blissful moans at the same time.

One thin and one muscular, they lay on the two sauna beds, one on either side, their backsides barely covered by short bath towels.

"Hey, Ike, why have I been seeing you hanging around Ayanokoji so much lately? I don't remember you two being that close before."

"Huh... Have you? Ah, well..."

"Maybe we suddenly found a hobby we both like!"

"..."

"That's suspicious..." Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Sudo, and he sprang right off the bed. "You're not... that kind of guy, are you?!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?! You know that's impossible! Besides, aren't you closer to me than he is?"

Sudo fell silent for a moment, then flopped back down, subdued. "...Yeah, I guess."

Mmm...~

"What do you think? Pretty good setting, huh~"

Inside Sauna Room Number Three, Ryuen turned to Katsuragi with a smug look.

"Mmm~"

"Hey, hey~ You've never had a sauna before, have you?"

Ryuen sneered playfully. "Don't get so relaxed you can't speak. We still have important business to discuss later~"

"I've been to plenty of saunas before, but this masseuse's technique feels especially comfortable."

As he spoke, Katsuragi grinned and glanced contentedly at the masseuse working with her head down.

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"Hmph. Baldy, I knew you'd never experienced this kind of high-class service."

"Whatever. We can talk after you've had your fill."

Ryuen watched Katsuragi's dazed expression, a mocking smile playing at his lips.

But... why was his own masseuse's technique so average?

Mmm-hmm~

Inside Sauna Room Number Four.

The blond young man lay flat on the sauna bed, his body fully stretched out.

His body was covered in massage oil, giving him the sheen of a glossy film that glimmered gold in the sunlight.

His muscular chest rose and fell with his steady breathing, while his eight-pack abs looked like hard diamonds embedded firmly in his stomach.

As he enjoyed the masseuse's massage, he groomed his beautiful hair in a mirror, generously praising himself every so often.

"Ah~ I'm so beautiful."

On the second deck of the cruise ship, Ayanokoji wandered along the deck, listless, his gaze unfocused.

He'd missed out on the Luxury Cruise Ship's luxurious sauna experience.

For some reason, he had a feeling that this parting might be forever.

The more he thought about it, the more vacant his gaze became.

By chance, he caught sight of someone above, waving at him.

Looking up, he saw the girl he'd once taken shelter from the rain with.

She sat by a window in the café on the third deck, her tender eyes fixed on him.

Ayanokoji put his disappointment aside and nodded to her, planning to go up and say hello.

They hadn't seen each other in a long time. Even ordinary friends needed to keep in touch—that was something he'd learned from books.

When he reached the café, Ayanokoji surveyed the layout and quickly spotted the girl.

When she saw him approach, the girl's lips curved gently, and a pure smile bloomed across her face.

"Long time no see, Ayanokoji-kun."

"Yeah. Long time no see, Shiina."

Ayanokoji replied mildly. He took a brief look at the girl, then compared her to the other students in Class C he remembered. She was like a lotus in a pond, somehow managing to remain unsullied amid the mud of Class C, ruled by Ryuen.

Her refined air seemed completely at odds with Class C's atmosphere, like an educated intellectual who'd returned to the countryside after completing her studies.

Most importantly, Ayanokoji noticed that Shiina Hiyori didn't seem to bear the mark of Ryuen's rule. In other words, Ryuen regarded her as an equal and showed her a certain degree of respect.

Well, well. Were all white-haired characters in anime more than they seemed?

Seeing Ayanokoji greet her and then drift off into thought, his mind unreadable, the girl tried to start a conversation. "Ayanokoji-kun, have you read any interesting novels lately?"

"I haven't made a point of reading physical books lately," Ayanokoji replied mildly, coming back to himself.

"So you usually read digital books, Ayanokoji-kun? That's surprising."

"...I suppose you could say that."

Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he read people.

That would be a little weird.

After that, Ayanokoji and the girl spent the morning chatting back and forth, mostly about books.

The conversation was a little awkward at times, but the two gradually grew more comfortable with each other. For Ayanokoji, it made for a fairly meaningful morning—at least he hadn't wasted it away in his room.

As for how the girl felt, she was probably happy.

Watching the girl wave goodbye with a smile, Ayanokoji thought as much.

During the post-lunch rest, Horikita stood by the railing at the bow, her reddish-brown eyes fixed intently ahead, as if she wanted to make out the full shape of something as soon as possible.

At the farthest edge of the cruise ship's course that she could see, a lone green speck was slowly approaching them, growing larger in Horikita's view.

A cool sea breeze blew by. Horikita instinctively rubbed her arm, then found herself looking toward the boy on the other side, who was also gazing into the distance.

He stared in the same direction as her, his expression indifferent. His hollow eyes made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Even so, for some reason, Horikita had a powerful hunch:

Ayanokoji had known all along that this wasn't an ordinary trip.

The Hope Cruise Ship, laden with joy, seemed to have reached its destination.