Jhin's joke revitalized the atmosphere below the stage. He gave a soft chuckle:
"That's right, one should smile more at a celebration. I don't want to be a buzzkill."
"Besides the company needing to conduct a batch of equipment experiments in Antarctica for sponsoring this scientific expedition team, there is one more matter, which counts as my personal objective."
Jhin shifted his gaze to Shirase Kobuchizawa, revealing a smile directed at her. "Kobuchizawa-san, I feel it would be better for you to say the departure lines."
Forced to the front of the stage, Shirase Kobuchizawa looked at the expedition members below who dared not meet her eyes. Hearing her name, they knew: this was the daughter of Takako Kobuchizawa, who had gone missing in Antarctica three years ago.
Shirase Kobuchizawa gripped the microphone tightly in her hand. She knew very well that her mother's disappearance couldn't be blamed on these members. Her life up to this point hadn't undergone any earth-shattering changes due to her mother's passing; every day was no different from when she was waiting for her mother to return. The only difference was that she knew her mother wouldn't be coming back. That was all.
So she wanted to make a change, to change this immutable life. For this reason, she chose to head to Antarctica.
"Mom once told me that Antarctica is a treasure chest. I want to open it personally with my own hands. Everyone, let's depart for Antarctica together!"
Shirase Kobuchizawa finished these words with the loudest volume of her life. Responding to her were the cheers of the team members.
Takako Kobuchizawa hid in a corner where no one was paying attention, wiping away her tears. She witnessed her daughter's growth. The countdown to the day of their mutual recognition would formally begin from tomorrow: 596,854.
The novelty of living on the ship lasted only for the first day or two. After getting used to it, daily life consisted of waking up early, exercising according to the ship's broadcast, and doing odd jobs everywhere to help out. Then, the girls began to collapse one after another.
Because they were basically all seasick.
Jhin tucked the blanket around Hitori Gotoh, whose eyes were lifeless and face pale as a sheet, then looked up to ask Kita Ikuyo on the upper bunk, "Kita, are you okay?"
"Ugh... I can't say I'm good at all..." It was Kita Ikuyo's first time experiencing seasickness in her life, and she was getting a taste of what motion sickness felt like. Now, just a tiny bit of swaying caused her stomach to churn, her brain feeling like it was spinning non-stop.
"You guys rest well. I'll go check on the others' situations."
As soon as Jhin stepped out of the door frame with his front foot, he bumped into Kanae Maekawa who was checking the situation. Seeing Jhin looking like nothing was wrong, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Jhin, thankfully you're not seasick. The girls are currently basically wiped out. We're too busy on our end as well, so I can only trouble you to pay more attention to them."
"I will. Leave this matter to me. I'll also go help out at Sister Samejima's side when I'm free. Please tell her for me, Miss Maekawa."
"Understood. Then I'll head off first."
"Mn."
Jhin bade farewell to Kanae Maekawa, intending to check on Gabriel and her group first.
Do Angels and Devils get seasick too?
The door to their room wasn't closed tight, probably to make it convenient to go to the washroom when they wanted to vomit.
Thinking this, Jhin pushed the door open and walked straight in. "How is your condition?"
"Huh?" Gabriel, with a bag of snacks in her mouth, was leaning against the wall in a leisurely and carefree manner, legs crossed, staring blankly at Jhin.
Satania, meanwhile, was hugging a comic book and reading it on the bed, completely failing to notice Jhin's arrival.
"Oh? I clearly remember Miss Maekawa saying the girls were basically wiped out?" Jhin crossed his arms, smiling as he gazed at Gabriel. "Could it be that someone is lying?"
"H-How can an Angel's affairs be called lying? I am supervising. Yes, supervising Satania, this Devil, preventing her from causing trouble on the ship."
Gabriel hid the snacks behind her back, kneeling properly on the bed and trying hard to defend herself. Unfortunately, Jhin's smiling gaze showed no intention of moving away from her. Instead, he walked up to her, extended his hand, and pouted his lips toward her.
What does he mean?
Gabriel thought for a moment, then reluctantly handed the snacks hidden behind her back into Jhin's hand. "I-I don't have any others, I finished them all."
"Save that sentence for the next time I catch you slacking off."
Jhin stuffed the snacks into his storage space, then walked to the side of Satania's bed. She looked completely immersed in the manga story, not yet realizing someone was standing beside her.
"Cough, cough." Jhin coughed once and spoke with a deepened voice, "Satania, do you want to eat melon bread?"
"I'll eat it!" Satania, who had a special fondness for melon bread, gave her answer subconsciously. Only then did she realize Jhin was standing by her bed with a stern face, like a dean of students coming to catch a student violating school rules. She greeted him with a sheepish smile, "Jhin, you're here."
Jhin extended his palm expressionlessly and hooked his four fingers together. Satania had no choice but to hand over the manga book she had only read halfway.
Successfully seizing the "tools of the crime" from the Angel and Devil, Jhin asked them grumpily, "Why are you pretending to be sick?"
"W-Wasn't it all Gabriel? She said if we learned from Vine and the others, we could stay in the room and play." Satania betrayed Gabriel without showing any mercy.
Hmph, feel the backstab from a Devil, Gabriel!
"Oh? So it was Gabriel's idea." Jhin tilted his head, looking at Gabriel with a smile that wasn't a smile.
Gabriel instantly broke into a cold sweat, her guilty eyes drifting all over the place. "Um, I-I didn't mean we absolutely had to fake illness. Just think about it, leaving Raphiel and Vine, two sick patients, in the room isn't good. They need care too."
Damn idiotic Devil! You agreed to fake being sick too, yet you betrayed me!
From the upper bunk came Vignette's weak voice, "Gab-chan, are you sure you are taking care of us?"
She really couldn't stand Gabriel slacking off and loafing around in the room under the guise of taking care of people.
"Look, even the patient says so." Jhin held down the shoulders of the slacking duo and sneered, "You two better honestly change your clothes and come out with me."
With no one willing to support her and unable to run away, Gabriel gave up struggling and hung her head dejectedly to declare surrender. "I got it, I'll go change clothes right now."
Jhin looked at Satania again. The latter shivered and nodded repeatedly, promising she would definitely work even more seriously than Gabriel.
Before leaving the room to let them change, Jhin saw Raphiel closing her eyes, attempting to use dreams to escape the pain of seasickness. With a wicked grin, he pulled out a permanent marker and wrote the characters for "Amusement" on her left and right cheeks. After finishing, he ran out in a flash.
As for what reaction Raphiel would have when she woke up, Jhin didn't care. Raphiel had harbored thoughts of causing trouble several times, it was just that the lots hadn't been drawn for her. Jhin had always kept this point in mind.
To avoid Raphiel running away after causing trouble, Jhin decided to strike first and take revenge in advance. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about being unable to do anything to her if Raphiel caused trouble later.
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