The Haunted House event ended at nine o'clock.
After descending the mountain.
The leading teacher had everyone gather for a roll call to ensure no accidents had occurred, and only then did everyone head to the bathhouse to shower.
By the time Amamiya Natsuki finished showering, it was already ten o'clock. It was too late to go stargazing with Marin on the mountaintop, so he could only obediently go back to sleep.
Amamiya Natsuki returned to his tent, scrolled through his phone for a while, then sent a message to Miko:
"Is Yurikawa asleep yet?"
Miko: "...What do you want?"
Amamiya Natsuki: "I want to come help swat mosquitoes."
Miko: "Pfft, go away."
"..."
It seemed he wouldn't be needed to swat mosquitoes today.
Amamiya Natsuki played on his phone for a while, and just as he was about to rest, a soft, familiar voice suddenly called from outside the tent: "President."
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki got up at the sound, unzipped the tent, and saw Shinomiya Kaguya, dressed in pajamas, standing outside.
"President, can I borrow the Pure White Bride Skin Card?" Before Amamiya Natsuki could speak, Shinomiya Kaguya quickly said, "I need it."
Amamiya Natsuki asked curiously:
"What do you need the Skin Card for?"
Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms, lowering her voice:
"It's a girl thing, President, don't ask so many questions. Just give it to me."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing the Shinomiya Kaguya in front of him.
This Shinomiya Kaguya... something was off.
This was Forest Camp; there was no place where a Skin Card would be needed, and also, the Shinomiya Kaguya in front of him didn't have a red hair ribbon.
[After careful observation, you discovered the true disguised identity of the girl in front of you...]
As the prompt appeared, Amamiya Natsuki quickly confirmed the true identity of the 'Shinomiya Kaguya' in front of him and nodded:
"Alright, come into the tent, and I'll give you the Skin Card."
The 'Shinomiya Kaguya' was quite wary, standing at the entrance and saying:
"The President can just give me the Skin Card; going in and out is too troublesome."
"Alright then." Amamiya Natsuki agreed, took out the Skin Card, and handed it to the girl at the entrance, "Here you go."
The young lady reached out her right hand, ready to take the Skin Card.
"Come in."
Amamiya Natsuki grabbed the young lady's wrist and pulled her into the tent.
"I've been waiting for you to come over." Amamiya Natsuki hugged the girl in his arms, then zipped up the tent. "Why did you get shy when you reached the entrance?"
"Eh?" The young lady was startled and quickly said, "President, what are you doing?"
Amamiya Natsuki countered:
"Didn't we agree this afternoon that you would quietly come over tonight to continue what we didn't finish this afternoon?"
(What was it that wasn't finished this afternoon?)
(The period when the young lady disappeared this afternoon, she was indeed with that perverted senpai, wasn't she?)
The Spy Maid, disguised as the young lady, gritted her teeth, about to probe and ask what exactly was left unfinished this afternoon, but in the next second, she was shocked to find Amamiya Natsuki taking off his clothes in front of her.
"Pre-President?" The Spy Maid's eyes widened, "What are you doing?!"
"Taking off my clothes, of course." Amamiya Natsuki said while taking off his shirt, revealing his well-proportioned upper body. "Do you want to do that kind of thing without clothes?"
(That kind of thing… is it something that can only be done by taking off clothes?)
The Spy Maid involuntarily recalled many plotlines from doujinshi, like a little fox spirit seen at an inn, who not only had to clean daily but also serve guests with her body…
(Impossible!)
(Absolutely impossible!)
The Spy Maid quickly shook her head.
(The young lady would never do such a shameless thing!)
Seeing Amamiya Natsuki finish taking off his shirt and about to take off other clothes, the Spy Maid finally couldn't hold back and quickly said:
"Not today, I'm not feeling well!"
Amamiya Natsuki stopped his movements, his tone puzzled:
"Weren't you fine this afternoon?"
"After showering tonight, I found myself not feeling well." The Spy Maid covered her lower abdomen with her right hand, a pitiful expression on her pretty face. "It's a girl thing, President, don't ask so many questions."
"Strange." Amamiya Natsuki said, confused, "I remember you only get unwell at the beginning of each month?"
(Perverted senpai, you know too much!)
The Spy Maid hugged her legs, her voice weak: "It suddenly came early, there's nothing I can do."
"Then let's forget about today." Amamiya Natsuki extended his right hand and gently stroked the Spy Maid's head.
"Phew…"
The Spy Maid quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had successfully bluffed her way through. Next, she just needed to quickly get the Skin Card and then leave the tent.
However, the next moment.
She heard Amamiya Natsuki continue:
"Since you're not feeling well, then let's use our hands today."
The Spy Maid: "…"
Slap!
A crisp slapping sound rang out.
The Spy Maid slapped Amamiya Natsuki's right hand away, the shy expression on her face gone. She tilted her small head and said in a low voice:
"When did the President discover I wasn't the young lady?"
"As for when… it was when you appeared outside the tent." Amamiya Natsuki held up his phone, showing the chat interface with the young lady. "I was just chatting with Kaguya."
"Tsk."
The Spy Maid grumbled unhappily. Since she was already exposed, she might as well drop the act. "The President is really shameless and lecherous. You knew from the beginning that I wasn't the young lady, yet you still wanted to do that kind of thing with me. Please go claim the title of 'Annual Number One Scumbag'."
Amamiya Natsuki showed no anger, only saying:
"You transforming into Kaguya and coming over in the middle of the night to trick me out of money and lust is clearly more excessive, isn't it?"
"Pah!"
The Spy Maid couldn't help but lightly spit.
To say she was tricking him out of money and lust, she was the one who was almost tricked out of lust, alright?
The Spy Maid crossed her arms over her chest, narrowed her eyes, and said:
"Does the President know who I am?"
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head: "I don't know."
"Eh, what a pity." The Spy Maid sighed lightly, "If the President could guess correctly, I was planning to give the President a special gift."
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow: "Is that true?"
"Absolutely true." The Spy Maid lifted her chin, "But the President only gets one chance. No reward if you guess wrong."
"Then I'll take a guess." Amamiya Natsuki reached out and pulled the 'young lady' in front of him into his arms, whispering, "Should I call you Hanamori-chan, or Maid-chan?"
The Spy Maid shook her head and said:
"Sorry, President, you guessed wrong…"
"I haven't finished yet." Amamiya Natsuki continued, "Or perhaps Ai-chan?"
"Sorry." The Spy Maid said without changing her expression, "The President guessed wrong again. Goodbye."
Slap.
Amamiya Natsuki raised his right hand and slapped the young lady's buttocks.
A crisp slapping sound immediately echoed in the tent.
It didn't hurt.
Amamiya Natsuki hadn't used much force; the slap could only cause a little damage, but it was enough to break through her disguise.
"Ungh…"
Her vital spot was suddenly attacked, and the Spy Maid instinctively let out a soft moan. Immediately after, a ripple-like fluctuation appeared on her body, her disguise broke, revealing her true appearance.
It was indeed the Spy Maid, Hayasaka Ai.
However, at this moment, Hayasaka's ears had surprisingly turned into a pair of fluffy white dog ears, and two sharp little canine teeth had grown from the corners of her mouth.
"What's wrong with your ears?" Amamiya Natsuki looked at her in surprise.
Hayasaka Ai covered her ears with both hands, her tone resentful:
"During the test of courage earlier, the young lady's hair tie got caught on a branch, and she asked me to help find it."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"And then?"
Hayasaka Ai's eyes grew even more resentful: "Then the flashlight happened to break, and there was nothing I could do, so I could only drink a bottle of Witch Potion. Who knew I'd fall victim to it?"
According to statistics from the mutual aid group, the probability of Witch Potion having side effects was only one-tenth. Hayasaka Ai thought her luck had always been good and she wouldn't fall victim, so she didn't think much of it at the time and casually drank a bottle of Witch Potion. Who knew that joy would turn into sorrow and she would fall victim.
"I see."
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly understood.
The suddenly grown dog ears were actually a side effect of the Witch Potion.
This Hayasaka used her skill to disguise herself as Kaguya and secretly came over for the Pure White Bride Skin Card because the Pure White Bride could absorb the side effects of the potion.
Unfortunately, luck was not on her side, and Amamiya Natsuki saw through her disguise right away.
"The President doesn't seem surprised at all." Hayasaka Ai crossed her arms over her chest, half-closing her eyes, "So you discovered my identity at school a long time ago?"
"Well…"
Hayasaka Ai's thoughts became clearer: "You clearly hadn't said many words to me at school, yet you suddenly confessed to me. At that time, the President must have already discovered my identity, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki admitted it frankly, saying:
"That's right, I discovered it a long time ago."
The more this Spy Maid thought about it, the angrier she got, and she couldn't help but sneer: "Heh, saying it was love at first sight, but in reality, you were just playing with my feelings."
"You're twisting the facts now." Amamiya Natsuki laid out the facts and reasoned, "Someone who is openly just a Maid, but secretly monitors me as a neighborhood junior, and also blends into the school as a classmate, and hasn't revealed her identity for so long, who is really deceiving whom?"
"Hmph, in short, it's all the perverted senpai's fault." Unable to win with reason, Hayasaka Ai began to evade the main point and act unreasonably. "When you confessed to me at school, my heart actually fluttered at the time, but I didn't expect to just be played with by the President."
Amamiya Natsuki said faintly:
"You said to speak with a clear conscience, and I even licked your feet, and you still say I'm playing with you?"
"Pah!"
Hayasaka Ai's pretty face flushed, she couldn't help but lightly spit, her toes instinctively curled up, she changed her posture and hid them behind her, "It's clearly the President who's too perverted!"
Amamiya Natsuki sneered: "You were quite comfortable at the time."
"Die!"
Even a Spy Maid has a sense of shame. With a red face, she changed the subject: "President, quickly give me the Skin Card. I'm returning to Tokyo tomorrow noon, and I can't possibly take the bus with a pair of wolf ears."
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and pinched Hayasaka's ears. They were fluffy and quite comfortable: "These are clearly dog ears."
Hayasaka Ai corrected: "They're wolf ears!"
"Alright, then let's say they're canine ears." Amamiya Natsuki suggested, "Using the Skin Card is too wasteful. How about I use the Unskilled Doctor's skill instead?"
"Absolutely no need, the Skin Card will suffice." Hayasaka Ai's gaze was wary, "…And don't pinch my ears."
Amamiya Natsuki took out the Pure White Bride Skin Card and handed it to Hayasaka: "You can have the Skin Card, but you can only use it inside the tent."
Hayasaka Ai asked, puzzled:
"Why?"
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"It's because I haven't had a chance to connect with Ai-chan in a long time."
"Tsk."
Hayasaka Ai pouted and snorted softly, then used the Skin Card.
The next moment.
A faint light flashed on the loyal Maid's body, instantly transforming her into the special form of the Pure White Bride. Coupled with her current canine ears, she was clearly a super rare, limited edition collectible.
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes lit up, and he raised his phone, preparing to take a photo.
"Don't take a picture." Hayasaka Ai furrowed her delicate brows, "What if someone sees it?"
Amamiya Natsuki promised:
"Don't worry, I guarantee I won't show it to anyone else."
"Heh." The loyal Maid smiled and looked at him, "That's truly standard scumbag talk."
You're enough! Your clothes are perfectly neat, what's there not to photograph?!
The hem of the Pure White Bride's dress was slowly turning black, indicating that the skin's special effect was taking effect. However, it would still take some time to eliminate the side effect of the canine ears.
In the small tent, Amamiya Natsuki and Hayasaka sat facing each other.
"What did the President and the young lady do this afternoon?" Hayasaka Ai asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Why did you get into a conflict with those boys?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the photos on his phone and said:
"Let me think, is this something I can tell you?"
Hayasaka Ai: "…"
"I remember now, the young lady did say not to tell anyone, and that I could only reveal two words to you." Amamiya Natsuki put down his phone, looked up at the dog-eared Maid in front of him, and said seriously, "It's 'massage'."
"Massage?" Hayasaka Ai tilted her head. "Why can't you talk about massage?"
"You just can't talk about it." Amamiya Natsuki said with a subtle tone, "If you want to know, you can experience it yourself. It just so happens to fulfill your and the Miss's wish."
"It can fulfill wishes too?" Hayasaka Ai pursed her pink lips, growing even more curious. "What kind of massage is it, exactly?"
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head: "Can't say."
Hayasaka Ai blinked her eyes and looked over, tilting her pretty face to act spoiled: "President, tell me quietly. I definitely won't tell the Miss."
"Give it up." Amamiya Natsuki said with a righteous expression, "The most important thing for a person is to be trustworthy. If I said it's a secret, I won't tell a third person."
"Tch."
The spoiled expression on this loyal Spy Maid's face instantly vanished. She snorted in dissatisfaction, but her curiosity grew even stronger.
She wanted to know.
She really wanted to know what the President and the Miss did in the bathhouse.
"President, don't you want to know which one is my true identity?" Hayasaka Ai's eyes flickered, and she extended a slender finger, saying, "As an exchange, I'll tell the President my true identity, and the President tells me what you and the Miss did this afternoon. How about it, isn't that reasonable?"
"Very reasonable." Amamiya Natsuki nodded, then shook his head, "Unfortunately, I don't want to know your true identity."
"Eh?" Hayasaka Ai was startled, "The President actually doesn't want to know?"
"Indeed, I don't want to know." Amamiya Natsuki lay on his side, resting on the Pure White Bride's lap, experiencing a maid's lap pillow, and said comfortably, "A person's true face can only be seen when he is alone. That's why there's the saying, 'A gentleman is cautious when alone, not deceiving in a dark room.' At other times, even in front of their parents, everyone isn't truly themselves."
"It doesn't matter if you're Kashiwagi at school, a cold-hearted maid, or a girl from next door; it's actually not important."
"What's important is..."
Amamiya Natsuki paused here.
"What is it?"
Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but press for an answer.
Amamiya Natsuki looked up at the Pure White Bride: "I experienced triple the joy."
"Pfft!!"
"..."
Several minutes passed in a flash.
As the Pure White Bride's skirt was mostly stained black, Hayasaka Ai's dog ears disappeared, transforming back into clear, rounded human ears, and the small canine teeth in her mouth also vanished.
"It's almost eleven." Amamiya Natsuki waved his hand and said, "You should go back and rest."
"...Damn it!"
Hayasaka Ai secretly bit her silver teeth.
She got her lap pillow, and she got her hug, but in the end, he didn't say what he did with the Miss this afternoon. If she went back like this, she would definitely toss and turn all night, unable to sleep.
"Whoosh..."
Hayasaka Ai took a deep breath, turned, and stopped, saying softly:
"No, I must know what you and the Miss did this afternoon."
Amamiya Natsuki said softly:
"If you want to know, you can only experience it yourself."
Hayasaka Ai bit her silver teeth lightly, extending a slender finger: "Just one minute of experience."
"Get in here."
Amamiya Natsuki grabbed the maid's wrist and pulled her into the tent, activating a one-minute limited-time experience card.
As for the specific content of the experience card... he dared not write it, absolutely dared not write it.
In short, after the one-minute experience card expired, Amamiya Natsuki helped activate the auto-renewal function. After an unknown period, it wasn't until a light cough from a teacher outside that Hayasaka Ai finally caught her breath, frantically and shyly escaping the tent.
The night passed uneventfully.
In a blink of an eye, it was the third day of Forest Camp.
The morning was still outdoor survival training, lunch was cooking and eating together, and the afternoon was free time for taking photos.
Forest Camp lasted for three days. According to the itinerary, at two o'clock this afternoon, the bus would arrive to take the students back to Tokyo. So, from noon to afternoon, everyone, regardless of class, found friends they were familiar with to take commemorative photos—the Forest Camp, which only happens once in high school, would truly be gone forever if missed.
"Natsuki, come over for a photo!" Kitagawa Marin waved and shouted, her voice especially bright in the wind.
"Coming."
Amamiya Natsuki walked to Marin's side.
"Me, me, me." Fujiwara Chika followed, raising her hand and saying, "I want a photo too."
"Let's all take two individual photos first." Kitagawa Marin suggested, "Then we can take a group photo later, okay?"
"Hmm, that works too."
The valley was full of students taking commemorative photos, and with the Miss and others nearby, intimate group photos naturally couldn't be taken, but it didn't hinder Marin's cheerful mood.
The blonde girl extended both hands, making a standard peace sign, her smile as bright and radiant as the sun:
"Cheese~"
Amamiya Natsuki followed with a peace sign: "Ah..."
After taking several individual photos, Kitagawa Marin was satisfied. She took the phone, yielded Amamiya Natsuki, and went to find other friends for group photos.
"It's my turn." Fujiwara Chika stepped forward right after.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Chika and said:
"What slogan should I shout?"
"It's just taking pictures, anything is fine." Chika secretary had no specific requirements for poses; she mainly liked to join the fun. She handed her phone to Kaguya, asking the Miss to help take photos, "Kaguya-chan, a little further away, right there, I want a full-body shot, with that statue in the background of the photo."
Shinomiya Kaguya held her phone, standing several meters away: "Alright, one, two, three..."
Amamiya Natsuki said softly:
"I like Chika."
"Cough cough..."
Fujiwara Chika's pretty face flushed, and she remained silent.
Amamiya Natsuki whispered: "Didn't you hear? Then I'll say it again."
"I heard you." Fujiwara Chika's bright eyes glared at him, "Just take the picture properly, don't talk."
After taking the photos, Fujiwara Chika and Kaguya swapped places, helping each other.
The Miss was quite dignified and reserved in front of others. The photos she took seemed ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could notice that her pink lips were clearly curving upwards slightly.
"Miko, come here." Amamiya Natsuki saw his childhood friend nearby and waved, calling out.
Over the past week, Miko had gotten plenty of sleep, and her dark circles had significantly improved, regressing from a night owl champion and immortal cultivator to a small expert at staying up late.
Unfortunately, although her mental state was better, she was still a lazy girl. When Miko took photos, her expression was completely lacking in vitality.
Next was Miko's good friend Yurikawa... she was purely there to join the fun.
Finally, there was Sayu, standing eagerly not far away.
"Come over for a photo."
Amamiya Natsuki waved to Sayu.
"Coming!"
Sayu's eyes lit up. She happily trotted over, stood beside Amamiya Natsuki, raised both arms, made a peace sign, and smiled brightly and sweetly: "Crab~"
Amamiya Natsuki looked over: "Why 'crab'?"
Sayu tilted her head, raised her fingers above her head, and wiggled them gently: "Because it looks like a crab raising its claws, right? Master, let's both shout 'crab'."
"No."
"Wahhh~ Master is being mean to me."
"..."
Behind Sayu, there was also Mrs. Shimizu.
"I want a group photo too." Mrs. Shimizu was full of grievances, "I'm so lonely by myself."
Shinomiya Kaguya said speechlessly:
"Mom, your phone can't even capture you."
Mrs. Shimizu became even more aggrieved: "There's still a ghost camera! How completely do you have to forget me before you'll stop?"
Shinomiya Kaguya: "..."
After taking individual pair photos, it was time for a big group photo of all Student Council members.
"Kaguya-chan, come over, come over." Fujiwara Chika waved and shouted, "Miko, come take a group photo with us, come on, come on."
Kitagawa Marin: "Sayu-chan, come stand next to me."
Sayu: "Coming, coming!"
Everyone called out to their friends, and soon stood in a line.
Amamiya Natsuki looked around and found one person missing. He looked down at Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi beside him: "Go call Hayasaka over, let's take a photo together."
"Eh?" Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi was startled, puffing out her pink cheeks, "Even Ai-chan has to be called over? How many girls do you have to be a scumbag to, President, before you're satisfied?"
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said:
"Hurry up and go. You don't want to continue getting carsick on the way back, do you?"
Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi: "...Sorry, I'll go right away!"
Soon after, Hayasaka Ai, who had been secretly on guard nearby, was called over. This Spy Maid had excellent psychological fortitude and greeted everyone as if nothing had happened.
Amamiya Natsuki, Kaguya, Chika, Hayasaka, Marin, Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi, Miko, Yurikawa—they all stood in a line, with blue sky, white clouds, and rustling tree shadows behind them.
Click.
The image was frozen.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the photo on his phone and suddenly remembered a poem: "This feeling can become a memory to be cherished, but at the time, it was already a blur."
This poem has had various interpretations from ancient times to the present, and there is still no clear conclusion.
However, Amamiya Natsuki didn't need to wait for it to become a memory. At this very moment, he could confirm that this seemingly ordinary summer afternoon was actually one of the most beautiful times in his life.
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
Under the guidance of the supervising teachers, everyone re-formed into class groups, then left Forest Camp and boarded the buses in the parking lot.
"Kashiwagi-chan, why don't you sit next to me?" Fujiwara Chika invited.
"No." Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi shook her head, "I'll go sit next to the President."
"Hmm?"
The Sheltered Young Lady narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to look at Kashiwagi.
"Kaguya-chan, listen to my explanation! I got carsick on the way here, and if I sit next to the President, he can help massage acupuncture points to relieve carsickness." Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi quickly and timidly explained, "That's all!"
The Miss withdrew her gaze and said gently: "Carsickness is very uncomfortable, Kashiwagi, hurry up and sit down."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
"..."
Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi quickly went and sat next to Amamiya Natsuki, and as a result, the journey was smooth and safe; she didn't get carsick at all.
At 5:30 PM, the bus arrived in Tokyo.
Accounting Clerk Kashiwagi got off the bus with a resentful look in her eyes.
Forest Camp concluded.