**Chapter 58 A Ray of Hope**
On a luxurious cruise ship at night.
Most of the time is free activity for the students.
Although there are teachers organizing several activities, such as “outdoor cinema” or “stargazing,”
the lively and energetic boys and girls
prefer to explore the luxurious cruise ship with friends.
Nagi and the others are no exception.
Their group didn’t sign up for any activities either.
Two days ago, when everyone went out to buy swimwear,
they all planned to come up with an activity schedule for the cruise ship.
However, by the end of the discussion, everyone’s attention was focused on how to “pair up” Nagi and Kanade.
The plan made no progress and instead produced a long list.
That list is currently on Nagi’s phone.
Most of the items on it are the beautiful aspirations the boys and girls have for relationships.
Is it because they are under the starlight?
Upon rereading the list, Nagi didn’t feel particularly shy.
Actions like holding hands, feeding each other, and so on, are probably very sweet in the eyes of teenagers.
However, viewed through an adult’s perspective, its content is at best child’s play.
So what truly makes Nagi uneasy is another “personal list.”
This one is a collection of regrets copied from her diary that she wishes to amend.
Because the content of the diary is something she fabricated, it mostly reflects her own aspirations regarding “love.”
In other words, just a glance at that list
would make Nagi feel embarrassed enough to want to find a hole to hide in.
— Should I hurry and delete it?
— If someone sees this…
Wait a minute.
Nagi suddenly realized something.
If she has things that “cannot be seen by others,”
then, aside from this list, the contents of her “death diary” are equally embarrassing.
In other words.
Aren’t these two lists essentially the same?
They can be utilized.
A top-notch actor
must be skilled at using everything around them.
Nagi looked at the two lists in her phone
and fell into deep thought.
“Those things that should be completed with you,”
“have now become an eternal regret after the separation of life and death.”
Although it’s written down, she doesn’t necessarily have to complete each one, right?
It’s precisely because she couldn’t complete them all that there were regrets left.
She still needs to leave some marks, letting Kanade realize that her list of things to accomplish isn’t just one…
It would be best if she could think of a way
to make Kanade actively refuse to complete the contents above with her—
The more Nagi thought, the more excited she became, her lips curving upward involuntarily.
She sat up from the bed.
This startled Mana, who was sitting on the bed beside her.
“Since the starlight is hard to consume now, let’s make good use of this acting that hasn’t been consumed…” Nagi’s heart revealed a crescent-moon-like smile that she hadn’t shown in a long time.
…
…
When the agreed meeting time arrived,
Nagi followed Mana out of the cabin.
Having “regained her memories,” she was full of curiosity about the interior of the luxurious cruise ship.
However, in order not to expose herself, Nagi tried her best to restrain her inner impulses.
Leaving the endless darkness behind, Nagi, who hadn’t encountered the outside world in a long time,
felt a surge of temporary openness and joy from the bottom of her heart.
In the cruise ship’s corridor, Nagi ran into several girls from different grades.
They greeted her enthusiastically.
It seems she hadn’t done anything too outrageous during her “amnesiac” period.
Others still didn’t see her as a “meat-hungry girl.”
That’s wonderful~
Following Mana’s footsteps, Nagi arrived at the lounge on the fourth floor of the cruise ship.
What came into Nagi’s view was a spacious and bright area, the smooth marble covering the floor, decorated in a low-key but luxurious manner.
The surrounding sofas and coffee tables were neatly arranged, with deep blue velvet upholstery on the sofas complemented by golden cushions.
Exquisite flowers were placed on the coffee tables, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air.
Kanade and the others were waiting in one of the sofa areas for a long time.
After everyone gathered,
Nagi had to confront the awkward situation before her.
She attributed the cause to the “curse.”
“Mana-senpai, what was that curse you mentioned in the LINE group just now?”
Yukino, for some reason, skipped the activity with her classmates and chose to continue being with Kanade and the others.
Moreover, she seemed curious about the content Mana sent to the LINE group not long ago.
Upon hearing this, both Nagi and Kanade stiffened simultaneously.
If it were just an accident, caring Mana would probably keep it a secret for the two.
However, if it was a curse, it had to be mentioned to brainstorm and come up with countermeasures.
Facing Yukino’s question,
Mana glanced at Nagi and Kanade.
Her gaze seemed to convey, “Should you explain this, or shall I?”
Yukino and Rin noticed Mana’s look, and they both caught a hint of something interesting.
Thus, they tacitly agreed in their hearts.
“Nagi-nee, did something happen just now?”
Yukino deliberately leaned close to Nagi, pretending to look worried.
Nagi reflexively stole a glance at Kanade.
Am I supposed to explain this?
Do I have to let the girl explain, “I suddenly pushed Kanade down on the sofa and tried to serve him?”
Is this real?
No, wait, why are you really thinking of yourself as a girl?
As a “man,” I just need to explain the cause and effect clearly and push all responsibility onto the curse.
Then this situation is merely academic research.
There’s nothing to be ashamed of!
After making up her mind, Nagi confidently opened her mouth:
“Hello, goodbye, thank you, little steamed bun.” (Dot eyes)
“Suddenly speaking Chinese!?”
“Eat…”
“Eat?”
“Stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, Mapo tofu.”
“Chinese cuisine!? And such a big appetite?!”
“Fragrant chicken, delicious~” (V)
“Nagi-nee suddenly became a food lover!?”
Faced with the suddenly smug expression of the dot-eyed Nagi (0v0),
Yukino realized she was starting to avoid reality.
It seems she could only get information from Kanade.
“Kanade, what just happened? Why did Nagi suddenly become this way?”
Hearing this, Kanade inwardly sighed and readied himself.
It seems here I still need to take responsibility as a boy and explain the situation to everyone—
“John, do you like すし (sushi)?” (Dot eyes)
“Who is John!? Why are we suddenly speaking English here too?!”
“Oh my god! Unbelievable!”
“It’s me who should feel unbelievable!”
“すし (sushi), o i shi i (delicious)!”
“This isn’t even English anymore; it’s just Japanese with a weird accent!”
Facing Kanade, who suddenly began speaking broken English, Rin probably understood he was also starting to avoid reality.
Their unexpectedly casual reactions made Yukino and Rin even more curious about what had just happened.
Thus, they could only turn to the final informant.
Seeing this, Mana had no choice but to explain—
But the gentle Mana still carefully selected her vocabulary and phrasing.
To describe what happened in front of her as vaguely as possible,
the scene of “Nagi-chan burying her head between Tsukimi-kun’s legs”
was simplified to “Nagi-chan pushed Tsukimi-kun down.”
…
After learning the whole story from Mana,
Rin and Yukino’s first reaction was—
“Hinata-san, are you speaking Japanese?”
“Rin, maybe it’s a minor language that sounds similar to Japanese…”
The two seemed to think Mana had also joined the ranks of playing dumb,
refusing to accept the meaning contained in her words.
After all, the content was truly hard to believe.
Until they looked at Mana again and saw a helpless expression on her face.
“Is this real!? Nagi-nee pushed Oniichan down—mmph—” Yukino, who recovered first, exclaimed in surprise.
Then she was quickly covered by Nagi, who flushed with embarrassment and tears in her eyes.
“Shh, shh~~ too loud~!”
