Finding joy in helping others, Jhin made Gabriel spend her weekend swimming in the ocean of knowledge. Seeing her gnashing her teeth yet unable to do anything about it gave Jhin a refreshing sensation, like drinking an ice-cold beverage on the dog days of summer.
Jhin grasped the scale of this teasing perfectly. He didn't push it so far that Gabriel would flip the table and quit, nor did he let her resign herself to just obeying. He highlighted a feeling of teasing her without letting her actually touch him—a perfect game of hard-to-get.
When the depressing Monday arrived, Jhin pushed open the door to Gabriel's room.
"Gabriel, let's go. It's time for the safety training camp for the Antarctica trip."
"Huh?" Gabriel poked her head out from the blankets. Looking as groggy and lazy as someone rudely awakened in the dead of night, she asked, "What training camp?"
"The safety training camp before the Antarctica trip. If you don't pass the safety knowledge assessment at the camp, you won't be able to go to Antarctica either. Get up and get ready, now."
Hearing that this concerned whether she could stay away from school for three whole months, Gabriel did a carp kip, springing up from the bed. She turned into a bolt of lightning, changing clothes and washing up at top speed.
Because there were many people participating in the training camp this time, Kanae Maekawa asked them to gather at the station, where a large bus would come to pick them up. Thanks to Jhin's sponsorship, the budget for this Antarctic scientific expedition was much more generous in all aspects. At least they wouldn't be using a van stuffed with materials to pick people up.
Tamaki Mari and her three friends were the most enthusiastic, so they rushed to the vicinity of the station early.
"Big Sis Maekawa said there would be others coming with us, but I don't see anyone nearby," Tamaki Mari said, placing her hand over her forehead as if gazing into the distance.
Shiraishi Yuzuki yawned and glanced at the time on her phone. "It's only seven twenty-four. We're here too early."
"Isn't it all because of Mari? Saying we couldn't be the last to arrive and making us leave at seven." Miyake Hinata had just resigned from her part-time job at the convenience store a few days ago. Her biological clock from working night shifts hadn't flipped back yet, so she was incredibly sleepy.
Shirase Kobuchizawa found a wall to lean against and continued to catch up on sleep. It was a mystery how she managed to sleep standing up like a horse without falling over.
The four didn't have to wait too long before Jhin walked over, leading a massive army of girls behind him. Fortunately, these girls had all met each other before, so there wasn't a scene of someone grabbing him by the collar and shouting, "Who is this woman beside you?!"
"Oh, you guys are here quite early."
Jhin waved to them. Only Miyake Hinata vaguely guessed Jhin's identity and asked cautiously, "Could it be... you are Mr. Jhin?"
"Just call me Jhin. I'm about the same age as you guys."
"?!" Tamaki Mari circled Jhin in surprise. "But that day in Kabukicho, you clearly looked like you were in your twenties!"
"Hey, Mari, that's very rude!" Miyake Hinata pulled her back and bowed to Jhin in apology. "I'm sorry, this child just has this kind of personality."
"It doesn't matter. I was wearing makeup that day, so I looked like I was in my twenties. It's normal for her to be this surprised." Jhin smiled, indicating he didn't mind such a small matter, and then introduced the girls behind him.
"The girls behind me are also members joining the Antarctic scientific expedition due to my personal request. They are all my friends."
Jhin paused for a moment, then pulled Hitori Gotoh, who was trying hard to make herself inconspicuous, out from the crowd. "This is my girlfriend, Hitori Gotoh."
"So—so amazing. All these beautiful girls are friends." Tamaki Mari was certain there was nothing wrong with her eyes. Any random girl pulled from behind Jhin was a beauty with outstanding looks... Er, except for this girlfriend who looked extremely timid. Her bangs covered most of her face directly, so her appearance couldn't really be seen clearly.
"It would be too tedious for me to introduce them to you one by one. It's better to let you get familiar with each other during the upcoming safety training camp. Everyone is a good girl; I believe you will be able to become friends."
Suou Amane nudged Yumiko with her elbow and whispered, "How about it? Envious of that girl named Hitori Gotoh?"
Yumiko turned to the next page of her novel and answered indifferently, "Not at all. Do you want to go compete with her over who is the publicly acknowledged girlfriend or something?"
"I wouldn't do something like that. I just want to see when exactly she'll find out about Jhin opening a harem."
"Didn't Kazuki say it? We wait for her to realize it herself or for Jhin to tell her proactively. Besides, that day won't be too far off."
"H-Hello."
After nervously greeting Tamaki Mari and the others, Hitori Gotoh shrank back behind Jhin and refused to come out again, leaving them with the impression that she wasn't good at communicating with people.
However, Tamaki Mari looked at Hitori Gotoh thoughtfully. Then she clapped her hands, speaking as if a lightbulb had gone off. "Ah! I remember now. She seems to be a member of the band whose album I bought earlier."
Jhin hadn't expected in his wildest dreams that Tamaki Mari would actually be a fan of Kessoku Band. This was a pleasant surprise.
"Is it Kessoku Band?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I super love listening to that song 'Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet'! I didn't expect to meet you here!"
"Nijika, Kita, Ryo, come over quick! There's a fan of yours here!"
"Coming, coming!" This was the first time Nijika and the others had met a fan who bought their album, so they were all incredibly excited. Incidentally, Satania had also bought the album, only they didn't know it.
While Tamaki Mari was chatting happily with Kessoku Band, Hitori Gotoh, empowered by the mysterious force known as a "fan," also mustered up her courage. She leaned in close to Kita Ikuyo, listening to the conversation cautiously.
Miyake Hinata, on the other hand, was more curious about another matter. "Mr. Jhin... Jhin, where is that beautiful older sister who was with you that day?"
"Oh, Kazuki? Look, she's right there." Jhin pointed to the petite Kazami Kazuki.
"?! But... her height..." Miyake Hinata gestured a couple of times at Jhin. She clearly remembered that Kazami Kazuki from that day was only a head shorter than Jhin, who looked to be about 178cm tall. How had she turned into a loli now?
"Hmm... just consider it a makeup effect."
"What kind of makeup can achieve this level of change?!"
"Company secret."
On the other side, Irisu Makina recognized Shiraishi Yuzuki, who sang the theme song for the new season of the anime Tuna Man, and was asking for an autograph together with Komine Sachi. A perfectly normal training camp gathering had forcefully turned into a fan meet-and-greet.
Kanae Maekawa got off the tour bus and looked at the crowd at the meeting point, which was ninety-nine percent female, with a completely dumbfounded expression. Furthermore, she didn't see Jhin anywhere; there was only someone who looked like his younger brother at the assembly point.
"Ms. Maekawa, we meet again."
The familiar voice came from a juvenile appearance. Kanae Maekawa stared at the young boy greeting her, her brain's CPU thoroughly fried.
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