The flashlight's beam pierced through the gloomy forest.
The girl's voice drifted on the wind. "Are we the first to reach the summit?"
"Not sure."
Aozawa cast his gaze in that direction. A short-haired girl emerged from the woods, her lips painted with dark lipstick, her eye makeup smoky, and her eyelashes long.
That was Takahashi Saeko.
She swept the flashlight around, saw Aozawa sitting at the summit, and caught a glimpse of Peter tossing his wooden plaque.
A smile appeared on Takahashi Saeko's face. "Nomura, looks like we're late."
"Congratulations on securing first place in the Test of Courage competition," Nomura True Wave stepped forward to congratulate them.
"Of course, we did," Peter ungraciously accepted the praise, a confident smile spreading across his face, leaving Takahashi Saeko unable to tell if his persuasion attempt had succeeded or failed. From his expression, failure seemed completely alien to him.
