Under the Veil of Night

"Have you finished your work?" Mike asked when he noticed that Kanae had stopped typing. He was sitting across the two of them, so he could see their movements clearly.

Kanae nodded her head. "Do you want to see? This is the document for the contract and so on."

Taking the laptop, Mike looked at the document in front of him. He read part of it for a few minutes before nodding his head. There was nothing wrong with it.

"It's good. Boss's documents rarely have any mistakes."

"That's my writing," Kanae corrected Mike's words.

Hearing that, Mike was stunned momentarily. He glanced down at the document again. Even as someone who stayed by Kevin's side for this long, he could not differentiate their writing. This made him rather surprised.

"How did you copy Boss's writing?"

"Well, our writing is already quite similar in the first place," Kanae scratched her head. "I just tried to imitate some of his writing habits that I noticed to make it more similar to his."

"I see."

Mike nodded his head. With this kind of capability, there was no doubt that she could even replace Kevin behind the scenes. In fact, there was even the possibility of her imitating Kevin's writing for other things without his permission. Considering Kevin's position, having someone imitate his writing so well might be detrimental for them.

He quickly shook his head internally. Kanae would never do something like that to Kevin. He was sure about this, right?

Kanae stood up and knelt on her seat as she turned her body around. Alice and Misae sat behind her, so she could see them like this. Apparently, Alice had already woken up while Misae was listening to music from her handphone.

"When will we arrive, Kanae?" Alice looked up to see her best friend.

"In a few more minutes we'll arrive at the middle of the mountain. After that, we're going to hike to the inn."

"Wait, we're going to hike?" Misae exclaimed in surprise. She was going to experience hell later.

"Yup, the bus can't drive on the steep ground."

Misae groaned. This was going to be an exceptionally long journey. She hoped that the hike was not going to be long. Her feet wouldn't be able to hold on if that were the case as she rarely exercised.

"Make sure that you've eaten. It's going to be a few hours hike," Kanae reminded.

It was worse than she thought. Misae complained silently to herself while Alice shook her head. They were not going to reach the inn within a short time. Physical strength was not their forte.

Alice thought about something else. "Do you have any plans during the holiday?"

"I plan to stay with my sister. It has been some time since I spent time with her," Kanae answered. "What about you?"

"My father wants me to practice, so I'm not allowed to leave my house," Alice answered with a wry smile. It was obvious that she hated the notion.

"My mother signed me up for an intensive course. They don't want me to be behind in my lessons again, so I have to study," Misae had a miserable expression when she said that. She hated the fact that she had to study when it was the holiday. If not because she didn't pass the exam during the midterm, her mother would not come up with this idea.

"Good luck, Misae."

"We'll root for you from afar."

"Can't you just help me with my lessons?"

Alice smiled wryly. "I can barely learn my own lessons. There's no way I can qualify as your teacher."

Misae turned her head to Kanae, but the latter shook her head rapidly. "No, I'm not touching the books during my holiday. It's already more than enough at school."

"Then I guess I'm alone."

"Wah, don't be sad, I'll share more cookies with you later."

"I'll…" Kanae wondered what she could do. If she tried to cook, she was worried that she would just create a large accident.

"Just help me out in the hike after this."

"Don't worry, it's easier for girls," Kanae smiled knowingly.

"What?"

"Tell us!"

"No, wait until the bus arrives."

"You meanie!"

The three of them talked for a bit more before the bus stopped. Misae and Alice turned to look at Kanae in hope for the latter to tell them about the arrangement. However, Kanae just pointed her chin outside, telling them to wait until it was announced. Begrudgingly, the two of them could only go out and wait patiently.

The students looked around curiously as Mike explained that they had to hike for the next several hours. The Student Council members will lead the way and the third-years will bring up the rear to make sure that everyone climbed.

Kanae looked towards the steep road near her. She couldn't see the end of this trail as it snaked upwards with a few turns here and there. This was going to be a long journey.

"Can you climb, Misae?"

"Hopefully," Misae answered with uncertainty.

Neo drove out the car he had arranged near the start of the hike. After paying for the parking fee, he drove near the group of students with a grin on his face.

"The girls can put their bags in the car. The boys have to bring their own bags."

Some of the students complained, but the girls were squealing in delight. Girls' bags were generally heavier because of the extra stuff they brought. It was definitely not ideal for hiking.

Alice smiled. "I guess, it's not going to be so hard for us."

"Yep," Misae agreed.

Kanae pointed to the car. "Let's put our bags there. Don't worry, Neo won't steal anything."

"I'll be more surprised if he did."

After sorting out their things, the girls only brought their water bottles and handphones with them. The rest of the things were inside their bags and Neo drove off first.

"Why can a car drive up while the bus can't?" Misae asked when they started climbing. She stayed near the Student Council members who led the way.

"Buses have a higher point for their center of gravity. If the road is too steep, there's a risk that the bus will flip over," Kanae answered.

Alice was stunned to hear Kanae's explanation. She asked doubtfully. "It's physics, right?"

"You still remember?"

"No, I just have the feeling that it must be related because I feel my head is going to hurt if you continue your explanation."

Kanae: "…" I barely said anything that required a scientific explanation.

After that, they barely spoke anything because there was still a long road ahead of them. Time passed slowly as the students felt like they were experiencing hell. For those who didn't like to exercise, this was huge torture.

"Who in the world planned this hellish trip?" Misae asked when they stopped to wait for the other students who got left behind. She felt that her legs had turned into jelly as she could barely feel them.

By her side, Alice didn't feel any better. They have walked for hours, yet the destination was nowhere to be seen.

Kanae and Mike sneaked a glance towards Kevin. The two of them knew fully well that the one who planned this trip was Kevin. However, they definitely wouldn't sell him out to the raging students. There were quite a few of them who already yelled angrily because of the long hike.

"Can you continue?" Mike asked Misae worriedly.

"I just need some rest," Misae answered awkwardly. The distance at which Mike was standing in front of her felt too close. Wait, what was she thinking in this kind of situation?

Kanae shook her head when she saw their interaction. She turned her head towards Alice. "Do you want a piggyback?"

Alice was stunned. "No, it's embarrassing and you're going to be tired from that."

That was impossible. Kanae still felt rather well even after climbing for this long. At most, her forehead was filled with sweat, but her pace didn't falter at all.

"In a bit, Neo is going to return with the car. At that time, the tired girls can get in, and he will take them up," Kanae explained. This was the arrangement they made because girls' bodies were generally weaker than boys'. They didn't want to tire them all out on the first day, so this was the solution.

Alice thought about the offer. She was slightly taller but thinner than Kanae, so she shouldn't weigh that much. After some hesitation, she nodded her head and climbed onto Kanae's back.

Misae looked at the two of them enviously. "I want a piggyback too!"

"Don't you have your boyfriend?" Kanae smirked mischievously.

The words struck Misae as she peered towards Mike. Her cheeks blushed at the thought of him carrying her on his back. It was embarrassing, yet her heart slightly hoped for that.

Mike smiled wryly and glanced towards Misae. "What do you think, little princess?"

"…Okay," Misae shyly nodded her head.

Mike crouched down and Misae climbed onto his back. On his back, she could clearly feel their difference in build. Among the boys in the Student Council, Mike was definitely the tallest with a big build, despite the fact he was the one who had the most amiable smile all the time.

Kanae smiled as she watched the two of them. Her head turned to the back as she saw many of the girls were also asking their boyfriends for a piggyback.. A trip was surely the best way for couples to bond.