Fake

Even Yamauchi probably wouldn't believe that.

Sakura didn't believe him either. "...Oh."

"Anyway, forget about it. Just pretend it never happened." Eito looked at her. "Sakura, you won't hate me because of it, will you?"

"No... I won't hate you. After all—"

After all, Eito hadn't done anything to make her hate him.

Besides, it was perfectly normal for a boy to like someone, wasn't it?

If he did the same thing to her someday...

Mm~ How embarrassing.

No, no.

Why was she imagining something like that? It was impossible, wasn't it?

She was just a plain-looking girl. There was no way he could be interested in her.

But if she changed into that kind of outfit, maybe—

Stop!

How had her thoughts even gone there? It had nothing to do with any of this.

They were just friends.

Eito was bewildered as he watched Sakura suddenly crouch down, clutching her head and doing who knew what.

Was she on her period?

But he had no idea what to do about that. Should he go back and ask Suzune?

After they'd set up camp, everyone voted to form teams and explore the island.

Three people to a team.

He brought Sakura along and teamed up with Ayanokoji.

The three of them walked along in silence.

He reckoned that if he didn't speak up, those two could stay mute for the rest of their lives.

In the end, Ayanokoji was the first to speak.

"What do you think of this island?"

It was obvious that Ayanokoji had noticed something strange about it, too.

He said,

"This is an artificial island. You can tell the vegetation was transplanted. It's not a very pretty place."

He preferred environments that had developed naturally to artificial ones like this.

Speaking of artificial things,

he looked at Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji was also a genius made by human hands—though the word "made" needed to be taken with a grain of salt.

His skills were all the result of deliberate training, but compared with everyone else, Ayanokoji was the finest product they'd selected.

Without a certain amount of talent, no one could reach that level.

It was like asking someone tone-deaf to learn the piano. It would probably take years, and even then, they wouldn't achieve much.

So, in his eyes, Ayanokoji was a true genius.

"When Chabashira came to find you before, did she ask you to do something?" Eito suddenly asked.

"Uh... no."

If things had followed the original course of events, Ayanokoji would have helped Class D get a good result on this exam because Chabashira had threatened him.

But Suzune, whom he could have used, had already been whisked away by Eito. If he still wanted to help Class D this time, it would be much harder.

Of course, Eito had considered that Ayanokoji might use him.

But he didn't mind.

He only cared about the outcome. Whether he was using someone or being used, it was all just a means to an end.

Sometimes, to achieve his goals, he'd even let someone use him on purpose.

Now might be a good time to let Ayanokoji in on a little more information.

"Hirata wanted me to be the leader before. The key card's with me now." He took out the key card and tossed it to Ayanokoji.

"What is this... Why?" Ayanokoji's gaze sharpened slightly before he looked at him.

Because the name on it wasn't Takeda Eito. It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"That's how things stand, so I'll leave the campsite arrangements to you. Just make sure nobody finds out."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the friend I trust most. I can only ask you. If I keep disappearing every time, people will definitely notice."

"Are you saying there's a traitor?"

"I'm not saying that." Honestly, he didn't know whether there was one, but this was the safer option. "If someone from another class has infiltrated us, that could be a problem."

"Oh."

Ayanokoji was much less conspicuous than Eito, so he was less likely to be discovered.

Besides, Eito didn't want to keep running back and forth. He wanted to enjoy this vacation, even if that meant chewing tree bark and drinking cold water.

With Ayanokoji handling things, he could rest easy.

Whether Ayanokoji wanted to help Class D or bring about its downfall, Eito didn't care.

"Now that we've taken care of business, let's split up. I'll tell you about the campsite I find later."

"Oh."

Ayanokoji left with the key card.

Then—

Eito turned to Sakura, who was staring at him blankly.

"Sakura, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"...Uh, no. I just think you're both amazing."

"Is that so?" He crouched down, opened one hand, and smiled faintly. "Your Highness, give me your hand."

"...Huh... M-my hand?"

"If you don't hold on to me properly, what if you fall?"

"But... O-okay."

Sakura carefully reached out her hand.

Eito took her warm hand in his.

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere nice."

"Okay."

This was the highest point on the island. From here, they could look down at the lush woods and the fruit trees, their branches dotted with all kinds of colors.

Even an artificially made island had a beauty of its own.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air, then lay down beside a large rock.

Sakura remained standing, gazing at the distant scenery.

"It's beautiful here."

As she spoke, Sakura turned to look at him.

Behind her glasses, her eyes bloomed with vibrant life.

The face that usually wore a gloomy expression showed a rare smile.

Her small, pale pink lips moved, and he could just make out her pearly white teeth.

"It really is beautiful,"

he replied with a smile.

"Too bad I didn't bring my camera."

Sakura liked taking selfies, but she also took pictures of beautiful scenery from time to time.

But cameras weren't allowed on the island.

That made her a little upset.

Eito said,

"Then keep looking for a while. Take it all in, so you won't need to pull out a photo whenever you want to remember it."

"Okay, I will."

Sakura nodded and turned back around.

He glanced at her back, then closed his eyes.

Fake

When Eito woke up, his face felt ticklish.

He opened his eyes and saw Sakura lying beside him, a few strands of her hair blown across his face by the wind.

They carried a faint, sweet fragrance.

Sakura had her eyes closed, breathing softly, one small hand clutching his clothes.

From this angle, he could see Sakura's figure clearly.

Her breasts were fuller than Kikyo's, her waist slender, and her two shapely, fair legs rested close together on the ground.

The defenseless look on her sleeping face would stir desire in any man with bad intentions.

The desire to claim her as his own.

Eito knew how to control his desires, but sometimes he chose not to. There was no need.

At that moment, Eito chose to indulge his desire.

But so Sakura wouldn't hate him, he kept it mild.

He moved a little closer, put an arm around her waist, and drew her upper body into his arms.

His other arm slipped beneath her armpit and supported her shoulder from behind.

His movements weren't particularly big or small, but they still woke the sleeping girl.

Sakura drowsily opened her eyes, rubbed the corner of one eye with her small hand, and lifted her head. Then she saw his face right beside hers.

They were less than ten centimeters apart. At that distance, they could even hear each other's faint breathing.

"..."

Sakura blinked. Then her pupils suddenly contracted, and she stopped breathing through her nose. A blush spread from her face to the rest of her body.