This time, Matsushita had guessed wrong. He liked all of them.
But he couldn't possibly say that out loud.
They'd look down on him.
Then Matsushita made him another suggestion:
"How about we form an alliance?"
"What do you mean by an alliance?"
"I'll give you information about the girls, and you help me keep the boys in line. We can exchange information. What do you think? Also, if you want to know their measurements, I can tell you those too~"
Eito asked:
"What are you hoping to get out of this?"
"Obviously, to get promoted to Class A. Do you want to stay in Class D forever? Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed in the students in this class. But if you're willing to help, I think we still have a chance. That would give me some motivation, too."
It was clear that Matsushita could see this class was beyond help. They couldn't even work together, so how could they stand up to the other classes?
Just in terms of judging the situation, she was better than Suzune.
She simply lacked a certain spark. In the first month, she hadn't figured out what S-Points meant, and she'd nearly spent all her money.
Someone like her could be very capable, but it would be hard for her to become a leader.
She wasn't a genius.
Matsushita's Compromise
"Give me a reason to form an alliance with you."
So the two people in front of them wouldn't notice, he deliberately turned his head and spoke very quietly.
By "reason," he meant a benefit.
He wouldn't do something for no reason, unless it was fun.
And getting Class D promoted to Class A wasn't much fun.
Matsushita understood what he meant. She traced circles on his shoulder with her index finger.
"If you can help me get promoted to Class A, I'll give myself to you. How does that sound? That's a pretty good deal, right? Just so you know, I'm a virgin."
"Is that really okay?"
"I don't mind. I already like you a little, and I like people who are stronger than me. If you really can do it, I'd even marry you."
"You're an interesting person. But there are plenty of people stronger than me. Won't you regret it?" Eito asked.
"I might. Another reason could be that I feel like we're a lot alike."
By "a lot alike," she meant that they both liked keeping their true selves hidden.
For an ordinary person, Matsushita's offer would certainly have been tempting.
He would benefit from getting promoted to Class A, and he'd get a beautiful girl, too. Even if it didn't work out, she'd still provide him with information about the girls for free. If it were Yamauchi, he'd probably already be wagging his tail and agreeing.
But it didn't appeal to Eito nearly as much.
Besides, he didn't believe her. Wasn't she just dangling a carrot in front of him?
Who knew if Matsushita was lying?
"If Matsushita can pay me what I'm owed up front, I might consider it."
"So you're done pretending?"
"Pretending to do what? If anyone gave herself away first, wasn't it you? If you don't agree, I'll act like you never said any of that. We'll just be ordinary classmates."
"..."
He wasn't sure how much time had passed before Matsushita finally gave in.
"Fine. But first, you have to prove you're capable enough to earn my approval."
"Sorry, but I like to keep my abilities hidden, so I can't meet that condition."
"...Are you messing with me?"
At Matsushita's harsh words, Eito felt a sharp pain in his waist.
Why did women always like using that trick?
"You forced me to do this," Eito said, and the hand supporting Matsushita began to roam. Every now and then, he gave her a firm squeeze.
"Hey, stop it, you pervert!"
"You started it. Serves you right."
"Fine, fine... I won't pinch you anymore. Just stop moving."
"All right."
When he stopped, a strange flush colored Matsushita's face.
She panted as she spoke:
"There's no way I'd agree to that perverted condition of yours, but I can give you a little something first."
"Something like what you just did?"
"You're disgusting."
"Uh..."
"Anyway, don't worry about what it is yet... We're almost there. I'll tell you later."
Seeing students passing by, Eito fell silent, too.
After taking Matsushita to the tent to rest, he left the rest to the others and walked away.
Quite a few girls praised him for what he'd done, but one person watched him with a distinctly strange look.
Just as he was about to find the source of that gaze, it disappeared.
Still, he managed to spot someone in a certain place.
Karuizawa Kei?
By then, night was falling.
In a few hours, at eight that evening, Chabashira would take attendance for the whole class. Attendance had to be taken both morning and evening; every missing student meant a five-point deduction.
This wasn't only to keep the students safe, but also to keep them from wandering around.
Although this exam was about surviving on a deserted island, it was nowhere near real survival.
In a society that respected human rights, the school couldn't go too far.
Besides, the school wasn't really trying to train the students to survive in the wilderness. What it was truly testing was teamwork.
And that was Class D's greatest weakness.
There were no lights at night, so they could only use torches. They had no phones and no entertainment.
With nothing to do, the students could only sit together and chat. Those who didn't want to talk had no choice but to go to sleep.
The boys and girls were kept separate. Among the boys, Yamauchi and Ike were especially excited.
Eito went over to where Yamauchi was.
Besides Sudo, Professor was there, along with a few other boys. Yukimura wasn't around; he had no interest in this kind of vulgar talk.
And why was it vulgar?
Yamauchi said:
"Let's bet on which girl will go to the bathroom first."
Typical Yamauchi. He'd come up with something both sleazy and boring to bet on.
At least they were all boys, so nobody said anything to him.
Ike looked delighted and immediately put his money on Hasebe.
As for his reason, Eito couldn't be bothered to listen. He left and went somewhere a little farther away.
Behind him came the rustling sound of someone brushing against the leaves.
Was someone following him?
He turned around and saw—
Sakura Airi (watching secretly)
The little figure was hiding behind a tree. There were no lights at night, but under the moonlight, he could still make out her face.
"Sakura, stop hiding and come over."
"Oh." Like a child who'd done something wrong, Sakura shuffled over to him one small step at a time. "Um... I wasn't following you on purpose... I just..."
"I know." He took Sakura's hand. "Come with me."
He led Sakura to a spot beneath a large rock where no one would notice them.
The view was lovely there, with a clear sight of the sea in the distance. The rock also blocked the wind.
He found a clean patch of ground and sat down, then drew Sakura into the space between his legs.
He hugged her tightly from behind, letting her lean against his chest.
Sakura was stiff at first, but soon relaxed and nestled against him.
"Sakura."
"W-what?"
"Can I call you Airi from now on?"
"...Yeah... Then I'll call you Eito."
"Then it's settled."
They fell silent again.
Slowly, his hands began to wander, moving upward until they reached the curve of her chest.
"Is this okay?"
He gently bit Sakura's ear and breathed against her neck.
"Mm."
Sakura gave a soft hum.
But soon, her little sounds grew quicker and more frequent.
Dawn
"Airi, do you trust me?"
"Mm."
Airi lay in his arms. Though he had stopped moving, the girl's soft body still rose and fell slowly. Her breath was hot, and droplets of moisture formed in the air.
He gently fastened Airi's buttons, and the alluring sight of her fair skin slowly disappeared beneath the fabric.
He didn't trust anyone.
He didn't need to.
Trust might bring out someone's strength, but it could also cloud their judgment.
As long as he trusted no one, he would never get hurt.
Without expectations, there could be no disappointment.
His world was lonely, and Airi's was too.
But now, something inside the girl might have changed, just a little.
Holding her full yet somewhat fragile figure, his consciousness sank into an endless void.
Before you continue