Vacation: The Beginning of the Uninhabited Island

The confusion in Horikita's eyes deepened.

Yes, ever since childhood, she had lived beneath the shadow of a genius like her brother. All praise and honor belonged to him.

Sakamoto watched the bewildered girl with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Now, do you think you can catch up to your brother?"

Horikita hesitated. Having witnessed the coldness and strength her brother displayed before her, her once-unshakable desire to reach his level no longer felt so firm. But what else could she do?

She had enrolled in this school to follow in her brother's footsteps.

After finally getting the chance to see the brother she admired,

she had been scolded, belittled, and told that having a sister like her was an embarrassment.

"I, I..."

To Sakamoto's surprise, Horikita gave no response. Instead, she ran past him at a speed far beyond her usual walking pace.

Sakamoto did not stop her. Horikita Suzune's actions had already exposed the turmoil in her heart. What she needed now was patience. There was no need to rush into speaking; pushing her any further would likely backfire.

Hashimoto, who had obediently served as background scenery, was somewhat baffled by Sakamoto's actions.

"Horikita may look very proud on the surface, so arrogant that she cannot even tell the difference between solitude and loneliness, but she is still just a high school girl. Her reactions are rather adorably girlish."

Sakamoto explained with a chuckle.

"I didn't expect to run into something like this by chance. Horikita Manabu will not be here much longer, but his little sister still has three years left."

What Sakamoto had noticed was that Horikita Manabu cared deeply about Horikita Suzune, yet refused to show it. He even openly claimed to dislike her, using the classic words of a tsundere who was cold on the outside and warm within.

Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune was also a tsundere who did not know how to communicate. Her excessive admiration for her brother had driven her to act obsessively.

This time, Horikita's beliefs had been shaken. Who knew how she would face her brother from now on? Maybe she would become even more obsessive. A scheming tsundere little sister's tale?

Who knew.

Elsewhere, Ayanokoji happened to run into Horikita in the elevator as he headed downstairs.

Though Horikita's expression was calm, her brows were slightly furrowed and her gaze hesitant. Ayanokoji could clearly see that something weighed heavily on her mind.

Horikita saw Ayanokoji, but Ayanokoji said nothing. Without exchanging a single greeting, the two simply parted ways.

Her mood might have been poor, but the vacation would still begin.

Under a cloudless blue sky lay the endless ocean, rolling waves, and a massive luxury cruise ship appearing upon the sea.

"Ahh, the ocean. It's so beautiful."

The faintly salty sea breeze scattered spray high across the deck. Kamuro stood barefoot on the damp planks, happily looking up at the sky.

And at Sakamoto and Sakayanagi Arisu, who stood inside the café.

The atmosphere between them was somewhat subtle, their eyes carrying faint sparks. Sakayanagi Arisu spoke in a relaxed yet slightly provocative tone.

"Has Sakamoto heard of the seven deadly sins? Pride can blind one's eyes."

Sakamoto smiled faintly in response. "Only those without sufficient strength who act conceited are called arrogant. If one has enough strength, that should be called confidence."

"Sakamoto certainly looks very confident right now. Do you think highly of Katsuragi?"

"No." Sakamoto shook his head slightly.

"Katsuragi is too pitiful."

When Sakamoto thought of Katsuragi being toyed with by Sakayanagi, working for seven days in vain only to be stabbed in the back the moment the exam ended, he could not help feeling sorry for him.

Lady Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, unable to understand what he meant for a moment.

Sakamoto merely smiled without speaking. Was he supposed to badmouth her in front of the person responsible? He turned toward the counter, picked up the coffee machine, and began preparing coffee with smooth, natural movements. The coffee carried the fragrant scent of cedarwood.

Kamuro Masumi outside could not help feeling curious.

"Sakamoto, are you a barista now?"

"It's just a hobby. Would you like a cup?"

Kamuro Masumi took a small sip from her cup.

The flavor was rich and mellow, and it was very refreshing.

Kamuro Masumi gave him a thumbs-up.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, please have a taste."

The young lady accepted the coffee and quietly enjoyed the brief peace.

"The scenery outside is beautiful as well."

With no further conversation, the atmosphere gradually grew quiet. Gazing ahead, Kamuro Masumi belatedly felt a faint flutter in her heart.

"Kamuro... Kamuro..."

Sakamoto's voice pulled Kamuro Masumi out of her daze.

She let out an "Ah," her fingers fidgeting as she tried to hide her embarrassment with little movements.

Sakamoto sighed inwardly.

Girl, you're being painfully obvious.

"Cough, cough. It's a little stuffy in here," Kamuro said, pretending not to care as she changed the subject. There seemed to be one person too many among the three of them.

"How about we go outside and get some air?"

"Get some air? What are you going out to do?"

Hashimoto strode in carelessly, with Katsuragi Kohei beside him.

"Ah, Sakamoto, are you making coffee? I want a cup too."

Hashimoto's eyes lit up when he spotted the coffee pot. He grabbed a small cup, poured himself some coffee, and downed it in one gulp.

"Then I'll take my leave first."

"Oh, it's Classmate Sakayanagi. I figured you would be here too. I've been so busy lately that I'm exhausted. This is Katsuragi from our class." Letting out a satisfied breath, Hashimoto introduced Katsuragi to everyone.

"We know."

Kamuro's voice carried a hint of resentment as she left for the deck with Sakayanagi.

"Huh?" Hashimoto was a little dumbfounded. How had he provoked that girl again? He had clearly done nothing.

Meanwhile, Sakamoto had already started talking with Katsuragi.

"How is it, Katsuragi? Although Sakayanagi did not participate in the competition this time, most of the class has already thrown their support behind her. Your situation does not look good."

"In this Uninhabited Island contest, I will still prioritize caution. As long as I can stabilize Class A's advantage,

I can improve my chances of becoming Class A's leader. Sakamoto need not worry about that."

Sakamoto looked at Hashimoto Masayoshi, who spread his hands as if to say, "See? I already tried."

"It's all right. I knew that someone with Katsuragi's ambitions would never agree in his heart. I invited you here this time simply to try the coffee."

As though he had anticipated everything, Sakamoto's smile did not fade as he had Hashimoto hand Katsuragi a cup of coffee.

Sakamoto steepled his fingers and smiled at Katsuragi.

That "cooperation proposal" was really just meant to make Katsuragi into a worker bee like Hashimoto.

But Katsuragi had ambitions. For the sake of his younger sister far away, he intended to become Class A's leader so that he could gain more opportunities.

However, in the Uninhabited Island trial, Katsuragi would likely be the one who lost the most miserably.

Not only would he lose a massive amount of points, but he would also lose his authority, allowing Sakayanagi to take control of all Class A and turn him into a fringe figure before he eventually ended up in Class C.

How could such an honest and intelligent person, a naturally excellent employee, be allowed to fall into someone else's hands?

For now, this was simply giving a future good employee a little time to rest.