The Moon Is Beautiful (3K)

You En couldn't possibly have felt nothing... He wasn't a saint.

But given their current condition, this wasn't the time.

"Is this enough?"

Ibuki rose onto her toes and kissed him without hesitation.

You En savored the lingering warmth of the girl's kiss.

"This is already precious to me."

"You really are..."

Ibuki Mio's face flushed red.

Compared to Ryuen... Never mind. How could that thing compare to You En?

She was willing to truly "pledge her loyalty" to You En, no matter what form it took. She didn't mind even if it meant abandoning the beliefs she'd always held.

And You En wasn't someone who wanted her to lose herself. He was willing to accept her, and even when she'd made a terrible mistake, he still chose to trust her again.

She thought of something.

"Do you remember our promise?"

"Of course. Once I'm truly stronger than you, I'll be able to date the dashing and adorable Ibuki Mio."

How could You En forget their wager, the one he was bound to win? He glanced at her chest, choosing his words carefully.

"But it's not time yet. For instance... you still need to develop a little more."

Ibuki Mio glanced down, then looked up and asked. She didn't sound jealous, just curious as she sized up her rival.

"Are Horikita Suzune's really that big? Or Kushida's?"

"They're C and D. You... are an A at most?"

"What do you mean, an A?!"

Ibuki wasn't convinced. "I hugged you for so long just now. Didn't you feel anything? I wear a C cup too, you know!"

You En held out his right hand. "Then let me check again?"

Ibuki looked at his fingertips. The blood had dried on them, and a pang of pain and regret flashed through her.

"Just get to the infirmary. We can talk about everything else later."

"Okay."

You En stepped in front of her and crouched slightly. "Want me to carry you?"

"I can walk by myself. Are you even up to it?"

With You En's help, Ibuki was gradually emerging from her guilt. That roguish yet spirited smile returned to her face.

"Want me to carry you instead?"

You En was skeptical. "Can you even lift me? Don't drop me halfway there."

"Hmph. You're only around sixty kilos. I can carry you that far, can't I?"

Ibuki's words came out suddenly. She felt a little dizzy and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Look at yourself. You're still pushing too hard."

You En shook his head. Ibuki's injuries were actually much worse than his. The claw mark across her body alone was horrifying to look at. She'd gotten it shielding him from the jaguar's attack, and that didn't even account for her internal injuries.

That was why he didn't want to do anything like that. They were both in terrible shape.

He stepped forward, hooked one arm beneath Ibuki's thighs, slid the other under her armpit, and lifted her into his arms.

"You like being carried like a princess, so I guess I'll indulge you a little."

"..."

Ibuki Mio's face turned bright red in an instant.

"You... When... when I'm better... I'll..."

You En walked on. For some reason, the students around them seemed not to notice their injuries. They just watched the two of them together with envy, whispering among themselves.

"What are you going to do when you're better?"

Ibuki couldn't bring herself to threaten him. She could only bury her face against him and mumble:

"...You jerk."

They made their way along, drawing everyone's attention, until You En reached the school infirmary.

Hoshinomiya Rie was already waiting for him. She first smiled at him, then spotted Ibuki in his arms and recognized her as a student from Class C. Her smile faded a little.

She spoke in an even tone.

"Put this student on that bed."

Hoshinomiya treated Ibuki with strict professionalism. After examining her, she said:

"I'll treat her in a moment. After that, come here every day to change the dressing. She'll need about four or five days to recover. It's best to avoid strenuous activity during that time, especially intimate contact between men and women, or the wounds might reopen."

Ibuki thought Hoshinomiya's treatment seemed pretty professional. Her injuries were actually quite serious, but after the teacher gave her some basic treatment, she already felt much better.

"..."

But You En couldn't help wondering if Hoshinomiya had even bothered to treat Ibuki properly.

Come to think of it, she'd been the same with Horikita Suzune last time. She hadn't given her a thorough treatment either. She'd probably only put in some effort because of Horikita Manabu.

"Hmph!"

Seeing You En's obvious expression, Hoshinomiya felt a little displeased and explained, "Old man Edward only provided you with the most basic treatment package. I can't keep giving you all the extras out of my own pocket every time, can I?"

You En nodded. But for all her talk, when Hoshinomiya actually treated him, she'd practically added every extra she could.

Not only had the pain gone away and the bloodstains disappeared, but even the broken nail on his right hand had grown back. It was ridiculous. She didn't even bother pretending.

After their treatment, neither of their injuries posed much of a problem.

Hoshinomiya Rie smiled as she ushered You En out, not sparing Ibuki so much as a glance.

After all the comparisons she'd witnessed, Ibuki Mio looked up and sighed.

"...How come even Hoshinomiya-sensei likes you?"

"I have no idea."

How was You En supposed to know what Hoshinomiya saw in him? Was it his face?

"I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at you, you narcissist... Hmm, never mind."

Ibuki reached out. She liked how confident You En was.

"You En, can I lean on you for a bit?"

You En held out his arm for her to take.

"Of course, Ms. Ibuki."

Ibuki leaned against You En, completely unconcerned with what anyone else thought.

It wasn't dependence, just a matter of having someone to lean on. He was someone she could count on, and she was determined to make sure he could count on her too, whether he needed her or not.

At the same time, she had a little plan of her own: to announce to all the girls that he was hers.

They arrived at the Survival Class classroom.

"You're back?"

Edward didn't ask any questions. It was normal for a guy to finish quickly the first time. He got right to the point:

"Now that you've learned the basics of survival, gathering, and hunting, the next important question is how to improve your quality of life. The main thing is building a proper shelter of your own.

"I've invited a friend to teach this class. He's far more experienced than I am. We're short on time, so you'll only get a general introduction."

You En nodded. A quiet foreign young man came in through the door.

He didn't say a word. He took some materials from behind a partition curtain and began demonstrating, offering brief explanations as he went.

It was all about construction in the wilderness: from log shelters and dugouts to stone-walled shelters, then how to fire clay bricks, build a brick kiln, and construct a brick house from the ground up.

The quiet young man's demonstration was quick. He was only showing them how to handle the materials; the finished examples had already been prepared.

There was also a lot of other information, such as raising livestock, growing crops in the wild, and preparing food for long-term storage.

Ibuki only followed the first part. After that, she was completely lost.

You En thought the lesson had been just right. By the end of it, he'd committed nearly all of the young man's instructions to memory and had learned the basics. Still, it was all theory.

To master it, he'd have to put it into practice himself.

After class ended,

Edward gave him a gentle hug and apologized again.

"Kid, I'm very sorry. The curriculum was grueling, and it's impressive that you managed to stick with it. But I want you to know that you really are excellent.

"Don't be overly fearful, but don't be too reckless either. Treat everything in the world with respect. You've been doing well so far. Keep it up."

"Thank you, Mr. Edward."

You En could tell who genuinely cared about him and who didn't. In both his actions and his heart, Edward wanted them to become better. He was a very good teacher.

As for why he'd designed the lessons this way, he probably had his reasons.

"Is it over?"

Ibuki came back to herself. She'd been staring blankly at You En while she failed to understand the lesson, and before she knew it, class was over.

"Yeah. Want me to walk you back?"

You En asked.

"No need."

Ibuki had already caused him enough trouble. She couldn't keep being selfish. But if the elective class ended, they'd have no fixed time to meet.

She laced her fingers together, pressing their tips against each other. "It seems the Sailor Course has been suspended. If it starts up again, will you sign up?"

"Of course I will."

"Then I'll go with you."

Ibuki shook her head. "No... Could you stay with me a little longer?"

"Of course."

You En said goodbye to Ibuki and returned to his room, where he found Horikita Suzune waiting at the door with something that looked like a bento box in her hands.

"I heard you went to the infirmary again. You haven't eaten, have you? I saved you a bento."

"..."

You En didn't dare accept it right away, not before he understood how she really felt.

"I'm not angry."

Horikita Suzune shook her head, as if cutting off some thought.

"Who you want to date is your business. I was only checking on a... friend."

"Thanks."

You En took it.

"I'll enjoy it with gratitude."

"You made me wait for over an hour, so you'd better take this food seriously."

Horikita Suzune said.

You En looked up.

"I'll treasure it."

Horikita Suzune couldn't help asking, "Are you dating Ibuki?"

"Not yet."

"You haven't started dating, but you're planning to, right?"

You En held the bento against his chest. Should he lie to her?

...The bento was still warm. He could feel the girl's lingering body heat through the insulated container.

He smiled. "You're right. We might date in the future."

"Mm. You didn't lie to me."

Horikita Suzune fell silent for a moment, then parted her lips. "I'm glad. Actually, I..."

Never mind. She wasn't glad at all. If he'd lied, that would've been wonderful. Then she could've tried to compete with that girl from Class C.

But You En hadn't.

"Thanks for the bento, Suzune."

"Ah, You En."

Horikita Suzune smiled gently, her voice soft.

"You're welcome."

She returned to her room and closed the door. Then she abruptly turned to look at it.

She felt as though she'd lost something, then realized she might never have had it to begin with.

Horikita Suzune changed into her white pajamas and went to the window, gazing at the crescent moon above.

Alone, she stared quietly at it, her lips slightly parted as she whispered something to no one in particular.

Downstairs,

You En finished the bento she'd made with such care.

He stepped onto the balcony and gazed up at the moon. Together, they said:

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

(End of Volume One—Countdown)

(Next Volume—On the Deserted Island)