Kaoru had prepared himself to be bombarded with questions about Airi.
However, after waiting for a while, he heard nothing from Miki.
The girl merely kept her head lowered, seemingly staring at her feet. She wore a pair of small gray athletic shoes, and Kaoru's thoughts nearly wandered before he caught himself.
The silence between them began to feel awkward.
Kaoru checked the time and said, "The others have probably arrived by now. We should get moving too."
"I-I'm sorry... I've caused you trouble this whole time..."
Miki still did not dare lift her head. She turned slightly toward the path ahead, her ponytail swaying twice and hiding her expression from him.
"It's no trouble. We're friends."
Kaoru glanced at her legs.
"If you can't walk anymore, tell me whenever you need to."
Miki nodded faintly.
Kaoru was about to continue when her timid voice came from behind him.
"Why would you want to be friends with someone like me?"
Kaoru stopped.
That was strange.
He remembered Miki asking him something similar before. Why was she asking again now?
"Because you're cute."
Kaoru answered without changing expression.
"I'm a shallow person. I only become friends with people who appeal to me. A timid beauty like you would definitely be popular with plenty of shut-in nerds."
It was not as if he had never met this type of girl before. Ōsaki Tenka could also be considered a timid, soft-spoken idol.
Miki fell silent again.
Kaoru was tempted to turn around and see her reaction.
Then her uncertain voice reached him once more.
"In your eyes... is Airi also a very cute girl?"
Kaoru paused.
The conversation had somehow returned to Sakura Airi.
Was she truly that interested in the gossip surrounding his relationship with Airi?
However, Miki seemed to realize she had said something wrong and hurriedly took it back.
"N-never mind! Pretend I didn't say anything. Please forget it immediately!"
Kaoru had barely begun turning around when Miki rushed past him in a panic, sprinting toward the front as if something were chasing her.
Had she already adapted to jungle terrain that quickly?
Kaoru's surprise did not last long.
A short while later, he saw Miki nearly trip over perfectly level ground, her eyes filling with tears.
She still needed practice.
...
By the time the two of them reached Zone H6, first and second place had already been claimed.
Tsubasa and Ichika's group took third.
Miki repeatedly apologized, but nobody blamed her.
On the first day, there would naturally be plenty of highly competitive students fighting for every second. After another day or two, most of them would no longer be able to maintain that pace.
More importantly than the reward, Ai had already excitedly dragged Ichika and Hayato away to search for a campsite.
Perhaps the previous uninhabited island exam had awakened her interest in camping, and this time she intended to experience it properly.
For their first night, they selected a relatively open area. Since direct sunlight could easily cause heatstroke, they deliberately chose a shaded location.
Kaoru had originally planned to help Hayato set up the tents and the simple portable restroom for the girls.
For some reason, however, Ai grabbed him and forcibly dragged him away.
"There's a river in H4."
Ai studied the map on her tablet with obvious excitement.
"It runs across almost the entire island from here."
"Are you seriously expecting me to catch fish with my bare hands?"
Kaoru looked at her speechlessly.
"I'm not an idiot. Even if you really could do it, the river wouldn't contain enough fish for you to catch."
Ai looked slightly offended.
"If you want fish, the coast would be a better choice."
The school used the same island for exams every few years. Each new group of students had surely attempted fishing and trapping.
Any fish that had survived until now were probably smarter than the average student.
"Our group bought a filter, so we should store some drinking water while we're here. Otherwise, we'll die of thirst tomorrow."
Ai shoved her backpack into Kaoru's arms.
"I'm tired. Carry this for me."
Kaoru began to suspect that her definition of friendship was having a convenient and obedient laborer.
"You're planning to drink river water?"
Since she had handed him the bag herself, Kaoru did not hesitate to inspect it.
He immediately found the filter she had mentioned, along with two completely empty mineral-water bottles.
"It was my idea."
Ai began boasting.
"Buying water is inferior to obtaining it directly. The filter cost four thousand basic points, but one liter of mineral water costs one hundred and fifty. We have no idea how much we'd consume over two weeks."
She pointed proudly at the empty bottles.
"I requested these from the school. Since they were empty, they only charged me ten points each."
"Once we've filtered the river water, we can pour it into these bottles. Later, we can sell them to other groups or exchange them for supplies."
Kaoru stared at her in disbelief.
He had not expected a shameless merchant to emerge beside him.
She intended to refill mineral-water bottles and sell them as though they were new.
"What if someone gets sick?"
"What does that have to do with me? I'll be drinking the same water. If I'm perfectly fine and they become sick, then their constitution is the problem."
"..."
If she had possessed a tail, it would have been pointing toward the sky.
Kaoru could only hope nobody discovered that she was refilling used bottles.
Otherwise, the other students might riot.
He inspected the bag again and noticed two strange containers beneath the bottles.
When he took them out, Ai's gaze immediately met his.
"Hehe. You've never seen one, have you? I made these shrimp traps myself."
Ai folded her arms and kindly explained them to him.
"We place them near the riverbank and leave them overnight. Tomorrow morning, we might have small fish or shrimp to eat."
Kaoru looked genuinely surprised.
On closer inspection, each trap was made from plastic bottles. The bottom of one bottle had been removed, while the funnel-shaped top of another had been inserted backward and tied into place.
It was a common homemade bottle trap found in survival videos.
Whether it would actually catch anything remained uncertain, but Ai's strange creativity and practical ability were considerably better than those of an ordinary high school student.
"Why didn't you buy a fishing rod?"
Kaoru asked.
"I tried fishing last time. I don't know how."
Ai answered as though it were obvious.
By "last time," she presumably meant the previous uninhabited island exam.
Still, Kaoru wondered who had lent her a fishing rod back then.
When he tried to return the trap to her bag, he accidentally glimpsed a separate pouch containing her clothes.
Kaoru silently looked away and pushed the trap back inside.
He had no desire to demonstrate the questionable ability to identify every detail of a girl's clothing at a glance.
After walking for approximately half an hour, Kaoru heard the sound of flowing water.
Before long, a gently moving river appeared ahead of them.
"Nobody is camping here. Do you think they're farther downstream?"
Ai looked around and confirmed that they were alone.
She approached Kaoru, removed the filter and empty bottles from her bag, then began giving him orders.
"Hurry up and set the traps. Hide them properly. It'll be troublesome if someone finds and takes them."
"So you brought me here purely to make me work?"
"Mitoma Kaoru, don't underestimate your own value."
Ai spoke as though giving him heartfelt advice.
"I have always considered you a friend. Since you also studied wilderness survival, isn't it perfectly reasonable for you to help me?"
Most people would have struggled to refute that argument.
She might genuinely have manipulated them into working for her.
Kaoru merely stared at her expressionlessly.
"Helping you set a trap is fine. But you aren't planning to use the Student Council president's name to convince people to buy your refilled water, are you?"
Ai froze.
She stared at Kaoru for several seconds before apparently coming back to herself. Then she awkwardly looked toward the sky.
"It seems to be getting late. I'll collect the water."
Regardless of Kaoru's reaction, Ai ran toward the riverbank with the filter and bottles and began filling them.
Watching her crouch beside the water, Kaoru shook his head.
It was not worth arguing over.
He removed his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs and sleeves, then carried the homemade traps toward the river.
The current was not particularly strong, producing a clear, gentle murmur.
Since he did not know the water's depth, Kaoru did not immediately step in. He first observed the bank and searched for a suitable place.
After a while, he positioned the traps in a calmer section of water. He concealed them with aquatic plants and stones, which also served as markers.
Before Ai returned, Kaoru quietly released the Automatic Hunting Machine.
This reward had been terrifyingly effective during the previous island exam. It had once managed to catch even tuna.
"You're only allowed to hunt on this island this time. Understood?"
Kaoru warned it.
The machine looked at him as if it only vaguely understood, then leaped into the deeper water with a splash large enough to soak the riverbank.
When Kaoru returned to shore, Ai had already filled the bottles.
"You set up the traps?"
"They're done. Are you going back now, or looking for other groups?"
"Of course we're going back."
Ai answered without hesitation.
"We'll let everyone else become thirsty for several days before we offer to trade."
In other words, she genuinely intended to drink the filtered river water herself.
Kaoru looked at her with new respect.
Not everyone possessed that kind of courage. Even with a filter, many people would worry about bacteria or parasites in the river.
If the water upset their stomachs, their whole group could be eliminated.
Perhaps noticing Kaoru's surprise, Ai smiled.
"Hehe. Kitō Hayato won't drink it at first. He'll wait until the two of us drink it without becoming sick."
If both girls suffered problems, Hayato would remain capable of supporting the group.
"You really did think it through."
"Of course. Also, don't throw away any mineral-water bottles after you finish them. Give all of them to me."
"..."
Ai put everything back into her bag and handed it to Kaoru to carry again.
The gesture made Kaoru feel strangely awkward.
Even if Ai genuinely regarded him as nothing more than useful labor, a girl naturally letting a boy carry her bag could easily resemble something a couple might do.
More importantly, the backpack contained her personal clothes.
Kaoru wanted to ignore that fact, but his eyes occasionally drifted toward the bag.
When Ai noticed the clothes inside, her movements also paused slightly.
Kaoru wondered whether she was going to say something.
Instead, she calmly closed the zipper.
"Come on. Let's go back."
Just as she had on the way there, Ai walked ahead of him, making it difficult to tell what she was thinking.
Perhaps she simply did not care.
Kaoru inevitably remembered the strange wish associated with her.
For a moment, an extremely inappropriate possibility crossed his mind before he immediately rejected it.
'No. That kind of wish is not being fulfilled.'
He forced himself to look elsewhere.
A man had to know where to draw the line. He did not need to complete every wish that appeared, especially when the suggestion was clearly invented by some pervert.
Since they now knew the route, the return journey took less time.
Even so, darkness would soon begin falling.
When the two returned to the campsite, Hayato had already set up everyone's tents and even assembled the simple portable restroom.
"Mitoma-senpai, look! I started the fire. Aren't I amazing?"
The moment Kaoru returned, Ichika stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, proudly lifting her chin.
Her previously clean face now had a small black smudge on it, probably from the smoke. She looked like a dirty little kitten.
Kaoru glanced at the campfire, then back at the girl and raised his thumb.
"Amazing."
"That's all?"
Ichika seemed deeply disappointed.
"That's honestly how I feel."
Kaoru thought for a moment.
"I also think you should wash your face."
"Mm-hm. This is fine. I deliberately left it because I wanted Senpai to notice and show concern."
Ichika hummed.
"No, that response was far too straightforward. I want to see Senpai's legendary ability to charm girls. Hurry up and praise me properly!"
"I don't know how to charm girls."
Kaoru answered honestly.
"Liar."
Ichika looked dissatisfied.
"I feel like Senpai is the ultimate pervert who turns reality into a dating-simulation game. Even little Nanase is within your reach. Am I somehow outside your target range?"
Not far away, Tsubasa, who was preparing dinner, suddenly froze.
"I do know one special technique for winning over pretty girls."
Kaoru blinked.
"Do you want to try it?"
"What kind of technique?"
Ichika blinked back at him.
Kaoru checked his emotion-perception ability.
The suggestion displayed there was to capture Ichika, confine her, and thoroughly discipline her until she became obedient.
He ignored it.
"Don't tell me it's something indecent."
Ichika continued blinking, though she lowered her voice as if sharing a forbidden secret.
"Does Senpai want to experience what happened last time again?"
"You guessed correctly. Can I tease you again?"
Kaoru asked without any embarrassment.
Even beneath her athletic jacket, Ichika's youthful figure was difficult to overlook. She carried herself with such confidence and energy that she naturally drew attention.
"Oh dear. So I was right after all."
Ichika studied Kaoru's eyes.
"Senpai's gaze doesn't even try to hide that you want to do bad things to girls. Although... calling it ordinary desire doesn't feel quite right."
She looked more deeply into his eyes.
"A normal person would simply want to satisfy himself. But Senpai makes it feel more like..."
Ichika abruptly stopped before finishing the sentence.
Then a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She tugged lightly at her collar, revealing her pale collarbone for only an instant before letting it fall back into place.
"Mm-hm. That can count as Senpai's reward."
The girl smiled brightly.
"From now on, I'll learn even more about you and discover your weaknesses. Senpai can look forward to it."
With that, she skipped away.
Kaoru thought about her words for a while.
He genuinely could not imagine what weakness she expected to discover.
Honami and the others, perhaps?
He failed to notice that Miki had silently watched the entire exchange.