The moment the three girls appeared, Kaoru felt as though the special exam had turned into an elementary-school field trip.
"No wonder someone refused to form a group with us. He already had cute classmates and adorable underclassmen waiting for him. If it were me, I'd want to spend my summer on an uninhabited island surrounded by beautiful girls too."
Kikyō had barely seen him before her voice took on a pointed, sarcastic sweetness. Her eyes were filled with resentment.
"We're only traveling together temporarily. We'll definitely separate later."
Kaoru could not pretend he had not heard her, so he leaned closer and answered quietly.
"What do you mean, 'later'?"
Kikyō lowered her voice as well.
"You're still planning to stay with them? Kei and I didn't bring anything for that kind of emergency. If you spend every day fooling around, you might cause a real problem. Not everyone is willing to take that risk with you."
Kaoru's expression darkened.
"Do I really look that untrustworthy?"
Halfway through, he realized how questionable that sounded and hurriedly added, "Nothing has happened between me and any of them. Even if I became frustrated, I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself."
Kikyō could not hold back her laughter. She lightly punched him, half exasperated and half amused.
"What kind of explanation is that? If you've already lost control, how are you still controlling yourself? You might as well say you'd handle the problem alone."
"That was what I meant."
Even Kaoru felt embarrassed now.
The more he explained, the deeper he seemed to bury himself.
"No. You already have me. If you still had to handle everything alone, it would damage my pride."
Kikyō rejected the idea immediately.
"When we aren't nearby, you're only allowed to bother Horikita. Don't go causing trouble elsewhere."
Since Suzune stubbornly insisted she was merely convenient and not his girlfriend, Kikyō could barely tolerate Kaoru relying on her in private.
But when Kikyō and the others were present, the situation was different.
Even if Kikyō jokingly called herself his unfortunate little servant rather than a girlfriend, that still placed her far above Suzune's ridiculous self-appointed category.
"I only meant in the unlikely event that I couldn't endure it. I haven't fallen that far."
Kaoru still had some confidence in his self-control.
"Why did all of you come here?"
Kikyō gave him a playful wink.
"You should ask Kei directly."
Kaoru turned and found Kei standing with her arms folded, staring at him.
His expression immediately became awkward.
He had done absolutely nothing, yet he somehow felt like a boyfriend who had been caught cheating.
"So we weren't allowed to come?"
Kei's tone was not openly sour.
Somehow, that made it sound even more jealous.
"I'm happy you came."
Kaoru stepped forward and hugged her before she could continue.
Kei did not resist. She merely grumbled softly against him.
"I was only wondering whether coming here exhausted you, since we aren't following the same route."
Kei had not expected him to embrace her so openly.
She could not see the expressions of everyone around them, and her cheeks became warm, but happiness spread through her chest.
She could smell her boyfriend's familiar scent and feel the comforting warmth of his body.
"Our designated area was nearby. Your Morishita-san told us to meet on this beach at five."
Kei finally lowered her arms and slowly wrapped them around Kaoru's waist.
"She isn't 'my' Morishita-san. We're not that close."
Kaoru immediately corrected her.
It was the truth.
"If you say that to her directly, she might become angry."
"I wasn't accusing you. I was only a little curious."
Kei suddenly sounded embarrassed, as though she had realized how jealous she appeared.
Kaoru gently stroked her long hair.
Girls usually disliked having their hairstyles ruffled, but slowly running his hand down its length seemed to relax her, almost like petting a cat.
"I don't mind, but how long are the two of you going to keep hugging?"
Kikyō sighed.
"You have an audience."
Kei lifted her head and looked around.
Ichika was watching them with a delighted expression, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Kei's ears turned bright red, and she awkwardly stepped out of Kaoru's arms.
"Ahem. You really don't need to worry about us."
Ichika waved both hands.
"Feel free to be more affectionate. I'm only here to watch."
"You're the only person standing around with nothing to do."
Kaoru took Kei's hand.
"If you're bored, try catching a fish."
"How am I supposed to catch fish without any equipment? With my bare hands?"
Ichika sounded offended.
"I don't know. Seeing you idle makes me unhappy."
"I am not idle."
Ichika pouted.
"I gathered all the firewood here. Ask Morishita-senpai if you don't believe me."
Kaoru glanced at the pile.
There was barely enough wood to keep a fire burning for an hour.
"Never mind. I'll gather some more."
Kaoru was about to take Kei with him when he suddenly remembered something.
"Where are Airi and Miki? I haven't seen either of them."
"They went to collect firewood. I think they headed into the forest to the east."
Kikyō answered.
"If you go now, you'll probably find them."
Kaoru became strangely curious.
What would two timid, nearly invisible girls discuss when left alone?
Knowing their personalities, they might both spend the entire time suffering internally, each wanting to speak but neither daring to begin.
"Kikyō isn't coming?"
Kei's cheeks grew faintly warm.
It felt like an opportunity for the three of them to slip away together.
Without Kikyō accompanying her, however, Kei feared she would expose how often her thoughts wandered toward doing inappropriate things with Kaoru.
"There are too many people here, so I'll stay."
Kikyō smiled knowingly at Kei.
"You two should come back quickly. The school has free showers here. It'll be more comfortable if we wash before it gets late."
Everything installed by the school in the D9 harbor area could be used freely by students passing through.
The facilities also supplied unlimited sanitary products, tissues, garbage bags, and other daily necessities, provided students were willing to spend the time traveling there to replenish them.
Naturally, food and portable drinking water were not included.
Kaoru showed little reaction to the mention of showers.
Kei's eyes, however, widened immediately.
They had gone two days without properly bathing, spending every hour walking beneath the summer sun.
At best, they could dampen towels and wipe themselves down. They could not change clothes every day either.
They had only two athletic uniforms, and there was no proper way to wash and dry them on the island.
Most students had resigned themselves to waiting until they returned to the cruise ship.
While Kaoru was not looking, Kei discreetly checked whether she smelled.
Her face nearly collapsed.
'No. This is awful. I'm definitely taking a shower tonight.'
"Are you going to collect firewood?"
Ai ran over from the pot she had been tending.
"Mitoma Kaoru, if you see any edible wild vegetables, bring them back for me."
Kaoru stared silently at the gray, soot-covered girl in front of him.
If he had not known she had been starting a fire, he might have assumed she had just escaped from a coal mine.
She had gone through the same process the night before. How had she somehow ended up like this again?
"She's unreliable."
Kei whispered to Kaoru.
"If we eat her soup, we might all be poisoned. And if you find mushrooms, absolutely do not bring them to her."
Kaoru secretly shared the concern.
For a moment, he considered staying behind to supervise Ai.
"I simply haven't mastered it yet. I'll gain experience soon."
Ai noticed the strange way they were looking at her and became mildly offended.
She was not an idiot.
Kaoru thought for a moment, then removed the dried meat he had received through the earlier trade and handed it to her.
He explained that it had been earned through her refilled water.
"You were smart enough to trade for dried meat."
Ai immediately became proud again.
Her plan had worked exactly as intended. She was already thinking about increasing production tomorrow.
"It's unfortunate that it isn't fresh meat. Otherwise, we could have had a barbecue."
The school did offer raw meat, but few students purchased it because it spoiled quickly in the summer. Canned food and pre-prepared meals were much safer.
"Keep trying."
Kaoru knew her business would survive for only a few days.
Many groups had purchased filters. Once the other students realized how easy it was to obtain their own water, her market would disappear.
Kaoru left the campsite with Kei and headed deeper into the forest.
After walking for a while, he sensed something strange.
Kei was keeping a slight distance between them. Whenever he moved close enough to brush against her, she immediately shifted away.
"How many points does your group have?"
Kaoru casually searched for a topic.
"Only thirteen. We missed the early-arrival bonus several times, so we started trying to complete more tasks to make up the difference."
That was how Kei's group had encountered Ai and Miki earlier.
"Don't push yourselves too hard. You don't need to compete for the top rankings."
Kaoru gently held her hand.
"Maintain your own pace. If a designated zone is too far away, abandon it. Exhausting yourselves would be worse."
Her hand was soft and delicate, clearly unsuited to constant hardship.
"But if we don't earn points, we'll fall behind and might be expelled."
Kei pouted.
"That won't happen. Other groups have much lower scores."
Kaoru reassured her.
"Endure for one week. After that, it won't matter even if you decide to withdraw."
Kei appeared to understand the hidden meaning behind his words.
Her lips moved, but she said nothing.
Whenever Kaoru returned to the cruise ship, she intended to return as well.
Kaoru watched her reaction.
It did not seem as though the exam was truly what troubled her.
"Is Kei bored with the exam?"
"Eh?"
Kei considered it.
"I suppose it is a little boring. We start moving at seven every morning, then rush to task sites, only to find that most are already full."
The school had scattered her familiar social circle across the island. Most people around her were strangers.
If Kikyō had not been beside her, Kei would probably have felt miserable.
"Next time, I'll take you somewhere genuinely fun."
Kaoru smiled.
"A proper island vacation isn't like this. Sunlight, beaches, ice cream, and pretty girls—that's what summer should be."
Kei became strangely shy.
"And swimsuits?"
Kaoru paused before smiling.
"Why did your mind go there?"
"Because boys like seeing girls in swimsuits."
Kei pressed her lips together, then began smiling.
"If Kaoru wants to see one, I understand. Kikyō and I actually brought swimsuits. Do you want to see them?"
Kaoru remembered the school swimsuit from before, and his composure wavered.
He cleared his throat with exaggerated seriousness.
"Ahem. We can discuss that after the exam."
Kei's smile grew.
"This time it isn't an old-fashioned school swimsuit."
So they had brought something more fashionable.
Kaoru immediately stopped his imagination before it wandered too far.
At this rate, he truly would become the kind of man they accused of being unable to endure even two days.
"Is Kaoru thinking about something indecent?"
Kei looked at him with a red face.
Kaoru initially considered denying it.
Then he remembered that she was his girlfriend. Why should he pretend?
"Yes. I haven't kissed Kei properly in two days, and I'm beginning to feel deprived."
Kei's face became even redder.
Yet she had been thinking about kissing him too.
For a girl in love, kisses were both the most enjoyable and the clearest way to express affection.
Compared with their more chaotic games, Kei often preferred simply holding him close and kissing.
"N-no. I smell terrible. Not now."
She tried to reject him.
She did not want Kaoru noticing how sweaty she had become.
Kaoru paused.
So that was why she had been avoiding him.
He stopped walking, turned, and pulled Kei into his arms.
His hands settled around her narrow waist, and alarm flashed through her eyes.
Before she could protest, Kaoru kissed her.
Kei's lips were warm and soft. She stiffened at first, embarrassed by the state she was in, but his embrace held no hesitation or disgust.
Her resistance gradually faded.
She wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, her breathing becoming uneven as she pressed closer.
Kaoru held her firmly, one hand resting at her waist while the other stroked her back.
The kiss deepened only enough to make the world around them seem distant—the forest, the exam, and the waiting campsite briefly disappearing beneath the warmth between them.
Kei had been worried that he would notice the sweat and dust from the island.
Instead, he kissed her as though none of it mattered.
When they finally separated, she remained against his chest, her face completely red.
"You really don't care?"
"About what?"
"That I haven't showered."
Kaoru looked at her seriously.
"You're Kei. Why would something like that make me avoid you?"
Kei lowered her eyes, unable to suppress the pleased smile spreading across her face.
Then she lightly pinched his side.
"You're still a pervert."
"But one you like."
"...Unfortunately."
Even while complaining, she tightened her arms around him once more.