Twilight descended upon the beach, and the pale moonlight spread across the entire sea.
With the slightly chilly sea breeze, it swayed from time to time, shimmering with a crystalline frost-light.
The faint chirping of insects echoed from the silent forest.
The crackling flames were licking the few remaining pieces of firewood.
Not far away, the school campsite was brightly lit, with lights sweeping across the beach and the edge of the forest, revealing several other campfires.
Clearly, it wasn't just one or two groups camping nearby.
Morishita Ai had caught her little crab, but it was too small—not the kind of crab she wanted.
Unwilling to give up, she tried to continue beachcombing, but only found a few shells, which could only be considered small snacks.
When night fell, Morishita Ai sat by the campfire, looking sullen, as if reflecting on which step she had taken wrong.
Kaoru glanced at her. It was rare to see her so quiet.
"Senpai, there are so many stars tonight." Amasawa Ichika looked up at the starry sky. Perhaps the weather was exceptionally good tonight, with the elegant moonlight and countless stars floating on the thin veil of night, twinkling brightly.
By now, everyone had finished dinner and was passing the time sitting by the campfire.
"It's because it's different from Tokyo, right? You can't see this many stars in Tokyo."
Amasawa Ichika turned her head and saw Karizawa Kei sitting in Kaoru's lap. His arms were wrapped around her slender waist, his gaze filled with a hint of ambiguity.
She teased, "You two are being way too intimate. Could you show a little consideration for our feelings, Senpai?"
"Not at all, it's just a normal hug," Karizawa Kei replied, feeling a bit shy, though she didn't think she had done anything wrong.
In her eyes, facing girls like Morishita Ai and Amasawa Ichika, this gesture was perhaps a way of asserting her claim. It was like a small animal instinctively marking its territory, deliberately claiming what belonged to it.
Kaoru held the girl's body.
She had already showered, and a faint scent of body wash lingered on her.
Holding her soft waist from behind and stroking her lower abdomen with his hands gave him an extraordinary sense of intimate sweetness.
"Ah, a young couple in the throes of love... how enviable," Amasawa Ichika said, shaking her head with a click of her tongue.
She stretched lazily, her shirt lifting slightly to reveal a glimpse of her smooth, pale belly, the soft line of her abdominal muscles, and her navel.
Her waist was so delicate and slender that it made one want to pull her into their arms.
Kaoru glanced to the side and saw Kito standing up and heading toward his tent.
"Are you getting ready for bed, Kito-kun?" Kikyo Kushida asked.
He nodded slightly, answering her question.
"It's not even eight o'clock yet. Are you really going to sleep so early?" Karizawa Kei grumbled.
"Nights without phones or the internet are so hard to bear. I miss being at school so much."
That was just how modern people were—the moment they lost internet access, time seemed to drag on forever.
Especially during the long nights after dinner and showers, when they suddenly had no idea what to do with themselves.
"I brought a deck of cards. Do you guys want to play?" Kikyo Kushida admitted she was also bored. She had anticipated this and specifically brought the cards to the island.
"Yes, yes! I'll play! I'll play!" Amasawa Ichika was the first to raise her hand, her eyes sparkling.
Morishita Ai seemed a bit interested as well and asked, "What should we play? Should we add some stakes? Like Truth or Dare?"
The moment she said that, Kaoru, Karizawa Kei, Kikyo Kushida, and Airi Sakura all turned to her simultaneously, their expressions awkward.
"Hahaha... Let's skip Truth or Dare," Kikyo Kushida laughed awkwardly. They'd gone too wild with the King's Game earlier. Now, whenever the mention of stakes or rewards came up, they couldn't help but be reminded of that day.
If it were just them and Kaoru, playing another round wouldn't be a problem. But with Morishita Ai and the others present, the thought of it was inevitably awkward.
"No stakes? How's that any fun?" Morishita Ai said, sounding utterly disappointed. "So how are we going to play?"
Kaoru thought for a moment. It was rare for the atmosphere to be this lively, so he decided to roll with it. "How about this? We'll play Old Maid. The person who wins the most tonight will get a gift from me after the exam ends. The person who loses the most has to tell everyone about their most embarrassing past failure."
Hearing this, Nanase Tsubasa, Miki Yamamura, and Airi Sakura—who had all been uninterested until now—looked over.
Kikyo Kushida's expression darkened. She wondered if Kaoru was taking a jab at her. *How could an angel like me possibly have an embarrassing past?*
But then she had a second thought: *Maybe telling a slightly funny story would actually be a good way to get closer to everyone.*
"That sounds great! Senpai, what's the gift?" Amasawa Ichika asked impatiently.
"If I tell you now, it'll ruin the surprise. I'll only tell the winner," Kaoru said with a feigned air of mystery, a playful smile on his lips.
Even Morishita Ai perked up. The promise of a gift was enough to chase away her drowsiness.
"That gift is mine for sure!" Karizawa Kei exclaimed, suddenly fired up. "Who's in? Hurry up!"
Amasawa Ichika linked arms with Nanase Tsubasa and raised her other hand high. "Reporting for duty, Karizawa Senpai! Nanase and I are in!"
"Don't call me Senpai right now. Just bring it on!" Karizawa Kei put her hands on her hips, her posture practically radiating confidence. And why wouldn't she? She was certain Kaoru was on her side.
"Things are different when there's a reward," Morishita Ai declared, her confidence evident as she puffed out her small chest. "I may have never played before, but a genius like me doesn't need experience to be the best. You'd better watch out, Karizawa Kei, Amasawa Ichika."
Having just stepped out of the shower, the thin fabric of her short-sleeved shirt clung to her, accentuating the full, rounded curve of her chest. It looked as though it would overflow from anyone's palm, the soft, delicate flesh threatening to slip through their fingers—the kind of allure that was utterly irresistible.
If he shifted his gaze now, he would see Nanase Tsubasa. Her figure was even more impressive than Morishita Ai's.
Also wearing a short-sleeved sports shirt, her full chest seemed almost to burst through the fabric, forming a perfect, smooth, and rounded curve that drew Kaoru's attention.
At that moment, Kaoru realized it had been a wise decision for Kito Shun to leave early, even if the latter hadn't seen this scene.
"Wait a moment, I'll go find my playing cards," Kikyo Kushida said, running back to her tent and rummaging through her backpack.
Kaoru glanced at Airi Sakura and Miki Yamamura. The two "invisible" girls were huddled close together, their bond seeming even stronger than usual.
"Do you two want to play, Airi, Miki?"
Miki Yamamura averted her gaze for some reason, the firelight flickering across her face, obscuring her expression.
"We... we'll just watch. No need..."
Kaoru frowned slightly, and Airi Sakura gave him a guilty glance.
*Never mind,* he thought. *Rather than forcing them to join in, it's better to let them continue their private conversation.*
For both Airi Sakura and Miki Yamamura, simply having someone to whisper with was something worth celebrating.
***
By the time they finished playing cards, it was nearly 10:00 PM. With another early start the next day, the girls reluctantly headed back to their respective tents.
Karizawa Kei seemed conflicted.
She tugged at Kaoru's sleeve, clearly wanting to say something, but when she saw Amasawa Ichika and the others watching, her cheeks flushed.
She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
"Let's get some sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow," Kikyo Kushida said with a yawn. She wasn't particularly bothered about whether she could sleep with Kaoru or not, but Karizawa Kei had grown used to it.
Karizawa Kei looked sullen, especially since she hadn't received a gift. Kaoru could only pretend not to notice. There was nothing he could do—was he supposed to force his way into their tents?
"After the exam is over, Kei will get a gift too," Kaoru whispered to her.
Karizawa Kei's face instantly lit up with joy, her dejection vanishing in an instant. She planted a sweet kiss on Kaoru's cheek, then grabbed Kikyo Kushida's arm and dragged the bewildered girl back to her own tent.
Kaoru looked at Amasawa Ichika. The girl gave him a playful smile and flashed a peace sign.
It could only be said that Baiwu Students were truly something else—even at cards, they were incredibly skilled.
Kaoru returned to his tent. It was a single-person tent with very little space; his backpack had to be left outside, and only small items like his tablet, watch, power bank, and flashlight could fit inside.
Since it was summer, there was no need for anything fancy. He just used his jacket as a blanket and went straight to sleep.
Listening to the silence outside, Kaoru gradually drifted into slumber.
However, after an unknown amount of time, a voice called out from outside the tent.
"Kaoru, are you asleep?"
When he didn't respond, she assumed her voice had been too quiet.
"Hmm, looks like he's really asleep."
The tent's zipper was slowly pulled down, followed by the beam of a flashlight—set to its lowest, dimmest setting.
By the light, Airi Sakura peeked cautiously into the tent.
Seeing Kaoru fast asleep, Airi Sakura seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
She then opened the tent further and tiptoed halfway inside, not forgetting to urge the person behind her.
"Miki, he's asleep. Hurry up and get in."
A moment later, Miki Yamamura's small face appeared at the tent's entrance, looking even more nervous than Airi Sakura.
Right now, the two girls were wearing only thin, loose short-sleeved shirts, their pale, soft arms exposed.
Since they couldn't stand up in the tent, they both knelt on the ground, supporting themselves with their hands.
This position slightly exposed a sliver of their waists, and their collars naturally hung loose, faintly revealing their delicate collarbones.
If Kaoru were to open his eyes, he would see Airi Sakura's large breasts trembling as they swayed, their natural shape outlined so that a single touch seemed like it would make the entire shirt shake with them.
"What are we doing?" Miki Yamamura whispered to Airi Sakura.
"We're checking," Airi Sakura replied, her face flushing slightly. "Didn't you say you didn't know if you liked Kaoru or not? If you do like him, we can be best friends forever."
Yes, that was why they were here—because of what Airi Sakura had said to Miki Yamamura in the shower.
Airi Sakura's idea was simple: if Miki Yamamura could also fall in love with Kaoru, then they would never have to be apart.
It might sound a bit unbelievable, but she could even accept a harem.
Adding Miki Yamamura to the mix was something she wouldn't mind at all. In fact, she practically welcomed the idea with open arms.
Of course, this was also because Airi Sakura felt the harem's atmosphere was very harmonious.
Honami Ichinose and Kikyo Kushida were both good to her, and there was none of the imagined tension of a "main wife" suppressing a concubine. Otherwise, she might have been left teary-eyed.
However, Airi Sakura also knew that her opinion alone wasn't enough. It all depended on what Miki Yamamura thought.
At the time, Miki Yamamura had been completely stunned. She had stammered that she didn't know if she liked Kaoru or not, so she couldn't accept the idea yet.
But her response had been too ambiguous. By not rejecting the idea outright, she was actually signaling a positive attitude to Airi Sakura.
So, with boundless enthusiasm, Airi Sakura had brought Miki Yamamura along to verify whether she truly did like Kaoru.
"D-don't you think he looks a little cute while he's sleeping?" Airi Sakura whispered.
Following the beam of the flashlight, Miki Yamamura saw Kaoru's face, which seemed to be in a deep sleep, looking even more peaceful than usual.
As she studied his features carefully, her heart skipped a few beats. She suddenly realized why she was staring so intently.
"Hehe, want to give him a kiss?" Airi Sakura seemed completely captivated. "If you kiss him, you might just realize how good it feels to kiss him."
"I'm not kissing him! This is still my first kiss!" Miki Yamamura refused to fall for her persuasion. How could she possibly kiss him now? She'd look like some kind of pervert.
"He doesn't know it's your first kiss anyway... Oh well, fine," Airi Sakura muttered to herself. She seemed unable to resist any longer.
Leaning forward slightly, she pressed a kiss to Kaoru's cheek. "Hehe..."
Miki Yamamura was stunned. She hadn't expected Airi Sakura to actually go through with it.
"Won't that—won't that wake him up?" Miki stammered, worried Kaoru might suddenly wake up, yet also unable to look away from the moment Airi Sakura's lips touched his skin.
"No, I've kissed him several times before." Perhaps it was the nighttime, or the fact that Kaoru was fast asleep, or maybe just having Miki Yamamura beside her, but Airi Sakura seemed to have grown bolder.
Airi Sakura reluctantly pulled away, her gaze then drifting down to Kaoru's waist.
"Want to see?" she asked.
"Huh?" Miki Yamamura froze. Seeing Airi's hand sneakily reach for Kaoru's waist, her cheeks instantly flushed.
Just as Miki was about to cover her eyes, Airi Sakura pulled back Kaoru's jacket and slowly lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a glimpse of his abs.
"His abs are so pretty," Airi Sakura whispered, her eyes glued to him.
Miki stole a glance and noticed that Kaoru's abs weren't overly defined, but they had powerful, well-defined lines—yet still retained the softness a boy should have. It made her unconsciously want to reach out and feel them.
Just as boys might want to touch a girl's breasts, girls sometimes couldn't help but want to touch a boy's abs.
Miki tried her best to restrain the urge, but Airi Sakura was already touching them.
"Hehehe, I love this..." Airi couldn't bear to let go, her eyes filled with adoration. Since he was her boyfriend, she felt free to touch him however she wanted. "Miki, why don't you try touching them too!"
Perhaps emboldened by Airi's presence, or maybe by Kaoru's deep sleep, Miki Yamamura's own courage grew just a little bit larger than usual.
Miki Yamamura timidly extended her small hand and touched Kaoru's abs.
The moment her fingers made contact, she felt a warm sensation, followed by the distinct firmness and softness of muscle lines.
She couldn't resist stroking them a few more times.
"Hehehe, you don't hate it, do you?" Airi Sakura chuckled, looking pleased.
Miki nodded, her face flushed crimson.
This was the closest she had ever been to Kaoru.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably; she wanted to keep touching him, yet feared he might wake up at any moment.
"There's... there's an even better spot to touch... Miki, do you want to see?" Airi whispered close to her ear, her warm breath turning Miki's earlobe bright red.
In the next instant, Miki watched as Airi's hand slipped down just a little further, and something... *mischievous*... abruptly appeared before her eyes.
Miki's eyes widened, her mind buzzing.