The sky gradually darkened.
The fourth day of survival on the deserted island was about to end.
After Natsuki planted the mushroom on Hayasaka, the two returned to the cave together.
The firelight flickered.
Coupled with the aroma of food being roasted over the fire, it inexplicably gave people a sense of home warmth.
"President."
"Natsuki-kun."
"Hayasaka, you're back?"
Seeing Natsuki and Hayasaka return, the girls gathered around the bonfire, roasting food, all looked up and greeted them.
"We're back," Natsuki walked to the Young Miss's side, sat down on the handmade cushion, and looked at Chika kneeling opposite him, "How's the roasting coming along?"
Making tables, chairs, and benches by hand was impossible, but making a cushion was barely manageable, and sitting on it felt quite nice, definitely more comfortable than sitting directly on the rock.
"It feels like it still needs a little more," Chika's eyes were bright as she continued to turn the goose meat in her hand, "President, wait a little longer, you eat the crabs first."
Natsuki picked up a golden-red roasted crab claw, crushed its hard shell to reveal the tender white crab meat inside, then handed the crab claw to the Young Miss beside him:
"Here, you can eat it."
"Thank you, President."
Kaguya softly responded, taking the crab claw.
The first two days they went to the Red Mangrove Forest to catch crabs, they brought back whole crabs, but most parts were inedible.
So today, at Chika's suggestion, everyone only broke off the crab claws and brought them back—similar to Florida stone crabs, only the claws, not the body.
Fortunately, the crab claws were large enough, and after being roasted, they tasted quite good.
Each person eating a few crab claws was enough to feel full.
It must be said, cleaning them was much easier.
"Tsubame-senpai, your crab claw."
Natsuki crushed another crab claw and handed it to Tsubame.
"Thank you, Natsuki-kun," Tsubame thanked him softly, took the crab claw, and handed it to her adopted daughter, saying gently, "Aoi-chan, you eat first."
Tsubame was inexplicably close to Aoi-chan even before her awakening.
After awakening today and recalling their 'mother-daughter' relationship, she naturally took even more care of Aoi-chan.
"Juju, your crab."
"Hmph."
"Shoko, you eat two."
"…"
Each crab claw was the size of an adult's palm, and most people really couldn't break them open.
So, for the past few days, Natsuki had been helping to crush the crab claws and then distributing them to everyone.
"Haruno-nee, your crab claw."
Natsuki broke another crab claw and handed it to Haruno.
"Thank you, Natsuki-kun~"
Haruno smiled sweetly and thanked him softly.
As she took the crab claw, she subtly hooked Natsuki's palm with her pinky finger when no one was looking.
Natsuki's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Yukino sitting next to Haruno, his eyes signaling:
"Your sister is lusting after my body."
"…You shut up."
Yukino bit her lip; she had indeed seen Haruno's little gesture.
But what could she do?
Lecture her sister in front of everyone?
Of course not.
"Yukino, your crab."
Natsuki handed over the crab claw in his hand.
Yukino couldn't refuse; after all, everyone else was getting one, and if she alone didn't, it would certainly arouse suspicion, so she could only reach out to take it.
Then…
Natsuki secretly tickled Yukino's palm when no one was looking.
Yukino's black hair trembled slightly; she took a deep breath, bit her silver teeth as she took the crab claw, and then shot him a sharp, warning glare.
"Give me a break, don't push your luck!"
"Yes, yes."
"…"
By the time everyone had finished a round of crab claws and were almost full, Chika's much-anticipated roasted goose leg was finally cooked successfully.
And then….
"So…so hard."
"My mouth already hurts."
"No, I can't go on like this; I won't be able to speak tomorrow."
"I can't eat it; I simply can't."
"..."
It turned out that Natsuki's previous statement about the rules for eating wild animals was not wrong.
The larger and older the wild animal, the worse it tasted when eaten.
For example, the Deerclops that secretary Chika had been longing for, even after being roasted for so long, tasted like chewing rubber; it was impossible to bite through.
The imagined smooth, tender, and springy texture was nowhere to be found.
Turkeys were in a similar situation.
This stuff is a must-have for Western Thanksgiving, looking oily and huge, but no one in the Heavenly Dynasty is willing to eat it.
Is it because it's too expensive?
Of course not.
In the past, Sunshine Rose grapes cost over a hundred yuan per catty, and many people still bought them.
The only reason no one eats turkey is that it is too unpalatable.
The Deerclops is like a super plus version of the turkey, and its unpalatability is imaginable.
"I'm in despair. I've never eaten such unpalatable food," Chika looked up at the sky. "It's not even as tasty as roasted spiders."
Natsuki retorted:
"I also think roasted spiders taste better."
Haruno: "Agree."
Tsubame: "Strongly agree."
"I'm not eating anymore, I'm not eating anymore," Chika finally gave up. "From now on, I'll only eat roasted crabs."
"..."
After dinner, each person drank a coconut, then simply washed up, and took turns on watch.
Nothing happened that night.
The next day.
When a faint light appeared outside the cave, Natsuki quietly got up and woke Hayasaka.
This Hayasaka had received professional spy training and was extremely alert. Natsuki had only just approached, without even touching her, when Hayasaka woke up.
"The mushroom is ready, we can go out."
Natsuki whispered.
"Understood..."
Hayasaka blinked, quickly waking up. She glanced at the girls who were still sleeping, quietly got up, and followed Natsuki out of the cave.
This time, Natsuki walked very far, for five minutes, until he reached a hidden corner before finally stopping.
Hayasaka slightly furrowed her brows, casting a wary glance, and asked suspiciously:
"Natsuki-kun, have we walked too far?"
"Not far." Natsuki stopped, turned to Hayasaka, and said softly, "If we're too close, we might be overheard."
"Overheard?" Hayasaka frowned slightly, vigilant, and said, "Sound propagation has a distance limit. In fact, as long as we're forty or fifty meters away, it's hard to hear someone else's voice, even if they're shouting... We must be at least several hundred meters from the cave now, right?"
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
If he only wanted to avoid waking everyone in the cave, walking a hundred meters would be enough. Why walk so far?
Natsuki comforted her:
"Ai-chan is as vigilant as ever, but don't worry, I definitely won't take advantage of you against your will. If I really wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn't have waited until now, right?"
Hearing this, Hayasaka felt a slight sigh of relief.
That is true.
With the strength of the man in front of her, even if he wanted to have a terrible silver party on the island, no one would be able to refuse or resist.
So... was she being overly cautious?
Clatter.
A familiar rectangular box fell out of Natsuki's pocket.
Hayasaka, who was reflecting, stopped breathing, her beautiful eyes quickly widened, and she looked at the rectangular box on the ground in shock.
"It...it's actually..."
Hayasaka was not unfamiliar with the box; she recognized what it was at a glance.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
Why did this guy bring this kind of thing out?
What exactly does he want to do?!
Hayasaka's recently relaxed vigilance instantly shot up, reaching its maximum value.
A deserted island.
Hundreds of meters away from the cave, no one would hear her even if she screamed until her throat was hoarse.
And it was just a man and a woman alone...
A thought quickly surged in Hayasaka's mind, causing her to cautiously step back half a pace.
"Eh, eh, eh, why does Natsuki-kun have this kind of thing in his pocket?" Hayasaka covered her mouth with both hands, a shy and flustered expression on her face, her acting quite good. "It, it must have been an accident, right?"
"I'm sorry, it wasn't an accident." Natsuki bent down to pick up the box, looked at Hayasaka, and said in a faint voice, "I... I did it completely on purpose."
Hayasaka: "..."
Damn it!
He intentionally put this kind of thing in his pocket and brought it here; he really must have ill intentions!
"Natsuki-kun wouldn't do anything to disappoint Kaguya, would he?"
Hayasaka's eyes grew more vigilant. As she spoke, she looked for an escape route.
Natsuki spread his hands and said:
"As you said, as long as we hide it well from Kaguya, it'll be fine, right?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Hayasaka subconsciously shook her head in denial.
Liar!
She certainly wouldn't say such a thing!
Hayasaka took a deep breath, the flustered and shy expression on her face quickly disappeared, and she bit her lip as she questioned:
"So, every morning you call everyone out, saying it's to help everyone awaken, but in fact, it's just to do this kind of thing?"
"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense." Natsuki denied it three times, opened the box, and said, "Look for yourself, not a single one is missing."
Hayasaka glanced at the box, her face grew even more vigilant, and she couldn't help but say:
"You don't even take safety precautions?"
Natsuki: "..."
While Natsuki was speechless, Hayasaka, without a word, turned and ran.
"Good reaction."
Natsuki nodded in satisfaction.
What should a girl do when she encounters a suspicious male alone outside?
Don't think about bone-breaking kicks or over-the-shoulder throws, and don't place your hope on pepper spray. The best way is actually to turn and run, preferably to a crowded place, to attract a lot of attention and onlookers.
Natsuki extended his right hand, using the Accio.
Hayasaka had no power to resist. Her body was lifted into the air and flew directly back.
Bang.
Natsuki embraced Hayasaka.
Seeing that escape was hopeless, Hayasaka's expression changed constantly. A misty haze quickly welled up in her azure eyes, and then she turned her head away, as if completely abandoning her will to resist, giving up entirely.
Her pitiful, helpless expression made one involuntarily feel remorse and guilt.
Natsuki looked at the teary-eyed Hayasaka in his arms and nodded:
"Good acting."
Hayasaka: "..."
Natsuki smiled:
"I said before that your bear growing bigger is all my credit... If we weren't in a relationship, do you think I'd dare touch you randomly?"
Thump!
Hayasaka gritted her teeth and punched Natsuki in the chest. The tears in her eyes quickly disappeared, and she said through clenched teeth:
"If we really were dating, would you insult me in this way?"
Natsuki took the punch without dodging, then snapped his fingers and said gently:
"The reason I came prepared is entirely because your mushroom is too terrifying."
"What's wrong with the mushroom on my head?"
Hayasaka furrowed her brows. As soon as she finished speaking, her body suddenly trembled, and she felt an indescribable urge instantly sweep through her entire body.
Memory awakening.
But the original sin also struck.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
"President... President, President, President!"
"Only I should be enough, yet you're secretly with so many girls. Perhaps I should turn you into a wax figure?"
"..."
Natsuki felt a chill down his spine.
That's right.
The mushroom growing on Hayasaka's head was still the Jealousy mushroom.
The original sin of jealousy was quite terrifying. Once Hayasaka turned dark, everyone would suffer.
Although he had taken Hayasaka far away from the cave at this moment, it was still not enough. Others were safe, but Natsuki himself was in danger.
Facing this situation, the best solution was actually to make Hayasaka stop thinking, for example, by knocking her out, but the force was very difficult to control.
Natsuki happened to know another method.
Seeing that under the burning of the original sin of jealousy, Hayasaka even took out a surgical knife, preparing to slice him, Natsuki decisively made a move, directly blocking Hayasaka's lips, and then...
Nothing happened that night.
The sky unknowingly brightened.
Under Natsuki's delay, Hayasaka successfully passed the dangerous period of the original sin of jealousy.
"Perverted Senpai!" Hayasaka gritted her teeth, her pretty face flushed crimson, her forehead covered in fine sweat, utterly embarrassed. "You, you actually did this in a place like this..."
"This is a deserted island; there's no one else here but us." Natsuki wiped Hayasaka's body. "So there's no need to worry about exposure, and besides, you just said you didn't want to..."
Before he could finish speaking, a hand reached for Natsuki's waist and pinched him hard.
Hayasaka smiled dangerously, her voice filled with killing intent: "President, do you want to die a hundred times over?"
"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Natsuki lowered his head and apologized, "Please forgive me."
"Hmph~"
"..."
Wiped clean, neatly tidied.
Hayasaka quickly remembered another headache-inducing matter.
"Wait..." Hayasaka pursed her lips, "I've only just awakened, doesn't that mean Lady Kaguya knows everything?"
"Of course, she knows." Natsuki nodded, "But Kaguya didn't say anything."
Hayasaka pressed her fingers to her temples and said:
"That's true, but it's too sudden, isn't it?"
"Relax, people are forgetful. When she first found out you were disguising your identity, Kaguya probably got angry, but after all these days, she's pretty much calmed down." Natsuki comforted her, "It's not like we just got caught red-handed..."
"Get lost!"
"..."
As for disguising her identity, Hayasaka never thought she could hide it forever; it was just too sudden.
"Let's go, we're going back."
Hayasaka jumped up, ready to return to the cave. As soon as her feet landed, she suddenly felt her legs go weak, almost losing her balance. She turned and glared at Natsuki, then gritted her teeth and walked forward.
The journey was silent.
By the time they returned to the cave, the girls were already awake.
"Lady Kaguya, I have something to tell you."
Hayasaka went directly to Kaguya.
Kaguya hummed softly and looked towards the corner, saying:
"Let's talk over there."
Natsuki stepped to follow, ready to watch the drama unfold.
"I'm very sorry for not telling Lady Kaguya the truth for so long." Hayasaka bowed in apology.
Kaguya clasped her hands across her chest and said calmly:
"The reason?"
Just as Natsuki said, several days had passed, and she had already calmed down.
"It's Shinomiya Un'yo..."
Hayasaka didn't hide anything and quickly revealed the entire truth.
The Hayasaka family was originally a prestigious family, but they were defeated in a competition with the Shinomiya family. The Shinomiya family, seeing their excellent lineage, brought them under their wing. Hayasaka was born in the Shinomiya main residence and grew up with Kaguya from a young age, but at two years old, she was taken away to receive the Shinomiya's elite education. At seven, she returned to Kaguya's side to become her attendant.
Kaguya had three elder brothers, and the three of them schemed against each other to compete for the succession, planting spies. Hayasaka was one of them, as daughters also had succession rights, and Kaguya, as a daughter, was also to be monitored.
"That's the situation." Hayasaka clasped her hands over her lower abdomen and said calmly, "Actually, I always wanted to tell Lady Kaguya the truth, but there was no suitable opportunity... Although it's a bit late now, it's okay to say it. I'd like to resign to Lady Kaguya."
As a maid trained by Shinomiya, she was essentially a pawn; she could only do what she was told and couldn't have her own thoughts.
But now it was different.
After becoming a player, the schemes of Shinomiya could no longer restrict her. Leaving would be easy.
Natsuki quipped from the side:
"The lives of capitalists are indeed full of schemes."
"President." Kaguya glanced over, "You can leave."
Natsuki's face showed a shocked expression:
"You're actually telling me to leave?"
"Hurry up and go." Kaguya slightly lifted her chin, revealing a stretch of fair, slender neck, "I want to talk to Hayasaka."
Natsuki: "...I'll go if you want me to go."
He wasn't sure what Kaguya and Hayasaka said, but it seemed to have gone well.
"How did it go?"
Natsuki came to Hayasaka's side and asked in a low voice.
"Please don't come near me." Hayasaka crossed her arms over her chest, shifted half a step sideways, and said disdainfully, "The air is filled with the scent of a scumbag."
After a pause, Hayasaka said in a low voice:
"From now on, I will no longer stay overnight at the lecherous president's house."
"Huh?" Natsuki frowned slightly, "You didn't settle things?"
"We settled them." Hayasaka gave him a glare, "Precisely because of that, I need to keep my distance from the lecherous president."
Natsuki said shamelessly:
"Actually, it's fine if all three of us are together..."
"Get lost!"
"..."
After breakfast.
Hayasaka successfully awakened.
Next was the final island exploration.
"Today's goal is that swamp occupied by mosquitoes." Natsuki took out a map and said in a deep voice, "What are everyone's thoughts?"
Yukino frowned and said:
"With so many mosquitoes, we can only sneak in."
Chika raised her hand and said:
"Speaking of sneaking, the best ability would be Kaguya-chan's Dark Shadow, wouldn't it?"
Kaguya nodded lightly and said:
"Let's go."