The owner of the hand was precisely Kushida Kikyo.
She still maintained that perfect, impeccable smile, but deep within those crescent-moon-shaped eyes, Natsukawa Sosuke detected a hint of gloom and anxiety.
"What's wrong, Kushida-san?"
Natsukawa Sosuke stopped, his tone flat, as if completely oblivious to the abnormality in her emotions.
"Um, Natsukawa-kun." Kushida Kikyo leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a volume only they could hear. "Later... could you spare a little time? I want to talk to you alone."
Her voice was sweet, like she was cooing, but the hand gripping Natsukawa's wrist tightened slightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
Oh? So she can't sit still anymore?
That makes sense. Horikita stole the spotlight for this exam. Originally, she suggested making Horikita the leader, intending to embarrass her and reduce the prestige Horikita gained in the class due to the Sudo incident.
However, with Natsukawa's help, she not only took first place in the exam and gained great prominence, but she also firmly secured her position as the class leader. This was undoubtedly unacceptable to Kushida.
"Of course." Natsukawa Sosuke subtly reversed his grip, holding her hand. "How could I refuse an invitation from Little Kikyo?"
"Then it's settled!"
The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face instantly became even brighter, the gloomy atmosphere vanishing as if the anxiety from moments before had been an illusion. She gave a playful wink, released his hand, and turned back to the girls' circle... Meanwhile, on the other side of the cruise ship, in the Class B accommodation area.
After Ichinose Honami calmed her classmates and confirmed everyone was settled, she approached the door of a closed cabin and knocked.
"Chihiro-chan? It's Honami. Are you awake now?"
After a long while, a slight movement came from inside the room. Immediately afterward, the door slowly opened a crack, and Shiraha Chihiro's small, paper-white face peeked out from the gap.
Seeing Ichinose standing at the door, Shiraha Chihiro's dull eyes briefly lit up, but they were immediately covered by deep guilt. She forced herself to open the door.
"Ho-Honami-chan... Please come in quickly."
Ichinose Honami entered the room and looked at her friend, who was clearly much weaker, her brows furrowed in distress.
"Chihiro-chan, how is your body? Are you still uncomfortable?"
"Honami-chan..."
She suddenly rushed into Ichinose's arms, wrapping her hands around Ichinose's waist.
"I'm sorry... Waaah... I'm sorry!"
"It's all my fault... It's all because I was too careless... If I hadn't eaten random things, gotten sick, and retired from the competition, the class wouldn't have lost those 30 points... Waaah..."
Ichinose Honami gently hugged her back, stroking her back repeatedly, as if comforting a frightened small animal.
"It's alright, it's alright, Chihiro-chan." Ichinose's voice was warm and forgiving. "As long as you're okay. Those 30 points are nothing. Compared to points, everyone's health is what truly matters."
"But... but..."
"When we saw you suddenly writhing on the ground in pain, vomiting with a pale face, it really frightened all of us." Ichinose recalled the scene, still feeling lingering fear. "Besides, you can't be entirely blamed. Those wild soapberry fruits look far too similar to ordinary green beans, and with the dim light, mistaking them was unavoidable. You don't need to blame yourself too much."
Under Ichinose's gentle comfort, Shiraha Chihiro's crying gradually subsided, but she kept her face buried in Ichinose's embrace, afraid to look up.
Because only she knew that it wasn't accidental ingestion at all.
She had personally swallowed those unripe fruits to complete that man's mission and secure Class B's score.
She never wanted to experience the feeling of abdominal cramps, burning throat, and stomach churning upside down ever again in her life.
But at this moment, feeling Ichinose's warm embrace and smelling her faint scent, Shiraha Chihiro felt that all the pain had transformed into a sweet badge of honor.
(As long as I can help Honami-chan... as long as I can protect Honami-chan...)
"Speaking of which, Chihiro-chan."
Ichinose suddenly changed the subject, her tone carrying a hint of doubt.
"How did you know that the leader of Class C was Ryuuen-kun? If you hadn't provided this information at that crucial moment, we really wouldn't have been able to achieve such a good result this time."
Shiraha Chihiro's body stiffened abruptly.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to make her voice sound less shaky, and stammered:
"W-well... it was because on the fifth night... I went looking for the hair clip I lost during the day, and I got lost..."
"Then... I saw a firelight in the distance in the woods, so I, I cautiously moved closer to take a look... and found Ryuuen sitting there alone..."
"I thought... since everyone else in Class C had returned to the ship, and he was the only one left on the island... th-then he must be the leader..."
Although the reason was logically sound, the details couldn't withstand scrutiny.
Ichinose was extremely perceptive; she naturally noticed the stiffness in the girl's body and detected the unnaturalness in her words. But she didn't probe further, merely smiling gently and choosing not to expose the clumsy lie.
"Well done, Chihiro-chan."
Ichinose's palm gently stroked Shiraha Chihiro's slightly messy short hair, the movement as soft as handling a fragile treasure.
"Although the process was thrilling, thanks to your intelligence, everyone's efforts were not in vain. You are Class B's hero."
Hearing the word "hero," Shiraha Chihiro's tears flowed down again despite herself.
She told herself over and over again in her heart:
(That's right... I did this for Honami-chan... Even if I have to lie to Honami-chan... as long as the result is good, that's enough.)
"Mhm... Mhm!"
She nodded vigorously and burrowed deeper into Ichinose's warm embrace, greedily absorbing this tenderness that belonged only to her... In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun streamed through the porthole, painting the entire cabin a golden red.
Natsukawa Sosuke woke up from his bed. He stretched, feeling completely rejuvenated.
'This is the beauty of modern civilization.'
He casually picked up the Personal Terminal that was charging on the nightstand before he slept and unlocked the screen.
Natsukawa Sosuke ignored the irrelevant class group messages, his gaze first locking onto the account change notification at the very top.
[Account Deposit: 1,000,000 points. Note: Special Exam Reward.]
Looking at the string of zeros that brought him pleasure, Natsukawa Sosuke's lips curled into a satisfied arc.
'Chabashira-sensei is really a straightforward person.'
'She said she'd give a million and she gave a million, without even waiting for the school's official settlement process to finish. Compared to those unscrupulous bosses who only make empty promises and plead poverty at crucial moments, she's practically the conscience of the industry.'
In high spirits, he continued scrolling down the screen, and a new friend request appeared.
[Shiraha Chihiro requests to add you as a friend.]
'Oh? Here it comes?'
Natsukawa Sosuke raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped "Accept."
Just a few seconds after the verification passed, a photo popped up in the chat window. The background of the photo was the ship's cabin dormitory.
In the image, Shiraha Chihiro was lying pale-faced in Ichinose Honami's arms, looking utterly weak. Ichinose was holding her with a look of concern.
There was no text accompanying the photo, yet it was full of boastful implications.
Looking at the photo, Natsukawa Sosuke felt no internal disturbance; he even felt like laughing.
'Such a childish girl move.'
'Does she delusionally think she can provoke me this way? Or is she trying to prove that she hasn't completely lost?'
He zoomed in on the photo and carefully examined Shiraha Chihiro's complexion.
Her lips were cracked and peeling, her eye sockets sunken, and her cheeks showed an abnormal bluish-gray tint. These were symptoms of severe dehydration caused by violent vomiting.
'It seems she was really ruthless toward herself.'
Natsukawa Sosuke made his assessment internally.
He had previously told Shiraha Chihiro that for the sake of realism and appearing accidental, she could eat the Sapindus Fruit disguised as a wild fruit or the Gleditsia Fruit disguised as a green bean. However, the effect might be lessened if boiled, so for better results, she could add some Nettle. The time he took her around the woods was to point out these three plants.
But the girl's current state clearly showed she had truly swallowed them along with the Nettle.
'Being able to be this ruthless to herself proves Ichinose's standing in her heart.'
This was exactly what Natsukawa wanted to see.
The more she was willing to hurt herself, the higher the utilization value of this chess piece. The more resolution she showed now, the easier she would be to manipulate when facing decisions involving Ichinose later on.
Natsukawa Sosuke did not reply to the photo. At a time like this, ignoring it was the best response. He would have plenty of opportunities later to make her kneel and sing "Conquer."
Continuing to scroll down, he saw the message from Little Angel.
[Natsukawa-kun, let's meet at our usual spot at 8 PM (Heart). I have a lot I want to talk to you about~]
'It seems Horikita's prominence, after fermenting all afternoon, has made this Little Angel quite angry.'
Natsukawa Sosuke lightly tapped his finger and replied:
[OK]
'Alright, it's time to go meet that slightly impatient Little