“Staaaare.”
“...” “...”
As a result of getting a little too absorbed in gathering materials with Minori, Shouko had ended up coming to get us because she was worried.
Apparently, she had relied on Mashiro the Fenrir in order to find us as quickly as possible.
With his sense of smell, sniffing out the scent of his companions would be easy.
Luckily, we spotted Mashiro first, so we had just enough time to straighten out our clothes, but...
Our obviously flushed faces, our clothes damp with sweat, our wandering eyes, the unnatural puddle near the tree... From all of that, Shouko may well have seen right through us.
During the ride back on Mashiro’s back, Shouko stayed silent.
In contrast, Minori and I ended up forcing unnaturally bright conversation.
Then, after we returned to the base and climbed down from Mashiro, Shouko’s narrowed stare attacked us.
“Sorry. Gathering materials was a lie.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure everyone figured that out.”
“Huh...?”
Minori’s mouth fell open, apparently not having expected that.
“Don’t make us worry that much, okay?”
Shouko looked unusually angry, so I lowered my head obediently.
“Yeah. I’m really sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
“...Mm.”
That seemed to be enough for Shouko to forgive me.
I would have to apologize to everyone else later too.
“U-um... Shouko? When you say everyone figured it out, that means...”
“Well, only Minorin lost her morning time because of the event, right? Sousuke wouldn’t forget to make up for that.”
“Th-then... everyone inside also... figured...?”
“Of course, right? Once they knew you were safe, they’d feel relieved and go, ‘Oh, so they were just flirting the whole time.’”
“Uu... No... That’s so embarrassing...”
Minori covered her face with both hands.
I felt somewhat embarrassed too, but probably not as much as she did.
“Minori, are you okay...?”
“Y-yes. I’ll think of it as punishment for making everyone worry and accept it humbly. I’m sure I’ll be showered in looks that say, ‘And you call yourself the Class Rep, you indecent woman,’ but that can’t be helped.”
Minori’s eyes had gone hollow.
“No, I don’t think we have anyone that mean here.”
She seemed to have turned negative out of sheer embarrassment.
“Yeah, Minorin. Everyone already knows Sousuke is all kinds of lewd, so nobody’s gonna think it’s your fault.”
“Not everyone knows that.”
There were still people I had not done anything like that with.
Yumekai, who could put up barriers, for instance. Mamonaka, who had the Transformation Ability. Shoubu, the energetic dark-skinned gal. Ms. Luminous, our assistant homeroom teacher who controlled light-and-heat magic.
Though with Roa, the all-purpose maid, there had been a little something.
“I mean, you have four girlfriends. There’s no hiding it at that point.”
Shouko grinned mischievously.
“Guh...”
I could not argue back.
As we had that conversation, we passed through the entrance.
“Whoa, something smells amazing.”
It was the smell of a sauce that stirred the appetite.
“Right? Let’s hurry.”
We crossed the hallway and went to the dining table.
“Sorry, everyone. Sounds like we made you worry.”
“I’ll do my best to ensure this never happens again.”
Minori and I bowed our heads to our companions.
“Mm. From now on, take one of the phantasmal beasts with you. Then we can feel better even if you’re a little late.”
“I thought the two of you would probably be fine, but I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Welcome back, Master. I am most relieved to see you safe.”
“Honestly...! Please be careful, all right? Kuno, you are the leader, and Shijo, you are the brains of the party, yes? Do refrain from careless behavior.”
“I was kind of relieved, though. Like, Kuno makes human mistakes too. He’s been such a proper leader this whole time on the island.”
“Actually, what were you two doing alone? Details, please.”
“N-no, Urume. That kind of thing is private, or...”
Chiyu, Shion, Roa, Ms. Luminous, Yumekai, Shoubu, and Mamonaka all spoke up one after another.
Aside from Ms. Luminous, who was scolding us as an adult, everyone seemed more relieved than anything, and not many of them were angry.
“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”
If someone failed to show up at the meeting place at the promised time, I would be incredibly worried too, so I reflected on that honestly.
“All right. Then shall we have dinner?”
At Shion’s words, everyone headed for the dining table.
I wanted to wash off the sweat, but I could not keep everyone waiting any longer.
Chiyu considerately cast Purify on us, so we decided to eat like this for the moment.
Tonight’s dinner menu was—eel rice bowls.
The eel rice bowls reflected the light of the lamps and looked almost as though they were shining.
They also came with eel-liver soup and light pickles, making it clear how much care Shion and Roa had put into them.
Everyone sat down at the dining table, and after saying thanks for the food, our chopsticks all moved at once.
The fluffy, tender texture and the exquisite taste of the sauce were wonderful, and I could not stop eating.
Everyone else reacted more or less the same way, and even Yumekai, who was a light eater, seemed to be eating faster than usual.
The biggest reaction came from Ms. Luminous, who had tears streaming down her face.
“How many years has it been since I last ate eel...? Your teacher feels as though she’s been eating better food since coming to this deserted island...”
Everyone seemed to decide not to touch on the teacher’s reaction.
Adults must have their own struggles.
“Still, Shio is amazing. I have heard that eel is difficult to handle. Yet she can prepare it this deliciously.”
Chiyu sounded impressed.
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve heard that too. Something about skewering taking years?”
“Three years to learn skewering, eight to learn splitting, and a lifetime to learn grilling. And yes, Shion and Roa’s cooking is splendid.”
Minori supplemented my vague knowledge.
“Ahaha, this time Roa played a huge part.”
“I could hardly claim such a thing... And after all, I believe it is still nowhere near the level of a true specialist in the craft.”
The two of them were being modest... or rather, probably stating the facts as they saw them, but delicious was delicious.
To begin with, comparing home cooking to the taste of a specialty restaurant felt like a mistake.
If it was served at the dining table and tasted good, wasn’t that enough?
The teacher was even crying as she ate.
And so, we were able to eat eel rice bowls on a deserted island.
◇
That night.
After finishing our baths, we all talked about wrapping up our trades with the remaining boys tomorrow, then each went to our own rooms.
The four girls I had met in the early days on the deserted island had become my girlfriends, and I had taken that first step with each of them.
I wondered what would happen today. There had not been any particular discussion about it, had there...? Just as that thought crossed my mind, there was a knock.
“Ah, yeah.”
When I opened the door, standing there was—
Roa, the maid.
“Pardon me for disturbing you so late at night.”
“Roa? What’s wrong?”
In response to my question, she blushed and spoke with shy embarrassment.
“I have come to attend you for the night.”
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