COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

In a secluded corner of the forest, not far from Class A's cave campsite on the deserted island.

Fuyuji Mikage, his expression dead serious, held up a finger as he instructed Yamamura Miki on the final points of caution for sneaking out the seasonings.

"The seasonings are inside that small supply bag on the left, at the far end of the cave. There aren't many students left standing guard right now. Take advantage of the fact that their attention is all focused on their card game—pick the right moment and slip them out. Then we'll immediately vanish like smoke and make our grand escape."

"..."

Yamamura blinked with an adorably dazed expression. She felt that such extreme, excessive caution was completely unnecessary. She could simply walk in, pick up the seasonings, and walk out. Practically no one would even notice.

Still, like a cautious little squirrel, she nodded. "Mm!"

"Wait here for a moment, okay? I'll be right back."

"Ganbatte!"

...

Once Yamamura's slender figure had disappeared into the distance, Fuyuji casually found a spot that looked free of insects and sat down.

After several days of investigation, it was clear that most of the poisonous flora and fauna on the deserted island had already been cleared out by the school. So long as one wasn't exceptionally unlucky, wandering around this island was still reasonably safe.

His knuckles tapped rhythmically against his knee. Fuyuji's gaze drifted idly past the directions of the other classes' campsites.

The current situation was already very clear. Class B and Class C now knew the leader could be changed. Based on what Ichinose Honami had said during their earlier conversation, it was most likely Class C that had cooperated with Class D.

Furthermore, up to this point, Ryuen Kakeru, who had always advocated for proactive, aggressive offensives, had not once come to Class A to scout, nor had he made any attempt to search for the leaders of the various classes.

It seemed that, in his heart, Ryuen-boy was still uncertain whether the capable, outstanding students of each class could see through this rule. Add to that his existing cooperation with Class D and the fact that his own class had retained a large number of supply points—that was why Ryuen, normally so fond of taking risks, had opted for steadiness this time, prioritizing pulling his own class's class points back up first.

As for Class D...

Every time Fuyuji pictured Horikita-girl's cool, aloof face having to rough it out on this deserted island for five days and four nights, he just wanted to laugh.

He also couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression Horikita Manabu, with that stern, solemn face of his, would make upon learning that his little sister had pushed herself to this extent.

Rustle...

Just as Fuyuji was suppressing his laughter, a faint, subtle sound of footsteps treading through the grass suddenly came from behind him.

Immediately after, a pair of snow-white little hands appeared within Fuyuji's line of sight, slowly magnifying. Under the slanted rays of the late-morning sun, ten crystalline fingers came together, carrying a familiar faint floral fragrance, and covered Fuyuji's eyes.

The very next second, Fuyuji's vision was plunged into complete darkness.

"..."

Fuyuji said nothing. The girl behind him also said nothing. That familiar scent, mingled with the fragrance of sunlight, grass, and trees, drifted over and curled around him, thread by thread.

The droning of cicadas wove a dense, monotonous net of sound amidst the branches and leaves overhead, accentuating the profound, deepening silence shared by the two of them in this forest corner at the edge of the camp.

Fuyuji did not immediately pry her hands away. Instead, he tilted his head back slightly, letting the back of his head draw closer in her direction. Then, raising a hand, he stroked the girl's smooth, soft palm, his fingertips gently, lightly rubbing and caressing her knuckles. The shell of his ear brushed past the cool skin of her wrist.

"Why didn't you say something like 'Guess who I am?'"

"If I did, you'd guess it immediately." The girl behind him half-crouched down. Her warm, moist breath tickled and scraped against the shell of his ear and the nape of his neck like feathers.

"And if you hadn't said it—wouldn't I still have guessed just the same?"

"That's right." The girl released both hands and wrapped them around Fuyuji's neck, slowly, bit by bit, shifting the weight of his body to lean back into her embrace. Her chin rested against Fuyuji's hair. "I knew from the very start you'd guess. And I also knew you'd play along. That's precisely why I could hold you in my arms..."

Fuyuji: "?"

You sly, cunning woman! You actually played me?!

After holding him for a while, Shiraishi Asuka seemed to feel that this position wasn't quite comfortable enough. She simply knelt down on the grass behind Fuyuji, allowing his back to lean fully and completely against her embrace. Then, placing her fingers on Fuyuji's shoulders, she gently, tenderly began kneading and massaging them—exactly like a wife helping her husband, who had toiled hard outside all day, relieve his fatigue.

"What were you just thinking about, so lost in thought?"

"Mm..."

Fuyuji closed his eyes and nestled deeper into her embrace, letting out a comfortable, blissful sigh. After musing for a moment, he summarized concisely.

"About this special exam. The identities of Class B's and Class D's leaders are already clear. But since the leader can be changed, I don't plan on telling Katsuragi Kohei who they are. The leader of the most threatening class—Class C—I actually still don't know."

"Is that so..."

Shiraishi's fingers did not pause. Lightly, casually, as though discussing the weather, she remarked.

"Class C's current leader is most likely that Ishizaki Daichi. So? Is that useful to you?"

Fuyuji's entire body froze. He abruptly opened his eyes and spun his body around sharply, staring at this Yamato Nadeshiko-like girl.

"How do you know that? I recall you haven't really gone out wandering much these past few days, have you?"

Shiraishi's pinky finger elegantly hooked the strands of pale-golden hair that had slipped forward from bending over and tucked them back behind her small, delicate ear. Smiling radiantly, she said, "Secret..."

Her smile, beneath the dappled sunlight, appeared exceptionally bright and dazzling, tinged with a hint of sly, playful cunning.

"I'm not allowed to know either?" Fuyuji asked in utter disbelief.

Meeting his accusing, indignant stare head-on, she didn't evade or dodge in the slightest. Instead, her smile deepened. Her clear, limpid violet eyes gazed at him and spoke with a tenderness as soft and gentle as water. "Precisely because it's Fuyuji... I can't say."

"Bad woman! You clearly promised you'd never lie to me again, and yet you've been leading me around in circles every single day!"

Fuyuji flew into a towering, mock rage. One arm scooped around her back. The other slipped beneath the bend of her knees. In one fluid motion, he swept Shiraishi up from the grass and gathered her tightly into his arms, holding her with fierce, crushing strength. His chin rested atop her crown, from which a faint, delicate fragrance wafted. That white ribbon in her hair tickled his chin just a little.

"Mm... nnh... That's not right. I haven't lied to Fuyuji at all."

Shiraishi, held so tightly in his embrace that she could barely breathe, felt her cheeks instantly flush crimson. Instead, she took the opportunity to bury her face into the crook of his neck and continued to smile with the same unruffled composure. "I merely... haven't told Fuyuji the entire, complete truth. That's all."

"Sophistry! You're playing word games!" Fuyuji tightened his arms around her with vicious, ferocious force. "What does it matter? Back then, you could tell me everything. Why is it that now, suddenly, you can't?"

"Fufu~ It matters a great deal." Shiraishi could finally no longer hold back her laughter. Her shoulders trembled lightly within his embrace, like a little fox giggling and snickering in secret.

"Then what kind of relationship is it?"

"Secret..."

"Stop saying 'secret' to me already!"

...

The final "secret" dissipated into the stillness. The sound of the tides, the droning of cicadas, the whisper of the wind—all receded into a vague, hazy background. Their interlaced, interwoven breaths spiraled upward, floating and sinking within the pillars of light filtering through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

Shiraishi lifted her fair, pristine little face. Her bangs, mussed and disheveled from their play and roughhousing just moments ago, clung messily to her cheeks. Smiling, she gazed at this man who was holding her so tightly, driven to the brink of exasperated madness. A streak of shimmering light flashed through her twin pupils.

Because back then... I was so afraid of losing you... That's why I was so utterly reckless and desperate to keep you by my side. I could tell you anything. I could give you anything...

But now... it's because I want you to like me even more...

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