My head was so preoccupied with the exchanges and transactions between teams that I had completely let it slip my mind.
If you reunite with a close friend, of course some people would want to switch over to their team.
The fact that such an obvious thought didn’t cross my mind was probably because I didn’t have many friends in the class.
Or maybe it was because I had already regrouped with the people close to me, like Chiyu and Youshi.
It was likely a combination of both.
“Please, Youshi~”
“A-ahaha. I want to do that too, but…”
I took another look at the girl.
Long gray hair. Tying back part of the right occipital region with a scrunchie was her distinctive feature. With healthy brown skin, a short skirt hem, and an unbuttoned uniform, she looked no different from when she was in Japan.
Possessing breasts as ample as Youshi’s, they were currently pressed together against her friend’s body, their shapes distorting significantly under the impact of the hug.
Her name was, if I remembered correctly… Mizuki Shokabe.
Since she was a friend of Youshi’s, I had managed to retain some memory of her.
“You’re amazing, Youshi~. You’re the leader, right?”
“No, Uruchii. There are some circumstances involved…”
Youshi gave a troubled look, her eyes darting around.
“There’s a rigorous screening process for entry.”
Chia offered to take the hit.
Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly a lifeboat he had thrown him.
“Oh, hey, Chie-chan. What’s up? Are there specific conditions to join?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Damn. If it’s something academic, I’m out. But what are the conditions, by the way?”
“If someone generates something for you, you have to give them an erotic reward in return.”
I nearly coughed into the basket I was sitting in.
I’ve never done anything that evil or manipulative before.
…No, I get that it’s just a convenient excuse she made up to turn down Shozuki’s request, though.
“Ahhaha, you’re kidding, right?”
“…Why do you think that?”
“I’m not exactly close with the Kudo twins, but there’s no way the guy Motoshiko fell for is some total piece of trash.”
Shozuki stated it as if it were an absolute fact.
“Ulchi…!”
Motoshiko’s eyes welled up with tears.
“W-well, you’re right, I don’t really have anything to offer Kudo in return, do I? If that’s what has to be done, then I guess there’s no other choice.”
“H-hold on, Ulchi-chan? What’s with that eager attitude?”
“Nah, nah. If I’m doing it, that means Maki and the others are doing it too, right? So, well, I guess it’s fine.”
“Y-you can’t just take something like that lightly! You need to think about it more carefully!”
“I’ve thought about it, seriously. My virginity is expensive, you know? Can’t just sell myself for cheap, for real. But being able to make anything in a situation like this… isn’t that incredibly valuable?”
“Well, sure, Sougo is amazing, but—”
“Right? Look, even if food at a festival is expensive, everyone still buys it, doesn’t they? The value of something changes depending on the situation, and people just accept that and buy it, right? On this desert island, isn’t Kuno the most amazing guy?”
“Hm. This black-goth girl actually gets it.”
Chiya nodded in reluctant agreement.
The value of water is entirely different when you’re buying a plastic bottle from a convenience store in town versus trying to secure water after being stranded in the desert.
But since there are people who can’t grasp that, it’s understandable why Chiya would be impressed by Sou’s switch. “Black-goth girl. It’s Ruka, you know, Ruka.” “Got it. Shhh up.”
“You’re sounding like a bird. Whatever, fine.”
“Um, actually, do we even need to consult with Team Sumire?”
Teacher Luminas chimed in tentatively.
“That’s no problem at all. However, since we also want to confirm your safety, would you have Ms. Sou accompany us during the next transaction as well?”
Seiho, who was nearby to see us off, said with a smile.
—You really are determined to put us up for inspection…
I couldn’t help but laugh at her boldness.
Even if Shoubu doesn’t intend anything by it, if we answer the barrage of questions, information about our base will end up leaking to Seiho’s team.
Setting aside whether it will actually go that smoothly, there’s no loss in giving it a try.
Then again, I can’t exactly say there are no downsides.
“Are you sure about this, Suuka-chan? If people realize they’re more comfortable on our team, won’t more members from your team start wanting to transfer?”
Yes, there is a risk of losing personnel.
“Well, it’s up to each individual to decide.”
If you view members as manpower or labor, you’d naturally want to prevent such outflows.
But Seiho is fundamentally about uniting the students and helping them survive this life on the desert island.
On top of that foundation, there is just a competitive streak toward Shoushi.
She’s no dictator or anything; she’s just a girl doing her very best.
Just as we gather intel, they understand the value of information too.
“I’m sorry. I think I misunderstood things about Suzuha-chan.”
Shion apologized.
“It’s fine. When you get back to Japan, feel free to join my group.”
“No, let’s not go that far, shall we?”
“What do you mean!”
Junhō huffed angrily.
“Hehe, she’s a friend of mine too, Shouko-chan.”
“You sure are popular, Ken’ashouko. So then? Are we leaving the Makeup guy behind?”
Junhō looked at Shouko.
I don’t know if it was intentional, but things are looking pretty hard to refuse now.
—Guess I have no choice.
Since I’m in the cage hanging from Mikron, talking to Mikron won’t be noticed by anyone else.
“Mikron, give Shouko permission to ‘take them back, okay’.”
Mikron nodded and moved closer to Shouko.
“Huh! What’s up, Mikron? Hm? Ahh. Yeah, yeah, you’re a cutie, Mikron~”
Shouko could understand what the phantom beast was trying to convey.
Upon hearing my message, Shouko’s expression flickered for a split second before she covered it up and stroked Mikron.
“Yeah, I get it! Let’s go together, Uru-chii.” “Huh?
For real?”
“Totally!”
“Aww~! I love Shouko! I’ll do my best with what I can too!”
“Mm-hmm.”
“For now, what makes Kuno happy?”
Sozu said with a sly grin.
“Sou’s kinks are—”
Just as Chiyu was about to answer.
“Hey, hey! Sōsuke doesn’t force those kinds of things on people, so there’s no need to worry!”
Shouko called out.
“Haha, Shouko, you worry too much. You’re not even officially dating him, right?”
”………”
Shouko’s face flushed red.
”………No way. Huh? Wait, let me hear the details.”
“It’s not like he’s Sho-chan’s exclusive boyfriend or anything.”
“No, a boyfriend is exclusive by definition, right? Huh? If that’s not it, then… no way?”
“Anyway, let’s head back to base.”
Shion cut the conversation short forcefully and nudged Masabu toward Mashiro.
…Ah, how am I supposed to explain this once we get back to base?
Black Gal
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