I was approached by Momo, a bratty little devil in pigtails.
Incidentally, Mikron, who had been watching over me upon our initial arrival, is no longer here.
Before the reception began, all the illusion beasts had gathered around Mako.
At first, some of them showed wariness toward the beastfolk, but once they realized they were harmless, they all jostled for position to pet their fluffy fur.
They must be tired now, as the trio huddled together in sleep.
Momo took advantage of that moment to strike up a conversation with me.
Well, since she possesses a “Cloning Ability,” she could have slipped past Black Dragon Mikron’s guard even if he were present, I suppose.
“Ah, Momo.”
“It’s rare to see Sōsuke-kun all alone, isn’t it?”
“It might be.”
“That’s right. You’re always surrounded by cute girls, after all.”
“Aha ha…”
If we were talking about since coming to this desert island, she was entirely correct.
I don’t think there have been many moments when no one was nearby.
“That’s why I guess you can’t be attracted to Momo?”
Momo deliberately hooked a finger into her school uniform button, pulling it open to flash the valley between her breasts at me.
I barely managed to hold back the urge of my gaze dropping downward.
Seeing me hesitate like that, Momo’s face fell into a look of boredom.
It wasn’t just tedium; it was the sulky expression of a child whose plans aren’t going according to plan.
“Hey, Sōsuke-kun, what were you talking about with Ryōka-chan just now?”
“What do you mean…”
Not knowing how much information Jōhō was sharing with which members of the group, I stammered and couldn’t give a straight answer.
This only made Momo’s mood worse.
“Oh, come on, it must be some story about staying here, right? Makes no sense. What do you guys even get out of a place that’s nothing but danger?”
If anything, Momo had the more normal perspective.
I probably would have thought the same way if I didn’t have my 『Crafting Ability』.
But despite possessing the extraordinary power of the 『Clone Ability』, Momo’s longing for her original world only grew stronger.
“Momo wants to go home soon, doesn’t she?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t have any fun just sitting around here!”
In terms of showing their emotions, she’s similar to Meko or Junme, but there seems to be a slight naivety in her case.
That said, whether the expression is childish or not, the emotion itself could be described as that of an authentic, ordinary student.
In a situation like this, it would actually be a bit weird to adapt too easily.
Aware of that, he deliberately refrains from making any counterarguments.
“Well, I guess everyone feels things differently.”
“Even you, Sousuke, wouldn’t it have been tough if there hadn’t been a single girl around?”
Prompted by Momo’s words, he thinks about it for a moment.
“Hmm… since the ‘Craft Ability’ itself is fun, I probably didn’t get too bored. But yeah, worrying about Chiiru comes first, so that takes priority.”
He truly felt grateful that they had been transported together.
Because Chiiru was there, he was able to enthusiastically test his ‘Craft Ability’ from the very beginning.
“No way for me. Up until yesterday, living just on cuteness gave my life meaning, but here, I don’t have value unless I work. Plus, being assaulted by a guy who turned into a beast? Absolutely no.”
Shion received confessions from countless men without lifting a finger, but Momo was the type who provoked misunderstandings through her behavior to make them confess.
As a guy, I can’t help but feel some sympathy for the poor fools whose purity got toyed with, but personally, I hold no grudges against her.
From her perspective, it seems the value of her own “cuteness” has been shaken, which is why she dislikes this desert island so much.
It’s like a rich person losing their assets and being transported to another world.
Some can look forward to earning more, while others mourn the fortune they lost.
“Momo, you just want all the attention, don’t you?”
I’d heard that story before we even reached this base.
“Of course! I love being called cute, and it’s fun to think someone is obsessed with Momo!”
I see, so the goal was purely getting approval; she has no feelings for the people actually giving it.
That’s why she never accepts anyone’s confession.
Momo probably doesn’t even recognize that she’s toying with them.
She wants to be loved, but she doesn’t know what love is.
If I had to summarize Momo’s way of being, it would be something like that.
“I mean, it is nice to be complimented or thanked.”
“Right?”
“I get it. Making peace and living a quiet life is probably better for fulfilling Momo’s wish.”
“Exactly! I thought that if there were lots of Momos, I could hog all the attention for myself, but it’s completely different in reality! The girls become insecure, the guys turn into beasts, and then Ryouka makes me work like a slave!”
She wanted to be seen as cute, not to be ravaged.
If the boys lost their inhibitions, she couldn’t enjoy the same kind of thrill she used to get at school.
”…So, if you had secured a ‘Right of Return’ this time, would you have gone back?”
Momo puffed out her cheeks in response to my question.
”…I wouldn’t have gone back.”
It wasn’t surprising.
She was free-spirited, but not cold-hearted.
She was the type who used a power like ‘Clone,’ which could be abused in so many ways, in a way that benefited her party.
“Yeah, that makes sense. If Momo left now, Sumphou’s combat strength would drop significantly.”
“It’s not like… I care about any of that.”
She said it with a voice that didn’t sound at all indifferent.
“I see.”
When I smiled, she blushed, apparently thinking she had been teased.
“B-Before that! Momo, I’ve been thinking about this!”
Momo looked up at me from beneath her lashes, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Ah, a-ah.”
“If Sou-sensei and the others end up voting in favor of Suzuka’s plan, we’ll be staying on this island for quite a while, right?”
”…It’s hard to say for sure, but it is a distinct possibility.”
“With Suzuka’s ‘Charisma’ boosted this time around, and Chigyo using her healing magic to calm the ones who were panicking… I’d bet all the girls are on board with it.”
I wasn’t sure if Sumi had seen this far ahead, but it was certainly a valid point.
Chigyo soothed an anxiety that seemed impossible to quell, while leader Sumi only appeared more dependable by comparison.
Given that foundation, even if she attempted persuasion, many of the students who had previously deemed adaptation difficult might choose to stay behind.
Surviving on a desert island carried the inherent benefit of simply extending one’s lifespan.
If one could calmly comprehend that it offered an amount of training time tantamount to infinity, a good number of them would likely consider the option favorably.
The fact that Momo had realized this so quickly proved that while her behavior was sometimes childish, her mind was sharp.
“What would you do if that happened?”
“It can’t be helped, so Momo will stay too. But it’s true that we’re at our breaking point.”
I could understand and empathize with those who longed for their former lives.
For the most part, all we can do is endure it.
It is only because there is hope that we will return someday that we think and act in a way to ensure our homecoming occurs under ideal circumstances.
But not everyone can maintain that outlook.
Momo huddled her arms around herself, looking up at me.
“So, Soshu-kun, will you help me?”
“Help with what…”
“I’ve already given up on SNS and the like, but right now things are really depressing. So, please help me find a way to enjoy my time on this desert island.”
It was a pleading gaze and voice.
Had I not been accustomed to the delicate feminine charm of Chiya, my childhood friend, just that alone would have been enough to make me fall in love with her.
“Help you how… so that Momo can be coddled?”
“Yes! Soshu-kun, you can create all sorts of things, right? If life becomes easier because of that, I think everyone will have more breathing room. Then, what if you created cosmetics and clothes for us? I think everyone would start caring about fashion again, and cute girls’ value would go up.”
My friends are thrilled with cosmetics, too, but I can’t help feeling that “care” takes precedence over “fashion.”
I see. Perhaps the priority of fashion simply doesn’t rise until you have some breathing room in your life.
“If I could, I’d send a clone to the guys’ place to top up their affection levels, but Ryoka says, ‘No, you’re just creating unnecessary problems again.’ Isn’t that harsh?”
No, I think Sumiho is right in this case.
If it were just about showering them with attention, maybe it would be fine, but the guys’ minds have finally settled down, and stirring them up again could do more harm than good.
Even if the clones don’t inherit physical damage, they share memories, so the prospect of them suffering was a bit terrifying.
Misinterpreting my silence as deep contemplation, Momo continued.
“Oh, I’m not saying it has to be free or anything?”
She leaned closer to me.
The scent of fruit tickled my nostrils.
It seemed to be drifting from the beautiful girl right in front of me.
It was a fragrance like honey-dripping fruit, so rich that you could taste the sweetness just by smelling it.
“If it makes this desert island fun, I’ll do my best to make sure Soosuke has fun too.”
Momo draped her left arm around mine, gently stroking my chest with her right hand.
“Are you relieved? It’s not like I’m being coy or anything. I don’t really get love stuff, but I was curious, you know? How it would be if that line from a guy like Sou-suke—someone so cool that tons of girls fall for him—shifted to fixate on Momo.”
As she spoke, Momo wore a playful expression, her face alight with anticipation, as if looking forward to an unknown thrill.
Looking at her like that, I couldn’t help but hallucinate small wings and a tail sprouting from her.
Indeed, it was fitting to call her a little devil sort of girl.
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