I hadn't intended to go out of my way to look for and help people in trouble, but a few things had changed the situation.

Professor Luminas had joined our ranks and volunteered to act as an intermediary, and on top of that, our interactions with the Sehou team had given me a detailed understanding of how the male students were spiraling out of control.

With all that in mind, I couldn't help but worry about the three unaccounted-for female students.

I definitely did, and while the other women didn't show it on their faces, they must have felt the same way.

So, I decided to search for them and deliver them safely to the Sehou team.

After dinner and clearing the dishes, I called out to Mashiro and Micron.

Micron clung to me as usual.

Riding Fenrir's Mashiro to search for the girls would be Shoushi, Professor Luminas, Shiin, and Fuhou.

It was a carefully selected roster: Shoushi, with her strong social skills; Professor Luminas, who could persuade and reassure the students; Shiin, who could see through any lies; and Fuhou, to handle combat if the situation escalated against monsters or run-amok male students.

Riding Mofumofu Black Dragon Micron to gather materials would be me, Senyuu, Roa, Mugai, and Shoubu.

In our case, we planned to search within the range where Mugai's barrier couldn't be dissolved, looking for plants useful for bringing out the colors in makeup.

"Is it okay if I stay over here?"

My childhood friend looked at me, checking with her eyes.

"Admittedly, given the predicament of the three they're trying to help, Chi-yu's magic would come in handy..."

No matter who you are, even Mashiro couldn't haul eight people, including the rescuers.

"Hey, Takano."

Yume-kai calls out to me in a soft voice.

"Hm?"

"I'm pretty sure they split the Phantom Beasts into two teams as a backup plan for combat. If we have Ryuu go with Saiko, wouldn't that solve their transport capacity issue on their end?"

"...Yeah, I guess so."

That was indeed the case, but if so, the exploration squad would consist of me, Loa, Mu-kai, and Shoubu.

In other words, we’d be left without any personnel specialized for combat.

Until now, we had allocated our forces based on contingency plans.

Doing this would disrupt that setup.

「――Got it. Mousu, put Chiyu and Mikron on that team too.” “Huh?

That’s okay?”

Mousu blinked in surprise.

“It is. We can explore on foot if we want; just avoid the water sources by checking the map. If anything happens, I’ll have Yumekai create a small barrier for us to retreat into. Of course, provided the other three are okay with it.”

With an absolute defensive space available, we’d be able to attack enemies from within.

Even just dropping what’s stored in my 『Inventory』from above should be enough to neutralize most living things.

“I was the one who proposed this, so it’s no problem for me.”

“No problem with me either.”

「Of course helping others is more important. And honestly, seeing how kind Serina is really got my heart going」

「……Huh? What are you talking about, you?」

Yumegai wrinkled her nose at Shoubu's words.

「But it’s true, right? You handed over the Soko team because you thought Chiyu-nee’s magic would be needed if any of the three we’re looking for were injured, didn’t you? So selfless~」

「I just offered it as an idea since I felt like Kudo was worrying about it and……」

「Ah, I’m saved, Yumegai. As the leader of this party, I tend to prioritize my members' safety above all else, but for a rescue operation, your plan sounds good to me」

「…………Ah, that’s okay. I’m glad I was at least a little helpful」

Yumegai glared at Shoubu while her cheeks flushed faintly at my words.

We could have gone with the whole group, but with eight girls and just me as the only male, it would probably be too overwhelming for the girl we’re rescuing on our first meeting.

Since I'm a guy, too, it's better if I don't show up this time to keep things simple.

"W-We're trying our best too...!"

Shion suddenly cut into the conversation.

More than anyone else, she cared deeply about whether she could be of use to the party, so she must have been concerned by the conversation between Yumegai and me earlier.

「I'm counting on you, Shinon.

With the upcoming deals and business transactions, we're going to have a lot more interpersonal dynamics to handle, and I think your abilities will come into play much more often from now on.»
「U-uh... y-yes!」

She had a tendency to undervalue her own skills, believing they were useless. I hoped that having more actual opportunities to utilize them would help chip away at that mindset.

"Thanks to Shouko's spirit beast, we can move around the island quickly. Since Senrui is here, we can pull off some risky stunts without too much worry. With Fukaho around, I feel safe splitting up the team. And with Mr. Luminus there, I think the students will start opening up."

Before he could give me another deadpan stare, I told the members of the other team that I was counting on them too.

"Mm. As long as I'm around, you're all healthy and safe."

"I'll protect everyone, worthy of your trust."

"Thank you for properly taking into account the opinions of a teacher who has only just arrived on this desert island. I'll do my best."

"It's nice to be praised alongside Mashiro and Mikron, but am I not getting any praise?"

Shouko wore an ambiguous expression.

"Aha ha, that's not the case at all. It was thanks to your brightness that we didn't let things get too dark despite being stranded on a desert island. We've been helped out in so many ways." "R-really? If you say so, then it's fine."

Shouko responded as if nothing were wrong, but there was a hint of joy in her expression.

"Also, the barrier from the Dream Realm has allowed us to relax and feel at ease, Roa is doing the work of several people on his own, which is a huge help, and Shoube is... so full of energy, right?"

I made sure to praise my own team as well.

"Choi! Don't use me as the punchline!"

Shokubu's snarky remarks lightened the mood.

"It's not exactly a punchline, but as far as Ono is concerned, there's really nothing to praise yet, right? I doubt you even get a handle on his abilities."

"Geez..."

At Yumekai's words, Shokubu pressed a hand to her chest.

"Please be reassured, Miss Uruma. Master does not judge people based on their abilities."

"That's... that's true, Loe-chan. So, what are my good points?"

"...Perhaps that you are very delicate and full of vigor?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Adorable, energetic..."

"It's the same thing! It's nice to hear 'cute,' but come on—fine, if it's going to be like this, I have no choice but to work harder at gathering materials!"

Despite possessing an ability that seemed useless on this desert island—the power to finish makeup in an instant—her ability to maintain her spirits without falling into despair is, to me, a truly exceptional mental trait.

Perhaps it's because her own nature feels entirely natural to herself, so she can't quite grasp it when others praise her for it.

Moreover, Shokubu never harbors jealousy toward others, sincerely admires their abilities, and yet doesn't change how she interacts with them from before the transfer.

Well, I mean, we barely had any contact before the transfer, so it is true that we've gotten quite good at talking now.

It wasn't overt flattery, but the impression I got was that she interacted with people in a completely natural, effortless way.

Setting aside the fact that her abilities were well-received by the women, he was exactly the type of person you'd want as a teammate.

"Leave it to you, Ume. I'm looking forward to it too."

"Yas! Let's collect lots of colors and enjoy doing makeup together, huh~"

With that exchange between two gyaru girls as the finale, we split up by team and left the base.

I've finally achieved an overall annual ranking of 3rd place...!!!!!

Gratitude...!!!!!

I will keep working hard on updates!

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I hadn't planned on going out of my way to help anyone, but the situation has changed.

Luminas-sensei had joined our side and volunteered to mediate, and I had learned in detail about the boys' outburst from the Seikou team.

That's why I'm worried about the three unidentified female students as well.

I am, and even though they don't show it, the other women probably feel the same.

So I decided to search for them and send them to the Seikou team.

After we finished cleaning up after lunch, I called Masiro and Mikuron.

As usual, Mikuron clung to me.

Riko, Luminas-sensei, Shion, and Shinpo would ride on Fenrir with Masiro to search for the girls.

The selection was based on Riko's high social skills, Luminas-sensei's ability to convince and reassure students, Shion's ability to spot lies, and Shinpo's combat skills in case the search turned into a fight with monsters or out-of-control boys.

I, Senyuu, Roa, and Soubu would ride on Mikuron to gather materials.

We planned to search within the range of Yumika's barrier and look for plants that could be used to create makeup.

My childhood friend looked at me as if to confirm something.

「Indeed, considering the situation of the three rescuers, it would be better to have the Thousand Heal spell...」

Even if it was Mashiro, she couldn't fit eight people, including the rescuers, on board. "Hey, Kouya." Mugai called out to me in a small voice. "Hmm?"

"I think they probably divided the phantoms into two teams, considering the possibility of a fight. If we send the dragon with the minions, shouldn't the transportation capacity on that side be fine?" "......Yeah, that's right."

That was true, but if that were the case, the exploration team would be me, Roa, Mugai, and Shoubu.

In other words, we would lose our combat-specialized personnel.

Until now, we had been distributing our forces considering the worst-case scenario. We would be breaking that up.

"Alright, understood. Sumiko, put the Thousand Heal and Mikuron in your team too." "Eh? Is that okay?" Sumiko blinked her eyes.

"Yeah. Exploration doesn't necessarily have to be on foot, we can look at the map and avoid water sources, and if something happens, Mugai can make a small barrier for us to hide in. Oh, of course, if the other three are okay with it."

With an absolute defensive space, we could attack the enemy from the inside.

Just dropping the things in my 'Inventory' from above would paralyze most living beings.

"I proposed it, so there's no problem."

"I have no problem either."

「Helping others is obviously more important. And I got all mushy seeing Seirine's kindness.」

「...Huh? What are you talking about?」

Mundo's words made Yumika's face twist.

「But that's true, right? You gave the healing magic to the Shokish team when you thought the three people you're going to look for might be injured, right? That's so cool.」

「I only said it as an idea because I thought Koyo looked troubled...」

「Ah, thanks, Yumika. I'm the leader of this party, so I tend to prioritize the safety of the members, but I think your idea is good for the rescue mission.」

「...Ah, well, if I was of some help, that's good.」

Yumika glared at Shoubu while blushing slightly at my words.

We could all go, but with eight girls and just me, the first-time girls might be shaken.

Since I'm a guy too, it's better if I'm not there this time. 「M-Me too, I'll do my best...!」

Shizuku had suddenly joined in.

As someone who cares about whether she's useful to the party, she might have been concerned about my conversation with Yumika.

「I'm counting on you. I think your skills will come in handy more often now that we'll have more interactions through business deals.」 「Y-Yeah!」

I hope that her belief that her abilities aren't useful will fade away as she finds more opportunities to use them.

「Thanks to Shouko's phantom beast, we can move quickly around the island, and with Chiyu around, we can take some risks, and with Shinpo, we can split into teams and still feel secure. With Lumina-sensei, the students will open up to us.」

Before the glares fly again, I tell the others that I'm relying on them.

「If I'm around, you'll stay healthy and safe.」

「I'll do my best to live up to your trust and protect everyone.」

「Thank you for taking the new teacher's opinion seriously. I'll do my best.」

「It's nice to be praised, but I didn't get any praise, did I?」 Shouko looked a bit displeased.

「Haha, that's not true. Thanks to your brightness, we didn't get gloomy even though we were stranded on an island. I've been helped a lot.」 「R-Really? Well, that's good.」

Shouko tried to act nonchalant, but her face was clearly happy.

「Also, thanks to the barrier of the dream world, we can feel safe, and Roa does the work of several people, and Soubu... is full of energy, which is good.」 I praise my team too.

「Hey! Don't use me for the punchline!」

The atmosphere lightened with Shoubu's comment.

"Or rather, from Kouno's perspective, there's still nothing to praise you for. Your abilities are still a mystery to you, right?" "Ugh."

Shoubu pressed her chest at the words from the dream world.

"Do not worry, Rinma-sama. Your master does not judge people based on their abilities."

"T-That's right, Roach! So, what's good about me?"

"............Very delicate and lively, perhaps?" "What does that mean?"

"Cute and full of energy..."

"It's the same thing! It's nice to be called cute, but! Wow! If it's like this, I have to work hard on gathering materials!"

I thought it was truly admirable that she could stay so cheerful despite having an ability that was useless on this desert island, where she could finish her makeup in an instant.

Maybe she didn't feel it was a big deal because it was just her nature.

Also, Shoubu didn't feel jealous of others, was genuinely impressed by their abilities, and yet didn't change the way she interacted with them before the transfer.

Well, she did start talking to me more often, even though I hadn't really interacted with her before the transfer.

That wasn't because she was blatantly flattering him, but rather because she was interacting with him naturally.

Even if you ignore the fact that her abilities were popular with the girls, he was the kind of person you'd want to be friends with.

"I'm counting on you, Minato. I'm looking forward to it too."

"Sure! Let's collect lots of colors and have fun with makeup together~"

After that conversation between the girls, we split up into teams and left the base.

We finally ranked third in the annual competition...!!!! Thank you...!!!! I'll keep working hard to update.

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