Chapter 118: The Uninhabited Island Exam Officially Begins
Karuizawa Kei stared at her phone screen, her finger hovering over the "Send" button, hesitating for a full three minutes.
[Karuizawa Kei: Maya, are you free?]
Just these few short words—she had typed and deleted, deleted and typed, repeating the cycle countless times.
"What on earth am I doing...?" she muttered softly, tossing her phone onto the bed. Then she stared blankly at the ceiling.
Five seconds later, she picked the phone up again. Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, she pressed the send button with force.
"Arghhhhhhh—!"
She buried her face in her pillow, letting out a muffled wail.
The phone vibrated. She jerked her head up and grabbed it.
[Sato Maya: I am! What's up, Kei? I'm in my room! Want to come over?]
Kei stared at the message, her heart beating so fast it felt like it would leap out of her chest.
'Am I really going over? What will I say when I get there? That's way too weird!'
"..."
She thought back to the words Sato Maya had said during the day.
"I won't give up! I'm going to wait for him!" "The feeling of being taken seriously makes me happier than a casual 'yes' would!!"
So brave. So direct. So... enviable.
And what about her? She only knew how to hide in a corner and peek, how to pretend she didn't like him, how to keep her feelings tucked away.
"I've had enough..." She stood up and took a deep breath.
Certain things could no longer be hidden. Just like Sakura Airi and Sato Maya. Perhaps only by facing her own heart could she truly grow. Yes, that was it.
Then, she pushed open her door and walked out.
The corridor was quiet. She reached Sato Maya's door, raised her hand, and hesitated for a moment. Then, she knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was opened almost instantly.
Sato Maya stood at the doorway in her pajamas, her hair a bit messy, but with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Kei! Come in, come in!" She grabbed Kei's hand and pulled her into the room.
Sato Maya's room was similar to Kei's, but the walls were covered in cute little decorations, fashion magazines sat on the desk, and there was a pile of snacks.
"Whew!" Sato Maya offered her chair and plopped herself down on the bed.
"What do you want to drink? I have milk tea, juice, and—" She rummaged through her small fridge. "Uh... looks like there's only mineral water left."
Kei couldn't help but laugh. "Mineral water is fine."
Sato Maya handed her a bottle, then sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes sparkling. "Kei, why were you looking for me?"
Kei gripped the water bottle, her fingers tightening slightly. She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Still, no words came out.
Sato Maya tilted her head. "What's wrong? Your face looks really strange."
Kei took a deep breath. "Maya, I..."
"Mm?"
"I... have something I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
Kei lowered her head, looking at the mineral water bottle in her hands. Droplets of condensation slid down the side, one by one. Just like her heart.
"..." Her voice was trembling. "I also like Keima-kun."
The room went silent. So quiet that the sound of the wind outside the window was audible.
Sato Maya froze. She sat there on the bed, motionless, her eyes wide.
Kei didn't dare look up. She was afraid to see Maya's expression. Afraid of disappointment. Afraid of anger. After all, in Kei's eyes, Maya was one of her best friends. But it was precisely because of this that Kei...
Silence. A long silence. Every second felt like a year.
Finally, Sato Maya spoke. "..." Her voice was very soft.
Kei's heart wrenched. Here it comes. It's coming. I'm going to get yelled at.
But Maya's next words stunned her. "You finally admitted it."
Kei snapped her head up. Sato Maya was looking at her, and there was no disappointment, no anger—only a... relieved smile.
"Y-you knew?"
"Of course I knew." Sato Maya laughed. "Did you think you were hiding it well?"
Kei was speechless. Sato Maya crossed her legs and leaned forward.
"Every time you look at Keima-kun, 'I like him' is written in big letters in your eyes. Airi too. The two of you are like two little hamsters secretly staring at food."
"I-I do not..."
"You do~" Sato Maya drew out the syllable. "When you were tailing us yesterday, did you think I didn't notice you?"
Kei's face turned red instantly. "Y-you noticed?!"
"Of course!" Maya laughed happily. "With that get-up, it was hard not to notice! Wearing a trench coat and a hat in the height of summer and hiding behind a vending machine—the two of you were the most suspicious things in the whole commercial district."
Sato Maya wasn't blind; she had actually noticed Sakura Airi and Karuizawa Kei yesterday. She had also observed their usual small behaviors.
Hearing these words, Kei covered her face. It was over. All over. She had known all along.
"Then you... aren't you angry?" she asked in a small voice.
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
"Because I... I also like him..."
Sato Maya looked at her. Then she smiled.
"Kei, you know? The things I said today during the day were all sincere." She paused. "I won't give up on him. No matter how long I have to wait, I'll wait."
Kei's heart sank again. But Maya continued.
"However, I don't have the right to stop others from liking him." She looked at Kei. "You liking him is your freedom. Just like me liking him is my freedom. Neither of us is wrong."
Kei was dazed. "Maya..."
"So, I won't be angry with you." Sato Maya smiled. "On the contrary, I'm actually quite happy."
"Happy?"
"Mm. Because you were willing to tell me." She reached out and took Kei's hand. "You could have kept it hidden, kept pretending you didn't like him, but you didn't. You chose to tell me. What does that mean? It means you consider me a friend."
Kei's eyes suddenly turned red. "..."
"Don't cry, don't cry!" Sato Maya panicked. "If you cry, I'm going to cry too!"
But her own eyes were reddening. The two looked at each other, eyes welling up. Then they laughed at the same time.
"The two of us are so silly..." Kei wiped her eyes.
"Aren't we just?" Sato Maya also wiped her eyes.
The two were silent for a few seconds. Then Sato Maya suddenly spoke. "So, Kei, are we love rivals now?"
Kei froze. "L-love rivals?"
"Yeah. You like him, I like him. What is that if not rivals?"
Kei didn't know what to say. Sato Maya tilted her head and thought. "So, how should love rivals interact?"
"I-I don't know either..."
"How about this," Sato Maya clapped her hands. "We're still friends, but we compete fairly!"
For some reason, Sakura Airi's face appeared in Kei's mind. She remembered the conversation she had eavesdropped on previously. Kushida Kikyo had been told the exact same thing by Sakura Airi.
"Compete fairly?"
"Mm! Whoever makes him fall in love first wins!" Sato Maya clenched her fist. "The loser has to treat the winner to dinner for a month!"
Kei looked at her. Looked at that serious face. Then she couldn't help but laugh. "What kind of stakes are those..."
"I don't care! It's settled!" Sato Maya held out her hand. "Come on, pinky swear!"
Kei looked at the outstretched hand and hesitated for a second. Then she reached out and hooked pinkies with her.
"Pinky swear, hang it high, no changes for a hundred years!"
They released hands and looked at each other. Then they laughed simultaneously. As they laughed, Kei spoke again.
"Maya."
"Mm?"
"There's also Airi."
Sato Maya paused. "Airi?"
"Mm. She likes him too."
Sato Maya was silent for a few seconds. Then she laughed. "Then she's the third rival."
"You aren't surprised?"
"Surprised by what? She sends cookies every week; even a blind person could see it." Sato Maya shrugged. "I just didn't expect the two of you would actually fall for the same person at the same time."
She stood up and walked to the window. "Keima-kun is a very special person," she said. "At first I didn't think so, but the more I understand him, the more I feel he's different." She turned back to look at Kei. "So, it's not strange at all that so many people like him."
Kei nodded. "Right."
The two were silent for another few seconds, and then Sato Maya suddenly asked, "Kei."
"Mm?"
"Who do you think Keima-kun will choose in the end?"
Kei froze. She didn't know. She really didn't know. "I don't know," she said honestly.
Sato Maya smiled. "I don't know either. However..." She paused. "No matter who he chooses, I hope we can still be friends."
Kei looked at her and also smiled. "Mm. Me too."
The two looked at each other and laughed again. Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. This night was destined not to be peaceful. For these two girls, this night brought their hearts closer together.
"I'm going back to rest. See you tomorrow, Maya!"
"You too, get some rest early!"
Kei left the room, and Sato Maya walked her out a few steps. They didn't realize that not far away, Katsuragi Keima was actually watching them.
Elsie's invisibility ability could also be granted to others, so Keima and Elsie were currently standing nearby, invisible. This was all because Keima had discovered through his cards that Karuizawa Kei's affection level had undergone a change.
Self-capture.
Based on his understanding of Kei, he had deduced her most likely action—going to see Sato Maya.
To prevent any unexpected situations, Keima had Elsie bring him along invisibly. If a crisis occurred, Keima would have pretended to pass by and forcibly intervened. However, things hadn't gone in that direction.
'Looks like everything is fine. Time to go back and play games.'
"Ah, Sato-san... Karuizawa-san..."
Just then, another door on the same floor was slowly pushed open. Sakura Airi walked out carrying a tray.
"Airi? Why are you out?" Kei, who was about to return to her room, was surprised. She hadn't expected to see Airi come out right then.
"..." Airi lowered her head and looked at the tray in her hands, which was topped with various small cookies. Her intention was self-evident. She was going to deliver cookies to Katsuragi Keima.
"Are you going to see Keima-kun, Airi?"
"Mm..."
"Let's go together then," Kei said with a smile. "Anyway, that guy is definitely playing games right now; he's definitely not asleep!"
"Mm, I'm going too, I'm going too!" Sato Maya waved from a bit further away.
"Okay, let's go together... just in time... for you to taste my new cookies..." As Airi spoke, she couldn't help but turn her head toward a certain spot.
It was empty. For some reason, Airi had a familiar feeling. Just now, it felt as if someone was watching her from that spot. It felt like Keima-kun.
'Is it an illusion?'
"What is it, Airi?"
"Nothing. Let's go find Keima-kun!"
"Mm!"
On the other side, Keima and Elsie had already quietly departed and quickly returned to their own room.
.
.
.
Unknowingly, several more months passed. During the subsequent period, basically nothing major happened, and everyone successfully made it through the final exams. Though Hirata
Yousuke had become somewhat self-destructive and his grades plummeted, he still managed to pass. Elsie also made it through safely under the intensive tutoring of several people. Everyone in the study group saw a massive improvement in their grades.
Except for Horikita Suzune. Even though she gave it her all, she was still in second place. However, she had already accepted it. After school, she would still go to the game center to practice shooting hoops. Horikita Manabu was somewhat surprised upon learning this; he hadn't expected his sister to go to such a place. He had already guessed that it must be related to Katsuragi Keima.
At least, Suzune was changing.
Of course, to this day, Horikita Suzune was still unwilling to play any Galge.
After the final exams, the students didn't welcome a real summer vacation. Instead, everyone boarded a luxury cruise ship prepared by the school.
At this moment, on the cruise ship. Students were enjoying all kinds of free services—high-end Western cuisine, essential oil spas, massages, you name it. Keima, however, was sitting alone in a corner, playing a game.
"Hey, Kami-nii-sama! There are so many fun things on this ship! Aren't you interested at all?!" Elsie asked, walking over to Keima with her mouth stuffed full of delicious food.
"Not interested." Without a hint of hesitation, Keima gave his answer.
"But the school is so nice, giving us such an interesting vacation trip!"
"Things aren't that simple." Keima pushed up his glasses.
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