Kure Ragna silently buried the walkie-talkie and the box back into the soil, exactly as he had found them.
Without a word, he turned and made his way back to the class base.
However, upon arrival, he noticed something strange. The usual lunch spread was nowhere in sight.
Instead, the entire class sat together in a circle, a tablecloth laid out in the center with an assortment of fruits placed on top.
Hmm… sitting in rows and eating fruit?
Before he could process it further, Kushida Kikyo stood up from a group of girls and ran toward him, carrying a bunch of grapes and two bright yellow, cylindrical objects with a few wisps of hair.
Karuizawa Kei, who had been sitting beside her, looked like she wanted to get up as well.
But noticing Kushida had beaten her to it, she hesitated and sat back down, her expression unreadable.
"Here,Ragna, this is your share,"
Kushida said cheerfully, handing him the items.
Kure Ragna blinked at the two yellow stalks in her hand, eyebrows furrowing.
"Hold on… what exactly is this? And why is everyone eating it?"
"It's corn," Kushida answered, tilting her head slightly as if confused by his question.
Corn?
Kure Ragna's mind short-circuited.
He had always thought of corn as something packed in cans, tiny kernels neatly stacked together. But this… this was something else entirely.
Seeing his blank expression, Kushida giggled.
"Ah, I get it! You've only ever eaten canned corn before, haven't you?" she teased.
"Watch this~"
Without warning, she lifted one of the corncobs, found a spot that looked easy to bite, and took a firm bite.
As she chewed, she deliberately glanced at Kure Ragna, her lips slightly parted to reveal the bright yellow kernels beneath her teeth.
"See? Same as in the can," she said, sticking out her tongue playfully before taking another bite.
"Chew, chew, swallow—it's pretty good!"
She licked her lips, a smug expression on her face.
Kure Ragna fell silent, his expression unreadable.
…Was that really necessary?
She had done similar things before—every time they were in bed together.
Suppressing a sigh, he took the corn from her hand.
"Fine, I get it," he muttered before shifting to the more pressing issue.
"But why is this our lunch? Is the whole class collectively trying to lose weight?"
Kushida let out an awkward laugh, stealing a glance toward Chabashira Sae's personal tent.
"Well… you know how Chabashira-sensei announced that Kouenji quit the exam last night?" she began hesitantly.
"This morning, Hirata suggested we cut down to two meals a day. He figured we could save 30 points per meal, so if we do this for three days, we'll have enough left over for emergencies."
She smiled sheepishly. "Besides, there haven't been many fruits on the island, so this is at least good for vitamins. And the process of finding them is kinda fun—like a treasure hunt!"
Kure Ragna pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had once thought of Hirata as a reliable guy. Now, he wasn't so sure.
Isn't this just making the entire class pay for Kouenji's mess?
"Forget it," he sighed.
"Just order proper meals tomorrow. You all act like you've been dirt poor in a past life."
Kushida brightened immediately. "You think so too?" She leaned in slightly.
"To be honest, I was getting tired of Hirata's… diplomatic way of doing things."
So that was that. For lunch, Kure Ragna had two corncobs.
As for the grapes… after finishing the corn, he had completely lost his appetite for them.
After lunch, feeling the effects of his barely adequate meal, Kure Ragna decided to rest in the camp to conserve energy.
Despite the exam running into its second day, he had barely spent half a day in the camp so far.
Just as he was about to settle in, Karuizawa Kei approached, her posture slightly stiff.
"Kure Ragna…" She hesitated.
"Are you free this afternoon?"
He glanced at her. "Yeah. Why?"
She fidgeted, then quickly looked away.
"I was thinking… since there's nothing to do, do you wanna go to the beach?"
A light breeze carried her words, and a faint pink dusted her cheeks.
Kure Ragna thought for a moment before nodding.
"Sure."
Without another word, the two walked hand in hand toward the shoreline.
The tide rose and fell, waves rolling onto the shore in a gentle rhythm.
The sea breeze carried the scent of salt, cooling the summer heat as if softening even the sun's relentless blaze.
This—this—was how a summer trip was supposed to feel.
Enjoying the ocean, the sand, the sky, and the warmth of the person beside you… Karuizawa Kei thought to herself.
Yet, deep down, a sigh weighed on her chest.
If only…
She quickly pushed the thought away, forcing a small smile as she turned to him.
"You know," she started,
"I've always thought this school was amazing."
Kure Ragna raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
He considered it for a moment.
Well, from an outsider's perspective, Advanced Nurturing High School was a top-tier institution.
Free tuition, an initial allowance of 100,000 points, and even a luxury cruise during summer vacation—it certainly had its perks.
"I guess it's not bad," he admitted.
Karuizawa continued gazing at the horizon.
"When I was in junior high, I'd find dead bugs or small animal corpses on my desk."
"My shoes would go missing, my uniform would be vandalized with insults… I was even dragged to the bathroom and beaten more times than I can count."
Her voice remained even, but her fingers clenched slightly.
"At one point, I really thought I was going to die."
She paused, inhaling deeply before turning to face him.
"But since coming here, all of that… just vanished. It's like none of it ever happened."
Kure Ragna remained silent, watching her carefully.
After a brief hesitation, Karuizawa took another breath.
"So, Kure Ragna, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
She exhaled slowly, then, with an almost imperceptible tremble in her voice, asked:
"…If Kushida were here instead of me… would you be happier?"
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