Deep in a dark cave, a young man stretched lazily. Though he'd only meant to take a short nap, it seemed he'd slept quite a while. Piecing together fragments of the previous night, Leorio sat up and checked the watch on his left wrist.
"Seriously?" he groaned, seeing the countdown still frozen.
Was he mistaken? Had he not slept long? It was hard to gauge time in the cave's darkness. Leorio sighed. "Whatever, let's check outside."
As he started to stand, a crystalline voice echoed—a soft, melodious female voice. "You sleep awfully soundly for someone in a survival test."
Leorio shot to his feet, eyes scanning the cave until they landed on a feminine silhouette near the entrance. Her candy-pink hair grazed her shoulders, and her piercing green eyes glinted. She exuded an aura both dangerous and captivating, sitting cross-legged at the far end of the cave, facing Leorio.
"Who are you? How'd you get in here?" Leorio demanded, bewildered. He was certain the cave had been empty when he arrived. Had she slipped in after him?
The darkness obscured her features, but the orange jumpsuit she wore was faintly discernible. 'A prisoner? Then…!' Heart racing, Leorio quickly checked his watch.
As if reading his mind, the woman spoke with graceful ease. "Of course I scanned your badge. It'd be foolish not to take the opportunity."
Checking his watch's point tally, Leorio saw "-100" on the screen. "Damn it! Son of a—!" he shouted, clutching his head. How could he not be crushed? He'd been careless. Even if the cave was empty when he entered, that didn't mean it would stay that way, slim odds or not. Now he had a 100-point penalty.
"Idiot! I should've considered someone could sneak in after me!" Leorio berated himself, smacking his forehead repeatedly.
"I think you've got it wrong, sweetie," the woman interjected. "I was in this cave long before you showed up."
A stunned silence followed. "What?!" Leorio exclaimed, shocked.
What was she talking about? He'd scoured every inch of the cave when he arrived. 'There was no one here!' How could she claim to have been here first?
"Cut the crap! The cave was empty when I got here! You must've shown up after me and scanned my badge while I was out. And if I push it further, you haven't been here long. Otherwise, as a criminal, you'd have no reason to let me live after scanning my badge. Admit it, I'm right, aren't I?"
Leorio was convinced she was lying. To him, she'd just scanned his badge and was about to kill him when his instincts woke him, forcing her to back off. 'She couldn't kill me but got my points, so now she's looking to bolt.'
Discreetly, he checked his watch again. 'Still frozen. Damn it! You're saying I have to let her walk away?' he cursed inwardly.
"You don't believe me?" the woman said, amused. She tapped her chin with her right index finger, then continued, "I've got it! Here's proof I'm telling the truth. If I just arrived, as you claim, I'd still have your badge since I wouldn't have had time to return it, right?" She smiled. "So why isn't your badge with me?"
Her words made Leorio's eyes waver. He glanced at his satchel, exactly where he remembered leaving it. Opening it, he froze. 'What the hell?'
His badge was right where he'd put it. His theory fell apart. There was no way she could've scanned his badge and returned it so quickly, let alone moved to the far end of the cave. 'Was my sleep that deep I didn't notice anything?'
Abandoning his theory, Leorio still didn't buy her claim of being there first. She must've arrived sometime after him. "Damn it!" he swore, slamming his right fist against the cave wall, furious at his own stupidity.
Then a sudden thought hit him. 'If she got here way earlier, she had plenty of time to scan my badge, kill me, and leave. So why…' He looked at the woman, intrigued.
As if reading his mind, a sly smirk curled her lips. "You're wondering why I acted this way. Why I didn't kill you or flee after my little stunt, right?"
She stood and glided toward Leorio with feline grace. He stepped back instinctively but didn't run. Something told him she wouldn't harm him. She'd had countless chances while he slept but hadn't taken them.
"As for not killing you, it's not my style," she said, closing the distance. "Sure, I'm labeled a criminal, but my specialty is theft and scams, not murder." She stopped mere inches from Leorio, her chest nearly brushing his, their lips millimeters apart.
Tension surged through Leorio's body. He swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. Despite the danger, he could barely suppress his primal urges.
"And as for not fleeing…" she continued, placing her right hand on his chest, her fingers slowly tracing up to his chin. "Well, I think we could help each other out. What do you say, sweetie?"
With that, she leaned closer, her lips almost touching his. Contact was imminent.
"Aaaaah!" With a yell, Leorio shoved her back and retreated several meters, panting as if he'd run a marathon, clutching his racing heart. 'What the hell am I doing?! She's an enemy! This isn't the time for that!'
"Oh!" the woman exclaimed, smiling. 'How odd. Most men would've caved. Guess the setting's not in my favor. No matter, I'll still get what I want.'
Leorio slapped his cheeks hard, the sting snapping him back to reality. He glared at her. "Who do you take me for?!" he shouted, pointing at her furiously. "You think you can sweet-talk me that easily?!"
Then he felt a vibration from his wrist. His eyes instinctively darted to his watch's screen. 'The countdown…'
"I'll admit, this outfit isn't my best look," the woman said, striking a pose that accentuated her curves, still noticeable despite the baggy jumpsuit. (A/N: I know it's dark in the cave, but it's not pitch-black. Picture being locked in a closet in a dark room—got it? Can I continue?)
Expecting Leorio to falter again, she was surprised when he grinned, his eyes fixed on his watch. "Looks like the tables have turned!" he declared gleefully. 'The test has finally started. First, let's teach this scheming hag a lesson.'
With that, Leorio locked eyes with her, determined to make her regret scanning his badge. But as his gaze landed on her provocative pose, his body froze, his jaw practically hitting the floor in exaggerated shock. (A/N: Just a figure of speech…)
'Hmph, a sucker after all,' she thought.
"Something wrong, sweetie?" she purred, closing the distance again with intent to press against him.
"Aaaaah!" Leorio yelped, backing away and slapping his cheeks even harder, leaving them bright red. "I won't fall for it twice!" he snapped.
Grabbing his satchel, he said, "Since you spared me when you had the chance, I'll let you off. But if our paths cross again, I won't be so lenient." With that, he turned to leave.
The woman cursed under her breath, then called out, "Wait! Please don't go!"
Leorio kept walking. 'Don't turn back, don't turn back, don't turn back…'
"Please! Just hear me out! We'll be even!" she pleaded.
Though he urged himself to keep going, Leorio couldn't resist. He stopped and turned. "Fine, I'm listening. But any hint of trickery, and I'm gone!"
"No tricks," she said earnestly. "Like I told you, I didn't leave after scanning your badge because I think we can team up. What do you say? I'm sorry for trying to seduce you—it's just that I didn't know how else to convince you."
Her tone feigned remorse. 'It wounds my pride to grovel like this, but it's worth it. I can't survive this island alone. I need a dog to shield me.'
"Huh? Team up? I'm a candidate, and you're a criminal," Leorio said, confused. What was the point of allying with a prisoner? He'd be better off with another candidate.
The woman sighed inwardly, relieved he'd at least stopped to listen. "Think about it, sweetie. With a prisoner as your ally, imagine the ambushes we could set up against other prisoners and candidates."
"Hmm, I see your point. It's an interesting offer," Leorio admitted. Her smile began to form, but his next words wiped it away. "Still, I'll have to pass. I've already got allies far more capable and trustworthy than you. Sorry, but I'm out."
He turned to leave again. As he neared the exit, she called out, "Wait!"
Leorio turned, ready to shut her down more firmly, but the sight before him left him speechless. "W-What the…" he stammered.
How could he not be rattled? What red-blooded man wouldn't be? The woman had shed her orange jumpsuit. Even in the dim light, Leorio could make out her bare skin, stirring a primal tension in his lower gut. He knew it was another seduction attempt, but what could he do?
He stood frozen, drinking in the sight. Then her enchanting voice rang out. "How about this, darling? Can your allies offer you this?"
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