COTE :  Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

Around two or three in the morning, waves crashed against the cliff face in endless succession. Moonlight spilled across the sea, draping it in a dreamlike silver-white.

Inside the small wooden hut—one of Class A's occupied base points on the deserted island.

"Hmph!"

Morishita Ai knelt on the wooden boards in seiza, arms folded, back ramrod straight, chin raised. She turned her face away with utter disdain.

"Don't be like that, Morishita-sama." Fuyuji Mikage kneaded Morishita's shoulders ingratiatingly and laughed awkwardly. "It was just that Miki wanted to do her part and earn a few more class points for the class. And since the adorable Morishita-sama was sleeping so soundly, we didn't wake you."

Kamuro Masumi, who had witnessed the entire criminal process, stared at her direct superior with contemptuous eyes upon hearing this shameless statement.

On the other side, Yamamura Miki, now fully awake, sat with her small fists clenched on her knees. Her deeply lowered face was already red enough to drip blood.

Shiraishi Asuka was holding a cotton ball soaked in iodine and alcohol, dabbing at Yamamura's wound bit by bit. By the look of it, she had absolutely no intention of stepping in to help Fuyuji. She might even have been thoroughly enjoying this.

"Hmph!"

Morishita once again tossed the two small braids at her chest, twisted her body around, and shook off Fuyuji's massaging hands.

As far as Fuyuji understood, the meaning was roughly: Despicable Fuyuji Mikage! Morishita-sama is very angry and is breaking off friendship with you! How long the break-off will last is uncertain, but in any case, you are not permitted to speak to me right now!

Seeing that his ingratiating offensive wasn't working, Fuyuji decided to switch tactics.

"Fine. I lost this time. I shouldn't have kept it from Morishita-sama. How about this—for one week after we get back, dinner arrangements are entirely up to Morishita-sama?"

This was a serious bloodletting. One had to recall that during that earth-shattering battle of kinetic weapons versus energy weapons, Morishita, as the party who had first torn up the treaty, had only compensated two dinners.

This time, Morishita didn't turn her face away. Instead, she stared at Fuyuji without blinking.

[Not enough...]

[Still not enough?!] Fuyuji returned the look with disbelief.

[Not enough!]

At that moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze slightly.

The simple emergency first-aid kit they had brought closed with a soft click. The quiet sound broke the deadlock of the negotiation.

Shiraishi tidied up the medical supplies and checked Yamamura's left leg once more. "Nothing serious. Just a scrape from a branch. It should scab over soon enough."

"Then..."

Yamamura, still in ostrich mode, stood up. The rims of her ears had burned bright red. She clearly needed some time to cool down.

"Fuyuji-kun, Morishita-san, I'm heading back first. See you tomorrow!"

Having thrown out this line, Yamamura fled up the ladder with a clatter. A moment later, there was no more sound.

"Then we should go too, Kamuro-san." From a blind spot that Morishita couldn't see, Shiraishi winked at Fuyuji with a stifled giggle, her long lashes fluttering.

"Ha?"

Kamuro wrinkled her nose with displeasure. She still wanted to stay and watch Fuyuji's miserable fate unfold.

"Let's go." Shiraishi repeated with a smile.

"Fine." Kamuro nodded reluctantly.

Although it was a bit of a pity not to see this guy in an even more wretched state, tonight's harvest had still been quite bountiful.

And for reasons unknown, recalling that scene in the tent just now, she actually found it a little thrilling. Her heart stirred with restless excitement!

A surge of waves rushed in and crashed against the base of the cliff with a tremendous roar, drowning out the sound of their departing footsteps.

A moment later.

Inside the small wooden hut by the cliff's edge, only Fuyuji and Morishita remained. On the black screen of the occupation machine, the red digits ticked away, one by one.

Morishita remained unmoved, still kneeling upright in the small hut, facing the sea.

Fuyuji quietly moved beside Morishita and sat down shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Is the broad-minded Morishita-sama angry? Doesn't Morishita-sama often ditch me and take Miki off to play?"

"Hmph!" Morishita let out a haughty huff, indicating that she was angry regardless, and continued to ignore him.

"Fine."

Fuyuji shrugged. Slowly, he shifted on his knees, moving in front of Morishita, and bent down.

"Get on. Fuyuji Mikage, in his capacity as Ultraman, can give the Kamen Rider Morishita Ai a ride."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a girl's weight settled onto his back.

So she really was angry about that after all...

Fuyuji smiled. His hands looped around her thighs, pressing against skin that, even through the fabric, transmitted that elastic softness. He slowly stood up.

Mm...

A tiny bit heavier than Miki. But that was normal. Miki's frame was on the slender side even among girls—

"What disrespectful thing are you thinking right now?" Morishita's flat, emotionless voice drifted beside his ear.

"How could I possibly..." A bead of cold sweat slid down his cheek.

"Then hurry up and go!"

"Ah, ah."

Fuyuji quickly lifted his feet and pushed open the small wooden hut's door with a creak.

And then he encountered a problem.

Fuyuji slowly raised his head. The roughly three-meter vertical ladder towered before the two of them.

He hefted Morishita on his back, then looked at the ladder that he normally ascended and descended with effortless ease. The corner of his mouth twitched. He ventured tentatively, "How about... Morishita-sama gets down for just a moment?"

"No."

Morishita refused with absolute decisiveness. She even took it a step further, tightening her arms around him and clamping her legs.

"Go. I'll cheer you on."

"..."

I think it'd be better if you let go. I'm afraid that halfway up, you'll choke me until I can't breathe and fall. Then two corpses, still stuck together, will drift out to sea and become a ghost story passed down by word of mouth on this deserted island. That way, for the next several years, students taking the deserted island exam will have something to talk about at night.

...

One minute later, Fuyuji, who had cunningly chosen to cheat with telekinesis, pretended to climb up the cliff top drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, all under the delighted gaze of Morishita on his back.

"Haah... haah... Where to next?"

"Left." Morishita placed both hands on Fuyuji's cheeks and turned his head, gesturing toward the small grove. With spirited flair, she pointed. "Advance, the Fuyuji!"

"Oi, oi. Do you really need to get this into character?"

"Hurry, hurry!" Morishita's voice was clearly growing excited. "Forward! Forward by any means necessary!"

"..." Fuyuji said nothing. He simply lifted his feet and walked.

"Fuyuji! Obstacle ahead, hard to port!"

"?"

...

Twenty minutes later, Fuyuji emerged from the forest with Morishita on his back, gasping for breath. This time, he was truly gasping.

"Haah... haah... Alright now, Morishita-sama? Haah... Have you calmed down?"

"Almost. One more round."

"Again?!"

"Advance!"

Another twenty minutes passed. Fuyuji, breath coming in but barely going out, stumbled out of the forest.

"Morishita... great one... have you... calmed down yet?"

"Fuyuji Mikage."

"Mm?"

"Will you always be with me?"

"I will..."

"Then I've calmed down."

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