Yui Yuigahama's phone screen lit up. A short, terse text from Seiji Fujiwara.
[This weekend. Free? I'm taking you to a private island.]
Yui's heart skipped a beat.
Color rushed to her cheeks before she could stop it, and her fingers trembled with excitement.
A private island! Just the two of them?!
Her expression shifted through several emotions.
She drew in a deep breath and replied as fast as she could: [Yes! I'm free!]
...
...
The Kawasaki residence.
Saki Kawasaki was mending her younger siblings' school uniforms under the lamp when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw the equally curt message.
[Weekend. Private island. Clear your schedule.]
A private island?
Saki's brow furrowed slightly.
But she could think of no reason to refuse, nor did she have the standing to refuse.
Saki sighed and replied: [Understood. Is there anything I should prepare in advance?]
...
...
Iroha Isshiki's apartment.
Iroha was sprawled on the couch with a face mask on, scrolling through her phone.
Ever since she'd been thoroughly "disciplined" by Seiji Fujiwara in the student council office, she had completely accepted reality.
No more impractical fantasies. She had repositioned herself as a plaything who curried favor with Seiji Fujiwara in exchange for room to live and a sliver of "affection."
When Seiji's text came through, she practically launched off the couch.
[Little fox. Beach this weekend. Let's see what you look like in a bikini.]
"Yes!" Iroha let out an excited squeal, almost dislodging the mask on her face.
That nickname!
That flirty, teasing tone he used only on her!
In her mind, this was nothing less than proof of his "affection"!
Yukinoshita-senpai might have the highest status, but Seiji was always cold to her, treating her like a tool with no feelings.
But with her, Seiji always carried that air of toying and teasing.
What did that mean?
It meant that in his heart, she was the unique one, the most favored!
"I knew it! Fujiwara-sensei dotes on me the most!" She rolled around triumphantly on the bed, as if she'd already forgotten the humiliating experience in the office not long ago.
Or rather, she had transformed that humiliation into some kind of glory of being "favored."
Iroha's reply was packed with little ingratiating tricks: [Master~ of course I'm free~ But my swimsuits all seem old, I don't know which one Master would even want to look at~ (pitiful.jpg)]
...
...
The Fujiwara estate.
Yukino Yukinoshita was kneeling in Seiji Fujiwara's study, grinding coffee beans for him.
Seiji looked up at her placid profile and spoke flatly. "This weekend. You're coming with me to a private island."
"Yes, Fujiwara-sensei." Yukino's hands didn't pause, didn't even lift her eyes, as if she'd merely heard an ordinary, everyday instruction like "I want a sandwich for breakfast tomorrow."
After "Stellar Reforging" and her bloodline's complete submission, she had long since understood her position in this game.
No need to guess. No need to expect. Certainly no need to fantasize.
As Seiji Fujiwara's possession, her purpose was to execute any of his commands and satisfy any of his needs, whether in the bedroom or at a business negotiation table.
So when she was told they were going to a private island, her heart was calm and clear.
...
...
The private jet touched down smoothly on a picturesque private island ringed by deep blue water.
On the helipad, Haruno Yukinoshita was already waiting.
She wore a tastefully tailored, elegant white dress, that signature seductive smile on her face, the perfect hostess greeting her arriving guests.
The cabin door opened.
The first to descend the stairs was Yui Yuigahama.
She'd changed into a floral summer dress and had a smile on her face.
Until she saw Haruno Yukinoshita waiting on the helipad with that radiant smile. Her own smile froze instantly.
"H... Haruno-san? Why are you here?"
Right after her, Iroha Isshiki came bouncing down.
She wore a playful pink miniskirt, brimming with energy, prepared to greet Seiji Fujiwara's "exclusive favor" with her cutest face.
But when she saw Yui and Haruno, her little-devil smile froze too.
Last came Saki Kawasaki.
She wore the same plain casual clothes, a simple backpack on her shoulder, expression cool, as if she were merely on a business trip. When she saw the three "colleagues" of wildly different styles in front of her, her brow furrowed deeper.
A strange silence, thick with suspicion and hostility, spread through the air in an instant.
Just as the atmosphere reached its most awkward, Seiji Fujiwara finally stepped down from the plane at his leisurely pace.
His appearance was like a powerful gravitational field, pulling every gaze to him at once.
The girls instinctively halted their inner monologues and watched him tensely.
Seiji's gaze swept across the group and finally landed first on Yukino Yukinoshita. He didn't walk toward any of the others. He went straight to Yukino.
He reached out and, with an appraising posture devoid of lust yet brimming with possessiveness, lifted her chin lightly, examining the girl's flawless face.
After a moment, he nodded with satisfaction, as if confirming his property was still in perfect condition.
That single gesture sent a tidal wave crashing through the hearts of the other three girls.
Yui's and Iroha's hearts plummeted.
This blatant declaration of ownership unmistakably confirmed Yukino Yukinoshita's supreme "principal wife" status in this game.
While their feelings were still tangled.
After "inspecting" Yukino, Seiji turned and walked over to Yui Yuigahama.
Looking at her tense, slightly wronged expression and the faint redness rimming her eyes, he chuckled softly, reached out, and gently patted her head, as if soothing a startled little animal.
"What? Seeing this many people made you unhappy?" His voice was low, but intimate.
Yui's face went red in a flash, and she quickly lowered her head.
Next, Seiji walked over to Iroha Isshiki, who was already restless and looking at him with eyes that screamed "come over here."
Seeing her face, which all but shouted "I'm cute, hurry up and praise me," he grinned wickedly, reached out two fingers, and pinched her collagen-rich cheek hard.
"Little fox, a few days apart and your skin's gotten thicker. So? Seeing this many 'rivals' got you under pressure?"
"It... it has not!" Iroha sputtered, her rhythm thrown, but inwardly she was overjoyed.
This style of teasing, flirty interaction was something Seiji had never used on anyone else!
It confirmed her judgment once again:
My position is still irreplaceable!
Finally, Seiji's gaze fell on Saki Kawasaki, who had remained silent and at a distance the entire time.
He showed her no intimacy, only spoke in a businesslike tone:
"Saki, coordinate with Haruno. Get everyone's luggage to their rooms. Also, check the menu for tonight's dinner."
Saki, who had been on guard, relaxed slightly at his words.
"Understood."
They didn't notice that, throughout it all, only one person's expression hadn't changed at all.
Yukino Yukinoshita.
She simply stood off to the side, calmly watching it all.
Watching Yui's bashful flush and dodging eyes, Iroha's renewed smug confidence, Saki's cool detachment as she found her place. Her eyes were like those of a viewer who already knew every line and ending of the script, watching a clumsily performed play.
...
...
Night fell. Waves lapped gently at the sand.
In the island mansion's banquet hall, an extravagant space large enough for a hundred, only a single long dining table had been set.
Seiji Fujiwara sat leisurely at the head, idly turning an exquisite glass of wine in his hand.
In front of him, Yui Yuigahama, Saki Kawasaki, Iroha Isshiki, and Yukino Yukinoshita sat upright, their expressions varied.
On the surface, it was a strange but outwardly calm dinner.
But inside each of them, undercurrents churned because of the day's "differential treatment."
At that moment, the doors of the banquet hall swung open silently.
Haruno Yukinoshita walked in slowly.
She had changed into a classical and sensuous head-maid uniform, her long legs sheathed in garter stockings beneath the black lace skirt, that smile of hers, seductive to the extreme, still on her face.
Her arrival shattered the calm at the table in an instant.
"Good evening, ladies. As Master's 'head steward,' I welcome all of you on Master's behalf."
She walked to the center of the table and dropped into an elegant curtsy before the seated girls, smiling as she spoke:
"I hope that, as Master's 'possessions,' you will all grow accustomed to one another's existence as quickly as possible, and enjoy a pleasant vacation on this island."
Possessions.
That cold, emotionless word that reduced "people" to objects came down like three merciless hammers on the hearts of Yui, Iroha, and Saki!
In that moment, their identities were dragged forcibly to the same level by Haruno in the most direct way possible.
They were nothing more than "possessions."
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