Unable to refuse her warm invitation, the two followed Ichinose into Class B's territory.
However, as they entered, the atmosphere in Class B's camp suddenly became somewhat subtle.
Many students who were working stopped what they were doing and looked back and forth between Natsukawa and Ichinose with a benevolent yet teasing gaze, occasionally whispering things like "Oh~" or "Here they come."
"Honami-chan! Since your boyfriend is here, don't just let him stand there! Quickly take him to try the fish we just caught!"
The lively Amakura Mako shouted, stirring up the crowd.
"Eh?! N-no..." Ichinose's face instantly flushed crimson. She waved her hands in a panic, subconsciously glanced at Natsukawa, then at Sakura beside her, and became somewhat incoherent.
Natsukawa Sosuke, on the other hand, was very calm. He even smiled and nodded in greeting to those who were teasing them.
At lunchtime, Class B's matchmaking efforts reached their peak.
Everyone seemed to have conspired, forcing Natsukawa and Ichinose to sit together.
"Natsukawa-kun, this fish has a lot of bones, so be careful." Ichinose lowered her head, her face red, meticulously removing the bones from the grilled fish, and then placing the fish meat onto Natsukawa's plate.
This scene immediately drew a round of wolf-whistles from the surroundings.
"Wow—! Honami-chan is so virtuous!"
"Is this déjà vu of a newlywed couple? It's too sweet!"
"Natsukawa! If you dare to disappoint our Honami-chan, all the boys in our class won't let you off!"
Natsukawa Sosuke silently enjoyed this "being fed" treatment. He very cooperatively picked up a piece of fish, but instead of putting it into his own mouth, he offered it to Ichinose.
"Tit for tat. Ichinose-san, ah—"
"Eh eh eh?!"
Ichinose looked at the fish meat offered to her mouth, feeling like she was about to steam. But under the gaze of dozens of eyes in the class, if she refused, it would only make her seem guilty.
So, in the awkward shyness of being caught in a dilemma, this angel of Class B could only close her eyes, slightly open her mouth, and accept the piece of fish.
"Oh oh oh oh oh—!!!"
Class B's camp erupted in cheers loud enough to shake leaves from the trees.
And Sakura Airi, completely surrounded by this nauseating smell of love, was silently sitting to Natsukawa's left, holding a bowl of fish soup. It tasted good, but drinking it felt like drinking water, she couldn't discern its specific flavor.
She looked at the 'couple' on her right, feeling like an extra speck of dust, small, pathetic, and helpless... After finishing their visit to Class B's camp, the two set off on their return journey.
Compared to the lighthearted journey there, Sakura Airi was unusually silent on the way back. She kept her head down, walking two steps behind Natsukawa, not even actively bringing up the hand-holding she had most anticipated earlier.
"What's wrong? Still thinking about what happened just now?" Natsukawa Sosuke stopped and looked back at her.
Sakura Airi stopped, her fingers tightly twisting her backpack strap. After a long hesitation, she gathered all her courage, lifted her head, and in those usually timid eyes, there was now a hint of stubborn grievance.
"Um... Sōsuke-kun..." Her voice trembled slightly, "Are you and Ichinose-san... really... in that kind of relationship?"
Although she had seen similar scenes before, the open intimacy in Class B's camp today still deeply stung her.
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at her expression, which was on the verge of tears, and didn't hide anything.
"Yes." He nodded frankly, "For now, we're a couple."
"F-for now?"
This strange prefix made Sakura pause, followed by deep confusion after the initial shock.
"Mm. Someone in Ichinose's class confessed to her before." Natsukawa explained, "You know Ichinose's personality; she doesn't want to hurt her friends and doesn't know how to refuse. So she asked me to be her'shield' boyfriend."
"I originally thought it would just be a show that would end, but that person turned out to be quite persistent. To make him believe it, Ichinose had to occasionally come to 'date' me on weekends. As a result, after a while, the gossiping girls in Class B discovered it."
Natsukawa spread his hands somewhat helplessly: "To avoid blowing our cover, Ichinose had no choice but to bite the bullet and announce it within the class. So now, in the eyes of everyone in Class B, we are a couple deeply in love."
Hearing this explanation, Sakura Airi's feeling of the world collapsing slightly eased.
So it was fake... But, thinking of the scene where Ichinose deboned fish for Natsukawa, and they fed each other, and Ichinose's blushing face when the Class B students teased them... even if it was fake, it was still too enviable!
Moreover, could that intimate atmosphere really be just acting?
Sakura Airi pouted, her eyes red, like a little rabbit who had suffered a great injustice.
"How could this happen..."
She lowered her head, drawing circles on the ground with her toes, and whispered in a voice only she could hear:
"Clearly... I was first..."
"Having someone I like for the first time, making friends for the first time, these were supposed to be two happy things... But... but... why..."
...The journey back felt somewhat somber.
Sakura Airi walked behind, her head down, taking small steps, like a wronged little rabbit, immersed in the complex psychological struggle of 'White Album' syndrome.
Natsukawa Sosuke did not break the silence.
'At times like this, any words of comfort might turn into excuses. Rather than making things worse, it's better to give her some time and space to process it herself.'
Besides, appropriate feelings of crisis can sometimes be a catalyst for emotions.
Just as they were approaching Class D's camp, the sound of dry branches snapping came from the forest ahead.
The two looked up and saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka emerging from the bushes, holding a small bundle of dry branches, his face expressionless. His dead-fish eyes showed no ripple when he saw Natsukawa and Sakura together; he merely nodded plainly as a greeting.
"Picking firewood?" Natsukawa Sosuke stopped, looking at the pitiful spoils in the hands of this 'unremarkable' high school student.
"Mm." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's voice was flat, "Hirata's assigned task. He said it's for tonight's bonfire."
"Picking firewood is too boring; it doesn't fit the excitement of a special exam." Natsukawa Sosuke curved his lips into a smile, walked over, and very familiarly put his arm around Ayanokoji's shoulder, "Come on, let's go find something fun to do."
A giant question mark seemed to slowly appear above Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's head.
"Exciting?" He looked at the dry branches in his hand, then at Natsukawa, "What could be exciting on a deserted island, fishing?"
"Even more interesting than that."
Natsukawa Sosuke didn't give him a chance to refuse, directly turning to look at Sakura Airi behind him.
"Airi, could I ask you a favor?" He pointed to the bundle of firewood in Ayanokoji's arms, "We're going deep into the forest to do something. Could you please take the firewood Ayanokoji-kun collected back to the camp first?"
Sakura Airi paused, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two. Although she still had some lingering emotions, in front of an outsider, she obediently nodded.
"Mm... O-okay."
She walked forward and took the not-so-heavy bundle of dry wood from Ayanokoji's hands.
"Thank you." Natsukawa Sosuke smiled at her, and without waiting for Ayanokoji to comment, he directly hooked Ayanokoji's neck, turned him around, and headed towards the dense forest in the island's interior.
"Hey, Natsukawa." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, being dragged along, maintained his flat tone, as if he wasn't the one being kidnapped, "Just asking, where are we going? If we're going to start a fight with Class C or Class A, I suggest you take Sudo instead; his physical resilience is stronger than mine."
"What are you thinking? We are civilized people."
Natsukawa Sosuke let go of him, stretched his wrists and ankles, and looked towards the lush jungle ahead.
"Just going to farm some points."