When I realized it, I was in the white room.

Looks like I’d fallen asleep.

This time, unlike yesterday, I’d made sure to take care of all the cleanup before wrapping myself up in the futon, so I could relax in the morning.

The candle had gone out once, so we ended up opening the window and relying on moonlight while we wiped each other’s skin clean...

Still, I really didn’t want to start a fire in the bedroom, so it couldn’t be helped.

And just like with Chiyu, Shion hadn’t gone back to her own room afterward, so the two of us had fallen asleep together.

“How many times?”

That was the first thing Chiyu said. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Hehe, I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Shion smiled with composed confidence, her cheeks slightly red.

“Guh. That’s the face of someone who got squeezed dry more than four times.”

What kind of face was that?

“...More than four times...? H-how indecent did things get...? I mean... I could hear a lot...”

“Knowing Sousuke, it was definitely boobs.”

Minori and Shouko were reacting with red faces too.

Feeling a strange kind of embarrassment, I thought it over.

Uh, let’s see, yesterday... or was it the day before yesterday now? Anyway, the other day, after Chiyu learned I’d come twice with Shion, her competitive streak had kicked in and she’d wrung three out of me.

After that, she’d been using Basic Heal to restore my number of shots, but starting from normal condition, three in a row had apparently been the record.

But just now, with Chiyu having cast Basic Heal on me when we came back, I’d managed more than four times with Shion...

That was probably why Chiyu was making that frustrated sound again.

It was embarrassing having all my sexual experience shared among the girls, but I was benefiting from it too, so I couldn’t really complain.

“Day 3 has ended.”

The girls, who had been noisily carrying on just a moment ago, all focused at once when text appeared on the blackboard.

That much, at least, was just like them.

“We will now announce an event.”

“...An event?”

“About Events

These are special programs held irregularly.

The contents and rewards may differ from event to event. Thank you for your understanding.”

“The event being held this time is a special Start Dash event.”

“About the special Start Dash event

Period — From after the end of Day 4 until after the end of Day 5

Content — Competitors will vie to secure the ‘floating spheres of light’ placed around the island

Reward — Only the individual who secures one will be granted the ‘Right to Return’”

“Wh—”

“Right to Return...”

“Huh? Wait, what? So that means... we can go home?”

“...If it says right, then that means it’s not mandatory, right? It means you get to choose when to use it.”

“Only one person... For anyone acting alone, it’s hope. For people who’ve formed groups, it becomes a source of conflict. For the ones watching us and wanting to observe us, it’s a fine little experiment.”

Just like Minori said.

For someone surviving alone in isolation, it was hope in the purest sense—an immediate way home.

But for people who had formed groups and were only just beginning to hold together, it could become poison.

If even one person tried to get ahead of the others, that unity could collapse in a chain reaction, and before long it could even turn into a fight among companions over the Right to Return.

And even if someone did manage to return, would the ones left behind ever be able to unite again?

After having just spent their time sabotaging each other.

And without knowing when another event like this might happen.

“About the ‘Right to Return’

The ‘Right to Return’ is granted only to the person who earns it, and cannot be transferred or stolen.

A holder may immediately leave the main island by saying, ‘I exercise my Right to Return.’

After that, they will proceed to the results screen, where point settlement and bonus selection will be carried out before they return home.”

Just as Shion had guessed, it wasn’t a forced ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) clear. You earned it first, and then chose when to go back.

If it had been mandatory, we would’ve had no choice but to ignore this event.

There were separate conditions for taking back the memories and abilities from this island, and right now the details were still unknown.

But that was what we were aiming for.

We wanted a way to return to Japan, but not right now.

Still, since the reward in this event was only the Right to Return, that meant it was worth going for.

That said...

“Question: Which will be more necessary for your future life here—chicken eggs or milk?”

“Chicken Eggs / Milk”

The usual pattern again.

Right after giving us important information, it jumped straight into a survey.

“There it is. This one’s eggs, no contest. We’ve already got sheep’s milk.”

Chiyu was her usual self.

She’d been wanting eggs, so I couldn’t say I didn’t get it.

“Just adding eggs gives us so many more options.”

Shion joined in too.

“The time has come to win back my childhood friend’s stomach before Shion fully steals it.”

“Ehh? Before I steal it? I think I’ve already won Sousuke’s stomach over.”

Shion smiled mischievously.

“In the end, the childhood friend wins.”

“Hehe, I’m looking forward to cooking together.”

The two of them were talking normally enough, but somehow it looked like sparks were flying.

“A-ah, I can at least make fried eggs...”

“I-if you teach me the recipe, I could too...”

Shouko and Minori—the two least familiar with cooking—mumbled something.

Though honestly, I wasn’t exactly familiar with cooking either...

Should we really be this normal after hearing something like the Right to Return?

...No, that wasn’t it.

They had been surprised, but they all understood that it wasn’t something we needed to be shaken by.

No one among these five wanted to leave the others behind and go home alone.

Then it didn’t matter which of us got the Right to Return.

We’d just hold onto it until we had enough rights for everyone, and until we figured out how to go back with our memories and abilities intact.

“As more than half have voted, the poll is now closed.”

“Beginning on Day 4, ‘chicken eggs’ will be placed into the environment.

Please note, however, that rather than the eggs themselves, ‘chickens’ will be placed.

Also, the chickens placed this time cannot be repurposed for meat, so please be advised.”

So it worked the same way as Fluffy Summoning Ability.

You could get wool and sheep’s milk, but you couldn’t turn them into mutton.

Now that the vote was over, the dream would be ending soon.

Before that, I needed to ask what I wanted to ask.

“You said we’d be competing to secure the spheres of light, but what exactly counts as securing one?”

“If a sphere of light comes into contact with a transfer participant through direct skin contact, contact through clothing, or by that participant’s action such as throwing a stone or firing an arrow, it will be considered secured.”

So you didn’t have to touch it directly. Throwing something at it, brushing it with clothing, or hitting it with an attack would count too.

If the judgment was that lenient, then maybe actually finding them—or reaching them—would be difficult.

“Huh? Then would touching one with Mashiro count?”

“What if a sphere of light is inside the area of Purify?”

“By that logic, if magic hits one, that would count as securing it too, right?”

“Contact through an ability possessed by a transfer participant will also be considered securing it. Likewise, contact through an item possessed by a transfer participant will also be considered securing it.”

And then the world was swallowed by white.

“Day 4 begins.”

Day 4, which was about to begin, was our preparation period.

And once it ended, and Day 5 began—

the event for the Right to Return would begin.