After confirming the barrier had been deployed and finishing the placement of the stone walls along its boundary, we returned inside the house.

“Serina, I’ll show you around.”

“...Okay.”

“There’s one room left on the second floor, so that’s fine, but the furniture still needs to be arranged. I’ll take care of it.”

Yumekai reacted to what I said.

“...I’m fine sleeping directly on the floor.”

Apparently, Yumekai was the type who didn’t like creating debts, and because of that, she tended to hold back about everything.

“If we give different treatment to different companions, it bothers us. So sorry, but think of it as the basic set and accept it.”

Everyone else was sleeping in beds. We couldn’t make Yumekai sleep on the floor alone.

“...If that’s how it is. As for the debt, even if I can’t repay it all here, I’ll repay it in Japan.”

I liked that attitude of not leaving a debt unpaid.

While Shouko gave her a tour of the first floor, I went up to the second floor and finished preparing Yumekai’s room.

I placed the furniture, bedding, pajamas, and other essentials.

When I left the room, Chiyu was peeking out from the door of her own room.

“So-kun, come here a second.”

“What’s wrong?”

When I approached her, an arm reached out, and I was pulled right into her room.

Even though she had only just started living here, the room already felt full of Chiyu’s scent.

Back in Japan, I had visited her room before, and it was the same smell.

“...Does it smell weird?”

Maybe I had unconsciously sniffed, because she noticed.

“No. I was just thinking it smelled like you.”

“...Is it a smell you like?”

Chiyu looked a little anxious, so I nodded.

“Yeah. It is.”

“Mm. I knew that.”

She answered that way, but somehow she looked a little happy.

“So, what did you—mm.”

Chiyu stood on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips against mine.

“Mmh... mm... mm, mm...”

I did not resist, and for a while, we kissed.

Holding her small body gently against me, we lost ourselves in each other for a little while.

I never thought the day would come when I would get even somewhat used to this sort of thing, but my heart was still pounding hard.

“...What brought this on, Chiyu?”

“I felt a sense of danger, so I decided to remind So-kun how good childhood friends are.”

“...Yumekai? You were talking about character overlap earlier too.”

“So-kun’s type is me. Which means a girl with the same elements as me matches your preferences. Simple calculation.”

“It’s not like I like you because you’re cool, though.”

“I know. But you can’t deny being drawn to it.”

“I do have a good impression of her...”

“Mm. That’s fine. But I don’t want to lose. So I decided to make So-kun’s attention turn toward me.”

Chiyu made a bold, intimate appeal, clearly trying to pull my focus back to her.

“We didn’t do that yesterday, so I want to now... Do you dislike it?”

My throat moved on its own.

And instinct sent heat into my lower body.

“I don’t dislike it.”

“Then... let’s.”

After Chiyu used Basic Heal on me, I spent the time until dinner with my head completely filled with her.

◇

Dinner was okonomiyaki.

The sauce had been improved from last time thanks to the dates we found during exploration, the soy sauce I had generated, the apples we had obtained, and other ingredients.

Like during Roa’s welcome party, we decided to eat outside.

We cooked okonomiyaki on a stone slab instead of an iron plate, while separately grilling vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and other things.

Until now, we had mostly eaten mushrooms with salt, but we had finally acquired soy sauce.

Without bonito flakes or green laver, the okonomiyaki looked a little lacking, but the taste was wonderful.

“Mmm, mmm.”

Lit by the bonfire, Shouko happily stuffed her cheeks with okonomiyaki.

Shion made it, and Roa served portions to everyone at exactly the right timing.

Whenever I started thinking I wanted to eat something next, it would appear on my plate, which made things incredibly easy and very welcome.

Maybe Roa was using her ability.

She was seeing what we “wanted” in that moment and serving it accordingly.

“How is it, Serina? I hope it suits your taste...”

After taking one bite, Yumekai froze for a while.

“It’s good, right, Serina?”

“...Yeah. I mean, Shion, you’re amazing. I never thought I’d be eating okonomiyaki on a deserted island.”

“Hehe, thank you. But that’s only ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) because everyone secured the ingredients, and Sousuke generated all sorts of things for us.”

“I see... Shion, you seem kind of alive now. Before, you always looked like you were watching everyone’s reactions, but the you I saw today smiles naturally.”

“...Ahaha. So you noticed, Serina.”

Shion gave an awkward, wry smile.

Because of past experiences, she had been intensely conscious of maneuvering well around people.

That was exactly why she had wanted the Lie-Detection Ability.

“Come to think of it, that means three people from Shouko’s group are together now.”

When I said that, Chiyu nodded.

“Mm. And Mino and I are unaffiliated.”

“The girls I usually spent time with were different as well, but when I think of how being transferred to this deserted island allowed me to grow close to all of you, it makes me feel that not everything about this has been bad.”

“I agree. I’m... happy I became friends with all of you. And also, um...”

Minori glanced toward me several times, her face turning red.

“Me too, me too! Honestly, it’s hard, and I miss home, but getting close to everyone has been the best part.”

“Hehe, yes. I also gained memories and relationships on this island that I don’t want to lose, so honestly, maybe I’m glad I was transferred.”

Shion also looked at me and smiled gently.

“This is bad. Shouko’s faction has become the largest power.”

Chiyu, don’t call it a faction.

“It’s not like we’re aiming to overthrow anyone, and I don’t plan to disturb the peace. Though I don’t know what Shouko, the faction boss, thinks.”

“Serina...!? Don’t say things like faction and boss when you don’t even mean them!”

Shouko’s cry brought laughter.

Yumekai wasn’t the type to actively start conversations, but she reacted to what people said.

Her attitude was curt, but her thoughts were clear, so personally, she was easy for me to get along with.

I had a feeling she would fit into this party quickly.

Dinner passed in a peaceful mood.

After I cleaned everything up with Inventory, we headed to the living room.

“Thanks to Serina, we can relax, so we’re all watching the drama!”

“...Shouko told me about the bonus area while she was showing me around, but still. No one would imagine you’d have a refrigerator and a TV.”

“Hehe, true. And today, we even have something to go with the drama.”

At times like this, popcorn was the standard, but corn had not been added.

Shion and Roa headed to the kitchen, took something out of the refrigerator, and came back.

Inside the glass containers was—

“...No way. Why is there... pudding?”

Yes, custard pudding.

Yumekai’s eyes, always cool, seemed to brighten just a little.

We each sat on the sofa and scooped up pudding with wooden spoons.

The way it melted in my mouth, and the mellow sweetness spreading over my tongue, were irresistible.

“...Nobody should know I like pudding, so this isn’t a coincidence, right?”

Yumekai said that while staring fixedly at the pudding, so we revealed the trick.

My suggestion, Roa’s ability, Shion’s cooking skill, and the ingredients everyone had gathered had all come together to make pudding.

“...I won’t forget any of the favors I owe you, but I especially won’t forget this one.”

She must have been really happy, because Yumekai ate each bite like it was precious.

That day, we watched two episodes of the drama, then each returned to our rooms.

And then—

“S-Sousuke... I’m coming in, okay?”

“Y-yeah...”

Today’s turn was Shion.

With a nervous look on her face, she sat beside me on the bed.

“Um... you know... I want you to do with me what you did with Chiyu too... okay?”

Her moist eyes gazed up at me.