Before long, under Shikime Natsu's breathtaking handiwork, a neat little cabin stood complete.
Natsu had the distinct sense that his practical skills were actually leveling up. After building those cabins back at Class A's Base Camp, he could feel himself growing even more proficient with each swing and saw stroke.
He already had photographic memory and natural dexterity stacked on top of each other — and yet, apparently, there was still room to grind out real proficiency gains. Either way, whatever the reason, the cabin was finished.
Even working entirely alone, he could have knocked it out in no time. In fact, if it had been just him, he might have gone even faster.
But of course — when your own girlfriends want to help, you give them that chance.
After all, being part of the building process was a shared memory in itself. A little experience they could all carry together.
Once the cabin was fully complete, Sakura Airi and the others stepped inside to look around. The interior was spacious — Natsu had built it to sleep eight, after all — so for four people to sleep comfortably, it was more than enough. For four people to simply stand around inside, it was practically roomy.
Beyond the open floor space, Natsu had used leftover materials to craft a set of wooden chairs. They didn't take up much room, and somehow, having them there made the whole cabin feel more lived-in. Warmer. Like somewhere you actually belonged.
It really did feel like a home. The moment you stepped inside, the atmosphere settled around you like a soft exhale — cozy and welcoming. Light spilled in through the windows Natsu had left open in the walls, filling the room with a bright, gentle warmth.
"Natsu, you're seriously incredible!"
Sakura Airi turned in a slow circle, eyes sparkling with open delight.
"He really is," Shiina Hiyori murmured, running her fingers along the smooth, sanded surface of the wooden wall. "Natsu's construction skills are something else."
She'd seen the finished cabins back at Class A's Base Camp, of course — but that was seeing the end product after the fact. This time, she had been present for the entire process from start to finish, and the admiration she felt was something else entirely. Completing a cabin like this in so short a time… you could genuinely submit that for a Guinness World Record.
Not that Shiina Hiyori had any idea what the actual record was.
Kamuro Masumi didn't say much — but her pretty violet eyes held something unmistakable: pure, undisguised admiration.
Shikime Natsu just smiled, accepting his girlfriends' praise with easy, unhurried grace. He glanced around at the group and said warmly:
"Thank you all for the help, too. You worked hard. There are chairs now — come sit down."
As he said it, he placed five chairs in front of the five girls, one by one, and settled into his own just as naturally as breathing.
"We barely did anything!" Sakura Airi shook her hands in protest. "You were the one doing all the heavy lifting, Natsu. All the backbreaking work."
Just then, Shiraishi Asuka came over carrying a small pile of fruit, which she arranged on a broad leaf and offered around to everyone. Each piece glistened with tiny water droplets — she'd clearly rinsed them clean.
"Everyone — have some fruit. It'll help keep you hydrated."
Shiraishi Asuka's gentle smile remained steady as she spoke softly to the group. Since heavy things like lumber were beyond her to carry, collecting fruit was the contribution she could make. She'd taken care to wash everything thoroughly, and she'd specifically chosen the varieties Shikime Natsu had mentioned were safe to eat.
After all that work, fresh fruit was a rather pleasant reward. Shikime Natsu thanked her with a smile.
The cabin interior was immaculate. The floor was level and smooth, without a single stray wood shaving or speck of dust.
The girls couldn't quite figure out how he'd managed it. In their experience, any kind of construction or crafting work left a disaster zone in its wake — wood chips everywhere, scraps scattered across the ground, the whole area looking like it had been through a storm.
But here, there was nothing. It was as though the tools in Natsu's hands somehow erased every stray fragment the moment it was cut — as if mess simply ceased to exist in his vicinity.
His movements were precise enough that almost nothing was wasted to begin with — and that, everyone agreed, was genuinely impressive.
Natsu, for his part, knew perfectly well how he'd done it: he'd simply used his Supernatural abilities to quietly [One-Touch Clean] away all the little scraps and debris.
As for the larger offcuts that weren't so easy to vanish — he'd left those collected in a pile to deal with later, either as firewood for cooking or to be shaped into small tools. Nothing wasted.
Once she'd taken in the finished cabin in its entirety, Sakura Airi's blue eyes lit up. She was the first to speak, her flushed little face barely containing her eagerness.
"Natsu — now that the cabin's done… can I go get my things and move in right now?"
She looked at him with a bright, hopeful grin, her voice soft and just a little wheedling. The cabin had barely been finished for five minutes, and Airi was already ready to relocate.
In her heart, she was already entirely his. She didn't want to wait a second longer.
She did have friends at Class D's Base Camp, sure — but Class D also had its fair share of idiots, and few things soured your mood quite like having an idiot materialize in front of you.
Unless you were the type who enjoyed watching someone make a fool of themselves — the kind who could look at Yamauchi Haruki and see a clown performing for their amusement. But Sakura Airi was not that kind of person.
As far as she was concerned, Yamauchi Haruki appearing in her line of sight or his voice reaching her ears was nothing short of psychological pollution.
Shikime Natsu, naturally, said yes. He smiled at her with fond indulgence.
"Of course. This place was made for you, after all."
Hearing his answer, Sakura Airi's smile bloomed even brighter.
Natsu's gaze then drifted naturally to Kamuro Masumi and Shiina Hiyori.
The moment his eyes met theirs, both girls felt warmth rush to their cheeks. Their gazes went a little unsteady, then slipped sideways — neither of them quite able to hold his look.
Shiina Hiyori spoke first, her voice carrying that unmistakable flutter of girlish shyness she could never quite suppress.
"Natsu… I'll — I'll go grab my things in a bit and bring them over too…"
Kamuro Masumi said nothing aloud, but the faint blush dusting the tips of her ears and the cast of her eyes made her feelings perfectly clear.
She let out a quiet "mm" — just a single syllable — but it was enough.
After all… Sakura Airi had already said it so plainly. There was really no reason for the rest of them to hold back. This wasn't going to be Airi sneaking off on her own.
The cabin was built for eight. There was no conceivable reason it should only hold Shikime Natsu and Sakura Airi. They were coming too.
Shiraishi Asuka, standing to the side, felt a fresh wave of awkwardness wash over her.
She hadn't expected anyone to say something like that so openly — right in front of her and Sakayanagi Arisu, without a hint of self-consciousness.
They'd already known, yes — but actually hearing it said out loud, in front of her, so casually and yet so loaded with implication… it made Shiraishi Asuka acutely aware of what she was: a third wheel. A very large, very luminous light bulb.
Not just her, either. Sakayanagi Arisu was in the exact same situation.
Being a third wheel didn't stop feeling like a third wheel just because there were more of you. Shiraishi Asuka had come to understand this viscerally: even in a class of forty, as long as there was a couple in the room, everyone else automatically became ambient lighting.
And now, she had learned this firsthand.
Though — to be fair — Shiraishi Asuka was well aware that this was just normal couple behavior. Without her and Sakayanagi Arisu hanging around as extra variables, the whole atmosphere would have felt considerably more natural.
And she wasn't naive enough to believe only the three girls were moving in. This was a couple. You didn't build the room and then only let the girls in.
Shikime Natsu was absolutely going to be in there too.
Her peripheral vision drifted toward Sakayanagi Arisu almost involuntarily, curious what the grand young lady's reaction might be.
But Sakayanagi Arisu only wore the same elegant little smile as always, her violet eyes calm and still as a lake in autumn — as though everything unfolding before her was of no particular consequence.
In terms of composure, Shiraishi Asuka had to admit: Sakayanagi Arisu had her beat. The sheer unflappability. That was not a quality your average high schooler possessed.
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to sense Shiraishi Asuka's gaze. Her violet eyes shifted over, a faint smile threading into their depths as she met Asuka's look.
Shiraishi Asuka noticed immediately. And immediately felt uneasy.
There was something in those violet eyes she couldn't quite name — a glint, subtle and knowing, as though Sakayanagi Arisu was carrying a secret plan and finding it quietly amusing.
What that plan was, Shiraishi Asuka had no way of knowing. She wasn't a mind reader.
But her instincts — a girl's instincts — told her that the threat she sensed wasn't aimed at Shikime Natsu at all. It was aimed at her.
"Well then… I should head back."
Sakura Airi turned to Shikime Natsu, fruit still in hand — the pieces she'd picked herself. She seemed to want to drop those off first before coming back with her luggage.
"No time to waste — I'll return these fruit to camp first, then come back with all my stuff!"
With that, Sakura Airi slipped out of the cabin ahead of the rest. Her footsteps were light and airy, each one humming with barely-contained glee.
"I'll go get ready too."
Shiina Hiyori's gaze lingered on Shikime Natsu as she spoke. A flash of shy color crossed her violet eyes — no matter how many times this happened, no matter how used to it she got, looking at the person she loved still brought the blood rushing to her face.
As for Class D's side of things — Kushida Kikyou was the nominal Leader over there, and she had no reason whatsoever to refuse something like Sakura Airi bunking elsewhere.
As long as Airi showed up for roll call on time, it wasn't a problem. Whether you considered the persona Kushida Kikyou maintained in public, or the side of her that Shikime Natsu knew — neither version of her would lift a finger to obstruct him.
And over in Class C, Ryuuen Kakeru certainly wasn't about to raise any objections. Shikime Natsu was not someone you picked a fight with on a whim.
One by one, Sakura Airi, Shiina Hiyori, and Kamuro Masumi took their leave from the cabin. Shiraishi Asuka recognized her cue.
She glanced at Shikime Natsu, then at Sakayanagi Arisu — who wore that same inscrutable smile — and spoke to Natsu:
"Shiki-san, it seems there's nothing left for me here. I'll take my leave."
She offered him a warm, composed smile as she said it. Awkward as the situation had been, nothing in Shiraishi Asuka's expression gave it away.
"Of course. Thank you for your help, Shiraishi-san."
Shikime Natsu gave a small nod and smiled back.
Now the cabin held only two: Shikime Natsu and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Natsu didn't rush to speak. He picked up one of the fruits Shiraishi Asuka had brought, gave it a casual wipe, and bit into it. Sweet and clean on the palate.
He turned to look at Sakayanagi Arisu, his pale gold eyes carrying a flicker of quiet amusement.
"Sakayanagi-san," he said. "Now that everyone's gone, you can say what you actually came here to say."
His tone made it plain — he'd seen through her from the beginning.
"So. What are you scheming this time?"
At that blunt question, not a single flicker of embarrassment crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's delicate features.
Her violet eyes shimmered faintly — and then, with practiced ease, she arranged her face into an expression of perfect, wounded innocence. Her voice came out syrupy sweet, soft enough to make anyone instinctively feel guilty.
"My, my, Shiki-san. What a thing to say."
She tilted her lips into a small pout, as though she'd just been dealt a terrible injustice.
"I came all this way to help out of the goodness of my heart, and all Shiki-san can think is that I must have some ulterior motive? Can't I simply… want to help? After all, Shiki-san did me an enormous favor before. The fact that I'm free to move around this island at all is thanks to you, isn't it?"
"So all I'm doing right now is trying to repay that kindness~"
Shikime Natsu looked at her with an expression that was half-smile, half-not. His face said everything his words didn't need to.
He knew Sakayanagi Arisu. He knew she was up to something. With this little devil, it was never a question of whether — only what.
Seeing his expression, Sakayanagi Arisu shifted into an even more exaggerated display of heartbreak. She let out a soft, mournful sigh, her violet eyes taking on a glaze of "helpless resignation."
"Goodness… so that's truly how Shiki-san sees me."
She made a show of turning toward the door, her voice going just a little flat.
"In that case… I won't impose any longer."
Inwardly, Shikime Natsu could only marvel. Sakayanagi Arisu's dramatic range really was something. Was this a required skill for all smug brats?
He watched her walk out the cabin door — and made no move to follow or call after her. He knew she'd be back. Her goal hadn't been achieved yet.
Sure enough, barely a minute later, a small figure reappeared in the cabin entrance.
Sakayanagi Arisu walked back in, bold as you please — but this time, the wounded expression was entirely gone. In its place was that signature look of hers: self-assured, a little crafty, and entirely at home in her own confidence.
"Shiki-san really is quite heartless, you know."
She strolled over and settled herself into the wooden chair across from him, those violet eyes fixing on him with unhurried intensity, as though she was reading something written beneath his skin.
Shikime Natsu just smiled, and said simply:
"Sakayanagi-san, just say what you want. No need to keep performing."
At that, the corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth curved upward.
"Then I'll be direct. Shiki-san — do you like Shiraishi Asuka?"
Her tone was light, but there was a thread of certainty running beneath it.
"Shiraishi-san really is quite a charming girl."
She paused a beat, watching his reaction with careful attention, and then spoke again in that particular way of hers:
"So — would Shiki-san like me to give you a little push?"
Her voice carried just a hint of temptation.
"With my help, winning Shiraishi-san over would be considerably easier, you know."
Sakayanagi Arisu leaned into her offer.
"Just now, Shiraishi-san was clearly hesitant to come over on her own — but because I encouraged her, she did. And having us two extra 'light bulbs' around made the whole thing feel less awkward for her."
She smiled, perfectly poised.
"This is something Sakura-san, Shiina-san, and Kamuro-san simply can't do. And the other girls who get along well with Shiki-san wouldn't exactly volunteer to help him court someone new, would they? I'm the only one willing — and the only one who actually can."
She raised a finger and pointed to herself, pride sitting on her features like it belonged there.
"I can be the bridge between Shiki-san and Shiraishi-san. Help her find her footing, let her ease into being closer to you naturally. Give it enough time, and winning her over should be effortless for Shiki-san, wouldn't it?"
She tilted her head just slightly, violet eyes glittering.
"So, Shiki-san — do you want it or not?"
Her voice carried its characteristic playful edge.
"If you do… then let's make a deal."
Sakayanagi Arisu lifted her chin just a touch, and let her violet eyes meet Shikime Natsu's pale gold ones directly. Their gazes locked — and in hers was something probing, searching, trying to catch even the smallest flicker of interest.
Or perhaps, even the smallest crack.
____
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