Chapter 14: Hostile Ally【P2】

Shin

“I am telling the truth!” I brandish my glass as primary evidence before slamming it onto the table. “He ripped it off in one go!”

Jumping up, I bunch the fabric of my shirt into both fists. “And under it, he had another shirt!”

Daiki scoffs through a laugh. “Shin, you can just admit you got lost and couldn’t find your way back. No need to make up stories—”

“He had a second shirt! Who does that!?”

A low grumble presses against our collective laughter.

“Huh? What is it?” I look down at my left.

Masaki points toward the bed behind his left, directing my eyes to a shifting lump of blankets.

“Grrrh... hmgrr,” the mountain of duvet groans.

“Cut it out already, Kasumi” Sora calls out from across the table, flinging a coaster like a frisbee at the lump. “You knew well beforehand that they were coming over!”

Kasumi pokes her head out from the covers, taking the flying coaster right between the eyes. “Ow! You said a friend, not a whole horde!”

“What difference does it make!”

A sudden weight hits my sides. Daiki leans into my right shoulder while Masaki grabs my left sleeve with shaking hands.

No, not this time.

“Guys, I am not some sort of human shield for you!” Grabbing them by their collars, I jam their shoulders together like a pair of riot shields, peeking over the top.

Masaki clutches Daiki’s shoulder, partially obscuring my view. “Should we just make a run for it?”

“No dice.” Daiki glances down, grabbing Masaki’s wrist to peel him off. “We would at least need a boat. Maybe this island has airplanes we could—”

“You know!” Kasumi winds up her pillow like a discus thrower. “There is an unwritten rule on this island about not throwing parties in your room, especially without your roommate’s consent!” The pillow flies straight at Sora.

Sora intercepts it with goalkeeper reflexes. “If it’s so important, they should’ve written it down!” She launches it straight back at double the speed.

“Do we go now?” Masaki whispers.

“Not yet,” I murmur, eyes tracking every micro-movement of the missile.

“Besides!” Sora blocks the return with a textbook. “Who goes to bed this early in the evening!” She picks up the limp fabric, shoving the book right into the pillowcase.

“Now?” Daiki whispers.

“Almost...” I grip their arms, one in each hand.

“What the!?” Kasumi rubs her head. “I will make you pay for that!”

She bolts from the bed, weapon in hand.

Sora grins and dives under her bed. “I’d rather have a refund!”

“Now!” I tug on both of their arms at once.

Like a well-rehearsed choir, we laugh in dry unison.

“G-good one, Sora,” Daiki blurts.

Kasumi, halfway through storming toward the soon-to-be blast site, ratchets her head toward us.

I duck beneath my meat shield. “Shoot! Still too early!”

Jiro

I am no expert on the matter, but…

Towel on my lap, I stare at the closed bathroom door while relaxing on my freshly made bed.

It has been well over an hour since I started the stopwatch. The last sound from the bathroom was forty-seven minutes ago.

Is she…

The digits on my phone screen tick steadily upward, creeping past the ninety-minute mark.

If I start running now, I could still forge a believable alibi. Maybe go down to a bar, make a scene, and claim I never went to this room.

My hand lingers on the smooth fabric.

But leaving means I have to remake my bed...

Sayoko

Another refresh reveals nothing.

If I wanted to lash out at someone, I certainly would not wait this long to do it. Maybe the system prevents messages to unsaved contacts.

Shifting on the toilet lid, my shoulders slacken as exhaustion creeps in.

I copy the digits from the call history and open the contacts app. The directory displays only a lone entry.

[‘Water Breather’]

Pasting the number into a new one, my thumb hovers over the keyboard before typing.

[‘Fuki—‘]

The letters vanish into the white screen. I frown at the display.

[‘Loud—‘]

They disappear again.

[‘Frien—‘]

The input field retracts, erasing the text until it stops on a single character.

[‘F’]

Jiro

My feet slip off the mattress. Light-stepping over to the bathroom, I pause for a moment before pressing an ear against the door.

Nothing.

Should I…

Are you held liable for ignoring a medical emergency?

But what if she wakes up right as I open it? Then I become the one in need of a medic.

Slow down, Jiro. First, you have to figure out how—

Balance vanishes as the door slides open. I tumble straight through the sudden gap.

My sleeves darken as my hands find the wet floor tile.

“A pervert. Just my luck.” The girl steps right over me. “This will be going on the list.”

She stands in the threshold looking down at me, towel tucked under her arms. Her pajamas are, somehow surprisingly, the same color of her umbrella.

“L-list?” I scramble up, wringing the worst of the moisture from my cuffs.

“Yes. The list I will use to get you out of this room. Or even better…” She gazes up at the ceiling light.

“Better being—”

The light flicks out. The door slams shut. Darkness.

Toma

“I got it!” I drop my phone onto the mattress. “I’m joining The Night Club!”

Anza does not move from her pillow, the book still covering her face.

The newlywed pair across the gap between the beds is a different story, though.

Ryota sits frozen with an equally still smile in a lotus position on his pillow, while Sora tries to keep her corner of the mattress dry from her snorting.

“The Night Club.” Anza lowers the pages just past her eyes. “Toma, you are a little too young for that.”

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 14: Hostile Ally【P3】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”

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