COTE: Self-Preservation

Y2V4: Beginning of the Island Exam

July 19th.

"Hmm, it's starting tomorrow, huh?" Kei muttered idly as she gazed at the ocean.

Just a few days ago, we were at school, enjoying our time, but tomorrow we'd have to survive 2 weeks on a vast island.

"How are you feeling, Kei?" I asked her.

Her previously serene expression dropped, a frown forming on her face, "Oh, I'm feeling fantastic. I get to survive 2 weeks on an island all on my own! And it's all fine, even if I'm expelled, I only have to pay the small fee of 3 million points! So fun!"

"You'll be fine."

Kei sighed, "You're just saying that. I mean, I'm the worst person physically right now because I'm going alone."

She seems quite troubled. I'm sure there are plenty of people like that, people who are weak physically who have to reel with the idea of getting tossed out of the school.

The lunchroom opened today at eleven o'clock this morning, and the first-year students would eat first. It was an early lunch since they were going to have an informational orientation meeting at noon. On the other hand, the lunch periods for the second and third-year students came slightly afterwards, starting at noon.

Many students were still smacking their lips and savouring their scrumptious meals. Right now, this brief time before one o'clock in the afternoon could be called the few precious moments that we could be alone.

"You'll be fine," I said again.

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm going to make sure you're never going to be expelled."

Kei's expression was as pink as ever, "Oh, yeah?" she said, trying to sound calm.

"Of course," I replied.

Resting her elbow on the handrail and placing her chin in the palm of her hand, she looked longingly towards the ocean with a smile on her face.

"Hmm, you're starting to get a little popular," Kei told me.

Is that so?

"Oh yeah? What are people saying about me?"

Kei turned to face me, "Oh, nothin' much. Just things like 'Oh he's going to get number 1' or 'He looks hot' and stuff like that."

"You sound so excited about that."

Kei nodded, moving closer to me, linking her arm with mine.

"Obviously, it makes me happy. It's because you're mine!"

"You're not worried about people passing by?"

"Where's the fun if I'm always worried about that~?"

Looks like the previous anxiety has washed away now.

With our circumstances, we usually hang out in off times like this or within our rooms, disconnected from the people around us. Normally, you'd expect couples to hang out during lunch, or sneak off after school to hang out. But that's not permitted for us.

As things continue, if our relationship gets revealed, one of Kei's strongest attributes grows exponentially weaker.

But it'll eventually be inevitable.

The question is who proposes it, Kei or I?

"Kei, depending on what happens on the island, I might need a favour from you."

She's a strong ally of mine, and gives me an entirely different view of the island. Granted, that is if there are communication technologies like walkie talkies.