Okami _the 'IA- artificial intelligence'_ once again had to reevaluate the frantic brain activities of the suitors to Abe Miyu's heart, the ultimate goal of the otome game 'Covet and Temptation'.
'She' was awakened by scanning Okane Hinata's retinas, and was now monitoring six contestants simultaneously.
******
Haruki's first day was long.
After the party with fried chicken buckets, the following chat turned their spirits down. The realization of having their fates in the hands of a mysterious player brought over an uncomfortable feeling. And the relief of good and refreshing sleep didn't come to anyone.
Bothered by his clothes being dirty with sand from walking on the beach, Haruki had the idea to wash his sports uniform in the kitchen sink. He put together a strategy, leaving only his underwear. As he couldn't wash all the clothes at the same time, he'd have to alternate between the underwear and the tracksuit. During the day, Haruki would wear a clean tracksuit.
He would have to endure this until Kenta worked things out, and he wished it was soon.
But when he lay down, Haruki took off his underwear since he was alone.
He could rarely sleep naked, as he shared accommodation with other guys. Only when Haruki was in his own bedroom, in his parents' home, could he afford this luxury.
In the middle of the night, Haruki suddenly woke up feeling someone else in his room.
Near his head was a small Ikebana. He saw someone on his back, heading towards the door, and said,
"I'm awake."
The person hesitated but turned around. It was Yoshida Saito, wearing boxer shorts and a T-shirt. It must be his underwear, after all, sleeping in a full suit shouldn't be comfortable.
Haruki was embarrassed to be found totally naked. But it would also be a little rude to cover himself with his hand, wouldn't it?
"Sorry for interrupting your sleep," the other man commented, staring at him, showing no reaction to the fact that Haruki was naked.
"What is it?" he asked despite knowing what ikebana was.
"Just a thank you for thinking of us. It was very kind of you."
'Better to leave him unaware that it wasn't my first option,' Haruki thought, and sat down, crossing his legs. The room was well lit by moonlight, as the curtains were semi-transparent. He humbly thanked the gift.
"How did a guy like you get into this mess?" he asked.
The man, perhaps a decade older than Haruki, sat in front of him on the floor, crossing his legs,
"Don't be deceived by my appearance too. I am not an important CEO, despite having some business. I actually have 3 sports stores in N city. I am an adventurer. My passion is mountain climbing, and it takes up most of my time."
It shocked Haruki, "Wow!"
"So are you a singer? I'm sorry for not following the pop music scene. I think I should know you. You have a striking appearance and a great personality."
Haruki blushed and was grateful they're in a dimly lit room. Yoshida was straightforward! He would like to return the compliment but didn't know it well. 'Should I compliment his appearance too?'
"Don't be sorry for not meeting me yet, Yoshida-san. My group has not yet debuted. It was going to happen tomorrow. I should be traveling to S city, where I live, early in the morning."
"But I see you're not panicking for losing it," commented the adventurer, after thinking about it.
The singer also thought a little about his reasons before answering,
"Isn't that funny? I'm not panicking for losing my group's debut. See: I have a comfortable life, fortunately. And what I really liked was playing basketball. But it happened like that. An agency discovered me, and I had the support of my family. Here, I found that none of it made me skip a beat. I just want to go back to my family."
Yoshida Saito looked at him in bewilderment, and then smiled,
"You surprise me. And it's difficult nowadays. I rarely expect much from people."
Once again Haruki was embarrassed. But then the adventurer got up, and wished him a good sleep, before walking out the door.
********
When he woke up early in the morning, Haruki left the music room to get his clothes. On the way, he found several hallway doors open.
'Wow, Haruki had made a room for each of them!' Haruki entered each one, but he didn't find the special master room with extra comfort.
They were identical, in addition to the fact that they were very dull.
There were no beds, just futons to sleep on.
He chose the room closest to the stairs, so it would be quicker to leave without having to go by the others. This he learned in his trainee years.
Still, he was a little disappointed that he didn't receive special treatment from his friend.
Kenta had designed a locker room as well. And he thought it was important to communicate quickly, after all that fried chicken they ate at night,
"GOOD MORNING! I want to communicate that we have toilets and showers in the lo... "
He barely finished speaking, and he almost was trampled over on the living room door while that pack of men ran towards intestinal freedom.
********
Haruki laughed,
"Hahaha" the melodious laugh echoed, motivated this time by the loud noises coming from the toilet stall where Okane Hinata was.
He learned from Sasaki that the student had been refusing to use the sand on the beach since he smudged his uniform because he had no way of cleaning himself.
"But, you're such a brat! It was enough to wash it in the sea, Hinata-kun," said Yoshida when he heard the story while shaving in front of the mirror.
"Oh, stop disturbing me. I don't know how to swim and I'm afraid of the sea," whimpered the boy from inside the stall.
The singer thought Okane would come out of there about five kilos lighter.
Leaving Okane to his business, Haruki went to his shower at once.
As soon as he took off his clothes, he felt watched.
He ignored it because it was the first time, and it was kind of routine in his life. He took off his underwear and went to his shower.
He didn't expect to be ogled, though.