I dont know about that guy who got caught. Most likely, he chose an easy route and got caught by the patrolling Camp Managers or hes just trying his luck after sneaking out of their camp.

In any case, if he ended up successful at his attempt to sneak in, whos to say the girls would stay silent and not beat him up? Thats like entering a girls locker room. Its a social suicide.

And no matter how favored I am in the girls eyes, it can also be applied to me. Thats why Ive been cautious not to wake up any other girls unrelated to me last night.

Well, theres Wakaba but its up to her whether to report me or not. If she kept it to herself then Ill consider owing her one...

Maybe Ill grant her a favor if she asks for one and I wont tease her even if a chance presents itself. Sounds good, no?

Yeah. As if it is that easy. Its not even a day that she stopped being uncomfortable around me and that happened. I better expect her to act uncomfortable around me again.

Anyway, Sawanos mood seemingly showed a sharp rise right after that. Hes pleased that hes not going to have the same headache as the Camp leader from the other hill.

Once he finished his roll call, he allowed everyone to use our cabins to answer calls of nature or just refresh themselves before we could officially start the second day of the camp.

Sometime later, with the lead of the Camp Managers, we did some morning exercises; the notorious radio calisthenics. Someone brought a speaker they used last night and played it for us to follow.

Its a 3-minute exercise that covers mostly the basics. You cant even sweat with it but its enough to unwind your joints and muscles that have been sleeping for the night.

Then after that, they let us exercise on our own, giving us thirty minutes of free time to do so.

It was optional so... more than half decided to not do anything and laze around the camp area. The calisthenics were enough for the. As for the rest, they scattered to whatever kind of exercise they wanted to do.

Some followed a Camp Manager for a run down the hill to repeat what we did yesterday.

Some started stretching and exercising in pairs.

As for me, someone who had a strict morning routine, I naturally joined the run.

I dont know what theyve eaten but Sakuma and every guy that I can consider someone who doesnt have any conflict with me followed after me to join as well.

But among them, Sakuma walked close to me. I could feel his intense gaze as though he was drawing some kind of rivalry against me.

Is this because of last night? Hes now stepping up to prevent me from stealing Setsuna-nee from him?

Hmm? Do you have something to say? I glanced at him which made the guy flinch.

Nevertheless, he held his ground and straightened his back. He looked up at me, his eyes firm and steady.

The events of last night seemed to fuel his courage to stand up and fight. In the end, it turned out better for him. He shouldve acted like this right away.

Or so I thought. The words that came out of his mouth sounded stiff and awkward contrary to what he was displaying.

Onoda. I...

You what? Man, stop hesitating.

Yep. He suddenly looked like he couldnt bring himself to be straightforward in confronting me. He looked like he was conflicted about whether to go through with this or not.

Yeah. I can kinda guess what hes thinking. Despite everything that happened, this guy truly wants to see me as his friend. Unfortunately, I cant bring myself to accept that. Theres just no way.

If you cant even voice out your thoughts, theres no point acting up like this, no? I continued. If thats not enough to push him over the edge, then hes really hopeless.

Even if I hold myself back in approaching Setsuna-nee, shell just continue to get drawn toward me if hes the only other option.

And presently, he hasnt stepped out from being seen as a little brother. Their past was already inconsequential at this point.

He could be her first love or first kiss but years passed and those could only be fleeting memories by now.

Im certainly not generous enough to continue helping him. If all the advice Ive given him isn't enough, then the problem lies with him and his inaction.

I know... Youre right. I cant just continue like this if I dont want to see her get stolen by you. Sakuma eventually responded.

Those around us had confused looks but possibly remembering what they witnessed last night, most had looks of understanding.

Of course, Im like the villain in this story. Im that guy who shamelessly flaunted how I can invite anyone and not face any negative consequences.

For sure, some of them started seeing me in a negative light because of that. But as always, I couldnt care less about their opinions.

I may not want to create unnecessary enemies for myself but that doesnt mean I can just take everything lying down. So they can curse at me all they want but once they escalate it from that, they better be prepared to face the consequences.

Uh... Anyway, how should I respond to this guy?

On my left, Hino looked like hes also interested in this and thats the same even for Kobayashi and Shirai. And thats normal, I guess? I put myself further into the spotlight last night, after all. Now, anything that might be related to me could gather this much attention.

Look. No ones stealing anything, alright? But this is good for you. Youre finally stepping up and taking my advice seriously.

Upon hearing that, Sakuma got a bit flustered. He possibly realized it. All this time, Im telling him to step up and stop being passive when it comes to Setsuna-nee. Besides, I can swear that Im not even trying to make a move on that girl... shes the one getting drawn to me...

But who will believe me if I say that on this occasion? Thats not only a bad idea but also something that I wanted to avoid. Shes still Satsukis older sister so I dont want to start something that can tarnish her reputation.

Anyway, it took Sakuma close to a minute before responding. This time, his eyes became a little bit clearer. While he still looked like he found his resolve not to lose against me, his hostility already lessened.

Your advice... I see. I understand now. But Onoda. I wont lose.

Sure... Not that Im competing against you. You can interpret things any way you want. Just remember not to stray from your objective. Who knows? You might succeed this time.

Yes... And I wont ask you for advice anymore.

Great. I already ran out of things to say anyway.

I shrugged and acted nonchalant, deflecting whatever hostility left that he was sending my way. Theres no point arguing with him. In the end, wont this be one less annoyance for me?

A while later, with our conversation ending there, our morning jog started.

Nothing much happened during. The same as yesterday, most were exhausted on running back uphill. Following that, we continued with a standard exercise routine nothing too excessive since it was already late.

Before long, we once again returned to the gathering area to have our breakfast.