She didn’t seem to mind the idea.
Could it be that Amano really did have a thing for me…?
No, wait. She was biased. I saved her life, right? So it wouldn’t be surprising if she believed she’d fallen in love with me. What could bring on a suspension bridge effect more than having a guy rescue you in the nick of time before zombies attacked you…?
More importantly, though, as things stood, being able to fight off zombies was everything in this new world. It didn’t matter how old, how educated you were, or how much money you had—the most important factor to consider in a potential partner was strength.
Of course, Amano would despise me right away if she found out that I had the zombie virus in my body…
“I don’t think polygamy is a very good idea,” Kamiji said with a scowl while I was lost in thought. “The more wives a guy has, the less time he could spend with each of them. And Kousaka already doesn’t seem to act as if he cares for Tsukishiro very much. The impression I get is that they’re involved and they kiss. That’s all.”
“Oh, I don’t mean to…”
I tried to come up with an excuse but couldn’t because Kamiji had hit the nail on the head. Tsukishiro and I kissed, and that’s all there was between us.
I knew it was bad she’d seen me fondling Haruka’s breasts, so next time we fooled around, I’d make sure we did it in a room that others couldn’t enter…
I spent the rest of the drive on tenterhooks, but I was finally set free when we arrived at the riverbank. It was still too early to be relieved, though. At the rate those two were going, there was no telling when Tsukishiro would hear I’d been touching Haruka’s breasts.
It would probably be better to tell her directly.
…But I mean…
I was hesitant to do it, but while we were getting the drum bath ready, Tsukishiro approached me.
“…Kousaka, it’s coming up to six hours.”
“Oh, right…”
After exchanging those few whispered words, the two of us went inside the tent we used as our dressing room, quickly kissed, then came out again.
“…Um, Kousaka. About what happened earlier…,” Tsukishiro said when I’d taken one step out of the tent.
My heart almost stopped beating. Had she found out I’d been fondling Haruka’s breasts…?
I turned around to face her, practically trembling with fear.
“…Uh, what do you mean ‘earlier’?”
“Back in the cafeteria, when Kamiji asked us how we started dating.”
“—Oh! That.”
“What else?”
“No, nothing. You were saying?”
Tsukishiro continued in a voice low enough that Kamiji, who was standing a short distance away, wouldn’t hear her.
“I just thought I owed you an apology for making up that story about us without asking.”
“Oh no, there’s nothing to apologize for. I froze up, so you actually helped us out coming up with something like that off the top of your head.”
“Did I? I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“You’re a really good actor, Tsukishiro.”
“Hee-hee! It was fun talking about how we met in front of everyone. It felt like we really are dating,” Tsukishiro said with an innocent smile, and I furrowed my brow. “—Oh, don’t worry. I’m perfectly aware of your relationship with Hyuuga, so please don’t look at me like that.”
“…Sorry.”
As I apologized, I made up my mind.
Now was my chance to tell her what happened…!!
“…Tsukishiro, I don’t know how to put this, but I have something to tell you…”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Um…well… Kamiji saw me touching Haruka’s breasts—”
“Huh…?!”
Tsukishiro’s mouth hung open, but I continued anyway.
“So now Amano and Kamiji think I’m cheating on you. I lied and told them we were considering introducing polygamy into our community to help population recovery…but I’m really sorry.”
“…Please, you don’t have to apologize.” Tsukishiro quickly regained her composure and told me matter-of-factly, “The two of you are in a relationship, so it’s only natural you would do things like that…”
“That’s true. I start to wonder why I’m apologizing and who I’m apologizing to…”
“I can imagine. So please, don’t worry about me. Maybe we should tell Kamiji and Amano that I’m in favor of polygamy and that I approve of you messing around with other girls.”
“…Maybe we shouldn’t do that. They might start doubting that we actually are in a relationship…”
“Huh?”
“Kamiji told me a minute ago that the impression she gets of our relationship is that you and I are involved, we kiss, and that’s it. I think it’s probably a good idea to avoid telling them anything else that you wouldn’t expect of a normal couple.”
“Okay… I suppose you’re right. We do act like strangers when we aren’t kissing… In that case, why don’t we try acting more like a regular couple? We can show them you’re more lovey-dovey with me than when you’re cheating with Hyuuga.”
“Oh, right. That might be a good idea. Then how could we make ourselves look more like a regular couple?”
“Well…shouldn’t you know all about that, considering you were fooling around with Hyuuga?” Tsukishiro asked, narrowing her eyes. Maybe it was just my imagination, but her words seemed barbed.
“Not really… All I did was fondle her breasts…”
“…Then do you want to fondle my breasts, too, where Kamiji can see us?” Tsukishiro suggested shyly. Her idea was so full of holes, I didn’t know how to react.
“That might be going a bit overboard…”
“I don’t mind…considering everything you do for me on a daily basis.”
“I’m not sure women should let guys touch their breasts as a show of gratitude… And besides, wouldn’t they get suspicious if we started doing things like that where other people could see us? It was by chance that Kamiji happened to see Haruka and me.”
“…You have a point.”
“So instead, we could go a bit tamer and do something that doesn’t stand out, even if we do it in public.”
“Hmm, in that case… What about if we say how much we love each other when they’re watching?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. At the very least, that should make them think we’re doing more than just kissing.”
“Also, let’s start calling each other by our given names. Yeah, we should definitely do that. Shall we practice?”
“You seem to be really enjoying this…”
Tsukishiro clasped her hands together and smiled.
“Even if it’s only temporary, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to act like your lover.”
“Only moments ago, you looked all dejected after hearing what I did with Haruka…”
“It was certainly a shock, but I’ve known for a while that you’re obsessed with Hyuuga’s breasts.”
“……”
“Anyway, let’s practice saying ‘I love you’ to each other. Please address me by my given name from now on.”
“…Okay…Mai.”
“Tee-hee! I knew I’d enjoy hearing you call me that. ♪ …Yuuma, I love you.”
“—!!”
“Now it’s your turn, Yuuma.”
“…Mai… I love you.”
“——!!!”
Tsukishiro—or rather, Mai—looked ecstatic as she wiggled her whole body in delight.
“This is amazing… Can I record it later so I can remember it for the rest of my life?”
“No, please don’t… Haruka would kill me if she heard it.”
“Aww… That’s too bad…,” Mai said, her shoulders drooping.
But then she looked up at me through her lashes.
“…Yuuma, I love you so much that I want to marry you right now.”
“—?!”
“Did I make your heart skip a beat, even though you know it’s just an act?” Her face was bright red, and she had a satisfied smile on her face. “I have a suggestion. How about we say, ‘I love you,’ whenever we kiss so they can see us do it anytime?”
“…That might be a good idea.”
Mai gave me a big smile when I agreed.
“Yay… I can’t wait for the next time we have to kiss… ♪”
…Damn. She’s adorable.