The dull, dark sky filled the air with a heavy sense of emptiness. However, the moon reflected the sun’s light strongly onto the island. Rikou had already left his hiding spot and was wandering around the shore.

  As he walked around the shore, he calculated that it would take him roughly 12 hours to traverse the circumference of the island. That took too much time, and he wouldn’t be able to last. Just then, his foot pushed something onto the ground. He looked down and saw a coconut being pressed against the sand under his foot.

  “Finally, it was about time.” Rikou was happy, but he was thinking about the bigger picture. Way too much time had passed since he had found his first coconut. He picked it up, made some space in his backpack for the second coconut and took some food and water out while he was at it.

  He ate a quick snack, drank some water and kept on walking. His eyes were filled with determination. He kept wandering around the island and finally arrived at the northern shore. He had found another coconut on the way, having a total of three with him. This was great progress, but he had to stay cautious.

  If anyone saw him collecting coconuts this easily, they’d do anything in their power to stop him. Luckily, it was around 3 a.m. right now, so no one would disturb his search. In spite of that, Rikou did not let his guard down. Just then, he noticed a round hole in the sand. A coconut must’ve been picked up at that spot.

  Rikou sighed. It was inevitable that people would find some before him, even if it was just chance. He kept on walking, trying to reach the northeastern shore. Along the way, a few hours later, another hole appeared in the sand.

  Rikou felt helpless, but that didn’t bring him down. After all, the hunt had been bountiful. The sun rose majestically from its slumber, enlightening the vast sky. Darkness turned into a deep orange, which slowly softened into a pale blue.

  Its light reflected across the water, scattering into trembling reflections that danced along the surface. The sight stopped Rikou in his tracks for a few breaths’ time. This reminded him of a poem.

  "Endless darkness fills the vast sky.

  The grand sun pierces all in its path.

  Its radiant light glimmers upon the water,

  And upon us ants, as we venture the hill."

  Rikou sighed as his lips curled into a slight smile. He then proceeded to continue on with his search, making his way onto the northeastern shore.

  He found yet another hole in the ground, suspicion started to grow in his heart. Could someone else also have found the secret to the location of the coconuts? Immediately, the image of a girl with peach colored hair flashed in his head. Her team went in this direction at the start of the trial.

  Instead of hoping to find more coconuts as he traversed this part of the shore, he took another route and headed for the middle of the northern part of the island. Sometime later, he finally found a hut.

  They were obviously placed at the central points of the four cardinal directions, so it wasn’t a difficult task to find one. He glanced at his watch, realizing that only half the time remained, 36 hours were left.

  This wasn’t a worry to him, as he already had three coconuts and if his plan succeeded, he would gain more than with any traditional method! He entered the hut, and there stood a girl eating her breakfast, while the guy was still sound asleep.

  Instantly, a great sense of danger struck her. It seemed that if Rikou used brute force, they’d have to give their coconuts up. Rikou put on a front, as he was actually heavily worn out from all the moving he had done since the start of the trial.

  That was not all, he was up all night wandering around the island, getting no sleep at all. He was unsure about whether he could actually take them on right now, especially if the guy woke up.

  Taking this into account, he spoke, “Don’t worry, I mean no harm. I don’t know your names, but you definitely must have lots of coconuts, isn’t that right?” Rikou glanced at her, his words were clearly trying to provoke her.

  “You dare threaten me? Go ahead and try.” she replied without hesitation, it was as if confidence was written on her face. She glanced at him; her scarlet red eyes seemed to be staring into his soul.

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  “Woah, calm down. I only want to play a simple game with you. The reward will be coconuts. I don’t think you’ve managed to assemble enough coconuts to spend the entire day playing around, but it’s most likely a hefty amount.” he spoke, replying with a kind smile on his face.

  She didn’t deny it and simply nodded, waiting for him to continue. Hearing such words, she could only be intrigued.

  “The game is called ‘Even or Odd’. We’ll both take turns saying either even or odd and then simultaneously hold either one or two fingers out. If the sum isn’t equal to what the person said, then they’ll lose a coconut.”

  She listened to his words carefully. “I’ll accept, but I don’t have any coconuts at hand. I’d be waving fresh meat in front of lions if I carried them around me or left them here.”

  Rikou nodded, he understood but did not want to risk anything. “Then bring them here. I have three coconuts with me, so you should bring three as well.” he said as he took three coconuts out of his backpack.

  She had to comply, since it would only be fair. So, she left the hut and came back one hour later. Rikou believed that her hiding spot wasn’t that far away, and she only intended to deceive him, but he played along.

  “Okay then, let’s get started. Do you mind beginning? After all, my losses would be much greater than yours.” Rikou said, already trying to gain an advantage. She was going to object, but it didn’t matter much to her.

  “Even.” she replied, stretching her arm out and pointing one finger at him. Rikou held two fingers out the moment she spoke, the total sum was three. Thus, he gained one of her coconuts. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, inwardly calling him a straightforward idiot. Rikou smiled at the sight.

  “My turn. Odd.” he said, aiming at her with one finger, while she stretched two fingers out. This slightly annoyed her, as he didn’t lose anything this round. It was her turn once more, which left her in a state of unease.

  “Even.” she replied, stubbornly trying to understand his train of thought. She held one finger out but was greeted with two fingers once more. Her pupils dilated for a split second before turning back to normal, she could feel anger boiling in her. Just then, she calmly breathed in and out. This was nothing more than a mere setback.

  “Woah, your self-control is extraordinary. If I were you, I’d have thrown a fit already, haha.” Rikou teased her as he took another coconut, trying to stop her from recovering her state of mind. There was only one coconut left and then he’d get an absolute victory.

  “Even.” Rikou smiled. He held two fingers out in the air and so did she. No loss for him once more. He then looked at her, expecting despair to be written on her face. But what he saw was beyond words. The corners of her lips were slightly raised; this was the first time that she seemed happy.

  Rikou felt like he couldn’t understand at first, but he did. After seeing her smile, he felt a close sense of relatability. She didn’t notice the change in her own facial expression and kept on playing. “Odd!” she said energetically, pointing two fingers out. Rikou only pointed one finger at her, thus she lost nothing.

  A sense of worry seemed to grow in him, but he wanted to see what would happen next. There was a saying: curiosity killed the cat. Especially now, as Rikou was attempting to feed on such thrills.

  “Even!” he exclaimed, pointing two fingers. However, she held one finger out. It was as if she could completely read him now. The tables were flipped. No, they were completely renovated. It was as if she changed a wooden table into one made of green jade, turning it into her own. He gave her a coconut back, leaving him with four.

  It was now her turn once more. But just as she wanted to continue, Rikou spoke out, “I’ll point two fingers this round.” This halted her movements for a few seconds.

  There was a habit which she noticed throughout the game. That was, Rikou had always shown two fingers if it was even and one if it was odd. He was a straightforward guy who loved to trick his opponents and play mind games, especially trying to make them doubt him.

  However, she had seen through his trap.

  He set all of this up just so he could lie at that moment. That was how far he had thought right from the start. She felt a sense of exhilaration rushing through her body. She completely read him.

  “Even.” She spoke out, making sure that he would play as intended.

  She then pointed one finger at him, knowing that he’d do the same for this round.

  Her body subconsciously lost all strength and fell down, with her eyes lagging behind. He held two fingers out. They resembled a gun that was aimed point-blank at her.

  “You..” She exhaled before continuing, “You liar..!!” Her red eyes looked deep into his azure eyes, which were staring right back at her.

  “Liar? When did I lie? I simply played exactly what I had said just a few moments ago, no?” He seemed like an immensely tall statue, until she finally stood back up. “..Then let us continue. I will not make the same mistake again.”

  “Ah, no way. You’re way too dangerous. I’m going to take my leave now, thank you for playing.” he said as he took the coconut back and then turned around.

  Just as he was about to leave, halfway through the exit, he slightly turned his head. “Your name, do you mind telling it to me now?”

  The sun was behind his head, the strands of his messy silver white hair were covering some rays of light, which led to the room being only half lit. He stared at her from the side, awaiting an answer.

  “My name is Satoi Hokori. That guy on the bed is Noroma Kanzaki. You’re not as tepid as I had initially thought.” she answered with a hint of passion in her voice.

  “See you around, Satoi.” he replied, waving to her with the back of his hand as he left the hut and wandered off.

  34 hours were left, and Rikou was currently in possession of five coconuts.