Harem of Side Characters [Rewrite]

1st Island Exam - Class A Camp

Coming out of the deep forest, Horikita and I stumbled across a cave which seemed to be the base of Class A. There were two provisional toilets and one shower room near the cave. I told Horikita I would investigate the outside of the cave while she dealt with the entrance. Considering the way they are cocooning inside the cave, there should not be many guards around the area, meaning less work for me and more work for Horikita.

"...Zzz..." Here I find the supposed guard for Class A. The girl also happens to be asleep. Should I...wake her up?

"Friend!" An unmistakeable voice cries out from not far behind me, and before I know it I come face to face with the owner of said voice.

"I was supposed to hide in the bushes until given the signal, but I am more excited to be seeing you instead! Hello!" Nishi gives me an excited smile.

"Yup, this is about what I expected. Ah well, whatever. Hi! Glad to see you!" Nishikawa appears from a nearby bush with a wave.

"Yes. Very glad. Hooray." Yamamura also pops up and greets me with the amount of enthusiasm you would expect from her. Which is absolutely none.

"Were all of you just... waiting in the bushes?" I ask.

"Yeah, we were supposed to jump out and intimidate anyone that comes to our camp so they can't see inside the cave or something. It was Katsuragi's idea, but honestly I just think it's unnecessary." Nishikawa mutters.

"I see... and now that his plan has failed, how do you expect to stop me from looking inside your camp?"

"Simple! If Nishi asks you not to go inside the cave, you won't do it because she's cute and you wouldn't ever say no to her!" She proudly declares. So she thinks I wouldn't be able to disobey Nishi, huh.

Well she's damn right.

"...You don't have to rub it in my face the fact that I have a soft spot for her..." I mumble.

"When did you and Nishi get so close by the way? I never really asked before."

"Friend and me met each other at a restaurant at campus! After talking for a while, he became Nishi's third friend and first friend who is a boy! Now all I need is an animal companion and my quest for eternal joy will be complete!" Nishi excitedly explains. She is too precious for this world.

"That seems very quick." Yamamura comments.

"Yes, after our first date Nishi warmed up to me very quickly." I say. I can see Nishi's face turning red.

"Y-you went on a date with Nishi!? And I wasn't invited!?" Nishikawa sputters.

...Why would you be invited to a date between me and Nishi?

"Why must you speak misleading words to this pair of females!?" Nishi playfully hits my chest with her arms.

"You did say it was a date during that phone call." I comment.

"That was before I knew what the meaning of a human-date was!"

"It was a human-date too!?"

"...What else would it be other than that, Nishikawa?"

"I don't know, but I'm still jealous!" What is she jealous about exactly?

"Nishi, next time you should stick to the plan." Yamamura reprimands.

"But he is my friend."

"...Yes, but you should at least wait for the proper time to do things like this."

"I understand. But he is my friend."

"...Is there something I'm not understanding?"

"He is one of the only friends I have. Friend seems to be very popular with other people, so I want to be with him as much as possible so he doesn't forget about me." Nishi says with a cute smile.

...Oh no.

My heart.

I think it... felt something.

I didn't realize it could do that.

"I'm not going to forget about you, Nishi. I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to forget someone as... unique as you in the first place." I give her a pet on the head.

"Does friend enjoy being around me too?"

"Of course."

"Will trusting you make me a better friend?"

"I think that's how it works, yes."

"Then I will do as you tell me. I also enjoy the way you are! Seemingly normal and slightly kind! And good at selling humans! This may come in handy!" Seemingly and slightly...?

"I'm not good at selli- Wait, why would something like that come in handy?"

"You will have to tell me. You are the experienced one."

"...Right. Anyway, are any of you going to comment on the girl asleep?" She's just been snoozing throughout our entire conversation. Entirely unbothered by everything around her. I'm kind of jealous, I want to be unbothered by everything as well.

"Oh, that's normal. Shinobu, it's time to wake up!" Nishikawa crouches besides the sleeping girl, and starts poking her.

"Zzz..." The poking does absolutely nothing.

"She's Shinobu Fukuyama. She spends all of her free time sleeping, and when she's not asleep, she's trying to go to sleep." Yamamura answers my unasked question.

Ah yes, the sleepy character archetype. We haven't had one of those, and I need to meet at least one of every archetype. I wonder what other types I'm missing.

"Mmm... Let me sleep...!" Fukuyama mumbles.

"Yup, hopeless." Nishikawa sighs.

I spend a few more minutes chatting with the three girls, and one sloth. Eventually Horikita manages to lure Katsuragi out of the cave, and a bunch of other students came out to intimidate her to leave. Seeing that, I decide to say goodbye to the girls and rejoin Horikita before heading back to camp.