The morning was still dark when Kaede rubbed her tired eyes, staring at the alarm clock that read 4:00 AM. Her mind had been in chaos the entire night, making it impossible to sleep.

"Five days... five whole days together with Mirei..."

She turned on her side, groaning into her pillow.

"This is a disaster."

Her heart was pounding every time she imagined the possibilities. What if Mirei tried to talk to her? What if they were paired up for a challenge? Would Mirei act like before, or would she pretend nothing happened? The mere thought made Kaede's stomach twist.

Her alarm rang, and she sighed in defeat. There’s no escaping this. I have to face it head-on.

5:00 AM. A loud knock came from her door, followed by Yukina’s voice.

"Kaede! Wake up, we have to go!"

Kaede trudged to the door and opened it, revealing Yukina standing there with an amused expression.

"Whoa! Kaede, what happened to you?!" Yukina gasped, staring at Kaede’s exhausted face.

Kaede groaned, rubbing her eyes. "I couldn’t sleep. My brain wouldn’t shut up."

Yukina sighed and shook her head. "You look like a ghost. You better get some rest later, or you’ll collapse before we even start filming."

"I know, I know. Let’s go."

---

The two met up with Risa at the train station. The moment Risa saw Kaede, her reaction was even worse than Yukina’s.

"OH MY GOD, Kaede! You look like you’ve been hit by a truck!"

Kaede sighed deeply. "I know."

Risa grinned mischievously. "Let me guess. You were too nervous? Or too excited to see her?"

Kaede’s face burned. "Risa, it’s too early for this. Please, have mercy."

Risa only giggled, while Yukina smirked knowingly.

As they walked toward the TV Tokyo building, the nervous energy between them grew stronger.

"Guys, I suddenly feel so unprepared," Risa muttered.

"Same. My heart is pounding," Yukina admitted.

Kaede took a deep breath before pulling both of them into a quick embrace.

"Let’s do our best and hope we don’t embarrass ourselves."

Risa and Yukina nodded firmly. "Yes!"

---

It was 5:30 AM, the trio arrived at the TV Tokyo building and were quickly greeted by the director. He gave them a short briefing.

"This show will take place on a remote island for five days. You’ll have to complete missions, challenges, and of course, interact with each other as naturally as possible. Just be yourselves, and everything will go fine."

Kaede gulped. Just be myself? That sounded impossible right now.

As they waited, the moment Kaede dreaded finally arrived.

Celestial walked in.

The members of Celestial entered with their managers and staff, each looking as glamorous as ever. The atmosphere tensed slightly as both groups greeted each other. It was clear that, aside from Risa and Emi—who immediately ran into each other’s arms—the others still carried some awkwardness.

Kaede stole a glance at Mirei.

She had noticeable eyebags.

"Kaede, Mirei looks just as sleep-deprived as you," Yukina whispered.

Kaede blinked and chuckled softly.

On the other side, Minami nudged Mirei. "Hey, did you even sleep?"

Mirei sighed dramatically. "Nope. I was up thinking about... everything."

Minami smirked. "By 'everything', you mean Kaede?"

Mirei didn’t respond, but the small blush on her face was answer enough.

Once everyone finished the formalities, they boarded the bus at 6:00 AM.

Ayumi and Hikari naturally paired up, while Risa immediately pulled Emi into a seat with her.

Kaede scanned the seats, searching for an empty window spot so she could get some sleep.

That’s when she saw Mirei sitting alone on the left side, near the window.

Their eyes met.

Mirei smiled gently and patted the seat next to her.

Kaede froze. What do I do? Should I sit there?

Her heart was pounding.

But before she could even think, her feet betrayed her—she turned away and took a seat on the opposite row with Yukina instead.

Mirei’s smile faded.

She sighed, resting her head against the window.

Minami, who had been watching the whole thing, leaned over and whispered. "Ouch. That must’ve hurt."

Mirei exhaled, whispering back, "I missed my chance."

Meanwhile, Yukina noticed Kaede’s hands gripping her jeans tightly.

"Kaede, are you okay?"

Kaede forced a smile. "Yeah, I just... wasn’t ready."

Yukina nodded in understanding and patted Kaede’s shoulder.

The bus finally started moving, and soon, everyone settled into their own activities.

On one side of the bus, Risa, Emi, Hikari, and Ayumi were already causing chaos.

"Okay, listen, listen! What if we get to the island and it turns out to be HAUNTED?!" Hikari exclaimed dramatically.

"I swear to god, if I see a ghost, I am sacrificing one of you to run away," Emi joked.

Risa gasped, "You would betray me like this?!"

Ayumi grinned. "Survival of the fittest, Risa."

The entire group erupted in laughter, including Kaede and Yukina, who were trying to listen in.

Meanwhile, Mirei had finally started dozing off against the window.

Kaede stole another glance at her sleeping face.

Her heart ached.

"She looks... peaceful. And tired."

She clenched her fists. No, stop thinking about her.

Without realizing it, Kaede also drifted into sleep.

---

After a few hours, the bus finally came to a stop.

The staff clapped their hands. "We’re here!"

Kaede groggily woke up, stretching her arms.

She turned her head—only to see Mirei waking up at the exact same time.

For a brief moment, their sleepy eyes met.

It felt oddly intimate.

Both quickly looked away.

Outside, the island awaited them, a vast landscape of untouched nature.

The real survival had just begun.

And for Kaede and Mirei, surviving this trip together would be the biggest challenge of all.