The participants were spread across the entire island.
In a situation like this, banding together made survival easier. After all, there were only twenty slots available to advance to the next round. Ace was thus looking for teammates he could trust, with Keiwa Sakurai being his primary candidate.
Meanwhile, Sara Sakurai and Neon Kurama were both given special treatment by Raven and assigned the safest location on the entire island.
This was a villa hidden deep within the mountains and fields, entirely outside the program's camera coverage, essentially a safe house. Both women were being fast-tracked by Raven into the next round.
The villa's vicinity included a vegetable patch, an orchard, and various other food sources. Staying there for three days presented no problem whatsoever.
Furthermore, at the foot of the mountain near the villa, Raven had specially set up some traps. There were also Inves lying in wait, so there was no need to worry about other contestants finding the place. After all, the women in his life deserved some special privileges.
Even if they were found, there was no need to worry, as Raven was close by at all times.
Raven appeared at the villa, accompanied by Tsumuri.
"Raven-san!"
Both Sara and Neon excitedly flocked around Raven, causing Tsumuri to feel a twinge of jealousy. She quickly joined in the game of vying for his attention.
Surrounded by three beautiful women, Raven was naturally in a state of simultaneous agony and pleasure.
Before long, Raven was once again enjoying a lap pillow, though this time the person providing it was Sara. Having worked part-time at Raven's café for a while now, the relationship between Sara and Raven had grown beyond mere flirtation.
Every night, she would wear a revealing maid outfit to accompany him.
She knew Neon and Tsumuri had special relationships with Raven, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to be by his side like this.
At the moment, Tsumuri and Neon were busy cooking in the kitchen. Compared to the other contestants on the island who were desperately fighting for survival, Sara and Neon were truly living like they were on a vacation.
Raven, resting on Sara's black-stockinged legs, lazily opened a virtual screen. They watched the other contestants' battles together.
On the screen, Keiwa had successfully teamed up with Ace. The two of them had defeated many opponents along the way. However, due to Keiwa's "Saintly" nature, Ace always had to be the one to personally take down the contestants by crushing their ID Cores.
"Keiwa is working so hard..."
Sara observed her brother's situation in real-time, feeding fruit to Raven, who was resting on her lap. But watching her brother struggle in combat, she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.
"Sara-nee, you wouldn't want your little brother to be eliminated, would you?" Raven suddenly smiled playfully.
He made a list of "reward gifts" appear in front of Sara out of thin air.
[A simple kiss = Boost Buckle]
[A deep kiss = Lemon Fruit Buckle]
[A passionate kiss = Command Twin Buckle]
Sara's face instantly flushed crimson as she looked at the list.
"Oh, that's so embarrassing..."
"But... this is for Keiwa..."
"He's trying so hard, I can't just stand by and do nothing as his one-chan," she said, self-deceivingly.
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head without hesitation.
In truth, the relationship between Raven and her had already been heavily laden with flirtation. This was simply a perfect excuse to finally take that last step.
"Oh my! You two, taking advantage of my absence..."
Neo, wearing a light, breezy nightgown, strolled into the living room with a freshly prepared dish, only to witness the scene.
Neon immediately knelt beside Raven.
"My lap is very nice to rest on, too."
"Would you like to try it?"
Neon deliberately placed her hand on her white-stockinged leg, tracing an elegant curve with her finger. She had worn this outfit specifically for Raven. It was quite different from her usual cute style, adding an element of sensuality to her charm.
"Since you put it that way."
And so, Raven's lap pillow territory expanded once more. The feeling of his face and body resting against the hosiery was truly incomparable. If he had to describe it in one word, it was: silky.
"Let's just get Keiwa the Command Twin Buckle."
Savoring the sweetness and lingering flavor on his lips, Raven casually swiped across the virtual screen.
A Command Twin Buckle was instantly sent flying toward Keiwa, who was struggling in some corner of the island, helping him avert a crisis.
"Thank you so much!" Sara was incredibly excited.
Just as she was about to continue her efforts to earn more gifts for her brother, the unsuspecting Neon seized the opportunity, blocking Raven's lips.
"Neon-chan..." Sara froze.
"Contestant Neon..." Tsumuri walked out of the kitchen, dumbfounded at the sight.
"What is it?" Neon looked at Tsumuri without a care.
"Ah..."
"I guess I came out at a bad time..." Tsumuri decided to turn back.
However, Raven hurriedly called out, "No, you've come at the perfect time."
And so, three pairs of legs became Raven's pillow. He was able to sample different flavors whenever he wished.
Unlike the contestants who were fighting tooth and nail, Raven was living a life of pure bliss.
…
Time passed without notice, and one day had gone by.
There were now fewer than fifty remaining contestants. The one with the highest kill count was naturally Takeshi Asakura, who was firmly in first place on the kill list. Following him were Masato Kusaka, and then Kaito Kumon. The top three spots were held by these three ruthless individuals.
In truth, this ranking meant nothing; even the person in first place wouldn't receive a special reward. Their names would simply be highlighted in red, letting everyone know they were not to be trifled with.
Normally, crushing an ID Core was enough to eliminate an opponent. It wasn't necessary to kill them outright. But these few had been directly beating their opponents to death.
As the competition neared its end and the three-day limit drew closer, Raven noticed that people were starting to "turtle up" in many locations, unwilling to expose themselves. This led to long periods with no eliminations.
He found it quite boring. Riders were meant to fight. Retreating and hiding lacked any spectacle.
After all, the better the show put on by the Golden Fruit Grand Prix, the more "nutrients" the Golden Fruit needed for its growth.
He checked the viewership numbers from the future audience via the backend. Sure enough, the highest ratings were when the fighting was at its most intense.