We’ve got multiple updates today, and this is the first one. Everyone loved the stew.
If this were Earth, it might have tasted bland, but after just one day of living on a desert island, the value of a proper meal really sank in.
After all, until this morning, mushrooms and nuts had been our main food.
The portion we prepared was enough to fill everyone’s stomachs. “It was delicious.”
Shizuko is rubbing her belly contentedly.
“Thank you for the meal. And the bath, and the delicious food, really, thank you.” Siang is politely thanking us.
Her uniform is clean, and her skin and hair have regained their beauty.
She seems to have enjoyed the meal, but her eyelids are a bit heavy. “Siang, why don’t you take a little nap?”
“No, it’s such a precious day. I should gather things or do whatever I can to repay you.”
“But you look like you didn’t get enough sleep yesterday. Luckily, we’re not worried about food for tomorrow. You should rest now and work hard when you’re feeling better.” The other three agreed.
Siang was still hesitating, but eventually she seemed to realize that insisting would be a bother, and nodded modestly.
”…Thank you. Then, I’ll take you up on your offer.” “Then, take a rest in the hut.”
I set the shed that was stored away in its designated place.
”…!? W-Is a building also within the scope of ‘Crafting Abilities’? I mean, there are people who make their own sheds, right? I mean, if we go by that, then log cabins and such… No.” Yonjou is visibly shaken.
I went inside and placed the carpet, then took out the blankets and handed them to Yonjou.
“Take off your shoes when you’re inside the shed. And this is a blanket.”
“Wow, so soft… Thank you for everything.” “It’s fine.”
“Kouno-kun is amazing. Rather than an easy ideal, you chose an ability that solves the ‘lack of tools,’ ‘lack of technology,’ and ‘time management’ issues in a desert island environment.”
Yonjou is looking at me with a look of admiration, but… “Haha…” I just smiled wryly.
Actually, this ability was one I wanted to have while playing the game…
It’s very useful, but it wasn’t an easy ideal to choose.
“I’ll be grateful and use it carefully.” “Alright, good night.”
“Y-Yes… G-Good night.”
Yonjou said, looking embarrassed, and went inside the shed. I returned to my friends.
「So what do we do? We can’t leave Minori alone.」 I nod at Shokushu’s words.
「Let’s split into two groups like before, one for exploration and one to stay behind. I’m sorry, but Shokushu and Mashiro, you’ll have to go on the exploration team.」 「Okay!」
Mashiro is in charge of combat, but Mashiro was summoned by Shokushu.
She seems to like us, but it would be better to have Shokushu around for quick decisions.
「Then I’ll go on the exploration team too.」 「Chiyu, are you sure?」
「Leave it to me. I’ll come back with some chickens to make Sou-kun’s stomach happy.」 Chiyu seems really fired up.
She must have felt competitive after seeing Shizune’s cooking skills.
「If we can’t find anything, we’ll just cut our losses and head back.」 「Roger that.」
「So that leaves me and Sou-kun to stay behind.」
「Yeah, and Shizune, you won’t be comfortable being alone with a guy, so can we count on you?」 「Of course.」
Shizune smiles brightly, and with that, the teams are set.
Before we leave, I ask Shokushu to summon some sheep.
「You were talking about sheep’s milk earlier, right? It’s okay.」
That’s right, it seems like there’s no problem with milking them.
「So, can you make cheese, Souchan?」
「Can cheese be made just with milk?」
「I think rennet is needed.」
Shion put her finger to her chin and said, as if searching her memory.
「Ah, I heard something like that. It’s the stomach of a cow, right?」 「Got it, we’ll catch a cow too.」 「No, don’t go overboard.」
It’s good that they’re enthusiastic, but it’s only the second day.
They shouldn’t try to do too much.
For now, I’ll give them the carrying baskets for collecting.
「Wow, nice. Okay, Chiyu. Let’s see who can collect the most, shall we?」 「As you wish.」
While Shouko was calling Mashiro over, Chiyu came closer to me.
And she stretches out her toes, then presses her lips together. “C-Chiyo?” I blush at the sudden kiss.
“Right, Kun. In this situation, a harem is justified.”
Saying that in this situation means…
”…You don’t mind Chiyo?”
“It’s fine. As long as I’m next to Chiyo at the end.” O-So cool…
“Besides, having your loved one’s charm spread to others isn’t bad.”
Saying that, Chiyo leaves with Shouko.
Left behind in the hut are the sleeping Shiwake and me, along with the sheep and Shion.
“Ah… Well, let’s start with milking.” “Okay.”
We take out a wooden bucket and try milking, each of us taking a turn.
After a while, we get the hang of it and the milk starts coming out in a steady stream.
“Kyaa. Wow, it comes out so fast…”
Just listening to Shion’s voice alone makes me imagine terrible scenarios, but I shake them off.
“Hey, Sōsuke-kun. Can you listen to me for a bit?” “Sure, of course.”
I don’t need to milk her for information even if she doesn’t speak.
“How did you perceive me in class?”
“How should I say… You seemed to fit in well and were popular.”
“Haha, thank you. If that’s how you saw me, that’s great. But to be that way, I couldn’t relax every day. I constantly checked my chat apps, researched and watched things even if I wasn’t interested, just to keep up with the latest topics. I remembered what my friends said so I could give the right responses.”
When I was in elementary school, I didn’t need to make such efforts to get along with friends.
We naturally shared interests in things like tokusatsu, popular manga and anime, or popular games. As long as I had an interest in those things, I could easily bond with them.
But in middle and high school, interests become more diverse.
It’s hard to find friends with exactly the same tastes.
Even so, I think it’s possible to become friends, but it’s certainly more complex to build friendships than when we were younger.
If you dress sloppily, your evaluation drops, but if you try too hard, some people will think you’re fake, so I had to find the right balance. Even then, I couldn’t always manage perfectly. When I turned down a boy’s confession, the girl who liked him would end up hating me. I couldn’t accept his confession either, so I always felt suffocated.
There are good and annoying aspects to being a guy. I’m sure the same applies to girls.
During middle school, Chiyo was envied for her cuteness and coolness, and there was a period when some girls hated her.
She didn’t seem to mind, but I knew that my intervention would only make things more complicated, so I was frustrated that I couldn’t do anything about it.
“So, when I became friends with Shouko-chan in second year, I was surprised. She’s a very straightforward person, and since she doesn’t have a hidden side, I didn’t have to overthink things.”
“Yeah. There are people who say one thing and think another, right?”
“That’s right. That’s why I wanted the ability to tell lies. I thought I’d be confined to the class hierarchy even on the desert island. At least I wanted to be able to get along well within it.”
Even if I didn’t have many friends or wasn’t at the top of the class hierarchy, I could still lead a fun life.
But it’s true that many people care about such things, so I could understand their feelings.
I guess Shiho became fixated on ‘getting along well’ for her own reasons.
“You could have chosen the ability to live alone, right?”
“Hehe, you’re strong, Sōsuke-kun. But wouldn’t it be lonely to be alone?” “Maybe.”
I had Chiyo from the start, so I didn’t have to worry unnecessarily and could keep trying my best, without my spirit breaking.
But those who were sent alone must have felt anxious and lonely.
And you know, I didn’t want to have a power that would be useful to everyone. Because… it would definitely turn out badly.
Being treated like a handyman, or being expected to use your power.
If you have the power to heal people, you’ll be told to heal every little wound with all your might.
If you can make things that are useful in daily life, you’ll be told to make all sorts of things.
If you can command a phantasmal beast, you’ll be told to order it to hunt.
We help each other out, but that healthy balance is a fragile thing that could break at any moment.
Probably, if we all joined up with the rest of the class, the comfortable atmosphere we have now would be lost.
Right now, my friends are grateful for my abilities, and I’m grateful for them.
But there will definitely be those who are not grateful, and who will treat us as tools.
Maybe Shion was afraid of that, and chose a power that would allow her to fit in with a group.
Well, her plan was a bit off, since everyone was sent to different places.
「That’s why, I really think you’re amazing, Kousuke-kun.」
「Back then, I was only thinking about myself.」
I was just dreaming and didn’t read the atmosphere.
「But you grabbed Senyuu-chan’s hand and transferred with her. Not only did you help your childhood friend, but you also accepted Shouko-chan and me.」
「Maybe everyone’s just a beautiful girl, so they look good.」
「That’s a lie. It won’t work on me, Kousuke-kun.」
Shion chuckled, looking happy. 「That’s right.」
「And, Kousuke-kun, your kindness was genuine. Of course, I’m not talking about jokes like this one.」 「What’s wrong? You’re blushing.」
「Kousuke-kun, you might be a little perverted, but you don’t have any ulterior motives when you’re kind to others. I think that’s wonderful.」
I understood what she was trying to say.
It’s not uncommon for guys to pick up a classmate’s dropped bag if she’s a beautiful girl, but ignore it if it’s someone else’s.
It’s not just kindness, but pretending to be kind after having ulterior motives.
“That’s not because I’m amazing, but because of my parents’ upbringing.”
It’s just about helping someone if they’re in trouble in front of you.
“Well, then, both your kind parents and you, who follow their teachings so well, are wonderful.” What is this feeling? It’s oddly ticklish.
“Eh, um. It’s about time to milk her, right? Let’s turn it into an item for now. Oh, should we try drinking it first before telling everyone else?”
I stored my share and the milk that Shi-on squeezed, trying to change the mood, but…
“No, I think we can do that later.”
Shion stood up and came closer, taking my hand. “Shi, Shion?”
“Since the bathroom is still the same, let’s go over to the partition.”
Following her, I moved to the bathroom.
“What’s wrong? If you want to take a bath, I’ll heat it up…”
“Hehe. You see, Souzou-kun, I’ve told you my story, and I think you understand. I want to get along well with this group. I don’t want to tell lies or be around only good people. To get along well, I have to believe that I’m okay being here. Otherwise, I’ll be too anxious.”
”…You don’t need to worry about the difference in our abilities. You’ll need my help in the future.”
「Yeah, but I don’t think I’ve contributed enough right now. If I keep this up, I’ll be taking too much. So I have to give something back.」
Shion leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my back.
「Didn’t you get Chiyu’s permission? Don’t worry, I’ve already talked things over with the girls. We just have to be careful not to get caught since Shizutou hasn’t given her okay yet.」
Chiyu’s comment was a setup for this situation, then.
Shion looked up at me with moist eyes.
「I want to be useful to you, Tsugusa-kun.」
Thank you for maintaining the daily and weekly number one position…!!!!
This is the fifth consecutive day for the daily number one…!
And the monthly ranking has risen to sixth place! Thank you so much!!!!!
Multiple updates today, next time is a chapter with Shion and wisdom.
-------A request to all readers------- If you feel even a little
“Interesting! ” “Shion!!!!” “Write more!!!!” while reading this work, please add it to your bookmarks
・Under the “Support the author by putting in points” section at the bottom of the page
☆☆☆☆☆Please change the button to ★★★★★ to support me
It will be a great encouragement for future updates!!!! Please!!!!