Here’s the second update for today.
“Shouko, can you check to see if everyone’s back?” “Okay!”
Just as Shouko was heading toward the front door, someone came out from inside.
It was my childhood friend, Chiyu, with her silver hair and blue eyes. “Welcome home, ‘Basic Heal.’” A white light enveloped us.
The fatigue disappeared, which was very welcome.
But it also restored my energy, I suppose.
“Welcome home, Chiyu-chan. Thanks for the ‘Basic Heal.’”
“Welcome. You two got back earlier than Chiyu and I did.”
“Mm. Since the two of you are back, can I have Shio-chan start cooking the steak?” “Yay!”
“I’ll come over as soon as I’m done with Mashiro’s house.”
Chiyu nodded and went back inside.
“Ah, I saw Chiyu-chan, so can I stay here and watch?” “Sure.”
The Fenrir hut was moved to a spot visible from Shouko’s room, and then generated and placed.
Suddenly, a stone and wooden-roofed structure appeared before them.
The entrance was wide open like a doghouse, but at first glance it looked like a warehouse.
“Oh~. It’s different from our house, isn’t it?”
“We didn’t use the foundation, just like you did. But if we built it the way we did, your floor might collapse.” “You’re right!”
The stone walls stood on their own, and the wooden roof was placed on top of them.
“I hope Mashiro likes it…”
“Mashiro! Your house is done!”
Shouko called out, and Mashiro came over.
The white, fluffy phantom wolf was dazzling.
He went straight into the Fenrir hut, sat down, and purred contentedly. “I like it!” “I’m glad.”
Just as they were laughing together, a pleasant smell wafted over.
「Mmm, mmm. This is―the smell of meat!」
I had left the meat in the kitchen before we left this morning, so it must have been cooked without me having to do anything. “Smells good.” Me and Shouzi headed back inside.
When we got to the living room, the table was already set with food.
「Ah, welcome back. Lunch is steak, just like I promised.」
Shion, who had her hair tied up, welcomed us while carrying the plates.
By the way, I had given her a linen apron, but she was wearing it over her uniform.
Chiyu and Shinpo were also helping to carry the dishes.
「Welcome back. Did your house get built?」
Shinpo also greeted us as she set the table.
It seems Chiyu had told her about the house. 「Yeah, she was really happy.」 「That’s good.」
「I’m hungry! It looks so good! Let’s eat!」
We all sat down and said “Itadakimasu” before starting to eat.
The lunch menu is a thick slice of boar steak with a mushroom and herb soup. We eat with stone knives and forks. “It’s delicious!”
The thick meat has a great chewiness, and the bursting meat juices are wonderful. “Yummy!”
“Haha, thank you. But if we want more, we’ll need other ingredients.”
It’s good with salt, but I do want to try it with sauce.
“Hmm. I want some condiments. For now, I’ll need sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso.”
Sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and miso…
Hmm, now that you mention it, I do want those.
“And we’ll need some vegetables and grains. We’ve been exploring the area, but we haven’t found any vegetables that we usually use in Japanese cooking. It would be nice to find some rice or wheat.”
“I talked to Shouko a bit, and I think things that we use frequently in our daily lives or that everyone knows about tend not to be here.”
“Right. In the dream, we’re forced to choose between two options, and one of them is added as an ‘update.’ So it makes sense that things we know well and can easily use, which we’d want on this desert island, aren’t initially placed here.”
“It’s like we’re constantly being tested. Even the question of what to bring to the island doesn’t give us information about ability-related items.”
“Hmm. There are edible things on this island, but without knowledge or abilities like Sou’s, we wouldn’t even be able to tell what they are.”
「Yeah, if I hadn’t met Sōsuke, this would’ve been a really tough survival experience.」
We talked about it while eating.
Soon, the conversation turned to yesterday’s dream.
That said, Senyuu, Shion, and Shinpo had already been talking about it during the exploration.
「This is probably to prevent players from fighting each other.」 I nodded at Shinpo’s words.
While the ‘Death Penalty’ is something to be careful about, the negative points given for killing someone or committing suicide are ‘1825’.
If you manage to escape the island with zero points, that number will be deducted, and you’ll end up in a coma for five years after returning.
The shock of losing your remaining youth is quite significant. This will definitely be a strong deterrent.
「And there’s also the intention to make us more positive about living on this desert island.」
Not only can we go back to our original timeline, but the bonuses prepared also indicate this.
In addition to the extra lifespan from the ‘Survival Bonus’, there’s also a bonus based on the points earned, the ability to carry over memories of this island to Earth, and the ability to carry over the skills gained on this island to Earth.
「Yeah. I got motivated to try my best if I can bring Mashiro back with me. Well, I was already motivated, right?」
“That story is unbelievable too… If a phantom beast appeared in modern-day Japan, it would cause a huge panic, wouldn’t it…” Shinpo’s concern is reasonable.
“Hmm… In stories where mysterious powers exist in modern society, it’s often about techniques or devices that manipulate people’s perceptions.”
“That’s a cliché. If we could rewrite people’s perceptions, like calling Fenrir a ‘dog’ or So-kun’s craft a ‘DIY project,’ would that make it possible to keep the ability?”
Shion’s ability to discern things could be explained away as having ‘good observational skills,’ and Senyuu could be said to have ‘medical knowledge.’
Shinpo’s magic seems difficult, but in essence, it’s about giving the ability a ‘plausibility adjustment function.’
The mystery blackboard might be capable of that, but I wonder how it will turn out…
“N-Nice. Considering the transfer to the island and the special abilities, it’s not surprising that something like that would happen.”
“I’d rather like to inherit the memories of this island. In fact, I was scared thinking about losing them when I escape normally…” Shion says anxiously.
Indeed, even if we forget what happened on this island, Shion and I are childhood friends, and Shouji was originally a friend.
But I became close to Shion because of this situation.
I didn’t want to forget that.
“I feel the same way as Shion-san. I want to escape only after fulfilling some ‘specific conditions,’ even if I don’t know what they are.”
「And also, if possible, we all want to escape together, right?」
Everyone nodded in agreement at Shouko’s words.
「So our immediate goal is to escape together. And we’ll also aim for keeping our memories and abilities.」
While it’s annoying that things are going according to the mysterious blackboard’s plan, there’s nothing to be done about it.
If we were just dumped on an desert island, we’d be angry at the unfairness.
But once we realize that our lifespan can be extended and we can get other perks, that becomes a reward for the hardships we face, and the anger subsides.
Even those who initially wanted to go home right away would think of trying a bit harder if they knew they could bring their abilities back to Earth.
「Phew. Thanks for the meal, Shio-chan.」
After everyone finished eating, they thanked the chef, Shion. 「Hehe, you’re welcome.」
Cleaning up the dishes is easy since I can store them neatly and put them back in the kitchen later.
Actually, just this ability alone would be incredibly useful if we could bring it back to Earth…
「Shinpo. We have a magic practice scheduled for the afternoon, but before that, shall we show each other the results of our exploration?」 「Yes, let’s do that.」
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