After finishing my preparations and stepping outside, I noticed the number of chickens in the coop had increased from five to ten. I stored the five eggs Chiyu had collected in my ‘Inventory’.
”…Ah. Since we got the eggs, could we make mayonnaise?”
Everyone reacted to my words.
“It’s starting to feel like a typical fantasy setting.”
I smiled wryly at Fukaho’s comment. Indeed, it was one of the clichés.
“The main ingredients are oil, vinegar, and eggs, so it’s definitely possible. We just need some salt and spices.”
I nodded in agreement with Fukaho’s words. We could leave the actual preparation for later and ask more details about it first.
「I’m in the mood for tuna mayonnaise rice balls… and takoyaki and okonomiyaki too.」
「Gals eat those too, huh?」
When I looked surprised, Shouko puffed out her cheeks.
「I do eat them! I’m a gal, you know.」
「I’m not going to just consume the shiny stuff that gets a lot of attention on SNS.」
「Most of my life isn’t even on SNS.」
That’s probably true.
「I never thought I’d be able to live without a smartphone on Earth, but now that I don’t have one, it’s not that bad.」
Shion spoke, perhaps making a connection to SNS.
「I get it, I get it. Well, I do want to contact some people, but…」
Shouko had a lot of friends, so there must be some kids worried about her safety.
”…I’m not really troubled, though. If anything, I’d like to have some study materials.”
“Haha, that’s like Fukaho. Hmm, we can make paper, and a pen… could we make a quill pen? And for ink, couldn’t we make it from soot or something?”
Fukaho’s eyes sparkled.
“Um… could I…? I’ll explain the process later…!”
Seeing how she leaned in, I was impressed by how much she wanted to study.
“Of course, I’ll help. I can’t make textbooks or reference books, though.”
“That’s enough. Thank you, Sousuke.”
But thinking about it, studying might be a good idea.
We were told that when we returned, we’d be brought back to the timeline before the transfer.
Since I was summoned in a dream while I was sleeping, can I return by waking up the next morning?
At any rate, even if time doesn’t pass, I can still accumulate experience.
There are conditions set for bringing back memories, but we’re aiming for that as well. In other words, considering exams and such, the longer we survive on this island, the more we can study.
Even if it’s not schoolwork, the knowledge we gain here might be useful in the future. Though I was surprised to be suddenly sent to a desert island, as long as I can stabilize my life, it’s not all bad.
Of course, this is all assuming the mysterious blackboard will properly send us back.
“Shall we set off? Oh, and I want to ask Chiyu for a Muscle Strength Enhancement.”
“Vitality Enhancement?”
“It’s Muscle Strength Enhancement…! I asked you that on purpose.”
“Childhood Friend Joke”
Well, that’s Chiyu for you.
“I want to see how much stronger I get, so I thought I’d have the girls ride on Masiro while I run after it.”
“Volunteering to be the guinea pig, as expected of you, Sousuke.”
After the girls got on Masiro, Chiyu applied the enhancement to them.
A white light enveloped me, but unlike when I used ‘Basic Healing,’ it covered my body like a membrane and didn’t disappear.
”…So I’m getting stronger while it’s glowing? I see, that’s pretty clear.”
I don’t feel any noticeable difference in my body right now…
“All right, let’s go, Masiro!”
With Shouko’s shout, Masiro took off.
I followed suit.
Only after I started running did I realize how powerful the enhancement magic was. I was running alongside Mashiro.
I was so fast that I was surprised myself.
“Wha!? Sousuke-kun, you’re so fast…!”
“T-That’s amazing. You can run at the same speed as Mashiro, the phantom beast.”
“That’s amazing, but I can’t lose! Mashiro, go even faster!”
I didn’t mind since I wanted to know my limits too… But when Mashiro gave it her all, I couldn’t keep up.
There was another problem.
「…Sousuke, are you okay? I’ll use ‘Intermediate Healing’ on you.」
Mashiro returned to where I had stopped.
Chiyu immediately cast a healing spell on me. It was a high-level spell, so I could feel my fatigue being restored faster than with the basic one. The amount of damage it could heal was also greater.
「Haa, haa… Phew. Experiments are important. I mean, it’s obvious—my stamina didn’t increase.」
Everyone made faces like, “Ah…” They looked like they were thinking, “Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
「Then, we should assume that we won’t be able to increase our endurance or anything like that.」
That’s probably correct, as Fukaho said.
“Your attack power and speed increase, but your HP and defense don’t change?”
Shouko’s game analogy seems spot-on.
“Can’t you use it?”
Chiyu says somewhat apologetically.
“I can use it. I just need to think about when to use it. I don’t really want to think about it, but if another guy were to attack a girl, I could use this to fend him off and escape, right? In the long run, it’s a reliable power.”
“That’s true. I don’t have any fighting power, and meeting a guy other than Sousuke is a little scary, so it would be reassuring to have Chiyu-chan nearby.”
“The light hasn’t faded yet… Oh, it’s gone now. So the duration is about five minutes?”
In terms of a game, it’s like a strengthening magic spell that lasts for a few turns. Having this ability alone gives you more options in battle.
“It may take some time to get used to how to move your body when you’re enhanced, but it’s a wonderful magic spell.”
Indeed, it would take some time to get used to it.
“Right. I don’t know if I’ll be able to use it tomorrow, but I’d like to get a little more used to it. Chiyu, can you alternate between healing and enhancing me so that my enhancement lasts longer?”
“Sure thing.”
“Let’s have Mashiro hunt for us. It’ll be good practice for Fukaho’s magic. And I want some meat other than boar too.”
“Please do your best, Mashiro~”
“I’ll do my best to show you the results of our magic training.”
After that, we successfully hunted two deer and one bear.
Thanks to Mashiro’s presence, and with Fukaho’s magic playing a big role, we were able to achieve this. She calmly held the staff I gave her, observed the movements of the prey, and cast spells ahead of their predicted movements, or targeted moments of deceleration like direction changes or sudden stops, focusing solely on hitting her targets.
She’s truly a diligent and serious worker. Learning from past failures, making use of her training, and putting in the effort to achieve her goal.
「Wow! You’re already a proper force to be reckoned with!」
When I sincerely praised her, Fukaho’s face lit up like a kid who got praised for a perfect answer.
“Thank you…! It’s all thanks to Sousuke-san for helping me practice.”
Her smile was so charming that I found myself staring at her.
“You look really cool as a mage, Minori. Hmm, I wonder how you’d fare against Mashiro?”
“W-Well, I don’t think that would be fair. Even if I set aside the fact that I don’t want to attack Mashiro-san, I don’t even know if my basic spells would work on her.”
“Huh? Mashiro, what’s wrong? You said, ‘Sorry, Minori, but I wouldn’t hit you anyway.’”
It seems Mashiro has a sense of pride as a Fenrir.
“I see… Mashiro-san is on our side, so that’s fine, but considering that enemy individuals like phantoms might appear in the future, we’ll need to increase not just our proficiency but also the power of our spells…”
Fukaho started thinking seriously.
「I have venison, so… I could make a makeshift wine sauce with wild grape wine and roast it… But what should I serve on the side? Hmm, I wish I had some potatoes or wheat.」
Shion, the head chef, seems to be planning the menu. With my ability, the meat won’t go bad, so even if I hunt all day, it won’t be wasted.
「I’ll try a bit more and then head back to the base for lunch.」
Using the ‘Placement’ function to secure the light spheres seems to be going well in conjunction with Chiyu’s enhancements.
Besides, the ‘Placement’ function isn’t just for securing light spheres; there are other potential uses as well. Ideally, I’d like to avoid using it…
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