The new member, Suou, said she wanted cosmetics.
She was too polite to say it to me, but the other girls seemed interested too, so I decided to look for materials.
I already had the basics from my previous life, so all I needed to do was find materials to make colors.
The search for pigments was going smoothly, but then I found a cat.
Loa, in her maid outfit, was holding a cute cat in her arms.
”…Whose is this?”
I might have to be careful, but it’s so adorable I can’t just leave it.
“Cute! Wait, why are you here?” Suou’s reaction was straightforward.
”…You weren’t put here as a source of ‘meat,’ right?” Mue made a complicated face.
But she seemed to like cats too, as she fidgeted a bit.
“It’s got such beautiful fur, so it’s possible that Shouko secretly made it follow us as a ‘pet’…”
“That doesn’t sound like Shouko.” “I agree.”
There’s a reason for this white cat being here, but it’s not really like Shouko to act this way.
Since even close friends of Shouko say so, we can dismiss the theory that it’s Shouko’s ability.
“Is it possible that this is a living creature unrelated to the choice in the white space?”
“There’s a possibility, but I’ve never seen such a creature before. Rare creatures that don’t appear often are a common element in games…”
Even as we talk like this, the cat doesn’t seem to be planning to attack us.
After the cat slips out of Roa’s arm, it jumps toward me.
I catch it immediately, and it snuggles up to my cheek. It’s fluffy. ”…Let’s keep it.”
“No, Kouno. You’re getting swayed too easily.”
“Ha. S-sorry. I was bewitched by the cat’s magic.”
Whether she understands what we’re saying or not, the cat tilts its head and says, “Meow…?” and deals another devastating blow. “Can’t we take it home?”
Shouko also starts to move her hands eagerly and slowly approaches the cat.
The cat’s attitude becomes clearly indifferent, but it doesn’t resist Shouko’s petting.
「…Isn’t that kind of stuck up?」
「Master is well-liked by Mashiro-sama and Mikuron-sama as well, so perhaps you have a natural talent for being beloved by living creatures, Roa boasts proudly.」
「Ah… There are people like that. Kids and animals, they just naturally listen to certain types of people.」 Yumika says, seeming to have come to a conclusion.
「Kouno, that’s unfair. Not only are you liked by beautiful girls, but animals like you too.」
「Even if you say that…」
I can only chuckle, but I need to decide what to do with this girl soon.
「For now, how about this? Have her enter something for a while and then return right outside the barrier. Once everyone else returns, she can enter the barrier. If this kid turns out to be a problem for the transferers, we can deal with her when the party is assembled.」 「Agreed!」
「I think your attitude of being cautious yet compassionate is wonderful.」
「…Well, she might just follow us anyway, so maybe Kino’s idea is the best.」
If this were a monster attacking humans, even if it looked cute, I would have to steel myself and defeat it.
But as it stands, this cat isn’t doing anything. I can’t attack her.
Still, I can’t just leave her, so I decided to put her in a small cage and take her back with me.
I imagined a pet carrier, and recreated it out of wood.
“Hey, can you stay in here for a little while?”
The cat obediently got inside as if it understood what I was saying.
“You’re such a good kitty. …But, this one doesn’t feel like I’m meeting her for the first time.”
”…I hate agreeing with you, but I feel the same way.”
“Hey, did Seirina and Yuu connect?” “Annoying.”
“There are so many of you who act aloof with me~. Kouno~ be kind to me~.”
Shoubu entwined herself around the arm opposite the one holding the pet carrier.
In the process, the scent of her, who had just gotten out of the bath, wafted over, and her ample chest brushed against my arm.
”…Isn’t it because you let your guard down around Shoubu that Yuuga speaks so bluntly?”
Still jittery from the contact with a girl, I said, “Is that so? Maybe?” “Absolutely not.”
“So Seirina, do you hate me?” Shoubu looked at Yuuga with moist eyes.
「…………I won’t go that far.」 「Ah, you’re blushing.」 「Annoying.」 「We’re back to square one!」 Ryūbu is laughing heartily.
She seems to be enjoying the distance she has from the dream world.
「Let’s head to the base camp for now.」
If the mysterious blackboard didn’t place the creatures, then it must be someone’s ability.
Perhaps she’s using a summoning ability like Shokushi to scout, or…
Anyway, once the party is complete, we can deal with it.
Even if the location of the base camp is revealed, only those with permission can enter the barrier.
After returning to the grassland and waiting for the other team’s members for a while.
「Hey? Hey, I’m back~」 Shokushi’s voice echoes across the grassland. 「Oh, you’re back.」
During the wait, I used my crafting ability to generate cosmetic samples and let the cat out to play, so I wasn’t bored.
On Mashiro’s back are Shokushi, Shinpo, and Shi-on.
On Mikuron’s back are Senyuu and Lumina-sensei.
She approaches us with a puzzled look on her face, wondering why we’re outside the barrier.
“Hey, what are you guys doing over there? —Wait, a cat!?”
”…Sookun. I see a cat. Is it a hallucination?”
“I-I don’t think it’s a hallucination, Senyuu-san.”
“It’s a cat… It’s really cute, though.”
“I’m sorry, but is it possible that there are cats living on this desert island, even though you don’t know about them, sir?”
I wait for my teammates to dismount from the Illusion Beast before explaining the situation.
“No, no, of course I didn’t summon it.” The summoner shakes her head.
“I understand. That means it’s a hidden character, or if not, it must be someone’s ability.”
Tension runs through the other team’s members. “Are you okay?” The summoner looks worried.
“There doesn’t seem to be any hostility, and we’re all here, so we can handle anything that happens. And how about you?”
“Well, there’s something I need to report.” “What is it?”
「Only two female students were found. They were welcomed kindly by Seiou, but…」 As expected of Seiou. But there were three girls whose affiliation was unknown.
That means one of them is missing.
「Can’t even find her with your nose, Mashiro?」
「Yeah. There’s no trace of a human girl’s scent anymore. Isn’t that weird?」
「D-don’t tell me it’s a monster…!」 The teacher is trembling.
Yesterday, the vote stood at twenty-one, which was over half, so there shouldn’t have been any deaths until this morning.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for someone to have died today.
「Or maybe this kitty is the last one.」
Like a detective pointing at the culprit, Senyuu points at the cat.
The cat jumps, and climbs up my body.
I lift the cat and hold it in my arms.
The cat lets out a weak, pitiful meow, as if it’s asking for comfort.
「…Wait, Kousuke, that cat is lying to you.” “――Shion, no way.”
Shion’s ability is to tell when someone is lying.
Even if it’s a cat’s meow, she can tell if there’s a lie in it. “Yeah, I’m sure.” “Huh? Huh? What’s going on?” Aozumi’s eyes are wide with confusion.
“…Teacher, I don’t think anyone died. Mashiro’s nose couldn’t pick up the scent of a human girl because―I think she was transformed into a non-human creature.”
“W-What do you mean―oh. You mean a transformation ability!?”
That’s right. The Teacher had listed examples of abilities from the mysterious blackboard before the transfer.
Like ‘Charisma’ and ‘Transformation Ability’.
“…Hey, who didn’t you find?” Mugen asks as she looks at Shokushi. “Um, meow…”
Aozumi and Shokushi call the cat ‘meow’, but it should be a tall girl who’s part of the volleyball team.
“…I see. Now I understand why she’s attached to Kino.”
The cat shakes its body in a flustered manner at Mugen’s words.
“Could it be…that cat is ‘meow’?”
Shouzi looks like she can’t believe it.
It’s only natural that she wouldn’t believe that the cat in front of her is her friend.
I gently put the cat down on the ground and ask, “If that’s the case, could you change back to your original form?”
The cat then hangs its head as if it’s given up, and then—it glows for a moment.
When the light fades, there stands a red-haired volleyball girl with her face flushed and looking down.
The ninth day on the desert island is a bit longer than usual, but
I’ll try to make sure that the existing heroines don’t lose their presence,
while also depicting interactions with the new heroines.
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