Multiple updates today.
This is chapter 1.
The hot pot was a huge hit with everyone.
If we were on Earth, I might have found the flavor bland, but after just one day of island life, the appreciation for a proper meal sinks in deep.
After all, until this morning, mushrooms and nuts had been our staple food.
The prepared portion was neatly absorbed into everyone’s stomachs.
“That was delicious.”
Meyoko rubbed her belly with a look of contentment.
“Thank you for the meal. A nice bath, such delicious food… I really appreciate it.”
Itsusa bowed gracefully.
Her school uniform had been cleaned up nicely, and her skin and hair had regained their beauty.
She seemed satisfied with the meal, but her eyelids looked a bit heavy.
“Itsusa, how about you get some rest?”
“Oh no. It’s such a precious day. I can do foraging or whatever else I’m capable of. I should do something to repay you.”
“But from that look on your face, you didn’t sleep well yesterday, did you? Fortunately, we aren’t short on food for today or tomorrow. Just rest easy now; save your energy for when you’re feeling better again.”
The other three agreed with him.
Even so, Itsusa hesitated for a moment, but she likely realized that insisting would be more of a nuisance, and nodded modestly.
”…I really do thank you. Well then, I guess I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Then, go rest in the hut.”
I placed the shed I had packed away into its designated spot.
”…!?” Yotsue flinched, visibly shaken. “Does ‘Crafting’ ability even cover buildings? I mean, sure, individuals might build their own huts.
But if that’s the case, then log cabins and all that… hmm…”
I stepped inside to place a rug on the floor, pulled out a blanket, and handed it to Yotsue.
“Take off your shoes inside the hut. And this is a blanket.”
“Oh my god, it’s so fluffy… Thank you for taking such great care with everything.”
“It was nothing.”
“You’re amazing, Kouno-kun. You didn’t just pick some easy, wish-fulfilling ability. You chose one that solves the major bottlenecks of a desert island environment all at once: lack of tools, lack of skills, and time management.”
Yotsue was looking at me with pure admiration…
“Oh, uh, haha…”
I managed to muster up nothing but a wry smile.
The truth was, I’d only picked it because I wanted the experience of playing a game…
It was incredibly useful, but I just picked it based on a vague, easy-going ideal.
It wasn’t the kind of atmosphere where one could say that.
“I’m grateful for your help. I’ll make sure to use it well.”
“Alright, good night.”
“Eh… g-good night.”
Yotsue said in a flustered voice and stepped inside the hut.
I then headed back to my companions.
“What are we going to do? We can’t just leave Minorin alone.”
I nodded in response to Meki’s words.
“Let’s split into two teams like before. One for searching, one for holding down the fort. From a tactical standpoint, sorry, but Meki and Mashiro need to join the search party.”
“Sure sure!”
Mashiro is our combat specialist, but she’s a phantom beast that Meki summoned.
She seems fond of us as friends, but in a crisis situation, it’d be better if Meki were around to give her instructions.
“Then I’m joining the search too.”
“Chiyu, are you sure?”
“Leave it to me. I’m going to catch some chickens so I can get Soukuno’s stomach back on my side.”
My childhood friend seemed fired up for some reason.
Having seen Shiino’s cooking skills, she apparently felt a competitive urge.
“Anyway, if we don’t find anything, cut our losses and head back at an appropriate time, okay?”
“Got it.”
“So I’ll be staying behind with Soukune.”
“Yeah. You probably wouldn’t feel comfortable being alone with a guy, Shijo. Can we count on you?”
“Of course.”
Shiino flashed a beaming smile, and the teams were officially formed.
Before we set off, I had Meki summon some sheep for us.
“That’s the sheep’s milk you mentioned earlier, right? It should be fine.”
Right, apparently it doesn’t cause any issues if the milk is taken.
“If that’s the case, can we make cheese?”
“Can cheese really be made from just milk?”
“I think rennet is required.”
Shion placed a finger on her chin, searching through her memory.
“Oh right, I’ve heard of it somewhere. Cattle stomachs, was it?”
“Understood about capturing cattle too.”
“No, don’t push yourselves.”
It’s good to have that drive, but it’s only the second day.
There’s no need to force ourselves and try to take on everything at once.
For now, I handed the two of them gathering backpacks.
“Ooh, nice. Okay, Chiyu-chan. How about a contest to see who can gather more?”
“My pleasure.”
While Mashiyo was calling Mashiro over, Chiyu approached me.
And she extends her toes, pressing her lips together in a soft mew.
“Chi, Chiyu?”
I flush at the sudden kiss.
“So it is, Sou-kun. In a situation like this, having harem skills really comes in handy.”
To say something like that in a situation like this…… what does that mean?
“……Is Chiyu not opposed to it?”
“It’s no problem. As long as you’re by my side, this Chiyu, until the very end.”
Manly…… damn.
“Besides, it’s not a bad thing if your beloved’s charms are shared with others.”
Leaving those words behind, Chiyu departed from the base together with Momeko.
Left behind were Yubari sleeping inside the hut.
Plus the sheep, me, and Shiine.
“Ahh…… well, I guess we start by milking first.”
“Mhm.”
We took out a wooden bucket and split the work, attempting to milk the sheep.
After a while, we got the hang of it, and the milk started gushing out forcefully.
“Kyaa! Wow, it comes out with so much force……”
Shion’s voice alone was enough to spawn ill-fitting fantasies in my head, but I managed to shake them off.
“Hey, Sousuke-kun. Would you mind listening to me for a moment?”
“Ah, of course.”
It would be nice if he could stop the silent udder milking.
“What was my impression in class like?”
“Your impression? Well… you seemed well-adjusted and popular, I guess.”
“Ahhaha, thank you. I’m glad I looked like that. But because of that, I couldn’t let my guard down for a single day. I was constantly checking chat apps, making sure I could keep up with the latest topics—researching or watching things even if they weren’t interesting to me. I memorized what my friends said so I wouldn’t forget, and kept track so I could react appropriately.”
Back in elementary school, I didn’t have to put in that kind of effort; my interests naturally aligned with my friends’ anyway.
Whether it was tokusatsu shows, popular comics or anime, or hit video games, if I knew what they were into, we could geek out about it together.
But once you hit middle and high school, interests start to scatter, and even the favorite artist alone can vary wildly from person to person.
It becomes quite difficult to find a friend with exactly the same hobbies as yours.
You can still become close friends, of course, but building that bond is definitely more complex than it was when you were little.
“If I dress too shabbily, my reputation drops, but if I try too hard, it puts some people off, so I always had to find the perfect balance. Even then, I couldn’t maneuver perfectly. If I rejected a boy’s confession, sometimes the girls who liked him would turn against me. But that doesn’t mean I should have accepted, either. It was always suffocating.”
Guys have their good points and their annoying sides. Girls probably have the same dynamic, too.
During middle school, Chiyu had a period where she drew jealousy—and even hostility from some of the female students—thanks to her cuteness and cool demeanor.
She didn’t seem to mind it much, but I knew that if I got involved, things would just get more complicated. I have a vivid memory of feeling frustrated that there was nothing I could do.
“That’s why I was surprised when we became friends in second year. She was so straightforward and transparent; she doesn’t wear masks, so I never had to overthink her actions or words.”
“Aah. Yeah, there are definitely people out there whose words don’t match what’s going on inside their heads.”
“Right. That’s why I wished for the ability to detect lies. Even on that desert island, we were still bound by the constraints of being in a ‘class.’ At least within those boundaries, I wanted to be able to navigate things smoothly.”
You can certainly lead a happy life even if you don’t have many friends or aren’t at the top of the class hierarchy.
But it’s also true that many people worry about these things, and I could understand how she felt.
Shion had her own history with this; there was likely a specific reason why she became so fixated on “getting along smoothly.”
“Wasn’t choosing the ability to survive on your own an option, too?”
“Aha ha, So-suke really is strong, isn’t he? But wouldn’t it be lonely if it were just you alone?”
“That’s… true, I suppose.”
I had Chiyu from the very start. That’s why I was able to push through without wasting time on unnecessary self-doubt, and my spirit never broke.
But those who were sent flying solo must have felt anxious and alone.
“Besides, I didn’t really want a power that would be ‘useful’ to everyone. Because… it would inevitably turn out wrong.”
Being treated like a handyman service, or having the use of said power assumed as a given.
“You have the power to heal, so I expect you to treat every minor injury with your full strength,” they would say.
“Since you can craft things that are practical for daily life, make this, and that, and the other thing,” they would demand.
“You can command Phantoms, so order that beast to go hunt for us,” they would command.
We operate on a spirit of mutual aid, but that healthy balance is fragile; it could shatter at any moment.
If we were to reunite with all our classmates, the pleasant atmosphere we enjoy now would likely vanish.
My current companions appreciate my abilities, and I appreciate them in return.
But there will always be those who lack gratitude, and those who treat us as mere tools will surely emerge.
Shion perhaps feared exactly that, choosing a power that would allow her to navigate group dynamics effectively.
Well, her plan didn’t quite work out as intended, resulting in everyone being teleported to different locations.
「So, Sōsuke-kun… I really think you’re amazing」
「I wasn’t thinking about anyone but myself at that time」
He had simply thought it was a dream and failed to read the room.
「But in that split second, you grabbed Chiiru-chan’s hand and transported with her. It wasn’t just childhood friends helping each other; you accepted Shouko-chan and me. Even regarding Yōji-san…」
「Maybe everyone’s just putting on a good face because they’re all beautiful girls」
「That’s a lie. Stop it, Sōsuke-kun. Lies don’t work on me」
Shion let out a soft, pleased chuckle.
“So that’s how it was.”
「Besides, Sōsuke-kun. There was no deception in your kindness. Well, aside from jokes like that, of course」 「What’s wrong?
You’re getting flustered, aren’t you?」
「You might be a bit perverted, Sōsuke-kun, but when you show kindness to others, you don’t harbor any ulterior motives. I think that’s wonderful」
I got the general idea of what she was trying to say.
It’s not uncommon for a guy to pick up a dropped item if it belongs to a beautiful girl in his class, but ignore it if it belonged to someone else.
It’s not just pure kindness; they perform kindness as a cover-up after having improper thoughts.
“It’s not that I’m amazing; it’s just my parents’ upbringing.”
It’s just the simple principle of helping someone if you see them in trouble.
“Then both your kind parents and Sōsuke-kun, who faithfully follows their teachings, are wonderful,” she said.
What was with this atmosphere?
It felt strangely ticklish.
“Oh, uh… The milking looks about ready. I’ll ‘itemize’ it for now. Ah, let’s keep it a secret from everyone and try drinking some just us first?”
I stowed away my share and the milk Shi-on had squeezed, trying to change the mood, but…
“No, that can wait for later.”
Shi-on stood up, approached me, and took my hand.
“S-S-shi-on?”
“Since the bathroom is still like that, let’s go to the sliding doors.”
Pulling on my hand, she led me toward the bathroom.
“What’s wrong? If you want a bath, I’ll heat the water…”
“Heh. Listen, Sōsuke-kun, I think you understand after hearing me out. I want to fit in with this group too. A space of good people who don’t tell unpleasant lies. To make it work, I need to genuinely believe that I’m allowed to be here. If not, the anxiety becomes unbearable.”
”…If it’s about our differences in abilities, there’s no need to worry. There will be times when we’ll have to rely on each other going forward.”
“Yes. But right now, I feel my contribution isn’t enough to justify it. As things stand, I’ve been taking too much. So I have to give something back.”
Shiune leaned against me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“You got Chiyu-chan’s permission, right? It’s fine, the girls have already talked it out. Tsumugi-san is still in the picture, so we just need to make sure we don’t get caught.”
Was that comment from Chiyu intentional, anticipating how things would unfold like this?
Shiune looked up at me, her eyes glistening.
“I want you to let me be of use to you, Sousuke-kun.”
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