Mashiro picked up a female student.
I laid down some straw matting for now and placed the girl on top of it.
“Chiyu, I’m counting on you.”
“Roger—‘Intermediate Heal.’”
White light enveloped the girl.
“Mm… Mmm… Hnn…”
Her breathing gradually steadied as she let out a strangely alluring sound.
“Her complexion looks much better, too.”
“She’s lost quite a bit of weight, so she might not be eating well. Maybe I should make some soup for her.”
“Ah, there’s some leftover mushroom soup from before if you need it.”
Even though Shion cooks, she doesn’t always finish everything down to the last drop of the pot.
When I make a large batch of soup, I store it in my ‘Inventory’ while it’s still hot, so I can serve it up anytime.
I took advantage of that feature to devise a method of serving the same meal over several days.
“Right, that’s how it was.”
Shion nodded slightly, as if remembering now.
“This girl is Roa-chan, right?”
“Luoaluai-san.”
Moushiko used her nickname, while Shinfu gave her full name.
Her long, cream-colored hair rippled like waves, and currently closed were eyes of the same hue.
She was taller than average, the second tallest among our female group after Moyoko.
She had massive breasts that strained against her uniform and, from what I could tell, a gentle, easygoing personality.
In class, she belonged to a different social circle than Moyoko or Shion, and none of us were particularly close with her.
Only Moyoko, with her high social intelligence, and Fukubou, the class representative, really knew who she was.
“Sokkun’s harem just got bigger.”
Chiyu’s comment seemed to make the rest of the girls tense up… at least, it felt that way.
“A-Actually…”
“Half-joke.”
“Is the other half serious?”
“Considering it’s you, Sokkun, once you pick someone up, you can’t just discard them. We wouldn’t sleep well letting her fend for herself either. But integrating her into the group like this might make everyone else uncomfortable.”
Currently, all four of us have a relationship with him.
In that context, treating her like a guest while living together in a group would indeed make for an awkward situation.
Moreover, from the perspective of the four girls, they can’t do certain things with me whenever Hyujin is present, so their feelings need to be considered.
Naturally, I’m in the same boat.
It might start out fine, but there’s no guarantee that a subtle, tense atmosphere won’t eventually lead to things falling apart.
I get the logic of it, and all that.
“We’ve got things running smoothly with Sousuke taking point, so I think we should just leave that alone.”
“S-so true. Setting aside the matter of Haremu… but you need to recognize that Sousuke is our leader, yeah?”
“U-uh huh. I get it too… not everyone can be part of the group…”
Yoshi was the one in the class who interacted with everyone the most.
Consequently, she was likely the one suffering the most over the current reality that they had to pick and choose their companions.
But at the same time, Yoshi understood.
She understood how difficult it was to save everyone, and the burden of forcing that standard on her comrades if she insisted on it.
None of us ever voiced a desire to “save someone specific we’re close to,” because everyone recognized that reality.
And accepting this girl as a companion would require every member of the group to make a serious decision.
As long as returning together was our goal, every additional member increased the required “return rights.”
In other words, increasing the number of comrades meant accepting that the uncharted island survival scenario would be extended.
No matter how privileged our lives may be, it’s far from simple.
More than that, we have some breathing room as things stand, but there’s no telling what might get ‘added’ in the future.
If the Mysterious Blackboard decides to give us a new challenge, it’s entirely possible monsters could be deployed or brutal events triggered.
In every sense, choosing companions requires caution.
But then again…
“For now, we can’t just leave her out in the cold, so let her stay until she settles down.”
“Besides, there might be new info hidden in what she has to say.”
“I’ll figure out if any of it is a lie.”
“Hmm. Until we know who can be trusted, better keep everyone’s abilities secret.”
“My crafting ability and Sayoko’s summoning power are hard to hide, but we’ll keep the explanations to the bare minimum.”
For instance, I could just describe it as a skill in making things.
Sayoko could simply say she can call forth spirit beasts.
Knowing the general outline and knowing the details are worlds apart, so this should be enough for now.
It’s also intriguing what Houjin chose to bring to this desert island.
For the time being, I leave the ladies in charge of that, and I have Mashiro level the ground.
Micron acts as if to say “I can do it too!”, lowering her long body to the ground and starting to roll back and forth like a child at play.
Given her weight, she’d likely be more than sufficient for leveling the earth.
My phantoms are hard workers, which is a great help.
Micron will probably need to wash herself later, though.
With their combined efforts, the ground was flattened, so I placed the base camp.
I set up the bathhouse, Fenrir’s hut, and the chicken coop, along with the stone wall and surrounding facilities, but I might expand the area covered by the wall later.
By the way, I placed the refrigerator in the kitchen area.
“Shenhou, sorry to trouble you, but would you mind helping me install the solar panels?”
“Oh, of course not.”
Since she’s the one who chose them, it might be better if I didn’t just touch them clumsily myself.
I stuck strictly to my role as the placer, leaving the specific work to Shenhou.
“I think this should do the trick.”
The machine connected to the solar panel had a small monitor attached that displayed the current charge level.
“Maybe we should wait until it’s charged up a bit before plugging in the fridge.”
“That sounds like a good idea, just in case.”
I stood up with Shinpou and decided to leave the solar panel alone for a while.
“Souto-kun.”
Chi-iyu called out, so I turned my head. It seemed that Houjin had woken up.
So Houjin wouldn’t see what was being prepared, I arranged Obon, the mushroom soup, and a cup of water to take over.
”…Wh-where am I?”
Houjin sat up and blinked his eyes awake.
“Supp, Lova-chii.”
“S-Shoiko-san? And, Iyama-san, Dokkai-san, Shizuo-san… and Kouno-san?”
Everyone except Shoiko, with whom they had a slight connection, were addressed by their surnames.
“My comrades found you unconscious. Go ahead and drink some water and soup for now.”
For the time being, Mashirowa and Mikuron were staying inside Fenrir’s cabin.
Even if we introduced them, it would only be after they got a handle on the situation.
“Well, thanks for your kindness.”
Houjin bowed slightly before accepting the cup.
“Whether it’s the tray, the cups, or the spoon, how could all of this be…? No, wait—first things first. Bless us.”
With her hands pressed together in prayer over her chest, Houjin drank the water in gulps before delicately sipping some soup.
Her movements were exceptionally refined, radiating a sense of good upbringing.
After drinking the soup, she let out a breath of relief.
“Hoo… It’s a soothing flavor. Thank you, I feel a bit more at ease now—eep!?”
Lifting her gaze, Houjin stared wide-eyed at our house.
“Ahaha, it is quite a surprise, isn’t it?
Totally get it,” Meiko nodded in empathetic understanding.
“The one who created these things is none other than our King, Takano Sounosuke.”
Chiyu, don’t crack such obscure jokes at someone you aren’t exactly close to.
Look, Houjin is clearly confused right now.
“K-King…? Oh right, it was Takano-san who mentioned a ‘Craft Ability’ in that dream, wasn’t it…? So, this magnificent residence belongs to Takano-san?”
It seemed Houjin remembered as well.
It was quite possible that more people than expected had been listening to my comments.
“Um, what did Houjin-san choose?”
Shion casually tacked on a question, likely referencing my ability.
“I truly didn’t expect to be stranded on an desert island. However, hearing Konno-san’s answer regarding ‘abilities,’ I found myself immediately visualizing the specific ability I wished for.”
That meant Houjin was also one of the rare individuals who had acquired an ability.
“What ability is it?”
Shinhou asked.
“The ability to discern what people want.”
We both tilted our heads in confusion.
W-What exactly does that mean…?
No, knowing what someone wants would make negotiation much easier, and it would be just as easy to gain their favor.
Shion had initially assumed the classmates would teleport together in a group, so she chose the “Ability to Tell Lies.” Perhaps Houjin was the same type of person?
“Does that mean you chose it to keep group life running smoothly?”
As if seeking confirmation, Shion asked. In response, Houjin shook her head from side to side.
“No. I simply love taking care of people. Seeing their joyful expressions makes me feel truly happy. Therefore, I thought that if I could know what they desire, I would be able to make them even happier.”
It was an answer I hadn’t expected.
……Like the “self-sacrificing type,” but, uh, an enhanced version of that?
Seeing that look on Shiomi’s face, she nodded with a expression of complete bewilderment.
So, this is Honjin’s true feelings, I see.
“Oh! I just remembered! Roh-chan, you were working part-time at that maid café, right?”
“Oh, Miss Master? We must have overlooked mentioning it in our discussion, I suppose. Yes, you are correct. Of course, please rest assured, it is not a place of ill repute. It is a tearoom for gentlemen and ladies who understand the concept of ‘maid’ and ‘master.’”
I guess they call that a concept café, huh?
I don’t know much about the scene myself, but I’ve heard there’s actually quite a number of female customers.
However, I never expected one of my classmates to be working there.
“Honjin, have you been alone all this time?”
“Yes. I gnawed on the acorns that seemed familiar and fortunate discovered a water source on the second day. I was making that my base of operations when… well, bears started using the water source too. Getting frightened, I moved along only to get lost in the forest… During the event, I couldn’t move properly, eventually losing consciousness. When I woke up, all your faces were right in front of me.”
Shiomi nodded at this part as well, confirming she wasn’t lying.
I see, so there were people who couldn’t move properly even at the start of the event.
Besides, just because something is newly deployed doesn’t mean it will automatically serve as a salvation.
For an ordinary female student, encountering a beast would be nothing but terror.
Perhaps, if she had merely managed to survive until today, she might have gnawed on the added fruit.
In that scenario, she might never have met us at all.
For her, which outcome would have been better?
—And yet, “the ability to know what you desire.”
Honestly, I have a desire to borrow her power and know what my companions want.
Everyone gives me appropriate requests, but I also understand that they are quite restrained around me.
I appreciate their consideration, but since I enjoy crafting, I want to do whatever I can.
“Hmm. Let’s verify for now. What is it that I desire?”
Chiyu stepped forward.
Fengjin looked at my childhood friend and blushed bright red.
And with his head bowed, he answered in a muffled voice.
“Um… well, Iisa-san seems to want some… ‘condoms’…”
“Correct answer.”
Chiyu… you’ve got an incredibly tough mental state.
But it seems Hyoushin’s ability is the real deal. The accuracy is pretty impressive too.
An awkward silence passed, and Hyoushin resumed eating.
Then, after a while.
After finishing the soup, Hyoushin slowly stood up and bowed deeply to us.
“Thank you for helping me. And, I know this is an inconsiderate request, but if it is all right with everyone, could I be hired as a maid?”
A polite, gentle-behaved beautiful girl declared she wanted to work as a maid.
The next heroine is a devoted maid?!
Update scheduled for tomorrow!!!!
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