“Huh. So that’s how it is!”
Shouko remarked with an air of impressed realization.
We took our post-meal tea break, spreading the map out across the dining table to examine it.
The paper itself was something we could craft from existing materials.
Shinpo had taken the trouble to draw it for us.
He had compiled all of our information regarding the locations we had discovered so far and the resources we’d harvested.
While much of it remained blank, the map was already annotated with a variety of details.
There was the beach where Kenji and Chiya first woke up, the area beneath the cliff that had served as their initial base camp, and the ‘Water Source’ lake located a short distance further along from those cliffs.
It also marked the harvesting spots for wheat, sugar beet, wild grapes, maple sap, mushrooms, and other resources.
Since these items would eventually regenerate, it was useful to keep track of where they could be found.
Then there were the new additions: information about the area atop the cliff.
The apple tree, the river, and the grassland where we had established our new base.
Additionally, it listed the rubber trees and sapodilla discovered during that morning’s exploration, as well as the pears, oranges, and bananas found by Shouko and Mashiro.
“Setting aside the mysterious nature of the island itself… to have made such progress in your exploration on only the sixth day is truly impressive, you lot.”
Roa looked down at the map and let out a sigh of awe.
For someone who had been doing nothing but struggling to survive, it was no wonder she was amazed by the amount of information we possessed.
From our conversation with Shi-oto, I knew she wasn’t lying.
She didn’t belong to another group and had no ulterior motives.
She was simply a classmate who had collapsed from exhaustion and happened to be rescued by us.
Once that was clear, we stopped hiding the information.
“This is a huge help, Fuka-hou. Unless new formations appear, we can use this intel as it is.”
“Exactly. On an island like this, anything is possible. We mustn’t neglect updating our intelligence.”
“It really is impressive. I apologize for not being able to contribute much more.”
“It’s nothing to worry about, Shio-chan. Every member has their place.”
“Right, right. And Shi-chan makes amazing food too.”
“Heh, thank you both.”
Our female members got along well.
“The exploration team should memorize this. When searching for new areas, it will be more efficient if we can avoid locations already explored.”
Fuka-hou nodded at my words.
For a while, we all gazed at the map together, occasionally offering supplementary notes as if suddenly remembering something…
“It just occurred to me,” Utsumi said.
“If we track down the nearby river, there might be classmates using it as their water source.”
“Even so, we’re not going out of our way to search for them.”
Chin’yu’s comment sounded cold, but it was clear she was thinking about the group’s cohesion.
“Yeah, just because they were transferred doesn’t mean they’d necessarily make good companions, right? I’m just saying it’s a possibility.”
“Well, if they’ve already found a water source, they shouldn’t die from thirst. And they’ve added fruit to their supplies, too.”
With easily identifiable food sources available, as long as they had water, they wouldn’t starve.
“It is not my place to say this, Master, but given the exceptional nature of your abilities, some individuals might become dependent on you.”
“Ah, I’ve seen that in manga before,” Shoushi said, furrowing her brow. “The type who tells someone with power, ‘Since you’re strong, helping people is your duty.’ It’s not for the one being helped to say that, right?
That’s always what I think.”
“To stay behind until everyone in our class has secured their ‘Right to Return’ just because we were classmates… that’s definitely too harsh.”
I had seen similar plots in fiction as well, so I answered with a wry smile.
“Mm. There’s no obligation for Soku-kun to do such a thing.”
“At the very least, it has to be someone who can move and contribute to the party in a way that’s actually feasible for them. And honestly, this applies to myself too.”
Shion still seemed to harbor concerns about how rarely her ability was used on its own.
After all, even this morning, she had taken the time to read Lora’s heart.
“I suppose it would be difficult for me to be of direct use through my ability itself, so I intend to work briskly in my role as a maid.”
“Everyone really appreciates your cooking, Shion, and it’s a huge relief to have someone reliable handling the house. Just make sure neither of you pushes yourselves too hard.”
With the afternoon exploration coming up, I stood up.
“Mameko, I’m heading out with Mikron. We did promise this morning, after all.”
“Sure sure~. I’m off on a quest to find melon…!”
“Shouko-chan, please take me along. There’s something I want to eat.” “You got it! Let’s go together!”
“Since both Mashiro and Mikron are leaving, I’ll stay behind to cover combat operations.” “That sounds good.
Thanks, Fuhou.”
“Yes, you’re welcome.”
At my words, Fuhou smiled.
“Hmm. Then I guess I should… bake some sweets for everyone?”
“I will lend you a hand, Miss Shion.”
“Fufu, I’ll count on you then, Roa-chan.” “Sweets!
This is gonna be amazing!”
“It’s nice that we’ll be able to take a snack break even on a desert island.”
I headed outside, secretly looking forward to the treats myself.
“Mikuron, let’s go out together.”
Mikuron zipped over with a whoosh and wound herself around me. “Alright, alright.
Let’s head out, just the two of us.”
At my words, she happily swayed her long body in midair.
I looked back at Mashi-ro as he helped Shoushi and Chiyu mount up.
“Then you guys be careful too.”
“Mm. I’m gonna harvest way more than you, Sou-kun.”
“I dream of doing a fancy style of eating that’s normally impossible—like wrapping myself entirely in melons!”
I could totally relate to what Shoushi was saying.
I’d seen TV reports about juice made solely from melons, and while it looked good, my immediate thought was always, That looks tasty, but if I were doing that, I’d just eat the fruit normally.
But if there were a mountain of them, I suppose eating them in a way like that wouldn’t be out of the question.
As he mused on this, Micro drifted up into the air.
“I’ve been wanting to go somewhere I haven’t gone before. Since I want to keep an eye on the ground as I fly, could you try not to get too high?”
Micro nodded, but for some reason, it soared high into the sky.
“Wh-woah…! Wow, this is amazing…”
It was similar to the sensation he’d felt when he rode a hot air balloon at some kind of event during his childhood.
The ground was far below, the wind was crisp and clear, and it felt as if he himself were in contact with the sky.
“Haha…! Incredible, Micro. But a bit lower, please… Ah, I see.”
Micro had been flying high within the known area, but as it approached unexplored territory, it lowered itself closer to the ground.
Perhaps while following his instructions, it had also wanted to try flying at great heights.
“Once things settle down with our lives, let’s just fly around in the sky for no particular reason.”
Upon hearing this, Micro nodded happily.
Flying for a while at an altitude roughly level with the treetops.
Through a gap in the forest, I saw something that looked like a field.
“Micro…! Head over there and check it out!”
As Micro approached, the state of the field came into view.
Beneath the large leaves… those are—melons.
“Good, good. First find located.”
What Shoushi had been craving was ‘melon’.
“They’re the fruits your master was wanting.”
Although Micro is particularly fond of me, it was originally a creature summoned by Shoushi.
It loves its master, Shoushi, very much too.
Together with the joyfully descending Micro, we started by harvesting the melons.
Since I’m alone right now, I cut off the fruit sections with a small stone sickle and stored them away.
「Hmm, I’m alone right now anyway. If I memorize the location, I can just come back and collect them tomorrow if needed」
By the time I’d grabbed around twenty, my lower back started to ache a little.
I could keep going after a short break, but there were other things I still needed to find.
“Alright, Mikuron. Can you stick with me for a bit longer?”
All that remained was Chiyu’s “strawberry” and Shion’s “seasonings.”
Strawberries would be easy to spot at a glance, but as for seasonings, I might find something if I just went around “Storing” random unfamiliar items.
Fukaho’s “underwear” and Lora’s “shoes” were scheduled to be generated later.
It was quite a busy schedule, but since I liked discovering new items and generating things, it was honestly enjoyable.
Besides, flying through the sky with Mikuron was a pleasant experience.
And so, I continued my afternoon exploration.
40,000 points achieved!!!!
I’ve been able to keep up the serialization for this long over the past month thanks to all of you who have supported me.
I hope you’ll keep on reading!!!
-------A Request to Our Readers-------
Having read this work, if you feel even the slightest bit…
If you felt it was “fun,” found the continuation “intriguing,” or felt compelled to shout, “Write more!!!!!”,
- Add to bookmarks
bookmarks and clicking on the “Support the author with points” section at the bottom of the page.
Changing the ☆☆☆☆☆ stars to ★★★★★ would be a huge encouragement
and motivation for future updates!!!!!!
Please do!!!!!!