Having confirmed the deployment of the barrier and finished positioning stone walls along its perimeter, we returned inside the house.
“Terina, let me show you around the house.”
”…Got it.”
“Since one room on the second floor is still available, that’s not an issue, but the furniture placement hasn’t been done yet. I’ll take care of it.”
Yume-gai responded to my words.
”…It’s fine if I just sleep on the floor…”
Yume-gai seemed like the type who disliked having a debt incurred on her behalf, which made her hesitant about everything.
“If we treat our teammates with different levels of comfort, it becomes something to worry about. So sorry, but please accept this as the standard basic set.”
I couldn’t have Yume-gai sleeping on the floor when everyone else was getting a bed.
”…If that’s the case. Regarding the debt, even if I can’t pay it off here, I’ll settle it back in Japan.”
The attitude of refusing to leave a debt unsettled was something I could appreciate.
While Matsu-kko gave the tour of the first floor, I went up to the second floor and prepared Yume-gai’s room.
I arranged the furniture, bedding, and pajamas.
As I stepped out of the room, Chi-yu was peeking her head out from her own bedroom door.
“So-kun, for a second.”
“What’s up?”
As I drew close to her, she suddenly extended her arm and pulled me right inside the room.
Even though she had only just moved in, the air already seemed thick with Chiyu’s scent.
I had visited her room back in Japan before, and it carried that same aroma then.
”…Do you smell something weird?”
Had I snorted or made a noise? She noticed me.
“No, it just smells like you, Chiyu.”
”…Do you like the smell?”
Chiyu looked a bit anxious, so I nodded. “Yeah, it does.” “Mm. I know.”
She answered, and to my eyes, she seemed faintly pleased.
“So, what is—”
Chiyu stretched up on her toes and gently pressed her lips against mine.
“Mm… mmph… mmph, mmph…”
I didn’t resist, letting the kiss last for a moment.
Gently drawing her petite frame into my arms, we devoured each other for a while.
I never imagined I’d get used to this kind of thing even a little bit, but my heart was still pounding away like crazy.
”…What’s wrong, Chiyu?”
“I felt threatened, so I wanted to reaffirm the bond we share as childhood friends with you.”
“……The Dream Realm? I was just saying your character overlaps with someone else’s.”
“Sousuke’s preference is me. In other words, anyone who possesses the same elements as I do aligns with his preferences. It’s a simple calculation.”
“It’s not like I like Chiyu because I’m cool or anything.”
“I know.
But you have no choice but to admit you’re drawn to me.” / “I do have good feelings for her, though……”
“Mm. That doesn’t matter. But I don’t want to lose either. So, I decided to redirect Sousuke’s consciousness toward me.”
Saying this, Chiyu pushed up her own chest with her hands.
Her twin mounds, wrapped in her school uniform, swayed with a jiggly bounce.
“Since we didn’t do it on the chest yesterday, I’m going to start now…… Does that bug you?”
My throat made an involuntary noise.
Instinct generated heat in my lower abdomen.
“It doesn’t bug me.”
“Then…… let’s do it.”
Having been cast with a Basic Healing spell by Senyuu, my head was completely filled with thoughts of her for the duration of time it took for dinner to be ready.
◇
Dinner turned out to be okonomiyaki.
For the sauce, we used improvements from last time, incorporating ‘Dates’ discovered during exploration, generated ‘Soy Sauce’, and acquired ‘Apples.’
Just like at Loa’s welcome party, we ate it outdoors.
Instead of using a flat iron, they made okonomiyaki on a stone slab while separately grilling vegetables, mushrooms, and meat.
Mushrooms had been eaten plain with salt up until now, but we had finally managed to get our hands on soy sauce.
Without bonito flakes or dried seaweed flakes, the okonomiyaki looked a bit lacking in appearance, but the taste was wonderful.
“Hmmmmm.”
Illuminated by the campfire, Momeko chewed happily on her okonomiyaki.
Utsu prepared it, and Roa served everyone at just the right moment.
The moment you started thinking about wanting a certain thing, it would be placed on your small plate; it was incredibly convenient and much appreciated.
Perhaps Roa was using her abilities to make this possible.
Seeing through what each person desired in that very instant and dividing the food accordingly.
“How does it taste, Serina-chan? I hope it’s to your liking…”
Yume took a single bite and then froze for a moment. “It’s delicious, right? Serina.”
”…Yeah. Besides, Utsu, this is amazing. I never thought we’d be eating okonomiyaki on an desert island.”
“Fufu, thank you. But that’s all because everyone helped secure the ingredients and Sōsuke generated so many things for us.”
“That’s right… Shion, you seem really lively today. You used to always be so careful about reading the room, but the version of you I saw today has a genuine smile.”
”…Ah, haha. So Serina knew, huh.”
Shion let out an awkward, bitter laugh.
Based on her past experiences, she had been intensely conscious of how to maneuver herself through situations.
That was precisely why she desired the “ability to detect lies” so much.
“By the way, does that mean Shouko’s group is now complete with three members?”
I said, and Chiyu nodded.
“Mm-hmm. And Miko-chan and I are independents.”
“I usually get along closer with a different set of friends, but I think the fact that being teleported to this desert island allowed me to form such close bonds with everyone shows that it hasn’t been all bad.”
“I feel the same way. It’s… really nice having everyone as friends. Besides, umm…”
Fumihou kept glancing at me, her face flushing red.
“I’m with you! I mean, things are tough and my own guy misses me too, but it’s the best feeling to have become close with everyone!”
“Heh, sure. For me too, this island gave me memories and relationships I didn’t want to lose, so honestly, maybe I’m glad we got teleported here after all.”
Shion looked at me and smiled softly.
“Crap. Shouko-chan’s faction has become the dominant force.”
Chiyu, don’t call them factions.
“I’m not trying to pull off any underdog upsets or cause chaos within the group, though. I just don’t know what Shouko, as the faction leader, is thinking.”
“Serina…!? Please stop spouting nonsense about factions and bosses!”
Laughter broke out at Shouko’s shriek.
The Dream Realm didn’t actively seek conversation, but she did respond to people’s words.
Her demeanor was somewhat cool, but her thinking was clear, making her easy to get along with personally.
I wondered if she would fit in with this party right away.
The time spent on dinner passed harmoniously.
After tidying up the storage space, we headed toward the living room.
“Thanks to Serina, I feel safe, so let’s all watch a drama together~”
”…When you were showing us around the bonus area, I asked Shouko about it, but no one could have imagined we’d have both a refrigerator and a TV.”
“Heh, right. Besides, we’ve got something for the drama today too.”
Popcorn is usually the staple snack for times like this, but there had been no corn added to the stock.
Shion and Lo headed to the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator for what they had on hand, and returned.
What sat in the glass bowl was—
”…No way. It’s—pudding?”
Yes, it was custard pudding.
Yume’s perpetually cool eyes appeared to brighten, if only slightly.
They settled into the sofa and used wooden spoons to scoop up the pudding.
The texture melting on their tongues and the smooth sweetness spreading across their mouths was irresistible.
”…Nobody should know I like pudding, so this wasn’t a coincidence, right?”
Yume stared intently at the pudding as she spoke, so I let them in on the secret.
I explained that my suggestion, Lo’s ability, Shion’s cooking skills, and the ingredients everyone secured had all come together to make it.
”…Like any favor you do for me, but this one especially is one I won’t forget.”
Apparently pleased beyond words, Yume ate every single spoonful with great care.
That night, we watched two episodes of the drama before returning to our respective rooms.
And then—
“S-Sou-suke-kun… can I… come in?”
“Ah, yeah…”
Shinon was on duty today.
With a tense expression, she sat down beside me where I had settled on the bed.
“I… that is… I’d like you to do what you did for Chi-yu… with me too…?”
Her eyes, glistening with tears, stared back at me.
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