Tomorrow’s “Party vs. Party Event A.”
We decided to discuss how to structure our team for it.
“That said, the detailed rules are being explained tonight, so we’ll just aim to get a rough idea settled for now.”
“Hmm. In the last event, we had less than ten minutes between waking up and the start. It’s better to have a lineup in mind from the beginning rather than worrying about it after hearing the rules.”
Chiyu nodded at my words.
“In that case, I’m out, right? I’m the new kid, and my abilities are pretty mediocre.”
“I think Makabe’s abilities would be a huge help to the girls, but if it’s a type of event where you have to move around constantly like last time, yeah, maybe it is better to avoid putting her in.”
“Right? That’s not exactly why I’m asking, though… um, do any of you guys bathe or anything?”
Come to think of it, Makabe had left the clothes provided by the system at Seihou’s base, so she was still wearing her school uniform.
It looked like she had rinsed off with water, but dirt remained, and the fabric was wrinkled.
Now that all the members who take daily baths and keep their clothes clean by reorganizing their storage were gathered together, she might have been feeling self-conscious about it.
“Ah, damn. I should have suggested that sooner. Okay, let me show you how.” “No way? You’re sure?”
Judging from our appearances, she seemed to guess that there was a way to wash up and do laundry, but I realized we hadn’t actually discussed the specifics yet.
So, even though I had asked for your help, you’re probably wondering if it’s reasonable to prepare a bath solely for my sake.
“It’s fine. Everyone’s just going over with Shoube to explain how the shower area works. Oh, by the way, are you okay, Sensei?”
“Ah, yes. Since Sensei has only been on this island for a few hours…”
He was certainly right about that. My clothes weren’t particularly dirty yet, either.
It seemed like Sensei could just wait until night and bathe with everyone else then.
And so, accompanied by Shoube, we headed to the changing area.
“Oh~. It’s kind of like a hot spring changing room. That’s nice. Whoa, there’s even a mirror.”
“The mirrors were brought back from the Bonus Area. And so were the hair dryers.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
There were three hair dryers provided.
“Since there are so many girls, having just one would mean a massive line, right? There were six women before Sensei and Shoube arrived, so I figured with three units, everyone could take turns drying their hair in one cycle. Now that the two of you are here, maybe I should have brought back a fourth today.”
”…Tsukino, you…”
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m just starting to understand what Shouko meant when she talked about you, back in Japan.”
I wonder what exactly Shouko had been saying about him there?
I was curious, but I decided not to ask.
“Got it. Then next up is the bath.”
The two of us headed out toward the bathroom.
“Wah!?! It’s a real hot spring!”
“It’s not actually a hot spring, though.”
I gave a wry smile, feeling pleased by her fresh reaction. “What is this! A shower?!”
“Right, I think Chiyu was the one who picked those out. Since they felt good to use, I stocked up on them.”
“I’ve been bringing in things from the bonus area that Kanoe’s ability can’t craft. Smart, right?”
At present, we cannot generate items that do not exist on this island, methods of creation I don’t understand, or recipes that haven’t been unlocked yet.
So, it is a fact that I have prioritized bringing those specific items back with me.
“The tub is wide, it has a roof, and there are proper walls… having an outdoor bath at home is the best! Wait, but what happens to the hot water?”
“Since my ability is crafting, I imagine Shoube has heard of that.”
“Yeah.”
“In games, the protagonist’s ‘Inventory’ capacity is often massive, right?”
“I know, I know. You just see them carrying a small backpack in the art, and you think, ‘How much can actually fit in there?
I want one of those.’” Shoube burst into dry laughter.
“So, as a bonus to my ‘Crafting’ ability, I picked that up too.”
Keeping the bath water from splashing, Madobe moved away from the tub while I ‘placed’ the water.
The next moment, a scene of white steam rising from the hot spring filled my vision.
“No way! Wait… so you can pull anything in and out, Kouno!?”
“Not literally anything, but for the most part, yeah.”
If one is ‘connected to the earth,’ there are conditions under which storage becomes impossible.
“Hold on, hold on? So if Kouno uses it, that means he wouldn’t have to head back to base every time his baskets fill up and then set off for gathering again…?”
Seeming emotional as she recalled the days of the Sehou Team, Madobe said.
“Sometimes I split up from them, and my teammates use the baskets during those times. It does get a lot easier since the Spirit Beasts handle movement and transport.”
“He’s the strongest!”
“It’s definitely more efficient than the others.” “Right! Efficiency-wise!”
“Haha. Anyway, how about we take a bath before the water gets cold?”
“True.”
Filling the portable shower canisters with hot water as well, we returned to the changing room for now.
“Put these on for a change of clothes. And just toss your old ones in the basket, I’ll have them cleaned.”
“You can actually do that?”
“Yeah.”
“Takano, aren’t you too amazing?”
“Hmm, well, considering this island…”
“That’s not what I meant—no, I guess that too. But gaining power this immense and never using it to boss people around? You could easily just think about yourself, yet you care down to the tiniest details of everyone else’s lives. You’re way too kind.”
Is it really like that?
In stories, the villain is usually some guy saying, “If you want help… you get it,” so maybe he’s just lucky he hasn’t turned into one of those.
Still, there’s no need to speculate on any ulterior motives; perhaps the fact that he’s been building real relationships with the women has something to do with it.
It’s like you don’t even have room to think bad thoughts.
“Mmm. Everyone else puts their abilities to use for us, but with this… I really have no way to repay Takano.”
“That’s exactly why you don’t need to worry about it.” “Got it! Then watch!”
And with that, Shogabe suddenly—pulled off her skirt.
It fell thunk to the floor at her feet, revealing sheer lavender thongs.
“Sh-Skogube?!”
“Shh. It’ll give away our position if they hear us, keep it down.”
Saying that, Shogabe shed her top as well, leaving herself in nothing but her underwear.
A figure no less impressive than Shoushi’s, practically model-perfect.
Shoube took off her bra next, her healthy tanned skin and huge breasts bursting into my view.
Yet she clearly had some modesty left; she covered the tips of her nipples with her palms.
It was the hand-bra style typical of black-styled gyaru girls.
A flush rose to her cheeks, but Shoube smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Whaddaya think? Does this count as a thank you?”
“No, no, um… it’s just that…”
Then the mood shifted entirely, and Shoube’s expression turned anxious.
”…But seriously, is a bare body like mine even worth anything?”
“It’s nothing of the sort.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But… I mean, you really don’t have to worry about stuff like that.”
Her gratitude came across clearly enough, and as I’ve said before, Shoube’s abilities had already captured the hearts of our female staff.
Plus, she’d been friends with Shoushi’s group from the start, so she adjusted quickly.
Taking in my words, Shoube opened her mouth.
“How do you say it? You know those drama tropes where someone apologizes or gives thanks and says, ‘You don’t need to worry about such things,’ and the other person replies, ‘I just can’t settle with that’?”
”…Yeah, I’ve seen that,”
“That’s just how I feel about it. I get that Kuino doesn’t mind, but I just need to do something on my end to let it go. Honestly, given the short time we’ve had together, I really think you’re quite amazing.”
“That’s… um… nice?”
Ever since arriving at the desert island, I’d been getting high marks from the women I met. It was sweet, but it also left me constantly bewildered.
“A-haha. So basically, since I’m not against it, if Kuino isn’t against it either… please accept my feelings.”
“I-I understand…”
As I nodded, Shozu gave a sly grin and flung her bra off with a flick of the wrist.
Her breasts jiggled from the momentum, drawing my gaze straight to her nipples.
“Aha, staring hard, aren’t we? I see, so that’s how it works. I noticed Keiko was watching you back there, and even though she was being careful, she wasn’t exactly faking disinterest. I think I’m starting to get the vibe.”
It seemed she hadn’t just noticed me staring at Keiko’s chest; she’d been reading her reaction too.
We kept facing each other like that for a while…
“…hekuitch.”
Shozu’s sneeze snapped me back to reality.
“Before you catch a cold, warm up your body.”
”…Yes, shir…”
Blowing her nose, Shozu tossed her clothes into the basket and headed toward the washing area.
I quickly used Storage Rearrangement to neatly organize her uniform and underwear, then stepped out of the changing room and returned to join the group.
“So Sou-kun, did you enjoy introducing us to the bath?”
“Heh, you gave them quite the thorough tutorial, didn’t you?”
“N-Now, now, Sōsuke! You weren’t keeping us waiting and doing something inappropriate with Junna, were you?”
The gazes of Chiyu, Shion, and Shouko pierced into me.
Fumikata puffed out one cheek, Roa smiled and said “Oh my,” Yumezai propped her elbow on the desk maintaining an attitude of nonchalance, and Mr. Luminous looked up at me with a flushed face, asking “Ku… Kunou-kun?” as if verifying something.
“Well, there was just a little accident at the end…”
I racked my brain to try and explain it in a way that didn’t sound like a lie.
Since Shouko is handling the role of the ‘innocent gyaru,’
I think I’ll let Junna take on the role of the ‘aggressive, teasing gyaru.’
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