I hadn’t intended to go out of my way to look for and help people in trouble, but a few things had changed the situation.
Professor Luminas had joined our ranks and volunteered to act as an intermediary, and on top of that, our interactions with the Sehou team had given me a detailed understanding of how the male students were spiraling out of control.
With all that in mind, I couldn’t help but worry about the three unaccounted-for female students.
I definitely did, and while the other women didn’t show it on their faces, they must have felt the same way.
So, I decided to search for them and deliver them safely to the Sehou team.
After dinner and clearing the dishes, I called out to Mashiro and Micron.
Micron clung to me as usual.
Riding Fenrir’s Mashiro to search for the girls would be Shoushi, Professor Luminas, Shiin, and Fuhou.
It was a carefully selected roster: Shoushi, with her strong social skills; Professor Luminas, who could persuade and reassure the students; Shiin, who could see through any lies; and Fuhou, to handle combat if the situation escalated against monsters or run-amok male students.
Riding Mofumofu Black Dragon Micron to gather materials would be me, Senyuu, Roa, Mugai, and Shoubu.
In our case, we planned to search within the range where Mugai’s barrier couldn’t be dissolved, looking for plants useful for bringing out the colors in makeup.
“Is it okay if I stay over here?”
My childhood friend looked at me, checking with her eyes.
“Admittedly, given the predicament of the three they’re trying to help, Chi-yu’s magic would come in handy…”
No matter who you are, even Mashiro couldn’t haul eight people, including the rescuers.
“Hey, Takano.”
Yume-kai calls out to me in a soft voice.
“Hm?”
“I’m pretty sure they split the Phantom Beasts into two teams as a backup plan for combat. If we have Ryuu go with Saiko, wouldn’t that solve their transport capacity issue on their end?”
”…Yeah, I guess so.”
That was indeed the case, but if so, the exploration squad would consist of me, Loa, Mu-kai, and Shoubu.
In other words, we’d be left without any personnel specialized for combat.
Until now, we had allocated our forces based on contingency plans.
Doing this would disrupt that setup.
「――Got it. Mousu, put Chiyu and Mikron on that team too.” “Huh?
That’s okay?”
Mousu blinked in surprise.
“It is. We can explore on foot if we want; just avoid the water sources by checking the map. If anything happens, I’ll have Yumekai create a small barrier for us to retreat into. Of course, provided the other three are okay with it.”
With an absolute defensive space available, we’d be able to attack enemies from within.
Even just dropping what’s stored in my 『Inventory』from above should be enough to neutralize most living things.
“I was the one who proposed this, so it’s no problem for me.”
“No problem with me either.”
「Of course helping others is more important. And honestly, seeing how kind Serina is really got my heart going」
「……Huh? What are you talking about, you?」
Yumegai wrinkled her nose at Shoubu’s words.
「But it’s true, right? You handed over the Soko team because you thought Chiyu-nee’s magic would be needed if any of the three we’re looking for were injured, didn’t you? So selfless~」
「I just offered it as an idea since I felt like Kudo was worrying about it and……」
「Ah, I’m saved, Yumegai. As the leader of this party, I tend to prioritize my members’ safety above all else, but for a rescue operation, your plan sounds good to me」
「…………Ah, that’s okay. I’m glad I was at least a little helpful」
Yumegai glared at Shoubu while her cheeks flushed faintly at my words.
We could have gone with the whole group, but with eight girls and just me as the only male, it would probably be too overwhelming for the girl we’re rescuing on our first meeting.
Since I’m a guy, too, it’s better if I don’t show up this time to keep things simple.
“W-We’re trying our best too…!”
Shion suddenly cut into the conversation.
More than anyone else, she cared deeply about whether she could be of use to the party, so she must have been concerned by the conversation between Yumegai and me earlier.
「I’m counting on you, Shinon.
With the upcoming deals and business transactions, we’re going to have a lot more interpersonal dynamics to handle, and I think your abilities will come into play much more often from now on.» 「U-uh… y-yes!」
She had a tendency to undervalue her own skills, believing they were useless. I hoped that having more actual opportunities to utilize them would help chip away at that mindset.
“Thanks to Shouko’s spirit beast, we can move around the island quickly. Since Senrui is here, we can pull off some risky stunts without too much worry. With Fukaho around, I feel safe splitting up the team. And with Mr. Luminus there, I think the students will start opening up.”
Before he could give me another deadpan stare, I told the members of the other team that I was counting on them too.
“Mm. As long as I’m around, you’re all healthy and safe.”
“I’ll protect everyone, worthy of your trust.”
“Thank you for properly taking into account the opinions of a teacher who has only just arrived on this desert island. I’ll do my best.”
“It’s nice to be praised alongside Mashiro and Mikron, but am I not getting any praise?”
Shouko wore an ambiguous expression.
“Aha ha, that’s not the case at all. It was thanks to your brightness that we didn’t let things get too dark despite being stranded on a desert island. We’ve been helped out in so many ways.” “R-really? If you say so, then it’s fine.”
Shouko responded as if nothing were wrong, but there was a hint of joy in her expression.
“Also, the barrier from the Dream Realm has allowed us to relax and feel at ease, Roa is doing the work of several people on his own, which is a huge help, and Shoube is… so full of energy, right?”
I made sure to praise my own team as well.
“Choi! Don’t use me as the punchline!”
Shokubu’s snarky remarks lightened the mood.
“It’s not exactly a punchline, but as far as Ono is concerned, there’s really nothing to praise yet, right? I doubt you even get a handle on his abilities.”
“Geez…”
At Yumekai’s words, Shokubu pressed a hand to her chest.
“Please be reassured, Miss Uruma. Master does not judge people based on their abilities.”
“That’s… that’s true, Loe-chan. So, what are my good points?”
”…Perhaps that you are very delicate and full of vigor?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Adorable, energetic…”
“It’s the same thing! It’s nice to hear ‘cute,’ but come on—fine, if it’s going to be like this, I have no choice but to work harder at gathering materials!”
Despite possessing an ability that seemed useless on this desert island—the power to finish makeup in an instant—her ability to maintain her spirits without falling into despair is, to me, a truly exceptional mental trait.
Perhaps it’s because her own nature feels entirely natural to herself, so she can’t quite grasp it when others praise her for it.
Moreover, Shokubu never harbors jealousy toward others, sincerely admires their abilities, and yet doesn’t change how she interacts with them from before the transfer.
Well, I mean, we barely had any contact before the transfer, so it is true that we’ve gotten quite good at talking now.
It wasn’t overt flattery, but the impression I got was that she interacted with people in a completely natural, effortless way.
Setting aside the fact that her abilities were well-received by the women, he was exactly the type of person you’d want as a teammate.
“Leave it to you, Ume. I’m looking forward to it too.”
“Yas! Let’s collect lots of colors and enjoy doing makeup together, huh~”
With that exchange between two gyaru girls as the finale, we split up by team and left the base.
I’ve finally achieved an overall annual ranking of 3rd place…!!!!!
Gratitude…!!!!!
I will keep working hard on updates!
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