The new member, Shoubu, said she wanted some cosmetics.
She’d probably been too shy to ask me directly, but since the other girls seemed interested too, I decided to use this as an opportunity to look for raw materials.
We already had the basic supplies from our previous lifestyle, so all that was left was finding ingredients that could add color.
The search for pigments was going smoothly until, unexpectedly, we spotted a cat during our exploration.
Roa, dressed in her maid outfit, was holding a cute little cat in her arms.
“…Where did you come from?”
I should have been wary, but it was so adorable that I couldn’t bear to make her just dump it on the ground.
“Cute! Wait? Why is it here?”
Shoubu’s reaction was straightforwardly innocent.
“…It wasn’t placed here as a source of ‘meat,’ right?”
Yume-gai asked with a complicated look on her face.
But she seemed to like cats too, shifting and fidgeting nervously.
“It has such beautiful fur, so it’s possible Shouko secretly had it ‘cuddle’ us to make us follow along…”
“Doesn’t that sound exactly like something Shouko would do?”
“I think so too.”
There’s an explanation for why this white cat is here, but its behavior is certainly out of character for Shouko.
Since even close associates like Soube are saying so, aside from me, I think we can safely dismiss the theory about Shouko’s abilities.
“Isn’t there a possibility that it’s just a living thing unrelated to the two-choice scenario in the white space?”
“It’s not exactly zero chance, but I’ve never seen a single one of those creatures until today. Rare spawns are a staple element in games, sure, but…”
Even as we talked like that, there was no sign of the cat attacking.
The cat wriggled out from under Roa’s arm and leaped over to me.
I caught it instinctively, and without hesitation, it pressed its cheek against mine.
It was so fluffy.
“…We should keep it.”
“Nah, Kuno. You’re being swayed way too quickly.”
“Hah. I-I apologize. I succumbed to the cat’s magic power.”
Unclear whether it understood our words or not, the cat tilted its head with a “meow…?” dealing me another massive blow of damage.
“Can’t we just take it home?”
Soube wiggled his hands excitedly as he slowly approached the cat.
The cat’s attitude became blatantly indifferent, but it didn’t resist Soube’s petting.
”…Kind of feel like it’s not me?”
“Master is well liked by both Mashiro and Mikuron, so perhaps he simply has a natural knack for being beloved by living things.”
Roan said, his voice tinged with pride.
“Ahh… yeah, there are people like that.
The type where kids and animals just naturally obey them without question,” Yumekai remarked, sounding convinced.
“Tamano, isn’t that a bit unfair? Being liked not only by beautiful girls but also by animals?”
“Even if you say it’s unfair…”
I gave a wry smile, but I knew it was about time to decide what to do with this kid.
“Why don’t we just do this for now? Have her get into something as a cover, and move her back to right outside the barrier. Then, once everyone returns, let her inside. Even if this child turns out to be a threat to us transferors, we can handle it if the whole party is together.”
“I’m with you!”
“Your ability to maintain vigilance while keeping a compassionate heart is truly admirable.”
”…Well, even if we let her go now, she might just follow us of her own will. Tamano’s plan seems like the best option after all.”
If this had been a monster that attacked humans, I would have been able to steel my heart and defeat it, no matter how cute its appearance might have been.
But right now, this cat hadn’t done anything at all. There was no way I could bring myself to attack.
Since I couldn’t just leave her behind either, I decided to put her in a small cage and bring her back with us.
I imagined a pet carrier and recreated it using wood.
“Here, can you stay in here for a bit?”
The cat, as if understanding the words, obediently entered.
“You’re so good… But I feel like we’ve met before, don’t you?”
”…I hate agreeing with you, but I agree.”
“Oh? You and Yorina are connecting on a spiritual level?”
“Stop being annoying.”
“I have so many tsundere girls around. Iku… be gentle.”
Shoei wrapped her arm around the arm opposite to the one holding the pet carrier.
At that moment, the scent of her, fresh from the bath she had just taken, drifted over, and further, the sensation of her bountiful chest enveloped my arm.
“Doesn’t Yuukai’s lack of reserve only mean she trusts Shoei?”
Still not used to physical contact with a girl, my heart pounding, I said, “Is that so?
Maybe it is?”
“It’s definitely not.”
“Well then, Yorina, do you hate me?”
Shoei asked Yuukai, her eyes glistening.
“……I’m not going to say anything beyond that.”
“Ahah, you’re getting sweet on me.”
“Ick.”
“It’s back to square one!”
Shobe laughed a dry, rattling laugh.
She too seemed to be enjoying the delicate balance of distance she maintained with Yumekai.
「For now, let’s head back to base」
If they weren’t creatures placed by the mysterious blackboard—then they had to be someone’s ability.
Were they using a summoning ability like Shōko’s for reconnaissance, or perhaps…?
Anyway, they should be able to handle it once the entire party is together.
Even if their base location was exposed, only authorized individuals could enter the barrier.
They returned to the grassland and waited for a while for the members of the other team.
「Huh?
Hey over there!
I’m home~」 Shōko’s voice rang out across the grassland. 「Oh, you’re back」
While waiting, he had been using his ‘Craft’ ability to generate prototype cosmetics and letting the cat outside to play, so he hadn’t grown bored.
On Mashiro’s back were Shōko, Fukumitsu, and Shion.
On Mikuron’s back were Sengyū and Professor Luminous.
They frowned, puzzled by the fact that we were standing outside the barrier, yet still approached us.
“Everyone, what are you all doing out here? …Wait, is that a cat!?”
”…Sōkun. You can see a kitten? Are we having hallucinations?”
“I don’t think it’s a hallucination, Chiyu-san.”
“It is a cat… very cute, but…”
“Excuse me, sir; it must be something unknown to the teacher. Are cats actually native to this desert island?”
Timing it just as my companions finished descending from the phantom beasts, I explained the situation.
“No, no, I definitely didn’t summon anyone.”
Shouko shook her head.
“I know. Which means it’s some kind of hidden character feature, or if not that—then someone’s ability.”
Tension rippled through the members of the other team.
“Are you guys okay?”
Shōko looked worried.
“Looks like there’s no hostility, and since everyone’s gathered, we can handle whatever happens. So, how was it on your end?”
“Well, about that. The teacher’s side also has a report to make.”
“What happened?”
“Only two female students were found. Those two agreed to join Ms. Sumihou willingly, but…”
True to her form.
But there were three unidentified girls in total.
In other words, one of them is missing.
“Can’t even you track it with your nose?”
“Mm. There’s no scent of human girls left anymore. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
“N-no way… a monster…”
The teacher trembled.
As of yesterday’s vote, the 21 votes constituted a majority, so up until this morning, there had been no deaths.
But that didn’t mean it was impossible for someone to have died today.
“Or perhaps this kitty is the last one.”
Like a detective pointing out the culprit, Chi’ru pointed decisively at the cat.
The cat flinched and leaped up, climbing onto my body.
I lifted the cat and cradled it in my arms.
The cat meowed softly, seeking affection.
”…Wait. Sōsuke-kun, that kitty is lying.”
“—Shion, no way…”
Shion’s ability was the power to detect lies.
Even in a cat’s meow, she could sense if there was deceit within it. “Yeah. I’m sure of it.” “Huh?
Huh?
What do you mean?”
Shōbu looked on in complete bewilderment.
”…Sensei, probably no one has died. The reason Shirou’s nose couldn’t catch the ‘scent of a human girl’ was—I think it’s because they were transformed into a non-human creature.”
“B-But how—Ah. Could it be a ‘Transformation Ability’!?”
That’s right. It had been listed among the example abilities displayed on the mysterious blackboard before Sensei teleported away.
Specifically, ‘Charisma’ and ‘Transformation Ability.’
”…Hey. Who was the one who couldn’t be found?”
Yume-kai looked at Shōko and asked.
“It’s, Myaa but…”
Myaa, as called by Shōko and Shōbu, should have been a tall girl on the volleyball team.
”…I see. Now I know why Taniko got attached to you.”
At Yume-kai’s statement, the cat frantically shook her body.
“No way… You mean that cat is Myaa?”
Meiko’s face registered pure disbelief.
Of course she didn’t buy it when told the cat right in front of her was a friend.
I gently set the cat on the ground and asked, “If that’s true, please change back into your original form.”
The cat slumped in apparent resignation—and for a split second, flashed with light.
When the light faded, standing there was a red-haired girl from the volleyball club, her face bright red as she bowed her head.
Day 9 on the desert island will be a bit longer,
while trying to ensure the existing heroines don’t get overshadowed,
I also hope to depict their interactions with the new heroines.
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