The true identity of the cute cat was a female volleyball player.
I couldn’t quite make sense of it even as I said it, but on this desert island, things like that actually happened.
She had a “transformation ability.”
She must have been transformed into a cat.
“Mmm… why is it always exposed…”
Red hair reaching down to her shoulders. Tall and slender, yet possessed of a toned body.
She was wearing her uniform, but there were no signs of dirt on it. Perhaps that was because she had been in her cat form for so long.
She hadn’t worn a single thing as a cat, yet when she reverted to human form, she was wearing her uniform, so the equipment used during transformation was likely stored away somewhere.
Something like an “Inventory” system for me.
Genju Oyu.
Probably called Miao after sounds like “mia-miao” or “meow.”
Her nickname seemed feline, but I wondered if that was related to her ability to transform into a cat.
“It’s Miao!” / “Seriously, it’s Miao” / “Miao-chan” / “Just as I suspected, it’s Miao”
Called by the nickname in rapid succession by her group members—Shobuko, Shoubu, Shiin, and Yumeikai—Genju hunched over.
「Quit making those miau-miau sounds…」
Genshū covered her face with both hands, her voice rising in pitch as she squeaked.
“Genshū. It’s good to see you’re unharmed, but why did you approach us in the form of a cat?”
Even if she wanted to become allies, I thought they might remain on guard after her true identity was exposed like this.
“…If she’s a cat, she’s cute”
I usually imagined her speaking a bit more clearly and boldly, but perhaps the embarrassment of her cover being blown was getting to her, because her voice was very quiet. It was the kind of volume that would be lost if even a light breeze blew.
“Yeah, cats are definitely cute, but…”
I couldn’t quite get my head around it.
Just as he said that, her stomach let out a loud, embarrassing rumble.
Genshū’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. Even her ears were bright red.
“For now, how about we have you come inside and eat something?”
Shion suggested.
Because they were friends, she didn’t seem to be too wary.
“Right, I suppose. Before that, though, there are two things I need to confirm with Genshū. You don’t belong to any other team, do you?”
“…No. I’ve been alone all along”
“If that’s the case, then one more thing. It’s fine for you to want to become our comrade, right?”
”…Yeah. Ku-no was… no, um, Seirei and Junme were there too, so I didn’t want the other guy.”
When she looked at Shion, she met my gaze and nodded.
She wore a faint, bitter smile, but I couldn’t quite tell what that meant.
Anyway, it seemed true both that they had been traveling alone and that they wanted to join us.
“Then, let’s head back to base for now.”
So, we all returned to our headquarters.
I’ll skip the usual scene of the new members being shocked by the barrier or the base itself.
I guided them into the living room and served the bread, jam, and soup from my Inventory.
I figured it was better if they had something in their stomachs first.
Genchu was surprised by this too, but her hunger apparently won out, as she started eating with incredible speed.
“Mmph. Hmph. Thank you. I haven’t had a proper meal in ages…”
“The food was made by Shion.”
“Oh? That’s impressive, Shion.”
“Phew, thank you. Now that you’ve calmed down… is it alright if I ask you about a few things?”
“Mm… yeah.”
The boy’s face turned red again.
In summary, it hadn’t been that difficult.
She had been stranded on a desert island and had survived all this time by making full use of her transformation abilities.
By transforming into a slender cat, she could easily escape predators; apparently, she would climb trees to weather the attacks.
However, no matter what she transformed into, the amount of food she needed remained dependent on her human form’s requirements, and it seemed she had struggled hard to secure food supplies.
She explained that she would only revert to her human appearance when eating something; otherwise, she transformed into animals just to barely scrape by with her life.
「Ugh-uh… That must have been tough, Genchu-san」
Sensei Luminus teared up thinking about her hardships.
“Maybe it’s possible to become an animal.”
Shouko, who had chosen the summoning ability, murmured.
“It is certainly a power one would admire.”
“It is the ability to dream as a child, yes.”
Fukaho and Roa agreed.
「…So, what are we going to do?
You’re one of the three girls we were looking for, so should we send you off to Jouh’s place?」 Yumekai said.
It sounded a bit cold, but they couldn’t keep expanding their group without limit.
Someone had to keep a level head, so Yume-kai took that role.
“Wait, hold on.
I’d really like to join this group,” Genchu said in a fluster.
As for me, it looked like we’d be stuck on this desert island for a while longer, so an extra body wouldn’t hurt…
Naturally, assuming they were someone the rest of us could actually get along with as teammates.
If Genchu had the drive and the others accepted her, then her Transformation Ability would be useful, I figured. It was a fair enough deal.
“Can you follow our rules?”
Sen-ju asked, crossing her arms.
“I’ll do whatever it takes!”
“Well then, adding to Saiku-kun’s harem—-”
“Genchu-san! Don’t say something so careless!”
Mr. Luminas cut in swiftly to interrupt Sen-ju.
“Mm-hmm. Take good care of yourself, okay?”
Shoube added, speaking with a gentle, admonishing tone.
“I’ve been listening to what Takano and the others have to say, so I know anyone can’t just become a member. But I think my ability could be useful!”
Genchu stood up from her seat and looked me straight in the eyes as she said it.
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