I headed to the bathroom with Sone and Fukanobu, filling the tub for them.
“Thanks, Sousuke.”
“Will we end up keeping everyone waiting…”
Fukanobu looked anxious.
“We can soak properly later; right now, let’s just focus on washing off the grime, Minorin!”
“Y-Yeah, that’s true.”
“I’ll head out then. I’ve cleaned up the uniforms for you guys.”
“Roger that!”
“Thank you very much.”
From the bath, I moved to the changing area to arrange their clothes before stepping into the hallway and heading toward the living room.
In the living room, Sene, Shion, Roa, and Serina were sitting around a table having tea.
“Oh, Sousuke.”
Serina, who had noticed me, smiled happily.
Since Serina usually maintains the same demeanor with everyone else, seeing that smile reserved just for me made me feel quite happy.
“Hmm. ‘Purification,’ ‘Intermediate Recovery.’”
As soon as she looked at me, my childhood friend cast a set of purification and healing spells on me.
“Thanks, Sene. By the way, what were you four talking about?”
“Hehe, it was a bit about Serina-chan’s turn to be in charge.”
Shiina smiled with a coquettish air as she spoke.
“Regarding the night shift, the rule is that a new lover takes the last slot of the rotation. Since it happened to be my turn yesterday, I was told there was no issue with Yorina taking over today’s watch.”
“Huh. Of course. Also, I’ll talk to Shouko and Mino as well.”
“So… that’s how it is…”
She spoke of it as if it were perfectly natural, but if she was on night watch… did Yorina accept the fact that she and I would become involved in that sort of relationship?
No, I already knew she had feelings for me.
“So… do you dislike it?”
“I don’t.”
On this point at least, let’s make it clear.
I myself am drawn to Yorina.
On this desert island, one simply needs to live honestly with those feelings… that was something I had naturally come to accept myself. Or rather, it was still difficult, but the resistance I once felt no longer existed. “So. Then, I’m glad.”
“Uh… let’s talk about the shift details later.” “Yeah. Understood.”
Yorina nodded like a docile child.
“What about the others?”
“Luminas and Urme are up top.”
Maybe they were in their own rooms.
“Mia’s outside,”
Yorina informed me.
“A, that’s right, Sōsuke-kun. For tonight’s dinner, I’m thinking we do something to celebrate the fact that all the classmates have formed cooperative relationships.”
“I see… When you say a celebration at our place, are you talking about yakiniku?”
“Fufu, I thought you’d say that. In that case, after we gather everyone, we’re heading outside, so could you do a bit of light preparation for us?”
Shion said with a teasing smile.
…Does that mean I should talk to Genchu who is outside?
Opportunities to be alone with her are rare, and it’s hard to say we’re truly close yet.
I’d better make the most of this opportunity while I can.
“Leave it to me.”
Even if it’s just a pretext, would it be okay to set up barbecue equipment and a bonfire…? That’s what I wondered.
Stepping outside, I saw Genchu looking up at the moon. “…Huh.
Ah, K, Kudo.”
“Hey, Genchu. Deep in thought on your own?”
“No, not really… I just felt like getting some wind. What about you?”
“We’re doing yakiniku for dinner tonight with everyone… no, barbecue? Anyway, we decided to cook and eat a variety of things. So, this is the preparation for that.” “Ah, right.
Yeah, sounds good.”
Makichu Obo. A tall girl in the volleyball club.
A beautiful girl with red hair reaching her shoulders and a large chest.
In class, she belonged to Meiko’s group, but she wasn’t flashy or showy at all.
We were in the same class during our first year, though I don’t think we had much contact.
But she had been acting like she was aware of me, and I’d been wondering if something had happened.
“Hey, Makichu.”
“W-what’s up?”
She looked visibly tense.
I shouldn’t have just blurted out the main point right away, should I?
“You ever get a craving to play volleyball?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, it’s our eleventh day on the island, right? Since you’ve been handling the ball almost every day in club activities, don’t you miss it sometimes?”
Makichu initially looked confused by my words, but quickly furrowed her brow in thought before nodding.
“Volleyball… yeah. I think I do want to play.”
“I guess so. I actually meant to wait until I made the ball to hand it over to you, but… I still haven’t been able to make one yet. In the meantime,
“Though that’s a bit off, what do you think of this?”
What I had placed in my hands was a hollow ball made by stitching together pieces of deer leather.
I gently tossed it to Genchu, and she caught it easily.
“A ball?”
“I consulted with Fukami about it, but trying to make an old-style volleyball, I found out they used cowhide back then… For now, since we had deer leather on hand, I just gave it a shot.”
Since it is apparently the same material used for the balls in cuju (kumikyu), it shouldn’t be completely off the mark.
“That’s amazing… Can I use it?”
“It’s Genchu’s now.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Genchu tossed the ball straight up and repeatedly bounced the falling ball back up again.
“Whoa. Living up to your volleyball club rep, no wobble there.”
If I tried it, it would probably fly off in all directions right away.
“It’s not like that at all… The feel is pretty different, but… yeah, it reminds me of school.”
The sound of bon… bon resonated, soaking into the night. “Ah, um, Sakuno?” “Hm? What’s up?”
“Last year, we were in the same class, right?”
“Yeah, we were.”
“I don’t think I remember, but…”
Gengyo began to speak.
It was during a physical education class last year.
The day the gymnasium was split in two for separate boys’ and girls’ volleyball games.
Two thoughtless guys laughed at Gengyo’s play, mocking him with disdain.
But apparently, I said something to those two that put a damper on their mood.
From Gengyo’s perspective, she felt like she had been shielded or protected.
So that’s why she had a favorable impression of me? ”…Ah! Now I remember.”
Come to think of it, something like that did happen.
If I recall correctly, the two were joking around, laughing as they called her a “Big Girl” or said things like, “Creepy (lol)” and “There’s no way anyone would want a girlfriend who looks like that.”
It was despicable if they thought it was funny, and even if they were jealous of Gengyo’s blessed physique and superior play, they should have chosen their words more carefully.
Since I had already heard them, ignoring it would have felt bad, so I made a point of loudly declaring, “She looks cool and graceful. It must be wonderful to have a girlfriend like that.”
Fortunately, my other friends went along with it, leaving the pair of guys looking awkwardly uncomfortable.
It was an embarrassing thing to say, even by my own standards, but it was a moment where I had to push past the embarrassment and speak up.
“I was happy hearing that. I’ve been subjected to comments like that since I was a child. There were plenty of people who told me not to worry about it, but… getting spoken to like that… it was the first time ever.”
“Sorry for the cheesy line… Now that I remember saying it, I’m feeling a bit embarrassed.”
“Don’t say things like that. It’s just that… Kouno, you were really cool.”
“As long as Ganjuu isn’t feeling bad about it… that’s good enough for me…”
T-that’s right, by the way… uhm… was that just… a compliment to spare my feelings…?”
Before I knew it, Ganjuu was hugging a ball against her chest.
The deer-hide ball caused the two mounds on Ganjuu’s chest to bump up slightly.
“Nah, I think Ganjuu is a charming girl. Those two guys just had poor taste in judgment.”
“Oh… okay… thank you…”
Ganjuu fidgeted, picking at the tips of her hair with her fingers.
Then, she looked at me.
In the moonlight, her eyes were illuminated, and I could see they were glistening with tears.
“Um… since that day… I’ve thought you, Kuno-san, were really… wonderful…”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Ah, thank you…”
“Ugh… it’s embarrassing.”
Genchuu covered her face with one hand and lowered her gaze.
It was a scene straight out of a high school romance novel. I stood there, at a loss for words.
“I’m starving! Sohatsu, wanna help me start the fire? …Hey, Myaa, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing is wrong!”
Personally, I thought it was great timing from you, Shouko.
How to handle a mood like that is still beyond me.
Besides, the reason Genchuu felt good about me was now perfectly clear.
If my actions had saved someone, then it was a happy thing.
And I wouldn’t have noticed how she felt if we hadn’t been stranded on this desert island.
Thinking that way, being transferred here wasn’t all bad.
With those thoughts in mind, I set about preparing dinner.
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