We’d just heard a story that would completely change the food situation.
With Nagahata’s “Plant Magic,” they could grow and harvest plants that shouldn’t currently exist on the island.
“Ugh… My ability, and you’re all just deciding things behind my back…”
Toyoshima, the bearer of the “Food Creation” ability, groaned in a lazy manner.
“It’s not behind your back.
We discussed it beforehand,” Sumiho interjected immediately.
“Hmm, did we?
Maybe we did,” Toyoshima said, tilting their head ambiguously.
They looked like they didn’t really remember what had been said.
Sumiho let out a sigh before speaking again.
“Anyway, let me explain it. Toyoshima Mitsukan’s ability allows you to create ‘favorite foods.’ However, it’s limited to ‘one type per day’ and only enough for ‘yourself to get full.’”
It took a few seconds to process Sumiho’s explanation.
“So it’s like, whether it’s ramen or steak, once you pick one, you can’t create anything else for that entire day?”
“Something like that—and same taste, same cut.
Eating the same thing three times a day would get boring, right,” Toyoshima nodded in agreement.
“I see. And Nagahata Reia’s ability is generated by ‘looking at’ ‘plants.’”
“Up to what state does the term ‘plant’ extend?”
Fukumi asked.
It was certainly a fair question.
Wheat is a plant, but what about flour? No one calls udon or okonomiyaki “plants.”
Even if something starts as a plant, it transforms into something that can no longer be called so as processing advances.
To what degree it recognizes an object as a plant is a critical factor.
“You can’t extract wheat from udon or flour, but you’re fine up to the stage of just wheat grains~”
We received the answer directly from Nagahata herself.
“I see, so as long as the husks are removed, it’s within the acceptable range,”
Fukumi nodded, her face set in a thoughtful expression, one hand resting on her chin.
“Ahh, wait! Rice!? What about rice?!”
Shion, the chef, asked with an excited tone.
“In the case of cooked white rice, that would be a bit too much to expect…”
“I can’t really recognize it as cooked rice either if you don’t process the raw rice at all.”
Both of them let out voices tinged with confusion.
But my companions should have understood why Shiine was so excited.
Nagahata’s ability had synergy effects, particularly because it could access a bonus area available only to our group.
“Ahem, I’ll explain the reasoning later, but we know how to obtain things that don’t exist on this island. …And, Nagahata.”
I arranged several grains of rice onto my open palm.
“Well. This is raw rice… right?”
Resting a hand against her cheek, Nagahata voiced a hint of surprise.
“Yes. Do these grains satisfy the activation conditions for your ability?
May I touch them?”
I nodded, and Nagahata turned her palm upward.
I let the grains fall from my hand onto hers in a gentle shower.
“Thank you~. And then… hmm, mmm.”
Nagahata’s eyes, narrowed to slits like drawn lines, snapped open.
“This should be more than enough~ I’m so… Reika-chan?”
Receiving Nagahata’s gaze, Sumuhou gave a nod.
Nagahata then turned her attention to the empty space within their base.
“Right then, here goes~ Hee-ho!”
For an instant, the space seemed to shimmer, and immediately shoots of crops popped up one by one, growing rapidly until they bore golden ears of grain.
It was a scene that would leave even someone far removed from agriculture speechless.
“S-So, that’s what my ability is~”
The owner of the power stood there with a calm, gentle smile.
“Hmm, does this mean I don’t need me? Doesn’t that just mean you get rice without having to work? Ooh, isn’t that nice.”
Toyoshima’s interest seemed entirely consumed by the prospect of free food and zero labor.
“That’s hardly how it works. If they could access it unlimitedly, people like Kunou Sousuke wouldn’t show it to us. Which means there are limits on their end too. So there is still room for your ability to be useful.”
It was true, but Sumuhou’s mind worked fast no matter what. “Haa~? Just a false start then, isn’t it~”
Toyoda stuck out her tongue with a sad-looking face.
“Do keep that kind of agonized groaning to yourself.”
“Um, Lord Reika, would it be all right if we harvested the wheat over there ourselves?”
Lorah, the maid, raised her hand modestly to ask.
“Hm? Sure, go ahead. Honestly, have Nagahata Reia produce more of it.”
“Yes ma’am. If you activate it in several separate bursts, you can generate plenty~”
“Then then! I’ll help out too!”
Umeme raised her hand, offering to assist.
“No need. Masu Umeme, there is something I need to ask you. Report on the Shadow Ledger over there.”
“Eh? If it’s about Sōsuke and the others, I don’t really want to talk about them. I’m not selling out my comrades!”
Umeme said this while putting on an exaggerated performance.
“Oh my, aren’t we supposed to be your comrades as well? Or have you become uninterested in your former associates now that you’ve found a new path?”
“Hmm… I, what should I do…?”
Junko fell into a state of confusion.
“Junko, it’s fine to just answer the questions you’re asked.”
When I said that, Junko looked at me and asked, “Really?”
“Since I ended up finding out all sorts of information about the Seiou Party this time around, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t share things on my side with you.”
That statement wasn’t a lie, but it was merely a diplomatic front.
After the emergency event, I had come to believe that I should cooperate with Seiou.
Ideally, I wanted to consult with my comrades first, but it wouldn’t hurt to wait until after the celebration party.
“Uh-huh, got it. Oh, but regarding Sōsuke’s hobbies, I promise not to tell anyone outside our group, so don’t worry!”
”…Ah, thank you.”
Due to the way Junko phrased that assurance, it sounded like I had some dangerous hobbies, but since there was no malice behind it, I didn’t feel like getting angry.
Under the lead of Inshin, whose face was flushed red, Junko was guided to one of the huts.
I felt as though Inshin was muttering something like, “Kuno-kun’s sexual quirks… I have to expose this…”, but is he okay?
“Mm-hmm. It’s not a replacement for Shōbu, but let me help with the rice harvesting. I should be able to improve the efficiency of the harvest using my Awakened ability.”
Tsurugi offered to help.
I have a nature that finds joy in combat, but I am glad to see he possesses a cooperative spirit beyond that; it earns my respect.
“Given that, I believe my magic could be useful as well.”
With Deep Law’s wind magic added to the mix, they’d have the strength of a hundred men.
“Please focus on the cooking, Shion-sama. We will handle the harvesting of the rice.”
“Yes, I’ll leave that to you then. Thank you.”
Shion accepted Ra’s proposal with a smile.
“If there are any injured or exhausted students, I can heal them. I can also help calm their minds.”
“Oh, Izama Chiuyu. That is a most generous offer. The wounded and those who have been mentally shaken are in the hut over there.”
While no one suffered serious injuries, it was no surprise that there were casualties given they were fighting monsters, even with prior preparation.
Besides, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for a regular student to lose their composure upon seeing a horde of monsters.
“Mm, I have the Sedation spell as well, so you can rely on me.”
“Ah, then please allow your teacher to accompany Chiuyu. I am worried about how the students are doing.”
“Ah, sure. Thank you, Professor.”
With a smile, Seihou saw them off as Chiyu and Luminas-san made their way away.
“Oh, it’s Aoi. Hey, hey, Moshiko, why don’t we go say hi?”
Genju had spotted a friend.
The girl known as Aoi, whose name came up often, was the last remaining member of Moshiko’s group in class.
“Sounds good! We couldn’t talk to her earlier either. She’s alone in her party, so she might be miffed.”
“She probably isn’t angry, but I think she’s feeling a bit lonely.”
“Then Sougo, go with them.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Mashiro and Hyarou are coming along~. Mikuron will be Sougo’s bodyguard!”
Mashiro and Hyarou lined up beside Moshiko, while Mikuron latched onto me.
Petting the fluffy black dragon, I gave Moshiko a wry smile.
“Protect me from what?”
“Like, tempting the lusty Sougo or something?”
I couldn’t deny that.
Seihou intends to pull me away.
It wouldn’t be out of character for her to take direct action, would it?
Even short of that, there are girls who seek out physical intimacy the way Momo does.
It’s no wonder Sayoko is worried.
“What are you going to do about this?”
Sayoko looked at Serina.
“I’m going to stay right next to Sousuke.”
”…Got it.”
Sayoko puffed out her cheeks for a moment, but then she started walking off with Genchu.
“Was that a good thing?”
“You were worried too, weren’t you? It’s not just about being smaller; having an actual girlfriend by your side serves to deter any women trying to make a move on Sousuke.”
“Ah, Yume-kai Serina. Whom do you mean, I wonder?”
“Why don’t you place a hand on your chest and think about it?”
The gazes of Seihou, smiling wickedly, and Serina, looking displeased, crossed in the air.
“Whoa-oh. I’ve been left behind. Let’s just run for now.”
“Hold on. We should take this opportunity to deepen our exchange.”
Seihou grabbed Toyoshima by the collar of his shirt as he tried to leave.
“Ugh, what a waste…”
Toyoshima slumped his shoulders in defeat.
“Toyoshima Michiam. You want to live a life of relative ease, don’t you?”
“Mm-hmm. It’d be even better if I had manga and games, but if not, I just wanna zone out and kill time~. And I want delicious food.”
I see. For someone who loves manga, games, and food, if they could bring only one thing to a desert island, it would definitely be the food.
Given that conversation, her reasoning for choosing that ability made perfect sense.
“Being on good terms with Sosei Kuno isn’t essential for living an easy life, is it?” “Mm… Maybe?”
“Besides, with Seireina Yumekai’s barrier ability, there’s no need to fear the beasts.”
“That’s true…”
It felt like Toyoshima was being talked into something, but the mention of barriers reminded me of something.
”…Ah, right, Seireina. Could I ask you for a barrier?”
We couldn’t afford any interruptions during the firework viewing. “Sure. It’s already set up.”
She had clearly already taken action. “Oh, right. Thanks.”
As I thanked her, Seireina broke into a delighted smile.
“Sosei! Isn’t Sosei dating Roha?”
Toyoshima, who had been watching us, asked casually.
It would be rude to Roh to dodge the question here.
So, despite feeling a bit embarrassed, I gave a firm nod.
“Yeah.”
“But you’re still hanging out with Yume Kaija too, right?”
Shina directed an expectant gaze at me.
“And Shina, yeah.”
I felt my face catch fire.
If I had a bit more dating experience, could I introduce my partners more smoothly?
“Waaah. That’s so cool. Or rather, how many girls do you have?”
There were ten of us in the party. Of the nine girls excluding me, six agreed to be my girlfriends.
Genchuu was just now reaching the point where I could talk one-on-one with her, and while things had progressed with Juna or Professor Lumina, we weren’t actually dating yet…
“Six.”
Toyoshima’s eyes went wide.
“Whoa, that’s impressive!”
“Right, right, Sōsuke is a real tough cookie.”
Yorina said, brimming with pride.
“To turn the great Yume Shina into a lovesick maiden must take some serious skill,” Sumifou chimed in. “What? Got something to say?”
“No. I’m actually glad you stayed behind on the desert island.”
“I wouldn’t leave Sōsuke behind and come home, obviously.”
Serina tightened her grip on my arm just slightly.
Sumisue was smirking, the corners of his mouth twisted in delight.
“What are you grinning for?”
“No, I just think I can get along with Sōsuke and the others.”
“Huh?”
Serina looked bewildered, but Sumisue didn’t let his smile fade.
“Hey, hey, Kuwano.”
Toyoshima spoke up next.
“What’s up?”
“If I became your girlfriend too, would you take care of me as well?”
I nearly choked on my laughter.
“Come on. We don’t date based on some kind of exchange deal.”
Serina glared at Toyoshima with an annoyed expression.
It wasn’t exactly “taking care of,” but Shion initially felt that her contribution was insufficient, and that insecurity actually became a catalyst for the relationship’s development.
However, naturally, we had never demanded a romantic relationship in exchange for safety in our daily lives.
“Yeah, right. In that case, how about I just count as a pet?”
Toyoshima stumbled closer and latched onto my waist.
Cups that were far too large for her frame pressed against the side of my thigh.
And making full use of her youthful, girl-like appearance, she looked up at me with a pleading gaze, clinging to me as if in reliance.
“I can’t do anything besides put out enough food to eat every day, but… would you mind taking care of me?”
Then, for some reason, she clamped her hands into fists and placed them on her cheeks.
After that, she said it.
”…Woof.”
“Mmph!!”
The one clutching her chest in distress was Sera, who was standing next to me.
Toyoshima kept going without lowering her eyes from mine.
“No worry about walks, and if you just prepare the food, I can eat it myself. Oh, but I’d appreciate it if you could wash my hair and dry it. Since I’m a pet, ‘that’s impossible’ is not an option~”
“S-so this guy thinks he’s all things and stuff just because he’s cute?”
Her face was flushed red, but Sera managed to glare at Toyoshima as if trying to hold back her words.
“I’m sure Roh will be okay with it, though. But the leader is Kuno-san, right? …Is it no?”
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