It felt like Chiiru’s remark shifted the mood among the women.
That said, nothing happened immediately.
Since my “Crafting” ability was sealed away, everyone pitched in to clean up afterwards.
I offered to do it tomorrow, but I was told that leaving things entirely up to me wasn’t a wise idea—a fair point—so we decided to finish up today.
Of course, I helped out.
Since Seline’s “Barrier” ability was also sealed, we set up watch rotations at each base camp for the night.
However, as it turned out, us islanders were incapable of sleeping through until exactly midnight.
This was information Chouo’s team had obtained by posing questions to the mysterious blackboard.
Monsters wouldn’t attack during the period from after we fell asleep until we could wake up at five in the morning.
So, all we had to do was stay alert until then.
That said, the watch shifts around midnight required special care.
Since there was no accurate way to tell time, if I just let myself fall asleep, I might catch a cold.
Just to be safe, I distributed sheep’s wool blankets to everyone.
We took watch in pairs, naturally including me.
There was some back-and-forth about who I’d be paired with, but it ended up being Miyao.
In addition to the stone wall surrounding our base camp, there were other markers indicating the absolute limit of Seina’s barrier range, so a normal beast wouldn’t stand a chance getting through.
But this island was home to magic beasts.
Setting up a bonfire to ensure visibility, the two of us kept watch.
”……S-Sorry for startling you. You were quiet earlier.”
Perhaps to break the awkward silence, Miyao initiated the conversation.
“I suppose so…… I was surprised too.”
“W-Well, what do you think?”
“What about it?…… Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined such a thing before the teleportation.”
“Right. Just the mere possibility of someone hooking up with someone else would have been a major event… Ah, right, none of the girls in our class have boyfriends. At least not that I know of.”
“I-I see.”
Our class was full of beauties, yet strangely enough, none of them seemed to be dating.
Maybe because they were pretty and had their own talents, giving them plenty of self-confidence, which in turn raised the bar for their ideal partner.
“I have a feeling I know what Sou-suke is thinking.”
“Huh?”
“It’s true that some kids might have lofty ideals, but I think there are also those who simply haven’t ever fallen for someone.” “Ah…
I see.”
That was an unexpected perspective.
My first love was Chiiru, my childhood friend, back when we were in kindergarten. In that sense, I must have known what romance was quite early on.
But not everyone is the same.
There’s nothing wrong with not having experienced a first crush yet.
“T-talking of which… there are guys I find interesting, but I think there are those who haven’t had the courage to approach them…”
Miyo said this, glancing briefly in my direction.
It might have been an illusion, but her cheeks appeared flushed under the light of the bonfire.
“I, I see. That must be true too…”
I couldn’t imagine myself being the popular type.
However, even before our reincarnation, Chiiru and I were mutually in love, and both Shoushi and Fukaho had held affection for me.
It was surprising to hear that Miyo also had feelings for me.
If I had stayed in my previous world, choosing Chiyu would have meant the other women were left with nothing but a broken heart.
But thanks to chance—being transported to this desert island in another world—and because Chiyu was so generous, I managed to be in a relationship with multiple people.
Moreover, I ended up dating Lo and Serein, too, even though we had no prior connection before the transfer.
“Which is why I think you’re amazing, Sousuke.”
“Huh?”
“You know, it’s not that your abilities are amazing. Everyone followed your commands and defeated the Golem in the cave, all without needing a ‘Craft Ability.’ You did it today too.”
She was referring to earlier.
It felt good to be praised, but I knew my crew only listened because of the trust we’d built up on this island, and the reason I could take down the Golem was that my physical stats had improved thanks to Chiyu’s “Beginner Healing” training regimen.
“Sousuke, you’re being modest in your head again, aren’t you?”
“Was your ability ‘Mind Reading’?”
As I joked with a wry smile, Miyao stared back at me with serious eyes.
“Even when you didn’t know what was coming next, you still took Chiyu’s hand. And now that you’ve gained a ‘Craft Ability,’ you haven’t used it for selfish purposes. You keep transferring your ‘Return Rights’ to others, rushing into the most dangerous positions in battle first, and even after your abilities were sealed, you’d still charge out to protect your comrades.”
”…Thank you.”
It was incredibly embarrassing, but I couldn’t mock someone who was speaking so earnestly, so I just accepted her words as they were.
“I’ve made up my mind, you know.”
”…About what?”
“You protect everyone. So I’m going to protect you.”
Miyo straightened her back, placed her hand over her heaving chest, and spoke with a face set in solemn resolve.
Her expression was strikingly noble, yet it radiated the fierce will she kept hidden deep within.
“…Miyo looks cool.”
“S-so, so, so… I-I suppose so too,”
Miyo’s posture instantly slumped as she fidgeted, her face burning red as she mumbled.
I almost blurted out that she was cute, but I caught myself before it slipped out, realizing how unseemly that would be.
“I’ll be counting on you going forward.”
“Y-yeah, leave it to me.”
“Oh, and if Miyo ever ends up in a bind, I’ll lend a hand. Let’s look out for each other.”
Hearing that, Miyo’s eyes went wide for a split second, before she offered a soft smile.
“That sounds good. That’s much better that way.”
She must have spent the time thinking deeply about what happened in the cave, in her own way.
Her determination was admirable, and her feelings were truly heartwarming.
In that manner, Miyo and I managed to grow just a little bit closer than we had been before.
And so, the time for the change of shift arrived.
When I returned to my room, Mr. Luminas was there.
“I-I didn’t mean to barge in without permission; it just seemed improper, but I couldn’t have any other students seeing you…”
Mr. Luminas spoke rapidly, his face flushed crimson.
Yes.
Tonight was the night for me and Mr. Luminas.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Oh, thank you. And… before we start anything, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yes.”
“Everything that is about to happen is a dream.”
“A dream?”
“That is to say, a teacher and student… no matter how one spins the reasoning, what is wrong remains wrong… In reality, it simply must not happen.” I see.
That is certainly true.
If viewed in terms of reality, it was a relationship where only the teacher bore the risk.
It would have been far too irresponsible for me to ignore my feelings and press him, and I had no intention of doing such a thing.
“So then, exactly… oh, that’s right, it is a dream, isn’t it?”
Mr. Luminas nodded vigorously, his face so red it looked as if flames were erupting from his head.
“If it’s a dream, no one can hold anyone accountable.”
That, too, was entirely true.
No one was watching, but Mr. Luminous must have needed this.
In that case, I would simply throw myself into it with everything I had.
“Um… well then, Mr. Luminous. What kind of dream is it?”
As I asked, heat flickered in the man’s eyes.
“It is a dream where a female teacher falls in love with a male student and spends the night together.”
It felt so exquisite that waking up midway would likely kill me from sheer frustration.
I’m sorry for the delay in updating…!!!!!!
The latest chapter of the comic adaptation was released last Wednesday!
Since “Laraku Desu Game” has also completed its first part,
I would be very happy if you could give it a read this time!
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