If I could take just one thing to a desert island, it would be crafting skills.

To which my childhood friend, Chiiru, gave me a look that was hard to read.

"The question doesn't explicitly restrict the answer to things that actually exist in reality, so I'd say it's possible."

I know perfectly well that my answer fails to read the room.

If this were a conversation with my friends, I probably would have mentioned a "knife."

But with a childhood friend where trust is established, I figure it's fine to give my honest answer.

"In that case, I'd choose— Healing Magic."

"Aah, that's good. With no medicine available, there’s a chance you could die from a cold. Being able to cure injuries and illnesses with mysterious power is mighty strong."

"Then I shall save Kun's life."

Chiiru clenched her fist tightly and thrust her stubby arm toward the sky.

"I'm flattered, but in your imagination, it seems like I'm constantly on the brink of death..."

It’s a wonderful precaution to have Healing Magic as a backup, but if possible, I'd prefer to live a healthy life where I never need such care.

「Wha—what? So that's a go too, huh?»

The one butting into my conversation with Chiyu was a beautiful girl with blonde side tails.

Inuwa Shouko.

A gyaru who's nice to otaku... no, more accurately, a communication powerhouse who treats everyone equally without exception.

Her school uniform buttons are undone quite daringly, revealing her ample breasts and soft skin through the gaps in the fabric, making it impossible not to get distracted for a second, but I pull my eyes back up with an iron will.

"Ahhh, you were looking today too~?"

Well, it's obvious she knows I'm doing it.

That said, just staring because I've already been caught would lower her approval rating, not to mention the rest of the class's, so I suppose a certain amount of delicacy in looking away is necessary.

"Well, let's set that aside."

"Don't you dare 'set it aside'~"

At my deflection, she laughs out loud.

"So, may I formally apologize?"

"That's too dramatic this time! —I mean, no need to check the chest part anymore!"

Pointing out that she was the one who started it would be rather uncouth of me.

"You said it was okay to take away a mysterious power, right?"

"Yep! If that's allowed, then I want some too." "Huh? What kind of ability is it?"

"I read that manga Ono recommended the other day, and I really want to take one of those white, fluffy wolves with me."

Come to think of it, when I was reading a manga on my phone during lunch break, Kanko had wandered over asking what I was reading, so I told her the title.

Even though I hadn't specifically recommended it to him, it seems she ended up reading it anyway.

"Huh? Ah, Fenrir. Those guys pop up all over in isekai stories. They're cool enough, though."

"Yes! Exactly, Fenrir. I want some fluffy fluff."

"But you don't count a living thing as 'one,' do you?"

It's a ridiculous quirk, but part of the fun is poking holes in the phrasing; if you just ignore the wording, it all loses its appeal.

If the word "one" is used, I want to stick with the constraint that whatever it applies to has to be countable as such.

"Then how about a 'Fluffy Summoning' ability?"

"Ahaha, I see."

Kanko didn't take offense at my nitpicking and came up with a fix instantly.

It was more convenient than just bringing Fenrir directly along, making me burst out laughing without thinking.

Perhaps because Kanko, who falls under the absolute yang category in terms of yin-yang balance, had gotten into it, the other yang-aligned people around us started joining in on the ability puns too.

"The ability for your hair not to get frizzy from seawater." "The ability to never gain weight no matter what you eat~" "If it's an desert island, wouldn't the ability to generate food be better?" "... The ability to not die." "The ability to set up a barrier that bugs, animals, and other people can't enter." "Those last two guys are pretty dark, huh?"

...And yet, it's been an awfully long dream.

I certainly hope it doesn't go on until everyone has even decided what they're bringing.

Lost in those thoughts, I glanced over at the blackboard and noticed something odd.

"Hey, Chiyu."

"What do you want, cheater?"

"Shut up, nobody said that."

In the first place, Chiyu isn't even my type.

Seeing her act like that makes it easy to get the wrong idea, but a cute childhood friend actually having feelings for a dull guy like me is just some manga-reader's fantasy.

Besides, this is all a dream anyway.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing, just saw something weird on the blackboard..."

The character 『正』 (correct/straight). There were seven of them, plus one that only had the first three strokes completed.

It looked like someone was counting off numbers. Thirty-eight, huh?

What does that number mean?

"What are you gonna pick? Hurry up and answer!" "...This is a pointless dream." "Hah? That's what I'm supposed to say! Tch... then teleportation ability. Good enough for you?"

The voices of several boys, sounding slightly irritated, drifted over to me.

"...Ah, it increased."

Chiyu said this right after, in a tone as if she couldn't help herself.

A bad feeling welled up inside me, and I turned my gaze back to the blackboard.

The fourth stroke had been added to the unfinished kanji.

"Could it be... 'the number of people who answered'?"

There were forty students in the class. In this dream, every single one had been called out.

"That's probably it. Is there still one girl left who hasn't answered?"

Honestly, didn't this whole dream feel a bit too realistic?

Beyond me, more and more people were starting to look at the situation with suspicion, while others began to convince themselves that they were simply dreaming.

It felt less like I was having a dream on my own and more like the entire class was sharing a single collective dream.

I knew it couldn't possibly be true, though...

And then, without warning, it happened.

The eighth tally mark in the set of five strokes was completed.

『All responses have been verified. Initiating teleportation.』

How many people had managed to notice those words on the blackboard?

I had no idea why it had happened that way.

I instinctively reached out for Chiiru.

“Chiiru!”

I grabbed her hand tightly.

“Sō-kun…?”

And then, the entire classroom was bathed in white.

By the time my vision cleared…

“………… This is still a dream, right”

Stretching out before me was a vast, blue sea.

I was standing on a sandy beach.

I stood there in daze for a moment, but quickly checked the sensation in my right hand.

“…No way, is this a desert island?”

That hand was connected to my childhood friend; Chiiru was standing beside me.

I turned my head to look around, but behind us was only a forest—none of our other classmates were there.

The blazing sun, the sea breeze tugging at my hair, and the gentle lapping of waves in my ears—it was all undeniably real.

Chiiru’s hand was soft and warm too.

It was stupid, I knew that, but I tried to verify it using a method I’d seen a thousand times in manga.

The pinch-your-cheek test.

“Ugh, fuck… it hurts.”

It seemed we had genuinely been transferred to some island.

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If I could take one thing to a desert island, it would be my crafting ability.

My childhood friend, Senyuu, made a weird face at my answer.

"There's no rule that it has to be something that actually exists in the real world, so it's fine."

I understand that my answer was a bit insensitive.

If this had been a conversation with my friends, I would have said something like "a knife."

But since it's just the two of us, I can be honest.

"If that's the case, I would choose healing magic."

"Oh, that's a good idea. Without medicine, you could die from a cold. Being able to heal injuries and illnesses with mysterious powers is pretty strong."

"I will save your life."

Senyuu clenched her fist and thrust her flabby arm toward the sky.

"I'm glad, but in your imagination, I'm in a life-threatening situation..."

While healing magic is great as a backup, I'd prefer to live a healthy life without needing it.

「Oh, what’s this? Is that allowed too?」

The one who interrupted my conversation with Senyuu was a beautiful blonde girl with side ponytails. It was Kanata Shouko.

A gal who’s kind to otaku... or rather, a gal who treats everyone equally, a social butterfly.

Her uniform buttons were boldly open, and the generous cleavage and soft skin peeking through the fabric were hard to ignore, but I pulled myself together with a steel will. 「Haha, did you see it again today?」

Well, she knew I was looking anyway.

Still, if I stared too much, not only would my classmate’s opinion of me drop, but also my overall popularity in the class, so I suppose a little tact was necessary. 「Well, let’s put that aside for now.」 「Don’t put it aside!」

She laughed at my attempt to divert the subject.

「Then, allow me to formally apologize.」

「This is overkill! –Oh, and stop staring at my chest!」

It would be impolite to point out that she was the one who brought it up.

「So, you’re saying it’s okay to have a mysterious power?」

「That’s right! If that’s okay, I want one too!」 「Really? What kind of ability?」

「I read a manga that Koji recommended to me the other day, and I want to bring the white fluffy creature that appeared in it with me.」

Come to think of it, during lunch break, when I was reading manga on my phone, Kuan Ah came over and asked, "What are you reading?" and I told her the title.

I didn't exactly recommend it to her, but she had read it too.

"Hmm? Oh, Fenrir. It shows up a lot in other-worldly stories. It's cool, so it's fine."

"That's right, Fenrir. I want to pet it."

"But, don't you think you can't count living things as 'one'?"

It's a petty obsession, but it's fun to point out the holes in phrases like this. If you ignore them, it gets boring.

Since the word "one" is used, I want it to apply to something that fits that description. "Then, a fluffy summoning ability." "Ahaha, I see."

Kuan Ah didn't take offense at my comment and immediately responded.

It's more convenient than directly bringing Fenrir along, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Since Kuan Ah, who is classified as absolute yang in yin-yang, joined in, the other yang folks around us also started participating in the ability improv game.

"An ability to not have your hair get frizzy from seawater," "An ability to not gain weight even if you eat," "On a desert island, wouldn't an ability to produce food be better?" "…An ability to not die," "An ability to create a barrier that keeps insects, beasts, and other people out," "The last two are dark, huh?"

……Still, it's been quite a long dream.

I hope it doesn't go on until everyone decides what to take.

Thinking that, I glanced at the blackboard and noticed something strange. "Hey, Senyuu." "What, cheater?" "I didn't do anything."

To begin with, Senyuu and I aren't in a relationship like that.

Seeing her jealousy like this makes me think she's jealous, but my cute childhood friend liking a mediocre guy like me is just a fantasy from manga. Actually, this is a dream. "So, what's up?"

"I, uh, there's something weird on the blackboard..."

There are seven '正' characters, and one that only has the first three strokes.

It looks like they're counting something. Thirty-eight, right? What number is that?

"You better answer me, what are you?" "…This is such a pointless dream." "Huh? That's my line!" "Shit... Then, I'm a transfer ability. Is that okay?"

I hear a few guys talking with a bit of irritation. "…Oh, it's increasing."

Senyuu says that in a surprised tone.

I get a bad feeling and look at the blackboard.

The fourth stroke had been added to the unfinished ‘correct’.

"Could it be the number of people who answered?"

There are forty classmates. In this dream, everyone has been called.

"Yeah, maybe. Is there still someone who hasn't answered?"

Or is this dream too realistic?

More and more people are starting to find the situation suspicious or to think it’s a dream.

It feels more like everyone in the class is sharing one dream rather than just me dreaming.

No, that can’t be right, though…

――Then, it happened suddenly. The eighth ‘correct’ was completed.

‘All answers have been confirmed. Transfer will begin.’

How many people noticed the words on the blackboard?

I don’t know why it happened.

I instinctively reached for Senyuu. "Senyuu!" I grabbed her hand tightly. "Sousuke...?"

And then, the entire classroom turned white. When my vision cleared.

"...This is still just a dream, right?"

Before me was a vast blue sea, and I was standing on a beach.

I was stunned, but quickly checked the feeling in my right hand. "...Could this be an desert island?"

Her hand was connected to my childhood friend, and Senyuu was standing next to me.

I turned my head, but there was only a forest behind me, no other classmates.

The scorching sun, the sea breeze ruffling my hair, and the soothing waves in my ears were all incredibly real.

Senyuu's hand was soft and warm.

Although it seemed ridiculous, I checked it in the way I had seen in manga a thousand times. Pinching my cheek.

"Aah, damn... It hurts."

It seemed like we had truly been transported to some island.

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