We came to a cliff.

We were at the base of the cliff, looking up.

"I don't see how we're going to climb that."

Chia murmured.

"Yeah."

The cliff wasn't perfectly vertical; it sloped, meaning if we got down into the recess below, we wouldn't be visible from above.

"Right?"

As I stared blankly at it, Chiyu spoke up.

"I'm thinking of making this spot our base," I said.

Chiyu glanced around the surroundings.

There were no trees growing around the base of the cliff; instead, it opened up into a clear space.

It was the perfect place to set up a hut or light a campfire.

"Really? It does seem hard for people to find." "Exactly.

Do you mind?"

She shook her head.

"No, I don't mind. So this is our candidate location for a nest of love."

"A nest of love, huh..."

It's troublesome that this childhood friend says things like that with a straight face.

"Against Soukku transformed into a beast... I had no recourse..."

Chiyu hugged her own shoulders and swayed her body from side to side.

「There’s no way I’d assault you just because you were acting coy, would I?»
"As expected from Saoki.

Quite the gentleman."

"You're welcome."

Chia looked up at me with a speculative gaze and spoke.

"...So what if I hadn't been acting coy?"

At that question, my heart did a sudden, violent leap.

"I—no, I mean... that is..."

I could feel my cheeks burning hot.

Watching this, Chia nodded with a look of satisfaction.

"That means yes."

"I don't even know what kind of face to make right now..."

It was perfectly clear that I couldn't win against my childhood friend when she was serious.

Chia is a crucial part of my life as a childhood friend, a best friend, and an incredibly attractive girl.

If we could become closer than we already are, I would be very happy.

This is my true feeling.

"For now——"
Chia's stomach gave a loud rumble.

"I'd like some grilled mushrooms."

Honestly, it was a relief that the atmosphere had shifted.

I forced a bitter smile and started getting ready.

"Let's do that. Chia, help me out, will you?"

"Of course."

Immediately, I used my Craft ability to generate a 'Friction Fire Starter'.

Also, I had been storing the stones and rocks I found along the way in my 『Inventory』. Using those materials, I crafted a large flagstone tile.

I placed down a stone slab roughly six tatami mats in size.

I set up the fire starter on top of it.

When doing this kind of work, you need to sit on the ground, but in a place like this, you end up covered in dirt.

That's why I wanted a clean floor.

Chiiya and I stepped onto the flagstones.

"Sou-kun, is this a fire starter?"

"Yes. This one requires two people to operate."

The components consisted of a piece of wood with a hollowed depression, a wooden stick, a rope, and a stone with a hollowed depression.

"Interesting."

The two of us sat down.

The stone was cool and refreshing against my skin; I could probably generate a mat woven from grass or something similar as well.

But for now, let's focus on starting the fire.

I propped up the wood with the depression against the ground, placed the stick into it, and supported the upper part with the stone that had a hollowed-out section.

Then, I wound the rope made of vines around the stick and pulled on both ends to rotate it.

At this point, the base wood needs to be secured by feet or similar means.

"I'll try being the one who pulls the rope for now."

"Please go ahead."

Following my instructions, Chiiya secured the wood in place with her foot.

She’s wearing a skirt, so not only is her pleasantly padded thigh on full display, but the white underwear beneath it is just as visible. Yet she shows no sign of caring.

Trying hard to keep my eyes where they belonged, I pulled the string and began twisting the stick back and forth.

At first, the cord slipped and the rod came loose, but before long, I started to get a feel for it.

Eventually, smoke rose from the wood. I removed the spindle and dropped an ember into the fibrous mass of dry cotton that had formed.

I summoned a thin piece of flat wood to use as a makeshift fan and fanned the air—and then it caught!

"Oh!"

On your home stove, this fire would have lit in a second. Here on this desert island, the fact that it burned at all felt like a miraculous relief.

"I knew you could do it, Sou-kun..."

For once, Chiyu’s excitement was hard to hide.

I generated some kindling and carefully tended the flame as it grew.

It took surprisingly little time to get going, but I was strangely exhausted.

"Beginner Cure."

White light enveloped me, washing away the fatigue and the pain in my hands.

"As expected of you, Chiyu."

"I'm not going to let you have all the glory to yourself."

Chiyu spoke in an expressionless tone, though there was a certain crispness to it.

"Hahaha, I'm counting on you."

Honestly, Chiyu is a pretty serious cheat.

"But seriously, it's amazing. It was worth showing you my underwear."

Saying that while her cheeks were tinged with just a hint of blush, she—my childhood friend.

I choked on my words, stunned.

"So you knew...?"

"Girls are sensitive to the direction of someone's gaze."

"My bad."

"I forgive you."

I skewered the mushrooms onto freshly conjured sticks, sprinkled them with salt, and began to sear them over the heat.

Moisture beaded up on the surface and evaporated, spreading an aroma that really got the appetite going.

We waited, almost impatiently, for the mushrooms to finish cooking.

And when it was just about ready, we quickly brought them to our mouths.

"Haaah... haaah..."

It seemed a bit too hot for Chiyu.

"Whoa. I had no idea mushrooms could be this delicious."

"Salt is the greatest. So-kun, let's eat more."

"You're right."

Nuts and mushrooms.

In modern-day Japan, this wouldn't even scratch the surface of a proper meal.

On this desert island, though, it was a solid supply of food.

To fill our bellies, we proceeded to roast another batch of mushrooms.

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We hit a dead end.

We're at the bottom of a cliff, looking up. "It doesn't look like we can climb it." Chietsu mutters. "Yeah."

The cliff isn't vertical, but sloped, so if we go down, we won't be visible from above. "So-kun?"

She calls out to me after staring for a while.

"Yeah, I was thinking of using this as a base camp." Chietsu looks around.

There are no trees around the base of the cliff, and it's a slightly open space.

It's perfect for setting up a hut or making a fire.

"It does seem like it would be hard for people to find us?" "Exactly. Do you mind?" She shakes her head.

"I don't mind. Then this will be the love nest candidate." "A love nest, huh..."

This childhood friend says things like this seriously, which is frustrating.

"I am powerless against the beast that So-kun has become..."

Chietsu hugs herself and shakes her body from side to side.

"I wouldn't attack you if you didn't want me to." "As expected of you, Sir Knight." "You're welcome."

Chiyu looked up at me as if she was searching for something.

"...What if I didn't mind?"

My heart skipped a beat at her question. "W-Well, you see..." I could feel my cheeks heating up.

Seeing this, Chiyu nodded with satisfaction. "You like me."

"I don't know what kind of face I should make..."

I knew I couldn't win against this childhood friend who was serious.

Chiyu was a dear childhood friend and a close friend, a very attractive girl.

I would be delighted if we could become even closer. That was the truth. "Anyway..." Chiyu's stomach growled. "I want you to cook mushrooms."

Honestly, I was glad the atmosphere had changed. I chuckled and began preparing.

"Let's do that. Chiyu, you can help." "Of course."

I immediately generated a 'Himogiri Style Fire Starter' with my crafting ability.

Also, I had been collecting stones and rocks along the way and stored them in my 'Inventory.' I used them to create a large stone pavement, and set up a six-tatami mat-sized area.

I also placed a fire-making device on top of it.

Since I needed to sit on the ground while working, I would get covered in dirt in a place like this.

That's why I wanted a clean floor. Senyuu and I got up onto the stone pavement.

"Sou-kun, is this the fire-making device?"

"That's right. This is something for two people to do."

The parts are a piece of wood with a dent, a wooden stick, a rope, and a stone with a dent. "Interesting." We both sat down.

The stone was cool and refreshing, but it might also be nice to generate a woven mat made of grass. For now, let's start with the fire-making.

I placed the dented wood on the ground, put the wooden stick against it, and supported the top with the dented stone.

Then, I wrapped the rope made of vines around the stick and pulled it back and forth to rotate it. At this time, the wood needs to be fixed with your feet.

"For now, I'll take the role of pulling the rope." "Please do."

Following the instructions, Senyuu fixed the wood with his feet.

She was wearing a skirt, so her thick thighs and the white underwear underneath were completely visible, but she didn't seem to mind.

I tried to ignore that and pulled the string, rotating the stick left and right.

At first, the string would slip, and the stick would come loose, but I quickly got a feel for it.

Eventually, smoke started rising from the wood, so I removed the stick and placed the fire starter into the flax-like wood fibers.

I generated a thin wooden board and used it like a fan to blow air onto it—and the fire caught! "Wow!"

A fire that would ignite in a second on a stove at home was incredibly welcome on this desert island. "Sugoi, Souchan...!"

Even Chiyou, who is usually calm, was excited.

I generated some firewood and carefully tended the fire.

It didn't take long, but I felt oddly exhausted. "Thanks for the help, basic healing."

A white light enveloped me, and my fatigue and hand pain faded. "Of course, Chiyou."

"Sou-chan won't be the only one to shine."

She said it with no expression, but there was a determined edge to her voice. "Haha, I'm counting on you."

Honestly, Senyuu is a pretty big cheat.

「But it's really amazing. It was worth it to have my underwear seen.」

Her cheeks slightly flushed, my childhood friend said that. I was speechless. 「You noticed...」 「Girls are sensitive to gazes.」 「Sorry.」 「Forgiven.」

We skewered the mushrooms on the sticks we made and sprinkled them with salt before grilling them.

As the moisture seeped out and evaporated, the delicious aroma spread around, stimulating our appetites.

We waited eagerly for them to finish cooking.

And when they were done, we quickly put them in our mouths. 「Hah hah.」 Senyuu seemed to find them a bit too hot.

「Wow. Mushrooms are this delicious.」

「Salt is the best. Souchan, let's eat more.」 「I will.」 Nuts and mushrooms.

In modern Japan, this would be a very simple meal. But on this desert island, it's a fine meal.

We roasted more mushrooms to satisfy our hunger.

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