Multiple updates today.

This is the third installment.

"You said Shouko was eating nuts earlier, right? Have either of you two tried anything else?"

At my words, both of them shook their heads helplessly.

"Sure, our stock isn't exactly wide, but we can serve some roasted mushrooms." "Mushrooms! I'm eating!

I'm eating!"

Shouko's eyes sparkled.

"I'd love to have some too, if it's okay."

Shion answered while rubbing her stomach.

"I'm fine. The mushrooms already filled me up completely."

Chiyu, my childhood friend, said with a suggestive look directed at me.

She was referring to what happened in the hut.

"In that case, let's say... two servings?"

My childhood friend had always been one to throw around lewd jokes, but after today's events, that tendency might intensify.

Keeping that mindset in check, I opened my [Inventory].

I could have just taken out some pre-roasted mushrooms from stock, but that would reveal the information that I can preserve items without temperature changes, so I decided to hold off on that for now.

Instead, I produced raw mushrooms and skewers, sprinkled salt over them, and handed them over. "Roast them over the fire and eat them." "Yay! Thanks, Sōsuke!"

I couldn't help but tease her a little because she was being so openly delighted.

"You sure about that? It might be a poisonous mushroom."

"A-ha-ha! Sou-suke would never do such a thing!"

Shoushi said it with such natural confidence that I found myself at a loss for words.

"Besides, Mashiro can sniff out the toxic ones."

As they held the mushrooms over the fire, Shion added this remark.

"Ah, true enough."

I see, Fenrir's Mashiro is quite a capable companion after all.

Eventually, the mushrooms were cooked, and the two of them ate them.

Shoushi devoured hers in bold, hearty bites, while Shion nibbled at hers with refined grace; both finished theirs completely.

"So tasty! And there's salt on it too! How?"

"Oh, right, it's from the seawater. But more importantly, do you want some more?" "Really? What’s the price for that?" Shoushi cracked a joke. "I’ve already been paid." Chiiru murmured quietly. "Huh? What does that mean?"

"It's because just now, Soun-chan peeked at my panties while I was changing. Actually, these grilled mushrooms are the payment for seeing my underwear."

Oh no...

Chiyu-san, what the hell are you talking about?

So I was already busted.

Apparently I'd been seen through even before I lit the fire, in the pitch dark of just moonlight.

"Ahaha, but that posture isn't really your fault. I mean... it's fine."

Shion had noticed too, but she laughed with a flush of embarrassment and forgave me.

"Sousuke, you're perverted, huh."

As she spoke, Tsukuko pinched the fabric at her chest and fanned it gently, sending puffs of air fluttering out.

If she hadn't kept glancing over at me, I might have let that off as an innocent little gesture.

But it was purely unavoidable; the firelight caught a glimpse of Tsukuko's bra.

"Darn it."

"Gotcha! A man has to earn his keep... Ahaha!"

Tsukuko said that, her face bright red.

"No, Shion, Tsukuko, Chiyu was just joking about that..."

But since my eyes were blessed enough to catch a view, I'd be happy to serve you seconds.

The conversation kept derailing spectacularly like that, though.

"Let's keep up the information sharing while we eat."

"Sure, sure."

Mikako and Shion had woken up to find themselves standing in the middle of a forest.

As Mikako summoned Fenrir and they made their way through the woods, Mashiro detected human presence.

It turned out to be Shion, and it seemed that was how they reunited.

"Seriously, I'm so glad you found me, Mikako."

"Nah, nah, it was my luck. I figured I might just be stuck alone at this point, so it was super lonely!"

After that, apparently the two of them had ridden on Mashiro to reach my base camp.

"How did you find Sou-kun?"

Chinju asked before I could even speak.

Right, that was the part that really bugged me.

"Um... that's... ahaha—"

Mikako scratched her cheek, a look of embarrassment crossing her face.

"What happened to your belongings when the two of you woke up?"

Shion asked.

Judging by the flow of conversation, I assumed she wasn't trying to evade the question but rather adding a necessary detail, so I answered.

"Only our uniforms and indoor shoes. It helped that our school's uwabaki doubled as gym shoes."

Since they were no different from regular running shoes, they worked fine in this environment too.

Though we did cut our feet on pebbles while on the sandy beach.

"And you, Chi-yu?"

"Well... ?"

"Um, look at this."

Shion removed something from her wrist.

It was a hair tie.

"I wear it on my left wrist every time I go to school because I braid my hair like that."

"Ah..."

That was when I realized it too.

We had arrived in this place in our uniforms, but we hadn't given much thought to what exactly constituted our initial gear.

Due to the absence of any other items, I had simply assumed everything else had been confiscated besides our clothes.

It seemed fairer that way, and I just thought that was how it worked.

But wait, didn't I have something on me besides my uniform?

My undershirt, which I had used my ability to dismantle and turn into a towel.

Some people weren't wearing any, so even if it's just a single layer of underwear, I'm coming out ahead.

For one thing, if we're talking about starting equipment, it would make more sense for everyone to have the same material in their undergarments, or for them to not exist at all.

Did they teleport us wearing what we 'normally go to school in'? No, defining "normal" is tricky.

"Well, Sousuke-kun. I think you're trying to figure out the criteria for personal items, but we've actually confirmed something." "Oh? What's that?"

"Yeah. Well... it seems like we were teleported here while wearing what we had on when we got home from school the day before the dream."

"I see. Makes sense. But how did you figure that out?"

Shion's lips trembled slightly as she glanced downward, her voice barely audible.

"Well... originally... it was, uhm, just our underwear. And it seemed like Minako-chan was in the same boat, not just me."

"Ah, ah..."

I hadn't even registered what pattern my underpants had been on yesterday, but girls seem to be different.

"Oh, but that we could pin down the timing of 'after getting home' was thanks to Minako-chan. She happened to be holding an item she'd acquired the previous day and kept in her uniform pocket on the way home."

If the item wasn't something she usually carried, wasn't present during morning attendance, but existed by the time she got home, then yes, we can definitively say it was 'her outfit from when she came home yesterday.'

"Hmm... Wait, does that connect to why he found me? If so..."

Shouko took a handkerchief out of her pocket.

"This is the one I borrowed from Soisuke yesterday."

I recalled what had happened the day before.

Shouko had spilled water on her uniform, so as her friend, I naturally and extremely discreetly slipped the handkerchief to her before making my graceful exit.

It was not because I had inadvertently stared at her uniform turning sheer from the water, nor was it an attempt to cover up for that act.

"Oh right, you were still using it."

Damn it, I’d come off sounding like a deadpan fool.

"No, not that! I was planning to wash it properly and return it!"

For some reason, Shouko was blushing while offering up excuses.

I wasn't going to be disappointed by her just leaving the handkerchief in her pocket without returning it, mind you.

Perhaps she simply didn't want me to think of her as someone who treated borrowed items carelessly.

"Did you let Fenrir sniff your scent and stalk him?"

Chiiru's words carried a slight barb.

"Ugh... I thought you might be put off by it, but I had no choice in an emergency!"

I see. The mechanics of the transfer, a stroke of luck the day before, and Shouko's ability had aligned miraculously to allow our reunion.

"Hey, it's fine. I was worried about Shouko too, so don't worry about it."

"Sou...!"

Shouko teared up, moved by my words.

"...Men are way too weak to cute girls who are kind to otaku. Childhood friends win every time."

Chiyu grumbled under her breath, but I knew she wasn't cold enough to abandon them from here on out.

We continued talking for a while longer, and I got most of the information I wanted.

"I have the 'Craft Ability,' Chiyu has 'Healing Magic,' and Shouko has the 'Fluffy Summoning Ability.' What about Shi-ine?"

That was the only part I hadn't asked about yet.

I mean, she isn't necessarily an ability user, so maybe it's hard to mention within this group.

Either way, I wanted to know.

"Um... please don't think of me as a bad person, okay?"

Hesitantly, Shi-ine told me her ability.

"What I really wanted was... the 'ability to see through lies'."

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Multiple updates today, this is the third one.

"I heard you said you ate some fruit earlier, but what about the rest of you?"

Both of them shook their heads weakly in response to my question.

"We don't have a lot of different kinds of food, but we can offer some grilled mushrooms."
"Yay! I want to eat them!"
Shouji's eyes lit up.
"I'd be happy if I could get some too."

Shion also answered, rubbing her own stomach.

"I'm fine. I'm already full on mushrooms."

With a meaningful look, my childhood friend, Senyuu, said something.

She was probably referring to the events that had happened in the cabin.
"Well, then, it's two portions."

She was originally the type to throw in crude jokes, but today's incident might make that tendency even stronger.

With that in mind, I opened up my 'Inventory'.

I could have taken out the grilled mushrooms, but that would have revealed the information that they could be stored without changing temperature, so I decided against it for now.

Instead, I took out the mushrooms, skewers, and salt, and handed them to the two of them.
"Grill them over the fire and eat them."
"Yay! Thanks, Souzou!"

Because she was being so honest in her happiness, I decided to tease her a little.

"Are you sure? It might be a poisonous mushroom."

"Hehe! Sōsuke wouldn't do something like that."

Shouko said it so naturally that I was at a loss for words.

"Besides, Mashiro-kun can smell out the poison."

Shion added as she put the mushrooms on the fire. "Oh, that's true."

Indeed, Mashiro of Fenrir seems to be quite capable.

Eventually, the two of them ate the cooked mushrooms.

Shouko ate them with gusto, while Shion ate them delicately, bit by bit, and finished them both.

"Yummy yummy! It's salty! Why!?"

"Yeah, it's from seawater. Want to eat more?" "Is that okay? How much will it cost?" Shouko joked. "The cost has already been paid." Senyuu muttered. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Sō-kun, you were peeking at Shō-chan's shorts earlier. So, these grilled mushrooms are your pants payment." What the...

What the hell is she going to say now, seriously. She knew all along, huh.

She knew even before we started the fire, when it was just the moonlight.

"Haha, but you couldn't help it, right? I'm, um, fine with it."

Seion seemed to have noticed too, but she laughed off the embarrassment and forgave me. "Sousuke's so perverted."

While saying that, Shouko pinched her school uniform's chest area, fanning it as if to send a breeze.

If she hadn't been looking at me, I might have missed it as a casual gesture.

But completely involuntarily, Shouko's bra was slightly visible under the firelight. "Damn."

"Yep, I saw it. You have to earn your own food...! Haha."

Shouko said, her face turning red.

"No, Seion and Shouko, what she said was just a joke from Chiyu..."

But since it was such a treat for the eyes, I happily offered to do it again.

And so, the conversation had been veering off in such a grand way.

「Even if we eat, let's keep sharing information.」 「Yeah, yeah.」

Both Shouko and Shion woke up in the forest.

While Shouko was summoning Fenrir and advancing through the forest, Mashiro reacted to the presence of someone.

That someone was Shion, and the two of them met like that.

「Really, I'm glad Shouko-chan found me.」

「No no, it's me. I was super lonely thinking I might be alone!」

After that, the two of them came to my base riding on Mashiro.

「How did you find Sou-kun?」

Before I could say anything, Senyuu asked.

That's right, that's the point of interest.

「Um. Well... ahaha.」

Shouko, blushing with embarrassment, scratched her cheek.

「When you two woke up, what did you have with you?」 Shiomi spoke up.

Considering the flow of events so far, it seemed like she was adding to the conversation rather than dodging the question, so I responded.

"Just my uniform and indoor shoes. I was lucky because our school's indoor shoes are also used as gym shoes."

They weren't much different from regular running shoes, so I could use them without any issues in this environment.

Though I did cut my feet on small rocks on the beach. "What about you, Senyuu-chan?" "Well?" "Um, look."

Shiomi took something off her wrist. It was a hair tie.

"I always wear it on my left wrist when I go to school because I use it to tie my hair." "Oh."

That's when I realized something. We had transferred wearing our uniforms, but we hadn't really thought about what counted as our initial equipment.

Because we didn't have any other items, we had assumed that everything else had been confiscated.

That seemed fair enough, and it was what I had expected.

But I had brought something other than my uniform too.

The innerwear that I had transformed into a towel using my ability.

That means even those who aren't wearing it are getting an extra layer, so I'm the one who's getting the better deal.

Besides, if they call it initial equipment, it would be more natural if everyone had the same kind of underwear or none at all.

You mean they sent me here in the clothes I was wearing to school…? No, defining what I usually wear is tricky.

"Hey, Sōsuke. I think they're trying to figure out what to send us with, and I've figured it out." "Really?"

"Yeah. Well, it looks like I was sent here in the clothes I was wearing when I got home from school the day before."

"Oh, I see. But how did you figure that out?"

Shion wiggled her lips and looked down as she spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Well, you see… At first, it was, uh, underwear. Not just me, but Shōko-chan seemed to be wearing it too." "Ah, I see…"

I didn't even know what kind of underwear I was wearing the day before, but apparently girls do.

"But, well… We only figured out the timing of when we got home thanks to Shōko-chan. She had something she got the day before and put in her uniform pocket when she came home."

If the item is something we don't usually have, and it wasn't there when we went to school but was there when we got home, then it's definitely the clothes we were wearing when we got home the day before.

"Hmm. …Wait, does that mean that's how you found me? If it is…?"

Shouko took out a handkerchief from her pocket.

"This is the one I borrowed from Souzou yesterday." I recalled the previous day.

Shouko had spilled water on her uniform, so I naturally and discreetly offered my handkerchief as a friend and gracefully left.

It wasn't because I couldn't help but look at her uniform when it was see-through from the water and offered it to hide that fact. "Oh, right, I did lend it to you."

Damn, I sounded like a wooden fish.

"No, I was going to wash it properly and give it back!"

Shouzi was blushing and making excuses for some reason.

I wasn’t disappointed just because she left a handkerchief with me.

Was she worried about being seen as someone who carelessly handles borrowed items?

“Did you let Fenrir smell So-kun’s scent and stalk him?”

Chiyu’s words had a slight edge to them.

“Ugh. I knew you might not like it, but it was an emergency!”

So, it was a miraculous combination of the transfer system's specifications, a coincidence from the previous day, and her Familiar's abilities that allowed her to meet up with me.

"I'm fine. I was worried about you too, so I'm not bothered." "Sousuke..."

She's glistening with tears of emotion.

"...Men are too weak for cute girls who are otaku. Childhood friends are the only ones who can win."

Chiyu is grumbling, but I know she's not that cold-hearted and wouldn't abandon me.

We continued talking for a while longer, and I got to hear most of what I wanted to know.

「I have the ‘Crafting Ability,’ Chiyou has the ‘Healing Magic,’ and Shouzi has the ‘Fuzzy Summoning Ability,’ but what about Shion?」

I hadn’t asked about her.

Well, she might not have an ability, so it might be hard to say among this group.

Either way, I want to know.

「Hmm… Don’t think I’m a bad kid?」

She told me, albeit hesitantly.

What I wanted was... the ability to tell if someone is lying.

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I still plan to update today! I'd like to somehow make it to the second day on the desert island...

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