Multiple updates today
Here's the first one

The pot was well-received by everyone.
If this were Earth, the taste might have seemed bland, but after just one day of life on a desert island, the value of a proper meal had truly sunk in.

After all, until this morning, mushrooms and nuts had been the main staples.

The portions were neatly tucked away in everyone's stomachs.

"Delicious!"

Shouko rubbed her belly contentedly.

"Thank you for the meal. And the bath, and the delicious food, really, thank you."

Yotou thanked them politely.

Her uniform was clean, and her skin and hair had regained their beauty.

She seemed satisfied with her meal, but her eyelids were drooping slightly.

"Four-Staff, why don't you take a nap?"

"But it's such a precious day. I should collect things or do something to repay you."

"But judging from your appearance, you didn't sleep well last night. Fortunately, we're not worried about food for today or tomorrow. Rest now and you can work hard when you feel better."

The other three also agreed.
Even though she hesitated for a moment, Four-Staff eventually nodded modestly, realizing that pushing the matter would be bothersome.

"…Thank you. I'll take you up on that offer, then."

"Then, rest in the hut."

I set up the hut in its usual spot.

「...!? W-What? Buildings are also within the scope of 'Crafting Abilities'? Well, I guess there are people who build their own little cabins. But if that's the case, then log cabins and stuff... No, wait.」

Yoshiko is clearly shaken.
I go inside and place the carpet down, then take out the blankets and hand them to her.

“Take off your shoes before coming inside. And this is a blanket.”

“Wow, it’s so soft... Thank you for everything.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Kouno-kun, you’re amazing. Rather than going for some unrealistic ideal, you chose an ability that solves the issues of ‘lack of tools’, ‘lack of skills’, and ‘time management’ in a deserted island environment.”

She’s looking at me with a look of admiration, but...

“H-Haha...”

I can only manage a wry smile.

Actually, this is a skill I wanted to have while playing the game...
It's really useful, but I chose it because it's an easy ideal.

That wasn't the kind of atmosphere.

"Thank you, I'll use it carefully."

"Good night."

"Y-Yes... g-good night."

Shouko said, looking embarrassed, and went back inside the hut.

I returned to my friends.

"What should we do? We can't leave Minori alone."

I nodded at Shouko's words.

「Let’s split up into two teams like before, one for exploring and the other to stay behind. I’m sorry, but Shouko and Mashiro, you’ll be going on the exploration team.」

「Okay, okay!」

Mashiro was in charge of combat, but Mashiro was a summoned beast called by Shouko.
　She seemed to like us, but it would be better to have Shouko around for quick decisions.

「Then, I’ll go exploring too.」

「Chiyu, are you sure?」

「Leave it to me. I’ll catch some chickens to fill Sousuke’s belly.」

Chiyu seems really fired up.
　Seeing Shion’s cooking skills, she must have developed a competitive spirit.

「If you don’t find anything, cut your losses and come back.」

“Alright then.”

“So it’s just me and Sousuke watching the place, huh?”

“Yeah, I doubt Shion would feel comfortable staying alone with a guy, so can I count on you?”

“Of course.”

Shion smiled and the team was officially formed. Before leaving, I asked Shouko to summon some sheep.

“Is it the sheep’s milk you were talking about? Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Indeed, it seems there’s no problem with milking them.

“Sousuke, can you make cheese?”

“Can cheese be made just from milk?”

「I think we need a rumen.」

Shion touched her chin and said as if searching her memory.

「Ah, I heard something about it. It’s a cow’s stomach, right?」

「Okay, got it. We’ll catch a cow too.」

「No, don’t overdo it.」

It’s good that you’re enthusiastic, but it’s only the second day.
We shouldn’t try to do everything at once.

For now, I handed the collecting baskets to the two of them.

「Wow, nice. Hey, Chiyu, how about a contest to see who can collect more?」

「I’d like that.」

Shouko was calling Mashiro over when Chiyu came closer to me.

And then she stretched out her toes and pressed her lips to mine.

“C-Chiyu?”

I was blushing from the sudden kiss.

“Sousuke. In this situation, a harem is justified.”

Saying that in this situation…

“…Don’t you mind?”

“It’s fine. As long as I’m next to Chiyu at the end.”

Wow… that’s manly…

“And besides, it’s not bad for the person you like to have their charm spread around.”

With those words, Chiyu left the base with Shouko.

Left behind were the sleeping Shion, the sheep, and me.

"Ah... Well, I guess we should start with milking."

"Okay."

We took out a wooden bucket and started milking, each of us taking turns.
　Once we got the hang of it, the milk started flowing out in a steady stream.

"Kyaa. Wow, it really comes out like this... "

Hearing Shion's voice, I couldn't help but imagine some rather inappropriate scenarios, but I managed to shake them off.

"Hey, Sousuke. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

「Oh, of course.」

You don’t have to say anything while milking.

“What was your impression of me in class?”

“What impression…? I seemed to fit in, and I looked popular.”

“Haha, thanks. It’s good to know that’s how I came across. But to look that way, I had to be on my guard every day. I constantly checked my chat app, researched and watched topics I wasn’t interested in to stay current, and remembered what my friends said so I could respond appropriately.”

When I was in elementary school, I didn’t have to put in that much effort to get along with my friends.
　We’d naturally share interests like tokusatsu, popular manga and anime, and popular games.
　If I kept up with things I was interested in, I could talk about them with my friends.

But in middle and high school, interests diverge, and even for a single artist you like, there are many different tastes.
　It’s quite difficult to find friends with exactly the same interests.

Still, I think you can become friends, but it’s definitely more complicated to build friendships than when you were younger.

「If I dress sloppily, my evaluation drops, but if I try too hard, some people think I’m trying too hard. So I try to find a good balance, but I can’t always do it perfectly. When I reject a boy’s confession, sometimes the girls who liked him end up hating me. And I can’t accept them either, so I always felt suffocated.」

There are good and bad sides to being a boy. There must be good and bad sides to being a girl, too.

Chiyu had a period in middle school where she was envied for her cuteness and coolness, and some girls ended up hating her.

She didn’t mind it, but I knew that getting involved would only make things more complicated, so I regretted not being able to do anything about it.

“So, when I became friends with Shouko in my second year, I was surprised. She’s a very straightforward person, and since she doesn’t hide anything, I don’t have to overthink things.”

“Yeah. There are people who say one thing but mean another.”

“Exactly. That’s why I wanted the ability to tell lies. I thought I’d be constrained by the class hierarchy even on a desert island. At the very least, I wanted to be able to handle things well within that.”

I could still have a fun life even if I didn’t have many friends or be at the top of the class hierarchy.

But it’s true that many people do care about such things, so I could understand their feelings.

Shion must have had her own reasons for focusing on ‘doing things well.’

「或许可以选择一种能够独自生存的能力？」

「哈哈，Sousuke-kun is strong. But wouldn’t you feel lonely by yourself?」

「也许吧。」

从一开始我就有Chiyu，所以我没有白白地挣扎，也没有意志消沉。
　但是那些被单独扔到荒岛的人，一定感到不安和孤独吧。

「而且，我并不想拥有那种对大家有用的能力。因为……一定会带来不好的结果。」

被当作杂役，或者被要求使用那种能力。

拥有治愈人的能力，就会被要求全力治疗任何微小的伤口。
　拥有制造生活必需品的能力，就会被要求制造各种各样的东西。
　拥有驱使幻兽的能力，就会被要求命令它们去狩猎。

We're doing this out of a spirit of mutual aid, but that healthy balance could easily be shattered at any moment.
　Probably, if all the classmates were to join us, the pleasant atmosphere we currently have would be lost.

Right now, my companions are grateful for my abilities, and I'm grateful for them too.
　But there will definitely be those who don't feel gratitude, and there will be those who treat us as tools.

Maybe Shion chose her ability because she was afraid of that, and picked one that would allow her to navigate a group well.
　Well, her expectations were slightly off, as everyone ended up transferring separately.

"That's why, Sousuke-kun, I really think you're amazing."

"I was only thinking about myself back then."

I was just acting on my dreams and didn't read the situation.

"But I grabbed Chiyu-chan's hand on the spot and transferred with her. Not only did I help my childhood friend, but I also accepted Shouko-chan and myself. And Fukaho-san too."

「Maybe everyone looks good because they're all beautiful girls.」

「You're lying. Don't lie to me, Sousuke-kun, I can tell when you're lying.」

Shion chuckled and smiled happily.

「That's right.」

「And, Sousuke-kun, your kindness was genuine. Of course, I'm not talking about jokes like the one you just made.」

「What's wrong? You're blushing.」

「Sousuke-kun, even though you might be a little perverted, you don't have ulterior motives when you're kind to others. I think that's wonderful.」

I understood what she was trying to say.

It's not uncommon for boys to ignore a classmate who drops their belongings, but pick up those of a beautiful girl.
　It's not true kindness, but rather a show of kindness after having ulterior motives.

"That's not because I'm amazing, but because of my parents' training."

It's just that if someone's in trouble in front of you, you help them.

"Then, both your kind parents and you, who follow their teachings so well, are wonderful."

What is this atmosphere?
It's oddly ticklish.

"Eh, um. It's about time to milk the sheep, right? I'll turn it into an item. Oh, shall we secretly drink it before everyone else?"

I tried to change the mood by storing my share and Shion's milk...

"No, that's fine for later."

Shion stood up and came closer, taking my hand.

"Sh-Shion?"

「Since the bath is still the same, let’s go to the partitioned area over there.」

Following her, I moved to the bathroom.

「What’s the matter? If you want to take a bath, I can heat up the water…」

「Hehe. You see, Sousuke-kun, I want to get along well with everyone here. I want to be in a space where I don’t have to tell lies and everyone’s nice. To get along well, I have to believe that I belong here. Otherwise, I’ll be too anxious.」

「…You don’t need to worry about our differences in ability. There will be times in the future when I’ll need your help.」

「That’s true. But I don’t think I’ve contributed enough right now. If I don’t give something back, I’ll be taking too much.」

Shion leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my back.

「You got Chiyu’s permission, right? Don’t worry, we’ve already talked it over with the girls. We just have to be careful not to let Shizou catch us.」

Chiyu’s earlier statement was a prelude to this development.
　Shion looked up at me with moist eyes.

「I hope I can be of use to you, Sousuke-kun.」

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There will be multiple updates today, and the next chapter will be an intelligence chapter with Shion.
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