"Whew... I'm alive."
"This is the first time I've found warming by a fire to be so comfortable."
"It's not enough to dry your body; your clothes need to be dried too, or they'll smell bad."
"..."
The girls chattered away. Although they had been shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted Island, their mental state was still quite good. Of course, there was only one reason they could maintain their mental state... that was Natsuki, sitting not far away, warming himself by the fire all alone.
The guy who saved everyone from the sinking cruise ship by himself must not be an ordinary person.
So, what he said before must not have been a lie; as long as they persevere, change will truly come.
Time passed.
The girls all dried their clothes and put them back on neatly. The sky also quietly brightened, but this was a nightmare space, and there was no real sun, just a pale sky.
"Stare—"
Natsuki was warming himself by the fire when he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.
"What's wrong?"
Natsuki turned his head to look at secretary Chika.
"That..." Chika clutched her stomach, feeling a little embarrassed, "...I'm hungry."
Natsuki nodded and said:
"I'm hungry too."
Girls: "..."
It hadn't been long since they escaped the cruise ship, but the mental and physical exhaustion was considerable, so they indeed needed to replenish their energy.
It wasn't just secretary Chika; it could be said that everyone was already hungry, but no one had spoken up yet.
Natsuki clapped the sand off his hands, got up, sat down beside the girls, and then said:
"Don't all look at me. I'm not Doraemon; otherwise, I wouldn't have had to painstakingly save each of you one by one. I could have just taken out the Anywhere door."
The game backpack naturally had reserve food, but that stuff was only for emergencies. With so many people, it really wasn't enough to eat, so he had to make everyone feel a sense of urgency.
Tsubame coughed twice and said:
"Natsuki-kun makes sense... As for food, let's all work together and try to find some, shall we? After all, everyone learned outdoor survival training during Forest Camp."
"Forest Camp..."
Natsuki's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but look at Kaguya.
On the last day of Forest Camp, he and Kaguya hid in the bathroom and bathed together... He couldn't forget it, absolutely couldn't forget it.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the subtle gaze, Kaguya tilted her head slightly, looking over in confusion.
Her eyes... seemed nostalgic?
"That's right." Chika's eyes lit up, and she said in a clear voice, "When we were at Forest Camp, the teacher specifically taught us how to distinguish edible mushrooms in the wild. Great, the knowledge we learned can finally be put to use."
Haruno smiled and said: "Being self-sufficient isn't bad either."
Natsuki muttered quietly: "So, don't be too optimistic."
Forest Camp was a compulsory learning activity that almost everyone participated in. It involved choosing a mountain forest and conducting several days of survival training there, with the aim of allowing students to get close to nature and incidentally master some outdoor survival skills... Unfortunately, the survival skills most people mastered were not even rudimentary.
Real Island survival is definitely ten times harder than Forest Camp.
"I used to be very interested in wilderness survival shows and watched many episodes, summarizing some essential survival basics." Haruno extended a finger and sat up straight, saying, "First is sun shelter. In summer, half a day of UV rays can sunburn a person's body, so sun protection is very necessary."
The other girls all nodded in agreement.
"That's right."
"Can't be exposed to the sun."
"I don't want to get tanned like a gyaru."
Hey, hey, did you hear clearly? Haruno said not to get sunburned, not tanned!
Haruno extended her second slender finger and said softly:
"Second is fire. It's important for warmth, driving away wild beasts, and cooking food... Of course, Natsuki-kun has already solved this."
"Third is fresh water." Haruno continued, "Humans can last a week without food, but without fresh water, an ordinary person can only last three days."
"Don't worry about that." Chika's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand, saying, "I read a manga before, I think it was called 'Stranded Girls,' and it said that if there's no fresh water, you can drink..."
Mid-sentence, secretary Chika suddenly pursed her lips and stopped abruptly.
Kaguya asked, puzzled:
"Drink what?"
For Kaguya, who grew up in a sterile environment and used the oldest model of flip phone, her knowledge of the internet was almost zero.
Natsuki looked at Chika and said quietly:
"I also want to hear what we should drink."
"Cough cough, I remembered wrong!" Chika covered her mouth with both hands, her pretty face flushed, "Fresh water! We must find fresh water!"
Tsubame coughed twice, clearly knowing what Chika wanted to say, and said somewhat awkwardly:
"Everyone, let's skip this topic... Haruno, please continue."
"The last item is naturally food." Haruno continued, "Shelter, fire, fresh water, plus food—these are the four basics of wilderness survival."
Juju propped her right hand on her chin and subconsciously said:
"It doesn't sound very difficult."
It certainly doesn't sound difficult; anyone can do it. But when truly stranded on a deserted Island, ninety out of a hundred people can't complete the above four basics!
"It's already bright." Yukino crossed her arms, her voice calm, "Since we've decided what to do next, let's start acting now."
Chika stood up, hands on her hips, and said:
"Let's all explore deeper into the Island, find both fresh water and food, and then come back."
However, in real wilderness survival, many people's initial explorations actually find neither fresh water nor food.
Natsuki didn't dampen the girls' confidence. Anyway, he had their backs. He stood up and said:
"We don't need too many people to go at once. Those who can build a shelter stay on the shore, and the rest of us will go explore with me."
"..."
The girls all fell silent.
During Forest Camp, most girls couldn't set up tents and needed boys' help. Now, asking them to start from scratch and build a shelter, they couldn't do it, absolutely couldn't.
"I wonder if I can build it." Haruno stepped forward. As the only college student present, she naturally took the lead and couldn't hide behind others. "When I watched wilderness survival videos before, I remembered the steps for building a shelter. I can try it."
"Then leave it to Haruno-nee." Natsuki nodded, his gaze sweeping over the girls. "Juju, Shoko, Aoi, you stay here and help Haruno-nee. The rest of you come with me to find water and food."
"..."
The discussion concluded.
The group split into two teams and quickly set off.
Natsuki took out a dagger, leaving marks on the trees as he led Kaguya and the others deeper into the Island.
The terrain of this Island was very ordinary, low around the edges and high in the middle. Its area was not small, and there were many trees growing on the Island, but it always gave off an eerie and dangerous feeling.
"So strange..." Chika involuntarily lowered her voice, instinctively leaning closer to Natsuki, and whispered, "This forest feels so strange."
"It's too quiet." Hayasaka spoke softly, staying close to Kaguya, her gaze vigilantly scanning her surroundings. "An Island like this should have many birds, but until now, I haven't heard a single bird call."
Tsubame was also a bit nervous, whispering:
"Um... there won't be monsters in the forest, will there?"
"Senpai." Natsuki turned to look at her, "Don't be a jinx like Chika."
"When have I ever been a jinx?" Chika was very indignant, her cheeks quickly puffed up. "Natsuki-kun is slandering me... Ouch!"
Chika, who was talking as she walked, suddenly missed a step and stumbled forward, not knowing what she had stepped on. A chilling hiss then echoed from beneath her feet, followed by the sudden 'awakening' of the silent forest, as responding hisses sounded from all directions.
"Spider?"
Natsuki's gaze sharpened, and he saw a gap suddenly open in the ground. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a gap, but a pit disguised by dead branches and leaves. Immediately after, a black spider the size of a washbasin suddenly leaped out of the pit.
The same situation played out all around Natsuki and the others; more than a dozen spiders leaped out simultaneously, spitting white silk from their mouths.
This ambush was incredibly swift; except for Natsuki, who dodged, the other girls were all hit without exception. It could be said that they were completely wiped out less than ten minutes after setting out.
"Ahhh! So many big spiders!"
"So... so disgusting!"
"Natsuki-kun, help, help me!"
The spider silk was extremely tough. After binding the girls, it quickly dragged Kaguya and the others into the underground hole, clearly indicating the spiders' immense strength.
The spiders that hadn't captured 'prey' moved again, swiftly crawling towards Natsuki, then directly leaping and flying to pounce on him.
Natsuki's gaze narrowed slightly. He sidestepped half a step to evade, quickly stabbed with the dagger in his hand, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the next spider.
Thump.
The spider stabbed by the dagger fell directly to the ground, its head separated from its body, and its eight spider legs twitched continuously.
There was nothing more to say about what happened next. These spiders were quite terrifying in the eyes of ordinary people, but in reality, they only specialized in stealth attacks and had great strength. Their speed was actually normal. Natsuki didn't even need to use "Psychic Power 100%" or Time Stop; it was simply a crushing victory in terms of speed.
In less than a minute, all the spiders were killed, twitching as they fell to the ground.
"Did anyone get hurt from the fall?"
Natsuki reached out and pulled Kaguya up.
"No... no..."
Kaguya's beautiful face was pale, and she instinctively shook her head.
Even the unyielding Kaguya couldn't remain unfazed when facing a real monster.
Natsuki then asked if anyone else was injured. Fortunately, everyone was just a bit disheveled, and no one was actually hurt.
"These spiders are excessively large, aren't they!" Chika clutched her chest, her pretty face pale, and couldn't help but complain, "How can there be such big spiders in the world!"
"This is a supernatural space; it's normal for it to differ from reality," Natsuki said from the side. "We actually encountered even larger spiders before."
That's right, it was that Spider Girl who used the entire campus as her hunting ground.
Unfortunately, this was a space formed by a nightmare, neither truly real nor truly illusory, so there was no way to summon Spider Girl, otherwise it would have been much more interesting.
Yukino's pretty face was also pale, but she managed to remain calm, taking a deep breath and saying:
"The spider webs on me... I can't get them off."
Natsuki looked at Yukino and said:
"That's normal. Spider webs are usually made of special proteins, so tearing them isn't very effective. You can just burn them off later."
Yukino bit her lip lightly and whispered:
"Burn them now? My legs are stuck, I can't move."
This Yukino was unlucky; the spider silk had wrapped around her legs, preventing her from walking. Although the other girls were equally disheveled, at least their movement was unimpeded.
"It's not safe here. Who knows if more spiders will appear, or monsters other than spiders," Natsuki said with a serious expression. "Yukino, bear with it. I'll carry you out in a moment. We'll deal with the spider silk on you when we get back to the sea."
Hearing this, the girls all became alert, and Yukino also bit her lip, no longer insisting.
Compared to the perilous forest, getting out as quickly as possible was the priority. The distinction between what was important and what was not was actually very clear.
"Eh eh eh, Natsuki-kun said there are other monsters in the forest?"
Chika immediately tensed up.
"Probably," Natsuki nodded. "In the world, there's only a first time and countless times, just like on Skull Island, besides Skull Crawlers, there are also Kongs that keep each other in check."
Tsubame said nervously:
"Then let's leave quickly, shall we?"
Natsuki nodded and said:
"Don't forget our purpose for entering the forest. Pick up the spiders and take them back with us."
"Eh?" Tsubame's beautiful eyes widened instantly. "Take the spiders back... C-could it be for food?"
Hayasaka said softly:
"Theoretically speaking, spiders are actually a very good source of protein."
"I... I know..." Tsubame's expression was particularly conflicted. "But eating something like that... it's just hard to accept, no matter how I think about it."
"Don't worry, Senpai," Chika gave a thumbs up. "Spiders only look ugly; they actually taste very good."
Tsubame covered her lips, looking over in shock and saying:
"Chika-chan, have you eaten spiders?"
"Of course," Chika put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and said, "When I traveled with my mom and dad before, we went to a country where an entire street sold insects. As long as you overcome the psychological barrier, it's absolutely no problem."
"..."
The girls talked as they picked up the spiders on the ground. Although they found them disgusting, in a hunger survival situation on a desolate Island, wasting food was the greatest sin.
Natsuki looked at Yukino and said seriously:
"Yukino, do you want me to carry you back, or carry you over my shoulder?"
Yukino: "..."
Are you a primitive man out hunting?
How could I let you carry me over your shoulder!
It's just that her legs were tangled in spider silk at the moment, preventing her from walking, and the silk couldn't be torn off. She could only choose the less awful method, biting her silver teeth and saying:
"I choose the first one."
Natsuki tilted his head and said:
"Sorry, I didn't hear clearly."
Yukino's pretty face instantly froze, and she glared at him in annoyance: "I suggest Natsuki-kun buy a hearing aid."
Natsuki lowered his voice and smiled:
"If it's a hearing aid given by Yukino, I'll take it."
Yukino: "..."
Shameless!
Usually, boys would leave awkwardly after being subjected to her sharp tongue. She had never seen such a thick-skinned boy!
"I've noted the gift. Yukino, remember to make up for it later." Natsuki exerted a little force, picked up Yukino, and said, "Let's go, we're leaving."
Catching a glimpse of Natsuki holding Yukino out of the corner of her eye, Kaguya's steps paused slightly. She subconsciously bit her lip, feeling a strange sensation welling up in her chest.
A heavy, suffocating feeling.
It made her breath catch, and in short, it was very uncomfortable.
"Hmm?" Hayasaka, who was always guarding Kaguya, noticed the change in Kaguya's expression. She raised her hand to brush a strand of hair from her ear and whispered, "Is Miss very concerned about Natsuki-kun?"
Kaguya withdrew her gaze, crossed her arms over her chest, and said with a cold expression:
"Not at all."
"Well, being contradictory isn't a good habit, you know," Hayasaka whispered. "If Miss is really concerned about that man, she needs to act fast and win him over soon. Being trapped on a desolate Island together can easily create a suspension bridge effect. If Miss hesitates, she might be snatched away by someone else."
Kaguya's steps paused slightly; she didn't speak.
Hayasaka whispered:
"As long as you follow my method, barring any accidents, Miss can easily win over that boy in just half a day."
When it comes to a girl pursuing a boy, if the girl is good-looking, basically no boy can refuse.
"Absolutely not needed," Kaguya said without looking back. "If you're so capable, then you go win him over yourself."
Hayasaka sighed softly: "...Miss is still too impulsive."
The current situation was actually not easy to be optimistic about.
Although Natsuki said that everyone would be able to recover their memories, what if?
Before truly recovering the so-called 'memories,' Hayasaka still remained skeptical.
On the entire desolate Island now, there was no law or order. Natsuki was not only the only male but also a super-powered individual. The only thing that could restrain him was morality.
Therefore, to protect Miss, she had to win over this man no matter what!
Following the marks left on the trees earlier, everyone quickly walked out of the forest.
The sky was still gloomy, with no sign of sunlight. The sea was calm, without wind or waves. On the beach near the sea, a shelter built with branches and leaves was already taking shape.
"Eh, what happened to Yukino?"
Seeing Natsuki walk out carrying Yukino, Haruno immediately dropped what she was doing and nervously came over to greet them.
"Sister..." Yukino turned to look, her heart slightly touched, and she whispered, "I'm fine, don't worry."