"Let's go up."
Natsuki carried Juju on his back and easily climbed the cliff.
Immediately after, everyone went to the sea together for a simple wash.
After getting ready, the girls directly gathered some firewood on the sea, lit a fire with a lighter, and began to prepare breakfast.
Though called breakfast, the main food was still spiders.
"Yesterday's frogs weren't tasty at all."
"And those birds, after roasting, the meat was tough and hard; it was impossible to eat."
"The taste is so bland. Should we look for salt today?"
"I heard that humans who don't eat salt for a long time can get rickets."
"…"
After a lively breakfast on the beach, everyone quickly got busy.
Island survival.
No one could be lazy.
For example, food: they currently had no food storage. After finishing one meal, they immediately had to prepare for the next; they couldn't just improvise at the last minute.
Then there was the cave.
Yesterday, it was just the simplest excavation, barely providing shelter from wind and rain, with almost zero comfort. After a night's sleep, their whole bodies ached.
If possible, it would be best to manually build wooden beds… Of course, no one could probably manage such craftsmanship, but they could at least lay some soft dry grass on the ground.
"And water sources." Chika counted on her fingers, her voice clear, "The Island is so big, there must be water sources. Seawater is bitter and astringent, and super hard to drink."
"Eh?" Tsubame looked over curiously, "When did Chika drink seawater?"
"Cough, cough…" Chika's pretty face flushed, and she guiltily averted her gaze, stammering, "It was just when I was bathing yesterday… I accidentally drank a mouthful…"
Natsuki looked at Chika, understanding.
It must have been when they were unlocking new kissing positions in the sea yesterday. Because she wasn't skilled enough, this Chika choked on seawater, which left a deep impression.
"Then there's food." Chika continued, "There must be delicious things on the Island. I don't want to eat spiders or frogs anymore."
The girls all expressed their agreement.
"That's right."
"We need to find new food."
"Juju said that in the hunger game, there are actually deer and wild boars, right?"
The girls looked at Natsuki as they spoke.
Natsuki complained: "I said it before, even if you catch wild boars in the wild, they will be hard for you to swallow and make you question life."
"Whether it's hard to eat or not, you'll only know after trying it." Chika put her hands on her hips, "Only by tasting it yourself do you have the right to speak."
"Yes, yes." Natsuki raised his hands, "Let's set a small goal today: catch a wild boar and bring it back."
Now that Kaguya and Hirano have awakened, according to the speed of mushroom recovery, people can awaken every day, so Natsuki doesn't need to rush at all and can slowly enjoy the fun of hunger survival. It's just a pity that Marin and Sayu are still in doll form, otherwise Natsuki wouldn't be able to resist staying on the Island forever.
The discussion was over.
Next was exploration time.
Even Robinson, after settling down, wanted to explore the entire Island.
"I'll go around the Island and check the specific environment." Natsuki looked at Kaguya and Yukino, and said softly, "You two stay here and take care of everyone."
At this moment, Kaguya and Yukino had both awakened, so it was no problem to let them take care of everyone.
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest and said softly:
"Let Yukino go with you, safety first."
Natsuki turned his head upon hearing this, looked at Yukino, and said nonchalantly:
"What do you say, Yukino?"
Yukino: "…"
Could she refuse?
Of course not.
In Island survival, everyone should contribute their share of strength.
The reason the second mushroom was given to her was to use the detection skill to prevent danger, so she couldn't refuse no matter what.
"...I understand."
Yukino exhaled lightly and agreed.
Natsuki smiled:
"Then, please take good care of me, Yukino."
"…"
Yukino was expressionless, turned and walked towards Haruno, beginning a private sisterly talk.
Kaguya tilted her head and looked over, a sweet smile appearing on her pretty face:
"The President seems very happy, doesn't he?"
"I'm sorry, I got carried away, please forgive me."
Natsuki decisively admitted his mistake, bowing his head and apologizing three times.
On the matter of being thick-skinned, Natsuki was confident he would not be weaker than others.
Bowing his head and apologizing to a girl, he didn't feel his dignity was insulted at all.
"Hmph~"
Kaguya snorted lightly, puffing out her cheeks, "President, you need to restrain yourself a bit, don't think that…"
Don't think that just because I turn a blind eye, you can do whatever you want!
"Yes, I am very sorry." Natsuki's attitude was sincere, "It won't happen again."
"…"
A moment later.
Yukino, who had finished talking with Haruno, walked over.
"Let's go."
Yukino's attitude was exceptionally cold, treating Natsuki directly as a stranger, clearly still holding a grudge about what happened this morning.
Natsuki didn't care; if this Yukino wasn't angry, that would truly mean the sun rose from the west.
"We haven't been able to go deep into the forest before." Natsuki mused, "Let's try to explore the entire Island today."
"Mm."
The exploration journey officially began.
After leaving the beach, Natsuki extended his right hand to Yukino and said:
"Let me paste a skill on you."
Yukino tensed her pretty face and looked straight ahead, saying: "No need."
"I think it's very necessary." Natsuki whispered, "If you go back injured, Haruno will definitely be very distressed, right?"
Yukino: "My sister doesn't need your worry."
Natsuki's voice was aggrieved: "Yukino clearly promised not to give me the silent treatment, didn't she?"
"…"
Yukino bit her silver teeth, unable to resist turning her head to glare at him.
Why she didn't want to talk to him, wasn't he clear in his own heart?
Natsuki quickly reached out and grabbed Yukino's right hand.
The girl's soft hand was boneless and cool to the touch.
"Don't move." Natsuki said seriously, "Let's talk after the skill is pasted."
Yukino struggled twice, and seeing she couldn't break free, she could only take a deep breath and turn her head to look elsewhere.
Hold it in.
Don't get angry.
Wait until we return to the real world.
Talking all the way, the two soon arrived at the edge of the forest.
After entering the forest, Yukino decisively activated her detection skill, a pair of fluffy Kuroneko ears grew on top of her head, standing straight up, twitching lightly, and began to detect the surrounding movements.
Angry as she was, she would never be careless about important matters.
But with this detection, Yukino immediately furrowed her delicate brows.
"What's wrong?"
Natsuki asked in a low voice.
"So many spiders." Yukino bit her lip, answering in a low voice, "This forest is densely packed with them."
The detection skill presents the surrounding scene as a three-dimensional image in the mind. At this moment, Yukino's mind was filled with various images, which was quite disorienting.
Natsuki took out a notebook and a pen, and said in a low voice:
"Let's find the boundary and then leave this forest."
Next, the two divided the work: Yukino was responsible for detecting the surrounding environment, and Natsuki was responsible for drawing a topographic map in the notebook and marking the boundaries.
Both were players, and both were veteran-level, so they cooperated very well. Many times, they didn't need to speak; a gesture was enough to understand each other's meaning.
After surveying the outline of the spider forest area, Natsuki and Yukino continued to the next area.
Next, the two discovered a tidal swamp.
The vegetation was lush and the water was clear, but who knew that stepping down would reveal the swamp was full of mud, with a squelching sound that went straight up to the ankle.
Struggling to pull her foot out, Yukino's eye twitched slightly as she looked at the mud on her foot, involuntarily showing a disgusted expression.
For someone who loves cleanliness, this mud was truly terrible.
"The stockings can't be worn anymore." Natsuki said, "Should we just throw them away?"
Yukino nodded subconsciously at his words.
Stockings covered in mud, even if washed clean, she wouldn't want to wear them again!
But before she could speak, Yukino suddenly heard a loud buzzing sound.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said:
"What a big mosquito."
Yukino pursed her lips and followed Natsuki's gaze, her breathing pausing slightly.
She saw a black mosquito flying over in the swamp, its size looking as big as a fist, and the sound of its wings flapping was exceptionally loud, making people feel irritated. Especially its mouth, which was thin and long; let alone humans, an elephant would probably not be able to stand a single bite.
This mosquito clearly discovered Natsuki and Yukino, flapping its wings and buzzing straight towards them.
Slap!
Natsuki didn't want to touch it with his hand at all, so he casually picked up a branch and directly swatted it, instantly exploding the mosquito.
"Solved." Natsuki complained, "A place like a swamp is indeed a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. It's a pity that killing it didn't drop any materials."
Yukino was about to speak when her pretty face suddenly changed color. She nervously grabbed Natsuki's right hand and urgently said:
"Let's run!"
"Huh?"
Yukino bit her lip, pulling Natsuki and turning to run.
Natsuki ran a few steps with her, about to ask, when he suddenly heard an overwhelming buzzing sound from behind. He turned his head and saw a mosquito army like a dark cloud, covering the sky and sun, flying directly towards them.
"So many mosquitoes!"
Natsuki's face also changed. If they were surrounded by so many mosquitoes, they would be sucked dry immediately!
No wonder they hadn't seen any other creatures around the swamp all this way!
Natsuki and Yukino were running, while the mosquitoes were flying in the air. Flying was naturally faster than running, and coupled with the lush vegetation around the swamp, their movement was severely hindered.
"It's too late."
Seeing the mosquitoes getting closer and closer, Natsuki decisively said:
"Yukino, quickly transform into a leg attachment."
Yukino bit her lip, her figure flickered, and she disappeared.
Looking at the overwhelming swarm of mosquitoes, Natsuki took a deep breath and decisively used the skill he had just copied from Kaguya. His figure flickered, and he vanished into the shadows.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
The mosquito army quickly swarmed over, but Natsuki and Yukino had both disappeared. Countless mosquitoes spun around in confusion for a while, then flew back into the swamp.
A moment later.
Natsuki emerged from the shadow state, appearing out of thin air.
Bang~
Yukino, who had transformed into a leg attachment, also appeared in mid-air and was caught by Natsuki.
"Put me down."
Yukino's pretty face was expressionless, but her ear tips couldn't help but quickly turn red.
Whether it was entering the shadows or the leg attachment, neither ability could transform with clothes. In other words, neither of them was wearing clothes now, and their skin was intimately pressed against each other, causing Yukino's heart to involuntarily accelerate. She exerted a slight force and jumped directly out of Natsuki's arms.
Her gaze subconsciously flickered, Yukino's pretty face flushed, and she suddenly bit her silver teeth, averting her eyes and saying:
"…Pervert!!"
He escaped death from such a dangerous situation, yet he still wants to lewd. What exactly is in a boy's head!
Natsuki coughed twice and said, "It's just biological instinct, I don't want to either..."
"Shut up!" Yukino bit her silver teeth. "Put on your clothes quickly!"
"Yes, yes."
"..."
They both got dressed.
"We can't go to the swamp," Natsuki exhaled. "There are so many mosquitoes, it's too dangerous."
Actually, if it were just Natsuki alone, he wouldn't be afraid. If he couldn't win, he could run. With Psychic Power 100% activated, Natsuki was very confident that mosquitoes would definitely not catch up to him.
But with Yukino by his side, he could only make a strategic retreat.
Yukino nodded and said, "Mark the swamp area, and we'll go in a different direction."
"As Yukino-sama commands."
Natsuki spoke while admiring Yukino's legs.
Her stockings were covered in mud earlier, so when she got dressed, Yukino threw them away. There were spare stockings in the game backpack, but taking them out now would just be a waste.
So white.
So straight.
Both white and straight, without the common bow legs or inward-pointing feet of Japan girls. It felt like he could play with them for a year and never get bored.
"You..."
Yukino originally wanted to say something sharp, but finally sighed softly, saying helplessly, "Let's go quickly."
Even if she scolded him, this guy wouldn't care; in fact, he would enjoy it, so it was better not to say anything.
Natsuki said seriously, "Yukino, you walk in front, and I'll cover the rear."
Yukino: "..."
Are you really walking behind to cover the rear?
She was too embarrassed to expose him!
The two cautiously explored the edge of the swamp, drawing a rough outline of its boundary, and then encountered a Red Mangrove Forest.
The monsters living in the Red Mangrove Forest were crabs, some looked like mud crabs, completely black, and occasionally there were crabs with fiery red carapaces. Each one was incredibly large, comparable to a coconut crab in the real world.
After discovering Natsuki and Yukino, these crabs immediately crawled out from under the roots of the Red Mangrove Forest, waving their two large pincers, scuttling over with a clatter, intending to attack.
"Good timing."
Natsuki's eyes lit up. He stomped on one directly, then took out a rope, tied its two pincers, and handed it to Yukino: "Today, we can finally have a change of taste."
Compared to the mosquito swamp, the large crabs in the Red Mangrove Forest were simply like obedient babies, looking cute no matter how he saw them.
After catching more than a dozen large crabs in one go, Natsuki reluctantly stopped, then continued exploring the remaining areas of the Island with Yukino.
Beach.
Jungle.
Swamp.
Red Mangrove Forest.
Grassland.
Shallow sea.
They even found an area of lava.
The Island was not actually very large, but the environment on the Island was exceptionally complex and harsh. In each environment, there were unique monsters. Natsuki and Yukino even saw giant creatures that were clearly Bosses, but to be safe, they did not act rashly, only marking them on the map and then quietly leaving.
"Today's exploration ends here." Natsuki looked at Yukino and said softly, "It's getting dark, Yukino, shall we go back?"
"Mmm."
Yukino softly responded, her fatigue barely concealed in her expression.
When the investigation skill was activated, all kinds of information would flood into her mind. It was fine for a short time, but after a while, her head would ache faintly from being overloaded, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Natsuki half-squatted and said, "Come on, I'll carry you back."
Yukino pressed her temples and shook her head, saying, "No need."
"I'll give you two choices." Natsuki held up two fingers. "Either I carry you back on my back, or I carry you in my arms. You choose."
Yukino: "..."
Nominally giving a choice, but in reality, there was no choice at all!
Yukino hesitated for a few seconds, then silently leaned onto Natsuki's back.
"Let's go back."
Natsuki reached out to support her, carrying the crabs in his other hand, and walked back with Yukino on his back.
Smelling Natsuki's scent, Yukino felt her eyelids rapidly grow heavy and slowly closed them, feeling a strange sense of peace in her heart.
If it continued like this, it seemed... not bad at all...
After an unknown period of sleep, Yukino suddenly felt her cheek being gently pinched. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Natsuki softly saying, "Wake up, we're back."
Yukino blinked her eyes, looked at the cave not far away, and then fully woke up, saying in a low voice, "Put me down."
Natsuki shook his head and said, "No."
"Hmm?"
Yukino's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Natsuki said righteously, "I worked so hard to carry you back. Even if there's no merit, there's hard work. You should at least give me some reward, right?"
"Reward, you say?"
Yukino extended her right hand, tugging Natsuki's ear. "Sorry, I didn't quite hear what you just said."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Natsuki pitifully begged for mercy, "Stop pulling."
Yukino's lips curved slightly upward: "Do you still want a reward?"
Natsuki shook his head: "No more, my ear is going to fall off."
"Hmph~"
Yukino let out a soft hum, then jumped off Natsuki's back.
As her feet touched the ground, Yukino quickly realized what she had just done, and her pretty face rapidly flushed. No matter how she looked at it, that kind of interaction seemed too intimate.
Strange.
Too strange.
She could have just jumped down directly, so why did she have to pull his ear?
Clearly...
Yukino took a deep breath, her eyelashes slightly lowered, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart, and regained her cool expression, saying in a low voice, "Let's go back."
"Yukino, you go back first." Natsuki waved his hand and said, "I need to take a bath, my shoulder is all covered in your saliva."
Yukino: "..."