"Oh, Natsuki-kun is back!"
"And Yukino-chan!"
"Phew~ Finally, we can relax."
"..."
Seeing Natsuki and Yukino return from the direction of the cliff, the girls happily came forward to greet them.
"We're back. Today's exploration mission was successfully completed."
Natsuki spoke, smiling and raising his right hand, showing off the large crabs he caught in the Red Mangrove Forest.
"Super big crabs!" Chika's eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly, "Natsuki-kun found new food?"
"That's right, there's a Red Mangrove Forest on the other side of the Island, and it's full of crabs." Natsuki nodded. "Next, we can have crab freedom."
"Yukino, are you alright?" Haruno walked up to her younger sister, a little worried. "Why do you look so listless?"
"I'm fine." Yukino gently shook her head. "I'm just a little tired, I'll be fine after a rest."
Natsuki took out his hand-drawn Island survey map:
"The survey mission is successfully completed. This is the general monster distribution on the Island..."
Natsuki briefly recounted today's survey trip. The girls' eyes widened, listening intently and attentively. When they heard about encountering a sky-darkening army of mosquitoes in the muddy swamp, some even exclaimed in surprise.
"I hate mosquitoes!"
"I super hate mosquitoes!"
"Even if mosquitoes went extinct, no one would be sad, they'd just be happy, right?"
When they heard that Natsuki and Yukino had discovered a Red Mangrove Forest on the other side of the Island, and that the forest was full of various crabs, the girls exclaimed again, but this time it wasn't fear, but pleasant surprise.
Crabs, that stuff, are now a high-end delicacy on the dining table. According to Natsuki, everyone could completely achieve crab freedom.
Compared to spiders or frogs, of course, they would 100% choose a crab feast.
"We're not sure how they taste yet, so Yukino and I caught a few to bring back for everyone to try." Natsuki said casually, "If these crabs taste good, we'll go catch more tomorrow."
Natsuki said, looking at Chika, and said softly, "It's a shame we didn't see any wild boars on the Island. I guess we won't be eating wild boar."
Chika squatted down, eagerly poking the large crab on the ground, her voice clear as she said, "With crabs around, wild boar is completely unimportant now."
"We also found fresh water," Natsuki added. "But it's a bit far."
And as for freshwater in the wild, those who know, know. Even if it looks clear, it should absolutely not be drunk directly, unless there is truly no other option.
"..."
Compared to Natsuki and Yukino's exciting Island adventure, the activities of Kaguya and the others who stayed on the sea were much simpler today.
First, making beds and tables and chairs...
The current progress is zero.
Carpentry requires considerable professional experience; non-professional carpenters simply cannot make them. Haruno had only watched wilderness survival videos, but she was still tens of thousands of miles away from being a handicraft expert, so she couldn't make a bed at all. In the end, she only chopped a few wooden stumps to serve as chairs.
Then, collecting supplies that drifted to the sea.
Shampoo.
Towel.
Slippers.
In short, they were all daily necessities.
Besides those, he even found several coconuts.
Finally, there were some fish, shrimp, and shellfish.
Before Natsuki left, he gave the breathing mask to Chika, which was clearly the spoils the girls had salvaged from the sea.
"By the way, where is Tsubame-senpai?"
Natsuki had not seen Tsubame, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Tsubame-senpai went into the sea to collect seashells," Hayasaka explained.
Seawater is corrosive, and prolonged exposure to it can cause various harms to the body, so the girls all wore breathing masks and took turns going into the sea to fish.
Although they said fishing, their main goal was to catch some shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. It's truly difficult for an ordinary person to catch fish with bare hands in the sea.
"The agreed-upon rotation time is ten minutes," Kaguya said softly, "Tsubame-senpai should be coming up soon."
Several more minutes passed in a flash, and Tsubame still hadn't surfaced. Natsuki couldn't help but feel a little worried, raising an eyebrow and saying:
"I'll go into the sea and take a look."
Kaguya nodded:
"Tsubame-senpai went into the water here. To be safe, I restricted everyone's activity range in the sea to just this area in front of us."
"..."
Natsuki took off his clothes, walked to the sea, and directly dove into the sea.
The seawater was icy cold.
The visibility was not high, but it did not hinder Natsuki's movements.
Natsuki squinted his eyes and first searched the shallow sea area but did not find Tsubame's trace.
"Did she go deeper?"
Natsuki pondered while searching for Tsubame's whereabouts based on the traces left on the seabed.
Not long after, Natsuki quickly discovered a pink object floating on a nearby reef.
"This is... Tsubame-senpai's underwear?"
Natsuki swam over and looked closely, realizing that this thing was indeed underwear. His brows furrowed, and he quickly swam deeper.
He couldn't speak in the sea, so he could only search by sight. Fortunately, Natsuki was lucky and soon discovered a shark circling coral ahead, and nestled between several corals was a mermaid girl wearing a breathing mask and not a stitch of clothing...
Who else could it be but Tsubame?
After confirming Tsubame's whereabouts, Natsuki decisively swam over.
Tsubame quickly noticed him and exhaled a string of bubbles, clearly very agitated, then hurriedly waved her hand, signaling Natsuki not to come over.
Of course, Natsuki couldn't stand idly by. It was just a mere shark; he didn't need to call for help.
The shark also saw Natsuki. Facing the food delivered to its doorstep, it decisively opened its mouth wide, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs, and directly bit over.
Natsuki was not flustered at all.
The moment this shark rushed over, he decisively activated Time Stop, flipped the shark over in the sea so its belly was facing up, then clapped his hands and left.
As is well known, sharks usually do not have a swim bladder and must constantly swim to maintain breathing. Once their belly is facing up, they are done for. The way orcas hunt sharks in the ocean is to swim under the shark's belly, then smack it with their tail, directly flipping the shark onto its back. Once the shark suffocates to death, it can be butchered at will.
Of course, the monster sharks in hunger might not have this flaw, but Natsuki didn't care.
Even if this shark could still jump around, there were many ways to kill it.
As for why he didn't kill it directly... sharks have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, even better than a dog's nose. They can smell blood from ten kilometers away. Killing this shark is simple, but the smell of blood could very likely attract ten, or even a hundred, sharks, which would be more trouble than it's worth.
When Time Stop was activated, besides Natsuki, everyone else's consciousness and bodies were completely frozen.
So when Time Stop ended, in Tsubame's eyes, Natsuki was simply very lucky, happening to cross paths with the shark and coincidentally swimming to the coral reef.
Tsubame quickly reached out and pulled Natsuki into the crevice of the coral reef, then nervously checked him. Seeing that Natsuki had no injuries on his body, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Natsuki spread his arms, allowing Tsubame to examine him, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the sea hare.
Tsubame's underwear had fallen off for some unknown reason earlier, so she naturally wasn't wearing any now. Although she covered her chest with one hand, it unfortunately couldn't completely conceal it... In short, the shape was excellent, without the slightest flaw.
Even in the dim seabed, it was still dazzlingly white.
Noticing Natsuki's gaze, Tsubame's pretty face flushed, and she couldn't help but lightly pinch Natsuki's arm, then nervously pointed to her mouth.
"Huh?"
He couldn't speak in the sea, so Natsuki could only give him a questioning look.
Tsubame clasped her hands around her throat, making a choking gesture, clearly worried that Natsuki was running low on oxygen. After all, this was the seabed, and breathing was the most critical issue.
Natsuki gently shook his head, indicating that Tsubame didn't need to worry.
Unfortunately, Tsubame was still very worried. Biting her silver teeth, she was about to take off her breathing mask.
Natsuki decisively reached out and pinched Tsubame's waist, instantly thwarting her action.
"Hmm...!"
Tsubame's body trembled, and she frantically covered her chest, retreating backward.
But just as she retreated half a step, Natsuki quickly extended his arm and pulled her into his embrace.
"Don't move."
Natsuki gently shook his head, signaling Tsubame to look behind her.
Tsubame turned her head and saw the protruding coral reef behind her. Only then did she realize that they were currently on the seabed, not on land, and behind her was not a wall but various rugged coral reefs. If she accidentally leaned back with force, her skin might be cut immediately.
Natsuki held Tsubame's right hand and wrote on her palm:
"Don't take off the mask, choking on seawater is super uncomfortable."
Tsubame endured the shame, leaning in Natsuki's arms. The skin-to-skin contact between them made her heart rate soar to over a hundred, yet she could only bite her lip and write on Natsuki's palm:
"Then what about you? How do you breathe without a mask?"
Natsuki: "It's simple, Tsubame gives me oxygen."
"Nya?"
Tsubame's eyes were bewildered.
Natsuki patiently continued to write on Tsubame's palm: "Just like in the movies, Tsubame can directly give me air through her mouth. The breathing mask can be lifted up a bit, exposing just the mouth. Remember not to go past the nose, the water pressure is too great, and you'll most likely choke on water."
Tsubame: "..."
How dare you ask me to supply oxygen to you in such a terrible way!
But... Natsuki clearly came to the seabed for her. Should she just stand by and watch him die?
"Wahh..."
Natsuki clutched his throat, a pained expression on his face.
Seeing this, Tsubame immediately became anxious.
"I, I'll give it to you right away...!"
She couldn't do it.
She absolutely couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Even if it were a complete stranger, Tsubame couldn't stand by and watch them die, let alone Natsuki.
Although she knew Natsuki was likely exaggerating, she was still super worried.
Tsubame hurriedly lifted her underwater breathing mask, exposing her mouth, then took a deep breath and kissed Natsuki.
After receiving the oxygen, Natsuki indeed no longer showed a pained expression.
"It should be fine now..."
Tsubame had just breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, when the next second, she suddenly widened her eyes.
Something soft, like a shark, directly intruded, instantly seizing Tsubame's tongue.
Returning kindness with enmity!
Tsubame's eyes widened, both shy and angry.
She had kindly sacrificed her innocence to save him, and he actually returned kindness with enmity!
Natsuki-kun is too much!
Tsubame shouted in her heart.
At a time like this, shouldn't she bite down hard?
But in a blink of an eye, Tsubame started to hesitate again.
If she bit down hard, Natsuki-kun would definitely be in a lot of pain, and they were on the seabed. What if he choked on water?
People who are inherently kind, even when they are being taken advantage of, will still worry about others.
Tsubame was just like that.
Thoughts surged in her mind, but unfortunately, none of them came to fruition. Instead, her arms instinctively rose and wrapped around Natsuki's neck.
After a while, Tsubame finally came to her senses.
"Eh eh eh?"
"Why, why did I hug him?!"
"..."
A moment later.
Natsuki released Tsubame, helped her put her breathing mask back on, and then wrote on her palm:
"Thank you, Tsubame-senpai, for saving my life."
"...Get lost!"
Tsubame's rosy cheeks puffed out, and she couldn't help but glare at him.
But for some reason.
At a time like this, she should have been very angry, but she couldn't get angry at all.
Natsuki stroked Tsubame's head:
"It's about time to go up."
If it were just him and Tsubame on the Island, it wouldn't matter how long they stayed, but Chika and the others were on shore, and if they didn't return soon, they would definitely be worried.
Seeing Natsuki about to leave, Tsubame immediately became nervous and tugged on Natsuki's arm:
"That shark is still out there!"
Natsuki pointed his finger and blinked, signaling:
"Tsubame-senpai, look closely, how long has that shark been motionless?"
"..."
Tsubame widened her eyes and looked carefully, only to realize that the shark was floating belly-up in the sea and had been completely motionless for a while.
Clearly.
The sharks in the Don't Starve world shared the same characteristics as real-life sharks; once they couldn't breathe, they would quickly lose their lives.
"I'll go out first."
Natsuki patted Tsubame's head and swam out of the coral reef first, even boldly swimming a circle around the shark.
The shark floated silently in the sea, completely motionless.
"Tsubame-senpai, you can come out now."
Natsuki waved to Tsubame.
Tsubame cautiously swam out. Seeing that the shark was still motionless, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Back to shore! Quickly, back to shore!"
Tsubame hurriedly swam towards the sea.
She was just an ordinary person at this moment. When she went into the sea to pick up shells, because all the shells near the shore had been picked, she could only swim deeper. Who knew she would encounter a shark? She could only hide in the coral reef, and at that time, she was completely terrified.
Now that she had escaped the danger, she naturally didn't want to stay in the sea for another second.
Natsuki was not in a hurry. He grabbed the shark's tail and pulled the shark to follow Tsubame.
Staying in the sea for so long required physical evidence.
Besides, the shark could also be eaten, so he dragged it back to expand their survival food menu.