I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with a Beautiful Classmate - Chapter 10

I finished gathering firewood.

If we make a fire outside the cave like this, it might also act as a smoke signal.

A passing ship might notice the smoke.

—But, more importantly, the meat.

The wild boar meat skewered on branches was starting to grill nicely. It was almost ready to eat.

“That huge wild boar has turned into grilled meat, huh?”

“Yeah, it looks delicious.”

Mana Amane stared at the meat hungrily.

After regaining consciousness, Amane, Yaegashi, and the others sat around the fire, watching the meat cook.

Kitakami picked up the skewers and began distributing them to each of us.

“I think it’s properly cooked, but it might still have a bit of a gamey smell. Just bear with it.”

“Thanks, Kitakami.”

We all said our thanks and I took a big bite of the boar meat.

…Mmm!

Sure, it did have a bit of a gamey smell, but it was within tolerable limits.

Maybe because I was starving, it didn’t bother me much.

Everyone devoured the meat without a second thought. We hadn’t eaten much the day before, after all.

“This is the first time I’ve eaten wild boar. It’s kind of tough to chew, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Amane. The texture is similar to pork, but a bit tougher.”

However, the meat was juicy and quite enjoyable. With a bit of salt and pepper, it would be perfect. Though, on this deserted island, there’s no way we’d find seasoning.

Kitakami ate quietly, while Chitose and Yaegashi seemed to be having fun, treating it like a barbecue.

The atmosphere became a bit lively, and I started to enjoy myself.

Taking advantage of the mood, I spoke to Yaegashi.

“By the way, Yaegashi, why do you guys have bows and arrows?”

“These are homemade. We used a net we found on the shore as a bowstring. Also…we tied it to some sturdy, flexible bamboo. The arrows are just branches.”

Looking closely, it really was bamboo. Given that this is Japanese waters, it wouldn’t be strange if bamboo drifted ashore. It might even be growing somewhere nearby.

Making a bow, huh? That would allow us to hunt and protect ourselves.

“You did a great job making that.”

“I’m in the archery club, so I know a lot about bows.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Well then, I was thinking…would it be okay if we worked together from now on?”

“That would be a great help. The forest is full of bugs, and it’s been hard finding a good place to sleep.”

“There are fewer worries like that in the cave.”

“You’re so kind, Hayasaka.”

“N-No, not really…”

She smiled warmly, like a gentle spring breeze, and I felt a bit embarrassed.

I remembered she had mentioned being the captain of the archery club. She was strong and beautiful, but when she smiled, there was a different kind of beauty to her.

“Hey, Hayasaka, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Suddenly, Amane, looking slightly irritated, tugged at the hem of my uniform.

“W-What’s up?”

“With this many people, I think we should start dividing the tasks.”

“Dividing tasks? What do you mean exactly?”

“For example, patrolling the area. You know, in case a rescue ship comes…and there’s that guy, Kurashima, right? He seems suspicious. Plus, there are dangerous animals around.

And we need to search for more food, don’t we? We also want to make our sleeping area more comfortable.”

Amane was right.

It would be more efficient to assign specific jobs to everyone.

“What do you think, Kitakami?”

“I think it’s a good idea. I’d like to work on setting up proper beds in the cave.”

Kitakami was brimming with confidence, saying to leave it to her and her knife. That settled it; I’d leave that to her.

“What about you, Chitose?”

“I’m all for it! It’s more fun with more people around.”

Alright, it’s decided.

Kitakami would work on improving the sleeping area.

Yaegashi, Hoshubana, and Higanbana would be in charge of patrolling the perimeter. I also asked them to gather any useful items they could find, like sticks, stones, or plastic—anything that might come in handy.

Amane, Chitose, and I would be in charge of food. We needed to secure anything edible.

“Alright, I’ll start gathering materials.”

“Kitakami, are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?”

“Don’t worry. You saw me fight the boar, didn’t you?”

She was right.

She had shown incredible strength, comparable to a heroic spirit. Kitakami could probably survive even if the world ended.

I checked my phone. It was Friday, July 1st, 10:34 AM.

The battery was at 48%, a little worrisome.

…Wait a minute.

“Does everyone have their phones?”

“I do! But I’ve turned it off to save the battery on my iPhone.”

Amane seemed to have hers in working order. It appeared she had kept it off since boarding the ship.

“I dropped mine. All I have is my knife.”

So Kitakami didn’t have hers anymore.

“I have mine too, but it’s broken…”

Chitose’s phone seemed to have water damage.

So that left the other three. It seemed their phones weren’t iPhones, and they had all broken. Androids aren’t as waterproof, it seems.

Good thing iPhones can survive a dunk in the sea.

That left just me and Amane with working phones.

“Amane, can you try turning yours on?”

“…Sure, but I doubt we’ll get a signal.”

“Mine’s still out of service, but maybe your carrier’s different.”

“Hmm, well, let’s give it a try.”

Amane turned on her phone.

And…no signal.

“No luck, huh?”

“Yeah, I figured. Sorry, Amane.”

Unfortunately, we couldn’t make any calls.

For now, the only way we had to communicate was through Chitose’s walkie-talkie. But that toy only worked within the island, and once the batteries died, it would be useless.

“It’s fine. You never know until you try. I just wish we could at least get online…”

“I know, right? Then I could message you on LINE.”

“Wait…Hayasaka, you want to message me on LINE?”

“If we had a connection, sure. But we don’t, so it’s impossible right now.”

“Well, once we make it out safely, let’s exchange LINE and message a lot.”

“…R-Really? You’d exchange LINE with someone like me?”

“Of course! But we’ve got to get off this island first.”

Exchanging LINE with Amane, huh?

I definitely want to do that.

In that case, maybe I should build a raft.

…No, that wouldn’t work. I don’t know how far we are from the mainland, and if there were sharks, we’d be done for. Plus, I don’t know much about the ocean currents.

If we’re not careful, we could drift off to some foreign country.

The risk is too high.

“We’ve got to survive. Let’s all do our part and work hard.”

Everyone nodded.

I would do my best to gather food for everyone.

I led Amane and Chitose into the forest.

After about 20 minutes of walking, and getting a little lost, we came upon a certain place.

…Wh-What is this…?!