I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with a Beautiful Classmate - Chapter 28

There was a rustling sound coming from the forest.

Could it be…an animal? As I readied myself, I realized it was Amane and the others.

Oh yeah, they did say they were going for a bath (or a swim).

“We’re back!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s just you, Amane.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

There was no way I could tell her about Kitakami’s confession.

I quickly switched topics, not wanting her to figure anything out.

“Uh, it’s nothing. Anyway, do you feel refreshed now?”

“Yeah, look, I even changed my clothes.”

Now that I looked closely, Amane and the others had changed into jerseys. Those were our school’s jerseys.

“Where did you get those jerseys!?”

When I asked, Hokkii answered.

“A few school bags had washed up on the shore. Inside, we found jerseys, underwear, other clothes, stationery, sewing kits, first-aid kits…even snacks, comics, novels, and all sorts of useful items.”

“Oh!! It must be the belongings of other students. We’ll make good use of them.”

When I checked, there were seven school bags in total. It was like that thing where you gather seven of them, and any wish gets granted.

This is going to seriously improve our quality of life!

Comics and novels to kill time? This is great.

There are also some smaller items. I’ll go through them carefully later.

“Hey, that’s pretty nice. Do you have any extra jerseys? I’ve been stuck in my uniform this whole time…I was hoping for something more casual.”

“We have some for you too, Hayasaka-kun.”

Hokkii pulled one out for me.

The pants had “Amane” embroidered on them.

…Wait, doesn’t this belong to Amane?

“Hey, Amane.”

“W-What is it?”

Amane blushed and fidgeted…wait a second. On closer inspection, the jersey Amane was wearing…was mine!!

My name, “Hayasaka,” was embroidered on the pants.

…Seriously?

“That’s my jersey…”

“Sh-shut up. It’s fine, isn’t it?”

Looking extremely embarrassed, Amane averted her eyes. So basically, I’m supposed to wear Amane’s jersey? Is that what I’m getting here?

Probably.

But, will it fit?

Amane is pretty slim, so this might be a problem.

…Well, it’s stretchy, so it should be fine.

“Okay, I’ll borrow your jersey then.”

“Don’t worry, Hayasaka-kun, you’re not fat, so it’ll fit.”

“If it’s tight, we’ll swap back.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I rummaged through the bags to see if there was anything else.

That’s when I noticed Chitose grinning at me.

What’s with that mischievous smile?

“Hayasaka-kun, I found something great~.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“Ta-da! It’s a portable battery! And it even has a cable.”

“Oh! Awesome! I don’t know whose it is, but it’s a solar-powered, LED-equipped portable battery. This is perfect! What a game-changer.”

With this, we can charge our smartphones.

And it’s solar-powered.

Even though it’s small, it can recharge itself with sunlight.

It has a capacity of 15,000mAh.

If fully charged, it can recharge a smartphone four or five times.

What a divine item!

“Wow, really? I want to charge my phone too.”

“Right, your iPhone is still intact, isn’t it? Want to charge it first?”

“No, no, you go ahead, Hayasaka-kun. You’ve used the flashlight so much, you’re probably almost out of battery.”

That’s right.

I’d been using my phone as a flashlight for quite a while.

Because of that, my battery was down to less than 30%. I was ready to accept that it would die soon, but this amazing item showed up just in time.

With this portable battery, I don’t need to worry anymore.

“Thanks, Amane.”

“No problem, no problem.”

For now, we put aside the matter of our newly acquired items.

Food comes first.

Today, we’re having some mushrooms that Riko found…wait, what?

“Mushrooms!?”

What Riko pulled out were white mushrooms shaped like eggs.

Seeing them sent chills down my spine.

My random trivia knowledge instantly recognized them as “Tamago-takemodoki,” a deadly poisonous mushroom.

I couldn’t believe it!

“Don’t they look cute, like little eggs?”

“Riko, hold on! That’s a highly poisonous mushroom…”

“Wha-?! It’s poisonous!?”

“Yeah…if it were a real Tamago-take, it’d be edible, but this one is definitely poisonous.”

“Oh no…”

Riko slumped in disappointment.

It’s almost impossible for amateurs to identify mushrooms correctly. Most are poisonous, so it’s safer to avoid eating them altogether.

I had once been fascinated by the blazing red “Kaentake” mushroom and had done a lot of research on poisonous mushrooms back then. That knowledge paid off now.

…Still, I’d like to try eating a real Tamago-take someday. Apparently, they taste great and can be used in cooking.

“For now, let’s make do with the leftover fish…or maybe some snake.”

“I-I think I’ll pass on the snake…”

Riko, now completely dejected, shuffled over to the campfire and sat down. The others followed suit.

“I don’t want to waste it, so I’ll eat the snake.”

“You’re brave, Hayasaka-kun.”

“What about you, Kitakami? Want to try some?”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

She didn’t have to imitate a certain professor…oh well.

Since it’s valuable food, I’ll eat it.

The freshness will only go down from here. I moved to a different spot, skinned the snake, and prepped it as meat.

“…That should do it.”

Once it’s been turned into meat, you can’t even tell it was a snake.

I skewered it with a stick and started grilling it.

—Though, the girls seemed a bit grossed out.

“Hayasaka-kun, that…”

“Amane, don’t look at me like that. I had to muster some courage to skin it, you know.”

“Well…once it’s meat, you can’t really tell, but the thought still lingers…”

“You can’t eat fish without gutting them first. It’s the same thing.”

“I guess you’re right, but it’s a matter of getting used to it.”

Since fish is something people usually eat, it doesn’t seem strange. But snakes? We don’t usually eat those, so it feels weird and slimy.

But, facing nature means dealing with these kinds of things. If you get squeamish about everything, you won’t survive.

I made sure to keep some distance from the girls as I grilled the snake.

It sizzled nicely, the surface browning beautifully. It looked like it would be done soon.

“Here’s a drink for you, Hayasaka-kun.”

“Thanks, Kitakami. You made wooden cups for everyone?”

“I’ve been making them whenever I had some free time. And water has become easier to collect now. Don’t worry, I boiled it for safety.”

“Thanks, that’s a big help.”

When I thanked her, Kitakami blushed.

As we exchanged glances, Amane stepped in, tugging at my sleeve.

“Hayasaka-kun, you stay with me.”

“W-Wait, Amane…”

“It’s fine, just stay close.”

“Too close…”

Our shoulders were touching.

Kitakami, on the other hand, pressed her shoulder against mine too.

I was now sandwiched between Amane and Kitakami…

Both of them were glaring at each other. Please, can’t you two just get along?

I munched on the grilled snake, thinking to myself.

Oh, this is good…tastes like chicken breast. Mild and delicious.