I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with a Beautiful Classmate

I returned to the base and finally fell asleep.

Perhaps because I was so exhausted, I slipped into the world of dreams easily.

It feels like it’s been a while since I last had a dream.

A dream where I go to school every day. No, wait, maybe that’s more of a memory.

One year ago.

Every day was the same, boring and unchanging. Classes were dull beyond belief. Why didn’t anything exciting happen? Why am I such a boring person?

I just went with the flow, day by day.

When I got home, I would play games or browse the internet. That was it—just a routine.

I didn’t want any disasters to happen. I didn’t want war to break out.

Peace is the best.

But when things are too peaceful, life lacks excitement.

One day, I became hooked on “survival videos.” There was a former special forces soldier named Bear Grylls, an adventurer who traveled the world, surviving in remote areas with nothing but a knife.

I was instantly captivated and started to absorb survival knowledge.

Though I learned a lot, I never had the chance to actually use it. After all, no emergencies ever happened.

The only way to test it would be to throw myself into nature like Bear Grylls—but I didn’t have that kind of willpower.

In the end, I was just that kind of guy. Just a guy full of useless knowledge.

In the end, I’d never get to use any of it—

“That’s not true, Hayasaka-kun.”

“Huh, Amane? You’re here?”

“Yeah, I’ve been right next to you the whole time.”

Amane smiled at me.

Ah, right.

This is my dream…isn’t it?

“Amane, am I…really necessary?”

“Why would you say something like that?”

“Huh?”

“I need you, Hayasaka-kun. If you weren’t here, I couldn’t survive. How could I live on this deserted island?”

“This dream feels too real…Amane, is this really just a dream?”

“What are you talking about? This is the real world.”

“Huh?!”

When I became fully conscious, I realized Amane had been using her lap as a pillow for me.

“Shh! Keep your voice down. It’s still early in the morning, and everyone else is sleeping.”

“Amane…why?”

“I heard you talking in your sleep. At first, I thought you were having a nightmare.”

“Ugh, that’s embarrassing.”

I didn’t know I was the type to talk in my sleep. My face grew hot, and Amane giggled softly.

“It’s okay. I’ll keep it a secret.”

“What was I saying?”

“There was a lot of negative stuff. Hayasaka-kun, you’re too much of a pessimist. Maybe you should try thinking a bit more positively. But you don’t usually seem that way.”

“That’s the old me. Back then, I was pretty cynical.”

“Really? You’ve changed, huh?”

“Yeah…since coming to this island.”

Meeting Amane was the turning point.

If we hadn’t ended up stranded here, I’d probably still be that boring person. I would’ve lived out my whole life as a dull man with nothing interesting to offer.

But now, I want to protect Amane more than anything.

She saved me, so now I want to save her.

“I see. That’s a good thing, Hayasaka-kun. Back when we sat next to each other, you always looked so bored.”

“Oh, you noticed?”

“Well, we were desk neighbors.”

“I noticed you too, Amane.”

“Yeah, I knew. I could feel your gaze sometimes.”

“So, you knew, huh?”

“You even peeked at my chest sometimes.”

“…Ugh. I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. I can forgive everything now. And besides, I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“Thank me?”

When I asked, Amane gently patted my head.

“For always taking care of me…my daily gratitude…”

Amane leaned in closer and softly kissed me.

…

It was sweet, and it made my mind buzz.

This was the second time we kissed.

This is how Amane feels about me. In that case, I have to respond. After all, my feelings are…

I started to pull away to confess my love—

“Hoooon…”

A sound interrupted, and I snapped back to reality.

“This sound…I think I’ve heard it before.”

“What? What’s wrong, Hayasaka-kun?”

“That eerie noise.”

“Noise? I don’t hear anything.”

I thought it was coming from the cave, but it might have been from outside. I stood up and headed toward the entrance.

The sky was getting lighter, signaling the approach of dawn.

I couldn’t see the ocean from here…

“Amane, let’s head to the beach.”

“Huh? Okay.”

I grabbed Amane’s hand and led her into the forest.

Though it was still a little creepy, I’d memorized the path. I even marked it with arrows, so we wouldn’t get lost again.

We hurried and soon arrived at the beach.

The sun was rising, and it felt a bit warmer.

But more importantly—what was that sound?

Could it be…?

“Is that…a ship?!”

“What…no way, it really is!!”

There was a small ship floating on the horizon. There was no mistaking it—it was a cargo ship!

Thank goodness, this area is part of a shipping route.

“Heeey!!”

I shouted, but of course, my voice didn’t reach them.

“They probably can’t hear you. Oh, wait! Hayasaka-kun, how about sending a signal? Like with smoke!”

“That’s it! I always carry a fire starter.”

I quickly gathered some dry branches.

I struck the fire starter, and sparks flew. Soon, the branches caught fire, and I added more to make the flames bigger.

“I’ll gather more branches!” Amane said.

“Thanks, Amane.”

We rushed to collect more dry branches and anything else that would burn. The fire grew, and we sent thick smoke into the air. If we were lucky, the ship would notice.

But despite all our efforts, the ship disappeared from sight before we knew it.

“…We didn’t make it in time.”

“Do you think they didn’t see us?”

“It’s hard to say. Our fire wasn’t strong enough. It wasn’t even big enough to call a bonfire. Damn…next time, we’ll have to prepare a pile of firewood on the beach.”

“Yeah, it’s disappointing, but there’s nothing we could’ve done.”

“I’m sorry, Amane. That might’ve been our chance to escape.”

“Don’t worry about it. As long as I’m with you, Hayasaka-kun, I’m happy wherever we are.”

She held my hand, and my heart raced. Today, Amane was being so kind…

She’s never looked at me like this before.

I was completely captivated. This is the power of an idol. It’s overwhelming.

“Thank you, Amane. Well, since we’re here, why don’t we relax a bit?”

“Yeah. But…Hayasaka-kun?”

I pulled Amane down to sit with me.

Now it was my turn to be kind to her.

“You must be tired too, Amane. Let me take care of you.”

“Wait…but…”