I Was Stranded on a Deserted Island with a Beautiful Classmate - Chapter 77

“So, Ooi-san, how did you know to go ‘right’?”

It seemed Kitakami had followed us, but as for Ooi-san and the others, was it just a coincidence?

“Ah, that? There was a marker,” she replied.

“A marker?”

Apparently, Kitakami had left some kind of mark on the right passage, which clued them in. That made sense.

Alright, we just had to keep going forward.

After gathering ourselves, we started walking.

It was already seven in the morning.

By now, I was starting to wonder about the pro group’s movements.

“Tetsu-kun, are we getting closer to the treasure?” Kitakami asked.

“Hard to say. The map only vaguely sketched out the underground cave. This looks like the destination, but it’s mostly unknown.”

“I see. Then, it’s finally time.”

Kitakami led the way, pickaxe in hand, as we headed deeper into the cave.

With only our flashlights guiding us, we pressed through the darkness.

The sound of water, like a gentle stream, grew louder as we went.

Could there be an underground lake nearby?

“It’s getting unusually spacious,” said Amane, who was walking behind me.

“Yeah. This might actually be the final destination.”

“Hope there’s treasure here.”

“If there is, we’ll be rich.”

“Yeah, we’ve come this far. Let’s keep it up.”

As we went further into the cave, it opened up considerably.

Before us lay a huge cavern.

“This…this is amazing!”

Ooi-san’s voice echoed in the cave, only to get swallowed up almost immediately. What was with this place?

Could it really be that there’s a massive underground cavern on this island…like a hidden shelter?

While I was taking it all in, Kitakami started digging into the ground with her pickaxe.

“What are you doing, Kitakami-san?”

“Checking the ground’s composition. It changes suddenly around here.”

“Can you tell?”

“To an extent, yes.”

Impressive. She seemed to have a talent for geology as well. Kitakami was practically like a futuristic robot cat from the 22nd century.

“So, what did you find?”

“This is lava rock, meaning it’s a ‘lava cave.'”

“A lava cave?”

Kotobuki asked the question before I could.

“Simply put, this is a cave formed by a volcanic lava flow. Near Mt. Fuji, there are many famous lava caves, like Fugaku Wind Cave, Narusawa Ice Cave, and the Bat Cave by Lake Sai.”

She knew so much about this! How did she know that? It’s not like they teach this in school.

“As expected, Kizuna,” I said.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Kaede, hand out the thermal sheets to everyone. It’s going to get cold from here on.”

“Got it.”

It really was getting colder.

Even in this underground cave, the chill was starting to bite, and now the temperature had dropped to zero. No wonder it felt so cold.

Though I was wearing several layers, I’d probably catch a cold at this rate.

Wrapping myself in the thermal sheet, I found it surprisingly warm.

As we moved deeper into the lava cave, we reached a shallow lake.

The water’s surface was clear, glowing with a beautiful blue. It was mesmerizing.

“Watch your steps, everyone,” I cautioned.

“Hey, Hayasaka-kun,” Kusamochi whispered.

“What is it, Kusamochi-san?” I whispered back.

“I just wanted to ask something.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re involved with Kizuna as her lover, right?”

“…! Th-that’s…yeah, you could say that.”

“In that case, I’ll be your maid,” she said.

“A…maid?!”

“Yes, I’m a cosplayer, after all.”

So Kotobuki was into that. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she had a hobby like that. She’d make a stunning maid, no doubt.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ll always be at your service.”

“Thank you, Kotobuki-san.”

“Call me Kaede, Master.”

She gave me a radiant smile. It felt…strangely fulfilling.

As we moved forward in high spirits, I noticed something glowing deeper in.

“This…this can’t be.”

“What is it, Kitakami-san?!”

Kitakami picked something up from the ground and examined it closely. Some sort of coin? Could it be…?

“It’s gold. A gold coin.”

“What?!”

We were all stunned.

Shining the flashlight over the water’s surface, we saw countless gold coins scattered around, glistening in the light. Were they all gold?

I picked one up, confirming it was indeed a gold coin.

“There’s so many lying around!”

Amane picked up a coin, and everyone followed, eagerly collecting them. To find so much gold in just one spot—how much could all this be worth?

But surely there was more ahead.

“Everyone, hold on. There seems to be something up ahead.”

I aimed the flashlight forward.

At the far end, there was a huge pile of gold and jewels.

…It was real.

Captain Kidd’s treasure…actually existed!!

“This…this is Captain Kidd’s treasure…It’s real.”

“Yeah, Amane. We’re going to be rich!”

“We did it!!” “Way to go, Tetsu-kun!” “We’ll never have to work again!” “Finally, we found it!” “Yes! This is incredible!”

Everyone shared in the joy.

With this much treasure, we could live easy for life! With this, we could all find happiness.

As I imagined our future—

A gunshot echoed through the cave, and Kitakami collapsed.

“…Ah!”

“Kitakami-san, no!!”

“…Ugh. It’s just my right shoulder. Lucky I brought morphine, just in case.”

Kitakami pulled out a syringe and injected it away from her wound. She was acting like a war medic.

But there was no time to marvel at that.

Looking toward the darkness, I saw a familiar face.

“Heh. I finally caught up to you, Hayasaka.”

“You…Marcus!!”

Marcus stood alone. So he had been tailing us all along.

He aimed an Uzi submachine gun straight at us.

This wasn’t looking good.