The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Noble in a World with a Skewed Gender Ratio - 40

Chapter 40: One Week of Living on an Uninhabited Island

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A week had passed since we washed ashore to this deserted island. After securing the water source, we did various things to survive. We tried to find food sources. From the sea, we were able to procure clams, fish and crabs. Marin was good at free diving, so she made a spear for fishing. We also found bamboo trees. We shaved the bamboo with stones to make a spear. It was tough, but all the hard work really paid off upon relishing in the taste of the sea’s bounty. 

Thank you, God! Thank you, Buddha! Thank you, Marin! You really remind me of Marin-chan from Umi Monogatari! 

As for the forest… We were able to find nuts, young palm shoots and well… Insects. Sure, we also found some mushrooms, but since I didn’t know anything about mushrooms, I was afraid to eat them. I couldn’t tell which was poisonous and not. Of course, we also made a place for us to sleep. We picked two big trees and then we used stones to cut the wood, tied them together with vines and made a roof by layering wood and leaves together. We also attached a make-shift hammock made from bamboo. We somehow managed to make a shelter for us to sleep.

And so, a week passed. Both of us were still alive and well. Our biggest concern was …. We didn’t catch any sign of a ship even once. We might need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of living on this uninhabited island for a while longer. 

“Come on, El! Hurry up and come over here!”

“You know… Isn’t it about time for us to make another hammock…?”

“One is enough! Besides, sleeping together with you feels warm and comfortable! There’s no problem, see?”

For me personally, this was my biggest concern right now. We washed and dry our clothes on a make-shift clothesline and then at night, we would lie side by side inside the hammock buck naked. I didn’t know why, but somehow things just ended up like this. Lying next to each other naked like this had become a part of our daily routine. Maybe Marin insisted on doing this because she was feeling anxious? Well, I was feeling anxious too… Although my reason might differ from her.. 

“Whoa… Stranded on a deserted island and getting all cozy with a girl naked… El… You stupid!!”

Wha-What was that?! For a moment, I could see a vision of Tia looking at me with pure rage. It… It must be just my imagination, right? She must be upset because I couldn’t celebrate her birthday together… Even though I had promised her I would come… If I was able to return home safely, I would have to apologize to Tia.

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~Side Marin~

Whenever I hugged El naked like this, I could truly feel the warmth of his body. His body warmth really felt comforting and above all… Holding him like this allowed me to forget about that. About the fact that I was picked up on the street and raised as an assassin. 

How should I say it… I was told I had talent in combat, so I tried my hardest to make a name out of myself by doing what I was great at. But… I was called a defective tool. Why? Well… I couldn’t actually kill anyone. But…

On the night after we were washed ashore on this island, the same day when El asked me to serve him…. I left El, who was deeply asleep from exhaustion. I left his side to head toward the place where I had sensed someone’s presence during the day. This place was located along the coastline, the exact opposite from where me and El were washed ashore. 

And it seemed… This someone sensed my presence too, since she showed herself before me.

“You seem to be getting along well with him, huh… Defective Tool?”

“Don’t call me defective! Anyway… So you survived the shipwreck, huh?”

“To be honest, I also thought I was going to die back then.”

“In any case, this means the mission is a failure, right? Leader?”

“Just like what you said, Defective Tool… In that country, surviving after failing a mission is absolutely unacceptable. However… If we use that child as a bargaining chip, maybe things will be different for us. After all, I’m sure that country is not the only country dying to have a healthy male.”

“…You plan to use El as a bargaining chip?”

“Well, yeah? And now, you need to continue pretending to serve that child. I’m sure as defective as you are, you can at least do that much, right?”

“…”

“I don’t know where we are, but the moment a rescue ship comes for us, we will need to take over the ship. I know you can’t actually kill people, but you can still knock them out, right? And then, we will secretly negotiate with another country or a noble by using that boy-“

“I REFUSE!”

“…What did you say?”

“I’m not going to listen to you! I won’t let you use El as a bargaining chip!”

“Are you stupid?! Have you grown soft?! Come on, I will let you have your way with that boy once, so just listen to me here!”

“I REFUSE!!”

“…Then die! After I kill you, I will do as I please with that boy!”

Leader reached for her sword, but I was faster. My body moved on its own and I was already on Leader’s side. With the makeshift blade from stone I had brought with me, I…

“Arg-…”

Leader staggered back, clutching her throat as she fell into the raging waves. I watched as she struggled to swim until eventually… She stopped moving. Her body then floated along the waves, drifting into the sea… Soon, even her body disappeared from my sight.

For the first time in my life, I killed someone. I was scared. I quickly left the place and returned to El. I couldn’t stop shaking, but… When I returned to El and embraced him, my trembling subsided somewhat. 

“El… I will protect you.”

Ever since then, I would feel uneasy if I couldn’t feel El’s warmth like this. Hence why, today as well… I shall seek El’s warmth just like usual.

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T/N: Whoa… Nice character development! (´▽`ʃƪ)♡