Chapter 5: To survive, you have to take risks.
"Hmm..."
Jun felt a warm body clinging to him like an octopus.
He opened his eyes slowly.
As expected, it was very cold last night, even though I slept in a cave.
That's why the girl hugged him — to stay warm through the night.
"But Yukinoshita-san is really cute..."
He smiled at the sight of the girl using his chest as a pillow and her sweet, sleeping face.
He remembered how his little sister used to hold on to him like this when they were kids.
But that felt like something from ten years ago.
Jun shook his head and coughs lightly. After waking the girl lying on him, he pretended to close his eyes again.
She was thin, but her body was surprisingly soft.
"Uwaaaaaah..."
Yukinoshita Yukino realized she was holding on tightly to a strange man. She screamed and quickly backed away into the cave.
But the cave was small and cramped.
"Itai..."
Her head accidentally hit the stone wall.
It hurt.
Yukino felt tears well up in her eyes because she was in pain. She gently rubbed the back of her head. The girl realized the boy in front of her didn't show any signs of waking up. She immediately lowered her voice and movements and slowly crawled out of the cave.
It was embarrassing because he didn't wake up, but it should be okay.
Yukino quickly left the cave.
Jun wanted to wake up and tease her, but he knew she would get embarrassed easily, so he pretended to sleep.
_ _ _
"Katō-san, you're finally awake..."
Yukino was breaking open coconuts on a rock and looked over at Jun as he came out of the cave.
She blushed when she thought about how she had hugged him without knowing it all night.
Yes, it might be because I'm used to sleeping with Pan-san in my arms at home.
That's right, I probably confused Katō-san with Pan-san.
Yukino thought her actions were justified.
Her long hair was a little messy from the wind.
"Sorry, I slept really well last night..."
Jun had slept soundly.
"You..."
Yukino was clearly frustrated seeing someone so relaxed, but there wasn't much she could do.
"Hmph, your morning breath is spreading around here. Let's go to the beach and rinse out our mouths!"
Yukino split the coconut into two halves, placed them on a fairly clean flat rock, and waited for Jun to wash up at the beach.
Eating or drinking coconut in the morning felt strange, but they had no other food options.
As for the dense forest behind the palm trees, she didn't dare venture into it just yet.
_ _ _
"Katō-san, what should we do next?"
After a hurried breakfast of coconut meat, Yukino sat and stared blankly at the endless ocean.
After everything that happened yesterday, Yukino had started to rely on Jun for support.
"Next..."
The status panel he saw yesterday wasn't an illusion. Jun could still see the values above Yukinoshita Yukino's head today.
[Name: Yukinoshita Yukino
Hunger: 80/80 (Full)
Health: 100/100
Physical: 80/90
Sanity: 148/150
Affinity: 20]
Her Affinity is growing quickly.
Jun let out a sigh.
"Next, since the plane wreckage is nearby, let's make this our temporary base. That way, if the rescue team spots the wreckage, they'll find us more easily."
Assuming, of course, that a rescue team is coming...
For some reason, Jun felt sure that no rescue team would show up.
"That makes sense," Yukino nodded seriously. Staying close to the wreckage made her feel connected to the outside world.
"First, we'll build a thatched hut in the cave to shelter from the rain, and then..."
"Then what?"
Yukino had put on her clothes.
The leather shoes felt comfortable on her feet. They had been dried by the sea breeze. Walking barefoot on the sand was okay, but she didn't want the man to stare at her feet, so she decided to wear shoes again.
People used shoes more often for everyday activities like collecting palm leaves and sticks.
"We need fire. We need it to cook. Besides fire, finding clean water is also critical."
Jun pointed at the seashells on the beach and the small crabs scuttling across the sand.
Even though survival experts on TV might eat things like that raw, Jun knew that if two regular high school students tried that, they'd probably get diarrhea or something even worse.
"So tell me, did you bring anything? Anything at all. I'll see if there's an easier way to start a fire."
"The things I brought..."
Yukino touched her pockets.
"Sorry, I don't have anything..."
All her things were in her handbag and suitcase.
Those were lost in the plane crash. She doubted she would ever see them again.
"It's fine. I don't have much either. After all, we passed through airport security..."
All Jun had was a wallet his sister gave him and some wet paper bills. There are no coins at all.
If they wanted to make fire, they would have to rub sticks together.
But Jun knew it was very difficult for someone with no experience to start a fire like that.
So in this case...
Jun looked at the plane wreckage in the distance. Even though it was several kilometers away, he could probably reach it using his "skill."
There probably wouldn't be anything flammable there, though.
It might still have something that could help start a fire, but not directly.
After thinking about it for three minutes, Jun made his decision.
He had to take the risk because he would have to search the wreckage eventually, even if he didn't go now.
It was a good idea to go early and see if there was anything useful.
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