"Stay steady."
"Don't panic."
"Natsuki-kun will definitely be back on time." Chika clenched her fists, constantly cheering herself on.
However, as time passed minute by minute, Chika quickly found that the effect of psychological cue was becoming weaker and weaker.
The cabin was dim and eerie. Even with wide-open eyes, she couldn't see anything clearly. There was only a flashlight for illumination, which was better than nothing. The surroundings were empty, and there was no one left to talk to.
At the same time, the murky seawater was still slowly rising, already quietly submerging her insteps, its icy chill penetrating to her core.
Chika then realized that even though it had only been a few minutes, every single minute and second felt extraordinarily long.
She occasionally enjoyed being alone, believing she didn't dislike solitude, but only now did she realize that loneliness and solitude were two different concepts. True solitude could truly drive a person mad.
Time flowed by second by second.
Chika silently counted the time, her spirits slightly lifting:
"Five minutes will be up soon. Natsuki-kun will be back very soon."
However, five minutes quietly passed, and Natsuki did not appear.
"Calm down, don't panic…" Chika took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "He must have encountered an unexpected situation and been delayed. Calm down, you must stay calm at a time like this!"
Six minutes quietly passed, and Natsuki still hadn't appeared.
Chika bit her lip, her eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at the stairway submerged in seawater.
Unfortunately, the water surface was calm, without any change.
In the dim and eerie cabin corridor, time seemed to have frozen. Unbeknownst to her, the seventh minute quietly passed, and Natsuki still hadn't appeared.
"H-how could this be…"
Chika completely panicked. No matter how much she told herself to calm down, she couldn't. Her mind felt like a muddled mess, her nose felt sore, and she felt wronged.
After an unknown amount of time, a soft 'splash' finally echoed in the deathly silent cabin.
Natsuki emerged from the water, wiping his face and saying:
"I'm back…"
Before he could finish speaking, secretary Chika, splashing through the calf-deep water, pattered over and tightly hugged Natsuki, her eyes brimming with tears, saying:
"Y-you… why did you take so long to come back?!"
Natsuki extended his right hand and gently stroked secretary Chika's small head, saying softly:
"I'm sorry, I came back late. On the way back after dropping off Shoko, I encountered another kelp fish, and it took some effort to deal with it… You are Chika-sama, who sheds blood but no tears, yet you're already crying from fright."
"I-I didn't…" Chika turned her pretty face away, quickly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's just that sand got into my eyes."
Natsuki said earnestly:
"If Chika-sama says there's sand, then it's sand. If it's not sand, it's still sand."
Chika: "…"
"Don't cry." Natsuki helped secretary Chika wipe the corners of her eyes, then lowered his head and gently kissed the girl's forehead. "If you cry any more, I'll have to commit seppuku to atone."
"Eh?! Eh?!"
Chika was still feeling wronged until she was kissed on the forehead, then she reacted, uttering an 'ah' and quickly covering her forehead, backing away. Her originally pale pretty face rapidly flushed red, and she stammered:
"N-no way!"
Kissing is only allowed after dating, and even the forehead isn't allowed!
Natsuki said seriously:
"We are officially dating, so kissing on the forehead is normal, right?"
"I don't remember anything about dating." Chika covered her chest with both hands, her pretty face flushed crimson as she retorted, "Of course, I can't just believe whatever you say!"
Natsuki said: "I have proof."
Chika blinked, and said softly: "Then show me the proof."
"Then I'll tell you." Natsuki raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Now that only Chika was left, there was no need to rush out. It didn't matter if they delayed for a bit. "Your younger sister is Moeha, currently in junior high third year."
"That doesn't count." Chika covered her chest. "Many people know Moeha is my sister."
Natsuki then said: "Your dog is named Pes, and it's three years old this year."
Chika pursed her lips: "I've told many people about Pes."
Natsuki said unhurriedly: "Also, the layout of your room, your old trophies…"
"Eh?" Chika widened her eyes. "How would Natsuki-kun know?"
"I already said we're dating." Natsuki said as a matter of course, "It's normal for me to have been to your room, right?"
Chika hesitated:
"What did Natsuki-kun do in my room?"
Natsuki asked back meaningfully:
"Do you really want me to tell you?"
Chika: "…"
"N-no need to say it!"
Chika's pretty face flushed crimson, and she quickly shook her head, clearly thinking something else.
If they were dating and she brought a boy back to her room, it would most likely be to do some lewd things!
"There's other evidence." Natsuki continued, "The back of your ears are super sensitive, you can't even stand other people's breath, and your stomach is very ticklish, and you don't like people touching it."
Chika: "…You know too much!"
He even knew secrets she had never told anyone. This Natsuki in front of her… perhaps, maybe, possibly, he really was her boyfriend?
"Do you believe that everything I said is true now?" Natsuki took two steps forward, came in front of secretary Chika, and said earnestly, "The reason I worked so hard to save so many people was actually all because of you."
"Eh?" Chika was startled, she raised her pretty face and asked confusedly, "Why because of me?"
"Because you are too kind." Natsuki sighed, "If I only saved important people and left the innocent ones in the cabin, you would definitely feel incredibly guilty, right?"
"Ugh…"
Chika pursed her lips, not refuting.
Under circumstances where she had the ability to help others but chose to stand by and do nothing, she would indeed feel uneasy for the rest of her life.
"So…" Natsuki took half a step forward, reached out, and pulled the confused secretary Chika into his embrace, looking down at her and saying, "Considering how hard I worked, shouldn't Chika give me a reward?"
Chika hadn't reacted yet, and asked dazedly:
"What reward?"
Natsuki pointed to his lips, shamelessly asking for a reward: "Kiss me."
"Eh?! Eh?!" Chika froze for a second, then quickly shook her head, her pretty face flushed red, saying, "N-no way! I don't have any memories of dating yet… Let's talk about it when I remember!"
Natsuki whispered:
"So, Chika doesn't deny the fact that she's my girlfriend, she just hasn't remembered yet?"
"Ugh…" Chika blinked, and said hesitantly, "That's right."
Natsuki smiled, lowered his head, and leaned closer, saying:
"Then I won't be polite."
Chika finally reacted, stammering:
"W-wait a minute, I said it wrong, that doesn't count just now…"
"It's too late."
Natsuki directly sealed the girl's soft lips.
Secretary Chika, who understood everything about kissing, and secretary Chika, who understood nothing, although they were the same person, the feeling was completely different.
If he hadn't been worried about Kaguya and others on the surface, Natsuki definitely wouldn't have stopped for a while.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Chika's lips were slightly parted, she was panting, her eyes misty, and she puffed out her pink cheeks, looking over with a wronged expression.
Too much!
Absolutely too much!
Although all the evidence proved that he and Natsuki were in a relationship, he had no memory of it... If he had no memory, could it be considered a relationship?
This wasn't a kiss; it was clearly forced!
However...
Chika stuck out her pink tongue, subconsciously licking her lips, and found it surprisingly comfortable, to the point where she couldn't dislike it at all.
"It's about time to go out," Natsuki exhaled lightly, stroking secretary Chika's head. "If we don't go out soon, Kaguya and the others will probably get impatient."
"Wait a minute," Chika wiped the corner of her lips, her tone suspicious. "Why is Natsuki-kun calling Kaguya-chan by her first name? Are they very familiar with each other?"
Natsuki: "..."
They were indeed very familiar.
Aside from not having had any in-depth conversations, everything else, whether it should have been done or not, had already been done, and many times at that.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Chika grew even more suspicious. "It's not just Kaguya-chan; Natsuki-kun seems very familiar with other girls too. If he's dating me, why is he so familiar with other girls?"
Chika said in a low voice:
"Natsuki-kun... are you hiding something from me?"
Natsuki: "..."
He thought Cancer of the Earth wouldn't get jealous, but it turns out she does!
"It's too troublesome to explain; you'll know naturally when your memory recovers," Natsuki put the breathing mask on Chika, then picked her up, took a deep breath, and jumped into the sea. "It's time to go out."
The final rescue was safe and sound, nothing to say.
Chika, wearing an underwater breathing mask, had no fear of drowning.
Natsuki's lung capacity was sufficient, lasting for half an hour without issue, so there was no danger. He simply held Chika and swam through the passage filled with debris, making a winding path, and finally exited the cruise ship from the deck.
Splash!
Water splashed.
Two figures surfaced.
"Finally out."
Upon realizing she had surfaced on the sea, Chika immediately let out a sigh of relief, feeling the oppressive gloom dissipate.
"They're out! They're out!"
"It's Natsuki-kun and Chika!"
Chika looked in the direction of the voices and saw a lifeboat floating on the vast, dark sea. Kaguya, Tsubame, Hayasaka, Juju, and others were all on it, not one missing.
Natsuki still had strength, so he swam directly to the lifeboat while holding Chika.
The girls, with many hands, helped each other and quickly pulled the two of them up.
"Why did it take so long to come up after going down?"
Tsubame asked doubtfully.
"Cough, cough..."
Chika coughed twice, her eyes shifting guiltily.
The kissing lasted for several minutes, which was why it took so long.
Natsuki said as if nothing had happened:
"On the way back with Chika-chan, we encountered a sea beast again, which delayed us a bit."
"...Liar Natsuki!"
Chika couldn't help but shout in her heart.
The return journey was clearly calm, and they didn't encounter any monsters. He didn't even blink when he lied!
"Eh, wait..." Chika suddenly puffed out her pink cheeks. "Since Natsuki can lie, then when he came back so late just now, could it be that he didn't encounter a sea beast, but was doing the same thing to Shoko-chan?"
Thinking of this, Chika widened her eyes, searching for Shoko's figure in the crowd.
The the timid girl was sitting alone in a corner. Because she had only just gotten out, her clothes were still wet, and she was wrapped in a furry blanket, shivering.
Noticing Chika's gaze, Komi timidly looked up. After meeting her eyes, she quickly lowered her head in a panic.
Chika: "...Super suspicious!"
"Natsuki-kun, what do we do now?"
Haruno asked softly.
After witnessing the giant cruise ship sinking in the sea, no one would doubt that everything before their eyes was a prank.
Natsuki pondered:
"The current situation is quite different from what we experienced before... Well, none of you remember now."
The nightmares experienced before were all in small spaces, and the scenes were not large. But this ultimate nightmare, just the cruise ship submerged in the sea, was already extraordinarily huge, and not far away there was an even larger Island. The reason for this was likely due to the presence of the nightmare's main body.
But no matter how the situation changed, he could not lose his composure.
"When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth; adapt to changes with constancy," Natsuki said calmly. "First, set a small goal: help you all recover your memories, and then we'll discuss the next course of action."
"Achoo..."
Juju covered her nose with both hands and sneezed, her small face pale.
Although the other girls were a bit better, they were also shivering.
Having swum out of the sea, their clothes were naturally soaked. Even Kaguya, who came out first, still had not completely dried her clothes; her pretty face was pale, clearly indicating she was very cold.
Plop.
Natsuki jumped back into the sea.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
"Natsuki-kun, why are you jumping into the sea?"
"We can just squeeze in."
"..."
The girls, hearing the commotion, all looked over nervously.
Natsuki circled the lifeboat, came to its rear, supported it with both hands, and began to push the lifeboat, saying:
"Let's go to that Island first."
As long as someone continued to provide fear energy for the nightmare, the nightmare could not end. In other words, this nightmare would likely last for a long time. The lifeboat was crowded and small, only barely able to accommodate everyone, so it was impossible to stay on the sea indefinitely.
Fortunately, there was a small Island not far away. Resting on the Island would definitely be better than drifting on the sea.
Natsuki took a deep breath and exerted his body's strength. The lifeboat immediately shot through the calm sea like an arrow from a bow, heading straight for the distant Island.
"Natsuki-kun is working too hard doing this," Chika bit her lip, worried. "The oars are right there; we can row together, right?"
"Good point," Natsuki asked while swimming. "Do you have any experience rowing a boat?"
"No."
"Never played."
"Only swam at the sea, never experienced rowing myself."
The girls shook their heads one after another.
"That's why I said, just sit still," Natsuki grumbled. "Rowing is actually like riding a bicycle; if you don't know how to row, you just don't know how to row. You might even row further away."
Hayasaka raised her hand and said:
"Although we can't row, we can learn."
Natsuki grumbled again:
"By the time you learn to row, I'll have already pushed the boat to the shore."
Tsubame asked softly: "Natsuki-kun, do you need our help?"
"Senpai, just sit still. The seawater is too cold. If your leg cramps, I'll only be able to give you artificial respiration."
"Artificial respiration..."
Kaguya's delicate eyebrows moved slightly, her pretty face flushed, and she shyly glanced over, almost imperceptibly.
Tsubame's pretty face turned red, and she couldn't help but exclaim:
"It's just a leg cramp, why would you need artificial respiration?"
"I know," Chika said from the side. "If your leg cramps while swimming, you'll definitely choke on water."
"Speaking of which, it feels so strange," Haruno said with a smile. "In my memory, I was clearly in a university class a second ago, and suddenly I came to a supernatural world. I feel like life has become much more exciting; it will definitely be a thrilling memory."
It must be said that this Haruno has excellent psychological fortitude. She is naturally suited to be a politician. Even in her ordinary human form, suddenly being drawn into a supernatural world, she can still smile.
Juju mumbled softly:
"I don't want this kind of excitement at all."
In contrast, Juju, as an otaku, preferred a simple and peaceful otaku life.
"I suddenly thought of Jack and Rose," Chika hugged her chest with both hands, sneezing from the cold, but it didn't stop her from caring for others. "If there had been one more lifeboat at that time, they all could have survived, right?"
"Actually, a lifeboat wasn't needed at all," Natsuki said, still having enough energy to quip while pushing the boat. "There's a show abroad called 'MythBusters' that already did an experiment: the wooden board Rose was lying on could completely support the weight of two people."
"Eh? Eh? Then why didn't Jack lie on the board too?"
"Because the plot required it."
"..."
While talking, the lifeboat unconsciously arrived at the shore.
"Finally here."
The girls all jumped off the lifeboat. Under their feet was soft, cold sand, but the feeling of solid ground still made them feel exceptionally secure.
Natsuki, on the other hand, dragged the lifeboat ashore for unforeseen needs.
At this point, the sky was dimly lit, and it was already possible to see things vaguely. They could see many trees on the Island, but they were all oddly shaped and quite strange.
"Everyone's clothes are still wet. If we continue like this, we might catch a cold, and getting sick in a place like this would be troublesome," Haruno quickly organized everyone. "Let's find some firewood first and light a fire to dry our clothes, shall we?"
"Haruno-nee is right," Natsuki nodded. "You two should work in pairs, don't go too far, just pick up some dead branches and leaves by the shore. If you encounter danger, call for help immediately."
"Understood."
Chika raised her hand in a salute.
The girls, in pairs, split up and quickly got busy. Even Kaguya, who had never done manual labor, worked with Hayasaka and didn't just sit around waiting for others to collect firewood.
A moment later.
The girls quickly returned with the dead branches and leaves they had collected.
Although each person didn't collect much, it accumulated, and when piled together, the amount was not small.
Immediately after, a new problem was presented to everyone.
"Um... how do we make a fire?"
Juju asked softly.
Chika crossed her right arm over her chest and rested her left hand on her chin, saying:
"How about rubbing sticks together to make fire?"
"Very difficult," Yukino shook her head lightly. "The probability of an ordinary person succeeding in making fire by rubbing sticks together for the first time is less than one percent."
"Eh? Eh?" Chika was surprised. "Is it really that low?"
"It really is that low," Natsuki said from the side. "Even Bear Grylls can't succeed 100% of the time with rubbing sticks together."
Juju frowned and said:
"Rubbing sticks together is not feasible, so what other options are there?"
The other girls also frowned, pondering countermeasures, and then realized that they couldn't think of anything except starting a fire by rubbing sticks together.
People living in modern society cook with induction cookers and natural gas at home, and matches have long become a thing of the past.
"Of course, it's a lighter."
Natsuki said, and under the girls' gaze, he took out a lighter.
Girls: "..."
"Natsuki-kun is too much," Chika puffed out her cheeks, put her right hand on her hip, and said, "If you had a lighter, you should have taken it out sooner."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me." Natsuki offered the lighter with both hands. "Next, I'd like Chika-sama to perform the fire-starting ceremony."
Chika raised her chin and hummed proudly:
"Leave it to me."
With a lighter in hand, starting a fire instantly went from hell difficulty to zero difficulty; anyone could do it.
The bright flames burned quietly, dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth, making the girls all breathe a sigh of relief.
It's worth mentioning that many lighters are actually manufactured in prisons at extremely low cost. Prisons also produce various small appliances, such as power banks, and they don't just sew.
The unique 'labor reform' in China isn't about making you smash rocks and do hard labor all day, but about teaching you a skill to make a living, ensuring you can support yourself after release.
"The fire is lit," Haruno called out, "Everyone, take off your wet clothes and dry yourselves by the fire so you don't catch a cold."
"Stare—"
The girls all turned their heads and looked towards Natsuki.
"Why are you looking at me?" Natsuki looked around and sighed, "You all talk about gender equality every day; surely I also have the right to warm myself by the fire, right?"
"Natsuki-kun can certainly warm himself by the fire; we're not stopping you." Chika separated some firewood and handed it to Natsuki. "Here, Natsuki-kun, go warm yourself by the side."
"I protest," Natsuki said, "It's more lively when more people warm themselves together."
"Pfft!"
Natsuki's protest was ineffective, and he was quickly driven away by the girls.
Fortunately, it was still very dark at this time, so Natsuki didn't have to go too far; they were only a few meters apart.
"Everyone, take off your wet clothes."
Haruno said as she began to undress.
Although somewhat awkward, with Haruno taking the lead, the other girls also began to take off their clothes and warm themselves by the fire.
Natsuki openly turned his head to look. Because he had drunk the Witch Potion earlier and activated his night vision ability, he could naturally see everything clearly.
So white.
The moonlight was so white.
It was dazzling and overwhelming.
"Is the content of this nightmare actually Robinson Crusoe?"
Natsuki thought for two seconds, then quickly shook his head.
"Wrong."
"It's clearly a Beautiful Girl Harem Drifting Log."