Comic strip: Survival on a deserted island, surrounded by heroines

Thinking of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha's ears started to burn again.

She subconsciously brought her legs together, knees touching, and used her skirt to cover the top of her thighs.

But then came another embarrassing problem for her.

She would involuntarily think of it whenever she wore these underwear.

The entire process of how Qingshan took it in his hand, soaked it in hot water, folded it into a roll, and applied it to her forehead.

That feeling made her restless.

"..."

She pressed her legs together even tighter, as if trying to squeeze and hide that sense of shame.

Aoyama sat across from the fire, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught her little movements.

Are you cold?

Suddenly, a voice came from Qingshan.

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly looked up and found him staring at her.

To be precise, it was watching her legs suddenly close together and her shoulders slightly hunched over.

"No!" Her voice was half a tone higher than usual, then she immediately lowered it, "...it's just that the smoke from the campfire is a bit stinging my eyes."

Aoyama looked at her for two seconds, then hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

He lowered his head and continued to organize the things in his backpack, taking out the strips of antibiotics and iodine and placing them in an easily accessible spot.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at Aoyama's profile for a long time, trying to find something unusual on his face.

But throughout, he remained as calm as if he were organizing textbooks in a classroom.

Kasumigaoka Utaha quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good that he didn't notice..."

Clearly, Aoyama is an upright person.

As Qingshan sorted the supplies, his gaze swept over a rock, where the white underwear he had placed there that morning was gone.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha is wearing it?"

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Chapter 13: Unlocking Abilities, Environmental Adaptation!

The three days in the rainforest passed faster than I had imagined.

The day after Kasumigaoka Utaha's fever subsided, she was able to walk around freely on her own.

On the morning of the third day, she was able to squat by the stream and pour the crystal-clear water into a thermos.

Watching her actions from the side, Aoyama had to admit that this girl's learning ability and adaptability were above average.

Kasumigaoka Utaha said without turning her head, "If you stare at me like that, I'll think I have something on my face."

"It's just to confirm whether you've really recovered."

“I’m fully recovered.” She stood up, patted the water droplets off her hands, and turned to face him.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tree canopy and shone on her face.

Her red pupils were clear and bright, her cheeks regained their normal color, and her lips became rosy again, making her look completely different from how she had been curled up on the straw mat, burning hot, just three days ago.

"Aoyama-kun, the water is ready. Shall we set off now?"

Aoyama was silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Come with me, and put on your bag."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up, and she quickly turned around and picked up the hiking backpack from under the stone eaves.

Aoyama had already slung his backpack over his shoulder, with steel bars inserted into the side straps, and the long sword he had seized from the man with the long sword was hanging at his waist.

He thought for a moment, then took the signal gun out of his backpack and handed it to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Take it."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the signal gun and examined it. The heavy metallic texture made her raise an eyebrow slightly: "Why are you giving me this?"

"For self-defense."

Aoyama said calmly, "If someone gets close to you, more than three meters away, just aim this at their chest and pull the trigger."

"However, there are only two signal flares, so don't use them unless absolutely necessary."

"how about you?"

“I have this.” Aoyama patted the long sword at his waist.

"Tsk."

Kasumigaoka Utaha stuffed the flare gun into the side pocket of her backpack, glanced up at him, and said, "Does Aoyama-kun need a long-range weapon more than I do?"

"So, you just charge at people with your bare hands when you encounter them?"

"Being close actually makes things easier to handle."

"...Fine, you decide."

As the two walked out of the shelter, the morning light bathed the forest path.

On the third day after the rain, the ground was mostly dry. The fallen leaves and soil were mixed together, soft to the touch, and had a grassy and woody scent.

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath, feeling completely relaxed, as if she had been reborn.

"Where are we going?" She followed Qingshan with light steps.

"Let's head in the direction where we found the herbs yesterday."

"The terrain is higher over there, and the vegetation is more diverse. We should be able to find more usable things there." Qingshan led the way, his long sword slicing through the vines blocking the path with fluid and swift movements.

"in addition..."

"What else?"

"I'm looking for a special kind of food."

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head: "Special? What's special? A poisonous mushroom?"

Qingshan didn't turn around: "It's a kind of insect."

"...Insects?"

As they walked, Aoyama explained, "It's an insect with a very strong ability to adapt, capable of surviving in most harsh environments."

"If we can find it... it can better supplement my nutrition."

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him for two seconds without saying a word.

She vaguely felt that Aoyama's "supplementing nutrition" was different, but she didn't investigate further.

On this island, survival is the most important thing.

"As for what to eat..." She looked up at the lush canopy above her head and thought that as long as it was edible, it would be fine.

The two walked south for about forty minutes, stopping frequently along the way to clear away the grass or turn over stones with the steel bar in their hands.

Kasumigaoka Utaha thought he was looking for mushrooms or wild vegetables, but upon closer inspection, she discovered that they were all tiny creatures under the rocks.

Centipedes crawling incredibly fast, isow worms curled into round balls, and some beetles whose names I don't know?

"Can we eat all of these?" she finally couldn't help but ask.

"Some can be eaten, some cannot."

Qingshan turned over a flat stone that was half-buried in the soil, and three or four small, dark brown creatures immediately sprang out from the wet soil beneath the stone, moving so fast that they were almost invisible.

"Like this one—!"

With lightning speed, he pressed down with his palm, and when he lifted it again, there were two small insects still struggling in his palm.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned closer and saw that it was a beetle about two centimeters in size.

Its carapace is smooth and dark brown, its tentacles move nimbly, and its six legs kick powerfully.

"What is this?" she asked, frowning.

"A type of armored vehicle."

"It has extremely strong adaptability and can survive in deserts, rainforests, and cold regions. It is very resilient."

Aoyama held the two insects in his palm, his eyes brightening slightly: "This is exactly what I need!"

"You wouldn't...?"

"right."

Right in front of her, Aoyama threw the two beetles into his mouth.

Kasumigaoka Utaha froze completely.

Her pupils contracted sharply, her lips parted slightly, and a soft, choked sound escaped her throat.

She watched as Qingshan chewed twice without changing his expression, his Adam's apple bobbing, and swallowed.

“Aoyama-kun…” Her finger trembled slightly as she pointed at him, “You just ate it like that?!”

"Ah."

Aoyama commented without changing his expression: "The taste is a bit like roasted nuts. The shell is a bit hard, but it's fine once you chew it."

“…”

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a half step back, staring at him for a long while with that indescribable look in her eyes, then took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

"When did you start craving insects?"

"I've been craving it for the past few days."

"A few days ago?"

“Yes, it’s a pity we couldn’t find a suitable variety the other day.” Qingshan said, then bent down and turned over another stone. This time, there were four or five similar beetles hidden under the stone.

He nimbly caught them, deftly picking them up one by one with his fingers and putting them into his mouth.

“…”

Kasumigaoka Utaha covered her mouth, trying hard to suppress the uncomfortable urge.

Although she didn't understand why Qingshan ate these insects, her intuition as a novelist told her that it wasn't simply about 'supplementing protein'.

"Aoyama-kun."

"Are you... hiding something from me?"

Aoyama was putting the fifth beetle into his mouth when he heard this and paused for a moment.

He turned his head to look at her, his lips moving slightly, as if he was thinking about how to answer.

"That's it."

"I am strengthening myself."

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head slightly: "Enhance?"

Aoyama did not answer immediately.

He crouched down and pulled out a few more beetles from under the stone.

This time, he didn't rush to eat; instead, he counted them first.

I have about five or six left.

He looked up at a larger rock not far ahead, where there should be more hidden beneath it.

"Do you remember that crocodile from a few days ago?" he asked, pushing aside the weeds by the rocks.

"Hmm, the one you nailed shut with steel bars?"

Aoyama turned his head to look at her: "Because I ate something before that that strengthened my muscles."

"The force with which I threw the steel bar that time was much greater than my normal strength."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was silent for two seconds, then her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was processing the information in his words.