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

"Qingshan...too fast..."

Chapter 25: Uninvited Guests in the Shelter.

early morning.

The sea breeze accompanies the sound of the waves, making a gentle, unhurried sound.

Aoyama sat up from the embers of the campfire and stretched his stiff shoulders.

"The taste of Kasumigaoka..."

He barely slept last night, not because of the environment, but because he spent most of the night with a girl wearing a stepmother's dress and black stockings.

He glanced to the side and saw Kasumigaoka Utaha wrapped in his school uniform jacket, curled up on a bed made of coconut leaves, her long, straight black hair slightly disheveled and her breathing even and deep.

Qingshan did not wake her up.

However, when he picked up the thermos and shook it, he found that the spring water inside had run out.

The water we brought has been almost used up, and now we need to replenish the freshwater resources.

"Although we brought a few bottles of mineral water from the ship, we still need to make plans ahead of time."

As Qingshan screwed the lid on his cup, pondering his plans for the day, he heard a rustling sound behind him.

"Hmm... Aoyama-kun... you woke up so early."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was still muffled, as if she had just woken up.

She propped herself up and sat up, her school uniform jacket slipping off her shoulders to reveal the neckline of the black lace stepmother dress underneath.

The stockings were wrinkled after a night of wear and tear, and there was a hole in the left knee.

Qingshan glanced at her and put the thermos aside: "We're almost out of water. We need to go back to the shelter to refill our fresh water supply today."

Kasumigaoka Utaha rubbed her eyes, becoming a little more awake: "Go back the way we came?"

"right."

Aoyama stood up and tidied up the clothes piled up beside him. "You should change your clothes too. You can't keep wearing this dress in the jungle."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked down at herself, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Does Aoyama-kun think I'm dressed too well?"

"I'm afraid you'll get scratched by the branches."

Qingshan remained calm and handed her the few ordinary clothes he had salvaged from the shipwreck yesterday. "Change into this set. It's long-sleeved and long-legged, so it's easier to walk in."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the clothes, unfolded them and looked at them. They were a dark gray long-sleeved shirt, a pair of dark loose trousers, and a pair of shoes that didn't quite fit but were barely wearable.

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't say much, and went behind the rocks to change.

A few minutes later she came out, her long sleeves tucked into her waistband, and the cuffs rolled up twice, making her look much more neat and tidy.

She neatly folded the stepmother's dress, stockings, and school uniform jacket and stuffed them into her backpack.

"Is this alright now, Aoyama-kun?" She twirled halfway in front of him. "Is this conservative enough?"

"It's a good fit."

"Tch." Kasumigaoka Utaha pouted, but there was a smile in her eyes.

She didn't dislike this possessiveness that allowed him to see it all by himself.

"Let's go, before the sun gets too strong."

The backpack on Qingshan's back was filled with weapons.

Steel bars, fire axes, composite bows, long knives... and a machete at his waist, he looks like a mobile arsenal.

He handed the crossbow to Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Take this for self-defense. It's short and powerful, and it's more useful than a long sword in the forest."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took it and weighed it. Although the crossbow was not large, it was well-made and the string was taut.

"Let's go."

The two followed the route they had taken, passing through the bushes at the edge of the beach, and disappeared back into the dense forest inland on the island.

The sun hadn't yet risen directly overhead; sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The humidity was very high, and the air was filled with the scent of humus and soil.

"Follow me."

Aoyama walked ahead, using a machete to cut through the vines and branches blocking his path, his steps steady and firm.

Kasumigaoka Utaha followed behind him, occasionally glancing back at the way they had come, remaining vigilant.

..

After walking for about half an hour, the two suddenly heard an unusual rustling sound ahead.

Aoyama paused, raising his left hand to signal her to stop.

"What's up?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately stopped in her tracks and gripped the fish crossbow tightly in her hand.

The two listened intently for a moment, and the movement in the bushes ahead became clearer. It was the sound of a large creature moving through the grass, accompanied by the hissing sound of scales brushing against fallen leaves.

Aoyama slowly switched the machete to his right hand and said in a low voice, "Take two steps back."

Kasumigaoka Utaha followed her instructions and stepped back, raising her crossbow and pointing the arrowheads toward the source of the sound.

She didn't say anything, but her gaze remained fixed on the swaying bushes.

"Screech—!"

The next second, a brown-black python with dark stripes suddenly darted out from the bushes.

Its body is five or six meters long and as thick as a bowl. Its triangular snake head is raised high, sticking out its forked tongue.

It was clearly startled by the sound of their footsteps and had already assumed an attacking stance.

"What a huge snake!" Qingshan's gaze narrowed slightly.

The instant the python opened its mouth to bite, he swung his machete down with all his might, precisely striking the back of the snake's neck.

The blade cut into the scales and muscle with almost no resistance.

The python's body convulsed violently, its tail whipping wildly across the ground, scattering fallen leaves and bits of soil everywhere.

"Strike while the iron is hot and kill him."

Qingshan didn't stop; he delivered a second blow, completely severing the snake's spine.

A few seconds later, the python went limp, with only its tail still twitching slightly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her crossbow, took a few steps closer, looked at the python on the ground, and then looked at Aoyama: "...Aoyama-kun is getting more and more amazing. He didn't even blink when he was cutting it down."

"You'll get used to it."

Qingshan crouched down and used the tip of his knife to poke at the python's carcass. Only after confirming that it was completely still did he lower his guard.

He rubbed the machete against a tree trunk beside him and said, "This snakeskin can be dried and used to make a lot of things, but there's no time to process it now."

The two continued walking forward.

After walking for about twenty more minutes, the light in the forest suddenly brightened, and ahead was a relatively open slope.

As Qingshan's gaze swept across the ground, he noticed movement in the grass not far away.

A grayish-brown hare was squatting there munching on grass, its ears perked up, clearly aware of the approaching footsteps.

"Squeak!!"

Without hesitation, Qingshan drew his composite bow from his back, nocked an arrow, pulled the string, and aimed.

The sound of the arrow leaving the bowstring was short and sharp.

"Hey—!"

Before the hare could even leap up, it was pinned to the ground by an arrow, struggled a couple of times, and then lay still.

Aoyama thought to himself, "A strengthened body is really useful."

Both his reaction speed and vision are like he's been given a cheat code.

If given the chance, he would like to catch some eagles to eat.

Of course, the dragonfly, with its long history, can be considered the 'Byakugan' of Naruto'.

"A 360-degree view with no blind spots; you can see in all directions without turning your head."

"Can it also see things that humans can't see? Ultraviolet light and polarized light?"

Unfortunately, he didn't see any dragonflies, otherwise he would have definitely eaten one.

Kasumigaoka Utaha witnessed the whole thing from behind, walked over and looked at the rabbit: "Aoyama-kun, shall we have roasted rabbit for lunch?"

"Ah."

"It's a pity we don't have any chili peppers, otherwise we could make spicy rabbit heads." Qingshan walked over, picked up the rabbit, removed the arrows, tied the rabbit's legs with thin vines, and hung it on the side of his backpack. "This one is quite big, enough for two meals."

These minor incidents did not stop the two from moving forward.

After walking for about an hour, the surrounding vegetation gradually became familiar.

Aoyama recognized the crooked tree ahead; the shelter was very close.

However, as he walked around the crooked tree and the entrance to the shelter became faintly visible, he suddenly stopped.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nearly bumped into his back, and asked in a low voice with a hint of confusion, "What's wrong, Aoyama-kun?"

Aoyama did not answer immediately, his gaze falling on the muddy ground at the entrance of the shelter.

There were clear footprints there, not deep, but with distinct outlines, left by humans.

"There are people inside." Qingshan's voice was low, calm but alert.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression instantly turned serious. She moved closer to him and followed his gaze, also seeing the footprints.

Her fingers unconsciously landed on the trigger guard of the crossbow.

“…”

"Stay here and don't make a sound."

Aoyama slowly unloaded the backpack from his back and placed it in the bushes beside him. He then took off the composite bow and longsword, leaving only the machete in his hand.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him, pursed her lips, but finally nodded: "Be careful."

Qingshan didn't say much, and walked towards the entrance of the shelter with his machete.

He walked very lightly, each step landing on the firm ground with few fallen leaves, making almost no sound.

As he approached the cave entrance, he pressed himself against the rock wall and listened intently for a moment.

“…”

It was very quiet inside, but there was a faint, very faint breathing sound.

Aoyama frowned slightly, held his sword horizontally in front of him, and slipped into the shelter from the side.

Light streamed in from the entrance, dispelling the shadows inside the cave.

The first thing Qingshan noticed was a small figure squatting next to the supplies.

She was so thin she looked like she could be blown away by a gust of wind. Her long, silvery-white hair hung messily down her side, and her light blue eyes stared at him with fear and timidity.

"Ah...me!"

She was wearing a pink outfit, the hem of which was covered in mud and grass. She was barefoot and squatting in the corner of the rock wall, holding a half-eaten piece of crocodile jerky in her hands. It looked like she had just finished eating it when she was startled by the noise that came in, and she hadn't had time to put the jerky down.

When she saw the machete in Qingshan's hand, still stained with python blood, her pupils contracted sharply, and she shrank back into the corner, her body trembling slightly.

"I...I didn't know there were people here..." Her voice was barely audible, trembling noticeably. "I'll leave right now...I'll leave right now..."

Qingshan didn't move, his gaze sweeping over the things inside the shelter.

Nearly half of the wild grapes were gone, several pieces of dried crocodile meat had been gnawed off, and there was a piece of wild fruit peel and a few seeds next to it.

It has indeed been eaten.

“…”

When the white-haired girl saw him staring at the leftovers, her face turned even paler. She lowered her head in a panic, her voice almost breaking into tears.