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

"From now on, there will be food every day, so there's no need to be frugal."

After all, that rabbit leg was really big.

Qingshan began to wonder if the rabbit had mutated.

“Yes…” Izumi Sagiri hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

But the broad leaves containing the meat were still left unopened; they were simply placed at his feet.

She looked up at Aoyama sitting opposite her, and then at Kasumigaoka Utaha beside her.

The firelight danced in her aquamarine pupils, gradually dispelling the lingering fear within.

"Brother Qingshan... Sister Shiyu... Thank you."

"It's OK."

Aoyama subconsciously reached out and gently ruffled the top of her silver-white hair, his touch as light as if he were petting a kitten that had just arrived home.

"From now on, we're all family, so there's no need to keep saying thank you."

Izumi Sagiri was momentarily stiffened by his rubbing, but quickly relaxed again.

She didn't dodge the hand; instead, she gently brushed against it, as if unconsciously seeking some kind of warmth.

"Still saying you're not a lolicon!" Kasumigaoka Utaha glared at Aoyama.

Aoyama: "....."

Chapter 28: She'll be found out... She's asleep.

In the shelter late at night, occasionally a spark or two would leap from the campfire, illuminating a small patch of rock before quickly going out.

A gentle breeze blew in from the cave entrance, carrying a hint of coolness, but the temperature inside the cave was still quite pleasant.

Izumi Sagiri was curled up in a corner covered with grass, her long silver hair spread across her face, her breathing even and deep, she was sleeping soundly.

Those light blue pupils were tightly closed at the moment, and her brows relaxed, as if she had let down all her guard.

"..."

Aoyama's gaze lingered on the small pile of charcoal, and he didn't move for a long time.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, lying on her side with her back to him, was breathing as evenly as if she were fast asleep.

However, Aoyama noticed that her breathing rhythm was slightly faster than when she was asleep, and the rise and fall of her shoulders was also less regular.

He didn't say anything, but quietly moved closer to her from behind.

His arm went around her waist and landed in front of her.

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

Aoyama could sense that she trembled slightly for a moment, and then slowly relaxed.

His breath brushed against the hair at the back of her neck, causing a barely perceptible tremor.

"...Aoyama-kun...you..." Her voice was extremely soft, as if squeezed out from between her teeth, with a suppressed breathing sound.

Qingshan didn't say anything, but tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

His chin rested on her hair, greedily inhaling its unique fragrance.

"Hmm~"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's breathing visibly faltered.

She turned her head to the side, the firelight illuminating half of her face.

Those red pupils shone brightly in the firelight, filled with a watery mist and an emotion that seemed both angry and not angry.

"...We'll be found out." She said in a low voice, her lips barely moving, the breathy sound leaking from between her teeth, her voice trembling slightly at the end.

Aoyama lowered his voice, almost touching her earlobe: "She's asleep."

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't answer, but bit her lower lip and gripped his strong arm tightly with both hands.

But in the end, those hands loosened, as if making a decision.

Under Qingshan's careful observation, it was clear that her tense body and mind melted away little by little in his embrace.

The change was subtle, like thin ice cracking and melting on the surface of water.

“…”

Her breathing was a little heavier than before, with a hint of confused restraint.

Kasumigaoka Utaha lay on her side, her legs bent and crossed.

Without her noticing, her shoulders had begun to lean slightly towards the green hills.

The silence at this moment is more profound than any words.

She didn't know why... why was Aoyama-kun so excited?

A spark from the campfire ignited, startling a few birdsongs from the woods.

Kasumigaoka Utaha adjusted her coat on her knees, turned her head, and looked at Aoyama's profile, which was illuminated by the flickering firelight.

"Qingshan...you must have done it on purpose." Her voice was not loud, but the last syllable of her voice carried a tremor that was rare to her, like the sound of a zither string being blown by the night wind.

The temperature by the fire wasn't low, but she still hunched her shoulders and moved closer to her knees.

Qingshan didn't reply, but instead poked at the firewood with a stick, causing the flames to leap up and drawing the shadows of the two people on the ground even closer.

She looked up into the darkness outside, "...I always get so excited in inexplicable places..."

Aoyama finally turned his head to look at her, his gaze carrying a warmth that was hard to describe.

"So what do you want to say now?"

"It's nothing."

A night breeze swept through the woods, and she shivered slightly.

Qingshan added two more pieces of dry firewood to the fire, the flames flickering in her red eyes like hidden messages.

Aoyama reminded him, "If it's cold, sit closer."

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned forward slightly, her watery eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the firelight, as if they held the entire night sky within them.

The wind blew through the gaps in the branches, stirring a few stray hairs by her ears.

She lowered her eyelids, her breathing slow and gentle, yet with a subtle, almost imperceptible undulation.

The hem of her long-sleeved top had already been unconsciously clenched into fine wrinkles.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was so muffled that it was almost inaudible: "Aoyama-kun, you usually seem so calm."

"...It is still the same now." Aoyama said without changing his expression.

She didn't speak again, but moved a little closer, her shoulder almost touching his arm.

A small cracking sound came from the fire, sending up a few sparks before it went dark again.

She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on a spot where the firelight and shadow met, as if looking at something very, very far away.

After a moment, her shoulders gently slumped down, her fingertips resting lightly on her knees without moving away.

"Hmm~"

The sound was so short it was like a sigh, and it was swept away by the wind in an instant.

She didn't look up, but moved her body half an inch closer to him, as if she suddenly felt the night breeze was a bit cooler.

She said, "Sit a little closer, just so I can feel a bit of your warmth."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, with a lazy and contented air, said, "Aoyama-kun... this..."

"...What about me?"

"...You dare to do this in a place like this..." She gently poked the still ferocious monster with her finger, "You're getting bolder and bolder."

"It's because you're too tempting," Aoyama replied frankly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then let out a soft hum, as if she were laughing or sighing at the same time.

She didn't refute him, but simply buried her face back in the crook of his shoulder, leaning softly against his chest, her breathing gradually calming down.

After a while, her voice rang out again, with a hint of slyness: "Qingshan, you were doing that on purpose, weren't you?"

"Deliberately what?"

"I deliberately waited until Sawu fell asleep before coming closer." Her fingertips traced circles on the inside of his wrist, a gesture both casual and intimate. "Did you plan this all in advance?"

Qingshan thought for a moment, then realized that the breathing rhythm of the baby had already entered the pattern of deep sleep.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly: "You even observe this... I really don't know whether to call you terrifying or incredibly bold."

"All."

"Narcissism".

As she said this, she snuggled even closer into his arms, as if she wanted to possess all the warmth from his body.

Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head and rubbed her nose against his face.

However...

"But what?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her voice to almost inaudible, her lips close to Aoyama's earlobe: "Next time, let's go somewhere else."

Qingshan looked at her, the firelight dancing in her eyes.

That usually composed face now wore an expression that only appeared in his presence.

"it is good."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat up, tilting her head back with a dazed look in her eyes, like a cat whose curiosity had been satisfied, letting out a lazy and content nasal sound.

As for Aoyama, he supported her waist to prevent her from falling.

The dim light of the campfire shone on the overlapping shadows of the two people, and then gradually went out.

Chapter 29: It's nothing, she's just tired.

The morning light slanted in from the cave entrance, casting a warm yellow hue on the ground.

The campfire on the ground had burned out, with wisps of smoke rising from it every now and then.

The air was filled with the smell of charcoal, but there was something else faintly present as well.

"Hmm~!"

Izumi Sagiri groggily opened her eyes, her silvery-white hair clinging to her cheeks. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and slowly sat up.

After a night's sleep, she was noticeably better than the day before, and her cheeks regained some color.

She unconsciously sniffed and frowned slightly.

"Ok?"

Besides the smell of firewood, there was another smell in the air... well, she couldn't quite describe it.

It's a bit like sweat, but not quite; it has a strange, fishy-sweet taste mixed in.

"That's strange, what's that smell?" she muttered to herself, her light blue eyes still dazed from just waking up as she looked around.

It was very quiet inside the cave.

The green hills were not where he had slept the night before. The grass that had covered the hills had been pressed into a human-shaped dent, but the man was gone.

She looked to the side following the light and spotted Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Kasumigaoka Utaha lay on her side on the ground covered with her coat and grass, her long, straight black hair disheveled and falling across her face and shoulders. Her long-sleeved shirt was wrinkled, and the buttons were... a little off.

The top button of the collar was fastened into the second hole, causing the entire collar to be crooked to one side.

Her breathing was steady; she was sleeping very soundly, as if all her strength had been drained away, and her eyelids showed no sign of moving.

She looked extremely tired.