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

"Is it so hot? Has it worsened your condition?"

Snow Mother's hands were a size larger than hers, with long, slender fingers. They should have been cool and soft, but at this moment they felt like a red-hot iron, scalding her fingertips until they went numb.

Yukino turned her head and saw her mother leaning against the rock wall, her brows slightly furrowed, her breathing more rapid than the night before.

Yukino gently withdrew her hand and touched her mother's forehead.

"As expected... it's even hotter now."

Her fingers recoiled slightly the moment they touched the skin.

Snow Mother's temples were covered in sweat, and a few strands of black hair clung damply to her temples. Her usually meticulous makeup was now ruined, and her eyes had an unhealthy bluish-gray tinge.

"Mother?"

There was no response.

"Mother?" Yukino's voice rose half an octave, the last syllable of her voice trembling involuntarily.

Snow Mother's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Those usually calm and deep eyes were now veiled in mist, and it took them several seconds to focus and see the person in front of them clearly.

"...Yukino." Her voice was incredibly hoarse, "Is it morning yet?"

"Yes, it's just dawn."

Snow Mother tried to sit up straight by supporting herself on the rock face, but her arms gave way and she fell back down.

She closed her eyes briefly, then forced a smile when she opened them again: "I was sleeping quite soundly..."

"Mother, your fever is very high." Yukino knelt beside her, holding the burning hot hand in her hands, and pressed her forehead against the back of her hand. "We must find a herbal medicine to bring down the fever!"

"Yukino..."

"Mother, don't talk, save your energy." Yukino raised her head, her eyes glistening with a thin layer of tears, but they disappeared when she blinked hard.

She let go of her hand, stood up, and patted the sand off her school uniform skirt. "I'm going out to find food and herbs. I'll be back soon."

"Wait a moment."

Snow Mother reached out and grabbed her wrist.

The force wasn't great, but the knuckles turned white, indicating that he had used all his strength.

Yukino looked down at the hand.

Her nails, which were neatly trimmed, were trembling slightly from the effort she was putting into them.

She suddenly remembered many years ago, when she was a child just starting elementary school. The first time she walked alone down that long corridor to the classroom, her mother held her wrist in the same way and said, "Don't run around after school, I'll have the driver pick you up."

My mother's hands were warm back then.

Her mother's voice pulled her back to reality, "Yukino... do you know how to identify herbs?"

“…”

Yukino paused for a moment, then pursed her lips.

she does not know.

Looking at her expression, Xue's mother sighed softly.

The breath was short and weak, like a withered leaf falling from a branch: "Come here."

Yukino squatted down again.

Snow Mother raised her hand, her fingertips touching the sides of her throat. "If you have a fever... Fever-reducing grass grows by the water, its leaves are serrated, and there are white downy hairs on the back."

"Crush the leaves and smell them; they smell like mint... Remember that?"

"Sawtooth leaves...white down on the underside...mint flavor." Yukino repeated each word carefully. "I've got it."

"Don't go too far. Stay away from wild animals. Don't be reckless."

"Ah."

Yukino released her mother's hand and placed the container made from the large leaf against the rock wall.

The small half-bowl of water left over from last night is still there.

She tugged at the hem of her school uniform shirt and gently wiped her mother's forehead and neck.

Snow Mother had her eyes closed, with tiny water droplets clinging to her eyelashes.

"Wait for me to come back, Mother."

Yukino pushed aside the vines and crawled out of the cave. She bent down and rearranged the withered vines and fallen leaves that had been piled up at the cave entrance the night before, making it look like a natural pile.

She stood up and took a deep breath of the humid air.

"It will succeed..."

...

As the first rays of dawn shine in, the forest awakens.

The sounds of insects and birds came from all directions.

The fog had not yet dissipated, and it lingered among the tree canopies like a flock of white ghosts.

Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, turning into shimmering gold fragments that fell upon the thick layer of decaying leaves.

"..."

Yukino looked down at her clothes.

Her white-trimmed black stockings were damp from last night's chill, and a thread had been caught on the cuff of her left stocking by thorns; she pinched the thread off with her fingernail.

The ribbons were still tied on either side of her hair, one side with a withered leaf stuck to it. She took them off and threw them on the ground.

"Let's go upstream to replenish our water supply first."

Having learned from yesterday's experience, Yukino followed the direction of the water flow in her memory.

She deliberately avoided the area with the pond, as the wild boar might still be nearby.

After walking for about twenty minutes, she heard the sound of flowing water.

"Wah la la, wah la la".

The sound was louder than the place we passed through yesterday.

She parted a clump of ferns, and a stream about two meters wide appeared before her.

The stream is crystal clear, and the bottom is covered with smooth pebbles.

"Living, flowing water...that should be fine."

Yukino squatted by the stream, first scooping up a handful of water and bringing it to her nose to smell it; there was no strange smell.

She took a careful sip; the water was clear and cool, with a slightly fishy smell of rocks and mud, but it tasted clean.

"Food...herbs."

After solving the water problem, Yukino began searching for food and herbs.

She walked downstream along the stream, her eyes carefully scanning every clump of plants along the water's edge.

"Serrated leaves...white downy hairs..." she murmured her mother's description to herself as she walked, pushing aside the branches blocking her way.

"what--!"

My foot suddenly slipped.

The mud on the stream bank was soft from being soaked in water. Her right foot stepped on a section of it, and she lost her balance, falling into the stream with a splash.

The icy water instantly submerged her waist.

The school uniform shirt was soaked and clung to her chest, while the skirt spread out on the water like a black water lily.

Yukino choked on a mouthful of water and coughed violently, grabbing at the grass roots on the bank to steady herself.

"Cough, cough—!"

She lay sprawled awkwardly on the shore, her wet black hair plastered to her cheeks and neck, the ribbon in her bow askew, dangling beside her ear.

Sunlight shone on her, and water droplets dripped down her chin onto her pale skin.

"...It's so cold."

She shuddered and struggled to climb ashore.

The school uniform was soaked with water, hanging heavily on her body, with water dripping continuously from the hem.

She hugged herself tightly, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Just then, she saw it.

Right where she had just fallen, in a crevice in the rocks on the stream bank, grew a clump of plants about half an arm's length tall.

The leaves are dark green with serrated edges, and the underside is covered with white down, like a thin layer of cotton wool.

"Found it—!"

Yukino's heart skipped a beat.

She practically lunged at it, her fingertips trembling as she plucked a leaf, crushed it, and brought it to her nose.

The refreshing minty scent entered my nasal cavity.

"This is it!"

Yukino blurted it out, with a joy she herself was unaware of.

Her voice echoed through the quiet forest, startling a few birds perched on low branches, which fluttered away.

Yukino quickly covered her mouth and looked around warily.

There were no people, no beasts.

"Phew, thank goodness."

She squatted down and carefully picked about ten serrated leaves, tucking them into the hem of her school uniform skirt.

After thinking for a moment, I picked a few more pieces and put them in my mouth.

The coolness of the mint melted on her tongue, instantly relieving her dry throat.

"We still need food..."

Yukino stood up and continued walking along the stream.

The soaked school uniform clung to my body, making every step feel heavy.

She looked down at herself—the shirt clung almost transparently to her skin, the outline of her body vaguely visible beneath.

Her face flushed, and she quickly crossed her arms to cover her chest.

"This is terrible..."

After walking about a mile, she saw a fallen, withered tree at a bend in the stream.

Most of the bark has been peeled off, revealing the grayish-white wood.

At the base of the withered tree, a dark, indistinct object caught her eye.

She went closer to take a look.

It's wild wood ear fungus, growing densely on a decaying tree trunk, with slightly curled edges, and it feels moist and elastic to the touch.

"This... is edible, right?"

Yukino wasn't sure.

She remembered what her home economics teacher had said: many wild mushrooms are poisonous, but the color and shape of the wood ear mushrooms were exactly the same as the ones she usually saw in the supermarket.

She hesitated for a moment, but still carefully broke off a few pieces and tucked them into the hem of her skirt.

"Take it back to your mother first...she knows a lot."

"It's time to go back."

After collecting the food, Yukino walked back the way she came.

She has a good memory and almost never gets lost.

Moreover, she would mark every particular tree she passed by.