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

She practically ran towards the cave when it came into view.

"Mother! I've found it—!"

The only response she received was the heavy breathing from inside the cave.

She froze for a moment.

His gaze fell on Snow Mother.

The mother leaned against the rock face, her school uniform jacket slipped down halfway, revealing her sweat-soaked shirt underneath.

His lips were chapped and peeling, and they twitched slightly as if they were trying to say something, but no sound came out.

"Mother!"

Yukino dumped all the herbs and wood ear mushrooms she had gathered in her skirt onto a clean, large leaf and pounced on her mother.

Scalding hot.

Even from a distance of two or three inches, she could feel the heat emanating from her mother's skin.

She reached out and touched Xue Mu's forehead; it was so hot she could barely touch it.

"Mother, Mother!" Yukino gently patted her mother's cheek. "Wake up, I'm back."

Snow Mother's eyelids twitched a few times before she slowly opened them.

Those eyes were bloodshot, and the pupils were somewhat dilated. It took a long time for them to focus and recognize the person in front of them.

“...Yuki...no…” The voice was like sandpaper scraping against dry wood, so faint that it was almost inaudible.

"Don't speak, Mother, I've found the fever-reducing herb." Yukino wiped the water droplets from her face with her sleeve. "I'll apply it to you now."

She turned to get the serrated leaves.

The leaves were a little droopy from running so fast, but the white down on the back is still intact.

Following her mother's instructions, she rubbed a few leaves in her palm, releasing a green sap that, mixed with a cool minty scent, filled the narrow cave...

Then she was stumped.

"Should I take it internally or apply it externally..." Yukino murmured to herself, glancing back at her mother who was in a daze.

My mother didn't teach me.

She bit her lip, briefly weighing her options.

"It should be similar to the peppermint tea that we always keep at home..."

She decided to use both internal and external treatments.

Yukino picked up the large leaf-shaped container, which still contained about half a bowl of water.

She put the crushed leaves into the water and gently stirred them with her fingertips. The green juice gradually spread in the water, turning into a paste.

"Mother, open your mouth."

She gently lifted her mother's neck with one hand and brought the edge of the container to her mother's lips with the other.

Snow Mother's lips moved as if she wanted to resist, but she was quickly attracted by the cool scent of mint.

She opened her mouth slightly, and Yukino carefully tilted the container, feeding her little by little.

After feeding her about four or five times, Xue's mother choked and turned her head away to cough softly.

Yukino quickly put the container down and gently patted her mother's back.

The sensation in her palm told her that her shirt was soaked through and felt cold against her burning skin.

"You must change out of your wet clothes..."

She looked around; there were only the two of them in the cave, and no dry clothes were available.

Moreover, she didn't know how to start a fire.

Yukino settled Yukimura against the rock wall and then began to move.

"Give it a try."

She gathered hay, twigs, and a few bird feathers.

Then, she took off the hairpin that Xue Mu was wearing and started to make fire by drilling wood, following the method she had seen in a wilderness survival science program.

She didn't succeed even after her hands were blistered from massaging.

Just as Yukino was giving up on herself, she looked up at the scorching sun in the sky.

"Try it in the sunlight..."

Yukino mixed bird down feathers, hay, and twigs together and began experimenting with hairpins in the sunlight.

Finally... she succeeded.

A spark, drawn by the airflow, ignited on the bird's down feathers, flickering and dancing for a moment.

Yukino continued to blow her whistle with excitement and joy.

Her cheeks ached from being puffed out, but she dared not stop.

Finally, with a "poof" sound.

A small cluster of bright flames shot up from the bird's down feathers, the orange-red flames leaping merrily.

"Great!"

Yukino carefully placed the dry branches on the fire, and the fire gradually grew larger.

Then she led the fire into the cave.

In an instant, warmth spread through the cave, dispelling some of the chill.

Yukino sat down on the ground, exhausted, and looked at the flickering flames, letting out a long sigh.

Then she turned to look at her mother.

After drinking the herbal medicine, Xuemu seemed to calm down a bit.

Although his breathing was still heavy, it was not as rapid as before.

“Next…” Yukino continued to crush the remaining herb leaves, rubbing them in her palms to produce a thick green juice.

She walked up to her mother, gently unbuttoned the top two buttons of her mother's shirt, and applied the cool, minty juice to the sides of her mother's neck, temples, and behind her ears.

Snow Mother frowned slightly in her drowsy state, but quickly relaxed, letting out a very soft, almost sighing groan.

"Yukino..."

Yukino brushed her mother's wet, messy hair away from her forehead. "Mother, sleep a little longer, and your fever will go down."

Snow Mother did not answer, her breathing gradually calmed down, as if she had finally fallen into a long-awaited peaceful sleep.

The flames flickered, casting swaying shadows on the rock face.

Yukino finally had time to take care of herself.

"It must be taken off."

The soaked school uniform shirt clung to my skin, and the night's chill seeped through the fabric and into my bones.

She shivered and quickly moved closer to the fire.

After hesitating for a moment, she turned her back to her mother, unbuttoned her shirt, wrung out her soaked clothes, and hung them on some tree branches to dry.

The firelight reflected on her bare back, giving her skin a faint red glow.

Water droplets slid down the butterfly-shaped bone, flashed in the leaping firelight, and then evaporated into invisible water vapor.

She sat by the fire, hugging her knees, wearing only her school uniform underwear. The cool air gave her goosebumps.

But the heat of the fire gradually enveloped her, and the warmth seeped into her bloodstream little by little from her skin.

"call...."

She breathed a sigh of relief and stared at the flames, lost in thought.

The wood ear mushrooms were still lying on the large leaves, their edges slightly curled, moist and glossy.

She reached out and picked up a piece, bringing it closer to the firelight to examine it carefully.

The surface was smooth, without any spots or odor, just like the wood ear mushrooms she had eaten before.

"It should be... edible, right?"

She decided to wait until her mother woke up before making a decision.

Just then, a soft sound came from behind.

"...Yukino."

Yukino suddenly turned around.

Snow Mother had opened her eyes. This time, most of the mist in her eyes had dissipated, and her gaze had regained focus.

She looked at her daughter sitting by the fire, wearing only her underwear, and a very faint, weary smile appeared on her lips.

"Thanks a lot."

Those four simple words suddenly brought tears to Yukino's eyes.

She turned her head away, pretending to be fiddling with the charcoal in the fire.

The firelight reflected on her cheek, and she quietly raised the back of her hand and rubbed her eye hard.

"Mother, rest a little longer."

Chapter 43: It's best to go during the day; there are more mosquitoes at night. [Image]

Inside the shelter.

Qingshan sat by the fire, stirring the tender chunks of meat in the pot with a spoon, his movements practiced and casual.

The firelight reflected on his sharply defined profile, making his already deep-set eyes appear even more profound.

Izumi Sagiri sat on the edge of the straw mat, wrapped in a coat. Her long, silvery-white hair was still a little messy because she had just woken up, with a few stray hairs sticking up at the ends.

Her gaze wandered, the scenes from the forest last night playing automatically in her mind like a slideshow.

"..."

Izumi Sagiri shook her head violently, trying to clear her mind of the images, but her cheeks turned uncontrollably red.

"Sagiri, the soup is ready." Aoyama's calm voice came from behind.

"Ah...yes, yes!"

Izumi Sagiri responded reflexively, her voice half an octave higher than usual, and even she could hear the guilt in her voice.

She quickly scrambled up from the straw mat, but in her haste she almost tripped over her own foot and stumbled a couple of steps before regaining her balance.

Qingshan looked up and glanced at her speechlessly.

"With such severe aftereffects, you still dared to peep?"

Faced with Aoyama's scrutinizing gaze, Izumi Sagiri immediately looked away, pretending to be observing how wonderful the pattern on a certain rock on the cliff was.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Aoyama's tone remained unchanged, as if he were asking casually.

"No...no...I slept very well!"

Actually, she had insomnia last night.

After lying, Izumi Sagiri quickly lowered her head and walked briskly to the fire, where she squatted down.

She picked up the bowl placed to the side, her hand trembling slightly as she scooped the soup with a spoon, the rim of the spoon touching the edge of the pot with a soft 'ding' sound.

"Really?"

"But your face is very red." There seemed to be a hint of teasing in Aoyama's voice, but upon closer listening, it seemed like there was nothing at all.

“That’s…that’s been roasted by fire.” Izumi Sagiri buried her head even lower, almost burying her entire face in the bowl.

"And the weather...it's very hot."

Aoyama paused for a second, then didn't ask any further questions.

But the fleeting smile at the corner of his mouth proved that he was in a good mood.

Because Izumi Sagiri didn't dare to look me in the eye, she didn't see it.