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

"Are you sure you want to stay in this position and talk to me about the settlement?"

Aoyama didn't loosen his arms; instead, he tightened them even more: "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

"It's not that it's inconvenient... it's just that it's hard for me to concentrate when you're holding me like this," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, pressing her forehead against the wooden surface, her voice sounding muffled as if there was a layer between them.

"Then don't think about it."

"..."

"Aoyama-kun, you really are..." Kasumigaoka Utaha, caught off guard by the sudden attack, had her ears visibly turn red.

She swallowed her words halfway through, turned her head slightly, and glared at him.

The moonlight fell on her fair neck, revealing a dazzling softness.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly spoke up: "You said the nearest gathering place to us has already dispersed, but what about the ones further away?"

Aoyama's voice came from behind her: "I don't know. Even if there is a gathering place, it will be even further away from us."

"Doesn't that mean we're in a really awkward situation, with nowhere to turn?"

"That's one way to understand it."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a light breath and then slowly exhaled.

She touched her burning cheek with the back of her hand, her voice tinged with a hint of helpless teasing: "Aoyama-kun, the news you bring back is getting more and more reassuring."

Aoyama breathed a sigh of relief and said, "At least we're safe here for now."

"There is enough food for a long time, the water source is clean, and most of the wild beasts around are dead."

Most importantly, there's also the big dog, the Feathered Tyrannosaurus.

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Although still small, it possesses the aura of a top predator, deterring most carnivores from approaching.

Therefore, it is very safe here.

"I'll listen to Aoyama-kun...uh-huh!" Kasumigaoka Utaha unconsciously dragged out the last syllable.

Qingshan looked down and saw the moonlight shining on her side profile and the area behind her ear, making the crimson blush stand out in the light and shadow.

"How is it?"

"What, how?" Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head, biting her lip, and met his eyes.

She looked away, her voice trembling slightly: "Qingshan...sometimes you ask things that make people feel embarrassed."

Qingshan didn't reply, but just looked at her quietly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's profile is soft yet defined, with long, straight black hair falling over her shoulders, a few strands clinging to her white shirt near her collarbone.

She seemed to sense his gaze and raised her head slightly.

"Aoyama-kun, I have a suggestion." She suddenly changed the subject, as if trying to divert attention.

"what?"

"You can take me with you when you go out tomorrow."

Aoyama frowned slightly: "No, it's too dangerous."

"reason?"

“You…” he paused, “Your stamina can’t keep up.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips twitched slightly: "Aoyama-kun, you really don't hold back when it comes to beating people up."

Is this implying something to oneself?

She insisted on it twice, didn't she?

"I am simply stating the facts."

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled; she had reached her limit.

.... ...... ....

A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes.

"Okay, you're right."

"At least..."

She turned around, tiptoed slightly, and whispered in his ear, "At least tonight, you need to release all your pressure..."

Aoyama looked down at her flushed cheeks, so close that he could almost see the trembling of her eyelashes.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's breathing became visibly erratic for a moment under his gaze, but she still managed to stay upright. Only the light in her red pupils flickered, like a candle flame that had been shattered.

Aoyama said, "Okay."

"Go back and tell us."

"...Um."

He loosened his grip and took a half-step back, noticing Kasumigaoka Utaha's slightly furrowed brow as she looked away.

Her feet touched the ground again. She bent down to straighten her white shirt, her hand inadvertently brushing against the waistline where he had just wrapped his arm around her.

"Let's go." Aoyama turned and walked towards the shelter, but stopped after a couple of steps and glanced at her, who was still standing there.

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up, the moonlight falling on her slightly flushed face. She smiled softly: "You're here."

She quickly followed him, and when she reached his side, she suddenly reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Aoyama-kun."

"Ok?"

"Next time you share news like this, could you please not be so...?"

Qingshan glanced at her but didn't say anything.

But his lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh but didn't actually laugh.

Seeing his expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha's ears turned even redder. She loosened her grip on his sleeve, turned her head away, and quickened her pace to walk ahead.

"..."

Despite her fierce attacks, she persisted three times... Why does Aoyama-kun still not seem satisfied?

She doesn't understand.

"Never mind, let's go tidy up first."

...

Inside the shelter, Izumi Sagiri rolled over on the straw mat, muttering something incoherently, probably in her sleep.

The big dog was momentarily awakened by her turning over, and it raised its groggy head to look at her.

Then it lay back down, resting its chin on its front paws, and lazily swept its tail across the ground twice.

Aoyama and Kasumigaoka Utaha walked in one after the other.

Kasumigaoka Utaha gathered her long, loose hair, walked to the edge of the grass mat, bent down, and gently draped the corner of the bear fur blanket that had slipped off back over Izumi Sagiri. Her movements were light and unexpectedly tender.

Then she straightened up, glanced back at Aoyama, and said, "I'm going to sleep now. Aoyama-kun, you should get some rest too."

"Ah."

She lay down, turned to her side, and faced the fire with her back to it, her long, straight black hair spread out on the straw mat.

Qingshan sat by the fire and added two more thin pieces of firewood. The flames flickered, making the entire shelter even brighter.

Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes, her breathing gradually calming down.

She turned over, facing the fire, and her breathing gradually became even and long.

The campfire was still burning, its orange-red light flickering on the rock walls of the shelter.

The big dog let out a loud snort and sprawled out on its back at the edge of the straw mat.

Aoyama leaned against the stone wall, his gaze shifting from the campfire to Kasumigaoka Utaha's sleeping face, and then to Izumi Sagiri's curled-up back.

He picked up the coat draped beside him, covered his legs, and closed his eyes.

Tonight was relatively peaceful.

Chapter 47: You better be talking about hot springs. [Image]

Early in the morning, a torrential downpour began.

A howling wind and muffled booming sounds came from outside the shelter.

Suddenly, all the water in the world poured down.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The sound of rain violently entered her ears, and Izumi Sagiri was startled awake from her sleep. She sat up abruptly, her long, silvery-white hair plastered messily to her cheeks, her pupils not yet fully focused.

"Wha...what happened?"

The big dog was startled awake by her movements, and groggily got up, standing unsteadily for a while with its short legs supporting it on the ground.

Then, as if startled by her, it darted to the foot of the green hill with a "chirp," burying its head under his coat, leaving only a tuft of its fluffy tail sticking out and trembling.

Qingshan sat by the fire, slowly and deliberately whittling a wet piece of firewood with a machete.

"A storm is coming."

He spoke without looking up, his tone rather flat.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had also woken up and was leaning against the stone wall, her long black hair falling messily over her shoulders.

She listened intently to the sounds of wind and rain outside the cave for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in her red pupils, before slowly exhaling.

"Now, Qingshan can't go out at all."

As she spoke, a slight smile curved her lips, as if she were both pleased and teasing.

Qingshan whittled a piece of firewood and casually tossed it into the fire. Sparks flew for a moment before quickly subsiding.

He looked up and glanced in the direction of the cave entrance. Rainwater was seeping in through the gaps in the vines, forming several thin streams on the ground.

"Yeah, we can't go out today."

Izumi Sagiri curled up on the grass mat, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, her light blue pupils still hazy from just waking up.

She asked timidly in a low voice, "Will...will Brother Qingshan stay at the shelter today?"

"Otherwise what?" Aoyama turned to look at her, "Swim out?"

Is she still half asleep?

Izumi Sagiri was taken aback by his words, then burst out laughing with a "poof!" She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but her crescent-shaped eyes betrayed her.

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with lazy teasing: "Aoyama-kun's joke was pretty good."

“I’m not joking,” Aoyama said expressionlessly.

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha watched him intently whittling firewood, paused for a second, then turned her head away, her shoulders twitching suspiciously.

Izumi Sagiri, wrapped in her coat, climbed up from the grass mat, carefully stepping barefoot through the water stains on the ground. She walked to the cave entrance, squatted down, and stretched out her fingertips to probe the rainwater seeping in through the gaps in the vines.

"It's so cool..."

She pulled her fingers back, shook off the water droplets, but couldn't resist reaching out again to catch a little more, as if she had seen something new and exciting.

The big dog poked half its head out from under Qingshan's coat, its round black eyes watching her warily.

After a while, once he was sure there was no danger, he slowly moved his whole body out and trotted over to rub against her with his short legs.

"Chirp—!"

When Izumi Sagiri looked down and saw it, her expression softened instantly. She squatted down and gently rubbed the tuft of slightly upturned fur on the big dog's head.

"Are big dogs afraid of thunder too?"

"Chirp chirp." The big dog rubbed its wet nose against her fingertips, its tail wagging behind it.

Kasumigaoka Utaha watched the scene of the human and the dragon interacting, her gaze softening slightly.