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

“I… saw what you picked,” Snow Mother said slowly, each word seemingly requiring great effort. “They are probably… all edible.”

Yukino breathed a sigh of relief: "Great! I'll cook it right away!"

She picked up the two mushrooms from the leaves, sliced ​​them thinly with a knife, and put them into the large leaf-folded container.

She placed the container next to the fire and secured it with several stones.

As the water slowly heats up, the mushroom slices tumble on the noodles, releasing a delicate herbal aroma.

Yukino squatted in front of the fire, gently stirring the soup in the container with a twig, her gaze fixed on the churning water.

She whispered, "Mother...I'll go pick some more after the rain stops."

Xue's mother watched her back as she squatted by the fire, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a long while, she finally spoke: "Yukino...you didn't eat anything all day yesterday."

Yukino paused for a moment, then continued stirring as if nothing had happened: "I ate some wild fruit."

"Just a few wild fruits, that's definitely not enough, is it?"

Yukino didn't answer, but just stared down at the mushroom soup.

Chapter 48: Yukino: Those are Aoyama and Kasumigaoka-kun, what are they doing? [Image]

"Yukino, come here." Yukino's mother was silent for a while, then sighed softly, as if she wanted to expel all the weariness in her chest.

Yukino turned to look at her mother.

"Sit down," Xue's mother said again, her voice weak but carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Yukino hesitated for a moment, then put down the branch and sat down next to her mother.

Snow Mother raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and gently touched her daughter's hair.

"you lost weight."

Those three simple words brought tears to Yukino's eyes.

She bit her lower lip, trying hard to suppress the emotions welling up inside her, but the tip of her nose still turned red uncontrollably.

"I didn't..." Her voice was muffled, with a noticeable nasal tone.

Looking at her profile, Xue's mother noticed that her stubborn expression, pretending nothing was wrong, hadn't changed at all.

"Yukino, listen to me." Yukino's mother's voice was still weak, but her tone carried an indescribable seriousness.

Yukino looked up at her.

"Your health is very important; you absolutely cannot let me be a burden to you."

Snow Mother paused, as if gathering her strength, "I mean, in case, if my fever doesn't go down..."

"There are no 'what ifs,' Mother. Please don't say things like that anymore. Things will definitely get better!" Yukino interrupted her, her voice more resolute than she had imagined.

Xue's mother looked at her, her eyes filled with a hint of helplessness and heartache.

She slowly raised her hand and gently rubbed Yukino's head.

The movement was very light, as light as a feather falling into one's hair.

"it is good..."

She uttered a single word, yet it contained so much meaning.

Yukino's eyelashes trembled. She lowered her head and buried her face in her mother's hands. Her shoulders trembled slightly, but she didn't make a sound.

Feeling the warmth and moisture from her palm, Snow Mother gently closed her eyes.

Yukino is too tired.

After a long while, Yukino finally raised her head and vigorously wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

Her eyes were still a little red, but her expression had returned to calm.

"The mushroom soup is ready, I'll go get it."

She stood up and walked to the fire, carefully took down the leaf container filled with mushroom soup, and blew on it to cool it down.

I brought it to my lips to test the temperature, and only after confirming it wasn't too hot did I carry it to my mother and squat down beside her.

"Mother, open your mouth."

Snow Mother obediently opened her mouth, and the warm soup slid down her throat.

The umami flavor of the mushrooms spread across the tongue, and although there was no seasoning, it felt especially warm in this environment.

Yukino fed him little by little, her movements much more practiced than the previous two days.

After drinking half a bowl of soup, Xuemu's breathing seemed to become a little smoother.

She turned her head to look at her daughter, her eyes filled with an indescribable sense of guilt.

"Yukino."

"Um?"

Your hair... is messy.

Yukino paused for a moment, then raised her hand to touch her hair. Sure enough, a few strands of hair slipped out from the ribbon of the bow and hung crookedly beside her ears.

"I'll re-tie it later."

"Hmm." Snow Mother nodded, then added in a low voice.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The rain was still falling, pattering on the ground outside the cave, making a soft, pattering sound.

The last piece of charcoal in the fire burned out. The flames struggled and jumped twice before going out completely, leaving only a handful of dark red embers glowing faintly in the darkness.

Yukino sat down next to her mother against the rock wall, taking off her school uniform jacket and covering them both.

In the darkness, her breathing was even and calm, but her eyes were open, looking at the sliver of grayish-white light shining through the cave entrance.

There's a little mushroom soup left, but that's for my mother tomorrow morning.

There are four wild berries left, which she plans to eat in two meals tomorrow.

"It will get better."

She silently spoke to the harsh environment, then pulled her coat up and closed her eyes.

...

The sunlight tore through the clouds, turning the entire forest a warm gold.

The traces of two days of torrential rain are still visible; broken branches lie scattered, and water droplets clinging to the leaves reflect fragmented light.

"Hoo~!"

Yukino stepped onto the wet, decaying leaves.

Her school uniform shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition, the hem was covered in mud, and the left cuff was torn open by thorns.

The white-trimmed black knee-high socks hung loosely on the calves, revealing a patch of skin that was so pale it was almost transparent.

She felt like she was melting.

My vision blurred, the sun flickered in my field of vision, creating several overlapping shadows. My body felt completely drained, and every step felt like walking on cotton.

"Mother... is still waiting for me...."

The words echoed in her mind, like the last piece of driftwood a drowning person was clinging to.

She didn't know how long she had been walking.

My sense of time has completely become disordered.

She only remembered that during the torrential rain, she huddled in the cave listening to her mother's heavy breathing.

After the sun came out, she went out to find food, and then...and then she walked a long way.

The wild berries were all eaten, and the mushrooms were gone too.

She was so hungry.

"My mother is still waiting for me..."

Her lips moved, emitting a soft hiss, as if her throat had been drained of moisture.

Just as her consciousness was about to completely dissipate, she vaguely heard some sound.

It was intermittent, like some kind of chanting.

Yukino frowned slightly.

"...A hallucination?"

She felt that she was probably about to die.

Hallucinations are normal in this situation. Exhaustion, severe dehydration, and not eating properly for several days can cause auditory hallucinations as the body sends out its final signals.

But she still unconsciously walked towards the direction of the sound.

"Perhaps it's not a hallucination?"

One step, two steps.

As she parted a clump of waist-high grass, she saw a clearing in the sunlight, a patch of grass serving as a bed.

Then she froze.

“…”

At the edge of the open space stood a thick, old tree.

And right next to the old tree, there were two figures.

What are they doing?

At the edge of the open space stood a thick, old tree.

And right next to the old tree, there were two figures.

What are they doing?

A woman with long black hair tilted her head back and swayed it gently, her cheeks flushed.

Those red pupils were filled with painful and hazy tears.

Clearly, the sound she heard was coming from here.

And the culprit...

Her gaze fell on the woman who sat steadily with her mouth slightly open.

.....

At the same time, Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned and lost in thought.

The woman seemed to be using a soothing shampoo; she tossed her head slightly, and her long black hair drew a soft arc in the air, revealing her fair neck.

It happened to be directly in the direction where Yukino parted the bushes.

She witnessed a visually stunning scene.

This made her unconsciously hold her breath and widen her eyes.

Her lips moved a few times before she finally uttered a barely audible murmur: "Isn't that... Aoyama-kun? And Kasumigaoka Utaha-kun?"

The class next door has Qingshan, which is on the list of must-eat restaurants for handsome guys.

Kasumigaoka Utaha from the Faculty of Letters.

She recognized them.

"How did they get here?"

"Could it be the same as me and my mother?"

"them..."

For a moment.

All the physical strength and willpower I had accumulated crumbled completely, like a kite with its string cut.

Yukino's vision suddenly spun around, everything before her began to fade, and darkness surged in from the side, engulfing the entire world.