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

The heat in my body finally subsided a bit.

"...High reproductive efficiency, activated in gregarious conditions."

He stared at his reflection on the water and muttered to himself, "No wonder I feel like I have too much energy. The core of this ability is the direction of 'reproduction'."

"Therefore, they become unusually active around females."

He straightened up, looked at his blurry reflection on the water, and thought of the women in the shelter.

Izumi Sagiri's cute innocence, Yukino's aloofness, and Kasumigaoka Utaha's sharp tongue but keen mind...

Lady Yukinoshita.

Aoyama closed his eyes briefly, and the image of her sitting in the firelight reappeared in his mind.

The slightly undulating, full lines, the black hair falling over her shoulders, the profile of her focused face as she bent down to sew.

And—when she looked up at him, her eyes, gentle yet with a hint of barely perceptible unease.

"I'll have to trouble Shiyu tonight."

He opened his eyes, shook his head, and walked back with the basin in his hand.

When they returned to the cave, they found that the fire had been fueled with fresh firewood and was burning even brighter.

Izumi Sagiri was squatting by the fire, skewering two pieces of velociraptor meat on a small stick and roasting them over the fire.

Seeing Qingshan come in, she looked up at him and smiled: "Brother Qingshan, I baked this for you!"

The flickering firelight was reflected in his aquamarine pupils, and his smile was as pure as a mountain stream.

The heat in Aoyama's heart subsided slightly.

He walked over and sat down next to her, took the skewer of grilled dragon meat, blew on it, and said, "Thank you, Sawu."

Aoyama took a bite of the roasted dragon meat; it was crispy and fragrant, and the taste was indeed quite good.

"..."

Izumi Sagiri's face flushed again. She lowered her head and hummed in agreement, then clasped her hands together on her knees, her toes unconsciously drawing circles on the ground.

[Feeding Log: Velociraptor x2]

Current progress: 2/10

[Effect Preview: Assassination, Super Agility, Sensitive Senses (Velociraptor) - Requires continued consumption of similar food items to activate.]

"Judging from the names alone, these three special abilities should all be quite good."

"We're still short eight, which isn't too many."

Just as Aoyama was deep in thought, Kasumigaoka Utaha said thoughtfully, "Aoyama-kun, you wouldn't have gone to fetch water on purpose just to calm down, would you?"

"...You're overthinking it."

Aoyama felt that Kasumigaoka Utaha had bloomed, but he couldn't find any evidence.

Is that so?

Kasumigaoka Utaha curled her lips, her red pupils swirling in the firelight. "Then why did you look at Lady Yukinoshita just now, like you were looking at a dish you couldn't wait to...eat?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the shelter fell silent.

Izumi Sagiri's fingers, which were gripping the hem of her skirt, paused, and her light blue eyes widened.

Yukino's hand, which was turning the page, stopped in mid-air. She slowly raised her head, her black pupils calmly looking at Aoyama.

Lady Yukinoshita silently raised her head, a faint blush rising on her face.

But it quickly disappeared, as if it were an illusion created by the firelight.

Lady Yukinoshita spoke up, her voice still gentle, but with a hint of helpless reproach, "...Kasumigaoka-kun, don't make such jokes."

"Madam, I'm not joking~".

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head and looked at Aoyama. "I'm just stating the facts I observed."

She moved closer, her breath brushing against his ear, warm and slightly itchy, and whispered, "Aoyama-kun, your breathing hasn't calmed down yet."

"Is that why you've been staring at Lady Yukinoshita?"

Aoyama: "..."

He could refute it, but Kasumigaoka Utaha was absolutely right.

Moreover, he has a thick skin.

Izumi Sagiri's cheeks were already flushed red. She lowered her head, her voice barely audible, "Brother Aoyama, I'm not that kind of person..."

"Sagiri!"

Looking at her bright red ears, Qingshan was deeply moved: "Thank you for speaking up for me."

But I'm sorry, that's the kind of person I am.

Yukino's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then subtly shifted to her mother, who was pretending not to have heard anything, before returning to Aoyama's face.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, as well as a kind of scrutiny that was almost imperceptible.

"Aoyama-kun, you probably wouldn't like an older woman, would you...?"

Chapter 58: Qingshan, it's normal to feel a lot of pressure. [Image]

Before dawn, the green mountains opened their eyes.

It was still hazy outside the cave, and the fog in the forest had not yet dissipated. Through the cave entrance, a few stars could be seen hanging on the horizon.

He glanced sideways at Kasumigaoka Utaha beside him.

She was curled up in the blankets, her long black hair scattered messily on the pillow, her breathing long and even.

"Last night was definitely my fault; I overdid it."

Even with Kasumigaoka Utaha's sharp tongue, all she could do in the end was sob and beg for mercy, her fingertips leaving several marks on his back.

In the end, she didn't even have the strength to cry anymore. Like a cat whose fur had been completely smoothed out, she snuggled into his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

She was clearly exhausted and was fast asleep; she didn't even wake up when Aoyama got up.

"In my current state, I could easily take down a few more Kasumigaoka Utaha."

Aoyama sat up and stretched his shoulders.

The bones made a few soft cracking sounds, but there was no sign of fatigue throughout the body; every muscle seemed to have been injected with a brand new vitality.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, and the lines on his palm were clearly visible in the morning light.

"...I don't feel tired at all," he muttered softly.

Once high reproductive efficiency is activated in a group setting, the body is like a machine with a new engine, and the speed at which physical strength recovers is ridiculously fast.

The energy I used up last night can be fully replenished by eating a few pieces of jerky.

"I feel more energetic now than before I went to bed."

Aoyama quietly put on his coat, picked up the fire axe from the wall, glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha who was still fast asleep, and then turned and walked out of the cave.

The fog outside was heavy, the air was humid and slightly cool, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation.

Aoyama took a deep breath, and his chest felt instantly clear and refreshed.

"Phew! I need to breathe in some oxygen."

He carried the fire axe and walked toward the grove of trees near the shelter.

He picked a dead tree about the size of a bowl, weighed the axe, and then swung it in a circle to chop it down.

"Snap—!"

The dead tree snapped instantly, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Qingshan swung his axe one after another, his movements clean and swift, each blow precisely striking the same crack.

In just a few moments, the withered tree fell to the ground at an angle.

He stepped forward, grabbed the tree trunk, and with a flick of his wrist, hoisted the entire log onto his shoulder.

That piece of wood must have weighed at least 30 pounds and over 100 kilograms, but it felt incredibly light on his shoulder, like he was carrying a bamboo pole.

"This is the mighty ant."

He carried the log back to the vicinity of the shelter, put it down not far from the shelter, and then turned back.

Back and forth, trip after trip.

Qingshan is like a tireless moving machine, easily carrying three or four logs each time.

After moving nearly twenty pieces of wood back and forth, a small mountain quickly formed at the edge of the open space.

When he put down the last piece of wood, his back was straight and his breathing remained steady.

He even moved his shoulders, looking like he had just finished a warm-up.

"almost."

He propped the fire axe on the ground, put his hands on his hips, looked around, and chose a sunny, open space not far from the shelter and close to a water source.

There, knee-high weeds and some low shrubs grew, the ground was relatively flat, and there was a crooked old tree nearby that provided shade.

"Let's stop here."

Once everything was settled, Aoyama began his work.

After selecting a suitable stake, he used an axe to chop off a pointed end, and then hammered it into the ground, one stake at a time.

The fence doesn't need to be fancy, just sturdy.

Drive thicker wooden stakes into the ground at intervals of about half a meter, and then tie thinner branches horizontally onto them, stacking them layer by layer.

"In that case, there's no need to secure it with a rope."

His movements were quick, his hands and feet nimble as if he had done it a thousand times.

His all-seeing ability allowed him to know the position and angle of every wooden stake perfectly, and he could strike with his axe almost without pausing.

By the time the sun had fully risen, a fence of about 40 square meters was already taking shape.

"Isn't this fence a bit too big?"

"Fine, let's leave it at that."

After pondering for a moment, Qingshan felt that something was missing.

Then he built a small shelter in a corner of the fence using withered grass and twigs.

The triangular roof is covered with large fern leaves, which can both shelter from rain and wind.

He straightened up, patted the mud off his hands, and nodded with satisfaction at his work.

Mission accomplished!

At that moment, a slight noise came from the shelter.

After staring at Izumi Sagiri for who knows how long, I finally mustered up the courage to come over.

"Brother Qingshan... is there anything I can help you with?"

Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing him, but her light blue eyes were full of seriousness.

Aoyama looked up at her and smiled, "No need, go and catch those three little pheasants for me."

"Okay...okay!"

As if she had received some important mission, Izumi Sagiri nodded vigorously, turned around, and jogged back into the cave.

When she returned a while later, she was carrying three fluffy little pheasants in her arms.

The three little ones huddled together in her arms, chirping away.

Her own cheeks also had a healthy pink hue from running briskly.

"Put it in."

Qingshan pointed to the grassy area that had already been fenced off.

Izumi Sagiri crouched down and carefully took the three pheasants out of her arms, placing them one by one into the enclosure.

Her movements were as gentle as if she were touching something fragile, and as she brushed the downy feathers of the little pheasant, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards.