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

"It usually takes most people at least a few minutes to realize that someone is watching them from above."

"She noticed something was wrong almost as soon as my gaze lingered on her."

"Moreover, she adjusted her posture very quickly."

"He's a master."

After making this judgment in his mind, Qingshan did not take any aggressive action.

He remained in that position, like a sculpture growing out of the rock face, quietly accepting her scrutiny.

Saeko Busujima remained silent for a few seconds under his gaze.

What does he mean?

Her fighting instincts sent clear warning signals to her ears.

That intuition doesn't come from logical analysis, but from countless life-or-death struggles with humans and monsters in the forest—an almost instinctive judgment!

"If I were to fight, I would be the one to die..."

She didn't know why she made this judgment, nor could she explain what the basis of this judgment was.

The man looked to be about her age; he was of good build, but not the overly exaggerated type.

Judging from the equipment, it doesn't seem to have any special advantages.

"Except for that composite bow..."

She was confident in her knife skills and was absolutely certain she could handle most opponents!

But every cell in her body was sending out the same signal at that very moment.

This man was unlike any opponent he had ever encountered before.

"Absolutely do not lay a hand on them..."

Saeko Busujima's gaze lingered on Aoyama's face for a moment before she slowly lowered her eyes.

She didn't withdraw her hand from the hilt of the knife, but her posture was more relaxed than before.

The tense atmosphere subsided a bit, and the battle-ready state retreated to an observational stance of "I need to run away."

"Let's leave here first."

Saeko Busujima gave Aoyama a deep look, then turned and walked into the woods at a leisurely pace, her ponytail swaying gently with her movements.

The purple figure moved a few steps among the intertwined branches before being obscured by dense bushes and groves.

Only the rustling of leaves and a bird's call from afar remained in the woods.

Qingshan watched her figure disappear into the woods.

His gaze lingered on the spot where she had disappeared for a few seconds before shifting to the nearby forest.

"Let's find a base first."

He weighed the fire axe in his hand and left the top of the rock wall.

As Qingshan walked, he mentally processed the information he had just seen.

"That woman's mental state is clearly abnormal."

"It doesn't feel like hunting, it feels more like enjoying the hunting process?"

"But he was very restrained in his attitude towards me."

Thinking of this, Aoyama narrowed his eyes slightly.

"After she realized I was not someone to mess with, she immediately adjusted her stance, switching from attack mode to escape mode."

"This kind of person is dangerous."

"But if they are on the same side, they will be a very reliable fighting force."

"So, is there such a person in our school?"

Qingshan searched for each figure, but soon put the idea aside for the time being.

What he needs to do now is to confirm whether there is a water source nearby.

As for other matters, I am fully capable of handling most situations.

“Even if there is a gathering place nearby, I can still not eat beef.”

After passing through a dense thicket of bushes, the ground beneath his feet began to rise.

The vegetation ahead became shorter, and the field of vision gradually opened up.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he passed through the last tree line and a dark gray rock wall appeared in front of him.

"Is there water here?"

It was a trickle of water seeping out from a crevice in the rock wall.

The flow wasn't large, but the water was clear, pooling below to form a small pond.

The bottom of the pool was covered with fine sand and smooth pebbles, and a few fallen leaves floated on the surface.

Qingshan squatted down, scooped up a handful of water, and tasted it.

It has a light, sweet taste, no unpleasant odor, and a slightly cool temperature. Judging from the taste, the water quality is quite good.

"The freshwater problem has been solved."

He stood up and walked around the gentle slope below the rock face.

"By combining this with the bay location I had previously memorized, we can establish a 'bay outpost' there."

Qingshan looked around, taking in the surrounding environment bit by bit.

Looking south from his vantage point, he could see the outline of the crescent-shaped coastline in the distance, the sea reflecting a golden shimmer in the sunlight.

To the west are layers upon layers of forest canopy, a deep, rich green.

The tree canopy provides natural shade in the east, west, and north directions, making it difficult to spot from the outside.

"The __cpLocation is very secluded, with a good view, fresh water, plenty of sunshine, and good drainage."

"It's about 300 to 400 meters from the sea, so you can easily access seafood resources without being directly exposed to the sea breeze."

Qingshan muttered to himself, listing out the terrain conditions one by one.

"The only downside is that there might be other people gathering nearby."

He thought about it and felt that this shortcoming was acceptable.

With his current abilities, none of this is a problem.

"Let's stop here then."

Aoyama made a decision in his heart.

He carefully searched the surrounding area again to confirm that there were no signs of large predators nearby.

There were some footprints of small animals on the ground, but no large animal tracks or droppings were found, nor were any carcasses or bones discovered.

This indicates that the area is relatively quiet and not an area frequently frequented by large predators.

"Environmental safety level... is acceptable."

Aoyama walked to a flat, gentle slope ahead, stretched, and his shoulder bones made a few crisp cracking sounds.

He looked up at the position of the sun; it was still early, probably just past 9 AM.

"Go back and tell them the news."

"Let's go back to the shelter today."

After confirming that nothing had been missed, Aoyama turned around and walked back the way he came.

On the way back, his steps were lighter than when he came.

Finding a suitable location to establish a base made him feel good.

As you walk through the dense forest, the branches and vines brushing against your face don't seem so bothersome anymore.

After he had walked a distance, his all-seeing ability suddenly caught a slight movement in the bushes to his left.

"What is it?"

He didn't stop walking, but his gaze shifted to the side.

Within the field of vision of the All-Seeing Ability, something is moving behind that bush.

It's not very big, and it moves very gently.

Then a hedgehog darted out, like a gray shadow, across the open space ahead, and disappeared into another patch of grass.

Aoyama looked in the direction where the hedgehog had disappeared: "...This afternoon's dinner was a success."

...

It was afternoon.

Qingshan carried a fat hedgehog and walked towards the shelter not far ahead.

"I'm back."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Izumi Sagiri was the first to rush out.

She ran up to Qingshan, then suddenly stopped, her body leaning slightly forward due to inertia, almost bumping into him.

"Brother Qingshan! You're back!"

Sawu looked up at him, his light blue eyes like a vast ocean.

Her gaze swept down his face quickly, almost frantically.

He ran his fingers over the shoulders, arms, waist, abdomen, and knees, checking for any wounds.

"It's good that you're alright..."

Izumi Sagiri's voice trailed off with a clear sense of relief.

She raised her hand to grab the hem of his shirt, but stopped halfway through, as if realizing something, and pulled back, finally only clutching the hem of her own shirt.

"This time I didn't... I didn't get muddy..."

"And there are no torn sleeves..."

"The area above the knees... is clean..."

Shawu murmured to herself, as if confirming something with herself. With each word she said, her shoulders relaxed a little more.

Aoyama looked at her slightly widened blue eyes, which were bulging with nervousness, and chuckled:

“I told you I wouldn’t get hurt, but you didn’t believe me.”

Sawu pursed her lips and puffed out her cheeks slightly, as if she wanted to refute but dared not.

"It's not that I'm worried about you..."

Shawu muttered something, her voice so soft it sounded like she was talking to herself.

She finally loosened her grip on the hem of her clothes and stepped aside to make way for the cave entrance. "Come in quickly... the soup is still warm."

"Ah."

Aoyama strode into the shelter.

The fire was still burning, its flames gently licking the bottom of the pot, where the broth bubbled and steamed.

Lady Yukinoshita was standing by the fire, holding a wooden ladle in her hand, gently stirring the soup in the pot.

Her movements were very light and slow; she swished the spoon around the edge of the pot, gathering the oil floating on the surface to one side.

These were all things that Qingshan taught her.

"How about we try cooking?"

Snow Mother, who was deep in thought, heard the commotion outside and immediately looked up.

Her long hair was casually tied back with a wooden hairpin, with a few strands hanging down beside her ears.

Those gentle eyes fell on Qingshan, first looking him up and down to make sure there were no obvious injuries, and then the worry between his brows quietly dissipated like morning mist.

"Aoyama-kun, you're back."