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

Her voice was soft, with a reassuring gentleness.

Qingshan held the hedgehog up in front of him and waved it around: "I caught it on the way. I'll add it to our meal tonight."

Lady Yukinoshita's gaze fell on the hedgehog, she paused slightly, then smiled slightly.

“Aoyama-kun always manages to bring back some surprises.”

She put the wooden spoon back into the pot, turned around and walked to a clean stone platform next to her, where she took a bowl from it.

"Have a bowl of soup first, it's been kept warm."

She walked over and handed the bowl to Qingshan, her slender fingers slightly reddened from the steam.

The bowl is filled with milky white meat broth, with several evenly sized pieces of meat half-submerged and half-floating, carrying a rich meaty aroma and a hint of herbal sweetness.

Aoyama took it, and the warmth of the bowl traveled through his palm.

Hmm, not hot.

Despite the sweltering heat, he didn't want soup; he wanted to eat grilled dragon meat.

But this was a token of her affection.

He lowered his head, took a sip, and praised, "This soup is good."

Lady Yukinoshita nodded, crossed her hands in front of her, and stood quietly to the side watching him drink the soup.

"It's always good for Aoyama-kun to have a bowl of hot soup when he comes back after a long day of running around."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her eyelids slightly, as if to hide something, and gently rubbed the edge of her cuff with her fingertips.

Aoyama took two more sips and moved the rim of the bowl away from his lips: "By the way, I found a pretty good spot today."

"It has fresh water, a good view, and a suitable location. I plan to make it my new base."

Lady Yukinoshita's eyes lit up slightly: "Found it?"

"Yes, there's a small bay next to the beach, with rock walls behind it and a stream nearby. It's a very secluded spot."

Qingshan placed the bowl on the stone table, casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said, "We can start moving Yuanxi over tomorrow."

After hearing this, Lady Yukinoshita remained silent for two or three seconds.

My gaze fell on the bowl he had placed on the stone table, the rim still bearing the traces of his lip when he drank the soup.

Her voice softened a little: "...Thank you for your hard work, Aoyama-kun."

Before Qingshan could reply, he heard a slightly lazy, nasal voice from the side:

"Tsk tsk, what a heartwarming scene."

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against the wall in a pile of bear fur, her red eyes still lingering with the languor of an afternoon nap.

But a half-smile had already curved the corners of his mouth.

Because she was fighting alone at night, she needed to catch up on sleep during the day.

The task of cooking fell to Yukimura, Yukino, and Izumi Sagiri.

"If it's just for cooking, you don't need so many people."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze swept over the three of them.

Which one should I choose?

Chapter 64: Isn't that perfect? ​​You two are both a bit crazy. [Image]

The campfire flickered, casting a warm yellow light on everyone's faces.

Aoyama had no idea what Kasumigaoka Utaha was thinking.

He leaned against the wall, holding a bowl of meat soup that was already half-finished, and shared what had happened that day.

"When I went to find the base today, I encountered a strange person."

"A strange person?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was the first to react.

She loosened her arms, which were originally wrapped around her knees, and turned her head slightly to look at Qingshan, her eyes filled with interest.

Aoyama placed the bowl on his lap and gestured with his hand: "It's a woman, about our age, wearing our school uniform, and carrying a samurai sword."

Yukino looked up, her black pupils flickering slightly in the firelight: "The kind of school uniform we wear?"

"Ah."

Aoyama recalled what the girl looked like: "Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she was quite pretty, but her eyes were a little strange."

"When he killed, his expression was completely unchanging, as if he were doing something very ordinary, even with a little excitement."

He paused for a moment, then added, "His knife skills are very sharp, more proficient than most people I've ever met."

The shelter was quiet for a moment.

The firewood in the fire collapsed, making a soft popping sound.

Izumi Sagiri, who was crouching in the corner teasing the Feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex, stopped what she was doing upon hearing this, a hint of curiosity and a little nervousness appearing in her light blue eyes:

"Murder...?"

Aoyama nodded: "I saw her kill two people with my own eyes. Her movements were so clean, it was as if she had practiced thousands of times."

He spoke calmly, but Izumi Sagiri's shoulders hunched slightly, and her fingers unconsciously gripped a tuft of fur on the back of the Feathered Tyrannosaurus's neck.

The Feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex seemed to sense her tension, turned its head and rubbed its nose against the back of her hand, letting out a low whimper.

"Dark purple hair, high ponytail, school uniform..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's brows furrowed slightly, as if she were searching for something in her mind.

Her red pupils narrowed slightly as she looked at the fire, her lips moving silently as if she were reciting some keywords.

"...Saeko Busujima"

She suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the quiet sanctuary.

Aoyama looked up at her: "You know her?"

"I don't know them personally, but I've heard of them."

Kasumigaoka Utaha tucked her loose black hair behind her ear, revealing her fair neck.

She spoke at a moderate pace, as if recalling a not-so-important old story: "Our school's ace in kendo, who has won several city championships and the national kendo tournament in a row."

"It is said that his swordsmanship is very fierce, and he can't stop himself when he's fighting, often injuring his opponents."

"Later, it seems that he was suspended because he caused injuries to several opponents during international competitions."

Kendo Club Ace? Saeko Busujima?

I've never heard of that.

Is she also a female protagonist in some anime?

Aoyama basically doesn't pay attention to the various departments and clubs in island schools.

Listening to Kasumigaoka Utaha's analysis, Aoyama nodded thoughtfully: "No wonder she looked like a veteran, turns out she's a sword princess."

"Her knife skills are indeed superb; she doesn't need to think about her actions at all when killing."

"Saeko Busujima..."

Yukino also spoke, her voice clear, cool, and steady.

Her gaze swept across the fire to Qingshan, and she slowed her speech: "I once saw her picture on the kendo club's bulletin board; her grades were indeed very good."

"But its reputation within the school is not very good."

"Some people say she went too far, while others say she has personality problems."

"I vaguely remember someone saying that she seemed to come from a famous swordsmanship family and started practicing swordsmanship at a very young age."

She paused here, seemingly considering her next words, her voice lower than before:

"That kind of person... doesn't get along well with others."

Izumi Sagiri crouched in the corner and asked softly, "Is she...is she a bad person?"

"It's hard to say," Qingshan said casually, leaning against the wall.

"Those two people she killed also seem a bit off; were they probably members of some kind of community?"

"She was chasing after them; she was probably clearing them out."

"From this point of view, what she did was not necessarily a bad thing."

"but..."

He pondered for a moment and reorganized his words: "The look in her eyes made me feel that she wasn't simply killing bad people, but rather enjoying the process of killing itself."

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head, her tone casually teasing: "Isn't that perfect? ​​You two are both a bit crazy."

Qingshan glanced at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

What kind of talk is that?

However...

Izumi Sagiri rested her chin on her knees, her long, silvery-white hair falling down to cover half of her cheek, her voice carrying a hint of contemplation:

"She can kill those bad guys all by herself...that must be pretty impressive, right?"

"Yes, that's really impressive."

Aoyama did not deny this: "If she were to become my opponent, she would be much more threatening than ordinary wild animals."

"But if she's willing to stand with us, she should be a fairly reliable fighting force."

After Yukino finished speaking, the shelter was quiet for a short while.

The firewood in the fire collapsed a little more, splashing up a small patch of sparks that drew a few fine arcs in the air.

"Oh, right."

Aoyama changed the subject, placing the empty bowl on the stone platform beside him: "The area where I met her today isn't too far from the location of the stronghold I found."

"She must have come from that forest."

"Since there are signs of human activity there, it means that there is likely a settlement nearby."

"I just don't know how crowded it is inside."

Snow Mother asked in surprise, "The gathering place?"

She sat quietly by the fire, holding a cup of warm water in her hands, her posture gentle and serene.

The firelight shone on her, and her graceful curves were faintly visible beneath her loose cotton and linen shirt.

Her voice was gentle and calm, like a mountain stream, with a natural soothing power: "Does Aoyama-kun mean that there are other survivors in that area besides us?"

Aoyama nodded: "Those two people today were most likely people who came out of the settlement to search for supplies."

"Since there are teams specifically responsible for going out, it means that the gathering place is not small, and at least it is organized and has a division of labor."

Upon hearing this, Izumi Sagiri hugged Feathered Tyrannosaurus's neck tightly: "Then...would it be dangerous if we moved there?"

Her voice was muffled, sounding softer and sweeter than usual.

"This certainly requires careful consideration."

Snow Mother placed the cup on her lap, folded her hands over the rim, and looked at Aoyama with gentle eyes: "Aoyama-kun, what are your plans for that settlement?"

Aoyama was poking at the ashes in the fire with a thin twig when he heard this. He looked up at her and asked, "What are your plans?"

"I mean..."

Snow Mother leaned slightly forward, the firelight illuminating her fair face, revealing a serious look in her gentle eyes:

"If that settlement really exists... Aoyama-kun, would you consider joining them?"

Her voice remained gentle, but her words were carefully chosen, as if she were afraid that her words would influence his judgment.

Before Aoyama could answer, Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled softly beside him.

"Madam, do you think he would?"

Her tone was one of certainty and self-assurance, as if stating an unquestionable fact: "As far as I know him, he would never join any community."