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

"native?"

"Do you think there's a boundary over there?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head to look at him, her eyes shimmering slightly in the moonlight, like two rubies that had been soaked in moonlight.

Aoyama paused slightly. He didn't know if Kasumigaoka Utaha had boundaries, but it certainly did.

"do not know."

"But I think that no matter what's there, I'll have a chance to see it someday."

Kasumigaoka Utaha curled the corners of her lips and let out a soft laugh: "That's quite in line with your style."

She pulled her bewildered gaze back and looked down at the waves crashing against the shore.

The moonlight swayed gently with the waves on the sea, like a flowing path.

"Hmm~!"

"Speaking of which, you..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her voice slightly: "Aoyama-kun... don't you think the moon is especially big tonight?"

Aoyama glanced at it thoughtfully and said, "Hmm, it is indeed a size bigger than usual."

"I heard that the moon looks bigger and rounder by the sea because the view is wide and unobstructed."

Kasumigaoka Utaha said, narrowing her eyes slightly, "However... perhaps it's because the people around me are different."

Her voice was so soft that it seemed almost carried away by the sea breeze.

But in the quiet night, every word was clearly heard by Qingshan.

"Shiyu..."

Aoyama turned his head and looked at her intently.

The moonlight fell on her slightly flushed cheeks, making her features appear incredibly gentle.

Her usual expression always carried a hint of laziness and nonchalance.

But at this moment, all that sharpness was concealed, leaving only a rare sob.

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to sense his gaze and stopped paying attention to the shimmering seawater being pounded by the waves.

She slowly raised her head and met his gaze.

His red pupils shimmered with a gentle light under the moonlight, and a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

"What... does Aoyama-kun sometimes stare at me so intently?"

Aoyama calmly said, "Don't you always say that I don't take you seriously?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Tch, you sure know how to shut me up with your words."

She smiled and shook her head, her long black hair swaying gently over her shoulders with the movement, the ends of her hair appearing very soft in the moonlight.

"However... it's commendable that Aoyama-kun remembered what I said."

"Not many people will remember what you say, after all, you say too much."

Aoyama added without any mercy.

Kasumigaoka Utaha slapped the mischievous hand away, but she was clearly not angry.

She reached out and tucked a strand of hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, behind her ear. The movement was natural, but it looked particularly charming in the moonlight.

"Aoyama-kun, your tongue is certainly sharper than usual today."

"Did you toughen up your brain while moving wood during the day?"

"Probably so."

Aoyama didn't argue with her, but calmly said, "It's also possible that with you around, he unconsciously went astray."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips twitched slightly, then she smiled with her eyes crinkled.

It was a genuine smile, a joy that required no pretense.

"Aoyama-kun, have you learned to say things like that now?"

"You really do become like the people you spend a lot of time with."

Aoyama asked curiously, "Really? Then do I look like you now?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head back, opened her mouth, and then, unusually, did not immediately respond.

She bit her lip and blinked, as if thinking about how to answer the question.

Several seconds passed, until her legs stopped trembling, before she spoke: "...About half like me, if you were completely like me, that would be troublesome..."

"Why is it troublesome?"

“Because this world cannot support two Kasumigaoka Utaha,” she said righteously.

"what about me?"

"Um?!"

A sea breeze blew in from the front, carrying a hint of coolness.

Kasumigaoka Utaha slightly hunched her shoulders, but quickly regained her relaxed posture.

Aoyama noticed this subtle movement, but he didn't say anything. He simply picked up a coat that was lying next to him and handed it to her.

"Put these on, it's getting a bit chilly."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked down at the coat he handed her, then looked up at him with a meaningful gaze.

"Aoyama-kun, when did you become so thoughtful?"

"I've always been very attentive, you just haven't noticed."

"Really?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the coat and draped it over her shoulders casually.

She straightened her coat, then sat up straight again and turned her head slightly to look at him.

"Then I need to get to know you again."

Her tone was tinged with laughter, but her red pupils, brimming with tears, reflected the calm yet turbulent sea.

The two remained silent for a while.

The sound of the waves rose and fell in my ears, rhythmic and peaceful.

"Shiyu."

"Ok?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was looking down and focused on her work, turned her head to look at him in a daze.

There was a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Looking at the moonlit sea ahead, Aoyama asked in a calm but earnest voice, "Have you ever thought about what we will become in the future?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head and said, "I...I've thought about it."

"What will it become?"

She hesitated for a moment, then her voice softened even more: "It will probably... be better than it is now."

As she spoke, she looked at the moonlit sea, her gaze seeming to stretch into the distance.

Perhaps... there will be a child that belongs to me and Aoyama-kun.

What should we call it?

Let's name the boy Qingshan Yu...and the girl Qingshan Shi.

"Aoyama-kun, have you noticed?"

“You are not the same as when you first came into this world.”

Qingshan remained silent, waiting quietly for her to continue.

Kasumigaoka Utaha no longer cares how she ate it.

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes exceptionally clear: "You've become more composed and more reliable."

“When you were in school, you sometimes gave people a kind of…unreal feeling.”

At this point, she smiled and said, "The current Aoyama-kun... is so real!"

"It's because you're all here with me."

"If it's just one person, anything is fine."

"But with you guys around, I have to make the most of my life."

Qingshan's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but his tone was very serious.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

But the surging waves on the shore also drew her attention.

"That sounds so nice..."

"Aoyama-kun, do you know that I will take what you say seriously?"

There was a barely perceptible softness in Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice.

"When have I ever lied?"

Therefore, I will believe every word you say.

Her voice was not loud, but it was very clear.

The sea breeze blew from the front, carrying her words to Qingshan's ears without missing a single one.

Aoyama turned to look at her.

The moonlight fell on her fair face, clearly outlining her dazed expression.

He didn't speak, a faint smile playing on his lips, his voice sounding somewhat ethereal.

"Then please continue to believe."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips curved slightly as she accepted his confession.

On the beach under the moonlight, the evening breeze was cool.

"Whoosh—!"

She closed her eyes, carefully feeling the waves crashing against her, and listening to the whispers of the green hills.

After a while, Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice rang out again, carrying a lazy and comfortable feeling.

"Aoyama-kun."

"Ok?"

"Don't you think... life is actually not bad right now?"

Qingshan glanced at her.

She tilted her head slightly, her expression calm and peaceful, like someone who had let down all their guard.

Clearly, she was so relaxed at this moment that she had almost abandoned basic thinking.

under the moonlight.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's graceful figure is exceptionally alluring.

This version of her is a far cry from the outspoken, quick-to-criticize girl she was in the shelter.

They have matured a lot.

"Yeah, although I still know how to talk back."

These changes are all due to their own unremitting efforts.

Aoyama withdrew his gaze and looked at the sea surface that shimmered under the moonlight.

His voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night sky.

"Life is really not bad now."