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

Aoyama let go of her hand, as if nothing had happened, and turned around to continue clearing the path.

Sagiri stood there, looking down at her wrist that had been held, where a trace of warmth still lingered.

He grabbed my hand...

She bit her lower lip, gripped the pen tightly again, and quickly followed.

After walking for about half an hour, the two arrived at a relatively open clearing in the woods.

The sunlight finally poured down in large swaths, sprinkling the grass and casting a bright golden glow.

"Let's rest here for a bit."

Aoyama stuck his machete into the ground, sat down on a tree stump, and took out a thermos from his cloth bag, taking a sip.

Sawu sat down on a nearby rock and took out her notebook to continue adding to the map.

She looked up and around, sketching several large trees and a strangely shaped rock, and then marked the directions.

"Brother Qingshan, our current location... is probably in this direction, right?"

As she spoke, she turned her notebook around to show him.

Aoyama moved closer, looked at the markings on the paper, and nodded: "Almost there. If we walk a little further, we should be able to see that hillside."

His breath brushed past her ear, carrying a hint of warmth.

"Ugh..."

Sawu's ears turned bright red instantly. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to look at a map, her fingers unconsciously gripping the pen.

The two rested for a while in the open space.

"Coo coo~~~"

"Giggle~~~"

The chirping of cicadas came from the surrounding tree canopy, carrying with it the languor and weariness of the afternoon.

Shawu sat on the rock with her knees drawn up to her chest, turning her head to look at the green mountains.

His profile, as he tilted his head back to drink water, was clearly defined in the sunlight. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow, and sweat slid down the lines of his jaw.

As Sagiri watched, her heart began to beat faster without her realizing it.

"What's wrong?"

Aoyama put down his thermos and noticed her gaze.

Saguru snapped back to reality and hurriedly looked away, stammering, "N-nothing!"

"I...I was just thinking, when will we be able to climb that hill..."

"We'll be there in a little while."

Aoyama stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "If you're tired, we can rest for a while longer."

"Have some water."

When he handed the thermos to Shawu, you could clearly see her hand trembling.

“…”

After finishing her water, Izumi Sagiri lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

After resting, she hugged her notebook to her chest and said, "Brother Qingshan, I'm rested enough, we can continue walking now!"

Seeing her 'eager' appearance, Qingshan couldn't help but smile: "Then let's go."

Sha Wu followed behind him, her face still burning with heat.

She looked down at the mud and grass clippings on the tips of her shoes, and the feeling in her heart became clearer and clearer.

"I want to stay with Brother Aoyama a little longer..."

When the idea popped into her head, she was startled.

She quickly shook her head to suppress those wild thoughts.

"Let's go."

Shawu jogged to keep up with his pace.

The forest path meandered forward, the trees on both sides growing taller and taller, their canopies closing in to completely block out the sky.

The light dimmed considerably, and the air became more humid.

Qingshan walked ahead, still with that calm and unhurried demeanor.

He swung his machete from time to time, cutting through the branches and leaves blocking his path to clear a way for the mist behind him.

"Shawu, this section of the road is a bit steep, watch your step."

"Ok!"

Shawu responded and carefully followed in his footprints.

The path he took was always safe; she just needed to follow.

This feeling of being protected made her feel at ease and warm.

"It seems to be almost finished."

Sawu looked down at the dense lines and annotations on her notebook and nodded in satisfaction.

"Are you tired?" Qingshan's voice came from the front.

"Thank goodness... um!"

A cool breeze blew from deep in the forest, ruffling her hair.

The mist looked up and, through the gaps in the leaves, saw the color of the sky changing.

Just moments ago it was a bright blue, but now it's gradually darkening, as if someone has been smearing it little by little with ink.

"Brother Qingshan, it seems... the sky is getting dark."

Qingshan stopped and looked up at the sky through the gaps in the tree canopy.

The weather changes are completely unpredictable.

His brow furrowed slightly: "It's going to rain."

The moment the words were spoken, a deep rumble came from the treetops in the distance, like a giant beast turning over in the clouds.

"Boom!"

Suddenly the wind picked up, and the treetops began to shake violently, making a loud whooshing sound.

Large raindrops pounded on the leaves, making a pattering sound.

"It's too late to go back!"

Qingshan looked around, his gaze quickly sweeping across the forest environment.

The rain had intensified, pouring down through the gaps in the tree canopy and splashing into fine droplets on the ground.

As the raindrops pelted the mist, it instinctively shrank back.

"Follow me!"

Aoyama darted forward, grabbed Sagiri's wrist, and pulled her to run in the direction to the side.

Shawu was pulled along by him, her steps faltering as she followed.

Raindrops pelted her face, sliding down her silvery-white hair and quickly soaking her clothes.

After the fabric absorbed the water, it clung tightly to the body.

"Here!"

Green hills parted a thicket of shrubs, revealing a cliff face covered with rocks.

At the base of the cliff is a recessed reef, which, though not deep, is enough to shield most of the rainwater.

Qingshan pulled her inside.

The top of the reef extends outwards by about one meter, blocking the rainwater falling from the sky.

The ground was covered with a layer of dry sand and gravel, making it a safe haven compared to the woodland outside ravaged by torrential rain.

"Whoosh~~!"

Shawu stood bent over at the foot of the rock, her chest heaving violently.

Rain dripped continuously from the ends of her hair, her long, silvery-white hair clinging to her cheeks and neck.

The white clothes were completely soaked, and the fabric became semi-transparent.

She glanced down at herself, then unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Sit down first."

Qingshan remained unfazed, his voice steady and calm.

He placed the machete on the ground beside him and then took a lighter out of his pocket.

"And you're still carrying this..."

Sawu said something in a low voice, watching him deftly pile up the firewood around him.

Sparks flew, and a wisp of smoke rose from them.

Qingshan bent down and carefully blew a few breaths, finally igniting a small flame.

He added some dry twigs and fallen leaves, and the flames gradually grew larger.

A warm, orange-red light shone from beneath the cliff, dispelling some of the damp chill.

"Take off your wet clothes and dry them in the sun," Aoyama said casually, his back to her. "You'll catch a cold wearing wet clothes."

Sawu's face turned even redder.

She hesitated for a moment, glanced at her soaked clothes, then at his back turned, and finally whispered:

"Then... Brother Qingshan... don't turn around."

"Ah."

Qingshan responded, but his hands didn't stop; he added a few more branches to the fire.

Shawu turned around, her back to him, and slowly took off her soaked white coat.

When the cool fabric left my skin, it sent shivers down my spine.

She wrung out her wet clothes and then carefully draped them over a nearby rock.

"..."

The firelight reflected off her fair back, casting a warm glow.

She squatted down, hugging her knees, wearing only a thin bra, her bare shoulders still damp from the rain.

"I...I'm all better now."

Her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Aoyama took a clean piece of cloth out of his backpack and handed it to him: "Wear this for now."

Sha Wu took it and found it was a dry piece of cotton cloth, which he probably used to wipe his sweat.

She draped it over her shoulders; the cotton fabric carried the scent of the green mountains, dry and warm.

She buried her face in the cloth and took a deep breath.

"It smells like Brother Aoyama..."

Qingshan had already added a few more dry branches to the fire.

He took out a few pieces of dried meat from his backpack, skewered them on thin twigs, and roasted them by the fire.

As the fat sizzled over the fire, the aroma of meat filled the air.

Aoyama said, "I brought some dried meat, which we can eat after it's heated up in a bit."

Sha Wu remained hidden beneath the cloth, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames of the fire.

The sound of rain came from overhead, like a tireless melody.