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

The neighbor, Qingshan, seemed to be chatting with Shiyu about everyday things, his voice neither too loud nor too soft.

In the quiet night, every word was clear and distinct.

Yukino knew she shouldn't listen, but she couldn't help but prick up her ears.

"Are you kidding me..."

She buried her face in the pillow, wishing she could shrink herself into a crack in the floor...

"Why? Why is the soundproofing so bad?!"

She kept repeating this sentence in her mind, as if trying to use it as a reason to explain her current panic.

But images kept popping into her mind uncontrollably.

"Don't think about it!"

She shook her head violently, trying to banish those images from her mind.

"..."

However, it was of no use.

.....

The next morning.

Sagiri was awakened by a strange noise.

"Boom--!"

"Boom--!"

A dull, rhythmic thud came from outside, as if something was repeatedly striking the ground.

She rubbed her eyes, her long, silvery-white hair scattered on the pillow, and sat up sleepily.

"Hmm... what was that sound..."

She yawned and walked towards the door, but as soon as she reached the door, she froze.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stood in the open space in front of the wooden house, dressed in clothes that allowed for easy movement.

But what stunned Saguru was not her attire, but what she was doing.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was holding a log about two meters long and as thick as an adult's calf in both hands. She easily lifted it from the ground and placed it on a pile of wood next to her.

"Boom--!"

The log made a dull thud when it fell, and it must have weighed at least several tens of kilograms.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's breathing was as steady as if she had just taken a walk.

"..."

Sawu rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

That log was indeed one of the batch that Qingshan had cut down but hadn't had time to split yet.

She remembered that she had tried to lift one of the thinner logs earlier.

Despite using all his strength, he could only move a dozen centimeters.

Now, Kasumigaoka Utaha is easily lifting the third log and placing it on the woodpile.

"Sister Shiyu?!"

Shawu finally snapped out of her shock and ran over, her light blue eyes filled with disbelief.

"What...what are you doing?"

"Ok?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head, the morning light falling on her fair profile, making her skin look even more delicate and radiant than yesterday, like jade that had been nourished by something.

She raised an eyebrow, a hint of pleasure flashing in her red eyes.

"Can't you tell? I'm helping to move the wood."

"But...that piece of wood, it must be very heavy, right?!"

Shawu pointed to the log she had just put down, her face full of surprise.

"Oh?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked down at her hands, her long, slender, white fingers slightly bending and straightening, as if confirming something.

Then she smiled slightly, with a hint of smugness and a touch of unreality in her expression.

"But for me now, it seems to have become much lighter."

Sawu's eyes widened immediately: "It's lighter?"

"It's clearly Shiyu-nee who's acting strangely, isn't it?!"

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha remained silent.

She looked down at her palms, her fingers spreading and closing, feeling an unprecedented surge of energy flowing through her muscles and bones.

The scenes from last night flashed before her eyes.

Life energy is continuously transmitted between the two people, who act as a bridge.

It felt like my whole being had been reforged.

At the time, she only felt comfortable and warm, and thought it was just a kind of psychological satisfaction.

Unexpectedly, when she woke up, that energy had been completely absorbed and integrated into her body, truly becoming her power.

"...So it's true."

Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured something, then clenched her fist, feeling the terrifying power emanating from her fingertips.

She suddenly turned around and called out in the direction of the cabin.

"Aoyama-kun, can I take on a dinosaur one-on-one now?"

“…”

Aoyama, leaning against the door frame, twitched his lips. What was he thinking?

"Your current strength is about twice that of a normal adult male."

Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked: "Only twice?"

"How heavy can it lift?"

Qingshan thought for a moment: "The log you just moved weighs about fifty pounds. It's not difficult for you now."

"If it's the limit... 300 to 400 pounds should be no problem."

“…”

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at her hands, and the surprise in her red eyes slowly turned into a complex joy.

She suddenly bent down and picked up another log on the ground, which was thicker than the one before.

The log looked to weigh at least sixty pounds, but she carried it on her shoulder without any effort, walked a few steps, and placed it on the pile of wood.

"Boom--!"

She put down the wood, dusted off her hands, turned to look at the green hills, and a smile she couldn't hide appeared on her lips.

"Aoyama-kun."

"Ok?"

"Your ability..."

She paused for a moment, then tilted her head slightly, a hint of cunning in her red eyes: "Send it to me a few more times."

Before Aoyama could answer, Xuemu's voice came from behind him.

"Shiyu... that piece of wood you just moved..."

Snow Mother stood at the door of the wooden house, holding a dry cloth in her hand, as if she had just come from the kitchen.

Chapter 78: Aoyama: Today was another busy day. [Image]

Her gaze fell on the log that Kasumigaoka Utaha had carried.

Then her gaze returned to Kasumigaoka Utaha, a clear look of surprise in her eyes.

"Is it... Aoyama-kun's ability from last night?"

"Ah."

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't deny it, standing there with her hands on her hips, the morning light perfectly outlining her even more perfect figure.

"I tried it last night, and I didn't expect it to work so well."

Yuki's gaze lingered on Kasumigaoka Utaha for a moment before shifting to Aoyama by the door frame.

Her lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only gave a soft "hmm" and lowered her eyes.

"That's good... It's a good thing to become stronger."

Her voice was steady and gentle, but something was subtly changing in her slightly lowered eyes.

"Really...?"

Yukino's voice came from another direction.

She had somehow reached the edge of the timber pile and was bending down to examine the large log that Kasumigaoka Utaha had carried.

She tried to lift the piece of wood with both hands, but the wood didn't budge.

Yukino straightened up and turned to Kasumigaoka Utaha, a noticeable tremor on her usually cool face.

"You...you really can move it by yourself?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha shrugged, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Didn't you just see it? Why would I lie to you about something like this?"

“…”

Yukino's gaze shifted back and forth between the piece of wood and Kasumigaoka Utaha several times.

Then it landed on Qingshan, carrying a complex emotion.

Sage stood to the side, watching Kasumigaoka Utaha easily lift the logs one by one, then looked down at her own slender arms, a longing that was hard to hide shining in her light blue eyes.

"I also want to become stronger..."

She also wished she could be like Sister Shiyu, easily lifting those heavy logs, and having more self-defense capabilities on this deserted island.

"Also, I want to be able to help Brother Qingshan even more!"

Sagiri subconsciously looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to notice her gaze, turned her head, and a knowing glint flashed in her red eyes.

She took two steps toward the mist.

"Sagiri."

"what?"

When Saguru's name was called, she suddenly looked up, like a child caught peeking, and her cheeks flushed red.

She quickly lowered her head, her voice becoming softer: "Wh...what's wrong?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha walked up to her, looking at her with a half-smile.

The morning light fell on her fair skin, which was so delicate that her pores were almost invisible.

"You want to become stronger too, right?"

"..."

Her misty fingers unconsciously tugged at the edge of her dress, and a distinct blush rose to her ears.

She didn't speak, but her light blue eyes betrayed her.

It was filled with the word "think".