Uneasy daily life

"I'm from Izu. The scenery is just so-so, a typical coastal city."

"It's similar to Okinawa?"

"There is a difference between winter and summer, at least I don't want to go into the water in this weather."

"The notice didn't tell us to bring swimsuits, so there shouldn't be any water activities, right?"

"Sigh, it doesn't seem very interesting. It's all the same old things: soaking in hot springs, strolling around, fishing, looking at the sea, or visiting shrines. Tourist activities are pretty much the same everywhere in Japan. You can probably do the same things in Chiba, right? I'd rather just stay home and relax for a week..."

"And then finish the holiday exams while your parents are proctoring?"

"So here we are, aren't we?"

"There should be places to dive in Izu, right?"

"Diving in this weather?"

"Winter in Izu isn't very cold, and with the wetsuit keeping you warm, there's no problem diving at a professional dive shop."

When the train arrived at Izu Station, a bustling group of students got off and, led by their teachers, boarded the prepared buses, chatting all the way.

"Where are we going?"

"The driver said to take us to the seaside pier."

"Could it be that the school has been generous enough to let us stay in a hotel with a sea view?"

"Maybe so, since it's the off-season for tourism, unlike the peak season when prices are high and there are many people."

"No matter where we stay, we can have a blast for seven days!"

"I hope I won't have nightmares about not doing my homework anymore."

"Feel the same."

When the bus arrived at the seaside pier, groups of students got off. Looking at the blue sea and sky, they felt their hearts expand and their restlessness gradually disappeared. They chatted and laughed all the way.

Teachers and student council members began arranging for students to board small sightseeing yachts and sail out to sea.

"Is this a yacht sightseeing tour?"

"Let's be bold! We'll take a yacht to a luxury cruise ship at sea and spend seven luxurious and wonderful days on board!"

"You might as well say we'll board a ghost ship and spend seven days on it in fear."

"Whoosh—the sea breeze feels so refreshing!"

"Hmm...is this driving a bit too far?"

"It's better to be further away. What's the point of just circling around the shore? Hey! Look, isn't there an island up ahead?"

"A lonely island in the ocean, with nowhere to escape, it's practically a natural locked-in mystery in a snowstorm..."

"You've been watching too much Conan, haven't you? It's not that far from the dock."

"I guess someone has developed the island into a resort."

The yachts arrived one after another at the island's beach, where a simple dock had been built for disembarking and mooring. Several yachts of different styles were already moored at the dock.

Groups of students jumped off the yacht. Many of them noticed that the wooden planks on the dock were quite new and exceptionally sturdy, making it a very stable and high-quality walkway.

The sea, islands, sky, forests, beaches, rocks...

"Nature embraced me tightly."

An artsy girl is taking a deep breath and expressing her feelings.

Angelina looked at each of her classmates with an emotionless gaze, as if she were watching a group of people who were about to die.

Led by their teachers and with student council members providing support, the senior high school tour group ventured deep into the island, treading along a newly opened road, their laughter echoing as they moved forward.

In some people's eyes, they are a tour group.

In some people's eyes, they were being escorted.

The group gradually passed through the quiet woods and arrived at their destination. As they passed the trees that naturally blocked out the sound, a strange, undulating sound came from the trees, accompanied by a faint fragrance. Looking up, they could see wisps of smoke rising continuously.

"Hoo hoo hey~ hoo hoo hey~ hoo hoo hey~ Aba aba~ Kara kara~"

The line that had already moved forward gradually quieted down, and the line that followed behind also gradually quieted down, watching the line ahead in complete silence.

On a vast, cleared open space, about twenty humans (?) dressed in grass skirts and vines, each holding sticks of varying lengths and shapes, with strange makeup on their faces, were jumping and spinning around a roaring campfire, uttering rhythmic shouts in unison. Something seemed to be roasting on the campfire, emitting a strange aroma.

Even in broad daylight, the blazing firelight still illuminated their chaotic, dancing shadows, as if they were performing some terrifying, mysterious ritual.

Seemingly noticing the presence of outsiders, the only person wearing a flower wreath suddenly stopped dancing, turned around, and stared at the students who had appeared. The others also stopped and turned their heads.

The air grew quiet, with only the occasional popping sound of burning firewood.

"Cannibals?"

A student subconsciously recalled certain classic settings.

"How could that be?" another student complained. "Look at them, they all have such ordinary short hairstyles. It's probably just modern people letting loose..."

"HELP—!!!"

Suddenly a cry for help came, and everyone looked up to find that next to the gathering place of the savages (?), several people dressed in modern clothes were locked in a wooden cage.

"Holy crap! Cannibals?!"

A student screamed.

Before the crowd could riot, Yukino Yukinoshita quickly snapped out of her daze and realized she had to do something.

Don't get me wrong, she wasn't stunned because she encountered 'cannibals,' but rather...

"Father! What are you doing?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita's rising voice instantly silenced the commotion.

Chapter 40 Pab's Fantastic Journey

Years later, Yukinoshita's father would always remember that afternoon when he and his son, dressed as savages, held up the boats to imprison stranded tourists...

Let's move the time forward a little.

What should a qualified college student do?

study?

If you study before going to university and continue studying after you get to university, then you've wasted your university education!

So, what a college student should really be doing...

A gaunt man replied, “It’s about endless research and study, repetitive projects, not studying late into the night, but writing reports. Teachers won’t urge you to study hard; they’ll just say your report has problems, and then you have to find a way to revise it again… You have to cite papers, you have to copy… You have to internalize formulas, make them second nature… Ah… Ah… That’s right! You work so hard to get into university, just so you can continue working so hard in university…”

On the yacht, the man muttered to himself, his pupils dilated, his facial expressions gradually spiraled out of control, and demonic thoughts surged and enveloped him.

"Am I the one at fault? Or is it the world?! Is the problem with myself, or with this endless nightmare?!"

"This place...is hell!"

The man grabbed the yacht and shook it violently, his whole body convulsing, as if he was about to be possessed by his inner demons!

A wine bottle was shoved into his gaping, menacing mouth.

"Thump thump thump thump—!"

"Oh my! University life? Cheers! Hahahaha—!"

The tall, blond man laughed heartily, "Now that you've joined PAB, you can't afford to answer this kind of question wrong!"

"Glug glug... Huff!" A hint of drunkenness appeared on the gaunt man's face, and his eyes reddened as he said sorrowfully, "I know... I know! This is the fate of those who chose science, spending their days wandering between the lab and their research projects, but I can't change any of it, sob... Why! Why is my life like this!"

"Don't be sad, come on! Cheers! Drink more water and you'll feel better!" ×2!

On the other side, a black-haired man with a buzz cut and a girl with purple curly hair clinked bottles together.

"Cheers!" The gaunt man downed the bottle in one gulp, feeling a ray of light pierce through his head, making him feel light and carefree, like Sun Wukong leaping out of the Five Fingers Mountain. "Hahaha! This water tastes pretty good... burp!"

"Gah gah gah! One aluminum, two sodium, three iodine, four oxygens, five coppers, six spectra..."

"Great! Great! This is the true spirit of our PAB members!"

"Huh? How come the boat is already rocking after only a little bit of alcohol? Am I already so incapable of holding my liquor?"

"I feel the same way..."

"Ashi, Shou, it seems there's something wrong with the boat."

Should we call for help?

"Hmm...why is there no signal?"

"Drink! Drink this shitty life to death!"

"I didn't expect to encounter such a dangerous situation—hmm? There's an island over there? Quick! While the yacht can still move, let's get to the island as soon as possible!"

The yacht struggled to speed toward the island and ran aground on the beach.

Two men and one woman carried the man, who was already turning into noodles, and a large bag of drinks, off the yacht and successfully landed on shore.

"This is troublesome... still no signal." The blond man scratched his head. "Luckily, we have enough drinks, and we brought fishing rods. The dock isn't far from here, so we should be able to hold out until rescue arrives, right..."

"Then let's change 'Welcome New Members on a Sea Tour' to 'Welcome New Members on a Deserted Island Gathering'."

The black-haired man pondered.

"This doesn't seem to be a deserted island, does it?" the purple-haired woman reminded her. "There are some footprints on the beach that haven't been washed away yet."

"Damn mentor! Damn associate professor! Damn credits! Damn research project! Damn chemistry!"

The chemist is drunk and breaking the law.

The three men, along with a rope, secured the yacht and followed the footprints and the faintly visible path, preparing to go to the island to seek help.

As they walked, things became strange. Clearing away the weeds and tamping down the soil, the path they had carved out through the woods indicated that people lived on the island. However, other man-made structures were very rare, and everything they saw was thriving and growing wildly, completely untended...

"Hiccup... Huh?" The chemistry guy sobered up a bit, looking around blankly. "We've become Robinson Crusoe? No, no problem! After years of studying chemistry, watch me use whatever materials I have on hand to conjure a rocket... hiccup... Hahaha, the perfect ending for science students! Becoming Robinson Crusoe, yay yay hiccup..."

It seems that his sobriety is limited.

The purple-haired woman laughed and asked, "Which one of you, Ah Shi or Ah Shou, will play Friday?"

“How could there be savages on an island so close to the city?” the blond man said with a shake of his head and a laugh.

boom!

A figure suddenly fell from the tree in front, landing on one knee with a loud thud.

The three looked closely and saw that the other person was wearing a flower wreath on his head, draped in vines, with a clover skirt around his waist, and wearing a pair of tattered straw sandals. He was holding a straight long stick in his hand. He slowly raised his head, and there were some fierce and wild paints on his face. Through the gaps in his clothing, one could see the outline of some powerful muscles in his standing body.

Wild man?

The three of them froze for a few seconds, then suddenly noticed their drunken companion walking toward them.

"Hey! Friday, I'm your Robinson Crusoe, hahaha..."

The chemistry guy is probably currently indulging in the romance of drifting on a deserted island.

The black-haired man reached out and shouted, "Wait! Come back quickly, isn't that...?"

"scare--!"

The 'savage' who was scrutinizing them suddenly attacked with a stick, instantly reaching the chemist. The three of them hurriedly stepped forward to catch up, but before they could take a few steps, their companion suddenly let out an extremely painful scream. He covered his ears and fell to the ground, twitching twice before stopping, leaving only a few echoes spreading through the woods.

"What?! I didn't see him make a move at all!"

The blond man exclaimed in shock, "How did he do that?!"

The purple-haired woman hesitated and said, "He seemed to be so drunk that he lost his balance and fell down... and then fell asleep?"

"It's okay! When we can't speak the language, water can solve everything!" The dark-haired man pulled an unlabeled bottle from his bag, raised his hands, and shouted, "We mean no harm! This is our gift! Friend! We are friends!"

The 'savage' spoke in a language they couldn't understand: "There's an old Japanese saying! It says, 'Those who venture to the west are heroes!' You've trespassed on a private island, which is no different from trespassing on a private residence. I advise you to surrender immediately, or I will have to defend myself!"

"What is he saying?"

"I don't understand it, but it sounds somewhat familiar..."

Will Ah Shi's method work?

"Don't worry, as long as he drinks that water, we'll all be friends..."

The blond man and the purple-haired woman whispered to each other.