Chapter 24 – She opened her eyes quietly.
"The water's here!"
After cleaning the cut on Utaha's hand with fresh water, Yukino immediately took cotton and bandages from the first aid kit.
She then began wrapping the wound very carefully.
Yukino's hands shook a little as she held the cotton.
"A first aid kit? Did you find that in the plane wreckage too?"
Megumi asked while she was making an herbal medicine for Ginko near the campfire.
"Yeah, it had bandages, iodine, antibiotics, and some painkillers inside."
Jun adjusted Utaha's body position so Yukino could bandage her more easily.
But since the girl was still holding his wrist tightly, he was having a hard time moving.
"Stop moving!"
Yukino glared at Jun, thinking he was taking advantage of Utaha's body.
She slapped Jun's hand, looking angry, though her tone was scornful.
"Pervert!"
"..."
Jun didn't say anything. He felt innocent, even though he had been accused of being perverted for no reason.
"Onii-chan, close your eyes!"
After bandaging Utaha's body, Yukino and the others had to remove the girl's clothing.
But they quickly realized that Utaha's right hand was still holding Jun's wrist tightly.
"This looks like an unconscious reflex. If we force it off, her fingers might break."
Megumi looked at the red marks on her brother's wrist. She was worried, but she didn't want to make Utaha more hurt.
In the end, they decided to cover Jun's eyes with Yukino's school jacket, then undress Utaha to clean her body.
"W-Why my jacket...?"
Yukino seemed a bit upset. She wasn't sure if the stains on her jacket were fully clean when she washed it in the ocean earlier.
"Well, Yukinon, you're the only one who still has a jacket..."
That's right. Both Yui and Megumi were wearing white uniform shirts. Jun and Yukino were the only ones wearing jackets.
Jun's jacket had been used to make Yukino's pants.
"Okay..."
Yukino reluctantly took off her school jacket, rolled it up into a long cloth, and tied it around Jun Katō's head, who had already shut his eyes.
"If you dare peek, you'd better just die!"
While Yukino was tying the jacket, she said it quietly, but she sounded very serious.
"Got it..."
Jun sensed the threatening energy from Yukino and immediately replied in a submissive manner.
_ _ _
"So big..."
That was the sound of clothes being taken off.
Then, you hear the sound of water hitting skin.
The person who said "big" seemed to be Yui Yuigahama...
Oh boy...
Jun was really curious what "big" Yui was referring to.
Jun had secretly opened his eyes under his jacket.
"Yui-chan aren't exactly small either, are they?"
Megumi said in a flat tone as she took off Utaha's chest corset.
There was so much mud on the girl's body that the clean seawater they brought was starting to run low.
"Big?"
Yukino, who was a little slow to catch on, finally realized they were talking about Kasumigaoka Utaha's breasts.
"T-Things like that... why would we talk about them?"
Yukino looked at her own chest and compared it to Utaha's.
What happened?
Her expression changed. Her face didn't just look stiff; it immediately went gloomy, like a stormy sky.
"I'm going to the ocean to get more water!"
Yui quickly left the awkward situation by using the excuse of getting more water.
Rustle…
"Ohhh... such beautiful thighs..."
Megumi carefully removed the torn and dirty stockings from Utaha's legs.
By the way, wasn't her Onii-san really into this body part?
Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha's smooth thighs made Megumi think of her brother's fetish for some reason.
Then, the sound of water rubbing against skin came again.
Utaha let out a soft moan as her body was cleaned. This might have been because of the cold air when her clothes were removed, or the minor scratches on her legs.
_ _ _
I can't take this anymore.
Jun didn't know how long this "torture by sound" would last.
Then, he opened his eyes behind the jacket blindfold.
There's light...
Though he couldn't see clearly yet, Jun could sense light penetrating through the jacket.
It looked like there was a small gap.
With great scientific enthusiasm.
With the determination of a researcher.
He had a strong will that would not give up.
He finally looked at the small opening.
_ _ _
"You're awake?"
Jun felt the grip on his wrist get a little bit weaker.
Soon after, the girl's eyelids began to flutter.
"You... I..."
Though she felt a little better, Utaha still felt dizzy and confused as she opened her eyes.
Where am I?
Oh right, I think I was rescued from those savages by a guy...
I hope Ginko is safe, too.
As Utaha's eyes cleared, she saw the young man sitting next to her.
His name is Katō Jun, and he is Ginko-chan's adoptive brother.
"I..."
Her throat felt dry and burning.
Utaha stopped trying to speak and closed her eyes to calm herself.
"Water... cough cough..."
"Okay, I'll get some..."
Jun pointed to the girl's hand, which was still holding his wrist.
"Sorry!"
Utaha quickly pulled her hand back, and at the same time, Jun also retracted his arm and lowered his sleeve.
It almost went numb...
His wrist had turned purple and swollen.
This girl has incredible grip strength.
Even though Jun moved quickly, Kasumigaoka still noticed the bruise on Jun's wrist.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I... I fell asleep..."
After drinking the water, Utaha quickly got herself together and apologized to Jun.
"It's okay, it's not that bad."
Jun shook out his almost-numb hand and showed there was no real problem.
"Thank goodness..."
Utaha gave a weak smile.
"Thank you... thank you for saving me."
That was the first thing she said after she woke up.
"No need to be so formal..."
Jun blushed a little and looked away.
He was still embarrassed.
He was thankful to the girl, but he also couldn't stop thinking about her body, which he had accidentally seen earlier.
"Just rest for now. The others are helping Ginko bathe. They'll be back soon, and then we can talk more about this island."
Jun didn't look at Utaha for a long time. While helping the girl lie back down, he gently covered her with a blanket made of palm leaves and straw.
"Mm..."
Utaha nodded quietly.
Maybe this is the suspension bridge effect.
| Notes: "吊桥效应" (diàoqiáo xiàoyìng), or the suspension bridge effect, is a psychological term referring to the phenomenon where fear or high adrenaline in a dangerous situation (e.g., standing on a shaky suspension bridge) can be misinterpreted by the brain as romantic attraction to the person you're with in that moment |
For example: Two people cross a suspension bridge together, their hearts racing because they are afraid of falling. But their brains may mistake that racing heart as a sign of being in love. The text is as follows:
I feel calm as long as this man is near me and I know he's around.
The girl thought quietly.
She didn't close her eyes right away. She kept looking at the boy's face with a gentle expression.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha – Affinity: 70]
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