Chapter 27: Please Give Me Your Autograph
"So I slept all day...?"
Utaha got up from the pile of dry grass.
The weakness and soreness in her body were starting to go away. The dizziness that had bothered her earlier had gone away.
She had survived both the fever and starvation.
The cave was brightly lit by sunlight, though it was partially blocked by a rocky outcrop, lighting up only one side of her body.
I'm still alive.
Utaha looked down at her left hand, which was now covered with a clean bandage.
It still hurt a little, but she could feel the wound getting better.
"It's pretty clear what's going to happen."
Aside from Ginko, who was still lying in the corner of the cave, Utaha didn't see anyone else.
Her eyes were drawn to the faint writing on the stone wall, most of which was dried up and fading.
"This writing..." I feel like I've seen it before..."
Utaha slowly read the message.
The message wasn't for her; it was for a girl named Yukino.
And the name signed at the end...
Katō Jun.
The man who saved her from the cannibal and the giant bear. Ginko always referred to the person as "senpai/brother" She had secretly been thinking about this person.
_ _ _
"Oni-chan, what's that on your neck?"
Megumi pulled at her brother's collar, showing a big red mark on his neck.
"Is that a hickey? From who?"
Her voice was flat and calm.
But Jun, who had lived with his little sister for years, knew that this kind of calmness was a sign of danger.
"No, not a hickey! It's just..."
Jun automatically looked at Yukino, who was nearby.
Megumi looked in the same direction as him. Her face didn't show any emotion, but her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was thinking hard.
"So... what exactly happened last night?"
Instead of pressing Jun further, Megumi turned her question to Yukino—who was already blushing.
"I didn't do it... I didn't do anything..."
Yukino quickly turned her face away.
"Megumi, it wasn't what you're thinking. That bite was from a stray cat."
"A stray cat?"
Yui, who was petting the small kitten named Jun, looked up in confusion.
"Not this one. I mean... another stray cat. One outside..."
Jun tried to look calm. But his whole body was stiff.
Especially after catching Yukino's sharp glare: If you dare to tell the truth, I'll bite you again.
Even though it wasn't a complete lie, it still kind of counted, based on last night's intense action. Yukino looked more like a wild cat than a human.
"Oh, a stray cat, huh? Let's just hope you don't get rabies and die halfway through the journey."
Megumi's voice was calm, but the word "die" was spoken with some intensity.
"I won't! It's just a small cut, nothing serious..."
Jun put on a smile, even though he felt a little better.
It seemed his sister wasn't going to worry about it.
However...
Because Yukino had now been compared to a "wild cat," she only showed her back, refusing to even look at Jun.
She might be angry again.
Being a guy was really hard.
_ _ _
"First, we need to build a new shelter. Bigger and sturdier."
That was Yukino's idea.
After a simple breakfast of coconut and seafood, they started discussing how to survive.
As for the rescue team—the one they had been waiting for since the beginning...
It had been a long time, and still there was no sign of them. They were starting to realize, without saying anything, that maybe... no one was coming.
"I think we should move before building a new shelter. This place is too far from fresh water, and it's not hidden well enough."
Jun thought it was more important to move the camp.
Even though he didn't know where the cannibals and the giant bear were, he still felt scared.
"We need a safer place than this."
"But Kasumigaoka-san and Sora-san are not yet fully recovered..."
Yukino disagreed, sounding worried. It seemed too risky to move camp with two people still in poor condition.
"...You want to move?"
A voice we knew came from the cave entrance.
"Kasumigaoka-san?"
Yukino looked at Utaha, surprised.
"You're feeling better?"
"Yes, thanks to your care, I got better really fast."
Utaha smiled slightly and sat down quietly next to Jun.
Ugh...
Without her usual stockings, Utaha felt a little awkward sitting on the ground.
But her old stockings were so torn and dirty that they couldn't be worn anymore.
"What were you talking about? Mind if I join?"
Utaha had only heard part of the argument between Jun and Yukino as she approached.
"Of course... We're discussing our most pressing problem right now."
Jun was a little puzzled by how close she chose to sit next to him, but something else made him even more uneasy.
_________
[Name: Kasumigaoka Utaha
Hunger: 70/100 (full)
Health: 90/90
Stamina: 70/100
Sanity: 160/160
Affinity: 96]
_________
Everything else was normal, but this Affinity level?
What the heck...? Even Yukino is only at 93!
Utaha—who he had barely known until recently—how did she suddenly become so much more interested in him?
It was in the seventies just yesterday, and now it's 96?
Jun froze, but since only he could see those numbers, he tried to hide his shock and kept a calm expression.
"The most important problem right now?"
Utaha repeated his words while staring at Jun's neck.
That mark... What is it?
A hickey?
Utaha had confirmed through the cave wall writing that Jun was the person she had been searching for—the "senpai" from the online world.
She was happy to find out that her online "prince on a white horse" was the same person in real life.
The one who saved her was... Katō Jun.
"Well, I think we should move here..."
Jun took out a map he had drawn with Yukino and put it on the ground.
He pointed to an area within the forest.
Utaha's eager gaze completely escaped his notice.
But Megumi, who is always paying attention, and Yui, who is sensitive to other people's feelings, both noticed something.
This older girl seems to like Katō Jun too.
It looked like Yukino was getting more rivals.
Yui knew that Utaha, Megumi, and Ginko also had strong feelings for Jun, besides just being friends with him.
"Isn't that... spider territory?"
Yukino seemed unsure. She was more afraid of eight-legged monsters than of cannibals or bears.
Huge webs, hairy bodies... they still haunted her nightmares.
"No, I mean the area just below it. Look over here!"
Jun pointed to a spot south of the spider zone.
"This place is separated by a freshwater river. Since they hate water and fire, the spiders won't cross it."
"In that case... that place is actually pretty good."
Yukino, who had been against the idea, started to like it.
"But... there have been venomous snakes around that area. If we're going to move, we need to make sure it's safe first..."
Jun decided to explore the forest again to check the location.
"But Oni-chan, that giant bear hasn't been seen again. Isn't it dangerous to go into the forest now?"
Megumi was still terrified when she thought about that creature, especially because she knew it could swim across the sea.
"It's okay. With a body that big, we could spot signs from far away. Actually, bears aren't as dangerous as..."
Jun had already calculated the risk of encountering a bear.
But what worried him more were the cannibals. They were now all over the forest after their hiding place was destroyed.
They had bows and spears, and they could run much faster than any of the girls here.
If one day they found the camp...
Jun wasn't sure he could get Yukino and the others out safely.
"So... we're in danger now, huh?"
Utaha looked at the basic map on the ground.
The cannibals kidnapped him, and the experience was so traumatic that he can't put it into words. As she looked at the map, she realized...
So, that's where I was before.
Utaha looked confused as she looked at the area marked "cannibal territory."
"For me, it shouldn't be too dangerous..."
Jun still planned to go alone.
"Let's go tomorrow. I'm coming with you."
Yukino looked at Jun with determination in her eyes.
"Okay."
Jun accepted Yukino's suggestion.
This was mostly because the place they were going to wasn't too dangerous.
"Ginko... she'll be okay, right?"
After the group discussion, Jun found himself alone with Utaha. He was worried.
Ginko had improved, but he wasn't fully recovered yet.
"She should be fine. When I left the cave, her face already looked much better, even though she hadn't woken up yet. I think she'll recover too, just like I did. Nanako-sensei..."
"Huh? How do you know that name?"
It had been a long time since Jun last heard someone call him "Sensei."
"Wait... Kasumigaoka... You're Kasumi Utako!?"
Finally, Jun realized that he actually knew the girl in front of him.
That editor never told him that the high school light novel author named Kasumi Utako—his fellow publisher writer—was this beautiful... and a junior high school student too!
"Nanako-sensei" blinked a few times, surprised.
Wait... that means... she ended up on this island because of me!
"D-don't tell me you actually came here to meet me that time?"
That promise to meet offline was only half-serious...
"Mm! Even though the place was different, we still ended up meeting, Nanako-sensei!"
Utaha looked at Jun with joy, reaching out her healthy right hand.
"Or... should I call you 'Oppai-sensei' instead?"
"Pfft!"
Jun was known as a serious light novel author, but secretly he also wrote adult stories under the pen name "Oppai JK" for an 18+ publisher.
"Call me Katō Jun..."
Now his fellow author knew he wrote pornographic stories.
If people find out about this...
Ah, wait. That's impossible now.
Jun grabbed his chest—reminding himself they were on an island no one had ever seen before, far from anyone else.
"Okay, Jun... kun."
Kasumi Utako was a bit embarrassed about saying his name directly, so she added "-kun" at the end.
"Ha ha... Jun-kun..."
Such a beautiful name...
Utaha had fallen completely in love. Now, she couldn't stop her feelings for Jun.
Yes, "unstoppable"—but maybe a few stops along the way would be helpful.
"U-um, Kasumigaoka-san..."
Jun felt the girl in front of him get closer and closer.
"Call me... Utaha..."
Her face turned red, but she didn't move away. Instead, she looked closely at Jun's eyes.
"Utaha-san, could you not tell my sister about the novels I wrote?"
Jun wanted to protect his image in front of his little sister.
"Okay, but only if you agree to one thing!"
The space between them was now very small.
"What is it?"
Jun started moving back slowly, nervous as Utaha's face got closer.
"Give me your autograph!"
Utaha pulled at her collar. Her body was getting hot.
"Autograph? But we don't have paper or a pen. We're still on a deserted island, so maybe when we get off—"
"I don't want an autograph with a pen..."
Utaha cut him off, then pulled at her collar, showing her pale neck.
"I want you to sign it... with your mouth..."
Utaha pointed to her neck, her face red.
"..."
Jun stared at the girl in front of him, who now showed her white collarbone, his eyes wide with shock.
Her underwear was purple.
He only saw her pale skin yesterday, but he finally noticed her lingerie today.
_ _ _
They decided to move, so they didn't fix up or improve their current shelter.
They built another small hut next to the old A-frame shelter.
Luckily, there was still plenty of wild boar meat from the previous hunt, so dinner only required adding some seaweed brought in by the waves and roasting it together with the meat.
The tin can they used for soup before now felt too small for six people.
If they wanted to feed everyone properly, roasting was still the fastest option.
"It looks like there's something on Kasumigaoka-san's neck too..."
After dinner, Yui was lying on the beach to rest when she suddenly noticed a strange mark on Utaha's neck.
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