Chapter 37: The Lamp Tree
"Onii-chan, there are... so many spiders. Is this really safe?"
Megumi hid behind her brother because she was scared. She was scared of the eight-legged creatures that she saw in the forest.
How could spiders be that big? And they all just hung there, not moving at all.
"Don't worry, Megumi. As long as we don't get too close, they shouldn't attack without a reason..."
Jun replied while pulling the iron sword out of his waist.
"Also, we're not setting up camp here. It's on the other side."
You can hear three thuds.
Jun started chopping trees with steady swings.
The river was too wide to cross on foot. It was impossible to cross it. Even though Jun had never seen any dangerous creatures in the water, every time he floated across on a raft, he had a feeling that something was wrong.
It took over an hour, but Jun finally built a sturdy wooden raft.
This time there are no leaks. He had learned from past mistakes.
The two siblings sat on the raft and crossed the river without any trouble.
On the other side, a big meadow welcomed them.
Even though it was already September, autumn hadn't arrived on this island yet.
"It's so beautiful..."
Megumi didn't expect to find a place this pretty on such a dangerous island.
The forest on the other side was different. It was filled with short grass and tall, sparsely placed trees.
Jun didn't know what kind of trees these were. They were more than twenty meters tall. But their trunks looked strong and solid.
Maybe they could build a camp up in one of those trees?
"Megumi, do you know what kind of tree this is?"
Jun remembered that his sister could identify plants.
"This tree?"
Megumi covered her eyes with her hand and looked up at the huge tree.
"This is a lamp tree."
The moment she saw it, she knew its name.
"What?"
Jun thought he heard her wrong.
"Lamp tree. At night, the fruits glow like little lamps. You can eat them too. But after eating one, your body might glow a little... Just a little bit. But don't worry, there are no side effects."
Megumi explained excitedly, her eyes shining brightly.
"They really do look like lamps..."
Jun looked closely at the small, round fruits hanging from the tree, and she started to believe her.
"It's strange... I've never seen this tree before, but I just knew its name."
Megumi was puzzled. She couldn't remember ever seeing this plant before.
"This place is perfect for a camp!"
Jun checked the area around the tall trees. The view was open, and there were no signs of large animals. Safe. At least for now.
And the brightly lit trees at night? Jun immediately fell in love with this place.
"Look, big brother! I found this too!"
Megumi pointed to a wet spot on the ground where vines were growing.
She dug around with a wooden stick.
And...
A black tuber, similar to a sweet potato, came out of the ground.
"This looks like the one you said we could eat, right?"
Jun crouched down to take a closer look.
"Absolutely! It's called a black yam. It tastes really sweet. Roasted, it's amazing."
Megumi kept digging carefully. She wanted to take some back to camp so everyone could try them.
Jun joined in with great excitement.
"Can we plant them?"
He asked a question as he dug.
"We should be able to... I think it's planted like regular yams."
Megumi was sure they could grow them.
After working together for a while, they filled half a bag with black yams and started heading back to their beach camp.
_ _ _
In other places...
Three wild humans from a cannibal tribe finally returned to their camp, bringing the "gifts" they received from the Dragon Spine Mountain Tribe—a small girl wrapped tightly in straw clothing.
The once "luxurious" camp was now in ruins.
Luckily, the huge bear that had scared them had gone away.
The cannibal chief stood still, staring at the ground that once symbolized their pride. Now, only ruins remained.
He reached behind his back for his spear, which had sharp teeth. He wanted to clear the collapsed hut, but he realized his spear was gone.
Instead, he had this little wild girl—she wasn't pretty, and she was almost ugly.
Even worse, she was clearly not yet a reproductive age.
Damn. Another mouth to feed.
The chief's stomach made a noise. He shot a warning look at his two employees, who were already whispering about how to cook the girl.
She was unattractive and young, but she would be very important to the future of their flesh-eating clan.
She couldn't be eaten yet.
"Ubu' ulu lala..."
The wild girl seemed to sense their bad intentions and the chief's disgusted look.
She carefully raised both hands, offering two small dark objects to the chief.
Two black lumps.
"Black yams?"
The chief hadn't expected the girl to have food.
He was so happy that he ate the yams without thinking.
Sweet. It was delicious.
He only then realized that his employees were staring at him intensely.
"Ula! Lala!"
With a dismissive gesture, the chief ordered them to leave. Then he pointed at a small area of ruined farmland in the corner of the destroyed camp.
It used to be their black yam field, but now it's just broken soil and dead vines.
The two men walked over to the destroyed field and looked for any sign of life in the wet, cold ground.
But fate was cruel. All they found were wilted vines and stems.
There are no tubers.
With no other option, they ate the bitter vines.
It was animal food—the last thing animals would touch.
They looked at the chief with a mix of anger and dissatisfaction.
The wild girl curled up, not saying a word.
The night air was very cold, and a wind was coming from the forest. Luckily, her straw clothes were thick enough to keep her warm.
Tonight, she could only hope to survive.
Under the dim light of the cannibals' campfire, the little girl's eyes slowly closed. Sleep pulled her into darkness.
_ _ _
"Wow! Black yams!"
Even though they didn't get the snake meat she wanted, Yui was happy with the harvest they brought back.
She could already imagine how delicious they'd be once Yukino cooked them.
"Oh, so that's what it was..."
Utaha and Ginko looked at each other.
They had tasted this yam when they were prisoners of the cannibals.
The memory made her think of being in a small wooden cage, with other people, and feeling hungry and cold.
It's a dark time, but there's a strange warmth to it.
"How's the new camp location?"
Yukino asked as she washed and sliced the yams into thin pieces. She put them on a smooth, flat stone—one that had been recently discovered and was perfect for cooking like a frying pan.
"It's beautiful. And just as I thought, it's perfect for setting up a base."
Jun described the tall "lamp trees" and the field of black yams his sister found.
"Trees that tall, huh..."
Yukino imagined them, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Lamp trees... weird plants like that exist?"
Utaha still looked doubtful.
"You'll see for yourself soon. I didn't believe it either. But this world... it's starting to feel like a completely different one."
Jun nodded slowly. He was starting to think that they might really be in another world.
"Are we moving tomorrow, Senpai?"
Ginko had just recovered from her illness. She had only been hearing updates from Yukino.
"Not yet. We still have things to prepare."
It was like the leopard—they often blocked their path.
And... Utaha's abilities.
Her level was high enough now. Maybe it was time to unlock her new skill?
Jun glanced at Utaha's head, as if searching for a sign of her skill status.
[Name: Kasumigaoka Utaha
Hunger: 80/110 (Full)
Health: 150/150
Stamina: 100/120
Sanity: 160/160
Affinity: 95]
[Activate First Skill?]
It was time.
Without hesitation, Jun mentally said "activate."
[Ding]
[Kasumigaoka Utaha has gained a skill: Music]
[Skill Description: Playing music can stop rampaging animals. Animals that hear the music will be hypnotized temporarily, unable to move]
"This..."
At first, Jun was disappointed when he saw the word "music." He thought it was a useless skill.
But after reading the description...
Another girl with a cheat skill.
From now on, if he took Utaha-senpai hunting, combined with his archery skills, they'd be an unbeatable duo.
Once again, Jun felt that maybe these girls really were the most important characters in this world.
He was just the support, right?
He had two skills, but they weren't as strong as the abilities of even one of the girls.
Jun kept looking at Utaha, and this bothered someone.
"Senpai! Are you going to eat or not?!"
Ginko grabbed his shirt collar, forcing him to stop looking at Utaha.
"Oh..."
Jun realized his younger classmate was in a mood.
But he knew Ginko was jealous.
At times like this...
He touched her head with his hand.
"You look so much better today, Gin-chan. That means you're fully recovered, right?"
Ginko's angry face softened, and her cheeks were slightly red.
"Onii-chan, are you going to the forest again tomorrow?"
This time, it was Megumi. Her voice sounded a little upset, probably because she wasn't the one being patted.
"Hmm... yeah. But I won't be gone for long."
If he couldn't tame the leopard with a skill, then he would have to hunt it down.
Jun had already decided to kill the beast.
This would also be a good chance to test Utaha-senpai's skill.
After lowering his hand, Jun looked again at Utaha.
"Senpai, come with me to the forest tomorrow?"
He asked directly.
"Huh? Me?"
Utaha pointed at herself, surprised.
Since she escaped the cannibals' camp, she hadn't gone back to the back forest.
She was still a little bit upset.
"Utaha-senpai, will you come?"
Jun asked again, gently.
"Ah... yes. I'll go."
Even though she didn't know why Jun invited her, Utaha was glad to be alone with him.
Even if... she was still scared of the forest.
"Then let's leave early tomorrow. It's better to finish quickly."
Jun's goal was clear: get rid of the leopard.
"Senpai..."
Ginko tugged on his sleeve again.
"Can I come too?"
She really wanted to help.
And... leaving Utaha and Senpai alone in the forest? Her mind was filled with unpleasant possibilities.
"Not yet..."
Jun pointed to the only pair of long pants for girls in the camp.
He had one pair of practical adventure pants, in addition to the ones he wore. They were modified from a school uniform.
"There's only one pair. And going into the forest wearing a skirt like that... trust me, it won't be fun."
Jun looked at Ginko's pale, bare legs under her short skirt.
Another reason was that her legs were too short. She wasn't tall enough to fit into those pants.
She was only fourteen. It's still shorter than Utaha and Yukino.
"I understand..."
Ginko nodded quietly.
She instinctively pressed her legs together. Her senior still looked at her legs with the same curious expression.
Even the soles of her feet.
"When we get more animal hide, I'll ask Yukino to make you pants that fit. Then you can join us next time."
Seeing her sad face, Jun quickly made her feel better.
"Hmmm..."
Ginko's cheeks went a little red.
Senpai always treated her like a child.
She didn't hate it, but deep down, she wanted more than that.
She wanted him to see her as a woman, not a child.
I'm not a child anymore.
In every way.
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