After finishing lunch by the beach, the group headed toward the forested area of the island.
The moment they left the shoreline and stepped into the woods, the atmosphere changed completely. Towering ancient trees loomed overhead, thick bushes crowded the path, and tangled weeds covered the ground. The surroundings fell eerily silent.
"There won't be snakes here… right?"
Chacha snapped off a branch and gripped it like an exploration stick, her voice tense.
With the dense canopy blocking out most of the sunlight, very little light reached the forest floor, leaving the environment dim and gloomy. If snakes really did live here, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
"Relax, Chacha! How could there be snakes on an island like this?" Mina said cheerfully, waving her fist as she walked at the front of the group. She even hummed a tune, looking every bit like a fearless jungle explorer.
"And even if there were any, they wouldn't be a match for us!"
"…Mina," Chacha said weakly, "there's something on your head."
"Huh?"
Mina raised her head in confusion.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Above her, coiled silently among the branches, was a massive brown-spotted snake. Disturbed by the noise below, it slowly flicked out its tongue.
"It really is the crow-mouth curse, Mina," Asui muttered calmly.
Unlike Chacha and Mina, Asui showed no sign of fear. She stared at the snake with curiosity, even extending a finger as if she wanted to poke it.
Masata didn't know what to say. Wasn't a snake supposed to be a frog's natural enemy? How could she be this calm?
"Is it venomous?" Jiro asked, clearly uncomfortable with reptiles as she took a step back.
"It looks like a Burmese python," Yaoyorozu said after a brief examination.
"It's not venomous. They're native to Southeast Asia and usually live in tropical rainforests. But… this island's environment shouldn't be suitable for them. It's strange that it's here."
"As long as it's not poisonous—AAAAHHH!"
Encouraged by Yaoyorozu's explanation, Mina immediately regained her courage. She pointed at the python, made a face, and even raised her middle finger provocatively.
The python reacted instantly.
Its massive body straightened, and it launched itself from the tree toward Mina in a sudden attack.
"Watch out!"
The snake was nearly six meters long. If it managed to coil around someone, the consequences would be disastrous.
Masata stepped forward in an instant, placing himself directly in front of the lunging python. He clenched his fist and struck its head before it could reach Mina.
Thud!
The force of the blow was far beyond what an ordinary python could withstand. After hitting the ground and thrashing a few times, the snake went completely still.
"I forgot to mention," Yaoyorozu said awkwardly, a bit late now,
"Burmese pythons are highly aggressive. It's best not to provoke them."
She glanced at the lifeless body on the ground, visibly embarrassed.
The girls gathered around the fallen snake, pointing and whispering. It was their first time seeing such a massive creature up close, and curiosity quickly replaced fear.
Masata, however, stared at his fist with a strange expression.
Logically speaking, the strength he used should have crushed the snake's skull completely. Yet the faint red mark left on his hand told him something was off—the bones of this snake were far tougher than expected.
He quietly shared his observation with Yaoyorozu, who had also sensed something wrong.
She nodded gravely. From the moment they entered the forest, she'd felt uneasy. On an untouched island like this, there should have been birds everywhere—yet not a single chirp could be heard.
The silence was unnatural.
The two exchanged a glance but said nothing out loud. It might still be coincidence—but they both became more alert.
After the unexpected attack, the group reorganized and decided to walk a little deeper before heading back to the beach to return to the yacht.
"Look! There's a cave here!"
They soon reached the edge of a cliff. The cliff stretched endlessly in both directions, as if it had split the island in half. From within the cliff face, a deep sound echoed faintly.
"Is that… wind?" Chacha asked uncertainly after listening closely.
"Should we go take a look?" Kurosawa Yoru said excitedly, bouncing on her toes.
"A mysterious cave on an uncharted island—this is exactly how adventure stories start!"
Masata hesitated. The strange signs on the island already made him uneasy, and the cave felt especially ominous. If wind could be heard from inside, then it must be extremely deep.
Yaoyorozu remained silent, though Chacha looked tempted.
"Oh, come on!" Mina said impatiently.
"We're not scared of anything! What, you're the only guy here and you're afraid?"
In the end, Mina and Kurosawa Yoru convinced everyone. They agreed to enter the cave cautiously and retreat immediately if danger appeared. After exploring the cave, they would return to the beach and head back to the villa to rest.
Before entering, they made thorough preparations.
Yaoyorozu used her Quirk to create seven helmets equipped with searchlights. Chacha took out insect repellent from her backpack to deal with any mosquitoes inside.
The moment they stepped into the cave, daylight vanished completely. Darkness enveloped them, and the temperature dropped several degrees, as if they had stepped from midsummer straight into early autumn.
Click.
Searchlights flicked on one by one, beams of light cutting through the darkness and revealing the cave's interior.
The stone walls were uneven and rugged, yet the passage extended straight ahead without any branching paths. It felt as though the tunnel had been deliberately carved.
Even stranger, the cave floor was unnaturally smooth—far more even than the forest ground outside, as if it had been polished.
The sound they'd heard outside was now clearer.
It no longer sounded like wind.
It sounded like… the low roar of a beast.
Silence fell.
Even Mina and Kurosawa Yoru, usually the most energetic, sensed something was wrong. They held their breath and moved forward slowly.
Then—
The sound vanished.
Only the faint echoes of footsteps and breathing remained in the darkness.