Chillin' on an Uninhabited Island in Another World

The deals with the boys proceeded smoothly.

First, Chiyu used Calm to settle their minds.

That had been the biggest problem, so solving it made a huge difference.

Next came persuasion from Ms. Luminous.

Even if they had calmed down, hearing something from a classmate and hearing it from a teacher were different. It was only natural that one would be easier to accept than the other.

That proved more than effective as well.

Last came the impact of seeing the real thing.

In other words, I offered them the items I had crafted.

Today was our tenth day of life on the deserted island.

Lately, fruit had been added to their food supply, so starvation was no longer much of a concern, but for people who had grown completely used to the convenient lifestyle of modern Japan, even the easiest form of survival was far too harsh.

A simple but solid house. Seasonings that looked like something they might have seen back in Japan. Meat and fish. Bedding, changes of clothes, and soap.

For them, being able to recover a human standard of living was nothing less than salvation.

Back during the first event, after seeing how badly the boys had spiraled, I had thought there was no way we could become companions.

But if their minds were settled and we showed them the benefits, then we could talk.

It seemed they could become deal partners.

We had already used Shion’s ability to confirm they were not lying about the deal.

Or rather, the huts were one thing, but a lot of the things I provided were consumables. If they betrayed us, the supply stopped.

There was no benefit in betrayal.

“Mm. Going smoothly.”

After the first group of three, we successfully persuaded a pair, then two people acting alone, for a total of seven people.

There were seventeen boys in all, including me, so that left nine.

“I think this would’ve been pretty rough without Chiyu’s magic, though.”

“Yeah. Honestly, their eyes before she cast the magic were scary. They looked so desperate.”

“Yes. But it made me realize how much the same person can change depending on his mental state. If we had not been able to reunite with Sousuke, perhaps we might have ended up like that too.”

If we were talking about that, then I might have gone rotten too if I had not had my Crafting Ability.

I wanted to believe that no matter how rotten I became, I still would not have targeted girls.

In any case, the deals were progressing smoothly.

It was difficult to talk to people who had lost control of themselves, but if they were calm, that was another story.

Chiyu’s magic handled the part where we got them calm in the first place, so there was nothing moreありがたい than that.

“When I look at Kuno’s party, I almost find myself forgetting, but deserted-island life is meant to be harsh. Perhaps it cannot be helped that people’s hearts become rough.”

Ms. Luminous said this with a sad expression.

But then she quickly added in a fluster, “N-No, I do not mean to say that everything you have all gone through until now was easy.”

“Ahaha, I know. We had plenty of trouble in our own way too, but there’s no question we were doing better than the others.”

“Mm. So-kun cut down trees for us until his hands were in tatters.”

“I could be reckless because your magic could heal me.”

The two of us childhood friends thought back to the first day.

Somehow, it felt like something that had happened ages ago.

“Sousuke, you accepted me and Shii-chan right away too...!”

“Hehe, that’s true. We got to take a bath from the very first day. We really were blessed to run into Sousuke.”

Shouko forced her way into the conversation a little.

Shion probably understood what she was doing, but she went along with it anyway.

“I-I was rescued by him when a wild boar was chasing me.”

Even Minori joined in.

“I’m the one who’s been helped by all of you in all kinds of ways. The Crafting Ability is convenient, but it can’t do everything.”

Healing and enhancement. Mobility and securing things like wool. Discernment of truth and lies, plus cooking skill. Securing materials, magical combat, and a wealth of knowledge.

Even just those first four had been a huge help.

“Kuno received a wonderful ability, but he does not grow arrogant over it. He helps the people around him, and he is also able to rely on their strength. That is admirable.”

Ms. Luminous summed it up that way, and the girls all nodded along.

For some reason, things kept turning into chances to praise me, but it did not feel bad, so I decided not to worry about it.

“Let’s make today one more group at most.”

No matter how fast Mashiro was, this deserted island was enormous.

Finding seven people in a single day was already impressive enough.

And the last group of the day turned out to be a pair of boys.

“Ah...”

Minori let out a small sound.

When I looked, I saw that those boys were the ones who had apparently targeted Minori before.

We had encountered them during the first event, so I remembered their faces and names.

At first, the two of them yelped and tried to run, but Chiyu’s magic calmed them down.

When they faced us again, their faces were deathly pale, and they bowed their heads deeply to Minori with all their might.

At their joint apology, Minori’s expression turned complicated.

According to her, these two had caused trouble for her on the first day.

They might have been shaken up, but that was far too soon for their minds to have gone rotten.

In other words, the moment they were placed in a special situation, they had given in to temptation.

Ms. Luminous had heard Minori’s story too, so she looked troubled, unsure what to do.

No one could possibly tell Minori to forgive them.

“...Suou and the others made a clean break of things too. Leaving aside whether I forgive them or not, if they change their behavior from now on, I have no problem dealing with them.”

When Chiyu, Shouko, and Shion heard Minori say that, they huddled close around her.

Ms. Luminous’s eyes moistened too, and she murmured tearfully, “How admirable...”

“Hmm... But that still leaves a bad taste, doesn’t it?”

All of us had noticed that Minori sometimes remembered this incident.

I think things like this stay with you in an unpleasant way because the memory is of being wronged one-sidedly.

Making up after two people trade punches with each other leaves no lingering resentment, but making up after one person gets hit one-sidedly leaves the person who got hit feeling unconvinced.

Something like that.

“Sousuke, I...”

I looked at Chiyu and had an idea.

“Oh, right. Hey. Are you two really sorry for what you did to Minori?”

When I looked at the two of them, they nodded again and again.

I shifted my gaze to Shion, and apparently their apology itself was not a lie.

“Good. Then Minori, hit them back before you forgive them.”

“Huh?”

“Shoot magic at them. Chiyu’s here, so they’ll heal right away. In other words, it’ll only hurt for a moment.”

“I-I could never...”

“No, please do it, Shijo!”

“If anything, we’d be grateful for that too...!”

The pair seemed willing too. They must have genuinely regretted it.

Ms. Luminous began to panic at the sudden turn of events.

“I don’t think it’s very healthy for the person who was wronged to simply forgive and move on.”

I said this while looking at Minori.

“Uu... I-If you say so, Sousuke.”

After wavering, Minori showered the two of them with Stone Bullet.

She seemed to be careful not to hit them in the head, but countless stone bullets still battered the pair.

“Aaagh...!”

“Owowowow...!”

The two collapsed and writhed on the ground.

“They scared Minori, and now they’ve been punished for it. If she forgives them after that, I can accept it too.”

Minori looked apologetic as she watched the two of them in pain, but then she touched a hand to her chest, as if puzzled.

“...I thought retaliation was wrong, but I feel as if the weight in my chest has lifted.”

Seeing Minori look somehow refreshed made me feel relieved too.

From now on, the number of times Minori remembered what happened with those two would probably drop sharply.

“Since both sides agreed to it, perhaps it is not something I should interfere in as a teacher... Besides, right now, there is no school or police, and no institution that can decide on punishments... Uu, education is difficult...”

Ms. Luminous held her head in her hands.

“...Also, Chiyu, you should heal them soon.”

My original plan had been to have her heal them right away, but Chiyu was staring down at the two as they writhed in pain.

“Not yet. This still isn’t enough punishment for making Mino suffer until today.”

Apparently Chiyu had been quite angry too.

“Chiyu... I’m all right now.”

At Minori’s words, Chiyu reluctantly healed the two of them.

Once healed, the pair apologized to Minori again.

Minori accepted it.

Then Ms. Luminous proposed the deal, and naturally, the pair did not refuse.

Having finalized deals with nine boys in a single day, we returned to the base.

On the way back, on Mashiro’s back, Minori, who was riding behind me, hugged me tightly.

“Thank you for getting angry for me...”

Her voice was a soft murmur.

I did not answer in particular.

I simply placed my own hand lightly over Minori’s arms where they were wrapped around my waist.

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