Chillin' on an Uninhabited Island in Another World

We decided to have lunch in the grassland.

To give it a picnic feeling, we spread out a large mat, and everyone took off their shoes before getting onto it.

We did not have a leisure sheet, so this was our substitute.

Everyone sat in a circle, and we placed lunch in the middle.

Inside the basket were—

“Sandwiches! Nice, Shii-chan! This is totally a picnic!”

Shouko was delighted.

“Mm. An otherworldly deserted island picnic.”

“Hehe. I made all kinds, so everyone, eat whatever you like.”

I placed the drinks in the middle too.

Roa would apparently brew the warm drinks, such as herbal tea.

I had hot water in my Inventory, so she would use that.

The first thing I chose was a boar cutlet sandwich.

Soft bread, crisp vegetables, sauce over crunchy breading, and thick meat packed with flavor.

It had gone straight into my Inventory after being made, so it was the same as eating it freshly prepared.

With every bite, my brain cried out in joy, and I could not help groaning.

“Delicious!”

“Hehe. Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

Seeing my reaction, Shion looked truly happy from the bottom of her heart.

“Shii-chan, you’re the best!”

The fruit sandwiches, made with sheep’s milk cream and fruit, came in a wide variety and were fun just to look at.

Shouko held two different kinds of fruit sandwiches, one in each hand, and was practically bouncing.

When Shoubu saw that, she laughed and said, “That’s a good idea!” then started copying her.

“This really is delicious.”

Minori was sitting with her legs folded to one side, bringing the sandwich to her mouth with elegant movements.

There were also bacon, vegetables, and sheep’s milk cheese, egg salad, and other sandwiches with slightly different combinations. Altogether, there were nearly ten kinds.

“Shion’s cooking has totally become indispensable.”

Yumekai said that with a look that seemed half impressed and half a little frustrated.

“Thank you. But I was able to make so many because Roa helped me.”

“You honor me.”

Roa bowed beautifully while placing drinks in front of everyone.

Perhaps she had used her Ability to Know What Others Want, because she seemed to have placed exactly what each of us had been wanting to drink.

Come to think of it, back on Earth, I had liked coffee milk and carbonated drinks.

Maybe because I thought that, Roa gave a tiny reaction.

In the end, though, she said nothing and continued serving.

Once everyone had a drink, we had Roa eat too.

I wanted to respect her desire to be a maid, but she was also our companion, so I wanted her to eat properly.

“So-kun, eat this next.”

As she said that, Chiyu picked up an egg sandwich.

“Oh, isn’t that the Iyama family egg sandwich?”

It was not an ordinary egg sandwich.

It was a sandwich with a thick, sweet omelet inside, and it was incredibly good.

“Delicious. Seriously delicious. Yeah, I really do like this.”

“Mm. I take pride in egg dishes.”

Chiyu’s mother had a rich repertoire of egg dishes.

“Sousuke, I want you to eat this one too.”

“So-kun. You wouldn’t say you’re done after just one childhood-friend-love sandwich, would you?”

Shion, with a smile, and Chiyu, with her usual expressionless face, both brought sandwiches toward me and said, “Aah.”

Even with my mouth packed full of bread, I accepted both.

“Shion’s gotten bold... But I guess that makes sense. Kuno and Shion are lovers...”

Mamonaka muttered something with her cheeks flushed.

“Ugh, sniff... Yomi-umi’s sandwiches are delicious... I may never be able to go back to convenience-store food, even if we return to Earth.”

Ms. Luminous had a complicated expression as she kept eating sandwich after sandwich.

After lunch.

“Hey, since we’ve got everyone together, want to play a little before we go?”

The one who suggested that was Shoubu.

“What’re we doing?”

Shouko sounded enthusiastic.

“Hmm, tag or something? Don’t you kinda want to run?”

Looking at such a wide-open space, I understood the feeling of somehow wanting to run around.

“I’m not very good with exercise...”

“No problem. I’ll cast Basic Heal.”

Just as Shion tried to decline modestly, Chiyu cut in over her.

“It doesn’t have to be now, but... I want to play volleyball too.”

That was a very Mamonaka-like opinion, considering she belonged to the volleyball club.

Hmm. It probably would not be exactly the same, but I wondered if there was some way to make a volleyball.

I should consult Minori later.

“Assuming the physical disadvantage can be offset with Chiyu’s Basic Heal or Advanced Heal, then for fairness, should we prohibit the use of other abilities?”

Surprisingly, Minori seemed positive about tag.

Or maybe she was simply interested in the rules.

“...I don’t mind joining in, but set a time limit, okay? Five or ten minutes or something.”

“I shall accompany everyone.”

“U-um... should I participate as well?”

“Of course, Lumi! Since we’re doing this anyway, why don’t we switch who’s it with a hug instead of a touch?”

There were pros and cons to Shoubu’s proposal, but in the end, the supporters pushed it through, and it was adopted.

The time limit was ten minutes.

First, Shoubu, the one who had suggested it, became it.

“Fwahaha! Here I come!”

Shoubu dashed out with great energy, but...

“Wait... i-isn’t everyone too fast?”

Chiyu had cast healing magic on everyone, so no one ran out of stamina.

That meant simple running speed made the difference, and Shoubu’s was normal.

“What will you do? There are three minutes left.”

Yumekai said that while showing the timer screen on her tablet.

“Ugh. —Oh, right. Kuno!”

I was a little surprised when my name was called so suddenly, but I answered anyway.

“What is it? Sorry, but I can’t let myself get caught on purpose.”

“Huh? But I want to hug you, Kuno. Or... am I not good enough?”

When she said that with damp eyes, I was weak as a man.

“Guh.”

“Found an opening!”

Taking advantage of the moment I stopped, Shoubu hugged me from the front.

“Okay, squuuueeze.”

With that squeeze, Shoubu’s chest flattened against mine.

Her body was extremely soft and warm.

“That’s not fair, Urume!”

Shouko voiced her complaint.

“Nahaha! That’s called long-term strategering, right?”

She meant farsighted scheming, I supposed.

“Damn... I never knew Shoubu was the strategist type.”

I made a show of sounding blatantly frustrated.

“Anyone can tell Sousuke is all pervy-pervy!”

“Ahahaha!”

At Shouko’s retort, Shoubu doubled over laughing.

“All right. I’m it next.”

Hugging someone, huh?

It was embarrassing, but if those were the rules, there was no helping it.

Absolutely no helping it.

No helping it at all.

Just as I was about to check who was nearby...

“Mm.”

Chiyu had spread her arms and was looking at me.

As if she were waiting for a hug.

“Hehe. Come on, Sousuke. Catch me.”

Shion followed her lead.

“You’re all playing dirty— Fine, me too! Come on, Sousuke, over here!”

Though Shouko’s face was red, she spread her arms as if welcoming me.

“Um, in that case... I would be happy if you caught me, Sousuke.”

Minori tried to imitate them too, but perhaps because she was embarrassed, her arms were not fully open.

“Come now, Master. Please catch your exclusive maid in your arms.”

Roa spread her arms wide without blushing at all.

Rather than deciding who would become it, this had turned into a choice of which girlfriend I wanted to hug.

Cold sweat poured down my back.

No matter who I chose, it was certain I would put the other four in a bad mood.

A tension unlike any I had ever experienced made my body shudder.

If I chose Chiyu, who considered herself the legal wife, that would probably settle things most smoothly.

But was it right to leap into such an obvious safe option?

Even if I was called the worst for it, perhaps there was a path I had to choose here.

I folded my arms and did not move.

Then, from the tablet Yumekai was holding, the alarm marking the end of the time limit began to ring.

After waiting for her to stop the sound, I looked over the five of them and spoke.

“I couldn’t catch all of you at once. That’s why I couldn’t move.”

This might be taken as indecisiveness, but it was not that I could not choose.

It was the result of my choice.

I waited several seconds, feeling like a criminal waiting for his sentence.

“...Mm. You’re starting to act like the master of a harem.”

“Hehe. Sousuke, you’re telling the truth. You really do love all of us.”

“I-if that’s what it was, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“The same... He thinks of me no less than the others...”

“A bias in favor breeds discord. As expected of Master.”

Apparently, I had managed not to put them in a bad mood.

“I mean, if that’s what you think, why test him like that in the first place?”

Yumekai looked at the five of them and muttered in exasperation.

“You just don’t get it, Serina. Girls get anxious if they don’t check every so often that they’re loved.”

Shoubu shrugged as if to say, what can you do?

“You’ve never had a boyfriend, but you sure talk like you know.”

“Don’t say that!”

Maybe Shoubu and Yumekai were actually pretty close friends.

“So nice... If I found the courage too... But still...”

Mamonaka was muttering something quietly again.

“Ugh, s-so bright... S-so this is youth...”

Ms. Luminous held a hand over her face, as though protecting herself from dazzling sunlight.

I thought she was still plenty young too, though...

And so, our break came to an end.

We set out to persuade the remaining two.

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