Stranded on a Deserted Island with the School’s Number One Beauty, So I’ll Give It My Best Shot.

What I’m making is—

“A water bottle.”

“A water bottle? Can you make one from bamboo?”

“If you have the right tools, simple ones should be possible. I’ve never actually made one though.”

Bamboo stalks have segments called “nodes.” The idea is to store water between these nodes to use it as a water bottle.

“A bamboo water bottle, huh? You came up with a great idea!”

“I remembered what the teacher talked about in history class.”

“Oh, you’re diligent! Even though my grades are worse than yours!”

“Why do you know my grades!?”

“I don’t know, but I know my own grades.”

“I see.”

Iori is the top student in the class and ranks in the top 3 in the entire grade level.

“I excel in areas that can’t be measured by test scores.”

“You say that!”

Of course, it’s a joke.

Both of us know it, so Io chuckled with a grin.

“The challenge begins here.”

The bamboo cutting with the saw is done. We’ve made water bottles for the both of us, but they’re still unusable as they don’t have holes for pouring water.

“Should we drill holes in the top node since the sides seem slippery?”

“Which tool should we use?”

Io pointed towards the toolbox.

“Right… Well…”

I picked up an auger, a tool designed for making holes. It should work for drilling the hole we need.

That’s what I thought, but it didn’t go smoothly. Even when I twisted it with one hand, the hole didn’t just pop open.

“I thought bamboo nodes would be softer…”

I wasn’t sure if the nodes were hard, or if it was my lack of skill with the auger. I had no experience making a bamboo water bottle and this was my first time using an auger in my life.

“Why not use a hammer?”

“Are you going to hammer the bamboo with a mallet?”

Iori shook her head and said, “No.”

“How about hitting the back of the auger with a hammer?”

“I see. Let’s give it a try.”

I sat down on the spot, took off my shoes, and used the soles of my left and right feet to hold the bamboo tube. With my left hand holding the auger and my right hand swinging the hammer.

“Your current look, Masato-kun, is pretty carpenter-like!”

“If you had a towel wrapped around your head, it would be perfect.”

“You’re right! Maybe I’d look even more like a carpenter!”

We chatted while I hammered the back of the auger.

“Nice job! You did it! Way to go, Yamato-kun!”

“Alright!”

Since the hole was still small, I used an appropriate tool to widen it.

“It’s done!”

Io applauded with a “Oh.”

“Let’s drink water from this water container right away!”

“Wait a moment, there’s something we should do before that.”

“Something we should do?”

“We need to fire-treat it. The surface is dirty as it is, and we can’t be sure if the inside is clean.”

“So, you mean to disinfect and sterilize it.”

“That’s the idea.”

“Then I’ll take care of that.”

I hesitated to respond. I didn’t want her to move around too much.

(I guess this task wouldn’t take her away from this spot.)

With that thought in mind, I agreed.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you. In the meantime, I’ll gather firewood and leaves for the smoke signal.”

There weren’t many leaves left, so I needed to gather them quickly.

“Roger!”

Iori saluted, and I returned the salute with a “See you later!”

**◇**

I gathered branches and leaves in the southern forest.

This task was progressing unusually smoothly.

It was because I had brought a clay pot with me.

“I could use as many containers as possible.”

If rescue doesn’t come by the end of today, I’ll make more clay pots. With that thought in mind, I started heading back.

◇

“Making cups really improved the atmosphere, didn’t it?”

“Until now, I’ve been drinking water directly from the pump.”

With all the work done, we were replenishing our fluids in front of the house. We had made cups from the leftover bamboo when crafting the water container, and we were using them to drink water. Of course, we had sterilized these cups with heat before using them.

“Has your foot improved a bit?”

“Yeah! It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Io went inside and turned her foot toward me. The blisters were already starting to heal.

“Your recovery speed is amazing. It’s only been a few hours.”

“It’s thanks to you telling me to rest and take care.”

“I’m relieved it didn’t turn into something serious.”

I looked up at the sky as I drank water. Unbeknownst to me, it was already dusk. We had spent too much time on making the fishing rod and water container.

“Ultimately, rescue didn’t come today either.”

“We still don’t know, but… well, it’s unlikely they will.”

Rescue from outside didn’t seem likely.

“Still don’t misunderstand, but… well, they probably won’t come.”

Iori sighed heavily and looked down. But then, she lifted her head and looked at me.

“Let’s hope that rescue comes by tomorrow!”

“Yeah.”

The time limit we anticipated for rescue is until tomorrow. If rescue doesn’t arrive by tomorrow, we will search for a way to return to the mainland on our own. “It seems like a good idea to start thinking about what to do in that situation from now on.”

◇

“Let’s use carpentry tools to build a bath! I’m longing for a warm bath!”

Iori said while resting at home.

“There are four major problems with that.”

“Four of them!?”

I nodded and raised my right index finger.

“First, we don’t have the materials to make a bathtub. No matter how many carpentry tools we have, without wood, we can’t build it.”

“Well, for that, you know, we could use a saw to cut down trees or something…”

“Second, if we were to do that, we should be making a boat or a raft to escape the island.”

Iori let out a frustrated sound.

“S-So, then, what’s the third…?”

“Even if we hypothetically had a bathtub, we wouldn’t have a way to bring water. Constructing a waterway is out of the question, and relying solely on well water isn’t practical.”

“True… So, what’s the final fourth one?”

“Even if by some miracle we solved the water issue, we don’t have a way to heat the water. With more people, we might be able to devise some kind of system, but…”

Iori collapsed dramatically, exclaiming, “It’s utterly hopeless!”

She sprawled out on her back, just like a child.

Seeing her like that, I hastily averted my gaze.

I looked away in a panic, because the sweat-soaked damp robe was sticking to her skin.

The fabric was so thin that it was transparent and no different from being naked. It was too much stimulation for a high school boy in the prime of his sexual desire.

And the fact that I’m a virgin… Even trivial things are enough to stimulate me. It was too dangerous.

“I-I have an alternative idea!”

Deciding that it’s dangerous to stay silent, I chose to continue the conversation.

To prevent our minds from wandering into undesirable fantasies.

“An alternative idea? You’re not suggesting we bathe in the river, right? It’s too far, so that’s a pass!”

“I know. After what happened at the lake, bathing in water bodies makes me uneasy. That’s why we’ll use this.”

I pulled out a spare undergarment from the chest.

“We’ll cut this vertically and use it as a washcloth.”

“Wet it and wipe our bodies?”

“Compared to a bath, it’s far from ideal, but at least we can maintain some basic hygiene, right?”

“Absolutely! Plus, during this season, laundry dries in half a day! Since we have uniforms, one piece of undergarment is enough!”

I nodded.

“If there are no objections, let’s go ahead and dismantle this.”

“Agreed!”

And so, I proceeded to cut the spare undergarment. It transformed into ten pieces of washcloth.

“Since we’re at it, let’s put it into practice.”

I undressed and headed outside.

I wet the washcloth with well water and tried wiping my body.

“Yeah, not bad.”

The durability was questionable, but there was no helping it. After all, the fabric had been dormant for over 30 years.

“I’ll wipe your back for you!”

Iori approached.

“Is that okay for you?”

I spoke with my back turned to her.

It wasn’t about using body language to ask her to wipe me. It was to prevent exposing my private parts.

“It’s fine! As a way of thanking you for protecting me and apologizing for slowing us down!”

“Then I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Just stay still, okay?”

Iori fetched water from the well herself and wet the washcloth. She gently wiped my back.

“Is there anywhere itchy?”

I laughed and said, “I’m all good.”

(What’s this feeling?)

An odd sense of happiness welled up.

This pleasure was distinct from sexual arousal.

“There, done!”

The blissful moment finally came to an end.

“Thank you, that was really nice.”

“I’m glad! You suddenly got all quiet, so I was a bit worried!”

“My bad, my bad. I was savoring the happiness.”

Iori laughed, saying, “What’s with that?”

“Well, maybe I should savor happiness too.”

Saying that, she grabbed my shoulders and swiftly turned me around.

“Hey!?”

I panicked and covered my crotch with both hands.

On the other hand, Iori seemed unfazed as she spun around as well. She turned her back to me and then discarded her undergarment.

“Now, how about you wipe my back this time, Masato-kun?”