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

The two bodies washed up on the sandy beach were identified as a man and a woman from their clothing. They were not students from our school, and…

“It’s obvious they’re dead,” I said, confirming the grim reality.

“They’re really dead, aren’t they?” Iori asked.

It was clear at first glance, and there was a reason for that.

“Are they even real people? Like science lab models or something…”

“That’s highly unlikely. They’re wearing clothes,” I replied.

The bodies had already decomposed to the point of becoming skeletons. They had gone beyond the stages of decay, and even the smell of death had dissipated. These remains might have been here for several years, perhaps even over a decade.

(I wonder why there are so many driftwoods around here.)

There was a significant amount of driftwood scattered around the area, which was very unusual.

(It’s almost as if they failed to escape and drowned.)

Of course, I didn’t voice these thoughts.

“What should we do, Masato-kun?” Iori asked, seeking my opinion.

“The course of action is clear,” I replied.

I knelt down beside the bodies and began the delicate task of removing their clothing.

“We should take their clothes with us.”

“What? Are we going to take clothes from dead people?”

“Yes. We only have our school uniforms and the robes. Having more clothes can be helpful. Let’s make the best use of them.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Iori nodded earnestly and removed the clothes and skirts from the female-looking body.

“Masato-kun, what about their underwear? I’d rather avoid taking the panties from a dead person if possible.”

“Even underwear might have other uses, so let’s take them with us.”

“Understood.”

We worked silently, focused on our task.

“After all is said and done, we’ve got a complete set.”

“Yes.”

“As a form of apology, let’s bury them.”

We buried the bodies on the section of the beach where the waves couldn’t reach. We didn’t have the tools or strength to dig deep holes, so they were buried close to the surface. We placed them side by side.

“Rest in peace.”

“We’ll make use of your belongings.”

With that, we said a prayer, then collected the clothing and continued on our way back home, feeling the heavy atmosphere around us.

“Hey, Masato-kun,” Iori started a conversation as we were about to enter the northern forest.

I looked at her and asked, “What is it?”

“Will we end up like that too if we fail to escape?”

She was wondering if we would die if we failed. I replied, “Well, if we fail, then it’s likely. But we will definitely succeed.”

She continued, “Really?”

“Yeah, I’m confident. After all, I’m a rare breed with katakana in my last name,” I said with a confident smile.

I patted Iori’s head, and she smiled back.

“If Masato-kun says so, then we’ll definitely succeed!”

We both laughed, and the tension eased.

—

Back at the house, we washed the recovered clothes by hand in a basin of water with lemon slices floating in it.

“It’s a good thing there’s no lingering smell of death,” Iori remarked.

While there was still a faint scent of seawater on the clothes, there were no other unpleasant odors.

“Our laundry pile is growing.”

“If it keeps growing, we might need to expand our laundry area.”

Once we finished washing the clothes, we took a short break at midday. We had a light snack of bananas and apples, as we weren’t particularly hungry.

“We ate a lot on the way back from the sea.”

In the northern forest, we found tomatoes, cherries, strawberries, grapes, and more.

“We sure did!” Iori agreed.

“Hey, Masato-kun!”

As I was drinking water from the well, Iori touched my head.

“Wanna play ‘sticky apple’?”

“Are you a child?” I teased her.

I smiled in exasperation, and she giggled, her laughter different from usual.

“The heat is really starting to affect our brains.”

“I’m more concerned about your composure, Masato-kun!”

Iori playfully stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I must admit I’m not as composed as I appear.”

We both laughed, and the atmosphere lightened.

Later on, as we hung up the laundry, Iori took a moment to speak. “You know, Masato-kun…”

I looked at her and asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m starting to worry about the heat affecting our judgment, I find it hard to stay composed.”

She was concerned that the heat might be taking a toll on our decision-making.

“I’m not that composed either,” I replied honestly.

“Nah, nah, You’re super composed! Remember when we found the bodies on the beach? I didn’t hesitate to collect their clothes. Sometimes I even think you might be half-robot, Masato-kun!” Iori exclaimed.

“Well, that would be nice, but unfortunately, I’m human. So, I do lack composure from time to time,” I replied.

“Really? Like when?”

“When we were attacked by wild animals.”

“That’s an exception!”

“Other than that… there really isn’t much.”

That was a lie; there was one more instance where I tended to lose my composure – when I was feeling all flustered and excited. Mainly, it happened before bedtime. But of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.

Iori, unaware of my secret, said, “See! I knew it!”

I laughed it off. “Well, let’s put this chat on hold and move on to the next task.”

“Roger that! Captain, what’s next?” Iori asked.

“I’m thinking we should make paddles in preparation for our escape.”

“Paddles? Like for scallops?”

“Not shellfish paddles, I mean oars, tools for rowing.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?”

“I said it in Japanese since I thought you might not understand.”

Iori huffed, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Maybe the heat has gotten to me, just like it has to you,” I teased.

Iori playfully growled, like a bull.

“So, what’s the actual difference between oars and paddles?” she asked, getting back to work in front of our house as we crafted paddles from the slender wood we’d gathered.

“They’re basically the same. ‘Paddle’ is the word in Finnish, while ‘oar’ is in English.”

“Really?”

“No, that was a lie.”

“Huh?”

“I just said it was a lie.”

“Why would you lie?”

“Maybe I’ve been affected by the heat like you,” I replied, grinning.

Iori let out an exasperated “Ugh.”

“Okay, so what’s the real difference?” she asked.

“Well, the difference lies in the presence of a fulcrum.”

“Fulcrum?”

“Oars are fixed to a boat, so they have a fulcrum. Paddles are hand-held and don’t have a fulcrum. Due to this difference, oars are rowed with the person facing backward in relation to the direction they’re going, while paddles are used facing forward.”

“Wow! So, what we’re making is paddles then?”

“That’s right.”

“Captain Masato, the knowledgeable one! This is so interesting! I’ll brag about it to everyone when we get back to school!”

“Most people probably already know,” I chuckled.

“They don’t because I didn’t! You always tease me because I don’t know things!”

With that, we finished her planning. We had crafted a paddle while discussing the difference between oars and paddles.

“It took longer than I expected. How many hours did it take to make one paddle?” she asked.

“Considering the current time is a little past 3 PM, it took about 3 hours.”

“How do you know the exact time?”

“My internal clock is telling me.”

“So, that means it’s just an estimate!”

“Well, you got me there,” I admitted with a laugh.

“We’ll need to make at least three more. It’s quite a task,” I continued.

“And we still need to make a boat. This is going to be a multi-day project,” Iori remarked.

She put down the plane and attempted to draw water from the well with the handle, but something was wrong.

“Huh?” She tilted her head, puzzled.

“Masato-kun, the water isn’t coming out,” she said, trying to pump the handle.

“What?” Iori passed the handle to me, and I tried to pump it as well. However, no matter how hard we tried, no water came out.

“This is bad. Our lifeline well is broken!” I exclaimed, and we both turned pale with worry.