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

“Impossible… right?”

I couldn’t believe it and kept moving the handle up and down.

Nevertheless, the pump remained silent, not giving any response.

The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed in the air.

It was as if the pump had grown tired and was crying out, “I’ve had enough.”

“You idiot! Is this the time for you to break down?”

I shouted angrily at the pump. Of course, since it was a pump, it didn’t say anything.

“Masato…” Iori clasped her hands anxiously in front of her chest.

“It’s okay, Iori…!”

Watching her face helped me regain my composure. I couldn’t afford to lose it at this moment.

“Calm down, Kazuto Ichinose, think…”

I muttered the words, trying to keep myself grounded. Walking back and forth, I pondered upon my options.

Throughout this, Iori simply watched me silently, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Alright.”

I let out a deep breath. I’ve figured out a plan. “Iori, let me say it again. It’s going to be okay.”

“Really?”

“Even if this pump never works again, we’ll figure it out. We’ll boil water from the river.”

“Boil water…?”

“We’ll use clay pots and canteens to collect water from the river and boil it over a campfire. That way, it’ll be safe to drink. Although, the river water seemed pretty clean to begin with.”

“I see!”

Relief washed over Iori’s face. Knowing that there was a plan even in the worst-case scenario seemed to have put her at ease.

“However, moving to the river should be our last resort. The workshop here is different from this place; it’s not fenced. Moreover, the river is a watering hole for large animals, so it can be dangerous.”

“So, should we start by fixing the pump?”

I nodded.

“If the pump has run dry or if the hand pump is broken, we can make that judgment. If the pump itself is fine and it’s just the pump that’s broken, we can use a rope to pull up water from the pump.”

“Great!”

Iori clapped her hands in approval.

With our worries now fading away, I continued, “Alright, let’s start by bringing the hand pump into the house for inspection.”

“Understood!”

The diameter of the pump was about the same as a typical manhole. There was an iron lid on top, and the pump was attached to the corner.

“The pump and the lid are secured with bolts, but the lid itself is just resting on the pump. Let’s lift it up like this, including the lid, and take it back to the house.”

I began by lifting the pump with both hands, and a ‘chapon’ sound echoed from inside the pump.

“Iori, is it okay if I lift it this high?”

“Yeah!”

Iori placed her fingers beneath the lid.

“On the count of three!”

We lifted the pump and the lid in one swift motion. However, an unexpected problem arose.

At the bottom of the pump, in a place usually hidden from view, there was a long pipe attached. It was made of PVC-like material and extended deep into the well, serving as a hose.

“Without that hose, we can’t reach the well water,” I realized.

It was an obvious point, but somehow, we hadn’t noticed it until now.

“What should we do?” Izumi asked.

“Let’s put it back,” I replied.

We carefully lowered the pump and the lid back into place.

“To transport the pump to the house, we’ll need to remove the bolts from the lid and the pump. Additionally, we’ll have to detach the pipe connected to the pump,” I explained.

She nodded, understanding the situation. “Taking them off is one thing, but the real challenge will be putting them back. Once we remove them, I doubt we can reattach them.”

That was the concern. The pump had been left unused for over 30 years, and it showed signs of severe wear and tear. The exposed bolts were rusty, and the pump and pipes were likely in a terrible condition.

“Then there’s no other option. Let’s examine the pump’s condition right here,” I decided.

“Here?” She seemed surprised.

“Yeah, I suspect the issue lies with the pump. When we lifted it earlier, I heard a ‘chapon’ sound from the well. If the well had run dry, we wouldn’t have heard that sound.”

“You’re right…” She agreed, convinced by my reasoning.

“Now, we need to figure out where the issue lies within the pump. If the pipes are clogged, we might be out of luck, but if it’s in another part, we might be able to fix it,” I said.

Hand pumps had been around for a long time, and that meant they had simple structures. There shouldn’t be too many places to inspect or repair.

“Let’s start by disassembling the pump,” I decided.

I took a monkey wrench from the toolbox and began removing the bolts on the side of the pump. Before I could start, I explained the process to Iori.

“These bolts secure the pump body and handle. If we run into trouble with these bolts, it’s not a big issue. We can find alternative ways to deal with it if necessary.”

I removed the nuts and bolts. Once all the bolts were out, I lifted the handle.

“Please take this back to the house,” Iori said, receiving the handle.

“Most likely, the pump body itself is fine,” I concluded.

There didn’t seem to be any obvious issues to the untrained eye. It was just exceptionally dirty, something I’d rather not see.

“If there’s a problem, it’s likely in the handle, or rather, the piston,” I mentioned

Once we were back home, I examined the piston component. The handle itself was fine, as expected. The rod extending from it, forming the piston, also appeared dirty but otherwise functional.

“In that case, the issue might be with this plunger,” I said.

At the tip of the piston, there was a plunger. Its shape resembled the rubber stoppers used in sinks.

“It’s a bit late to ask, but how does a hand pump like this draw up well water?” Iori inquired.

“I don’t know all the details, but—” I began, cautious in my response.

“It’s somewhat like a syringe for drawing blood. The well is like the blood vessel, the pump is the syringe, and the part at the end you pull to draw blood in a syringe is like the handle here.”

“I see! So, the pump creates a vacuum inside?” Iori concluded.

“Yes, exactly. That’s why if this plunger deteriorates and creates gaps, it can’t draw up water anymore,” I explained.

However, to the untrained eye, there didn’t appear to be any issues with the plunger either. I thought the gasket might have shifted, but that wasn’t the case.

(Oh no, I don’t know what’s causing this.)

If there were no problems with the well or the pump, then the issue must lie with the pipe. In that case, we’d have to resort to using containers to fetch water.

“It’d be great if we had a giant syringe here. We could draw up water in one go. Unlike the pump, we wouldn’t have to keep moving the handle repeatedly!” Iori joked.

She must have said it to ease my tension. I had started to feel anxious because I couldn’t identify the cause of the problem.

“Haha, that would be handy, wouldn’t it? But then again, unlike the pump—” I started saying, and then it hit me.

“Ohhhhh!” I exclaimed.

“What’s wrong, Masato-kun?” Iori asked.

“Really?” Iori responded.

“Maybe! But I’m pretty sure!” I declared.

I rushed out of the house with the handle in hand, fitted it onto the pump body, and secured it with bolts.

“Iori, can you try the water now?”

“No, it’s not coming out,” she replied, moving the handle, but the pump remained unresponsive.

“Alright, please go back to the house,” I instructed.

“Huh? Uh, okay, I understand!” Iori complied.

Once she had gone, I took action. It took only a few seconds.

“Iori, it’s fine now!” I called out.

“What? What happened?” Iori asked as she returned from the house.

Her eyes widened in surprise the moment she saw.

“The pump fixed itself!?” she exclaimed.

“Yes!”

The pump, which had been completely unresponsive just a moment ago, had miraculously started working again, thanks to a few seconds of tinkering.