READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 24
The rain was unbelievably heavy. Just moments ago, there had been no more than a light drizzle. The wind had picked up as well. The sounds of the torrential rain were accompanied by the howling of a fierce wind.
“Get up, Iori! It’s a storm!” I exclaimed, urgently waking Iori.
“What? It was clear just a moment ago!”
“We need to bring everything inside! Help me!” I rushed her.
“Okay!”
We rushed outside, completely naked. The items outside included laundry, clay pots, and firewood. With our night vision and the moonlight, we could see well enough.
“Our clothes will fly away!” Iori noted, reaching for the laundry. She seemed to be in a panic, probably because she hadn’t secured them with clothespins.
“That’s fine, leave the clothes!” I said.
I carried the clay pots inside, as both the water bottles and the fruits were essential. If the storm persisted, we would be confined indoors for some time. We left the firewood for later since it could only be used outdoors. It wouldn’t be a problem if it got blown away.
“I brought the paddle too!” Iori yelled over the wind.
“We’ve got what we need inside for now.”
Afterward, I dried myself with a tracksuit that I had planned to wear in the morning. It was a good thing we hadn’t used our extra clothes during the day.
“What is this? A typhoon!?” Iori exclaimed.
“I don’t know. This season can have rapidly changing weather. We need to watch out; this situation is dangerous.”
I was more concerned about the condition of our house than our supplies or our own well-being. Our shelter had been constructed more than thirty years ago, and it was just a makeshift structure for filming, likely without any earthquake-resistant features. It was like a large wooden box placed on the ground—low in durability.
“In this darkness with poor visibility, this storm is unbearable,” I commented.
Just as I said that, there was a sudden flash, and the world around us brightened for an instant.
Then…
CRASHHH!
A few seconds later, lightning struck somewhere on the island. The deafening thunder reverberated through the air, and our house trembled from the shock.
“Kyaa!”
Iori screamed and clung to me. No, she didn’t just cling to me; she practically tackled me.
“I’m scared, Masato-kun, I’m so scared.” Iori cried while holding on to me tightly. We were both completely naked, but there was no time to be self-conscious.
“It’s okay, I’m right here with you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and gently stroked her head, trying to calm her down.
“I don’t want this anymore. I want to go home…! Mom…! Dad…! Benjamin…!”
(Benjamin…? Is that her pet’s name?)
I was curious, but now was not the time to ask.
“It’s okay, we’ll go back. Just a little longer. For now, let’s try to sleep. When we wake up, it might be sunny.”
“Yeah…”
Iori didn’t try to pull away. It seemed like she wanted to sleep while holding onto me. Understanding that, I decided not to say anything more.
(Damn it, it’s frustrating that all I can do is offer empty reassurances.)
Faced with the raging weather, there was nothing humans could do. We could only wait for the wrath of nature to pass.
I lay there, acutely aware of my own powerlessness, as I slept with Iori in my arms.
The next morning, I woke up and felt a sense of despair without even opening my eyes.
The sound of heavy rain and strong winds continued outside.
“Iori… Is she still asleep?”
Today, I woke up earlier than she did. She was still sound asleep, her peaceful breathing filling the room.
Just like last night, she was lying on top of me, facing up.
(Oh! That’s right, we’re both naked!)
I suddenly became aware of our nakedness. Once I realized it, all sorts of inappropriate thoughts rushed into my mind. It was a mix of relief at feeling some arousal after so long and a sense of urgency about our current situation.
(Let’s not wake her up… Gently, gently…)
I carefully moved Iori to the side, being as quiet as possible. I didn’t want to disturb her sleep.
“Uuuuh…”
But Iori resisted. She was determined to maintain her position, no matter what.
(Well, I guess there’s no helping it…)
I decided to leave her be. I didn’t want to risk waking her up and making things even more awkward.
“Uuuuuuugh!”
However, Iori seemed to have different plans. She refused to give up her spot.
(I guess I have no choice…)
I poked Iori’s cheek gently but persistently.
“U…nnn? Is it morning already…?”
Iori’s consciousness began to awaken, and I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to still be asleep.
“Good morning, Masato-kun… Wait, what am I doing?!”
Iori suddenly realized her situation and jumped up in a panic.
“Oh, right! Yesterday, I was scared of the thunder, so I clung to Yatogami-kun like this.”
She mumbled to herself, still flustered.
“The weather is still terrible…”
Iori started worrying about the weather.
“What should I do… Yatogami-kun is still asleep… Ah!”
She seemed to have noticed something. As I continued to pretend to sleep, Iori spoke to herself.
“Hmm, so it’s like this… This is the first time I’ve seen it up close.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe she was examining a table or something?
“I’ll just touch it gently…”
“Uwaaaaah! You’re awake! Good morning, Iori!”
It was evening, and the storm showed no sign of letting up.
“Man, this is so boring,” Iori remarked, munching on an apple while glaring at the game of Go they had set up on the table.
With no Go stones, they were using hand-drawn circles and crosses as substitutes.
“It’s fortunate we stocked up on food just before this,” I continued. I scooped some water from the water jug into a bamboo cup and took a sip before adding a cross to the board.
“Alright, I’ll put a circle here! You’re cornered!”
“What? When did you…?”
“Iori, you’re too good at Go!”
“Maybe you’re just too weak! If I were to compete, I might become the world champion. If that happens, you might have a chance next.”
“Alright, alright, no need for explanations. Let’s play another game!”
“Winning is so much fun, isn’t it?”
“If you have a problem with it, get better!”
I sighed, exasperated.
In the course of playing Go, evening arrived, and the storm outside showed no signs of letting up.
“This might not be just a rainy season; it could be the influence of a typhoon,” I remarked.
In the end, they stayed holed up in the house all day.
“You know, the house shaking constantly doesn’t even bother me anymore,” Iori remarked.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
The house was currently in a state of constant trembling, as if it might be blown away any moment. The walls and ceiling creaked and rattled persistently. When the wind blew particularly strongly, even the windows would rattle.
“If it’s a typhoon, the weather might be like this again tomorrow, right?” Iori pondered.
“That possibility is quite likely,” I replied.
“That means we should start worrying about our food supplies,” she continued.
“You’re right,” I agreed.
Water was particularly concerning. The water bottles were almost empty. If the bad weather continued tomorrow, we’d have to brave the rain and wind to fetch water from the well.
“If it comes to that, I’ll go outside to do the work,” I mentioned.
“You won’t be doing that alone, Masato. I’ll help too!” Iori declared.
“Well, it all depends on tomorrow’s weather. There’s no use worrying about it now,” I responded.
“Agreed!”
“So, let’s go to sleep for now.”
“Understood!”
“We are already accustomed to sleeping close on this island, right?” Iori started.
“Yeah, that’s true,” I responded.
“So, I suddenly thought about it. Even if we go back to Japan, I might not be able to sleep without you, Masato-kun.”
Since we’ve been cuddling quite a bit, I didn’t remind her that this place is technically Japan. She was likely referring to the mainland.
I jokingly said, chuckling “In that case, shall we live together when we return to Japan?”
But I was surprised by Iori’s response.
“Why not? It would be amazing!” she said with enthusiasm.
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yeah! After all, I’ve already exposed everything to you, Masato. You’ve even seen me naked! Living together should be a lot of fun, right?”
“Well, it does sound like it could be fun, but…”
“What’s with that reaction? You brought it up yourself! Don’t tell me you don’t want to live with me?” Iori said, her grip tightening, causing me to let out a strained noise.
I said, “No, no, that’s not it. I just meant it as a joke, so I was surprised.”
Iori, who seemed a bit sulky, responded, “Hmm, a joke, huh? I was actually imagining it seriously, though. I’m disappointed.”
I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as I continued, “Well, what can you do? I mean, the idea of living with someone like you, Iori, doesn’t seem realistic at all. It’s hard to imagine seriously when you’re such an amazing girl, both in looks and personality!”
Iori’s reaction to my words was, “Well, if you put it that way, I can’t blame you! I’ll let it slide.” She seemed satisfied.
“Let’s hope for better weather tomorrow, Yasuto! Goodnight!”
“Ah, yeah, goodnight,” I replied.
From beside me, I could hear Iori’s delighted “Mufufu.”
◇
The stormy day came to an end, and a new day began.
The seventh day of our life on the deserted island…
“Ugh…”
The sunlight streaming in through the window woke me up.
(I hope it’s sunny today…)
I prayed silently as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and opened them, immediately checking the weather.