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

I initially doubted my perception, but as it turned out, I was right. There stood an unmistakable lion before us, a fully grown male with an impressive, thick mane.

“Why is there a lion here!?” exclaimed Iori.

To be precise, given our lack of knowledge about our current location, the presence of a lion wouldn’t have been all that strange.

(Even so, the cabin we had come across earlier was undeniably Japanese in style. Considering the circumstances of our shipwreck, it was highly probable that this was Japanese territory. The idea of wild lions being present seemed impossible…!)

It was impossible, yet there it was.

The lion roared once again, a clear warning. It probably hesitated to attack immediately due to its wariness of humans.

“Nikaido-san, let’s not take our eyes off the lion and start moving back,” I suggested.

Fighting wasn’t an option since we were unarmed. The axes and hatchets that could serve as weapons were left in the cabin. So, the wisest course of action was the same as when facing a bear.

“I’m scared, Ichinose-kun…”

“If it comes to it, use me as a shield and let’s make a run for the cabin.”

I spread my arms in front of Iori and began to retreat slowly. Iori clung to the hem of my shirt, trembling.

“Roarrrrr!”

“Enough with the noise! If you’re going to roar, come at us! Damn lion!”

I retorted, fully aware that my words were lost on the lion. My intention was to intimidate.

(I’m fairly sure it won’t attack.)

Confident that our gradual retreat would prevent a confrontation, I couldn’t help but note that the lion’s decision to reveal itself ran counter to its usual ambush tactics. This suggested that it was more interested in driving us away than attacking.

“Don’t come near my territory,” was the unspoken message.

“I like hamburgers! I like sushi too!” I blurted out, just anything to break the tension.

“What are you even saying, Ichinose-kun?”

“I’m just trying to scare it off with a loud voice. The content doesn’t matter.”

“I see… then I’ll join in too!”

Iori took a deep breath and then—

“I absolutely love sushi!”

She appealed to the lion with her favorite food.

“Roarrrrrrrrrr…!”

The lion growled and took a slight step back. It didn’t try to close the gap between us.

“Just a bit more! Iori, keep shouting!”

“…Sure thing, got it!”

“Extra garlic! Extra veggies too! Extra oil too!”

“Just a moment ago, you called me by my name, Ichinose-kun!”

Our shouts continued, each expressing our thoughts. As a result, the lion turned its back and left. We managed to safely exit the forest.

“Phew…”

Both of us breathed relieved sighs.

“We somehow made it…!”

“Once again, Masato-kun… you were amazing!”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback.

“Oh? Masato Ichinose isn’t your full name?”

“That’s right, but why this sudden focus on names?”

“Because you referred to me by my name first, ‘Iori.'”

“Is that so?”

I had been too anxious to notice.

“In that case, I tried calling you Masato-kun… was that inappropriate?”

Iori looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“No, not at all! It’s completely fine! In fact, I’d welcome it!”

“Ahaha, that’s good to hear!”

“Um, can I also call you Iori from now on…?”

The words slipped out, words I wouldn’t normally say. Perhaps my heart was still racing from the lion encounter. Excitement often brings out courage in people.

“Of course! I’d be happy to be addressed by my name too.”

Iori flashed a little smile.

(Oh, she’s like an angel.)

Seeing her smile, I fell for her in an instant.

—

After quenching our thirst with well water, we returned to the cabin for the time being.

“It seems like the forest on that side is dangerous, while this side looks safer.”

“That side points to where the lion came from. On the other hand, this side refers to the forest we first passed through.”

“There’s a chance this side could be dangerous too.”

“That’s possible. So let’s carry the hatchet with us from now on.”

“Then I’ll take the axe!”

Iori picked up the splitting axe but quickly put it back in the toolbox.

“What’s wrong?”

“It was heavier than I thought, and I couldn’t swing it properly!”

“I see. Well, let’s make a spear later then.”

“We can make one!?”

“Yeah, making a spear should be doable. We have the hatchet.”

“Wow!”

“Don’t expect something too impressive, Iori. Just cut the end of a suitable wooden branch diagonally to sharpen it. You could leave it as it is, but it’s best to harden it by heating it over a fire.”

I noticed that Iori had a realization.

“Speaking of which, what about making fire? We need fire to send smoke signals, right?”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

“Don’t tell me, Masato-kun, can you do the traditional method of rubbing sticks together to make fire?”

“Actually, no… I’d love to say yes, but of course I can’t.”

“Eh? Then how are we going to do it?”

“With this.”

I took out an item from the toolbox: a set consisting of a metal rod and a metal plate.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a fire starter. You rub the metal rod against the metal plate in the same way you’d use a match. It creates sparks. That’s why it’s also called a metal match.”

I tried the fire starter in the sink. With just a light rub, sparks flew out abundantly.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“So, making fire won’t be an issue. We’ve rested enough; shall we raise the smoke signal?”

“Got it!”

We left the cabin and checked the direction where we had encountered the lion, just to be sure.

“It seems fine as long as we don’t get close.”

“I’m never going near that side of the forest again; it’s scary!”

“I agree.”

We moved to a forest where there seemed to be plenty of small animals. There, we collected dry grass and twigs that could serve as fuel. We also gathered suitable leaves for the smoke signal.

“We should have enough now.”

We placed the gathered materials in front of the cabin. It was on the withered ground that probably used to be a field. If a fire started, it wouldn’t spread far and cause a disaster.

“First, let’s make a campfire.”

We bundled the twigs and dry grass, then used the fire starter to create sparks. The fire ignited effortlessly.

“To sustain the fire, let’s add thicker branches… Alright, that should do it.”

“Now, we just have to burn the leaves!”

“Sure!”

We divided the task and began tossing leaves into the campfire. Soon, thick white smoke billowed up.

“The amount of smoke seems to vary depending on the leaves.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

It appeared that coniferous trees were producing more smoke. Well, as long as the smoke came out fine, we didn’t need to worry about the details.

“Now all that’s left is to wait in the cabin, hoping for rescue.”

“Just to be safe, I want to go foraging for food later! Like apples!”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s go after we’ve rested.”

We returned to the cabin once again. Taking frequent breaks was necessary due to the scorching heat. Even moving slightly made sweat pour out, leaving us exhausted. The clothes that were supposed to be dry were already soaked.

“It’s so hot! It’d be nice if we had air conditioning.”

Sitting on the futon, Iori fanned herself with her hand.

I answered, “Absolutely,” while looking at her.

It was then that I realized her sweat had dampened her clothes too. The school-designated white shirt clung to her skin.

The underclothes were in the same state, revealing her underwear and skin.

(Dangerous! If I keep staring, I might…!)

I stood up and walked towards the chest to avert my gaze.

“S-s-speaking of which, I didn’t check inside the chest!”

I spoke randomly as I examined the chest.

This was an action to suppress my age-appropriate, twisted desires.

However, it worked out.

“What’s this?”

Inside the chest, I found a piece of paper.