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

The last night on the island passed like any other night.

We shared the only blanket, held hands, and gazed up at the ceiling, as usual, still completely naked.

(I can’t sleep.)

It had been an hour since Iori and I exchanged our “goodnight” greetings, but I felt no trace of sleepiness. Despite the tremendous physical exhaustion, my mind was working at full throttle, thinking about tomorrow.

I was considering various scenarios and simulations, preparing for different situations. Sadly, most of these scenarios ended in failure: heatstroke, hunger, shark attack, or the breakdown of the raft. Success would require a miracle.

(We’re leaving the island just before noon, so if everything goes well, we should arrive by sunset…)

That was a theoretical estimate. In reality, it would undoubtedly take much longer.

The biggest challenge was the difficulty of sailing directly north.

I had already confirmed that the compass app on the smartphone was of no use. Every time I tried to use it, it pointed in a different direction, possibly due to the impact of the fall.

Furthermore, the map app, which I was relying on heavily, was also unusable. The core of the map app was GPS, which should work even in areas without cellular signal. However, the app itself required an internet connection to start. It was a terribly flawed design.

(While the island is still in sight, it’s manageable, but once it disappears from view, we’ll have to rely on observing things like wave patterns. I wonder how far we’ll get.)

For this brief hour or so, these were the thoughts that consumed me.

“You can’t sleep?” Iori squeezed my hand tightly.

“Were you awake?”

Come to think of it, Iori hadn’t been making her usual snoring sounds. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice.

“I couldn’t sleep because I could feel your anxiety.”

“Sorry about that.”

Iori shook her head. “No, it’s the other way around. I’m sorry for burdening you with everything.”

“No need to apologize. I’m grateful to have you helping me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. If it were just me, I would have perished a long time ago.”

It was an undeniable fact. My fountain of strength was a woman named Iori Nikaido.

“This isn’t a confession, but…”

I said while staring at the ceiling.

“I think I might, you know, like you, Iori.”

“W-What? Seriously, why now!?”

She was clearly embarrassed. I couldn’t see her face in the darkness, but I could imagine her blushing.

“It’s not that surprising, is it? We’ve been together on this island for so long. Besides, we even talked about living together once we get back.”

“Yeah, but you’re just suddenly saying it…”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ve never really been in a romantic relationship before, and honestly, I still don’t understand what romantic feelings are supposed to be like. But I do know that I want to be with you.”

“Masato-kun…”

“Once we safely return and start school again, lots of students will gather around you, Iori. Among them, there will be handsome boys trying to get your attention, making various appeals.”

Iori listened quietly without saying anything.

“Before coming to this island, when I saw things like that, it didn’t affect me much. I’d think, ‘Oh, Iori’s popular,’ and that’s about it. But probably now, if I were to see that situation, I’d feel jealous. I’d probably get irritated with those guys who try to hit on you. I can’t explain it well, but I think it’s because I like you that I would feel those emotions.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t express it well, but maybe having these feelings is because I like you.”

For a while, silence filled the room.

And then…

“Thank you, Masato. I’m really happy,” Iori whispered.

Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“But, it’s not fair to say something like that so suddenly. It’s so touching,” she continued.

Iori hugged my arm.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” I said with a laugh.

“I feel the same way as you do, Masato-kun.”

“Wha…” My heart felt like it was about to have a sudden failure.

“But we’re still here like this now. Isn’t it natural?”

“Well, I guess…”

“So when we return to Japan, say it properly then.”

She was essentially telling me to confess officially.

“I’m not so sure about that. I’m a shy chicken boy, you know.”

“Hey! Don’t ruin the mood like that!”

Iori pouted and tickled me.

Even though we were about to face our most challenging day, we were acting like fools.

—

The night passed, and the long-anticipated day arrived. After having breakfast as usual, we pushed the cart and headed towards the sea. Once again, we were half-naked, with our upper bodies exposed.

“First challenge, transporting supplies—completed!”

We reached the sea without any issues. Along the way, there were no cart malfunctions, no sudden attacks from previously unseen beasts, and no unexpected storms, as if all those potential problems had vanished.

“All right, the raft is in good shape too,” I said.

The raft we had left at the edge of the beach near the forest was undamaged.

“What’s the plan from here?” Iori asked.

“First, let’s get the raft into the water,” I replied.

“Got it!”

Iori and I worked together to transport the raft. It was quite heavy, so we used the extra logs we had to slide it along. Once the raft was floating in the water, it was time for the next step.

“Iori, keep the raft steady for me. I’m going to load up the pottery jars,” I explained.

“Yes, sir!” Iori saluted and then removed her shoes and socks. She waded into the water and used her hands to keep the raft from drifting away.

“These pottery jars are pretty light,” I noted as I carefully loaded them onto the raft.

Inside the jars were dried fruits, enough to last us nearly ten days. We had divided them into four jars as a precaution in case of accidents during the voyage. There was a chance that the jars might fall into the sea, so we had prepared extra supplies, including more water bottles than we needed.

“Now, we just need to load the paddles… and it’s done. Okay, Iori, put your clothes back on,” I said.

Iori looked surprised and asked, “Huh? Why should I put my clothes back on?”

“There are two reasons,” I replied.

“Okay, what’s the first reason?” she asked.

“Even though we’ve made some shade with the roof, it’s not a good idea to be half-naked out at sea. The blazing sun can give you a nasty sunburn,” I explained.

“True! And the second reason?” I continued.

“The mainland probably has a lot of other people besides me,” I said.

Iori realized what I meant and blushed. “Ah…!”

“If you don’t mind being seen naked, that’s fine, but…” I started.

“I’ll put my clothes on! Definitely put them on!” Iori hurriedly put her clothes back on.

She seemed delighted to be wearing her school uniform again.

“You do look like a high school girl when you’re dressed like this!” I commented.

“High school girl or not, I’m still a high school student,” she replied with a laugh.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter. Now that you’re dressed, get on the raft,” I said.

“What about you, Masato?” she asked.

“I’ll get on later. First, we need to move the raft a bit further into deeper water,” I said.

“Got it!” Iori replied.

Iori hopped onto the raft and grabbed a paddle.

“We’re all set here!” she exclaimed.

“Alright, now it’s my turn,” I said as I undressed completely.

I handed my clothes to Iori and pushed the raft from behind.

“Yaaaah!” I let out a shout to channel my strength.

Iori paddled alongside, providing assistance.

“Isn’t it good enough now?” I asked.

“Yeah!” she confirmed.

I climbed onto the raft, wiped my wet body with a towel, put on my school uniform, and then took a sip from my water bottle.

“Alright! We’re heading back to the mainland!” I shouted, tossing the empty water bottle into the air.

“Yeah! Let’s go home!” Iori raised her paddle.

Finally, our escape from the island had begun.