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

A small plane was flying in the sky. We dashed back to the hut.

“Hey!”

“Please help us!”

We shouted desperately towards the plane. We knew, though, that our voices weren’t reaching them.

“Oh no! The plane is flying away!”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do.”

While Iori felt down, I remained calm.

“I never really expected the plane to come to our rescue in the first place.”

“Is that so?”

“Think about it, can a plane even land on this island?”

“Oh…!”

It seemed that Iori had just realized. If we were in a calm state, we would have realized it from the beginning. But our excitement had clouded our judgment.

“What’s important is that the pilot and passengers of the plane notice the smoke. If they do, they might request a rescue helicopter for us,” I said.

“I see!”

“Well, the outcome will be clear by tomorrow. If they notice, rescue could come by tomorrow. If we’re lucky, we might even be saved tonight.”

“Wow!”

Iori’s eyes regained their sparkle.

“Let’s hope things turn out for the better and head back into the hut,” I suggested.

“Sounds like a plan!”

Iori opened the door to the hut but then turned back to face me.

“Masato-kun, thank you!”

“For what?”

“For keeping me calm.”

“…I did something? Did I miss something?”

I wasn’t quite aware.

“You were composed and positive. Thanks to that, I managed to calm down too. Earlier, just for a moment, I felt like my anxiety was going to overwhelm me.”

Even after the explanation, I didn’t fully get it. But it seemed that my calm response had been appreciated. At least I understood that much.

“Well, I’m glad it helped,” I said.

“Yeah!” Iori nodded with a smile.

◇

The first dinner we had on the uninhabited island consisted of fruits. Besides the apples we had eaten for lunch, we selected familiar items like bananas.

“It’s getting a bit monotonous just eating fruits…”

“Yeah.”

We tried biting into them and roasting them over the fire, experimenting with different ways of consuming them, but ultimately, they all tasted like the same fruits. The primitive cooking methods didn’t make much difference in flavor, and we quickly grew tired of it.

“Thank you for the meal!” we both said together.

We finished the meal when our hunger was satisfied. By that time, the sun had set, and darkness was enveloping the island. In another 10 to 20 minutes, it would be completely night.

“Ah, I really want to take a bath.”

“Me too! I feel all sticky! And I want to wash our clothes too!”

Iori collapsed onto the bed.

“A bath is out of the question, but we can wash our clothes.”

“Really!?”

◇

Iori sat up as soon as she heard my explanation.

“Well, you just need to wash the clothes you’ve taken off in the well water. I’m not sure if they’re intended for washing, but there’s a bucket over there.”

I pointed to the toolbox where the bucket was stored. It wasn’t very large, so we might need to wash the clothes in several rounds.

“But if we wash the clothes, we won’t have anything to wear. Are we supposed to spend our time naked!?”

“That’s fine too, but there’s spare clothing in the dresser.”

I opened the dresser and took out a large rectangular piece of cloth. In the center, there was a circular hole.

“This is it.”

“It’s just a piece of cloth!”

“I thought the same at first, but this is called ‘Kantou-i.’ It’s a Jomon period garment.”

“Kantou-i?”

“It’s a traditional Japanese clothing style. Let me show you.”

I demonstrated how to put it on. The way to wear it was extremely simple – you just put your head through the hole and tie it around your waist with the string that was also inside the dresser.

“It’s like a belt.”

“Exactly.”

There were four Kantou-i garments. They were all the same size, and they seemed a bit small for me, considering I’m 172 cm tall. The waist string also felt a bit short. Probably meant for someone about a head shorter.

“Once you wear this, you won’t have to be naked to wash your school uniform.”

“Then let’s do the laundry! My skirt is all sticky from sweat.”

We changed into the Kantou-i garments. Since we needed to take off our school uniforms, I also adjusted mine.

“The fabric doesn’t feel very pleasant against the skin.”

“Well, we can’t be too picky. It’s a relic from the bubble era.”

With our makeshift attire, we began the process of washing our clothes in the bucket.

“True!”

We put our clothes into the bucket and went outside. Even though the sun had set, the area around the well was still bright. This was due to the nearby signal fire and the firing of pottery.

“I’ll fetch water from the well, and you, Masato-kun, will be in charge of cleaning the clothes!”

“So, I’m the laundry guy, got it.”

“And as an added responsibility, you’ll also be in charge of hanging up the washed clothes!”

“Are you sure the workload is evenly distributed?”

With a wry smile, I questioned her, and she responded with a mischievous grin.

“I have two reasons for this!”

“Go on?”

“First, I’m already exhausted and don’t want to work anymore!”

Before I could say anything, she continued, “Second!”

“I’m really into pumping water with the hand pump right now!”

I chuckled, “Well, alright then! Count me in, I’m up for the task!”

“Great! Masato-kun!”

“Yes.”

I started by washing my clothes. I hand-washed my shirt and undergarments in the bucket.

“I’ve heard from my mom that there are various ways to hand wash, like rubbing, twisting, and pressing.”

“I’ve heard of rubbing and twisting! I don’t know exactly how to do them, though.”

“I’m clueless too, so let’s just do whatever feels right.”

I handled the clothes with care, making sure not to apply too much force to avoid tearing them. I gently kneaded the fabric, thinking that this was probably what they meant by “rubbing.”

“Does that look about right?”

After finishing washing, we hung the clothes on a drying rack. It was placed behind the cabin, an area that had been hidden during filming. Apparently, the filmmakers had concealed it to maintain the authenticity of the setting, and we didn’t notice it until we read the materials.

“Should I wash your clothes next?”

“Why not wash both of our clothes together?”

“No, let’s wash them separately.”

“Are you so opposed to washing clothes with me?”

“N-No, it’s not like that!”

“I know, you were just being considerate, right?”

Iori chuckled softly. I couldn’t help but laugh along, feeling a bit teased.

(But still…)

I hesitated when it came to the next set of clothes. There was a skirt, socks, and even panties and a bra.

“Are you sure about this? The p-pa, pa, panties?”

“Panties?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m fine with it! A sign of friendship!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

As I washed her underwear, I couldn’t help but feel a strange excitement, despite not considering myself a pervert.

(Come to think of it…)

I glanced at Iori briefly. She seemed to be enjoying pumping the well handle.

(Iori’s wearing the Kantou-i while practically naked…)

Thinking about it again, it was quite an unusual situation. But dwelling on it too much could lead to unwanted thoughts, so I quickly redirected my attention.

Wearing a Kantou-i in such a state would be a disaster. It could shatter the trust we’ve built throughout the day.

“What’s wrong, Masato?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

I tightly shut my eyes, determined to get through the laundry.

◇

Once the laundry was done, all that remained was sleep. It was probably around 8 PM.

Normally, I’d be excited about the night ahead, but today I was incredibly tired and couldn’t keep my eyes open.

“Well, I guess it’s time to sleep…”

“Yeah…”

Yet another issue arose. There was only one futon, and the cabin was small.

So, we decided to share the futon. We positioned ourselves back to back, facing outward.

“G-Goodnight, Iori…”

“Goodnight, Masato-kun…”

Her voice revealed a hint of tension, even more so than mine. It was only natural, considering we were sharing a futon like this.

(Fatigue-induced intense drowsiness versus the arousal from the situation – which will win?)

I closed my eyes and tried my best to fall asleep. But the more I tried to sleep, the more my mind seemed to awaken in an uncomfortable way.

Besides the fact that we were sharing a futon, our clothing situation was problematic. To avoid hindering sleep, we had untied the waistbands of the kantou-i, making it feel almost like we were naked.

“Don’t think weird things, Masato Ichinose! This isn’t a porn video!”

I desperately scolded myself and shut my eyes. Luckily, my efforts paid off, and gradually, my mind began to settle down. I tried to surrender myself to the drowsiness.

But at that moment…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Iori turned her body around. She wrapped her arms around me from behind.