"I can't believe we have to live here for seven days," said Amikura-san, as she looked around at the nature surrounding us. Our class was in search of a good place to settle, and we had divided into four groups of ten to facilitate the exploration. We were the last class to leave the beach; well, Class C stayed behind as well, but a bit farther from the boat.
"This week is going to be a headache," Himeno complained, frowning.
"Come on, don't say that. Doesn't it seem exciting?" I replied with a smile, trying to cheer her up.
"Not at all, I hate this place. There are too many insects!" she retorted, complaining once again.
"You're right, there are so many mosquitoes," added Ichinose, waving her hand to shoo one away. "The good thing is that insect repellent, like sunscreen, is considered a basic necessity and is unlimited." As we had been informed earlier, there were no restrictions on obtaining basic necessities. Another interesting thing was that feminine products were also unlimited. When I heard this, an idea came to mind that I would execute once we found a good place to settle.
"Hey guys! Our group found a good place for us to stay!" We heard a voice behind us. It was one of our classmates, Tetsuya Hamaguchi, from another group.
"How's the place?" Ichinose asked, curious.
"It's flat, not too far from the boat, and most importantly, there's a water well!" Hamaguchi explained with enthusiasm.
"A water well?" I asked, intrigued. "Did you make sure the water is potable? Or did you ask the teachers?"
"Yes, as soon as we found it, Shibata went to ask Hoshinomiya-sensei, and they confirmed that it's completely drinkable."
"I see," I responded, nodding my head. "Then let's head there." According to Hamaguchi, this place had one of the most important resources: drinkable water. And since it was safe to drink, we wouldn't have to spend points buying it.
Hamaguchi took the lead, guiding us to what would be our home for the next seven days.
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Upon arriving at the location, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty around us. This space was perfect: with enough flat terrain, we wouldn't have problems setting up the tents. I went to check the well, and as they had said, the water was completely clear. Nearby, there was a river stream, information I had obtained from Shibata. This meant we would also have access to nearby food. According to the manual, this island was full of natural food of all kinds.
"This place is perfect," said Amikura, excited.
"Yes, and since we have a well with drinkable water, we won't have to worry about spending points on that," added Ichinose, with a satisfied smile.
"Hamaguchi, where's the device to use our right of possession?" I asked, wanting to secure the place as soon as possible.
"It's over here, follow me," replied Hamaguchi as he led us to a large tree. Just behind it was the device.
"Thanks for the help," I said, grateful.
"No problem, Osawa. By the way, do you think our class can win?" Hamaguchi asked, with a mix of curiosity and hope in his voice.
"Of course we can. We'll do our best to make it happen," I assured him firmly.
"You're right. Then I'm off; I'm going with Shibata to bring the tents," he said before turning around and heading back to the camp. I found myself completely alone with the device. I looked at it and then signaled to Ichinose-san to come over. She noticed me and approached quickly.
"Did you call me?"
"Yes, look what's here," I said, pointing to the device.
"So this is the possession device," Ichinose-san said, then I told her something in a low voice.
Ichinose-san quickly understood and approached the device. A moment later, she turned around and said:
"It's done."
"Perfect, then. Now we need to decide how to use our points," I said as we walked towards Kanzaki, who had the catalog of available products. After reviewing some options, we decided to buy a portable toilet, as it was more hygienic than a reusable one and cost 20 points. We also purchased another tent for 10 points and a hammock for 3 points. Additionally, we bought a pocket watch for 1 point, something I found useful and wanted to have. The rest of the points were spent on food and other basic supplies.
The hours passed quickly, and when the clock struck 2 p.m., it had taken some time to set everything up. Although the trip from the boat wasn't long, transporting the heavy items made the journey seem prolonged.
"I think we're done," Ichinose said, stretching.
"Yes, that's everything. It's best to rest for a while and then form groups to divide the tasks. The main thing will be to look for food," I replied as I settled into the hammock, placed near the tree where the possession device was.
"That sounds best. Do you want us to explore the area later?" Ichinose proposed, approaching me.
"I'd like to, but I have something to do," I said. Ichinose-san looked at me with curiosity.
"Something to do?" she asked, sitting next to me on the hammock, which brought us shoulder to shoulder.
"Yes, it's something I'm curious to investigate. I'll tell you about it later," I replied.
"Alright. Um, Osawa-kun, can I talk to you about something?" she asked, somewhat hesitant.
"Sure, what's up?" I responded.
"Well, we've known each other since the first day, and our relationship has grown closer. I even spend more time in your room than in mine," she said.
"Now that I think about it, that's true. We're almost always in my room, along with Himeno and Amikura-san," I acknowledged.
"Yes, but there's something I've wanted to do with you for a while, but I didn't know how to bring it up," she said, a bit nervous. As I listened, the direction of the conversation made me think she might be about to confess her feelings.
"Well, I want... I want... I want us to stop calling each other by our last names," she said, raising her voice slightly and covering her face, now blushing.
"Oh, so that's what it was," I said, exhaling a breath.
"Huh? What did you think I was going to say?" she asked, peeking out from behind her hands.
"I thought you were going to confess," I said. Her eyes widened even more, and her face turned an intense red.
"I-I don't think I would be able to do that. I'd die of embarrassment before I could say it," she murmured in a low voice.
"True, it must be hard to confess to someone you like. But back to the topic, I have no problem with us calling each other by our first names," I assured her.
"Really?" she said, looking at me expectantly.
"Of course. I was also thinking of proposing it once we returned to the cruise, but it seems you got ahead of me," I said with a smile.
"So, can I call you Kayden-kun now?" she asked, still a bit shy.
"You can just call me Kayden, Honami," I replied. As I said her name, her pupils widened, revealing her clear pleasure at how I called her.
"Then from now on, it'll be Kayden," she said, smiling beautifully. That smile made my heart beat a little faster.
Having accepted Honami's request, and reflecting on the evolution of our relationship, I realized we were becoming much closer. Though the simple act of calling each other by our first names was a small step, it marked a significant difference in our connection. I wondered how deep our relationship might become in the future. Well, only time would tell. As the gentle song of the birds and the murmur of nature surrounded us, Honami and I enjoyed our conversation in the hammock, feeling like we were strengthening our bond.
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As I ventured into the wilderness searching for the place I had seen earlier, I unfortunately couldn't find it. I looked at my pocket watch and noticed that I had spent over twenty minutes trying to locate it without success.
Eventually, after some time searching, I spotted the huge crevice I had been looking for. I hurried towards it, hoping to find the cabin I had seen from the boat.
"Where is the ladder I saw earlier?" I wondered as I examined the crevice. There was no other way to descend due to the depth. After finding the ladder, I carefully climbed down until I reached the cabin.
The interior of the crevice wasn't particularly dark, as a lot of natural light came in from various angles. Upon arriving at the cabin, I realized it wasn't very large; in fact, it was quite small. I decided to go inside to see if I could find anything useful.
Examining the interior, I felt somewhat disappointed to find it empty. I thought I might find something valuable, but there was nothing. However, before leaving, I still needed to check the back of the place. To my surprise, there I found a possession device.
"I suspected it; there had to be something down here," I murmured. Given the location and size of the place, it was evident that a class couldn't set up here. Climbing up and down the crevice seemed too exhausting, and aside from the cabin, there weren't many useful things.
After a thorough inspection and confirming there was nothing else but the possession device, I decided to leave. As I exited the crevice, I checked my watch and saw it was already 4 PM. I didn't have much time before it got dark, and there was still another place I needed to visit: the mountain, which wasn't too far from there. I quickly headed towards the mountain, hoping I hadn't misjudged what I had seen from the boat.
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"I'm glad I have good eyesight," I said as I observed the antenna in front of me. But it wasn't the only thing there; I also found another possession device and, to my surprise, two fishing rods next to the antenna.
"At least this place offers more than the cabin," I commented as I picked up the fishing rods to take with me. It was clear that the return of the boat to the island before anchoring had been intentional, meant to give us a clue. However, it seemed there was no one else present besides me and the bald guy from Class B. I wondered if he had also noticed what I had discovered.
With nothing else to do there, I headed back to the base as the sun set and night approached. It was the first night of many to come, and I couldn't help but admire how impressive this school was for organizing events like this. I was glad I had accepted Anri's proposal. I wondered how she was doing at that moment.