Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Stranded on a Deserted Island
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Deserted island.
The true nature of the island I was on was a deserted island.
Of course, I hadn't done much exploring since waking up.
Even so, I could tell this place was a deserted island.
"...Ken? What the hell is this place?"
"Eek! What's going on here? I swear I fell asleep in the dorm!"
"The ocean...? Is this a dream?"
"What?! Why am I in a swimsuit?"
I wasn't the only one waking up on the island.
Emily approached me with a bewildered look on her face, and behind her, others were starting to stir.
They were students from my class.
Not the entire class, though.
Among the class members, it was the girls who had woken up on this island with me.
"Huh? There's something weird floating in front of my eyes? Guys, do you see anything like that?"
"Ah, Enzo!"
And the only other guy in this group besides me.
Enzo Lotrix.
He got up from the sandy beach, staring calmly at the empty air in front of him as he called out to our classmates.
'Looks like it's not just me seeing it.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Survive for one week.] The familiar message window appeared to everyone else too, and they all muttered while staring into space.
"O-one week?"
"What is this? An illusion spell?"
"More importantly, survive? Who's doing this? Who brought us here?"
The reason I knew this was a deserted island was this message window.
I opened my eyes to crashing waves on the beach.
And my classmates waking up alongside me.
This was the event that triggered when using the Monkey Stone, one of the items that raised a target character's affection level in the game.
'So one of them must have used it.'
Using the Monkey Stone brings the person whose affection you want to raise to this island with you.
Affection builds as you survive on the island together.
The problem was, in the original game, you went to the island alone with the target character.
But now, way more people had ended up here.
'No matter how I think about it, it's that bastard.'
I watched Enzo calmly reassuring the girls with a relaxed smile.
'He's been stirring up trouble since the start of freshman year...'
He was the guy who got expelled after trying to frame Adrian out of jealousy, only to get caught in his own trap.
If he was involved in this situation, he had to be the culprit.
"Guys, how about we head to that tree shade first? The sun's brutal."
"Oh, right! My skin's gonna burn if we stay out here."
Under his lead amid the confusion, everyone moved to the shade of the nearby forest.
His composure in a situation like this confirmed it was his doing.
"As expected of Enzo. So reliable."
"Nah, I just wanted you all to calm down."
He was seizing the chance to appeal to the girls.
Honestly, watching him made it hard to hold back.
Mostly out of secondhand embarrassment.
"Ugh..."
Emily seemed to feel the same; as she walked near me, her face twisted in disgust.
"...What's wrong?"
I glanced at her face and our eyes met.
She relaxed her frown and gave me a soft look.
"Aren't you going to the shade, Emily?"
"Yeah, the sun's scorching."
Right now, the only ones who hadn't followed Enzo to the tree shade were Emily and me.
"That spot over there looks spacious. Come on, let's go."
And Emily naturally grabbed my arm.
Then she led us to a different, wider shaded area instead of where Enzo and the girls were gathered.
"Emily! Don't stay there—come over here!"
Seeing Emily not joining their group, Enzo called out loudly.
She clicked her tongue just loud enough for me to hear.
"I'm good here."
She replied coldly to him.
Even from afar, I could see Enzo's face stiffen.
'...No way he's into Emily, is he?'
Come to think of it, his beef with Adrian might've been because Adrian was close to Emily.
He'd approached the protagonist Emily a bit too much.
"Ah, I wanna go over there too!"
"Me too, me too!"
"Doesn't it look roomier?"
As Emily and I avoided the sun in our separate shade, the girls from Enzo's spot flocked over.
That left Enzo alone in his shade.
"Hey, wait! It's crowded now that you all came!"
"What's the big deal? Being with Emily feels safe and nice~"
"Ken~ I'm scared~"
"Whoa, Ken's got some serious muscle tone..."
"I know, right? He trains swordsmanship every morning with the third-year seniors."
Meanwhile, our side got super rowdy.
With everyone crowding together on this already sweltering deserted island, it felt even hotter.
'He's burning up over there.'
Enzo was glaring at me with fiery eyes.
Ah, I got the gist of how this was playing out.
My current situation was like Adrian's at the start of freshman year, first semester.
Enzo was jealous of all the female attention I was getting after my looks changed.
To steal that attention for himself, he'd used the Monkey Stone.
Probably bought it outright from the dark shop's wish-granting item.
'Honestly, I'd love for him to take all the girls' interest—saves me the hassle.'
I needed to sort out the situation and plan for surviving the week, but the girls kept chatting me up, making it hard to focus.
And before long, Enzo had joined our shade too.
'What a transparently scheming guy.'
Just the simple setup of an extra character, I guess.
...Ah, I'm an extra too.
Calling him a side character might be the pot calling the kettle black.
'Anyway, time to get moving.'
"Hey, while you all rest, mind if I scout the forest real quick?"
I raised my hand and spoke to the noisy girls and Enzo.
Enzo's face lit up.
"Sure, go ahead! Take your time!"
What a straightforward guy.
He'd probably triggered this event to win the girls' favor and trash my rep.
With the girls still swarming me, he must've wanted me out of the way.
Thanks to that, I could slip away without any grilling.
"Uh, th-then I'll come with you!"
As I stood, Emily next to me grabbed on and followed.
'Didn't expect her to tag along.'
The others refused to leave their spots because of the heat and sun.
But Emily was the only one who came with me.
'Our relationship's supposed to be rocky right now.'
She'd lost all our shared memories.
So to her, only the times when she bullied me remained.
"You could've stayed and rested."
"What are you talking about? Who knows what dangers are out here! I'll help."
Her nagging reminded me of our tower expedition days.
Emily often scolded me for rushing into danger.
And as the party's healer, she worried about safety the most.
'No memories from back then, but maybe the feelings stuck around.'
Just like with Rapne.
No memories, but the emotions lingered.
Maybe that's why, despite only remembering bullying me, she was acting friendly.
If a bit awkwardly.
"Firewood?"
"Yeah, we gotta last a week. It'll get cold at night."
"It's so hot now... will it really?"
"Islands like this have big temperature swings. Nights are freezing. Plus, we need light."
What I was after was enough firewood for one night.
Not just any wood, though—strange trees with blue sap.
"...That color looks kinda dangerous to burn."
"That's why we're collecting it."
There was a reason.
Once I'd gathered enough, I headed back to the group.
'Subspace pouch sure would've made this easier.'
Normally, I'd just store it in my pouch and skip the hassle.
But our current outfits were swimsuits.
No pouches here.
"...W-why are you staring like that?"
"Ah, s-sorry."
I suddenly remembered the swimsuits and glanced at Emily's outfit.
She was in a white bikini.
Naturally, with so little fabric, most of her body was on display.
My eyes involuntarily drifted to her killer figure.
'Nowhere safe to look.'
My face heated up from embarrassment.
Her uniform had hidden it, but Emily's body was protagonist-level perfection.
No excess fat, perfectly proportioned curves—she could model swimsuits.
"Can't be helped, so... I won't get mad if you look a little."
As we walked with the firewood, Emily said it primly.
"......Huh?"
Stunned by her words, I walked on with a blank face.
Thud.
Her shoulder bumped mine.
For some reason, it felt like we were closer than before.
Was she sticking to my side...?
"By the way."
After a bit of awkward silence, Emily spoke first.
"I heard Mary confessed to you."
"H-how did you...?!"
The totally unexpected topic made me nearly drop the firewood.
More importantly, how did she know?!
"Mary told me herself."
"You two are close, huh..."
"Pfft, doesn't suit us? I still find it weird calling her a friend."
Looks like they'd gotten tight lately.
Just days ago during exam talks, they'd glare at each other.
But recently, they'd greet and chat in class.
"...So, what're you gonna do?"
"D-do about what?"
"The confession, duh. Your answer."
"......"
She was super curious about that, apparently.
Or maybe just filling the silence.
Girls love this stuff.
"...Dunno."
I turned my head and mumbled.
I really didn't.
That was my honest feeling.
'Because I have Rapne...'
Rapne had confessed to me too.
It hadn't happened in the altered past, but now that she remembered, the fact stood.
Long before Mary's recent confession, Rapne had told me she liked me.
I thought she was the only girl in the world who could like me.
Even if not, Rapne was special to me.
...But that didn't mean my feelings for Mary weren't special.
That's why my head had been a mess lately.
What the hell should I do?
"Then lemme rephrase: how many wives are you gonna have?"
"......What?"
"Marriage. Not everyone you date becomes a wife, of course... Got anyone in mind?"
"No, that's not—"
Marriage.
With how many?
The question clashed so hard with my common sense that I lost the thread.
Was there some implication?
"It's rare, but there are guys who marry multiple women."
Her blushing answer was straightforward—no hidden meaning.
'Polygamy's okay in this world...'
Fantasy setting, so not too weird, but I'd never considered it.
"S-sure, you'd get called a thief or whatever... But if your partners are cool with it, I say go for it."
Her sense seemed straight out of an era with big age-gap marriages.
Just some name-calling, huh.
Lucky world.
"So? How many for you, Ken?"
I felt her glance slyly my way.
"Never thought about it. Figured one, obviously."
"R-right? Yeah, most people do..."
After that, we walked through the forest in silence again.
The awkwardness felt thicker than before.
Then,
Emily spoke softly once more.
"...Still, think about it sometime."
"M-marriage?"
"Yeah. You never know."
—Thud thud thud.
Emily quickened her pace, spun around in front of me, and faced me with a shy expression.
"How do you know there won't be multiple girls who'd die to live with you?"
I stared at her blankly, and she flashed a playful smile before spinning back and running ahead.
We'd nearly reached the forest's edge, so she rejoined the group and started chatting right away.
'...Marriage.'
Multiple's an option, huh.
'......But isn't that kinda scummy?'
By modern standards, it felt trashy.
But.
I pictured smiling Rapne and Mary.
And one of them on the verge of tears.
'Gotta live like trash, then...'
Then my gaze drifted.
To Emily, laughing and chatting with the others.