No Rescue Team on the Second Day

The chapter title caught me off guard. No Rescue Team on the Second Day. It felt too blunt, too real. Like the island itself was mocking us.

"It's water! Where did you get this?"

Manager Han Jia, who had just returned, looked utterly shocked.

"Don't be too surprised. I can create water."

"Whaaat~?!"

I grabbed another plastic bottle and demonstrated the miracle again, filling it to the brim.

"W-wait! I don't know what's happening, but it's a waste to use the same bottle! Here, use these new ones!"

Kang Seoyun acted like an excited kid, lining up several fresh water bottles in front of me.

Alright. Let's do this one by one!!

Water Creation!!

Glug glug!

I'd simply responded to the rune that meant 'water,' yet real water poured out. I could instinctively tell it was clean and uncontaminated, but Seoyun tested it with her own body. It was safe to drink.

"That's amazing~!"

Jia scooted closer and sat down beside me.

"U-um, Woojin~~. Can I… can I drink some too?"

While the assistant manager had practically shoved her face into the bottle, the manager was fidgeting, her large hips shifting restlessly as she agonized between social propriety and her burning thirst.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Thank you…."

At first she sipped cautiously, but once she tasted it, even Manager Han Jia tilted her head back and gulped it down greedily.

Maybe I should try some too? Gulp.

Whoa, this actually tastes really good…… Even considering how thirsty I was, the water had a genuinely pleasant flavor. This wasn't just in my head. The water created by magic was far superior in quality.

"I don't know how you did it, but thanks to you, we're alive. Kim Woojin."

"It was nothing."

Suddenly, the gyaru who had been passing by spotted the full water bottles and wandered over. Ruka's pink eyes were locked onto them. She looked exactly like a stray cat that had spotted a Churu treat in someone's hand.

Slips closer.

"Oni-san, there's so much water—jaaan?"

Oni… Oni-san!? Doesn't that mean brother?! Hearing a Japanese person call me Oni-san with the proper mainland pronunciation…! It felt strangely good.

"Ne, ne, can Ruka have some too~?"

Ruka boldly wedged herself between us. She pressed her arms together to emphasize her chest, looked up at me with sparkling eyes, and pleaded.

"Just a little bit is fine. Really, just a tiny bit!"

Even though we couldn't understand each other's words, her gestures, her coquettish expression, and her sweet voice made it crystal clear. Ruka was begging for water.

"Do you need a translator?"

"She's asking for water, right?"

"Yes. It seems so."

"Please please, Oni-san♡ Ruka's throat is so dry she's turning into a dried fish, for real~."

……Why does her begging tone sound so erotic?!

"Her way of speaking is unnecessarily indecent."

Seoyun crossed her arms, looking displeased.

"It's Woojin's water, so do whatever you want."

I glanced at the gyaru's bouncing cleavage as she acted cute. Damn, this girl would probably survive anywhere even if she crash-landed completely naked as long as there were men around. She might be a bit of an airhead, but she was just as friendly and lovable.

Ruka seemed to interpret my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gaze on her breasts as a positive signal and pushed them out even more.

Whoa!

"Ruka will be a good girl. Okay? Just a tiny bit of water."

"Mi, mizu? Chobitto?"

I lifted the water bottle while using the few words I'd managed to pick up.

"Sou. Chobitto. ……But if possible, I'd like to drink a lot."

Ruka opened her mouth wide with an Aaah~.

I carefully tilted the bottle to her lips and let her drink. Glug glug.

I was just giving her water, but Ruka accepted it like a pet receiving food from its owner, sitting neatly with her hands on the ground and drinking obediently. She seemed determined to drink exactly as much as I gave her.

"Drink as much as you want."

I poured vigorously, flooding her throat without pause.

"Mmm, gulp, gulp, gulp."

After drinking her fill, Ruka broke into a bright, satisfied smile.

"Oni-san, are you a god? Maybe the water god?"

"…Heh heh…."

I couldn't understand her, but she seemed happy. Was I starting to want an international marriage?

Suddenly, before leaving, Ruka planted a kiss on my cheek. Chu!

"!"

Assistant Manager Seoyun flinched and stared at us. But Ruka didn't stop there. She kissed me several more times—chu, chu—then exclaimed:

"Oni-san, daisuki!"

Daisuki. ……That was one word I actually knew.

Ahem. This is a bit embarrassing.

"Ne, just one more time. Can I have just one more~?"

"Hm? You want more? Sure."

Even if it was just payment for the kisses, I still had some left to give. I fed Ruka more water.

……After she finished, I refilled the bottle.

Glug glug.

"How on earth are you doing that?"

"It's magic."

"I saw it with my own eyes, so I can't not believe it…."

"Woojin, you're incredible~~!"

Even getting praised by the manager left me feeling awkward. Haha, had I suddenly become the island's most valuable person?

"Since Woojin is with us~~, we won't have to worry about water anymore."

"Excuse me? I don't remember saying I'd give it for free?"

Why did they assume so naturally that I would provide the water?

"Y-you… This isn't the time to be so cowardly."

The assistant manager spoke up. But her tone wasn't as domineering as before, when she'd looked down on me. There was a hint of worry—what if I completely turned away from them?

"Cowardly? How I use the ability I gained is entirely up to me."

"I understand…. I was wrong to call you cowardly. But we should help each other to survive. You even talked about doing good deeds earlier."

The assistant manager's persuasion grew more desperate. That gap in her attitude strangely pleased me.

Of course, I had no intention of suddenly hoarding the water and turning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠against them. But what I couldn't stand was the attitude that they could take my water as if it were obvious. Nothing in this world was obvious. I was simply teaching them that.

"Manager, Assistant Manager, what exactly will you do for me?"

"……For now… let's observe the situation a bit more."

Realizing she had nothing substantial to offer me, Seoyun turned her head away.

In this stranding situation, there was nothing more valuable than unlimited drinking water—except perhaps food or a safe shelter. Neither of which Kang Seoyun could simply hand over.

"Woojin~! When we get back, I'll make sure to tell the director exactly how well you took care of us on the island!"

The manager offered a promise of repayment once we returned to society. Unlike the assistant manager, she was at least trying to do something. It was a nice sight.

"Alright. I'll give one bottle to the manager."

"Thank you!"

Glug glug glug.

Watching me create water right in front of her, the assistant manager clicked her tongue. She acted like she wasn't thirsty right now so it didn't matter… but that attitude changed once night fell and her thirst returned.

"Um…."

"Yes? I can't hear you very well."

"Kim Woojin. Could I… have some water?"

"You drank so much earlier in the day."

"……."

Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun ground her teeth with a clench, glaring, but eventually lowered her head like a defeated animal. Even so, a trace of her pride remained.

"At least try asking properly."

"…Please. Kim Woojin."

"I'm thirsty, so please give me water."

"…I'm thirsty, so please give me water."

Good girl~. If I pushed her any further she might snap and attack me, so this was enough. Since it was a request from the prideful assistant manager, I had no choice. Thinking it wasn't free would make her value it more.

"Here you go."

「Water Creation」

I immediately filled the bottle with clean water and handed it back. The plastic bottles could be reused multiple times, which was convenient.

"Gulp, gulp…."

Seoyun drank the water so deliciously that anyone watching would feel envious. Just by looking at her relaxed facial muscles after quenching her thirst, it was clear she'd realized the humiliation was only temporary.

"Thank you."

"I'm glad I'm your subordinate, Assistant Manager."

"…Ugh…. Y-yes, that's right."

"Wow, you don't have to butter me up that much. Haha."

"……Tch!"

Teasing the assistant manager was genuinely fun.

"Let's get ready for bed. We can't expect a rescue team at night anyway."

"Yes."

Basic toiletries and lighters were easy to find in the passengers' luggage, so starting a fire was simple. Before sleeping, the two women saved a little water for a quick wash and rinsed their mouths after brushing their teeth.

I even used shampoo to wash my hair. Since I could produce water from both hands, rinsing was easy.

Seoyun stared at me with an expression that said she couldn't believe it. A person stranded on a deserted island wasting water! It couldn't get more luxurious than this.

In truth, if there weren't so many women around, I would have already stripped naked and taken a proper shower.

"What? Do you want to wash your hair too, Assistant Manager?"

"I do, but…."

Water wasn't free. Thanks to my teasing, she should have just asked me to wash her hair, but she was hesitating.

"Does creating water tire you out or anything?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't pushed it to the limit yet…."

"Wouldn't it be better to conserve it a little?"

She seemed anxious that my ability might suddenly run out with a 'pop.' There was no need to worry about that, though…

"Ah, I can't stand it. I feel gross. I want to wash my hair."

"Manager, you should come too, then."

I opened an impromptu hair salon on the uninhabited island.

"Alright, shampoo incoming, ma'am."

"H-hng. Haaaa──."

I poured water from my hands onto her sweat-matted long hair. Seoyun let out sounds like moans and trembled with happiness. Standing beside her as she crouched with her head down, I massaged her scalp firmly with my fingertips.

"Mmm, ahh─ aaah─."

How good must it feel? Seoyun forgot I was the one washing her and let out erotic moans. It must have felt that amazing.

"Feels good…. So good. More. A little more there…. The back too…."

"Here? Here?"

Press press, press press.

She seemed to love the neck massage, reacting intensely.

"H-hng. Ahh."

I wasn't sure if she was actually feeling it or not. Seoyun's hips twitched as if she might show her backside at any moment.

"Don't stop, keep going…."

When I showed signs of stopping, Seoyun cried out desperately.

"Keep doing it."

"It's already been five minutes…."

"Just a little more, please. I'm begging you."

I spent another ten minutes carefully washing her hair, and by the end my forearms were sore.

"Next."

"Hng! Ah…!"

Manager Han Jia twisted her waist while making cute nasal sounds.

"Hey, don't make weird noises."

"Ah…… aaah. The scalp massage feels so good…."

I washed every inch of her scalp, rinsing away the sweat-matted hair with cool water, applying shampoo, and giving her a thorough scalp massage…

"Ah. Aaah. Ah. Ahh!"

"Here comes the back of the neck, nice and firm."

"Huuu… haang. That feels good."

After finishing, I dried their hair with a towel I'd found in the luggage. There was only one, so we all shared it, but in this situation just having a towel was a blessing.

"Huu…."

Both women looked incredibly refreshed, their hair still slightly damp. With the sea breeze blowing, it would dry naturally.

"It'd be nice if we had a hair dryer too."

"What, are you at a hotel?"

"It's just an expression. Just an expression."

Hmm, but a hair dryer…. Could I make strong wind somehow?

'I can see some kind of pattern on the side where the wind blows, though.'

I still didn't understand its meaning. Maybe once I figured it out, I'd be able to use it.

Just with the most basic water magic, the number of inconveniences we'd avoided today was countless. My hope for survival burned even stronger.

"The other survivor groups are staring at us."

Seoyun said.

Well, it made sense. In a stranding situation, using precious water to wash hair was bound to draw attention.

"Everyone's thirsty. Should we share some of our water?"

"Manager Han Jia. Did washing your hair make the whole world look pink to you?"

"……Y-yes? Pink?"

"We're not here as volunteers. It's every man for himself. Why would we share our water?"

"That's true, but… it does feel a bit uncomfortable using it all by ourselves…."

Ha, this is why humans are social creatures. We wash our hair and have a water party among ourselves, and her conscience starts to sting? So she wants to share? What if they start thinking it's natural for us to give them water and try to exploit us every day? In the worst case, the women might even start fighting over me.

"I have a good idea. Kim Woojin. Can you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fill some bottles with water first?"

I followed Seoyun's suggestion and created several full bottles. She took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them and went somewhere, then came back—

"Here."

She casually handed us some energy bars.

"Assistant Manager Kang, how did you do that?"

The manager asked in surprise.

"I traded them for water. Water has high value right now. We'll exchange it for things we need like this."

"Wait, there were energy bars…."

"Before Woojin woke up, some people had already scavenged the debris and wiped their mouths clean."

"…Ah. So the stockpiles are different for everyone?"

"Yes. But water takes up a lot of space, it's hard to hide, and everyone is suffering from an absolute shortage."

So the ones with water were the strongest?

"I'll go trade for more food. You agree, right, Woojin?"

I immediately shook hands with the assistant manager.

"As expected, you work fast. Assistant Manager."

Seoyun smiled faintly.

"Alright, then let's make the water."

I decided to trust the assistant manager's abilities for once. Soon, groups short on water began lining up to receive ours. This should solve the water shortage for the time being.

What we received in return was beyond imagination. Small, high-calorie snacks like candy, jelly, and chocolate, as well as beef jerky, dried fruit, various packaged snacks, salt, pepper, small seasoning packets, and coffee mix…

"Pay whatever you can spare."

The water business was a huge success. Everyone pulled out their hidden bundles and offered emergency rations. Even if the amounts were pitiful and would run out in a few days, right now—when tomorrow wasn't guaranteed—they were infinitely valuable.

"We'll set aside long-lasting items like salt and pepper and consume the ones with shorter expiration dates first."

Seoyun meticulously sorted even the small amount of food we had. The sweet snacks melted into our stomachs, which had been barely satisfied by crackers. Sugar rushed into our nutrient-deprived brains, clearing my mind completely.

"How about it? Good thing you left it to me, right?"

"Indeed. You did well, Assistant Manager."

I praised Seoyun. The scene felt a bit strange—a subordinate praising his superior.

"Should we go into the forest tomorrow to look for food?"

"Mm. We should look, but……."

Seoyun was hesitating. Probably because she still held onto the hope that a rescue team would come. The reason everyone huddled together on the visible shore staring at the sea was simply that there was nothing else to do.

However, relying only on our current food supply was suicidal. Seoyun seemed to know that logically.

"We won't miss the rescue team. Let's leave Manager Han Jia here and go."

"…Should we? What do you think, Manager?"

"Woojin… the jungle is dangerous. Can't we all just wait together?"

The manager spoke anxiously.

"We should move while we still have the energy."

"But we have food… and if necessary, we can always make more water to trade, right?"

"That's exactly why."

"Huh?"

There was a limit to resource exchange. Food didn't just appear out of nowhere.

"Everyone knows we have plenty of water, and now we have food too. If people start starving in this situation, they might attack us."

"Woojin's right, Manager. This supply exchange is a one-time thing. The total amount of resources on the shore hasn't changed."

With both the assistant manager and me persuading her, the manager finally nodded in understanding.

"I see…."

"Still, we're probably the luckiest among the survivors. No one is seriously injured, and we have plenty of water."

"……We have to survive. So the rescue team can find us!"

The manager forced a smile, but that night I heard the sound of quiet, heartbroken sobbing.

When I opened my eyes to the faint light of a small phone screen covered by a palm, I saw her crying while staring at the wedding ring on her finger.

"Manager…."

"I'm sorry. Hic, was I too loud…?"

"Not at all. Just let it all out."

"Wait…."

Han Jia grabbed me as I started to pull away.

"Just for a moment… stay with me."

……When I lay down beside her, Jia buried her face in my chest and cried silently. I patted her back gently.