CH 1

During my middle school years, I thought that this is truly the spring of my life.

I, Yoshikawa, Yoshikawa Daikichi, have a girlfriend who was one of the cutest girls on campus.

Akari Beniya, my childhood friend.

In our middle school days, Akari and I were very much in love.

We were lovey-dovey at school, and even after school.

We flirted on our days off and of course chose the same high school.

However, after entering high school, things started to look suspicious.

Towards the end of the first semester we saw each other a lot less.

I'm in the Go-Home club, but she's in a band. There was no way around it.

"Sorry, I have band practice today."

More often than not, when I ask her out, she turns me down like this.

By the second semester onward, our conversations at school had diminished.

Around that time, Akari dyed her hair color from black to red.

I told her I preferred black, and she replied that I rather have it red.

I remember how awkward it became. Is this what they call a rut?

A Relationship Rut can be physical or emotional, but it basically means that you're feeling disconnectec from your partner in some way.

It's not surprising, since we've been dating each other since the first year of middle school.

I have to do something about this. 

One day when I was thinking about that, I found out... 

Akari had left the band a while ago.

But she refused the invitation, saying she was busy with her band activity.

I wondered if she had moved on to another club. 

When I asked her about it, she said, "Of course, it's the Wind Instrument Club."

At this point, I thought, "Oh, this is probably what it is."

And so it was the Golden Week of my second year. 

I was spending time by myself as a matter of course, when I decided to go out into the city.

Then, I witnessed it.

Akari was having an affair.

The other party was an upperclassman from the same high school. 

He's a handsome guy who's famous for being a slut.

A few days later - today, in other words - I called Akari out. 

The place was a park close to our house.

It was nighttime, so there was no one else here.

I showed her the photos of the affair and asked her to explain what was going on.

To which she replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Oh, you noticed. Well, as you can see..."

"Are you cheating on me?"

"Yes, I am."

She admitted it easily.

"I had no choice--"

She said.

"--It's your fault for not being masculine enough, Daikichi."

"What?"

"And the name "Daikichi" is lame as well. It's a O-mikuji."

After that, she went on and on about how I was a bad person. 

I'm not manly enough, I'm not aggressive enough, I'm plain-looking, I'm lame, and so on.

Especially the word "unmanly" came up frequently.

"If you don't want to be cheated on, you should become a real man and not a fool."

The old Akari would never have said such a thing.

She's probably quoting a pick-up line from a slutty guy.

Basically, you tempt them by telling them not to worry about it because it's the guy's fault for being cheated on.

"I didn't want Daikichi to get hurt, so I was waiting for things to disappear naturally, but now that you've found out, I'll just say it normally. I'm breaking up with you. So, goodbye."

Akari left with no sign of remorse.

◊◊◊

I have no regrets about Akari.

But I was deeply hurt by her words.

--You're not masculine enough.

--If you don't want to be cheated on, be a real man and not a fool.

She has a point, I thought.

If things continue as they are, I might make the same mistake.

If I get a new girlfriend, it would suck if she cheated on me for the same reason.

I was already thinking about the future.

"I'll have to do something about this."

So, I decided to do something about it.

ーーー 。。。

"Daikichi, are you sure about this? The island is dangerous."

"This is what it takes to be a man."

"You're already manly enough for me."

"This is not good enough, Grandpa. I need more"

During summer vacation, I asked my grandpa to take me on a boat.

The destination is a deserted island owned by my grandfather.

I will spend a couple of weeks alone and get my manhood.

"I'm too old to come here every day, you know."

"Don't worry. I'll survive on my own. Just pick me up in two weeks, okay?"

"Two weeks from now, that's... August 20th?"

"Correct."

This is how I began my two-week stay on a deserted island.

◊◊◊

Even though it was a deserted island, it wasn't devoid of life.

There was no electricity or running water, but there was a hut to live in.

Inside the hut, there was a sembei funton and even a sunken hearth.

As long as I can get food, then I can survive.

Getting that food is the hard part, though.

"Just a few more days of living like this..."

It was mid-afternoon on August 17th. I've been safe so far.

At this rate, I won't have any problems until the 20th.

"I think I'm becoming more masculine."

I headed toward the sea, munching on some grilled Ayu fish on a stick.

I felt thirsty, so I rehydrated myself with the gourd I wore on my waist.

My body had a nice tan, and I thought I was rugged.

And having a beard wasn't that bad either.

"Now, let's get to work."

When I arrived at the beach, I made a nice bonfire.

I put coniferous leaves in there and burned them.

There was a tremendous amount of smoke - a signal fire.

This is a message to Grandpa.

The one that says, "Don't worry, I'm safe."

If there wasn't a smoke signal, Grandpa would come running right away.

"I think we're good to go."

All that was left was to return to the hut while getting food.

--And that's when it happened.

"Muh!"

I found something on the beach.

It was too big to be garbage.

The silhouette looked like a person.

"What is that?"

I decided to get closer.

When I got to a certain distance, I started to run.

It was a human being that had been washed up.

At a glance, it was a girl about the same age as me.

She was dressed in what looked like a school uniform, but it also looked like cosplay.

I guessed it was because her skirt had frills.

Her long silvery-white hair also added to the cosplay look.

"Are you alright!?!"

I called out to her, but she didn't respond.

However, her heart was beating and she was alive.

For now, I carried her to the fire I had set up for the smoke signal.

"Don't you die on me."

I started to give her artificial respiration.

"Awk!"

The girl coughed up a large amount of water.

Then she started gagging and choking.

Her eyes are still not open, but now she's out of danger.

I was relieved

(She's pretty cute, actually.)

The other person is still unable to focus, but you can still see how cute she is.

The parts of her face are just too perfect.

She looks like she could be swollen up with bee stings and still look cute.

"U,uuu."

The girl regained consciousness.