CH 11

Arc-1 Chapter-11: What Happened to Akari

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The dangers of spending the night on this island and Grandpa's island are significantly greater.

It is NOT in the sense that one of the dwellings is a cabin and the other is a pit...

The problem is, we don't know anything about this island.

What kind of animals live here, and how much the temperature drops at night?

As well as the presence or absence of pests, there was a large amount of things I needed to know.

It is very dangerous to spend the night without knowing about them.

Even though the staff and experts have taken a preliminary look, we can't be too careful.

They're the ones who overlooked the meadow saffron, thinking it's just wild garlic.

"We can't stay like this. Yukiho, let's hurry up and set up camp!"

I hurriedly got up and left the pit dwelling.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Our first priority is fuel. We have to gather things that can be used as firewood."

"All right!"

What is the most important thing in this kind of environment?

It's a fire.

We set up a campfire in front of the entrance and kept the fire going until morning.

By doing so, we can protect ourselves from getting attacked by wild animals.

"We need food too, so let's head for the river."

"Okay, but can we really afford to fish?"

"I'm not gonna fish. I'm gonna grab them."

"Grab it!?"

"I have a plan. Come on, let's go for the time being."

"Understood!"

After emptying our backpacks, we headed towards the river.

"Do you think we have enough wood?"

"Yes we do. Now let's get some fish for our meal."

We arrived at the river.

My backpack is filled with a large number of tree branches.

Thanks to the stone axe, we had no trouble finding fuel for our fire.

It was fortunate that we chose to live in a pit dwelling.

If it's a simple tent or cave, I wouldn't have made a stone axe.

"I'll get you some fish in a few moments and here, hold this for me."

This refers to the handheld camera.

"How are you going to do that without doing any fishing?"

Now she's probably talking to herself.

Without replying, I took off my shoes and socks and approached the river.

There was a large number of river fish swimming in the water.

I huddle against the large rocks that are scattered about.

"I think I can handle this."

I lifted a large rock from the riverside.

"Yukiho, please keep filming the rock in front of me."

"Rock? All right!"

Yukiho curiously points the camera at the rock.

"Here we go, Yukiho."

I threw the rock I was holding with a single thought.

The rock flew in a nice line and hit the rock that Yukiho was filming.

The impact caused ripples to spread across the river.

And then, the next moment--

"EH, did the fishes just die!?"

"No, they're just knocked out."

--The fishes around the rock were floating as if they're dead

There were ten of them. It all happened in an instant.

I will explain what I meant while collecting them.

"This is a method of catching fish by stunting them with the vibration created when a stone in the water collides with a stone that has been thrown. If it works, you can catch a whole bunch of fish just like now."

"Oh, my goodness! I didn't know there was such a secret technique! This way we can get a lot without fishing!"

"That's true, but it's only possible because it's a deserted island owned by the Agency."

"Is that so? How come?"

"Although it is convenient method, it could lead to the extinction of fish due to its overfishing nature. That's why it's basically banned. It can only be used in privately owned areas, such as Grandpa's island or this uninhabited island."

"I see. I guess they'll cut it from the show then."

"I was thinking the same thing, but when you're suddenly asked to spend the night on an island you don't understand, you can't just pick and choose. We just have to take care of ourselves."

I collect the fainted fish and carry them to the riverside.

"We're going to drain the blood out of the fish now, are you going to film that too? It's going to be gross."

"The higher-ups will take care of that, so I won't worry about it!"

"Okay."

He pulls out a survival knife from his hip holster.

This knife was one of the pieces of equipment I had in my backpack.

"There are different ways to drain the blood, and it's not just a matter of cutting it up. Specifically, you need to know how to--"

He proceeded with his work, telling everyone what he was doing as he went. Yukiho listened to him, smiling happily.

❄Akari's Perspective❄

At that time, Beniya Akari's life is heading downhill.

"Oh, come on, we're not like that. You're so annoying. If you want to have a serious relationship, forget it. I'll go play with other girl."

"Er, wait...."

I got dumped once again.

In the past few months, Akari had been dumped several times.

The reason is that she wants to have a serious relationship.

However, the other party only saw Akari as a plaything.

In short, she is being treated as a "woman of convenience."

Of course, without exception, the guys makes a pass at her, saying, "I'm serious about you."

Even if they think of her as a plaything, they don't say "I'm playing with you." from the beginning.

Because they are all approaching her with ulterior motives.

After satisfying their needs, their true feelings emerge.

Once they've enjoyed it a few times and are satisfied, they don't care anymore.

Around the time when the man was content with the fact that this girl is a flirt, Akari becomes dissatisfied.

Every time they met, we did the same thing in a private space at home or at a karaoke bar, she thought.

And when you ask them to go on a date they reject you.

"Why, why did this happen....?"

My middle school years were good.

I had a kind boyfriend named Daikichi, and every day was fun.

It wasn't that I was unhappy with him by any means.

The same goes for high school.

I didn't cheat on him because I was unhappy with him.

Because I was approached by a handsome upperclassman that my classmates were cackling at.

I felt superior when I saw my friends of the same sex envious of me.

The next thing I knew, a relationship had developed.

He was a different type of person from Daikichi, so everything was new to me.

There was the feeling that he would leave me soon, and that was what I found attractive.

Yes, I had no complaints about Daikichi.

I just found a guy that I found more attractive.

When Daikichi questioned me about my affair, I didn't feel anything.

By that time, my feelings for him had already disappeared.

There was no guilt left.

I was aware that I was doing something wrong, but I didn't feel bad about it.

I thought I would continue to be in good standing with the handsome upperclassmen.

And Daikichi would not be able to move on to the next stage of his life because he was not ready for it.

So even if we broke up, I was sure I could get back together with Daikichi.

For Akari, Daikichi was an insurance policy. A very convenient insurance policy.

And yet.....

Daikichi has a new girlfriend.

And it's that Takamine Yukiho.

The top of the top among the idols that everyone envies.

Such a woman confessed to Daikichi, ready to sacrifice everything.

I was impressed at first because I didn't know that the other person was Daikichi.

Yukiho's confession made my heart flutter and I felt like cheering her on.

After I found out that the other party was Daikichi, I regretted it from the bottom of my heart.

The man chosen by Takamine Yukiho, who is famous for her professionalism.

I dumped such a man myself.

I cursed myself for being so blinded.

Piiing

My phone rings. It's a LINE notification.

A classmate from middle school sent me a message.

"I heard that Takamine Yukiho's boyfriend is Yoshikawa! Akari, you used to date Yoshikawa, right? Are you having an affair with Yoshikawa? Isn't that a good story to sell to the weeklies?"

I get a message like this every few days.

All of my classmates from middle school do not believe that we have split up.

I hadn't told anyone because I didn't want them to know that I had cheated on him.

"This... is not supposed to be..."

Akari tries to close the LINE without replying.

Then, another message arrived.

I check it in a hurry, thinking it might be Daikichi.

The other person was a guy in the Light Music Club at the same school.

He said he was in a band, but no one had ever seen him practice.

He is a typical charmer who is always playing with some girl.

"Do you want to go out to dinner sometime? Because I've been interested in you for a while."

The ulterior motive is apparent.

Still, Akari replied, "Okay."

Because I want to get back to the happiness I had when I was dating Daikichi.

She makes a new boyfriend, hoping for a glimmer of hope in an unlikely possibility.

And then I'm discarded, and hurt--