CH 20

Arc-2 Chapter-2: What is The Blessing of a Troubled Man?

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

"Hello, I'm Mikio Doi! Long time no see! I thought I'd be making a regular appearance, but it's just the first time, how horrible, Takamine-san!"

"Haha, I'm sorry. My superiors said, 'We can do this without Doi-san." But when it comes to specials, we still need your help."

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm going to go eat Yakiniku with my family using the money from today's performance, Gahaha!"

Our filming session started when we arrived at the deserted island. The first thing that happens is that Yukiho and Doi talk on the beach right after getting off the boat. Their conversations were mostly scripted.

"Yoshikawa-kun, my friend, you've grown to look like a professional in the industry!" Doi started to talk to me.

This was something that was not in the script, and I was surprised. But I was able to calmly respond.

"I've learned a lot from Announcer Doi and the other seniors." I smiled at him after I finished.

Doi nodded in satisfaction.

After that, Doi's light-hearted talk continued to erupt. Although we have often worked together on other programs, Doi is a real smooth talker. Even when the conversation was off script, he handled it with the same tone. Then the introduction of the guests began.

"Hello, I am Banjo(万丈)"

The first one to appear is Yui(結衣) Banjo, who is one year older than us. She has semi-long black hair, and full lips that are very sexy. She is tall and slender at 5'6"(170cm). She had an air of maturity about her that makes it difficult to believe that she is just one year older than me.

Unfortunately, she has been struggling to grow in the entertainment industry. She doesn't have much to work with, and the movies she has appeared in have all bombed. I guess her agency wants to expand her horizons in this program.

I heard from Yukiho that she is a nice person who is easy to talk to. The impression I got from her before the recording also supported her words.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Minazuki(水無月) Kaho(果歩)! I will try my best today!"

The second girl is Minazuki Kaho, our junior. She is a middle school idol with waist-length blue hair. She is only 14 years old, and she joined the agency around the same time as me.

She is a promising talent who has a reputation as "The next Takamine Yukiho." She is energetic, unafraid of the cameras, and her communication is perfect. She also has a great attitude toward her fans and is very professional. She is one of the talents that the president is pushing with all his might.

Today was the first time that not only me but also Yukiho met Kaho. The impression we had before the recording was that she hated to lose. Celebrities usually have a strong fighting spirit, but she seemed to be especially competitive.

"Good day to you all then!" Doi is going home by boat.

Yukiho and Kaho shouted, "Doi-san's skipping work!"

And this is where I make an appearance.

There are two things that are different from usual in this particular shooting.

First of all, everyone has a personal Smartphone. This is because we have a different sponsor than usual. This is only possible in special episodes.

Incidentally, the sponsor is a smartphone accessory company. That's why they made us put the latest waterproof and dustproof covers on our phones. Also in the backpack is a mobile battery that can be used in the ocean.

Another difference is that my partner is Yui. As a special episode, Yukiho and I went our separate ways.

It was decided that I would go into the forest with Yui and Yukiho would dive into the ocean with Kaho. At nightfall, we would meet at the cave, which is one of our bases, and have a survival meal together. Basically, we were free to do as we pleased, but we were instructed to keep this aspect in mind.

So now, Yui and I are walking through the forest. We aimed for a cave to use as a base.

"Are your feet all right, Banjo-san?"

"I'm fine. And I'd appreciate it if you just refer to me as 'Yui'."

"Oh, my bad, Yui-san."

There is a certain way people call celebrities. As a rule, I had to call Yui and Kaho by their first names. Of course, when the cameras weren't rolling, I didn't have to worry about it.

"Ever since I started watching this on TV, I've been wondering, do you ever get lost?" Yui said from behind me.

"No, I know what I'm doing. Since I have a good grasp of the area."

"That's amazing. I don't even know if this is the right area or not."

"It can't be helped. It's the first time you've been to this island."

I stopped and turned around. I used the camera in my hand to capture Yui's face.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I thought it would be bad if I only took shots of the forest."

Yui puts her hand over her mouth and laughs, "Haha." Like Yukiho, her laugh is ladylike and elegant. There's something different about the way she walks from the average person.

"But it's embarrassing. I'm wearing a jersey right now."

"You'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to this."

Finally, the cave came into view. The cave is located at the bottom of a cliff, and the entrance is narrow, only about one traffic lane wide. However, the inside was three lanes wide and plenty deep. I am also glad that the ceiling is high.

I found this cave during a recording session in mid-November last year. I remember that it was broadcasted a month later, in mid-December.

Originally, there was a bat's nest here. So, Yukiho and I snatched it, screaming. Bats are dangerous because they are full of fungus, so we wore protective gear.

"Ah! It's this cave!"

"You know about this?"

"I saw it on TV! Didn't you guys use the smoke to get rid of the bats?"

"Yes, that' s right. That was a tough time."

"She was really freaked out, wasn't she? I was laughing my head off watching it on TV."

Such a cave is now a beautiful place. Even the feces that was scattered on the floor has been cleaned up.

Of course, this kind of work was done by Yukiho and me. We scrubbed with a detergent from the sponsor and a brush we made ourselves. I heard that the sales of the detergent doubled after it was used on the show.

"I think there is a stockpile of food in the back..."

In the back of the cave, there was a beautiful array of dried meat and fish. This is what we made in the last time we recorded. We also have a set of pottery, stone axes, and other Jomon period like items.

"That's a lot of food. How can four people even eat this much?"

"Well, we can't. Yukiho sorta lost control..."

"That's just like Takamine-san."

Normally, I would immediately move on to the next course of action from here on, but...

"Yui-san, let's take a break."

"Eh?"

"My backpack is bigger than usual and I'm tired."

I lied, of course.

Yes, my backpack is quite full, but I feel lighter than usual. This is because I am not equipped with weapons such as harpoons or stone axes. I don't even have any earthenware with me.

I suggested a break because my partner is Yui. Unlike Yukiho, she wasn't used to the island so she shouldn't push herself too hard.

"If you say so, Yoshikawa-kun."

We walked into the cave and sat down right where we had entered. Yui leaned against the wall and exhaled, "Phew." I sat on my haunches a few meters in front of her. It was still daytime, but the cave is dimly lit.

"Thank you, Yoshikawa-kun."

"For what?"

"You said you wanted to take a break because you're concerned about me right?"

"Ah... you found out..." I admit it honestly.

Yui laughed, "Fufu", and put her right index finger to her throat. She casually stroked the area around her tonsils.

(That's a sign!)

Yui had asked me to do this before the recording. She asked me to zoom in on her lips when she gives me a sign. I manipulated the handheld camera so that it only showed Yui's lips.

"It's the kind of attention that makes girls fall in love with you. It makes us feel so special..."

Her full, plump lips moved erotically. The way she said it sounded strangely seductive. The tip of her tongue appeared after she had finished speaking, which also aroused my lust.

Yui touched her tonsils again. It was a sign that the zoom is over.

"Thanks to you, Yoshikawa-kun, I've recovered. What's next?"

"Well, for now, let's go to the nearby river to get some drinking water."

I took out a 2L plastic bottle from my backpack. It was empty inside and the bottom was cut off.

"Filtering device!" Yui said.

"Correct!"

A plastic bottle filled with charcoal and pebbles to make a filtration system. This is something that elementary school students often make for free research.

"Let's go."

"I'm so excited!"

Yui and I took a couple of earthenware containers and left the cave.

❄❄❄

We fetched water from the river and pass it through a plastic bottle filtration system. The filtered water is stored in earthenware buckets. When the bucket is full, we return to the cave and replace it with another bucket.

We repeated this humble task while chatting with each other. By the time nightfall approached, we had a good amount of drinking water ready.

"This should be enough for now."

We finished our work and decided to take a break in the cave. Our bodies were sticky with sweat. No matter how many times I experienced it, it was still an unpleasant sensation.

"I think it's time."

It was at that very moment when I muttered that.

Ping ♪

I received a LINE message from Yukiho. She said she was on her way to the cave now with some fish.

"It looks like they're coming this way, so I better get a fire going."

"Making a fire. I've always wanted to do that with a stick."

"That's the Kirimomi method. It's difficult. Would you like to give it a try?"

"Yes. I've got some gloves, so don't worry."

While we waited, I taught Yui how to make a fire.

"Ugh... it's so hard..."

As expected, Yui seemed to be struggling. Unlike Yukiho, she would be no different an hour from now. That is what usually happens.

"I can't. Yoshikawa-kun, can I ask you to do it again?"

"Leave it to me."

I quickly made a fire. Yui claps her hands in admiration, "Oooh."

At that moment, a troublesome fellow came to congratulate me. It started with parapara and soon changed to zsa zsa. Damn it, the guy who claps nonstop.

--It started to Rain