Study Trip on an Uninhabited Island part 1 — 3

[gyaxa]

Drone Sensei: Here is your survival starter kit.

Ryui: We’ve got… fishing rods, fire starters, tarps, water, some cans, and salt.

Ushio: That fire starter looks downright primitive.
 

 

Drone Sensei: This pump drill is a very popular choice for letting elementary school students experience lighting fires. It was also used in the Yayoi Period.¹

Kafka: Let’s figure out who’s doing what.

Liguang: At the very least, we have to set up the base, collect ingredients, and light a fire.

Tao: Oh, can I try starting the fire? I learned the basics before… from a game.

Nagi: I can help. I’ve read up on life hacks in case I get hit by a truck and get reborn in the past.

Kafka: Ahaha, sounds like you’ll be a big help. I leave you two to it.

Liguang: Then Kinugawa, Doumeki, and I will set up the base. The rest of you can collect ingredients.

Kuguri: It’s rather audacious of you to decide that. Do you have a reason?

Liguang: Height and build. Nothing more.

Ten: Oh, anyone want this knife? I don’t really need it.

Tao: It’s probably the most useful out of all starter items we’ve got.

Toi: I just did a mini divination, and it looks like we should use it to build the base!

Ten: Then you can have it, Kiroku.

Kiroku: Huh? But…

Ryui: Just take it, Kiro. Toi’s saying you guys should use it.

Ushio: Golem seems like he’d know how to use a knife, so why not? It’d be killing two birds with one stone, if he used it for self defense and to sharpen his little pencils.

Ryui: Hah? Who the hell are ya calling a “Golem”, you little—

Kiroku: R-Ryui-kun, it’s okay… Thank… you, Kurama.

Drone Sensei: Let’s get those feet moving, everyone! I’ll be switching into sleep mode. Zzz…
 

───

Kafka: You and I are in charge of fishing, Ushio!

Ushio: … Why me? I’ve never done this before, so don’t get all mad if I don’t catch anything.

Kafka: Don’t worry, I’m sure someone as earnest as you will pick it up in no time.

I’m not sure what waters we’re in right now, but horse mackerel isn’t that hard to catch, and you can find it pretty much everywhere.

Ushio: But it’s already pretty late. Are you sure we can catch anything?

Kafka: Most fish are most active at dawn and dusk, actually. Fishermen call them the golden hours—

Ah, something’s biting your rod, Ushio!

Ushio: Phwah?!
 

───

Toi: Try digging over here, Ani-sama!

Ryui: Don’t think ya can get away from me, clams.

Toi: Oh, there’s one here too!

Ryui: Got it.

Ten: Ooh, look at that haul you’ve got.

Ryui: … Thanks, Toi. Don’t push yourself too hard though, ‘kay?

Toi: I’ll be okay. Nagi-kun found all the treasure chests for us, but I can at least pull my weight finding clams for us to dig…!

Ten: Yep, totally. Keep at it, please and thank you.

Ryui: And you stop slackin’ off, Murakumo.

Ten: Oh dearie me.
 

───

Kiroku: Um, Lu-san… I got some… of the vines Hachinoya-san grabbed… onto, earlier… with the knife.

Liguang: These look good. Thanks, Kinugawa.

Kiroku: (Is he not gonna tie his hair up…?)

(Wouldn’t he be more comfortable that way…? But… I can’t offer to do it myself just because I do my sister’s hair…)

Liguang: Go find some usable wood, Doumeki. We need some to hang up the tarps.

Kuguri: I’m not the sort to carry anything heavier than a wine glass, I’m afraid.

Liguang: Says the man who’s always lifting all those heavy weights in the training room.

Kuguri: I see you don’t take too kindly to jokes.

Liguang: Have fun dealing with all the salty wind tomorrow when we don’t have anything blocking it off.

Kuguri: … Fine. It’s not as though I’ll sleep just anywhere.
 

───

Tao: The sun already set in the time we were wrestling with this fire starter… Lemme use the Smitch to give us some light.

Nagi: We should hurry. We really need the warmth.

Tao: You’re right about that. It’s tough when you don’t have any fire… It makes you feel like you don’t have the energy to go on.

Nagi: … Speaking from experience?

Tao: Yeah.

Nagi & Tao: *handshake*

Nagi: So… I’d really like to light this precious fire now…

But if I’m not careful these next few days, everyone could end up in danger.

Tao: Because your lower half is really unlucky right now?

Nagi: That’s part of it, but I can’t tell how my yajirobe of happiness’ll react if I have a blast doing this survival challenge with everyone.

Tao: Yajirobe? React?

Nagi: Usually, my only hope would be Chief, but I don’t think I’ll see them until the end of this trip. It’s not like I can make any bouquets here either…

Do I use seaweed…? Nah, that’d be coming outta left field…

Tao: Uh, sorry, I’m a little lost…

Nagi: I don’t know what’ll happen if I start the fire, so I’d appreciate it if you did it.

Tao: A-Ah, gotcha.

Nagi: Then I’ll take a little bit of cotton from the Jiro-san plush to make a wick.

Tao: Alright… I’m not an expert, but I’ll give it a shot.

Let’s see… you wrap the string around the middle, and then start pumping…!

Nagi: Woah… the tip’s spinning…

Oh, there’s smoke.

Tao: Just use this to light the cotton, and we’re good…!

Kafka: Heeeey!

Nagi: Looks like they’re done gathering ingredients.
 

───

Kafka: Phew… it’s pretty chilly now that it’s nighttime. I’m glad we have a fire and a roof over our heads.

Liguang: The mackerel and giant clam’s done cooking. You two start eating first, Kurama, Kinugawa.

Ushio: Thanks.

Kiroku: Thank… you.

Ushio: Mm… I didn’t know what to expect with the grilled giant clam, but it’s actually pretty good…

Toi: The clam and seaweed soup’s really yummy, too. Thanks for making it, Ten-kun!

Ten: Don’t mention it. You guys were the ones who collected all the clams.

Ryui: But this doesn’t look like enough to feed ten people.

Kuguri: We have those canned goods, do we not? Assuming they’re actually edible.

Ten: Let’s see~ We got “Canned Fish That’s Like If You Kneaded A Bunch Of Eraser Shavings Together” and “Canned Meat That Tastes Like The Insoles Of A Shoe”.

Kafka: Ahaha, sounds like something Yachiyo would choose alright. How about it, Kuguri?

Kuguri: I’ll pass.

Tao & Nagi: (I could totally go for some of that…)

Liguang: They really are the bare minimum of essentials. Maybe we could’ve gotten our hands on something more decent had we won.

Ryui: We gotta make sure we bag the prize tomorrow then.

Kafka: Yep. Let’s all head to bed nice and early tonight. We’ve got to bring our A-game tomorrow!

 

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1. The Yayoi Period stretched from 300 BC to 300 AD. ↑

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