Chillin' on an Uninhabited Island in Another World

We had won our second event in spectacular fashion.

We had cleared the harsh condition of winning every match, and the number of Rights to Return we obtained was a staggering five.

Together with the one we had gotten last time, that meant we had six in total.

“Wow. As expected of all of you...!”

When we told everyone in the living room that we had won, Shion clapped her hands in delight.

“Congrats! This party’s seriously the strongest.”

Urume praised our victory, then high-fived Shouko.

“...Nothing happened over here.”

Yumekai sounded indifferent, but she had apparently been waiting in the living room the whole time, so she must have been worried in her own way.

Near Roa, who looked proud, stood Ms. Luminous with a clouded expression.

“It’s all right, Ms. Luminous. No one could get hurt in this event.”

“R-right... Five of your students have gained the right to return to Japan, so this is something to celebrate, isn’t it? Congratulations, everyone.”

The part where students had fought each other must have bothered her, but since there had been zero chance of injury, it was probably safer than a sports festival.

We seemed likely to build a good relationship with Suou’s girls’ team through trade, so that connection probably would not break down either.

The boys we fought this time might stubbornly refuse even if we offered to trade with them, but that was not something to worry about right now.

“Oh, right. What Ms. Luminous said reminded me. My Right to Return duplicated, so I’m going to transfer one to someone. We hadn’t discussed it in particular, but is everyone fine with doing transfers in the order people joined the party?”

I looked around at everyone.

The four who already had Rights to Return seemed to be avoiding speaking up.

“Of course, Master.”

“Totally!”

“...How admirable, Kuno! I’m moved by your kindness, reaching out without hesitation for your friends!”

I-I’m fine with that too.”

Roa, Urume, Ms. Luminous, and Mamonaka all gave their approval.

“...It belongs to you, Kuno, so it’s fine, but are you really sure? If you go back to Japan while holding multiple Rights to Return, you get some kind of benefit, don’t you?”

Yumekai said it as if to make sure.

She was right. Any duplicate Rights to Return would be converted into bonus points.

Considering how difficult they were to acquire, they might be exchangeable for some incredible benefits.

For example, they might even let you change your own traits so you became handsome, brilliant, and athletic.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I transfer one Right to Return to Yomi-umi Shion.” 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“Sousuke—”

In that instant, Shion froze.

“Whoa, it’s just like Sousuke the other day!”

Shouko looked surprised.

“So-kun, turn around. Shio-chan’s making the kind of embarrassing face you’d make if someone took a picture of you half-blinking.”

“Ah, right...”

So this was what it looked like...

After the first event, only I had been summoned to the pure-white space and asked whether I wanted to use my Right to Return.

Apparently, there had been a slight delay before my consciousness returned to the front of the base, so everyone had worried about me while I stood there blankly.

Because I had transferred the right to Shion, her mind must have been summoned there by itself too.

“...Huh. Just now, only I was in the white classroom... Wait, why is Sousuke turned around?”

“It’s okay. We protected your maidenly dignity to the death.”

“...? W-was I making a weird face?”

“Sousuke didn’t see, so you’re fine, totally fine!”

“Ugh...”

“Uh, can I turn around now?”

“Y-yes. Of course.”

When I turned back, Shion’s usual lovely face was there.

“If you’re here, that means you postponed exercising it.”

“Of course I did. I want to go home together with you and everyone else, Sousuke.”

Shion smiled, then walked right up to me and hugged me tightly from the front.

“Sh-Shion?”

“Thank you, Sousuke. I’m really happy.”

Shion’s eyes were wet.

“I get it! I’m happy too!”

And then Shouko hugged me too.

“Mm. Feeling like you can go home anytime makes a huge difference mentally.”

Chiyu followed after her.

“Whoa, wait, wait, I’m going to fall over.”

Just as I was about to fall backward, someone hugged me from behind to support me.

“That’s true... Going home together is a given, but feeling like you yourself can go home now is a big thing, isn’t it?”

Minori said it while pressing her cheek and chest against my back.

“Um... um, I’m new here, but even though I’d only just joined, you let me participate in an important event, and you recognized me as one of your companions. I’m happy.”

Was that Mamonaka? She pressed both hands lightly against my shoulders, as if supporting me.

“I see... Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

I felt like I understood why the five of them were so happy.

Their lives had changed from not knowing when they could go home to being able to go home anytime.

Of course, none of them intended to leave their companions behind, and there were still many things we wanted to bring back with us.

But there was a huge psychological difference between knowing for certain that you could go home and not knowing that.

Maybe everyone had been anxious and simply had not shown it.

“Ah, we’ll all work together to get the four of yours too, so don’t worry.”

I said it to Roa, Yumekai, Urume, and Ms. Luminous as well, so they would not feel left out.

“I shall do everything I can.”

“............Yeah.”

“I’ve seriously gotta work hard in all kinds of ways too. Really, just tell me anything you need.”

“Thank you. But as their teacher, I cannot leave the other students behind and go home...”

Each of them probably had their own feelings about it, but I wanted to avoid our unity breaking apart because people grew jealous of those who had already obtained Rights to Return.

Well, with this group, I thought we would be all right.

And the fact that I had transferred a right to Shion should have helped too.

It should have shown them that, in this party, even if they could not directly obtain a Right to Return themselves, one would be transferred to them when their turn came.

I had not done it with that kind of calculation in mind, but thinking about it again, that effect could be expected too.

Just then, Shouko’s stomach growled loudly.

“Ah, ahaha... Right, I was starving.”

“Hee hee. I’ll make breakfast right away.”

“Mm. I’ll help.”

“I shall assist as well.”

Shion, Chiyu, and Roa headed to the kitchen.

“Once breakfast is done, maybe we’ll go catch the river fish that were added, and after that, we can search for the remaining boys and offer a trade.”

“That is a wonderful idea! I will do my best to catch fish as well and increase our trade goods!”

Ms. Luminous was fired up.

She really was a good teacher who cared about her students.

“Kuno...”

Before I knew it, Yumekai had come up beside me.

“What is it?”

“You’re amazing.”

There was a hint of respect in her gaze.

“Hm? Oh, the Right to Return? That was our agreement.”

“...Say someone promises, ‘If I win first prize in the lottery, I’ll give you half.’ How many people do you think would actually hand over half after they won?”

“Ah... You mean most people would get greedy and break the promise?”

“Yeah. Or they’d ask for an equivalent price. I think that would be more human. But you handed it to Shion without hesitating.”

“Transfers are limited to being free of charge, after all.”

“That’s not what I mean. When you weighed it against your own benefit, you chose Shion. That means you care about Shion that much.”

“Ugh... Well, yes. I guess so.”

Having it said to me like that was embarrassing, but Yumekai might have been right.

No matter what, I would not have been able to transfer it to someone I did not care about.

“That’s cool.”

“Th-thanks.”

When she praised me so straightforwardly, brushing it off would have been rude.

But I felt so embarrassed my face grew hot.

“Well, I’ll make sure to give one to you too, Yumekai.”

“————”

I had said it to hide my embarrassment, but Yumekai’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Y-Yumekai?”

“............It’s nothing. I-I’m going to help with the cooking too.”

Yumekai quickly left the living room.

I could have sworn her ears had turned red...

“Sousuke, you really went and did it.”

Shouko, who was sitting at the dining table waiting for the food, gave me a flat look.

“W-what did I do?”

“You gave Shion a Right to Return because she’s important to you, right? So what does it mean when you say you’ll give one to Serina too?”

“—Ah.”

To Yumekai, it must have sounded like, You’re just as important to me as Shion, who’s my girlfriend.

“You weren’t lying, so it’s fine. Actually, no excuses allowed. Serina would get hurt.”

“...So I suddenly became the kind of guy who says cheesy lines?”

“Isn’t that better?”

Rather than clumsily trying to explain myself and hurting Yumekai, it probably was better to leave things as they were.

It was true that I intended to give Yumekai a Right to Return.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do that.”

“That’s for the best. Make sure you take responsibility.”

“............Hm?”

“Nothing at all.”

Shouko sprawled her arms over the tabletop.

Had she become [N O V E L I G H T] a harem supporter like Chiyu?

Or was it something closer to resignation?

Either way, our deserted island life was still going to continue.

After all, we were still only halfway through the tenth day.