The three days in the rainforest passed faster than expected.
The day after Kasumigaoka Utaha’s fever broke, she was already able to move around freely on her own.
By the third morning, she was already crouching by the stream, pouring the crystal-clear water into a thermos.
Aoyama watched her movements from the side, unable to help but admit that this girl’s ability to learn and adapt was far above average.
Without turning her head, Kasumigaoka Utaha said, “Staring at me like that will make me think I have something on my face.” “I’m just confirming whether you’ve truly recovered.” “Completely recovered.” She stood up, patted the water droplets from her hands, and turned to face him.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, illuminating her face.
Her red pupils were clear and spirited, her cheeks had regained their normal color, and her lips had become rosy again—a stark contrast to the figure curled up on the straw mat, burning with fever three days ago.
“Aoyama-kun, the water is filled.
Shall we set off now?” Aoyama fell silent for two seconds, then nodded.
“Follow me.
Put on your pack.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes lit up as she quickly turned and grabbed the hiking pack from under the stone ledge.
Aoyama had already donned his own backpack, with the rebar tucked into the side strap and the long-blade sword he had confiscated from the Long-Blade Man hanging at his waist.
After a moment’s thought, he pulled the signal gun from his pack and handed it to her.
“Take this.” Kasumigaoka Utaha took the gun and examined it.
The heavy metallic feel made her raise an eyebrow slightly.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” “Self-defense,” Aoyama said in a flat tone.
“If someone gets close to you—within three meters—aim for their chest and pull the trigger.” “But there are only two flares.
Don’t use them unless absolutely necessary.” “And what about you?” “I have this.” Aoyama patted the sword at his waist.
“Tch.” Kasumigaoka Utaha stuffed the signal gun into the side pocket of her pack and glanced up at him.
“Aoyama-kun, you seem to be the one who needs a ranged weapon more than I do.” “Don’t tell me you’d just charge in bare-handed if you ran into someone?” “Close quarters are actually easier to handle.” “…Fine, you win.” As the two stepped out of the shelter, the morning sun had already bathed the forest path in light.
Three days after the rain, the ground had mostly dried.
The fallen leaves and soil had mixed into a soft, springy carpet that released a fresh, earthy scent of grass and wood.
Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath, her entire body seeming to relax and stretch, as if she were coming back to life.
“Where are we going?” she asked, following Aoyama with a light step.
“First, we’ll head in the direction where we found the medicinal herbs yesterday.” “The terrain is higher there, and the vegetation is more diverse.
We should be able to find more useful things.” Aoyama cleared the path ahead, his long sword slicing through obstructing vines with fluid, decisive motions.
“Also…” “Also what?” “I’m looking for a…
special kind of food.” Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head.
“Special?
What’s special about it?
Poisonous mushrooms?” Aoyama didn’t look back.
“It’s an insect.” “…An insect?” Aoyama explained as he walked, “A highly adaptable insect that can survive in most harsh environments.” “If I can find them…
they’ll provide better nutrition.” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him for a few seconds, then remained silent.
She had a vague feeling that Aoyama’s idea of “nutrition” was a bit different from hers, but she didn’t press the matter.
On this island, simply staying alive was the most important thing.
As for what we eat…
She looked up at the lush canopy above, thinking that as long as it was edible, it was fine.
The two walked south for about forty minutes.
Along the way, Aoyama stopped occasionally, using the rebar in his hand to push aside tall grass or flip over stones.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had assumed he was looking for mushrooms or wild vegetables, but after observing closely, she realized he was after the tiny creatures beneath the rocks.
Fast-scuttling centipedes, woodlice curled into balls, and beetles whose names she couldn’t even begin to guess.
“You can eat all of those?” she finally couldn’t help but ask.
“Some you can, some you can’t.” Aoyama flipped over a flat stone half-buried in the mud.
From the damp earth beneath, three or four dark-brown creatures immediately scurried out, moving so fast they were almost a blur.
“For example, this one—!” With lightning speed, he slammed his palm down.
When he lifted it, two struggling little insects were trapped in his hand.
Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned in to look.
They were beetles, about two centimeters long, with smooth, dark-brown shells.
Their antennae twitched flexibly, and their six legs kicked vigorously.
“What is this?” she asked, frowning.
“A species of ground beetle.” “They’re incredibly adaptable, able to survive in deserts, rainforests, and frigid zones.
Their vitality is astonishingly strong.” Aoyama held the two beetles in his palm, his eyes gleaming slightly.
“This is exactly what I need!” “You wouldn’t possibly…” “Correct.” Right in front of her, Aoyama tossed the two beetles into his mouth.
Kasumigaoka Utaha froze.
Her pupils constricted sharply, her lips parted slightly, and a choked sound escaped her throat.
She watched as Aoyama chewed twice without changing his expression, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.
“Aoyama-kun…” Her finger trembled as she pointed at him.
“You just…
ate them?!” “Mm-hmm.” Aoyama commented impassively, “They taste a bit like roasted nuts.
The shells are a little hard, but they’re fine once you crunch them.” “…” Kasumigaoka Utaha took a half-step back, staring at him for a long moment as if he were some indescribable horror.
Then, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
“Since when did you start wanting to eat insects?” “I’ve been craving them for a few days.” “A few days?” “Yeah.
Too bad I couldn’t find the right kind until now.” As Aoyama spoke, he bent over and flipped another rock.
This time, four or five similar beetles were hiding underneath.
He snatched them up with deft movements, picking them up one by one with his fingers and popping them into his mouth.
“…” Kasumigaoka Utaha covered her mouth, struggling to suppress the urge to gag.
Though she couldn’t understand why Aoyama was eating these insects, her novelist’s intuition told her this wasn’t a simple matter of “supplementing protein.” “Aoyama-kun.” “Are you…
hiding something from me?” Aoyama paused, a fifth beetle halfway to his mouth.
He turned his head to look at her, his lips twitching slightly as if he were considering how to answer.
“You could say that.” “I’m enhancing myself.” Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head slightly.
“Enhancing?” Aoyama didn’t answer immediately.
He crouched down and overturned another rock, revealing a few more beetles.
This time, he didn’t rush to eat them.
Instead, he counted them first.
He had about five or six in his hand now.
He looked up at a larger rock a short distance ahead; there were likely more hiding beneath it.
“Do you remember that crocodile from a few days ago?” he asked, clearing the weeds around the rock.
“The one you pinned down with a rebar?” Aoyama turned his head to look at her.
“I had eaten some things before that, which enhanced my muscles.” “The strength I used to throw that rebar was much greater than my normal state.” Kasumigaoka Utaha fell silent for two seconds.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were processing the sheer amount of information in his words.
“So…
the things you’re eating have special effects?” Aoyama didn’t deny it.
After all, this wasn’t a secret worth hiding.
As long as they were together, Kasumigaoka Utaha would eventually discover his inhuman abilities.
“Yeah.
We’ve both been transported to this unknown world.
Though it sounds absurd, it actually seems to make sense…” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him for a long time, her expression extremely complicated.
She exhaled softly and leaned against a tree trunk, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Aoyama-kun…
you’re starting to look less and less like a normal high schooler.” “Maybe so.” Aoyama continued overturning a large rock.
Beneath it lay a sizable colony of beetles, over a dozen of them packed densely together.
He swiftly caught them one by one, popping them into his mouth.
The fifth one.
The tenth one.
The fifteenth one.
Just as he ate the eighteenth, the long-absent virtual panel materialized before his eyes once again.
The pale blue screen hovered in the air, its edges flickering faintly, visible only to him.
Eating Record: Ground Beetle (Adult) × 20 Current Progress: 20/20 (Complete) Ability Unlocked: Environmental Adaptation [ Effect: Significant strengthening of the immune system; enhanced thermoregulation.
Drastically increased tolerance to extreme climates such as high heat, low temperatures, humidity, and dryness.
(Basal metabolic efficiency optimized, allowing for more efficient energy extraction from food.) ] Aoyama stared at the panel, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“It worked!”