“So, if I eat fish, will I be able to breathe underwater?” “I don’t know.
But you can try.” The moment Aoyama finished speaking, a sudden fluttering sound erupted from the dense forest ahead.
Both of them looked up at the same time.
A plump pheasant had just been startled from the bushes.
Its brown feathers shimmered with a dark golden luster in the sunlight as it flapped its wings, attempting to escape into the thicker canopy.
Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes widened.
“Aoyama-kun, it’s a pheasant!” Aoyama’s hand was already moving.
Without a moment’s thought, he drew the long blade from his waist.
He lowered his stance, twisted his wrist, and the blade traced a silvery arc in the air.
The sword left his hand, spinning half a turn in mid-air before its spine struck the low-flying pheasant with pinpoint accuracy.
Thwack—!
The pheasant let out a startled shriek, lost its balance, and tumbled clumsily to the ground.
After a couple of weak flaps, it collapsed into a pile of fallen leaves.
“???” Kasumigaoka Utaha stood there, completely stunned.
Utaha stared wide-eyed, her gaze flitting from the unconscious pheasant on the ground back to Aoyama.
He strode over unhurriedly, bent down, and retrieved his prize.
He also picked up the long blade from the ground, casually wiping its edge against a nearby blade of grass to clear away the white downy feathers.
“Aoyama-kun, you truly never cease to amaze me!” Utaha’s voice pitched higher.
“Just basic training.” “…” Utaha took a deep breath, walking over to inspect the plump pheasant in Aoyama’s hand.
Its tail feathers were long and its belly full—clearly a mature rooster weighing at least two or three pounds.
“Dinner is sorted,” Aoyama said, testing the bird’s weight as a faint smile touched his lips.
Utaha shook her head, casting him a complicated look before unable to suppress a smile of her own.
“Fine, I’ll get used to this eventually…
after all, Aoyama-kun is still evolving.” “This isn’t evolution.
It’s talent.” “Uh…” Aoyama tied the pheasant’s legs with a vine and hung it from the side of his backpack.
Then, the two continued their walk back.
It was still early, but their backpacks were already filled with a considerable amount of food.
Wild amaranth, wood ear mushrooms, wild grapes…
and with the addition of that plump pheasant, today’s harvest was quite bountiful.
On the way back, Utaha walked beside him, her steps much lighter than when they had arrived.
She occasionally reached out to push aside hanging vines or plucked a beautifully shaped leaf to twirl in her hand.
She seemed much more relaxed than she had been in the first few days after waking up.
“Aoyama-kun, don’t you think…” she said suddenly, her voice carrying a soft, thoughtful tone.
“Think what?” “Walking through this forest like this, carrying bags, searching for food, digging up wild vegetables, hunting pheasants…” She paused, turning her head to look at him.
“It feels a bit like living a primitive life, doesn’t it?” “No phones, no internet, no homework…
all the troubles of modern people are gone.” Aoyama said, “But we have new troubles now, like what we’re going to eat tomorrow.” “True, what should we eat?” Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled softly.
“At least we don’t have to worry about dinner tonight.” While the smoked crocodile meat is okay, it’ll be nice to change it up for a bit.
The sun was already dipping toward the west by the time they returned to their shelter, casting a soft, warm glow over everything.
Aoyama set down his backpack and took the contents out one by one.
He placed the wild amaranth in the stream to be washed clean and set aside, soaked the wood ear mushrooms in water, tucked the wild grapes away in a cool, shaded spot, and prepared to clean and roast the pheasant over the fire.
Kasumigaoka Utaha crouched by the stream, helping him wash the vegetables.
Her fingers dipped into the cool water, carefully scrubbing the mud and sand off each leaf of wild amaranth.
The setting sun gilded her profile in a warm light, her eyelashes casting soft shadows beneath her eyes.
She looked both peaceful and focused.
“Kasumigaoka-san.” “Hmm?” “You’re getting more and more skilled at this.” She stacked the washed leaves neatly on a clean rock.
“Well, after all, I’ve watched you gather them so many times.” “And you taught me to pick the young leaves and discard the old ones.” Aoyama nodded as he watched her arrange the leaves in neat stacks.
“You’re a fast learner.” Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, her expression carrying a hint of her characteristic composure.
“If I don’t learn quickly, I won’t be able to keep up with you, will I, Aoyama-kun?” Aoyama didn’t reply, but his movements while preparing the pheasant slowed ever so slightly.
He sliced open its belly with a knife, carefully removed the viscera, and rinsed the cavity clean in the stream.
Then, he threaded a sharpened wooden stick through its body and propped it over the rekindled fire.
Flames licked the skin of the pheasant, and fat soon began to sizzle out, dripping onto the hot coals and sending up tiny sparks.
A rustic, savory aroma of roasted meat filled the air, irresistible and inviting.
“It smells so good!” Kasumigaoka Utaha sat opposite the fire, her knees tucked up, chin resting on her arm.
She watched Aoyama rotate the stick to ensure the pheasant cooked evenly.
Her gaze shifted between the flames and Aoyama, and after a long silence, she spoke softly.
“Aoyama-kun, thank you for taking me out today.” “Hmm?” “It’s warm enough inside the shelter, but…
I still wanted to go outside and walk around.” Her voice was light, almost swallowed by the crackle of the firewood and the glow of the fire.
Aoyama flipped the pheasant over, turning the other side to the heat.
“You just recovered from your illness.
A little light activity will help your recovery.” Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head, murmuring, “Although the island feels so unfamiliar…
with Aoyama-kun by my side, it doesn’t seem so scary after all.” Aoyama’s hand paused as he rotated the stick.
He looked up, meeting her gaze across the dancing flames.
Utaha was looking down, fiddling with the fallen leaves on the ground.
Her long black hair fell forward, concealing half of her face and obscuring her expression.
He said nothing.
Instead, he tore off a golden-brown, crispy drumstick, wrapped it in a clean leaf, and passed it across the fire.
“Eat it while it’s hot.” Utaha looked up and took the leaf-wrapped chicken.
Her hand paused for a moment as it brushed his fingertips.
Then she lowered her head, taking a bite of the hot meat.
The grease melted on her tongue.
“…It’s delicious.” Her voice was muffled, a glistening smear of grease on the corner of her mouth, but her eyes curved into a crescent smile.
Aoyama tore off a piece of breast meat for himself, sitting opposite the fire as he chewed slowly.
The sky gradually darkened, the evening sun’s light streaming obliquely through the shelter’s entrance, stretching their shadows long.
Their voices drifted through the air from time to time.
“Kasumigaoka, want some wild grapes?” “No way~!!!”