Togawa Sakiko stumbled through the dark forest, struggling to find her way beneath the cover of night.
The cool night breeze swept through the sparse trees, cutting straight under her short skirt—which she wore without any underwear—and brushing against her sensitive private parts.
The sudden chill made her shiver violently.
Almost instinctively, she clamped her thighs together and pressed her hands over the hem of her skirt, her face instantly flushing crimson.
This feeling of being completely exposed to the air was an unprecedented experience for her.
Though reason told her that in this desolate, pitch-black wilderness, it was impossible for anyone to see her, the psychological shame and discomfort clung to her like a bone-eating ant, making every step she took feel excruciatingly awkward.
“This is…
just terrible…” she cursed softly, unsure if she was cursing this bizarre situation or her own rotten luck from the afternoon.
Earlier that day, she had indeed followed the trail of water droplets Yu had left behind and found the clear river.
The joy of discovering water was quickly replaced by the sight of silver fish darting in the stream.
Meat!
Fresh meat!
The memory of the steak that had haunted her dreams since lunch drove her to try and catch them, her desire overpowering her hesitation.
However, expectations were far from reality.
She had thought catching fish would be easy—just approach, reach out, and grab.
After all, that’s how they did it on TV.
But in the end, she didn’t even touch a single fish scale, let alone catch a fish.
Instead, her intense focus caused her to slip on the wet, slick pebbles, and she fell straight into the river, instantly becoming a drowned rat.
Coincidentally, her underwear was the first to take the hit after last night’s “electric shock punishment” had caused her to lose control of her bladder, leaving it reeking.
She took this opportunity to scrub it vigorously with the river water, wrung it out, and then…
went commando.
After all, her skirt was half-soaked and could offer some concealment, and there were no other humans for miles.
This had led to the awkward encounter with Yu that evening.
Sakiko finally reached her cabin and closed the door.
The building was still crude, but she had spent the day using her hard-earned Wood to repair all four walls one section at a time.
Several small gaps remained in the roof, but at least the irritating crosswind no longer swept through the cabin.
The interior was completely dark.
Only the starlight swirling within the Starter Core faintly illuminated the surrounding objects.
Sakiko fumbled in the dark, peeling off her wet, cold sailor uniform top, her short skirt, and her bra—which was still damp—one by one.
She draped them over a few sturdy branches she’d found, propping them up near the Core in the center of the room to dry as quickly as possible.
Then, completely naked, she walked over to the moldy nest of hay in the corner.
After a moment’s hesitation, she curled her body and lay down inside.
The coarse, dry stalks scratched and pricked her, causing constant itching and discomfort.
Sakiko shifted repeatedly in search of a less painful position, but nothing helped.
She could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Compared with the previous night’s agonizing [Electric-Shock Punishment], this discomfort seemed almost insignificant.
Her body was cold and exhausted, and the straw bed was miserable.
Even so, Sakiko’s thoughts drifted back to noon.
She remembered the steaming, aromatic Steak.
Hot juices had burst across her tongue, while the tender meat and rich fat soothed her starving stomach.
Sakiko instinctively licked her dry, cracked lips, almost able to taste the rich aroma again.
Her stomach growled softly, reminding her that the Satiety provided by the Rye Bread had already faded.
‘If I complete tomorrow’s Debt, will I receive another Steak?
Or perhaps some other kind of meat?’
The thought brought an imaginary warmth to her curled-up body.
‘Maybe chicken or fish…
Even a small roasted meat patty would be enough.’
Exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her hunger and discomfort.
Surrounded by cold straw and prickling stalks, Sakiko drifted into a restless sleep while imagining the aroma of meat and tomorrow’s possible reward.
A dream quietly unfolded.
She was no longer a miserable girl curled up inside a broken cabin.
Instead, Sakiko sat before a long table covered with a spotless white cloth.
A magnificent crystal chandelier glittered overhead.
The table was laden with delicacies.
There was a whole roasted chicken with crisp golden skin and sizzling fat, thick-cut Steak covered in rich sauce, beautifully plated pan-fried cod, soft white bread, and fresh, juicy fruit.
Juices burst free as the flavor exploded across her tongue.
The happiness was so overwhelming that she almost cried.
She greedily devoured one bite after another, as though this feast could repay every moment of hunger, fear, and humiliation she had endured in reality.
…
On the other side of the forest, Yu carried his supplies through the darkness toward his cabin.
Firelight shone through the gaps around its door and walls.
He pushed open the wooden door, and warm, dry air washed over him, carrying the faint scent of burning wood.
Marin was lying flat on her back on the floor in front of the fireplace, her arms and legs spread wide in a sprawling “X” shape.
Her most private garden was exposed, facing the dancing flames of the fireplace with complete openness.
Is this a roast…?
The fireplace’s glow brightly illuminated her completely naked body.
Because of her flat posture, her proud, snowy peaks no longer stood erect but spread to the sides of her body like two plump, juicy, fully ripe coconuts, forming perfect semicircles under the influence of gravity.
The two tender-pink buds at their peaks, like early spring cherry blossoms, stood out coquettishly.
Her flat, tight lower abdomen, her slender waist, and further down…
the leaping firelight cast flickering shadows across the smooth mons pubis between her legs.
Her entire skin was coated in a warm, jade-like honey glow from the fireplace’s light, tinged with a faint pink from the warmth.
Yu felt a surge of blood rush to his head.
The restlessness he had barely managed to suppress by the river threatened to return with a vengeance.
Seemingly hearing the door open, Marin turned her head languidly toward the entrance.
Seeing it was Yu, her face showed no hint of shame at being seen naked.
Instead, she offered a smile, lazily waving one hand at him.
Then, starkly naked, she sat up.
As she moved, the “coconuts” that had been spread out bounced slightly, regaining their firm, full curves and trembling slightly as she straightened her posture.
She closed her legs and sat with her knees bent, tilting her head as she looked at Yu and said:
“Yu-kun, when you get back, you should say ‘I’m back’!”
Yu’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He averted his gaze, trying his best not to look at the body radiating fatal temptation in the firelight, his voice sounding a bit strained:
“…I do not have that habit.”
He reached back to close the door, placing the bundle of supplies he had brought back on the ground.
As he moved, he caught a glimpse of Marin’s wet clothes, which she had taken off to dry, spread on the floor on the other side of the fireplace.
They were already half dry.
“Wow!
Yu-kun, what good stuff did you bring back?”
Marin’s attention was immediately drawn to the new things on the floor, and as she scrambled over on all fours, the scene instantly became one of boundless springtime beauty.
Yu bent down and untied the [Tough Vines] binding the Reeds and Cattails together.
As the bundle opened, the items wrapped inside were revealed.
Yu removed two [Waterbird Eggs] from his clothes.
They had been carefully cushioned inside layers of [Soft Dry Grass].
He held them out to Marin.
“Look.
I found two eggs.”
The expedition had not gone entirely smoothly, and he had witnessed something awkward along the way, but the rewards were real.
“Wow!
Eggs!
Really?”
Marin exclaimed in delight, her eyes instantly shining.
She eagerly accepted the two eggs from Yu’s palm.
Bits of grass still clung to their shells, which retained a faint trace of warmth.
Marin carefully examined them with a joyful expression.
“You are amazing, Yu-kun!”
She looked up and gave him a brilliant smile.
Feeling that words alone could not express her happiness, Marin suddenly rose onto her toes and planted a quick kiss on Yu’s cool cheek.
Smack!
“Ahem…
It was nothing.
I am going to process the rest.”
He pointed toward the Reeds, Cattails, and leaf-wrapped Saline Soil on the floor.
Yu carried them to one corner of the cabin and placed the Reed Stalks and Cattail plants on the [Simple Workbench].
Combining the [Eye of Omniscience] with the dismantling function, he quickly processed them into usable materials.
[Reed Stalk ×10]
[Reed Root ×3]
[Cattail Rhizome ×3]
[Cattail Fluff ×2]
[Cattail Pollen ×2]
After finishing, Yu returned to the Fireplace.
It was time to prepare dinner.
He retrieved a [Wooden Bowl] he had crafted earlier and filled it with clean water.
Yu carefully poured the small package of [Saline Soil] into the bowl, then stirred the mixture with a clean twig.
The muddy water gradually settled, while the liquid above began developing a faint salty taste.
Yu waited patiently, allowing as much salt as possible to dissolve from the soil.
Once most of the soil had settled at the bottom, he carefully poured the relatively clear upper layer into a second bowl.
The resulting water now contained usable salt, although the extraction method was extremely crude.
Yu faced the warm Fireplace and reached toward the empty space above the firebox.
A pale-blue [Cooking Interface] appeared before him.
The interface was simple, with four square slots arranged side by side.
The Cooking Interface functioned much like a game system, allowing several kinds of food to be processed simultaneously.
Yu placed the bowl of salty, cloudy water into the first [Cooking Slot].
The slot lit up the moment the [Wooden Bowl] entered it.
A thin Progress Bar extended beside it and began counting down by the second.
[Item: Crude Brine]
[Time Remaining: 00:05:00]
[Expected Product: Coarse Salt (Common)]
“Five minutes to extract a small amount of Coarse Salt.
Not bad.”
Yu nodded.
This was far faster than boiling the water in a pot as he had expected.
The process also appeared completely automatic, so he did not need to watch the fire.
He began preparing the Waterbird Eggs.
Yu retrieved another [Wooden Bowl] from [Storage], filled it with the remaining clean water, and placed both [Waterbird Eggs] inside.
He then inserted the bowl containing the eggs and water into the second [Cooking Slot].
It lit up, and another Progress Bar appeared.
[Item: Boiled Waterbird Egg]
[Time Remaining: 00:08:00]
[Expected Product: Boiled Waterbird Egg (Common)]
“Boiled eggs take eight minutes.”
Finally, Yu retrieved the [Silver-Scaled Fish] he had caught that afternoon from [Storage].
The fish was barely moving anymore.
Yu pushed a branch through its mouth to hold it in place, then placed it directly into the third [Cooking Slot].
The third slot lit up, and another Progress Bar appeared.
[Item: Silver-Scaled Fish]
[Time Remaining: 00:12:00]
[Expected Product: Roasted Silver-Scaled Fish (Common)]
Three of the four Cooking Slots were now occupied, leaving only the last one empty.
Their environment remained dangerous, and the future was uncertain.
Yet inside the cabin he had repaired with his own hands, Yu was waiting for warm food beside a companion with whom he could share warmth.
The tension that had gripped him throughout the day finally eased.
At the very least, they would enjoy a proper hot meal tonight.
It encourages me!