“What…
What are you two even talking about?!”
Togawa Sakiko, who had remained silent beside them, suddenly spoke—and immediately began hissing like an angry cat.
“We’ve been thrown into this awful place without any explanation!
We’re living in broken cabins, and we have no idea what dangers are waiting for us!”
“How can you still stand there so casually, talking about clothes and…
and cosplay?!”
“Huh?
W-Well…”
Caught off guard by Sakiko’s sudden outburst, Kitagawa Marin awkwardly scratched her cheek.
Her attitude was mostly the result of her naturally optimistic personality.
“I-I mean, even if we panic ourselves to death, it won’t change the fact that we’re already here…
Hahaha…”
She let out a few dry laughs, trying to ease the tension with a smile.
Yu watched the visibly agitated Sakiko and found her reaction strangely…
amusing.
‘Did I really just hear Sakiko-sensei hiss?’
“Togawa-san is right,” Yu said.
“We’ve probably chatted long enough.”
Sakiko froze.
‘How does he know my surname?’
“Cooperation…
is acceptable,” she began.
“But if we’re going to work together, especially in an environment like this, we need a clear leader to coordinate our actions, distribute resources, and prevent confusion or infighting.”
Her gaze lingered on Yu for several seconds as though she were evaluating him.
As the only man among them, he might possess a natural advantage in physical strength and responding to sudden dangers.
That would make him a valuable partner.
However, in a lawless wilderness without anyone to enforce rules, a physically stronger man could also represent another kind of danger to two relatively vulnerable women.
The blonde girl beside her, Kitagawa Marin, seemed cheerful but not particularly skilled at considering complicated problems.
If this man named Shinjo Yu had malicious intentions, manipulating or overpowering Marin would probably be all too easy…
Sakiko’s gaze grew even more guarded.
Marin seemed to notice something strange in the way Sakiko was staring at Yu.
She tilted her head in confusion, feeling that the girl’s gaze was becoming a little offensive.
Sakiko steadied herself and met Yu’s eyes.
“I have…
some experience organizing group activities.
When the situation is unclear and time is limited, an effective decision-maker is essential.”
“So, if everyone agrees to cooperate, I believe I should—”
“I refuse.”
Yu interrupted her before she could finish.
He looked directly into Sakiko’s slightly widened blue eyes.
“I’ll be the leader.”
Sakiko’s brows immediately drew together, and she instinctively clicked her tongue.
As expected, this would not be easy.
Unlike Marin, this man did not seem particularly agreeable.
He had his own opinions and clearly had no intention of surrendering control.
From the corner of her eye, Sakiko glanced at the talent panel that only she could see.
[Debtor]
If she surrendered leadership to Yu, what would happen if he discovered her talent?
He might use his authority to force her into dangerous situations to repay that wretched Debt.
He might even imprison her and use her as a tool for completing Debt-related tasks.
Countless terrible possibilities raced through her mind.
‘No.
I can’t allow that.
Absolutely not.’
Relying on someone else and handing decision-making authority to a strange man she had known for less than ten minutes was far too dangerous.
“…I see.”
Sakiko’s expression rapidly cooled.
She looked away from Yu, and her voice returned to its original distant calm.
“It appears I was being too optimistic.
If we cannot agree on who should lead, then continuing together will only create greater disagreements and conflict.”
She paused, seemingly searching for an excuse—or perhaps trying to convince herself.
“Let’s forget about cooperating.
It would be better if we each found our own way to survive.”
Sakiko refused to let someone else’s decisions, especially those of someone she could not fully trust, send her down a path from which she could never return.
She preferred to keep her fate in her own hands.
“Fine by me,” Yu replied.
Under the pressure of survival, cooperation that benefited everyone would have been ideal.
However, forcing a distrustful team to remain together could create even greater risks.
Since Sakiko had chosen to work alone, Yu respected her decision.
Besides, he was confident she would soon regret it.
“Huh?
Wait!”
Marin stared blankly at the two, unable to understand how their discussion had fallen apart so quickly.
She scratched her cheek and looked from Sakiko to Yu.
After less than three seconds of hesitation, Marin hurried after Yu.
Her reasoning was simple.
In an unknown wilderness, following a calm adult man felt slightly safer than relying on a high school girl who appeared even younger than herself.
Yu paid no attention to the footsteps behind him and returned directly to his dilapidated cabin.
His gaze settled on a rough wooden stump half buried in the soil beside the door.
A solid-looking Logging Axe was embedded in its top.
Yu wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled.
The axe came free without difficulty.
Its head was made of dull metal, while the sturdy hardwood handle felt heavy and substantial in his grip.
[Beginner’s Logging Axe (Common)]
[Description: A standard tool issued by the system.
Its design is simple but reliable enough for the early stages of survival.]
[Use: A basic tool for gathering wood.
Attack Damage +10.]
[Durability: ∞]
[Note: Infinite Durability.
This tool will be reclaimed by the system after the Beast Tide ends.]
“Attack Damage plus ten…”
Yu tested the axe’s weight and turned toward a sparse patch of forest nearby.
Wood was the resource he needed to repair his cabin, so he carried the axe toward the trees.
Seeing this, Marin hurried back to her own cabin.
Sure enough, she found an identical Logging Axe in the same place.
She struggled to pull it free, hugged it in both hands, and quickly chased after Yu.
Meanwhile, Sakiko silently retrieved the axe outside her own cabin.
She tried swinging it with one hand before gripping it with both and testing its balance.
“The weight is manageable…” she murmured.
That was the only comforting thing she had discovered so far.
Sakiko watched Marin follow Yu without the slightest hesitation.
She gave a soft, stubborn huff and turned her face away.
“I can manage…
on my own.”
She tightened her grip on the axe as if encouraging herself.
Then she turned in the opposite direction from Yu and Marin, heading toward the sparse woodland on the far side of the clearing.