After a while, Kurusu lowered her gaze, her fingers fidgeting nervously.
“…Do you think the others are alright?”
Akira’s expression darkened slightly.
“…They must have seen the fire. They’ll probably head back toward the plane.”
“That’s assuming they survived the night first,” Mariya said.
Rion frowned immediately.
“Mariya-kun, shut up.”
“I’m being realistic.”
“You don’t have to say it like that.”
Mariya adjusted his glasses.
“Anyways, if they saw the fire yesterday, they probably went back to see what happened.”
Kurusu looked uneasy.
“…Why?”
“They escaped because of the animals, but that doesn’t mean they stopped thinking about it. If they suddenly saw smoke and flames rising from that direction, they’d want to know what happened,” Mariya replied.
He paused.
“Some might try to recover whatever they can, while others might panic, especially if they realize there’s nothing left to return to.”
Kurusu lowered her gaze.
“…But those animals might still be there.”
“That’s why they’ll have to be careful.”
Kurusu clasped her hands together.
“…I still hope they’re safe.”
Akira nodded, but his expression remained troubled.
“Kou-chan is smart. He won’t make any stupid decisions. But…” He hesitated.
“I’m still worried. There are also those people among them. You know, the ones who caused trouble on the plane.”
Towa lowered her head, thinking of Tsuchiya and Eiji.
“I hope Asami is safe,” Kanako said quietly.
Yarai looked at them before speaking.
“We can’t do anything for them from here. For now, we need to concentrate on surviving. Once we’re safe, we can think about the others.”
The group nodded reluctantly.
As the light faded behind the trees, the jungle around the river gradually grew louder.
The constant buzzing of insects became harder to ignore.
Rion slapped the side of her neck.
“…Mosquitoes again.”
“Better than yesterday, at least,” Towa said, reaching into one of the bags.
Kurusu pulled out one of the nearly empty bottles of insect repellent.
“We’re running low.”
They had been using the repellent every evening since waking up on the island.
By now, spraying their exposed skin before sunset had become part of their routine.
One by one, they sprayed their arms, necks, and legs.
Akira sprayed his arms and neck before handing the bottle to Kurusu.
Yarai glanced at the nearly empty container.
“How many bottles do we have left?”
Kurusu checked the bag.
“Three. This one is almost empty.”
Yarai nodded.
“Then we shouldn’t waste them. Avoid using more than necessary.”
Akira suddenly looked uneasy.
“Wait… what if mosquitoes carry some extinct diseases?”
Yarai glanced at him.
“That’s the last thing we need to worry about.”
Akira relaxed slightly.
“Oh, good.”
“But getting bitten can still be dangerous,” Yarai continued.
“Mosquitoes can carry diseases like malaria and dengue. If someone gets seriously sick out here, we don’t have a hospital or proper medical care nearby.”
Akira’s expression changed.
“…Wait, is it really that dangerous?”
“That’s why I told you to study, Sengoku,” Mariya replied instead.
“Mosquitoes have killed more people than any other animal because of the diseases they transmit. Malaria alone has killed millions throughout human history.”
“Damn it…”
Akira looked at the nearly empty bottle of insect repellent.
“…I really hope we don’t run out soon.”
Meanwhile, Itou and Ono finished roasting the fish over the fire while Towa and Kanako laid out several large leaves to use as makeshift plates.
They placed the cooked fish and fruits on them before handing them around the group.
Akira stared at the food with genuine emotion.
“…I never thought fish would make me this happy.”
“That’s because we haven’t eaten anything since morning,” Rion replied.
“We spent the whole day following the river.”
Akira nodded and took a bite.
“…This is good.”
Rion took a bite as well before suddenly looking up.
“Wait, did we have salt?”
“Yeah. I managed to grab some salt and pepper while we were packing,” Towa said.
“Thank God. We don’t have to eat bland food.”
Akira looked at her in disbelief.
“Rion, you have a surprisingly weird sense of priorities.”
“W-Well, food is important, you know.” Rion’s face flushed slightly.
“I would expect that from Sengoku, but this is unexpected,” Mariya said.
Seeing Rion becoming more embarrassed, Towa quickly intervened.
“Now, now, stop teasing her. Let’s just eat.”
Rion gave Towa a grateful look before returning to her meal.
The others soon began eating as well.
Whether the fish was actually that good or simply tasted better after a full day of walking, no one cared.
They finished their portions quickly.
Ono leaned back and looked toward the river.
“If we can keep catching fish like this, food shouldn’t be much of a problem. So wouldn’t it be better to stay here and wait for rescue?”
“It would be safer in some ways, but I don’t think we should stay here.” Mariya answered.
Ono frowned.
“Why not? We have water, fish, bamboo, and a fire.”
“We have those things right now,” Mariya replied.
“That doesn’t mean they’ll be enough if we have to stay here for several days or weeks.”
Ono’s expression became more annoyed.
Mariya adjusted his glasses.
“We also don’t know how far we are from the coast or whether anyone knows where we are. If rescue teams are searching for the plane, they may not even know that we’re here.”
He glanced toward the jungle behind them.
“And this isn’t exactly a safe place to settle down either. We encountered a Smilodon not far from here.”
Ono’s expression changed slightly.
“Right…”
Yarai nodded.
“We’re leaving because we don’t know whether staying here is the better choice. But we can keep gathering food and materials as we travel. There’s no reason to stop preparing just because we’re moving.”
Itou nodded.
“That makes sense.”
Ono sighed and looked at the remaining fish.
“For now, we’ll keep moving toward the sea. We can hope for rescue, but we shouldn’t depend on it,” Yarai said.
The group nodded.
The fish they had caught were more than enough for one meal, so Itou suggested smoking the remaining ones for the journey.
They placed them over a low fire on a makeshift rack, keeping them far enough from the flames to let the smoke slowly dry the meat.
While the fish were left to smoke overnight, they finished organizing their supplies and made sure everything they needed for the following day was within reach.
Once everything was prepared, Mariya stood and stretched.
“We should rest while we still can. If we leave early tomorrow, we can move farther before dark.”
“Yeah,” Akira muttered while staring into the fire.
“I really hope we find somewhere safer to sleep tomorrow.”
“That depends on what we run into tomorrow,” Mariya replied.
Akira frowned slightly.
“…Can you stop saying things like that before sleeping?”
Rion sighed quietly.
“He’s not wrong, though.”
The group spread their blankets over the ground near the fire and settled down for the night.
October 8th, Day 5
The group woke slowly.
Nearby, Itou walked over to the smoked fish hanging near the remains of the fire.
He crouched beside them and checked each piece before removing them from the rack.
Mariya, who was already awake nearby, glanced over as Akira leaned closer.
“They’re ready.”
“They look a lot darker, though,” Akira said, leaning over to look.
“That’s because most of the moisture is gone,” Mariya replied.
“Fresh fish would spoil quickly in this humidity, but these should be easier to carry now.”
Itou wrapped most of the smoked fish in clean leaves, leaving enough for breakfast, and secured the bundle with a length of paracord before placing it with the rest of their supplies.
Towa and Kurusu handed out the remaining pieces to everyone.
A short distance away, Yarai sat beside a flat rock with a notebook resting on his knee.
Akira noticed him writing while chewing on his smoked fish.
“…What are you writing?”
“Nothing. Just my observations.”
Akira frowned slightly.
“Damn. The whole school would be surprised if they knew the scariest guy in the entire school was keeping a journal.”
Kanako looked surprised.
“…Eh? Yarai is that scary?”
“Huh? Don’t get me started. He once-”
Before Akira could finish, Rion grabbed him by the ear.
“Come here, you pervert. Look at yourself before talking about someone else.”
“Rion… wait… don’t pull… my ear…”
Kanako laughed quietly at the two of them before looking back at Yarai.
“…I still think it’s weird seeing someone write field notes while trapped on an island full of extinct animals.”
Mariya adjusted his glasses.
“The extinct animals are exactly why those records matter. Honestly, that’s probably one of the smarter things anyone here has done so far.”
Yarai continued writing quietly, seemingly unaffected by the conversation around him.
Observation Log – Entry 02
Location: Waterfall region / downstream river route
Time: Day 5 after landing
Environment:
The river continues through the Mixed Jungle region downstream from the aircraft area.
There is less undergrowth near the river, making visibility slightly better.
Familiar-looking vegetation continued appearing near the water, including bamboo, flowering plants, and fruit-bearing trees, although some appeared to be species that had long since gone extinct.
Humidity remains high near the river.
Insects become much more active after sunset.
Many animals seem to gather near the water source.
Flora:
Ancient and more recently extinct plant species continue growing together in the same environment.
Bamboo near the river looks almost identical to modern bamboo.
Conclusion: The vegetation includes extinct species from widely separated periods, with some closely resembling plants familiar from the modern world.
Fauna :
1.
Diplomystus : Ancient freshwater fish from the Eocene period.
Found in river pools near the waterfall.
Likely feeds on smaller fish and insects.
2.
Hyracotherium : Small early horse from the Eocene period.
Herbivore.
Usually stayed near the forest edge and riverbank.
3.
Notharctus: Tree-dwelling primate from the Eocene period.
Moved through branches near the river.
Likely feeds on fruit, leaves, or insects.
4.
Diatryma presence suspected in downstream jungle region.
Large flightless predator or omnivore from the Paleogene period.
5.
Smilodon presence suspected in downstream jungle region.
Saber-toothed predator from the Pleistocene period.
Behavioral Notes:
Most smaller animals avoid humans when given space.
The river appears to attract multiple species at the same time.
Multiple species continue sharing the same water source without obvious conflict.
Additional Notes:
The river still remains the safest route for travel.
Further observation required.
Once breakfast was over, everyone folded their blankets and packed them away.
The fire was extinguished completely before the group resumed following the river downstream.
At first, the terrain remained manageable.
The open riverbank made it easier to see anything approaching from the surrounding vegetation as they followed the river.
As they continued downstream, however, the forest gradually became denser.
The river narrowed as the trees grew larger around them.
Massive roots rose from the ground and twisted across their path, forcing them to climb over them or find their way around.
Tall grass filled the spaces between the trees, while thick vines hung from the branches overhead and blocked much of the sunlight.
The forest floor was noticeably darker than the jungle they had passed near the plane.
Akira pushed aside a hanging vine and looked around uneasily.
“What the… This place feels completely different from where we came.”
“It is,” Yarai replied, studying the terrain ahead.
“The visibility is much worse. Those roots and patches of grass create blind spots everywhere.”
His gaze shifted toward the dense vegetation beside the river.
“Anything hiding nearby could get close before we noticed it.”
Kurusu swallowed nervously.
“…You mean animals?”
“To be precise, animals that can ambush,” Yarai answered calmly.
“This terrain favors them.”
Ono tightened his grip on the bamboo spear.
“Great. That makes me feel so much better.”
“You’d complain even if the place was empty,” Mikoshiba muttered.
“Because every place here is trying to kill us.”
The group continued downstream, staying close together as the terrain became increasingly difficult to navigate.
When they finally pushed through the last line of trees, the sound of rushing water grew louder.
The river suddenly disappeared over the edge of a cliff.
A massive waterfall plunged into a wide lake far below, sending mist rising from the rocks around its base.
Jagged cliffs surrounded the water, and the drop was too steep to descend safely.
Akira instinctively stepped closer to the edge before immediately backing away.
“…Yeah, no. We’re definitely not climbing down that.”
Towa carefully looked over the edge.
“If someone falls from here…”
“They’ll die,” Mariya finished bluntly.
Kanako immediately stepped away from the cliff.
“Please stop saying things like that…”
Yarai studied the cliff before following the river with his eyes.
“We need to find a way down. The river still continues to flow from the lake.”
Akira looked toward the steep cliffs surrounding them.
“…Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be easy.”