Chapter 46: Yuigahama Yui Realizes Something Is Strange
"A tree this tall should be enough..."
Jun chose a very tall fir tree.
With that length, it should be able to reach the entire width of the river.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Cutting down a large tree with an iron knife is not an easy task.
Jun had to make a triangle-shaped notch on one side first, then start from the opposite side.
When the tree's weight reached the limit of what its base could support, Jun only needed to push it until it fell.
But before that, he had to make the notch bigger.
Tack… Tack… Tack…
While Jun was cutting down the tree, he felt like someone was watching him.
When he turned around, it was Yukinoshita Yukino who had been watching him.
But every time their eyes met, Yukino would immediately turn her face away as if nothing had happened.
"She's acting strangely today," Jun thought to himself, feeling a bit puzzled.
Tack… Tack… Tack… Crack…
"Be careful, Yukino, Yuigahama-san! The tree is about to fall!"
Jun heard a 'crack' sound from the tree base. This was a sign that the trunk could no longer support its weight.
Thud—!!
Before he could finish his sentence, a tree fell with a loud crash, hitting the ground and kicking up dust everywhere.
It took much longer than expected.
Jun thought maybe the tree could be cut in two. Then they could use the two parts as parts of the bridge.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Yukino and Yui coughed, choking on the dust that flew up when the tree fell.
"Jun-kun, don't cut any more. Come with me for a moment!"
Yukino covered her nose and mouth with her hand. Her expression was still cold, but firm.
She grabbed Jun's arm and led him to a high ground not far from there.
From there, we could see the river below.
"This spot is the best place to build a bridge. We can put up support poles here first, then move the tree over..."
Yukino pointed to the grassy area around them.
"It's perfect, really."
Jun looked at the other side of the river, which was a little lower.
He even felt that if he were alone, he might be able to jump across from both sides.
But Yukino and Yui wouldn't be able to do that.
"We'll start by building a triangular frame. Then firmly attach it to the ground.
They needed to build a support structure so that the tree trunk could be placed between the two riverbanks without slipping into the water.
Otherwise, the long tree could fall into the river when you place it.
"Okay."
Jun understood Yukino's point.
After working together for about two hours under Yukino's instructions, Jun finally built a small bridge from six logs tied side by side.
Creak… crack…
The bridge was still a little shaky, but Jun made it to the other side without any problems.
"Come on, you two! I'll hold it from this side!"
To stop the bridge from shaking too much, Jun even dragged a big stone to hold the bridge's edge on the other side.
"Ugh..."
Yui tried to go on the bridge, but her body shook.
The narrow bridge had no handrails, and each step made it sway even more.
Creak… creak…
After just a few steps, Yui felt weak and couldn't move any more.
After looking at the fast-moving river, she was unable to move.
She looked scared and crouched in the middle of the bridge. She slowly backed away to the riverbank.
"The bridge... is too scary..."
Yukino tried to make the girl feel better and also stepped onto the bridge.
But they still felt uneasy, as if they could fall at any moment.
Yukino seemed to need help, so Jun stepped back to the original side.
The bridge was strong enough.
The bridge shook because the wood was flexible, not because the bridge was fragile.
If they could overcome their fear, crossing it would actually be quite easy.
For Jun, the bridge felt like a normal path. He could cross it easily, going back and forth.
"Yukino, it's getting late. Let me carry you two across."
Jun crouched in front of Yukino, showing his strong back.
"But... if you add one more person, the bridge won't... break, right?"
Yukino hesitated because she wanted to try again on her own.
But if Jun could do it, then she should be able to as well.
"There's no problem. Even if all three of us crossed together, this bridge wouldn't break or collapse."
Jun had already crossed the bridge many times without any problems.
He thinks that two or three people could pass at the same time.
"If that's true, carry Yui first, okay..."
Yukino felt a little bad about leaving Yui waiting alone by the river.
"Yukinon..."
Yui looked at Yukino with a shy face.
But after Yukino gently pushed her, she finally slowly moved her body onto Jun's back.
As Jun expected...
Jun thought that Yui weighed almost the same as Utaha-senpai, as he felt the softness of the girl's thighs pressing against his back.
That area is similar to Utaha, but if you compare them directly, Yui might have a slight advantage.
But before he could think more about it, Jun felt Yukino's eyes on him. Yukino was standing behind them.
Ouch! It really hurts!
Jun didn't want to enjoy that feeling too much, so he started to walk across the little wooden bridge.
Creak… crack…
"Uuuh..."
Yui, who had tried to stay away to not get too attached, immediately hugged Jun's back tightly as the bridge shook.
"It's okay, we're almost there."
Jun felt the girl's body tense up, so he gently patted her thighs, which were still holding on tightly to his back.
"U-um..."
"Don't look down. Just look straight ahead."
"Okay..."
Jun spoke calmly, which made people feel safe. Yui's fear started to fade.
"We've arrived!"
Jun carried Yui across the river quickly.
The girl still held on tightly to Jun, as if she didn't want to get off his back.
"Ah, okay..."
Yui quickly got off Jun's back, her face red.
"Thank you so much, Katō-kun!"
While saying thank you, Yui grabbed Jun's shirt collar, bringing her face close to the young man's ear.
"Katō-kun... I think Yukinon is upset because you haven't told her how you feel. But don't tell her I said that!"
To show her appreciation for being carried, she revealed her best friend's secret.
"I see..."
Jun realized that he and Yukino had never told each other how they felt.
He often complimented Yukino's beauty, but that alone wasn't enough.
"Thank you, Yuigahama-san."
Jun finally understood why Yukino seemed a bit strange today.
"You're welcome. Hurry and go get Yukinon, too!"
But on the other side of the river, Yukino was now trying to cross on her own.
She was careful, but she was determined.
Jun stopped suddenly and watched the girl.
"It seems like there's no need. Yukino can do it herself."
Jun liked Yukino because of her stubborn nature.
He looked at Yukino with love and respect.
Yui, who stood beside him, clearly saw all of that.
It hurts.
Yuigahama held her chest.
She didn't know why, but seeing that made her feel uneasy.
[Yuigahama Yui – Affinity: 79]
— — —
"This place... really is beautiful."
Once she made it across, Yukino took a deep breath and looked around.
Her eyes opened wide at the view before her.
The trees here were tall, but they weren't as close together as the dense forest we'd seen earlier.
A wide green meadow stretched out before them, filled with soft-colored wildflowers growing in random patterns.
Lamp trees—tall and slender—stood reaching the sky in seemingly random patterns.
The view was wide open, with the gentle sound of a calm river.
Every so often, a school of fish jumped out of the water. Their scales shone white in the sunlight.
This place was a good place to live.
Yukino and Yui even saw a field of wild black yams growing along the riverbank.
There was fresh water.
There was food.
There were tall trees for shelter.
This place was like a hidden paradise that only appears in dreams.
Jun lit a campfire under the lamp tree that was farthest from the riverbank. He thought it was the safest spot.
The river's surface looked calm and harmless, but it was better to stay away from the riverbank at night.
Many animals that are active at night come to drink at places like this.
"I've checked the area around here several times. There are no signs of large animals appearing nearby..."
Jun kept the fire going to stay warm, then went back to collecting dry branches and wood.
According to the plan, Yukino and Yui would stay at this place tonight.
Meanwhile, Jun had to return to the beachside camp before night fully arrived.
Tomorrow, he would bring Utaha-senpai and Megumi to this place.
Not far from the campfire, Yukino and Yui were also building a simple wooden hut to spend the night.
"But just in case, you need one escape route. If something happens, you can go up immediately."
Jun opened the basket he brought and took out the vine ladder Yukino made the previous day.
The ladder was quite long. Jun thought it was about the same length as the lamp tree towering before them.
"It looks like it can be installed upside down..."
He then took out his special bow and arrow with the sharp point, and tied the end of the vine ladder to the arrow's shaft.
With a deep breath, Jun got ready to shoot.
Swish—!
The arrow shot quickly into the air, dragging the ladder behind it. It flew up in spirals and hit a big branch at the top of the tree.
Jun checked the stability of the ladder by pulling on its end.
It was strong enough. It could even support his weight without a problem.
"That's so cool..."
Yui was amazed.
She was surprised that Jun could attach a ladder to a tree over 20 meters tall with just one arrow.
It wasn't just about being exact—it was about something beyond reason.
"Be careful..."
Yukino grabbed Jun's sleeve when she saw him getting ready to climb.
"Don't worry. Even if the ladder falls, I'll hug the tree until I'm safe."
Jun then attached the bottom of the ladder to the ground with an extra arrow. This made the ladder more stable when someone climbed it.
"I'm going up first. I'll get some fruit for you, too."
With a confident smile, Jun climbed the vine ladder, moving away from the ground.
Yukino stared at Jun's back while firmly holding the hem of her own clothes.
Don't fall!
As Jun climbed higher, Yukino felt more and more uneasy.
But she just bit her lip, didn't say a word, and kept watching Jun's back with hope.
Yui felt the same way when she saw Yukino's face.
She didn't know why, but she also felt nervous.
Please don't let anything happen, Katō-kun.
— — —
"Huff..."
Jun climbed to the top of the tree safely.
This tree was even sturdier than he had imagined.
"Incredible..."
He stood among the large branches, looking far across the forest and sky.
And for the first time, he saw it.
A mountain.
There's a huge mountain in the distance.
He had always thought the island was small. But from here, it was clear that this place was much wider than he had thought.
"Is this... really an island?"
If this was another world, this might not be an island. It could be... a very big land.
He could only see everything when he reached the top of the mountain.
At that moment, Jun decided that his new goal was to reach the top of the mountain.
Maybe the answer he was looking for was there.
Smiling, Jun waved to the two girls watching him from below.
Then, he picked some fruits growing on the tree.
Lamp Fruits.
They were white and about the size of a palm.
Crunch—
Jun took a bite and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste.
The flesh was a bit like an apple and a bit like a peach—not too hard, not too soft.
"It's really delicious..."
After finishing one, Jun took several more to bring down.
With a new perspective and some fresh fruit, Jun felt confident that the evening would go well.
This 20-meter-tall tree was the best watchtower for them.
From the top of the tree, Jun could already see the rows of coconut trees by the beach.
"Yes, it's time to go down."
The sky was getting dark. Jun still had to return to the beach camp before nightfall to prepare to bring the other two the next morning.
But before going down, he needed to make sure the vine ladder was really secure.
He took a vine rope from his backpack and tied the top of the ladder to a sturdy, large branch.
This way, the ladder wouldn't sway when being used to climb down.
Jun made sure everything was safe. Then, he removed the sharp arrow he had used to attach the ladder to the tree.
An arrow like that was too important to leave on top of a tree.
Climbing down was much harder than going up.
But that wasn't a problem for Jun's body, which was now much stronger than an ordinary human.
When he put both feet on the ground again—
"Yukino, look at this—"
Jun lifted the white lamp fruits he had picked.
But before he could breathe—
"Jun-kun!"
Yukino immediately hugged him tightly.
The girl's body shook a little. Jun could feel the worry she had kept to herself.
"I'm fine..."
Jun raised his hand, ready to gently pat Yukino's back to calm her.
But a few moments later, Yukino let go of her hug.
"Did you like the view from up there?"
She turned her face away, as if she was trying to hide her feelings, and asked in a boring voice.
But… precisely because her voice sounded so calm, Jun knew how hard Yukino was trying to suppress what she really wanted to say.
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