"Then... let's go."
Under the nervous gaze of the three girls, Kitahara Makoto carried Togawa on his back and once again climbed towards the top of the cliff.
Although he was carrying someone this time, Kitahara Makoto's speed didn't change much; he was both fast and steady.
His physical abilities, which surpassed human limits, were his confidence.
Steady all the way, the two quickly arrived inside the island.
"Togawa, you can open your eyes now."
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly.
"Okay..."
Togawa Sakiko's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes, immediately seeing the giant tree that dominated the entire island.
"It smells so good."
Togawa Sakiko instinctively sniffed.
"Don't get close to that tree," Kitahara Makoto said seriously, "In the Otherworld, the prettier something is, the more dangerous it is."
The reason he chose to carry Togawa over first was because Togawa Sakiko's personality was the most stable and reassuring.
"I understand."
Togawa Sakiko nodded seriously and gently jumped off Kitahara Makoto's back:
"Kitahara-kun, you've worked hard."
"It was indeed very hard," Kitahara Makoto put his hands together, "Seeing how hard I worked, Togawa, could you give me a few more points?"
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face froze slightly: "One point."
"Isn't one point too little?"
"It's minus one point."
Kitahara Makoto was immediately shocked: "I worked so hard, and I'm still getting points deducted?"
"What do you think?"
Togawa Sakiko bit her silver teeth lightly and couldn't help but glare at him.
Quickly give back the gratitude!
After a brief chat, Kitahara Makoto felt his fatigue disappear and quickly said, "Then I'm going over. Remember not to get close to that big tree."
"I remember," Togawa Sakiko nodded seriously, "Kitahara-kun, don't worry."
Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted downwards and he said, "You can take off the bathrobe now. If you keep wearing it, you'll definitely catch a cold and get a fever."
Togawa Sakiko covered her chest with her hands and glared at him irritably:
"I'll take it off as soon as Kitahara-kun leaves."
"..."
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto easily climbed back to the other side of the cliff.
"Soyo, I'll carry you over first."
Kitahara Makoto looked at cunning young lady.
"Okay."
Nagasaki Soyo's pretty face flushed slightly, she turned around, put on the wet bathrobe, then stretched out her arms and embraced Kitahara Makoto's neck:
"It's too worrying for Sakiko to be alone over there, Kitahara-kun, please carry me over quickly."
Kitahara Makoto's tone was faint:
"I'm jealous."
"Eh?"
"I worked so hard to cross the cliff, but Soyo is only thinking about Togawa. I'm jealous."
Nagasaki Soyo: "..."
You're a guy planning to open a super harem, and you still have the nerve to be jealous?
How can you even say that out loud!
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice and said, "Unless Soyo gives me a kiss voucher..."
"There's no such thing!"
"A lap pillow voucher will do too."
"Sorry, also none."
"Tsk~ Nothing here, nothing there." Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice, "Do you believe I'll kiss you in front of Sakiko?"
Nagasaki Soyo: "..."
"..."
Having obtained Soyo's voucher, Kitahara Makoto was in a great mood. He carried Soyo, climbed over the cliff, and steadily arrived inside the island.
Togawa Sakiko was waiting quietly below, with her pretty face tilted up, not wandering around.
"I didn't fail you."
Kitahara Makoto put Soyo down, rested for a moment, and then climbed over the cliff again, returning to the outside.
"Tomori, Anon, who wants to go first?"
Kitahara Makoto asked while stretching his muscles and bones.
"Let Anon go first."
Takamatsu Tomori said softly.
"Tomori goes first!" Chihaya Anon covered her chest with one hand and her body with the bathrobe with the other, her pretty face flushed, "It's not convenient for me right now... Anyway, Tomori-chan goes first."
"The order is actually the same," Kitahara Makoto said casually, "Then I'll carry Tomori over first... Tomori, come here."
"Mm."
Takamatsu Tomori put on the bathrobe, stretched out her arms, and with a flushed face, embraced Kitahara Makoto's neck from behind.
It was the exact same posture as when he carried Tomori ashore in the sea before. Although the bathrobe was in the way, Kitahara Makoto could still clearly feel the exaggerated sense of pressure.
"Let's go!"
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly, composed himself, and once again climbed the cliff.
He arrived steadily inside the island.
Kitahara Makoto put Tomori down, and while stretching his body, he said, "The snow is getting heavier... You can start collecting some dry grass now, we'll use it to make a fire later."
"Eh?" Togawa Sakiko's eyes lit up, "Kitahara-kun has a way to make fire?"
"I have my own clever plan," Kitahara Makoto instructed, "Be careful, and definitely don't get close to that big tree. Just collect dry grass nearby, don't go far, and put the collected dry grass into the cave first. I've already checked, there are no snakes, insects, rats, or ants inside the cave."
"Understood."
The three girls all nodded seriously, indicating that they understood.
After a short rest, Kitahara Makoto once again climbed over the cliff and left.
Bang.
Kitahara Makoto lightly jumped onto the reef. Before he could even speak, a pink-haired girl directly pounced into his arms.
"Why did you take so long?"
Chihaya Anon tearfully questioned.
Kitahara Makoto was slightly startled, and quickly understood that Anon was clearly scared.
Unexpectedly stranded in the Otherworld, everyone else had already left, and only Anon was standing alone below the cliff.
The cold wind howled.
Snowflakes drifted in the sky.
In front of them were increasingly high, dark waves.
Humans are social creatures, and Anon even more so.
Although it was only a few short minutes, loneliness and fear had clearly engulfed Anon.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
Kitahara Makoto didn't argue, he just apologized gently.
"I waited and waited, but you didn't come back," Chihaya Anon sniffled, her eyes misty, and her voice full of grievance, "I thought you had forgotten about me."
During those few minutes of waiting alone, Chihaya Anon truly experienced what it meant for time to drag on, every second feeling exceptionally long.
"I promise that no matter what happens, I will never abandon Anon."
Kitahara Makoto comforted her gently while leaning down closer.
Verbal comfort was not as good as actual action.
And speaking of actual action... of course, it was a kiss.
Chihaya Anon didn't refuse, nor did she dodge. Instead, she stood on tiptoe and actively responded, even daring to counterattack boldly... but her movements were quite clumsy, clearly indicating she was a novice.
A moment later.
Pop~
Accompanied by a subtle sound, Kitahara Makoto temporarily released the pink-haired girl who was almost out of breath, and said softly, "Don't worry, even if the end of the world comes, I will absolutely not leave you alone."
"Hmph~"
Chihaya Anon's pretty face was flushed, and she was panting. The grievance in her eyes had disappeared, leaving only a full measure of shyness. Upon hearing this, she gave an Tsundere light hum:
"You left me alone for so long, don't think a few words of comfort will make me forgive you."
"Then kiss me again."
"Huh?"
"Once isn't enough, kiss me again, until Anon forgives me."
"Kitahara-kun, don't push your luck!"
Chihaya Anon quickly raised her hand to cover her pink lips, both shy and annoyed, and pinched Kitahara Makoto's waist:
"Hurry up and go, if we don't, everyone will definitely get suspicious."
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly: "It's not convenient to move now, we'll have to wait a bit."
"Eh?"
Chihaya Anon blinked, her gaze involuntarily drifting downwards, and she was immediately startled.
"You, you actually again… your head is full of perverted thoughts, isn't it?!"
Kitahara Makoto said righteously:
"As a normal high school boy, if I had no reaction at all, Anon should be worried."
"Pfft~"
Chihaya Anon lightly scoffed, shouting in embarrassment:
"Who would worry about you?!"
"…"
After calming down.
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly: "Quickly put on your bathrobe, we're about to climb over the cliff."
"Wait a moment." Chihaya Anon covered her body, her pretty face flushed, "Give me back my shorts first."
"This…" Kitahara Makoto's voice was hesitant, "It's not convenient to move with your shorts off."
"When you first climbed the cliff, I didn't see any inconvenience at all." Chihaya Anon puffed out her pink cheeks, refusing to back down, "You already kissed me, you used the Kiss Redemption Coupon, and you still don't want to take responsibility?"
"I am taking responsibility, okay?!"
"Anyway, quickly take them off and give them to me. Those are the shorts I exchanged with the coupon, otherwise the coupon will be directly voided."
Tomori and the others at least have panties, but she has nothing. What if her bathrobe falls off in mid-air… It's too embarrassing to even think about!
Hearing this, Kitahara Makoto said decisively:
"I'll take them off right away."
The Kiss Redemption Coupon that he finally got his hands on, of course, couldn't be voided just like that.
Chihaya Anon wrapped herself in the bathrobe and put on her shorts, fully equipped.
"Come on up."
Kitahara Makoto half-squatted.
"Heave-ho~"
Chihaya Anon leaped up, clearly in a good mood, jumping directly onto Kitahara Makoto's back, then wrapping her arms tightly around Kitahara Makoto's neck:
"Let's go, let's go!"
Kitahara Makoto reminded her:
"If you feel dizzy, close your eyes."
"No way." Chihaya Anon widened her eyes, "It's such an exciting thing, it would be a shame to close my eyes."
"…"
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto carried Anon over the cliff and safely arrived inside the island.
"Anon!"
Takamatsu Tomori's voice came.
"Tomori, I'm here!"
Chihaya Anon immediately responded happily.
Kitahara Makoto breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Take off your bathrobe first, it would be bad if you caught a cold or fever."
"Oh, Kitahara-kun is so nagging."
Chihaya Anon complained verbally, but her body was quite obedient, and she dutifully took off her bathrobe.
In the Otherworld, let alone hospitals, there wasn't even a pharmacy. Once one caught a cold or fever, it was indeed extremely dangerous.
"Tomori, what are you doing?"
Chihaya Anon asked curiously.
"Makoto-kun told us to pull weeds." Takamatsu Tomori explained, "We'll use them to make a fire later."
"Eh?" Chihaya Anon turned her head in surprise, "Is Kitahara-kun going to make fire by rubbing sticks?"
"You'll know soon." Kitahara Makoto walked to the cave with his backpack, looked inside, and saw a pile of dry grass already there, "Good, everyone worked hard."
Togawa Sakiko pursed her pink lips:
"Kitahara-kun, is this enough?"
"Almost." Kitahara Makoto walked into the cave, "Everyone come in, I'll light the fire first."
The girls all walked in.
The already small cave suddenly became crowded.
"What method will Kitahara-kun use to make fire?" Nagasaki Soyo looked over curiously, "I heard making fire by rubbing sticks is very difficult, even professional outdoor survival experts might not succeed."