Chapter 14: The girl is actually very helpful.
"We're back..."
Yukino could already see the blue ocean through the gaps in the forest.
The coconut grove nearby made the girl, who had been scared before, feel peaceful and warm.
That was the place they called "home."
Finally, they had escaped the scary, maze-like forest.
"It's about four in the afternoon, which is the perfect time to go fishing for dinner."
Jun checked his mechanical watch, then looked up at the sun, which was still blazingly bright.
"Ahhh! A spider!"
But before Jun could finish his sentence, the girl walking in front of him suddenly hugged him tightly.
"The spider is huge!"
Yukino seemed alarmed, as if she had seen something even more scary than a venomous snake.
"Where?"
Jun looked around, but he didn't see any webs or spiders.
"On... on the coconut tree..."
Yukino didn't dare look at the huge creature on the tree. She hugged Jun tightly and started shaking in fear again.
With his breath trapped by the scent of her hair, Jun followed the direction of her pointing finger.
There was a huge creature up there!
But it wasn't a spider—it was the king of all crabs, said to be incredibly tasty: the Coconut Crab.
"Yukinoshita-san, that's not a spider. That's a coconut crab, but it's a bit too big."
Jun looked at the crab climbing up the tree. He looked a little shocked.
He remembered that coconut crabs usually grew to about a meter long and weighed five kilograms. But the one on this tree—Jun thought its claws alone could break a fully grown coconut tree in half.
It was huge.
Jun estimated its weight to be around 15 to 20 kilograms, and its body was almost two meters long.
Were all the creatures on this island this big?
Even though he could see how good it looked, Jun still had a hard time thinking of a way to catch it.
"A coconut crab?"
Yukino carefully looked away from Jun and looked at the huge creature on the tree.
When she saw the claws, she realized it wasn't a spider but a kind of crustacean.
Still, she was scared of the creature.
Its hairy legs looked like a spider's, and its curled tail resembled the spider's rear end.
Yukino thought that, besides not being able to spin webs, it wasn't that different from a spider.
"Don't worry, coconut crabs aren't dangerous. Because of their size, they move really slowly. But we still have to be careful with those claws—they can crack open coconuts easily..."
A coconut crab's claws are so strong that it could easily tear apart a pig or a human body.
Luckily, they were usually nice and calm, so they rarely attacked people without a reason.
Ironically, they were hunted to near extinction because their meat is delicious and they grow slowly.
People said that coconut crabs were worth more than king crabs.
Jun was amazed by the huge creature. Yukino was scared, but Jun was happy. He didn't want to eat fish for dinner that night.
He had to think of a way to catch it.
This meal is like a luxury.
"As long as it doesn't attack humans..."
Yukino felt relieved when she realized it wasn't a scary spider, but she was still holding onto Jun's arm tightly.
That was the only way she could feel even a little better.
"Yukinoshita-san, let's collect some vines. I need strong rope..."
Jun looked at the crab on the tree and checked around for vines.
This forest was full of thick, sturdy vines. These vines were perfect material for making rope.
"Okay... but Katō-kun, what's the rope for?"
Yukino asked, curiously.
"To catch that giant crab, of course. It's a rare delicacy..."
Jun answered casually.
"…"
Yukino's affinity level dropped again.
"These vines should be enough, right?"
Yukino was faster than Jun at making rope. After she learned the basic technique, she was able to make strong and flexible ropes.
"Yeah, that should do it. And that giant thing is almost down from the tree..."
Jun and Yukino hid behind a tree and watched as the coconut crab came down with a green coconut in its claws.
"Yukinoshita-san, please wait here. I'll go alone."
Jun could clearly see that Yukino was afraid. A coconut crab that size—even if it was slow—wasn't something easy to catch.
"Okay..."
Yukino nodded slowly, her eyes full of concern.
She was really scared. She realized that if she forced herself to go along with this, she'd only end up making things harder for Jun.
"Great, it's down. This is the perfect chance!"
As soon as the crab landed on its side, Jun jumped out.
He grabbed the prepared rope and quickly moved behind the coconut crab.
Facing this huge spider-like creature, Jun briefly lost focus while looking at it closely, but he quickly stopped being afraid.
He imagined the crab fully cooked and ready to eat.
That made it much less scary.
The giant crab felt something move behind it. It quickly let go of the coconut and started to turn around to face the unexpected "threat."
But Jun wasn't going to let that happen.
He grabbed both ends of the rope, threw it over the crab's head, and pulled quickly.
The crab couldn't react quickly enough and got caught.
Jun silently thanked his luck because the hardest part was over. He pulled the heavy body of the crab and wrapped the rope tightly around it.
After catching both of its sharp claws, Katō Jun finally breathed out deeply and fell onto the sand, breathing heavily.
"I did it! Yukinoshita!"
Jun called out to Yukino, excitedly, as she cautiously approached.
"I... I'm still a little scared..."
Yukino carefully avoided the crab's path and walked over to where Jun was lying. She looked down at him.
"Don't worry. We'll cut off the claws and cook them. Once they're gone, a coconut crab is just a hunk of protein waiting to be eaten..."
Although Yukino was wearing a long skirt made of bark and leaves, from Jun's position on the ground, he could still catch a glimpse of her fair thighs—a very pleasant view.
But the crab was really big. Just moving its body had already tired him out.
A living creature weighing nearly twenty kilograms wasn't just any twenty kilograms.
Luckily, the beast was now completely under control. Before Yukino could realize he'd been sneaking a peek, Jun quickly jumped up from the ground.
Faced with such a huge piece of meat, even though he was exhausted, he felt more sane.
A man's natural tendency is to overcome challenges and accomplish greater things.
It could be a mountain or a softball on a woman's chest.
Jun accidentally looked again at Yukino's "flat terrain."
She was a poor girl, and she hadn't developed much.
"Katō-kun, I think you're thinking something that might be a bit too much."
Yukino felt Jun's sad look, and her face immediately went cold. She crossed her arms over her chest, blocking his view.
In the evening, Jun used his knife to cut off the crab's two big claws. The body, still tied with rope made from tree roots, was placed in a sand pit near their cave, surrounded by branches and logs.
He didn't kill the coconut crab; he hoped it would survive until morning.
A lot of meat was needed, and it probably wouldn't be eaten in one dinner, or maybe not even the next day.
But it probably wouldn't last long anyway.
After making sure the de-clawed crab couldn't escape, Katō Jun happily carried the two huge claws back to camp.
At the campsite, Yukino was boiling fresh water collected from the nearby cliff over a bonfire.
Seeing the huge claws, she wasn't as scared as she had been by the whole crab.
But cooking claws that big was hard.
Each claw was almost two meters long.
"We can make two supports, light a bigger fire, and roast them directly over it..."
After thinking for a moment, Yukino made her decision.
She sharpened two forked branches with the iron knife and stuck them into the sand.
Meanwhile, Jun moved the bonfire to a wider sandy area and added as much dry wood as possible.
After attaching the two huge claws to two long sticks using root rope and putting them on the supports, they sat around the bonfire. They drank warm water mixed with palm root and watched the claws roast over the fire.
For some reason, even after all the fear she'd experienced that day, Yukino felt calm and comfortable now.
For some reason, Katō-kun seemed much more reliable than she'd thought.
She looked at Jun and her cheeks went a little red. It was unclear whether it was from the firelight or embarrassment.
"So, how is it?"
This time, it was Jun who asked Yukino what she thought about dinner, which was different from the last few days.
"It's a bit bland, but the meat is tender. Tastes good..."
This was also Yukino's first time eating crab meat this big.
When she opened the hard outer shell, she saw that the white meat inside was wider than both her hands put together.
Even though the meat was quite thick, it wasn't tough at all. It was incredibly tender.
"Yeah, besides sea salt, we still need real seasoning. Seafood without spicy sauce just isn't as good.
Jun thought the flavor was a little plain.
Even so, it was clear that the crab meat was fresh and delicious. Even without any seasoning, it was quite enjoyable.
"Katō-kun, will you go into the forest again tomorrow?"
After a few bites, Yukino looked a bit disappointed.
"Ah... yeah..."
Jun nodded. He wouldn't give up entering the forest until he found his sister.
It had already been three or four days, and no rescue team had appeared.
Right now, everything depended on him.
"I understand..."
Yukino lowered her head, looking sad. She decided not to go into the forest with Jun again.
Otherwise, she would be a burden to him.
"But before Yukinoshita-san learns to climb trees quickly, I'm not going back into the forest..."
"Huh?"
Yukino was confused by his words.
"There's nothing I can do to help you because you're too fragile. Even when I'm at camp, I can't stop worrying about your safety. So from now on, we'll explore the forest together!"
Seeing her face, which looked sad and tired, Jun spoke gently.
"But I... I'll only be a burden to you, Katō-kun..."
That's silly. I'm not that weak!
Yukino felt that the Aikido she learned wasn't just for show.
But when it came to spiders and snakes, she really didn't like them.
"That's why you need to learn to climb trees. "If there's danger, you can immediately climb up to safety."
Jun looked into her eyes as he bit into the crab meat.
"Besides, I never thought of you as a burden, Yukinoshita-san!"
Honestly, if Yukino hadn't given him that coconut that day, he might never have made it from the plane to this island.
Yukino was the one who made the bow and arrows, wooden bowls, and water bottles. These were all very useful survival tools.
Jun himself would never have been able to make those things.
"Very well, I'll be in your care, Katō-sensei. I'll learn how to climb trees right away!"
Yukino smiled, feeling relieved.
After hearing that she wasn't a burden, she felt much better.
"But be warned, I'm a very strict instructor."
Jun smiled back at the girl who was feeling better.
In a survival situation on a deserted island, the biggest enemy wasn't the harsh environment—it was the loneliness that could drive someone mad.
In these moments, he really appreciates having a kind and pretty girl like Yukino with him.
[Yukinoshita Yukino — Affinity: 86]
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