Before long, Shouko came back carrying the clothes basket.

I used Storage & Replacement on the entire basket and cleaned Yumekai’s clothes.

Once Shouko took it back to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the changing room and returned, everyone except Yumekai was gathered.

“So what’re we doing after this?”

Shouko asked.

“First, once Yumekai comes back, there’s something I want everyone to discuss. Whether we formally accept Yumekai and Roa as companions.”

“Huh? I already thought they were companions.”

Shouko’s straightforward personality was honestly likable.

That said, I thought this was something we needed to make clear within the party.

“I’m in favor of making both of them our companions too. But we agreed that we’d return together, and that we’d wait until everyone was able to bring back what they wanted to bring back, right?”

“Right. I don’t want to forget my memories from the deserted island.”

Shion’s expression was serious.

“Mm. I want to still have Healing Magic after we return to Japan.”

Chiyu followed.

Right. The conditions still hadn’t been made clear, but apparently we would be able to carry the memories and abilities we gained on this deserted island back to Japan.

“Your concern is perfectly reasonable, Sousuke. Increasing the number of companions means increasing the number of days it will take before we can return. We need to consider that while understanding what it means.”

“Hmm... Yeah, I guess if one person decides on their own, or if something gets decided without anyone asking for someone else’s opinion, it can leave hard feelings later. So we need everyone to agree so that doesn’t happen.”

Shouko understood too.

Roa was quiet, probably because the topic was what it was.

Actually, at some point she had moved into the kitchen and was preparing tea for us.

“Once that discussion is done, I guess we’ll have free time until evening. You can go exploring, train your abilities, or stay home. I’m planning to go with Yumekai to the barrier boundary. I’ll place stone walls there so everyone can understand it more easily.”

“I’m coming too! Once that’s done, I need to show Serina around the house.”

“I think I’ll practice magic. I can write today’s new discoveries on the map later...”

“I’ll prepare food. I want to check the ingredients we gathered during today’s exploration and make something for Serina’s welcome party.”

Just then, Roa finished brewing tea for everyone.

“Oh, right. Roa.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Could you see what Yumekai wants?”

At my question, she smiled.

“Yes. But I believe we will need milady Shion’s assistance to prepare it.”

“Mine?”

Apparently, it had something to do with cooking.

When Roa told us the details, the other girls all twitched in reaction.

So did I, honestly.

Because it was something everyone loved.

“Yeah, yeah. I can probably make that.”

We all got excited for a while.

“...What are you talking about?”

That was when Yumekai came back.

Maybe because everyone wanted it to be a surprise, all their voices stopped at once, but that only made it look suspicious.

“...Well, if you don’t want to tell me, fine.”

Yumekai seemed to take it as us hiding something from her.

“M-more importantly, Serina! You’re all shiny and glossy now!”

“...I don’t know about that, but I feel refreshed. Kuno, I don’t want to stay in debt like this, so I want to start paying it back soon. You’re checking the barrier boundary, right? Let’s go.”

“Yeah, but before that, there’s something I want to discuss. Yumekai, you sit down too.”

“...Okay.”

Roa prepared tea for Yumekai as well.

After that, I asked Roa to sit too, then explained again what we had been talking about earlier.

“Huh? You’re seriously all going home together? That’ll fall apart the moment even one person gets a Right to Return. No matter how much your abilities make life a little more convenient, nobody wants to stay in a place like this.”

The other girls smiled wryly at Yumekai’s words.

Chiyu stayed expressionless, though.

“Ah. Shouko, didn’t you tell her when you were explaining the hair dryer?”

“Huh? No. I only told her there’s a way to get them.”

I see. If she hadn’t talked about the bonus area, then of course Yumekai wouldn’t know.

“Kuno, what do you mean?”

“I’ll explain in detail later, but we have one Right to Return.”

“Huh?”

“So-kun has it.”

“...So Kuno could go home, but didn’t?”

Yumekai looked at me like she couldn’t believe it.

“I mean, part of it is probably that we’re living better than the other classmates.”

“Even so... No, fine. That’s not the point. So if I become your companion, naturally I’d be under the same conditions.”

“Yeah. You and Roa. By the way, everyone agrees on accepting you as companions.”

“Of course, I shall accompany you to the very end.”

Roa answered immediately.

“...Even if I agree here, I might go home when I can, you know?”

“If that happens, then it means we were bad judges of character, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But I doubt it’ll happen.”

“...How can you say that?”

Yumekai sounded a little displeased.

“Because you were worried about Shouko. If you slipped away and returned on your own, we’d lose the barrier. Then Shouko might end up in danger. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to overlook that.”

“..................Annoying.”

Yumekai looked away and lowered her head.

“Uuuh, Serina, thank youuu. Actually, I’m sorry we couldn’t go look for you before now.”

“Don’t hug me! ...I didn’t actively search either, so don’t apologize.”

Yumekai tried to peel Shouko off her, but she didn’t seem strong enough and failed.

In the end, she gave up and looked at us with an exasperated face.

“...Fine. I don’t know about calling myself a companion, but I’ll make the deal under those conditions.”

“Good. Then Yumekai and Roa are both formal members. Glad to have you.”

The living room filled with a welcoming mood.

“Well, same here. ...I mean, should you really trust someone this easily?”

“Yeah. We have someone here with the ability to see through lies, so it’s fine.”

At my words, Shion raised her hand modestly.

“...I see. Shion, then.”

“Sorry. Are you angry?”

“No. I’m impressed. It means you only make allies of people who tell the truth when it matters, right? That’s an important ability for building a group like this.”

“Th-thank you, Serina.”

Shion looked happy to have her ability acknowledged.

“More importantly, Kuno, let’s go already.”

“Yeah. Okay, everyone, free time.”

The three of us—me, Yumekai, and Shouko—left the house.

We got on Micron again and headed for the barrier boundary.

“Slow down. We’re almost there... Stop. We get off here.”

With Yumekai giving instructions like that, we had Micron move us around, and first we reached the boundary for one side.

“This is a pretty long distance.”

“Maybe longer than the school field?”

“I can already deploy it wide enough to fit our whole high school inside, so that’s what I’m doing. Beasts and people I haven’t given permission to can’t enter the barrier.”

I had Micron show me the distance from one end to the other, then placed stone walls there.

“...It really is amazing. Couldn’t you defend this place even without the barrier?”

“If things stayed the way they are now, sure. But depending on what the monsters are like from now on, we don’t know what’ll happen.”

“...That might be true.”

“That’s why I’m counting on your power, Yumekai.”

“Hmmm... Well, if it has value, then I’m grateful. It means I won’t have to keep owing you.”

I had Micron move, and we placed stone walls on the other sides as well.

“You really are particular about debts, Serina.”

“It feels gross if I don’t settle them. In that sense, right now I owe more than I’ve repaid, so I want to do something about it.”

“Sousuke. Serina says that, but you’re not allowed to look at her chest or her panties, okay?”

“Come on. I’m not going to say, ‘If you want to repay your debt, show me your chest.’”

“Sorry, sorry. I was joking.”

“...If that has value to Kuno, then I don’t mind.”

“What!? Y-you can’t say things like that, okay? Sousuke’s really pervy, so he’ll stare like crazy.”

The sad part was that I couldn’t deny it.

Of course, I had no intention of doing that to someone who didn’t want it.

“I’d feel worse staying in debt. Well, surrounded by girls that cute, I doubt there’s any value in looking at someone like me.”

“That’s not true! Right, Sousuke?”

“Yeah. I don’t mean that you should show me, but I do think you’re attractive, Yumekai.”

“Exactly, you’re cute!”

“And you care about your friends.” 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“And your voice when you’re startled is cute!”

“And you can properly say thank you.”

“And also—”

“O-okay, that’s enough! What the hell!? Both of you are so annoying...!”

I couldn’t see her well because we were riding on Micron, but Yumekai was probably blushing.

And with that, our base was surrounded by the barrier and stone walls.

“Ooh. Yeah, this does make it easy to understand. This whole area is protected by Serina.”

I left appropriate gaps between the stone walls so they could be used for entry and exit.

“Kuno is the leader here, so this area is Kuno’s territory.”

“Ours, you mean.”

“Ahaha, I knew you’d say that, Sousuke. Yay, our own country.”

Day seven of our deserted island life.

We had secured an area of our own, one that other people could no longer casually set foot in.