“...The bonus area really exists.”

Yumekai murmured.

It did. After falling asleep on the seventh night, our consciousnesses had been summoned into the bonus area.

My first time with Shion had been incredible. We had stayed pressed together until the very end, so completely that I did not even know when we had fallen asleep.

Maybe coming to the bonus area had made her calm down again, because Shion’s face was bright red and she was covering it with both hands.

“Did Painkiller work?”

Chiyu spoke to Shion.

“...Y-Yeah. I still felt that it was my first time, but there was almost no pain. Um... thank you.”

“Mm. When we wake up, I’ll cast Advanced Heal too.”

“Y-Yeah. I think I’ll probably need it... A-Ahaha...”

It seemed the pain had been eased with magic, but Shion’s body had still gone through a first-time experience.

Once again, I was deeply grateful Chiyu was with us.

“Anyway... Let’s get going and pick up the things we decided on beforehand.”

We had already shared the existence of the bonus area with Yumekai.

And we had also finished discussing who would bring back what.

Now that our party had become seven people—me, Chiyu, Shouko, Shion, Minori, Roa, and Yumekai—the number of items we could bring back had become seven as well.

“I’ll get a game.”

First, I would pick out game software that could be played on the home game console we got yesterday.

“Mm. I’ll get a shower.”

Chiyu’s choice was an electric portable shower to use in the bath area.

It was USB rechargeable, and since we ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) already had solar panels, charging it would not be a problem. If it felt good to use, we planned to gather several of them, just like with the hair dryers.

“I’m getting a digital clock. Not having one has been kind of inconvenient, honestly.”

We had been dividing our day roughly into morning and afternoon, but knowing the time properly would certainly make a lot of things easier.

When living as a group, setting times for meals, sleep, and so on was important.

As for how to set the time in the first place, the mystery blackboard had woken us up at five in the morning during the last event.

If the same thing happened next time, we could set the clock to 5:00 a.m. when we woke up, and from then on we would know the time on the deserted island.

There might be a margin of error of a few minutes, but that was not something to worry about in deserted island life.

“I’ll get a full-length mirror.”

Shion chose a full-length mirror.

If anything, it was strange that it had not come up as a topic until now, but mirrors were very important to the girls.

We decided not to place the giant mirror upright as-is. Instead, we would lay it horizontally and set it on the table in the changing room.

That way, several people could use the mirror at once.

“I’ll get textbooks again today.”

Minori chose textbooks.

This would be the second subject.

Once life settled down a bit more, it might be good to set aside proper time for studying.

Or maybe we could create free time and let anyone who wanted to study ask Minori to teach them.

“I shall choose a rechargeable electric vacuum cleaner.”

Roa said this modestly.

Since we had two solar panels at home, it was a blessing that we could choose electrical appliances too.

When told she could pick something she liked, the fact that a vacuum cleaner was what came out of her mouth was either very maid-like or simply very Roa-like.

“...I’m good. I’m only able to enter this place because of you, Kuno. I want to avoid piling up more debts.”

Yumekai declined to choose.

We had heard this from her in advance, so we had already decided what to pick in her place.

Relying on Roa’s ability, we had worked out what Yumekai wanted while also making sure it would not feel like a burden to her, given how reluctant she was to accept things.

The item was a laptop.

That alone would not be enough, so we planned to choose another item in tomorrow’s bonus area too.

And so, today as well, we used plenty of time to explore before everyone selected their products.

We would bring back seven items in total.

When our selections were finished, my vision turned pure white, and we were sent into the white space.

◇

When we transferred there, everyone had always been lined up side by side before, but today Yumekai alone was seated behind me.

“Oh. Is it matching the actual classroom?”

In our classroom, the desks were arranged in six columns of seven students each, so it seemed to be following that layout.

Since the row beside me was already filled with six people—me, Chiyu, Shouko, Shion, Minori, and Roa—Yumekai must have ended up behind me.

“...Well, this is fine.”

“No, no, Serina’s gonna get lonely like that!”

Saying that, Shouko moved her desk next to Yumekai’s.

That instant decisiveness and ability to act were just like Shouko.

“I’m not lonely, so don’t waste effort like that.”

“Serina, is this what they call being tsundere?”

“When, exactly, have you ever felt any dere from me?”

Yumekai glared sharply at her, but Shouko only laughed brightly.

“The seventh day has ended.”

“Question. If you had to fight one, which would it be?”

“Goblin / Afanc”

Tension filled the classroom.

“...S-Seriously? They’re really adding monsters?”

Shouko gulped.

“Mm. Goblins plus pretty girls is the worst combination. Chastity crisis.”

“Um, I know what goblins are since they show up in smartphone games and stuff, but... what’s an Afanc?”

“I don’t know either of them... Perhaps everyone else is uncertain too, because no one is voting.”

“I am not familiar with them either.”

Shion, Minori, and Roa did not seem to know.

“If it’s being listed alongside goblins, maybe both of them are being treated as beginner-level monsters or something...? In that case, I think my barrier should be enough to repel them.”

“Let’s ask the mystery blackboard. Explain goblins and Afancs.”

“About goblins:

Ugly little demons with green skin.

They possess intelligence and strength roughly equal to that of a human child.

They are evil creatures that devour beasts and humans alike.

They live in caves and are interested only in cruelty and reproduction.

Caution:

Living beings killed or wounded by goblins require twice the normal time to be placed again.

If a transfer participant is dragged into a goblin nest, that participant will be treated as dead, and the number of goblins on the island will increase by one hundred as a result.”

Silence descended over the girls.

For example, if a goblin killed a wild boar, and that boar was originally placed once a week, then it would take two weeks before it was placed again.

This seemed like a setting prepared to give the transfer participants a reason to actively hunt goblins.

Being treated as dead the moment someone was dragged into a cave was painful, but perhaps it was also a mercy.

It meant the worst part would not actually happen.

But the penalty of minus one hundred points for death would still be carved in.

What was even more frightening was the possibility of being toyed with by goblins before being dragged into the nest.

“About Afancs:

Large beavers with blue-black fur.

They possess monstrous strength great enough to carry boulders and claws capable of tearing open a person’s stomach.

They prefer beautiful women, have violent temperaments, and devour humans.

They live near water, build nests, and hunt fish and people.”

Since fish had not been placed yet, that meant Afancs would only have humans to eat right now.

“They’re both the worst!”

Shouko’s shout echoed through the classroom.

“Yeah... This is probably asking us whether we want to choose a monster that lives in caves or a monster that lives near water.”

“Mm. Aside from us, there are probably some kids using caves as their bases. If we choose goblins, those places might become monster nests.”

“Right... But if we choose water, then people may run into monsters every time they try to secure drinking water. So that’s the choice.”

Chiyu and Shion spoke.

Goblins, which would use caves as bases and likely appear across a wide area of the island.

Afancs, which would use water sources as bases and make securing drinking water difficult.

“Do Afancs appear in the ocean too?”

“Afancs only appear where there is fresh water.”

The answer that came back to Minori’s question was good news, at least for us.

“Master, I believe you said you were able to produce drinking water from seawater.”

“Yeah. So in our case, if we choose Afancs, it’s almost no risk.”

We just had to stay away from lakes, springs, rivers, and the like.

“...Looks like the transfer participants who don’t have Kuno are thinking it’s still better to watch out only around water than to be on guard against the entire forest.”

The other transfer participants must have asked questions about the differences between the monsters too, because the votes for Afanc were increasing.

“All right. Let’s vote for Afanc too.”

The girls nodded, and all seven votes were cast for Afanc at once.

“Since the majority has been exceeded, voting will now close.”

“Beginning on the eighth day, ‘Afancs’ will be placed in the environment.

Please note that monsters that are defeated will be placed again after ten days.”

“...Hey. For example, what happens if I surround a water source with my barrier?”

“A space in which monsters currently exist cannot be designated as a barrier range.

However, if the monsters have been swept away, then the area may be designated as a barrier range during the period before they are placed again.

In that case, monsters will not be placed again within the barrier range.”

That was good news too.

If we wiped out all the Afancs at one water source and enclosed it with the barrier, they would no longer be placed there.

In other words, we could obtain a safe water source.

Going to the ocean was fine, but the more ways we had to secure water, the better.

“Is it possible for us to defeat monsters using the abilities we were given?”

“It is possible to defeat monsters using what was selected immediately before transfer and granted at the time of transfer.”

In other words, Minori’s Attribute Magic would work, and dropping things from my Inventory would be effective too.

Anyone with an ability that could be used in battle should be able to oppose monsters.

It would be a lie to say I was not worried about the people who did not have such abilities, but... we could not go around extending a hand to everyone.

We had to prioritize the safety of our companions.

“The eighth day will now begin.”

My vision was dyed white.

When I woke up, this would be a deserted island in another world where monsters existed.