Half an hour later, at the Southwest Cove.
Chuck had trekked through the stone beach, the redwood forest, and the marsh to reach this resource-rich bay. His expression, however, was exceptionally grim.
To be honest, Chuck had expected Yume to live out her days here in peace, serving as his quiet island neighbor. But after Kaoru revealed that Yume had vanished without a trace just before her own departure, Chuck realized his "White Moonlight"—his former crush—couldn't bear to remain his neighbor any longer.
Chuck knew this island well. In his eyes, no area was better suited for a normal person's survival than this cove. If Yume had stayed, there were enough resources to last her a very long time while she waited for a rescue that might never come.
But to leave the Southwest Cove voluntarily? How desperate was she to get away from him?
As Chuck stepped into the empty cave, the sight of the cold fire pit—clearly dead for several days—confirmed his fears. Yume was gone.
Where could she have gone? He had explored most of the viable areas. He hadn't seen a sign of her on his way here. Thinking back, he found himself at the border of the marsh and the redwood forest. To his west lay the one place he had always avoided: the dense, suffocating tropical jungle.
Did she...? Chuck rubbed his chin, scowling.
Yume's disappearance left only two possibilities. Either she had walked into the ocean to end it all, or she had lost her mind and wandered into that dark jungle—becoming a snack for the black bear.
He sighed, looking up at the sky. He remembered a quote he'd seen online: "We often don't realize that for most people we know, we have already seen them for the last time in this life."
It seemed he would never see Yume alive again. He knew she had seen him "in action" on the beach that day, and he could guess that was why she fled. But there was nothing he could do. He had to respect her choices and focus on his own survival. This brief, strange reunion with his high school crush had ended as abruptly as it began. Such was the unpredictability of life.
Back at the stone platform, Chuck didn't tell Kanae or Kaoru about his grim theory. They had lived with Yume; it was better they didn't know her likely fate.
With the scale armor materials still smelting, Chuck opened his DIY interface. Regarding the upcoming hunt, he decided to ditch the idea of a bow and stick with his familiar throwing spears. He had successfully taken down a boar with a stone axe and a goat with a wooden spear. A bow required constant output and, more importantly, a level of marksman skill he simply didn't possess.
He scaled up his spearhead mold. Bronze throwing spears would be far more lethal than wooden ones.
Lastly, there was the trap. His previous rope traps worked on boars, but a black bear was too strong and cunning for a simple snare. He didn't expect to kill it with a trap; he just needed something to cause chaos and create an opening. He needed something harder to avoid and easier to hit with.
A Drop Net.
He looked toward the artificial cooling cave he'd dug. In the corner sat piles of sago palm fibers he hadn't turned into cloth yet.
Scale armor, throwing spears, drop nets. It was a lot of work. But against a bear, no amount of preparation was too much.
As the first batch of bronze scales finished, Chuck used the workbench to rivet them onto his old boar-hide cloak. Three bronze spearheads were fitted onto sturdy shafts. The weight and balance were different, but he would adapt. Meanwhile, the women helped him boil and dry the fibers to weave the net.
By evening, an orange glow bathed the platform. Chuck stood at the edge, clad in shimmering bronze scale armor, holding his bronze halberd with three spears strapped to his back. He looked every bit the ancient general. He wasn't playing dress-up; he was acclimating to the weight.
If everything went well, tomorrow would be the day he challenged the bear.
"Hey, Chuck?"
A husky female voice came from behind him. He turned to see Janet. After a day and a half of hard labor, Julia's garden was now fully enclosed by a neat wooden fence. Janet stared at Chuck's "full-metal" look, her eyes wide with shock.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Chuck didn't call for a translator. His mental stats made learning easier, and between the last two days of listening and his old school memories, he could manage basic English.
He leaned on his halberd. "Prepare. Then, fight."
"Fight?" Janet frowned. She had heard from Julia and Elena that this place was safe. Who was he going to fight? She looked at him with a strange expression. Years ago, she'd known a nerd in high school who made cardboard armor and pretended to be a knight. Was Chuck just a man-child playing games while the women worked?
"Fight what? Why?" Janet crossed her arms, her massive, heavy breasts straining against her top. Her curves were exaggerated and aggressive, the flesh at her neckline glowing in the sunset. She had decided never to marry, but she treated Julia like her own daughter. She was only staying here to see if the man her niece chose was reliable. If Chuck was just a delusional cosplayer, she would take Julia and leave.
Chuck didn't hide his intent. He pointed toward the top of the cliffs. "Forest." He made a clawing motion with his hand. "Bear." Then he pointed to himself. "Me. Fight."
He gestured to the camp. "Food. Water. Resources." Finally, he pointed into the cabin where the women were preparing dinner. "For them. Better life."
His English was broken and his accent was thick, but the message was crystal clear.
Janet stared at the cliffs, then back at the house. He was going to fight a bear... with a spear and homemade armor... just to make life better for the women?
"What the fuck..." Janet breathed. She hadn't expected that answer. Was he actually serious?
"Darling! Aunt Janet!" Julia called out from the door, waving them in. "Dinner's ready!"
"Let's go," Chuck said. He walked past Janet, stripped off his gear by the door, and entered the cabin without a second glance.
Janet watched him go, her mind reeling. Even if he was serious, fighting a bear without a gun was suicide. It was insane.
That night, before bed, Chuck called Kanae and Kaoru outside. On his orders, Kanae had kept the truth from Kaoru. The two former best friends were still strained. It was time to fix that.
He looked at Kaoru and explained everything. He told her that after their big fight, Kanae hadn't actually given up on her. The cold shoulder was a ruse orchestrated by Chuck to break Kaoru's pride and make her submissive. It had all been an act.
Kaoru stood there, stunned. Kanae couldn't hold back anymore; she burst into tears, grabbing Kaoru's hand and apologizing over and over. Chuck left them alone, stepping back into the cabin.
He went to the bed where Elena, fresh from a bath, was waiting. As usual, he helped the "human cow" relieve the pressure in her heavy breasts. Elena sat on his lap, her thick, mature ass pressing against his thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her bare, voluptuous chest pressed to his face as she nursed him.
"Hubby... that Janet... she's still very wary of us," Elena whispered softly.
Chuck, tasting her warm milk and breathing in her mature scent, smirked. Elena's intuition was as sharp as ever. He moved to her other breast, tugging the nipple to clear the flow into a ceramic bowl. "Don't worry. I have a plan."
"Mmmph~!" The sudden stimulation made Elena's eyes roll back. Her body shivered as she reached a small, milky climax right there on his lap. She looked at him with watery, pleading eyes. "Hubby... be gentle."
By the time he finished with Elena, the door opened. Kanae and Kaoru walked back in, no longer avoiding each other's eyes. The rift was healed.
Chuck was satisfied. He patted Elena's firm, wet ass, and she understood. She reluctantly climbed off him to go prep the "battlefield" on the large bed.
Chuck beckoned the two Japanese girls over. Both looked shy and flushed. "Everything settled?"
"Yes," Kanae nodded, holding Kaoru's hand. Kaoru was still a bit fidgety in front of him, but the hostility was gone.
"To celebrate your reconciliation," Chuck smiled, pointing to the bed, "we'll start with the two of you tonight. Get naked and get on the bed."
Both girls turned a deep shade of crimson.